A Ghostly Ride in Gulfport (Gulf Coast Paranormal Book 10) Read online

  “As I told Uncle Chuck, I accept full responsibility both financially and personally. I should never have let this happen,” Midas said solemnly.

  Chuck rose to his feet and furrowed his brow at Midas, but Nina rose too. “We’ll talk about all that later. Go home now. Get some rest. I will make sure he knows you were here. Go home, Midas.” She kissed his cheek and hugged him briefly before she and Chuck went down the hall to find the elevator.

  “Jocelyn, why don’t you stay with me tonight?” I asked as we stepped out into the cool night air.

  “No, I have to take care of Sherman, but thanks. I’m sorry, Midas. Sorry, everyone.” She walked away and climbed into the van with Sierra and Joshua. Bruce had already left to stay with a friend who lived in the area.

  Midas and I drove home in silence. I invited him to stay with me, but he politely declined. “Are you sure? I promise to take better care of you than I did the goldfish. I’ve kept Domino alive, after all.”

  “You always take good care of me, Cassidy. I just need to crash. I’ll call you in the morning, or earlier if I hear anything else about Aaron. I promise.”

  “All right. Night, Midas.”

  “Night, Cassidy.”

  Midas waited for me to step inside and then drove away. I felt so alone and so exhausted. Naturally, Domino decided that five in the morning was a great time to play. I disagreed and had to shut the bedroom door to keep him from constantly waking me up. “Sorry, kitty. Momma is tired.”

  See, I wasn’t ready for a kid. How was Sierra going to make it through the day on zero sleep? And how was Jocelyn going to handle this whole Aaron thing? And what was going to happen to the team?

  And what was that sound? That was music. I knew that song….

  Sister Christian, oh, the time has come…

  Chapter Sixteen—Midas

  My meeting with Trenton Gaines went worse than I expected. He wasn’t happy that another accident happened at the Gulf-A-Rama, and I certainly couldn’t blame him. His attitude changed a little when I told him about the broken grave markers and the EVPs of Benjamin Pettis we discovered during our review of the evidence. A young man’s voice was clearly asking for help. We also had an impressive collection of video and photos of the orbs gathering on the property.

  “This proves it, then. The place is haunted, right?” Trenton seemed happy about it.

  I could quickly see where this was going, and that made me unhappy. “I think so, but this isn’t safe for tourists, Trenton. If that’s what you’re thinking. Granted, that fall was Aaron’s own fault, but he won’t be the only one who tries to scale that thing. And what about all the other decrepit rides and buildings?”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said in an attempt to appease me. “But Benjamin Pettis’ death was accidental.”

  “Falling from that same Ferris wheel, yes. He should have been taken for medical treatment right away instead of allowed to wander off alone. Someone should have reported what they saw, told somebody. It was a horrible accident that could have been prevented.”

  “I thought you guys were professionals, Midas. What was this kid doing on that wheel?”

  I stiffened at his implication. We weren’t a bunch of hotdoggers, and although I wasn’t going to let him bad-mouth my colleague, he did have a point. I’d visited Aaron this morning, and he couldn’t remember any of that night after the orb swarm. He was kind of upset that Jocelyn hadn’t yet come to see him, and I understood how he felt. She wasn’t answering my phone calls either. Another pang of guilt hit me, but I powered through the rest of the evidence with Trenton. By the time we parted ways, I believed that he was at least going to do the right thing about the grave markers. I suggested putting up a monument, having a special event to remember those who were buried there, perhaps making some sort of history available for the general public. Apparently, those old rumors of a pioneer graveyard had been true all along.

  But Benjamin Pettis wasn’t at rest, and I hoped we could do something about that. Clearly, he knew we’d come to the Gulf-A-Rama looking for him because Cassidy captured his death scene with her brushes and canvas and he’d taken her ring. That’s what got me to thinking. If we could find his ring and return it to him, maybe that would settle things. Like those pioneer settlers, Ben Pettis needed to know that someone cared about him.

