What Haunts Me (14 page)

I knocked on Justine's front door at exactly 7 p.m. Anne answered with a weary smile.

“Good evening, Mr. Sinclair,” she said as she waved me into the foyer.

“Oh come on Anne, you called me George a few hours ago. Besides, I hate it when you use my last name.” I whined with everything I had and she smiled mischievously. Great, I thought, Billy snaps at me and Anne teases. At least I could count on Justine for some sincere affection.

Justine was sitting on the couch reading a magazine and looked up from her half-glasses as I walked into the room. “Ah, George, darling! Oh, you look so much better today,” she said as I kissed her cheek and took the seat next to her.

“I feel better too. I think I just needed some sleep.” And I did feel better. The bump on my forehead had decreased to a semi-unnoticeable lump, and the nap I'd managed to catch after the talk with Anne had done me a world of good.

“I can't be sure what that girl is up to…she's been in her room most of the afternoon. Anne, dear, would you check on Billy?” Anne nodded lightly and did as she was asked.

“Tell me dear, what do you two have planned for this evening? Are you hunting tonight?”

Earlier, when we'd spoken with Anne, I felt relief that Justine wasn't there. But I'd never lied to her, and I could only hope what I said next wouldn't cause her too much concern.

I smiled demurely. “Actually, we're going to meet with the Watchers….”

She patted my leg. “Ah, that's good dear. I know Billy doesn't quite get along with them, but I think it's important that you have their support.”

I was surprised at her enthusiasm and decided to push ahead. “Justine, you need to know something. I…uh…. My dad told me some things about Vokkel and this demon, or maybe there's more than one demon, I'm not sure yet. Anyway, they killed my grandparents and my mother….”

She was patting my leg again, quietly saying, “I know dear, Anne told me everything.”

I nodded and said, “I'm going after them Justine. Vokkel too.”

She nodded sadly and said, “I know. I also know that it would be useless to try and talk you out of it. But George, dear, please be careful. He is a dangerous man.” I did my best to assure her that we would be careful and thought I had her half convinced as Billy entered the room. She looked nice in jeans and a sweater, her hair combed to a glossy shine and hanging loosely around her shoulders. I smiled at her and she gave me a half smile in return.

“You ready to go?” I asked.

She nodded and walked over to Justine. Leaning down, she pecked Justine on the cheek and said, “I'll probably be in late, so no worries, okay?”

“Of course, dear,” she said to Billy, then she leaned over towards me and I pecked her cheek too before we left.

The bar we were meeting Phil at was about six blocks away, so we walked. Billy was quiet and contemplative, and I was thinking about what Anne had said about her family. It never occurred to me to get the ghosts to do things like sabotaging someone for profit. What I couldn't figure out was what was in it for the ghosts?

“Do you think Anne was right, about your great-grandfather getting ghosts to do things for him? I mean, what was in it for the ghosts?”

She exhaled loudly. “For starters, I think he agreed not to kill them, but I think there's more. I remembered something after you left, part of a history study we did when I was in high-school. It focused on the maritime industry from the late 1800s to the present. I had to look it up, just to be sure. In the late 1930s there were several shipping companies out of San Francisco and Oakland. They were highly competitive with each other and sometimes that got ugly. However, that all changed in the early 1940s because of a massive outbreak of influenza. Not sure if you remember this from your school days, but there were several deadly outbreaks from 1918 and on, so people were still really nervous about the flu back then. Apparently several ships from different shipping companies and coming from different parts of the world were all infected. The authorities quarantined the ships outside of the Golden Gate. Oddly…well, not so much in retrospect…there was only one shipping company, Gold Coast Lines, I think the name was, that didn't have any infected crew. That company, acting with the utmost
benevolence
,” her voice oozed sarcasm, “agreed to send out smaller ships to offload the cargo and bring supplies to the ill crewmembers. Guess whose company that was?”

I didn't need to guess and she knew it, so she just continued. “Apparently they made an absolute killing off those poor people by getting the cargo to port and off to market. In the process they
unknowingly
,” more of that sarcasm, “helped to bankrupt the smaller shipping companies, which Justin and William quickly bought up. A few years later they renamed the company Wilkinson Shipping Lines.” She sighed. “I guess that's why I never put it together…the company had a different name.”

