Ghost Of A Chance Part 15

Meredith sighed and went over the events with reluctance. I listened with half an ear, my attention divided between him and the group at the table in the center of the room. Savannah had evidently proceeded to the trance stage, for she rocked from side to side, her head tipped back, her eyes closed, her long hair sweeping a pendulum's path across the back of the chair.

"We went downstairs. Spider remembered seeing a door in the bas.e.m.e.nt.

He found a crowbar, and started to pry open the door."

"Spirits who surround us, we humbly implore you to make yourselves known to us," Savannah said in a singsong voice. "Come forth and tell us your names. Share your wisdom. Guide us in the darkness."

"What happened then?" Adam's voice was a deep counterpoint to Savannah's.

"I stepped back to give him room to use the crowbar. I said something about us not being able to get out of the house, and Spider said he'd be d.a.m.ned if he stayed there any longer. I thought I heard a noise behind me, but before I could turn, something coshed me on the head and I was out."

"We seek enlightenment, spirits of Walsh House. Come before us and teach your humble pupils. Tell us of your lives, so that we might be better for your experiences."

"What sort of noise did you hear?" Adam asked.

Meredith made a vague gesture. "Just a noise. Something moving. Could have been anything-a person, a rat, one of those d.a.m.ned spirits of yours."

"Spirits of Walsh House, we call upon you now! Speak to us! We feel your presence. We welcome you with love. Speak to us now!"

"Did you see any-"

Before Adam could finish, Savannah gave a small shriek. Evidently she'd been peeking despite her "trance," for she sat now pointing at the center of the table, where the air had grown misty, as if it was gathering itself up into a tangible form.

"I ... I summoned a ghost!" Savannah said in outright astonishment, her eyes huge.

"Mother Mary and all the saints, what is it ye want from me, woman?"

"I summoned a ghost who talks!"

"Too bad it's not someone cute," Pixie said, eyeing the materializing spirit. "And younger."

Adam froze, staring in surprise at the center table. I was just as surprised as he: with the house sealed, it shouldn't be possible to summon any being into the house. But on the middle of the table, the figure of a man was solidifying- a ghostly white, gauzy figure, but a man nonetheless. One who looked familiar.

"Grandpa?" Adam asked, a comical mix of surprise and embarra.s.sment on his face.

The ghost turned toward us. "Adam, me boy! Ye grandam'll be delighted to know it was ye who woke me up. House looks nice. Dropped that third arm, have ye?"

"Do you ... do you know this ... er ... gentleman?" Savannah asked, her voice hushed with awe.

Meredith rolled his eyes. "Oh, for G.o.d's sake. This is all we need-more freaks."

"Who're yer friends, then?" the ghost asked, turning a not-so-friendly eye on Meredith.

Adam sighed and rose to his feet. "This is my grandfather for whom I'm named: Adam Tennyson Trent. He died sixty years ago. He's supposed to be elsewhere. I had no idea he was in the house, but I'd appreciate it if you could put him back."

13.

"Now, Adam, don't be takin' on like that. If'n yer havin' a party, I'd be happy to have a wee chat with yer friends. I've been sleepin'...What year is this?"

"It's 2008. Go back to sleep," Adam ordered, storming over to where Savannah sat with an astonished, if joyful, expression. "And next time, pick someone else's house to take a nap in."

"Fine welcome that is from me own flesh and blood." The elder Adam had quite an Irish accent. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the younger version.

The old man had a roguish twinkle in his eye that was apparent despite the wispy nature of his materialization. "It's been years, lad. How is your work comin' along? The last yer grandam and I heard, ye was workin' for the government."

"I still am," Adam said, his shoulders slumping in resignation.

"How come she can summon a ghost?" Pixie asked me in a whisper, her eyes narrowed on Savannah. "I thought the house was sealed."

"It is. I suspect the gentleman there was dormant."

She gave me a blank look.

"It's another word for sleeping. Polters and spirits can lay dormant for decades so long as they're not disturbed. But you should know that."

She rolled her eyes.

"This is your grandfather?" Savannah asked, beaming with happiness at the spirit. "How do you do, sir? I am Savannah Bane, president of the Psychical Mysteries Society. We're delighted you decided to grace us with your presence.

Would you mind if I took a few pictures of you?"

"Not at all, dearie. Me left is me best side." Adam senior turned and struck a dramatic pose.

Savannah muttered something about hoping she had enough film left as she dug her camera out of her purse, then quickly took a few shots.

"All right, you've said h.e.l.lo and had your picture taken. Now go back to sleep," Adam ordered.

"He always was an impatient lad," the old man confided to Savannah, much to her delight. "Now then, me boy, ye're not even goin' to tell me about how yer grandam is gettin' on?"

Adam raised his eyes heavenward for a moment. "She's fine. She is very busy."

"Raisin' h.e.l.l, as always, I'll wager," the ghost cackled, slapping his leg.