  That’s why I’d told Bruce to contact Brittany again. My words had been, “Get her here, no matter what you have to promise her. And tell her to bring her brother’s ring.”

  “If she still has it, you mean. Like I said before, someone with a drug problem doesn’t usually keep valuables around. You know I’m a believer in spirit archaeology. If I had a picture of the ring, I might could find one, or at least a similar one. That might satisfy this spirit; he will likely see it as an appropriate trigger object and be drawn to it.”

  “Maybe so, but I want to try this first. Can you make the call?”

  “Sure, Midas. When and where?”

  We worked out the details, and now here we were. Cassidy joined Bruce and me in the front conference room. We’d been careful to lock the doors to the storage area and the two offices. Sierra wasn’t in today; she took a little time off to be with Emily, and I couldn’t blame her. I think we all needed some time away, but I didn’t foresee that happening for me. Not until Aaron was home and the dust had settled.

  “Do you think she will come?” Cassidy asked hopefully when the doorbell rang. It was Brittany, and she didn’t have Donnie with her. I was happy to see that she had no new bruises, but she looked bad. She was so skinny, and her hair wasn’t brushed.

  “I had a hard time finding this place. I’m not too good with directions,” Brittany announced as she stood by the door. I thought maybe she was going to walk out. I wouldn’t put it past her.

  Cassidy must have sensed the same thing. She offered a smile and a hand. “Hi, Brittany. I’m Cassidy. I’m so happy to meet you.”

  “Really?” Brittany asked as she tucked a dirty strand of blond hair behind her ear.

  “Yes. I lost a sister. You lost a brother. I know how you feel, Brittany. Thanks for coming today. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Do you have cola?”

  “Yes, we do. Be right back. Please have a seat. Midas won’t bite, and you know Bruce.”

  She took a seat at the opposite end of the table. Cassidy returned with a cold can of soda and set it before her. She placed the tape recorder on the table and took her seat.

  Brittany cracked the drink open and took a slurp. “Are you going to record me? Donnie said you might try to pull a trick on me. I’m not going to incriminate myself. Bruce, is this your idea of a joke?”

  Before Bruce could answer, Cassidy did. “No joke, Brittany. I’m not trying to trick you. I want to help you and Benjamin. I’m not recording you; I want to play something for you.”

  “You can’t help Ben. He’s dead.”

  “I know he’s dead, but he’s not gone, Brittany. He can’t leave yet. Not the way things were left between you two. No matter what happened between the two of you, he is your big brother. He loves you, Brittany.”

  Brittany put the can down and hung her head. I expected her to be emotional, but I didn’t expect her to cry so quickly. She hadn’t even heard the recording yet. Cassidy said softly, “It’s okay, Brittany. I know you miss him.”

  “It’s not okay. It will never be okay.” She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth in the leather chair.

  “May I play you something? I think you should hear it.”

  Brittany looked at Bruce, who gave her a gentle smile. “You can trust us, Brittany. We’re your friends. We really do want to help.”

  “I told you I don’t have the ring.”

  “Just listen,” Cassidy encouraged her.

  Brittany agreed, and Cassidy clicked the recorder. She turned the volume up as the voice clearly said, “Help me.” Brittany’s face went white as a sheet. She sprang up fr
om the chair and pointed at the device.

  “Oh my God! Oh my God! How did you do that? Bruce?”

  “It’s not me, Brit. It’s Ben. He’s asking for help.”

  “What kind of help? I mean, what do we do? Oh, God. This is all my fault.” She immediately began pacing the office and talking to herself.

  “Brittany, please. There’s more. Do you want to hear the rest?” Cassidy asked as she held the recorder. Ben’s sister immediately went back to her seat and nodded, her hands covering her mouth. Her fingernails were dirty, and her skin was too. She clearly needed help, and we would offer her some if she wanted it. But I had to know she wanted it first.

  “Play it, then. I have to hear it.”