“So you think the deal was two-fold? William let the demons live, but he also gave them lots and lots of victims to haunt?”

“Yep.”

“Hmm, you think it's that sort of power Vokkel has been after all this time? Hoping to get Grandma Billy to do something like that?” I asked.

She laughed cynically. “Oh George, I think he's already done it to some extent. I mean, the guy's super wealthy and from what I could find out, he didn't come from money and he sure didn't make it from his medical practice. But it's more than that. Like Justine said the other day, he's sick, and he wants you to make him better….”

We entered the bar and I looked around for Phil, but he wasn't there yet. There were four men sitting at the bar, two of which looked familiar from my previous visit, and a woman sitting in a dark corner on the far side. I headed over to the same booth Phil and I had occupied our first time around. It was a nice quiet corner and I liked that aspect of it. Billy stopped and asked the bartender for two beers, then joined me. We both took the wall side of the booth; that way we could see the door and anyone who entered the bar. It also gave me a view of the entire place. The woman sitting in the dark corner was facing our direction, but the shadows that played on her booth made it hard to see her clearly.

The bartender arrived with our beers just as Phil entered the building. He was decked out in his heavy overcoat, biker boots, jeans, and another vest in a colorful paisley design. He also had a hat on, but not the top hat. This time it was a bright red beret pulled down tightly over his wild curly hair. He smiled and waved at us, and then headed to the bar. A few seconds later the front door opened again and a tall, exotic looking man entered. He had dark olive-toned skin and jet black hair, and was impeccably dressed.

Phil walked over to us carrying two drinks and the olive-skinned man followed. Phil placed the glasses on the table and took his coat off, hanging it on the ornate hook behind our booth. As he slid into the bench seat, he said, “George, good to see you man,” then he cringed a little and pointed to my head.

I smiled. “Good to see you too Phil. This is Billy, she's…like me. I'll explain later.” I pointed to my bump. “Who's your friend?” I asked as I glanced at the man standing off to the side.

“Right, sorry about that. This is Aris. Aris, this is George and Billy. Have a seat,” he said, scooting all the way into the booth.

Aris sat, but stayed as far to the edge as possible, all the while staring at Billy. “Mr. Sinclair, it's a pleasure to meet you.” He nodded at Billy, but his demeanor was less than friendly. “Miss Wilkinson.”

I figured that Phil probably told him my last name, but I didn't use Billy's last name when I introduced her, so obviously this Aris fellow already knew her, and based on the scowl on her face, I was right.

I laughed. “So, you two have obviously met before.” They both nodded, but neither said a word.

Phil looked at each of us, a confused expression on his face, but instead of asking about it, he just shrugged. “So tell me what happened to your head. Man, it looks painful.”

I smiled at Phil and said, “Should I start at the beginning or have you already filled Aris in on our previous conversation?”

“Sure did, so start with everything that's happened since our meeting.”

I had decided on the walk over to tell Phil and whoever he brought with him everything I knew. I wanted their help and I was pretty sure that any omission on my part wouldn't be in my best interest.

I told them about going to Vokkel's house, which netted me a reproving look from Phil, then about meeting Billy and learning about our connection to each other. I also told them about my kidnapping, and at that point Billy piped in and said, “He's like his mother….”

Phil had that confused look again, but Aris said, “We know.”

I ignored that and continued, finishing up with what Caleb said he saw me do and the information my dad had given me, which Aris clearly already knew. After I'd told them everything, I looked directly at Aris and said, “I'm going after Vokkel and these demons, and I'd like your help.”

Phil's large eyes protruded almost to the point of escape; he let out a long whistle and then downed his beer. Billy downed hers too, and not wanting to be left out, I did the same with mine. Aris sat still and erect, then he took a polite and refined sip of his drink. He hadn't said enough for me to have much of an opinion of him, but there was something about him that I didn't like. Maybe it was just the formal air that seemed to surround him, or maybe it was the fact that every once in a while he'd glance at Billy with something attune to disdain.

Phil's arm shot up and he waved at the bar tender, holding three fingers up and mouthing “more beers please.” We waited in silence for them to come and I glanced toward the far end of the bar; the woman was still sitting there, leaning toward us as if trying to hear what we were saying. She had moved out of the shadows just enough for me to see her features. She had long brown hair and was somewhere in her late twenties. Her features were smooth and clean and plain. She seemed somewhat familiar and at the same time completely foreign.