"Raisin' h.e.l.l, ye get it? Ah, boy, it's good to see ye."

"I want to sleep for decades," Pixie announced. "I don't want to wake up until all the teachers at school are long gone."

"Eh?" The spirit spun around to look at her. "Who be ye, then?"

"Morbent Vixen," she answered.

"I thought it was Obsidian Angel," my father said.

The look she gave him was one of pure scorn. "That's so half an hour ago.

I changed it to something better."

The old spirit eyed her for a few seconds before turning back to his grandson. "This be yer woman, boy? She's a bit on the young side."

Adam bore the air of one well persecuted. "She's not my woman. She's fifteen, and the ward of Karma."

"Karma?" The ghost squinted as he looked at the rest of us, his gaze finally settling on me. "Ah. Now, there's a pretty la.s.s. Much better choice. Not a pure-blood, though."

"We're not together," I said quickly. "Not in a relations.h.i.+p way, that is.

We're just working together for a bit."

"She's an exterminator," Adam added.

The old man whistled and took a few steps backward. "I'd best be on me way. Feeling a mite sleepy, I am. Give yer grandam a kiss for me, Adam, and tell her to wake me up as soon as she's done runnin' things in the Court."

"I will if you promise to go back to sleep," Adam warned.

The ghost's eyes flicked in my direction for a second; then he faded.

"Oh, but wait! I have questions-" Savannah stopped as the elder Adam disappeared entirely. "Dammit! There was so much I wanted to do with him!"

"Please don't bring back any more of my family," Adam told her.

Her brow furrowed. "Are there more dormant here?"

"Not that I know of, but I could be wrong."

"Well, I'll try not to if you insist, although I thought your grandfather was delightful. But why did he only have two arms?"

"He used to be mortal," Adam said, abruptly turning and marching back to where Meredith was eating the last of my croissant.

"Court?" I asked, following him.

"Court of Divine Blood."

"Your grandmother lives in heaven?"

"It's not heaven, it's the Court, and yes, she lives there. She's the polter amba.s.sador to the Court. Grandpa doesn't get along well with Court life, so he sleeps a few decades at a time, then wakes up to see how things are going."

"You people just get freakier and freakier," Meredith said with a shudder.

"It's a good thing I had more than one diffuser made. Sooner or later, I'll be rid of all of you that aren't turning a profit for me."

Adam's gaze met mine. It was pregnant with meaning.

"Let's go over the events of the evening again," he said to Meredith.

"I just told you what happened!"

"I want to hear it again."

My coffee was more lukewarm than hot, but I sipped it as Adam forced Meredith to go over the evening's activities yet another time. Savannah went into another summoning trance but produced only one other spirit, a process server, who served Tony for breach of contract.

"But that was a century ago," Tony said nervously, glancing at his partner.

"It was before I met you, honey, I swear! Angelique meant nothing to me, nothing! She completely misinterpreted my offer to go in together on a scheme to farm kobolds."

"Indeed!" Jules said with injured dignity.

"Thank you for waking me up," the process server said with a bow to Savannah. She sat with open-mouthed surprise. "I lost track of time. I remember stopping here and thinking I'd take a little nap until someone summoned me forth, but I guess I was more tired than I thought. Still am, for that matter. Think I'll take another little nap..."

He disappeared before she could say anything. Adam's two spirits went off to the kitchen, no doubt to work out their relations.h.i.+p woes. Savannah blinked a couple of times, shook her head as if to clear it, and then announced they would continue trying to contact Spider.

"Tell me again what you said to him, and what he said to you."

A sulky look slid over Meredith's face as he repeated what he'd told us earlier.

"Is that all he said?" Adam asked.

"That's all I heard before I was knocked out," Meredith answered with obvious exasperation. "If you're done with this third degree, I'm going to get a drink."

Adam's gaze met mine. I shook my head.

"Go ahead," Adam told him, then waited until Meredith was out of hearing before asking, "What do you think?"

"I don't know. It didn't seem to me like he was lying. You must be able to read people better than me; what do you think?"

Adam looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'd just about swear that he wasn't lying. But if Spider wasn't talking to Meredith, then who else was there?"

I nibbled on the end of my pen. "Good question."

Adam called Amanita over.

"I hope you're not frightened by me being here," I told her with an encouraging smile as she settled into the chair next to me. "I'm not going to clean this house, so you really don't have anything to fear from me."

"I know. Adam said he would keep us safe." She didn't look me in the eye when she spoke, her fingers working the material in her gauze peasant top.

Despite her statement, I could feel her fear. I sat back, nodding at Adam.

It was clear she would respond much better to him than me.

"Nita, this is important. I want you to tell us again everything that happened after Karma came into the house."

Her voice was low and hesitant, but it gained both a little volume and confidence as Adam guided her through the happenings of the last few hours.

While she was recounting her actions, a cold chill brushed the back of my neck, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. I looked around, but there was no one behind me.