  Cassidy reached for the ghost box. She tapped on the top of the box and said, “This is from Bruce and Midas’ session in the carousel. You’ll hear what sounds like white noise at first, and then you’ll hear something else.” She played the clip, and I watched Brittany’s face brighten.

  …Sister Christian, oh, the time has come…

  “Benny?” She smiled and waited to hear more.

  …you know that you’re the only one…

  It was very clearly a young man’s voice singing.

  She cried again, only it wasn’t hysterical but soft and hopefully healing to her soul on some level. “Benny, I’m sorry. I should never have left you there. It was me, Bruce. I tricked my brother into taking me to the amusement park so I could ditch him there and take the car. I was so proud of myself, but then he went and died, and my life has been horrible ever since. I don’t deserve to be happy. After I left the park, I went to hang out with Betsy. She was coming to town that night and I wanted to see her so bad, but my parents wouldn’t let me. They read some of our notes; we got into a lot of trouble when we were together. That was one of the reasons why her parents moved her away, but Benny never knew about it. I don’t know how he didn’t—he never caught on. My brother was always too trusting. Especially when it came to girls. I let him down; Kendra let him down. I left him there, and he got murdered.”

  “No, he wasn’t murdered, Brittany. It was an accident, a real accident. Ben fell from the wheel. He should have been helped, but the ride assistant was too worried about himself to make sure Ben was okay. And then others let him down and he died, probably from blood loss,” I said, hoping to offer her a little comfort.

  “I might as well have pushed him from the wheel myself. He didn’t want to ride it in the first place. I paid the guy to make sure Benny got stuck on the top long enough for me to leave without him. I’m sorry I took Dad’s car. I didn’t think of it as stealing, honest. I just wanted to borrow it to see Betsy at the park.”

  “What about Ben’s class ring? It was in the jacket,” Cassidy said.

  “How did you know?”

  “I know because Ben showed me, Brittany. Do you still have it?”

  Brittany chewed her lip and wiped at her damp eyelashes. “It’s mine. It’s the only thing I have left of him,” she said in a whisper. “And if Donnie knew I had it, he would pawn it.”

  “Let me see it, Brittany. Let’s let Ben know you have it,” Cassidy said as she reached out her hand.

  “How do we do that?”

  “We’re going to put it on the table and show it to him.”

  Brittany’s shoulders sagged as she sobbed again. “He hates me. He must hate me. I can’t blame him. I would hate me too.”

  “No, that’s not true. I don’t think Benjamin hated you a day of his life. I think he was hurt that you left him at the amusement park, but he never hated you, Brittany. There is a tie between siblings that can’t be broken. I know, trust me. I know all about it. Can we at least try?”

  Brittany leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “Okay, we can try, but you can’t have this ring. This is the only thing I have. The only thing left to remind me of Benjamin.”

  “I don’t want to take it from you. I just want to show it to Ben. I think he wants to see it. To see you.”

  “What do I have to do? I don’t want to go back to that park. I never want to go back there.”

  “You don’t have to. He’s right here,” Cassidy said as Brittany removed the ring from the pocket of her baggy pants and put it on the table between them. Cassidy nodded to me, and I reached for the ghost box. I turned it on again and hit the record button.

  “Benjamin, are you here?” I asked as the machine began to crackle and static filled the air around us. Something was happening. I didn’t have to guess. Benjamin Pettis had arrived.

  …sis…

  “Benny, is that you?”

  …sister…

  “I brought your ring back, Benny. But I lost the keys and your jacket. I am so sorry, Benny. I am so sorry! It should have been me that died that night.” She sniffed and stared at the box.

  Go…Home…Sister…

  “I can’t go home, Ben. There’s no home for me to go back to. It’s been over thirty years, and everything’s different now. Mom and Dad aren’t together, and they…they don’t trust me anymore. I’ve been in a bad place for a long time, brother. I am so sorry for what I did. I wish—I wish I could take it all back. Please, Benny. Tell me you forgive me. Please.” She stared at the box and put her hands on the table. At least she wasn’t as fidgety as she had been just a few minutes ago.

