What Haunts Me (16 page)

I couldn't think of anything worse than what we were already facing, and the waiting caused me to pace anxiously. After what seemed like an hour, but was actually a mere fifteen minutes, the main building buzzer rang and Billy headed to the security panel to let Phil and Aris in.

Aris looked agitated and refused the seat I offered him. Finally, after circling the room, he said, “Vokkel contacted me this morning.” He looked at Billy and me mournfully. “He said that he summoned the surge of ghosts and he will unleash them on a large group, perhaps a school or office building, if we do not turn you over to him.” He looked at me directly.

“Oh my God,” Phil said as he dragged his hands through his hair. Billy ground her teeth audibly and I looked at Aris with curiosity.

“Aris, who cares? If he does that, we'll just kill the ghosts and remedy the situation, I mean, it takes time for the ghosts to do any damage to their victims…they have to actually haunt them for a while, right? Why does he think that will work?” I asked, perplexed as to why Vokkel thought this was a real threat.

Billy grunted in a very unladylike fashion and said, “George weren't you paying attention last night? Those weren't garden-variety ghosts, they were more powerful! That's why it's a threat! The ghosts that Vokkel brought here can kill quickly, and if we don't know where he plans to unleash them, we won't be there to intervene!”

I felt stupid, because of course she was right, although I didn't think she needed to call me out on it in such a rude manner. But that was Billy for you. “Sorry, that didn't occur to me,” I said contritely.

“So what do we do? We can't hand him over; I mean, he can't do what Vokkel wants him to do,” Phil said to no one in particular.

“I have to do it,” I said simply.

Phil and Aris were standing over by the bay window and they both looked in my direction. Phil said, “I'm helping; we need a plan!”

“Where did he say I should go?” I asked Aris.

“He didn't. He said he would call back this afternoon.”

“Okay, well I'm not going to his house. We need someplace where we can see them, someplace open, but deserted; I don't want any innocent people to get hurt.”

Billy cleared her throat and said, “Uh, if we can see them, they can see us.”

I nodded. “Yep, they sure can. I want them to see us, at least you and me…that is, if you're still in this.” Her eyes narrowed like she was daring me to tell her otherwise and I smiled.

I glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at me, waiting for my plan, including my mom's ghost friend, who'd suddenly appeared in the corner. I smiled at her and suddenly a plan started to form.

“Okay, Vokkel's old and sick, so he won't be a challenge physically, but Edgar will be.” I looked over at the ghost and said, “If Billy can do her thing…do you know about her thing?” The ghost nodded and I asked, “Can you help her? Against Edgar?” She nodded enthusiastically. Although Billy had used a powerful demon to kill her bodyguard, I figured my mom's ghost had to be powerful too, otherwise Billy would have seen her last night.

“Who are you talking to?” Billy demanded. I looked at the ghost, then at Billy.

“You still can't see her? It's my mom's ghost friend, the one from the bar.” I had told Phil about her, and assumed he'd filled Aris in. But Aris was looking where I'd focused my earlier questions and it was clear he couldn't see her either.

“Don't worry about it, all you need to know is that she's here to help. So, we need a place where we can do this. Aris, can you help there?” He nodded. “Good, I think we're going to need some reinforcements too. Chances are good that this surge of ghosts won't be too far away. I can't be sure how dangerous they are to us, but we know that some of them are dangerous, based on what happened last night. How many GKs are in town, Aris?”

He answered immediately and I arched an eyebrow questionably. “Twenty-five, not including you two and myself. I started calling them in a few days ago.” He paused, “I had a feeling that something was happening and that we might need them.”

“Good. I want the demons there too, so here's what we're going to tell Vokkel; I'll tell him that I know what he wants from me and that I'll do it all: the convergence thing with his demon, and transferring the demon souls to humans. That's going to mean that at least two innocent lives and maybe more will be present, so we're going to need some help getting them out of the way safely.”

I looked back at my mom's ghost and said, “I'd love to know your name.” She shrugged, because of course she couldn't tell me.