The beers arrived and I turned back to our group. “Aris, I need to know everything you and the Watchers know about Vokkel, Edgar, and the demons that killed our grandparents.” I waved my hand between Billy and myself. “And the one that killed my mother.”

Aris nodded and said, “I'll start with Edgar; he is what is known as a
longaevus
, a Latin term meaning long life.” Aris looked at Billy. “Your woman Anne, as you know, is one these as well, but she isn't quite like Edgar. We believe that when Edgar's convergence occurred, his demon was somehow able to possess him for a short period of time. It couldn't hold on though…we think that is because Edgar was too strong and fought it. However, Vokkel has spent the last fifty or so years studying Edgar and others like him, and we think he's discovered how to complete the process and allow a demon to replace the soul of the victim and inhabit a human body again.”

“How?” Billy asked in an adversarial tone. I shot out my foot and kicked her lightly. We needed Aris's help and she needed to cut the attitude. She sighed and said, “Sorry.” However, it didn't come out with much sincerity.

Aris glanced at her, his eyes darkening in annoyance. “The same way the convergence happens in the first place…the only difference is the victim's mental strength. From what we understand, Vokkel believes that the victim must be very weak of mind, perhaps even mentally handicapped. This makes it easier for the demon to take control. However, he must have a powerful ghost killer as well, and thus far, he hasn't found one with enough strength.” Aris looked over to Billy again. “He thought that you would be of this caliber; he was well aware of your ancestry. However, you refused to cooperate with him and even killed one of his minions.” Aris's expression changed to admiration and a slight smile spread across his lips. I glanced at Billy to see if she'd caught it too. Her eyes sparkled just a little, and I thought she was pleased at the unspoken compliment.

Aris looked at me. “Vokkel is, of course, well aware of your ancestry too, and we believe he is convinced that you, like your mother, have the power he needs to fulfill the promise he made to these demons. In fact, we believe he instructed the demons to kill your mother and Billy's grandmother out of pure spite because they would not or could not help him.”

“Why did you have my mother kill Markel? Why not kill Vokkel instead?” I asked.

“Vokkel had always managed to stay on the sidelines…initially, that is. The school was created by Markel and we always believed that Vokkel was nothing more than a meager doctor in his employ—we had no idea that it was the other way around. Vokkel had used Markel as the face of the operation to protect himself. When he moved to San Francisco he continued to remain as anonymous as possible. We knew that he had most likely come to the city because of your grandmother.” He glanced in Billy's direction. “We offered her protection, but she refused. We didn't know what he'd done to her until much later. After Julie was born, Vokkel maintained his distance, primarily because Julie wasn't like her mother.”

He sounded contrite, but that didn't sooth Billy in the least. Her eyes had taken on a dangerous quality and I took her hand and tried to calm her. She squeezed back painfully.

“When Julie left San Francisco, we followed as discretely as possible, but she was aware of us most of the time. She was…
is
…a very clever woman—she's quite skilled at eluding when she feels it necessary. Vokkel told her if she were to have a child with a powerful ghost killer, he would reward her handsomely. He eventually found one for her and,” he held his hands out toward Billy, “you were born.”

Billy was practically breaking my hand now and I elbowed her so she'd let go. She loosened up, but kept a firm grip. I looked over at Phil; his eyes were wide and full of interest and fascination.

“We believe your mother, having run through her funds and feeling overwhelmed with a small child, came home to Justine. I can't be sure if she realized what you were, as you were just a toddler at the time, but I can say that her intentions weren't in your best interests. We tried everything we could to keep Vokkel away from you, and when that didn't work, we put our own people in his school in Germany to keep an eye on you. The young man that helped you escape was one of them.”

Billy spoke softly. “Do you know who my father is?” It never occurred to me that she didn't know. I just assumed she didn't care and that's why she never mentioned him.

Aris nodded his head, his eyes downcast and his expression full of guilt.

“Who is he? Is he alive?” she asked fiercely.