  Nothing played on the box now except static.

  Benjamin Pettis was truly gone.

  Cassidy consoled Brittany as I stalled for time. Just a few more minutes. If I could keep her here a few more minutes, things would be better for her. Somewhere in this great city of ours, Donnie Hearst was being arrested for theft and would be out of Brittany’s life, at least for thirty days or so. I’d let my police officer cousin Jimmy know where he was, since I figured they were looking for him. Turns out they were—he’d broken into someone’s house last week but so far had evaded the cops. Jimmy told me Hearst had so many priors that he shouldn’t see the light of day for a long time once he was convicted. I was doing what I had to do to help Benjamin’s sister, and I wouldn’t lose one wink of sleep over Donnie Hearst.

  Something good had to come out of all this. Jocelyn had left for California to visit her mother, but she did see Aaron before she left. I had no idea whether she was coming back. You just couldn’t say with Jocelyn. Aaron was looking at months of recovery and healing time. Nina was standoffish, but I didn’t blame her. But here was a chance at redemption.

  The doorbell rang as our visitor stepped inside. Mrs. Pettis was about Brittany’s height with soft brown hair and a quiet voice. Brittany looked up and immediately got out of her chair. Now she looked like she was ready to run, whether to her mom or out the back door.

  “Brittany? I have looked everywhere for you, baby.”

  “Mom?”

  The two clearly wanted to embrace, but neither of them made the first move. Suddenly the ghost box clicked on and began to play static. And then we heard the voice. He was singing that song again.

  …sister Christian…

  Immediately, Mrs. Pettis’ eyes closed, and she held her breath. Brittany wasted no time running to her now. “Mom? I have to come home. Benny wants me to come home. Please let me come home.”

  The two held one another crying, and I reached for the ghost box. I didn’t have to turn it off. It did that all by itself. Kind of. Benjamin Pettis had been here, and now he really was gone. He’d done what he needed to do. His family needed to hear his voice one last time, and now things would be all right. They would be. I had no doubts about any of it. Brittany had a long hard road ahead of her, but she would make it if she wanted to. I hoped she did want to. With Cassidy’s help, we’d managed to find a strong Narcotics Anonymous support group, but again, success was all up to Brittany.

  As Mrs. Pettis, Brittany and Bruce left our office, I smiled at Cassidy and she smiled back. We had ended this investigation feeling a little wounded, a little broken, but at least we were together. My hand immediately went to wher
e her ring should have been. Even though the ring was a family heirloom, it could be replaced. The hand that wore it, never.

  “I love you, Cassidy Wright, soon to be Demopolis. Any chance you’ve picked a date yet?”

  “Funny you should ask. How does May 17th sound?”

  “That sounds great, but why that particular date?” I asked as I leaned against the edge of the table.

  “That’s Kylie’s birthday. I thought she might like that.”

  I smiled at that idea. “Well, I love it. I guess we’d better go ring shopping this weekend.”

  “And dress shopping.”

  “Not me. I’m out on that. I’d rather be surprised. Besides, isn’t it bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding day?”

  She squinted at me playfully as she got closer. “I can see how superstitious you are, Midas.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Really? This is me you are talking to here. No walking under ladders. No spilling salt.”

  “You can have all the ladders and salt you want, Cassidy. As long as you marry me.”

  “Take me home, Midas. Let’s find a quiet corner to cuddle in.”

  “That’s a deal.”

  We locked up the office and headed for Cassidy’s place. Sooner or later, we would have to talk about the future. Where to live, where to raise our family, where to put down roots. But today wasn’t that day. Today was about moments. Enjoying each and every special moment with the woman I loved.

  And I planned to do just that.

  Epilogue—Cassidy

  I tapped the brush lightly on the side of the glass and laid it on the towel to dry. “You’re all done, Benjamin Pettis. I hope you know that we tried.”