Phil said, “GG.” He looked to the corner where I'd been directing my questions and said, “You're like a guardian, right?” He turned to me for the answer. I looked at the ghost and she nodded, so I passed that on to Phil. “So, we'll call you GG, short for Guardian Ghost!” He exclaimed with a huge smile. I looked at the ghost and she was smiling too.

“I guess that settles it…GG it is.” I smiled at her in return. “GG, can you go find Vokkel and tell us what he's up to without anyone or anything else seeing you?” She cocked her head to the side and held her hands out, and then she disappeared.

“What she'd say, man?” Phil asked.

“I'm not sure, but she's gone. Hopefully she'll be back soon.”

“Yeah, all right, but we need to work on this plan of yours, George. I assume you don't actually intend to do what he wants, so what do you intend?” Billy said fiercely.

“Here are the basics: we get Vokkel, Edgar, and the demons in one place. You take out Edgar with GG's help, and I take out the demons. Aris can have a few extra people nearby to assist, and the remaining ghost killers can patrol the city to get the surges.” It was an extremely flawed plan, but no one was offering up alternatives.

Billy scowled and I could almost feel her laser-like green eyes boring into me. “It won't go down like that. Vokkel won't show up with just Edgar and a few demons. He'll have other reinforcements too. What do you plan to do about them?”

Phil jumped up from the chair he'd taken and said, “Well, I'll be there, and I can be armed too.”

Billy waved her hand. “And that's another thing…if you kill Edgar, we'll have at least one body to deal with. What the hell do you plan on doing about that?”

Aris responded in a quiet, even tone. “The Watchers will handle any clean-up that needs to be done.”

Phil rubbed his hands together and said, “Okay, well that's all settled.”

Aris stood and said, “I need to make some arrangements. Is there a quiet room I can use to make some calls?” I pointed toward the dining room and he left, closing the French doors after him.

Billy leaned back and sighed.

“You're worried. Come on Billy, lay it on me,” I said.

“I don't like this,” she said, and stood up. “I'm going to check on Justine and Anne. I want to be sure they're both safe before any of this crap goes down.” She walked out without another word.

Phil asked, “Got any coffee?” I directed him to the kitchen just as my phone buzzed with a text message.

It was a simple but powerful text message.

Find a private place and call this number immediately, or your father will be killed - F.V.

Although I was alone in the living room, Phil and Aris could come back at any moment. I headed to my bedroom and once inside I shut the door and dialed the number. For some reason, I expected Edgar to answer, since he was clearly Vokkel's right-hand man, but instead I was greeted by a rough, gravelly voice.

“Good of you to respond with such promptness, Mr. Sinclair,” Vokkel said.

“Did I have a choice?” I replied dryly.

“No. The time for choices has passed. I'm sure by now Aris has explained what will happen if you do not surrender yourself to me, and I am sure that you, with his help and of course with that of my charming granddaughter, are attempting to hatch a plan around that threat. Am I correct, Mr. Sinclair?” He didn't wait for my answer. “That is why I took the extra measure to insure you will do as I wish. I will say that your father is in good form, for the moment. However, that will not remain such for long. Here is what you will do; you will play along with whatever Aris and Billy devise until I contact you, then you will need to break away from them and come to me,
alone
, as I instruct. Do you understand?”

I needed to sit down. I felt light-headed, and for the first time in all of this ghost business, I was terrified down to the core. One of the last things I'd said to my dad played through my head. “Dad, I'm going to ask the Watchers to protect you.” But I'd forgotten—I got so caught up in my lust for revenge against Vokkel and his demons that I just forgot, and now…now they had him. I had no choice, I had to give myself up and hope that Vokkel would keep his word.

“I'll only do this if you release my dad the minute I get there. And I pick the meeting place!” My voice had taken on a rusty growl. “Do you understand?”

Vokkel made a noise that came from deep down in his throat, and it took me a second or two to realize it was amusement. “Of course, no harm will come to him if you do as I say.”

“That wasn't what I said, Vokkel! Pay attention this time: We will meet at a place
I
designate if,
and only if
, you release him the second I arrive!”