Aris brought his gaze up slowly, focusing on Billy, and said, “His name is Andrew; he's powerful, but again, not as powerful as you are. I don't know if he's aware of you. We don't believe that Julie ever told him who she was or that she was carrying his child. He's somewhat of a nomad. He moves from place to place and isn't associated with us or other ghost killers.” Aris had the decency to show compassion in his expression, but that wasn't enough to ease Billy's building anger. And I couldn't really blame her for it…the Watchers had obviously known quite a bit about her family for quite some time, and didn't bother to fill her in.

“What about the demons? Did the same one kill our grandparents and my mother, or was there more than one?” I asked, hoping a change of subject would help defuse Billy's outrage.

“There are at least two that we know of, but there could be more. From what we know about them, they are quite old. As you've probably noticed, most of the ghosts, even the powerful ones, appear to have died within the last few centuries. We believe our diligence and dedication as ghost killers is what has kept any reasonable population of older ghosts from gaining a real presence. But some have escaped us, and those are the ones that Vokkel has been courting and using for years.”

“All right, so the longer they survive in this world, the more powerful they become. Is that what you guys think?” Aris nodded his head. “Is there anything I should know about killing them? I mean, I have the advantage of being able to see them, but can they be killed the same way I kill the others?” I hoped my trusty yellow friend was a strong enough instrument; I'd grown quite fond of it.

“Yes, we believe so,” Aris replied solemnly.

“That wasn't very convincing; is there something you're not telling me?”

Aris sighed. “In all honesty, Mr. Sinclair, we don't know. Your mother did kill one of these demons, but she wasn't able to escape the power of another—”

“What do you mean she killed one? When?” My voice had risen and two of the bar patrons turned to look at us. I ignored them.

“When she killed Markel, he had one with him and she killed it as well.” Aris's tone was apologetic. My dad hadn't mentioned that, but perhaps my mother hadn't told him.

My voice was reedy when I asked my next question. “So what makes me so powerful? I know I'm supposedly faster, and I can see these bad-ass demons, but is there more?”

He nodded slightly. “Yes, the power to converge a demon into a human—that is the additional power we believe you possess.”

In a nutshell, it was what Vokkel wanted from me…well, aside from ridding him of his own demon. I could feel my anger rising: at Vokkel, at the demons, at the Watchers for not intervening sooner. I said, “How come Vokkel has a demon anyway? I mean, if he's in cahoots with these bastards, why is he being haunted?” Before Aris could answer, I shot another question at him. “And why do you think I have this power in the first place?”

Phil held his hands up as if in surrender and said, “George, man, calm down okay…?” I hadn't realized how vicious my tone had gotten. I felt Billy squeeze my hand reassuringly.

“Yeah, fine, sorry. But answer my questions, please,” I said resignedly.

“Of course,” Aris replied humbly. “To be honest, I have no idea how or why he's being haunted. Perhaps due to the fact that he hasn't been able to make good on his promise to the demons, they in turn are making him suffer.” He shrugged. “As far as your power is concerned, it's really quite simple. The man involved in the event that made Edgar into a longaevus was your great-uncle. He had that very same ability, he just didn't know how to channel it. Your mother could do it too.”

“Are you guys going to interfere with
my
way of dealing with Vokkel?” I wanted to kill him, it was really that simple. If Billy didn't object, that was exactly what I intended to do. But it was her grandfather and murder was murder.

Aris angled his head and said, “We'd prefer that you don't kill him; we feel that he may have information that can help us in the future, help us battle the ghosts more effectively. He may also be able to provide us with the locations of the rogue ghost killers that bargain with the demons.”

I laughed. “So you want me to kill his demon and slap some handcuffs on him, is that it?”

Aris nodded as if it would be that simple.

“And Edgar, you want him too?”

“Edgar is a very deranged man. There is no helping him, and he will always be evil. He shouldn't survive,” Aris said matter-of-factly.

“Why haven't you guys taken care of them already?” I asked.

“Vokkel never leaves that house, and Edgar is incredibly strong physically, and as you know, if he touches you, he can see what you see. There's something else about Edgar…he has this uncanny ability to know when he's in danger. We're not sure if it's an additional paranormal talent or if he's just acutely aware of his surroundings. Whatever it is, he's managed to escape each attempt we've made to remove him.” That could explain how he did what he did to me when I was at Vokkel's house. I had felt like I was under a spell of some sort…maybe that was part of Edgar's additional talents.