He was silent for a moment, then he said, “All right George, I will agree to your terms. But as I said, you will come alone or I will kill your father.” Then he laughed, at least I thought that was what it was, and said, “You have that fiery spark, so like your mother…did she fight hard George? In the end that is, did she try to fight my demon?”

I wanted to throw-up. Instead I choked it back and replied, “Speaking of, make sure they're there, too!” I hung up, not sure if that was the wisest decision, but I wasn't going to be able to keep it together much longer if I stayed on the line with him. I sat down heavily on the bed and dropped my head into my hands.

I didn't know how long I stayed that way, gripping my head and muttering under my breath. Eventually I heard a quiet click as the bedroom door opened. Billy's voice, softened with concern, was very near. “What happened?” I felt her hand on my head and looked up; she was kneeling in front of me, her brows knitted together.

I stood up, wiping my face with my hands as I walked around the room. I couldn't decide if I should tell her what Vokkel had done. I knew if I did she'd insist on coming with me, and that would defy Vokkel's instructions, which could end my dad's life. She came over to me and rested her hands on my shoulders, looking up at me with pleading green eyes that held nothing but deep concern, and said, “George, what happened?”

Leaning my forehead against hers, I told her about the call. She pulled away and said, “God! He's such a bastard!” I'd never felt closer to anyone than at that moment. She was somehow feeling my pain and frustration, and I knew she was the only person that could help me and help my dad.

“Okay, I think we should follow Vokkel's instructions, but instead of just you breaking away, we both will. If GG can help us, then we might be able to fight through this.”

I smiled weakly. “Yeah, I agree, but I don't trust Vokkel in the least. I mean, even if he thinks I'm alone, I don't think he'll let my dad go, do you?”

She shook her head. “No, I don't, but there's another problem. I have no doubt that he intends to unleash those ghosts, the surge, whatever you want to call it,” she waved her hand around, “regardless of whether you do as he says or not. And I don't think Aris's ghost killers are strong enough, not without you and me.”

She was right of course. Most of the ghosts we had encountered the night before were fast and strong, and Phil had said that other, average GKs were reporting them as too powerful to catch. More importantly, we had no idea where he intended to unleash them. How could we fight them if we didn't know where the battleground was?

Just then, GG appeared, looking saddened and disheartened. I asked hastily, “Did you see my dad?” She nodded. “Was he okay?” Another nod. “What about this surge of ghosts, did you see anything like that?”

She cocked her head to the side, then she laid her hand on her chest, her eyes pleading understanding. Billy said, “You could feel them, is that what you mean?” GG nodded enthusiastically.

“You can see her?” I asked Billy.

Billy smiled. “Yeah, I can. Hi GG, it's nice to meet you.” This new development was great. It meant that GG could help Billy directly, and that upped our odds tremendously. At least I hoped it did.

“I don't see how we can do this Billy—we can't be in two places at once.” I could hear defeat in my voice and I hated it.

She blew out a breath and said, “I know, let me think for a minute.” She began to walk around the room aimlessly. GG stood silently in the corner watching us both intently. Finally Billy said, “Okay, I think we should follow the plan we already have. We'll need to let Aris know what's going on though so that he can have some of his people follow us to where ever we meet Vokkel.” She turned to GG. “Can you allow others to see you too?” GG shrugged her shoulders, as if she was unsure.

“If you could somehow get a lead on the surge that Vokkel's controlling, maybe you could follow them and then let one of Aris's people know where they are. That way they could be there to attack them.”

“What about my dad, Billy? We have to get him out right away.”

She was nodding her head. “I know. Vokkel expects you to come alone, but you made it clear that he had to release your dad first. We'll tell him you brought me along to escort your dad to safety; I'll leave with him and pass him off to one of Aris's people, and that way he'll be protected by a ghost killer.”

“Then what?”

“Then, I'll come back and help you kill those bastards!” She said, a sinister smirk easing onto her lips.

There was a knock on the door and Phil poked his head in. “Everything okay in here?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, let's go back to the living room,” I said as I guided Billy out of my bedroom. GG was staring at me and I said with a reassuring smile, “Come on, we need you too.”

“There's been a change of plans,” I said, and then told Phil and Aris about Vokkel's text message and my subsequent conversation with him. I also told them about the plan that Billy, GG, and I were devising.

Aris nodded his head in appreciation and said, “GG.” He looked around the room, not sure where she was. “I would be honored if you would allow me to be your conduit.” She smiled and moved to him, placing her ghostly hand on his shoulder. He shuddered for a split second and then smiled and bowed his head lightly in greeting. She moved back to where she had been standing before.

Phil made a noise that sounded like “humph,” threw his hands up in the air, and said, “Great, everyone can see her but me.” He had a grin on his face though, which made us all smile.

I turned to Billy. “How's Justine and Anne?”

“They're fine. I filled them in and Anne said she wouldn't let Justine out of her sight. They'll stay at home until we tell them the coast is clear.”

“Okay, good. Can we have whoever you hand my dad off to bring him to Justine's?” I asked. Billy nodded in reply.

“All right, what's next? What do we do now?” Phil asked.

Aris spoke. “I've asked the others to meet us in an hour, I'd like to hear from them directly as to the encounters they've had with this 'surge.' We need as much information as we can get in order to fight them properly. It won't be long before Vokkel makes contact again, so we need to move quickly.” He turned to GG. “Can you come as well?” She nodded.

Phil moved over to the edge of the couch and picked up a black, hard case and placed it on the table. He unsnapped the latches and opened it; it contained three hand guns nestled in foam and several boxes of ammunition. I looked at him questioningly.

He gave a shy shrug of his shoulders and said, “I wasn't sure what the plan was going to be, so I brought them with me. I went down to the car and got them while you and Billy were talking in your bedroom.”

Billy walked over to the case, picked the smallest gun up, and looked it over. She pulled the slide back and dropped the clip, all with practiced expertise. “I'll take this one.”

I wasn't surprised that she knew something about guns, but I knew nothing whatsoever; I'd never even seen one in person. “Not me, sorry, I don't do guns,” I said emphatically. Billy gave me a look that screamed “wimp.”

Phil said, “Hey man, that's cool. I'm pretty good with these things, so if you two will let me,” he glanced between Billy and me, “I'd like to come with you when you meet Vokkel and Edgar and whatever or whoever else is going to be there. You might need some good, old fashioned fire power.”

Billy said, “Yeah, that's fine.” She turned to Aris. “Where are we meeting the others?”

“The Masonic Center,” Aris replied, “We've had a long standing relationship with them and we needed a meeting room of sorts,” he explained.

I laughed. After all, this was a meeting with ghost killers, and ghost killers shouldn't exist. Not only that, but we were going to make a battle plan to fight ghosts and demons and people that lived a long time and evil doctors and who knew what else. So why shouldn't this meeting take place at the local hall of one of history's most mysterious cults, or groups, or whatever the Masons were called?

Billy made a call to Justine to let her know we were leaving and then we all piled into Phil's car and drove to the Masonic Center on California Street. We parked in the underground garage and were met by a man who greeted us with a simple nod of the head. He led us to a meeting room and closed the doors behind us. There were about ten people already in attendance, mostly sitting around the meeting table talking quietly amongst themselves. Aris excused himself and walked over to a tall man with close-cropped hair and strong features.

Phil, Billy, and I took seats in the closest chairs and waited patiently. GG hovered in the corner, watching everyone curiously. People continued to stream into the room until it was almost full, quietly taking whatever seat was available.

Aris came over to us and crouched down between Billy and me. Speaking in a whisper, he said, “I've decided that it is best we do not tell the others about your plans with Vokkel. I do trust these people, but we cannot take any chances that my judgment is misguided and one of them is working for him. We'll tell them that we have an inside man and that is how we'll know where the surge is going to take place. If there is a traitor amongst us, and word gets back to Vokkel, perhaps it will shake his confidence a bit.” Billy and I nodded in unison and I turned to Phil and told him what was said as Aris walked away.