Page 25 of Haunting Salem

"Yep. People are curious about you. The projected numbers for this live show are in, and we're going for a record. Also, there are several watch parties around the country as well. We'll give a shout out to them as you investigate. This show will also be live-streamed on Twitter so that fans can interact with Chase and you along with everyone watching from home. I have never, and I know it sounds like a bunch of bunk, seen the amount of excitement for a new show." He pulled his phone from his pocket. "Have you checked out your video?"

I shook my head, in shock from what Henry said. “No. Not for a while. I mean, we’ve been kind of busy.”

Henry laughed. “You have twenty-three million views as of right now on your video.” He pulled the video on his phone then turned the screen toward me. “Congratulations, Simone. You’re a star.”

Staring at the screen, I didn’t know what I felt. Surprised? Anxious? Worried? I scrolled through the comments and found the skeptics pretty fast, but even the comments were pretty positive. Someone even posted the link for our live show. “Someone pinch me.”

Nolan did then chuckled when I yelped. “You said pinch you. Congratulations, Simone, you earned all of this.”

Yeah, I guess I did. “Thanks. This is amazing. I don’t think I can process this right now.” I swallowed hard and took a shaky breath. “Wow.”

“Indeed,” Henry replied. “Okay, so let’s get you to our first site of the night. We’re starting in ten minutes.”

I gathered my frayed wits and turned to follow my team, only to be stopped by Henry. When I turned, concern replaced his warm features. He’d been hiding his worry with his excitement. “Something wrong, Henry?”

“Did Chase do something to upset you?” Curious how he phrased the question. I guess it was better than ‘Chase said you were rude to him.’

“Henry, even if I said yes, and it was vile, what would happen? You need a host for the show and we’re about to go live.” I rolled my shoulders.

“I’ll host,” he replied. “I can do it. I have time in front of the camera, I know what to do.”

Yeah, but people wanted Chase too. “It’s cool, we’ll talk about it after.”

Henry narrowed his eyes. The frown tugging his lips down would frighten anyone who didn't know the happy go lucky person. "Fine, after. But, I'm holding you to it, Simone. If something happened, we need to know. We don't try to cover up stuff at the Adventure Channel."

I inclined my chin. “After the show then. I will tell you everything.”

“Thank you.” Henry motioned for me to lead the way. “If you don’t mind, I believe I will stick with you for the rest of the night. I want to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.”

“Uh...” Nervous energy pooled in my stomach. “Sure. Why not. Then you’ll get to see how everything works for us. But, be prepared to see some shit.” I should have told him about Kael, but at the time, I didn’t think he would believe me even if I told him. No, Kael was a see it to believe it kind of spirit.

“Have you enjoyed your time here?” Small talk wasn’t my thing, but I liked Henry he was always genuinely curious about everything.

“Yes,” I replied. “If I could pick somewhere to live it would be here.” Even though the air could be a little oppressive sometimes. “Everyone has been so friendly and warm. Did you know the Sheriff invited us to a pre-Halloween ball at Mass Hysteria?”

“I heard,” Henry chuckled. “Sounds like I missed out on a pretty great night.”

He had. By midnight the energy in the bar had turned ravenous, in a sexual manner. Men and women hooked up leaving little to the imagination and I found I couldn’t keep my hands off Kael, Nolan, and Jack. Owen... He was there but he also seemed a little bit too shy maybe, to initiate anything, so I was back to square one with him. Once we were back at the hotel, Nolan, Jack, and I barely made it into our room before we were naked and fucking. I was surprised we didn’t wake anyone and when the guys fell asleep, I had a little fun with Kael too. When we woke, I wondered if maybe Zane and Cian spiked the food and drinks, then I remembered everything they’d been through over the last year, and I knew they’d never be so reckless with their wife or their friends and family. There was something special about Mass Hysteria, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Maybe next time you could join us while we’re out.” I shrugged. “See what it’s all about.”

“I’d like that, though I don’t think my wife would approve.” He chuckled.

“Bring her with you,” I said. “The more the merrier.”

Henry grinned. “We’re here. Get into position and good luck tonight.” He gave me a final wave as he joined the crew members standing to the side. Maybe Jack had been right. Henry was different.

We’d been investigating for an hour when the activity picked up. Chase stayed out of our way mostly, unless it had to do with the show or questions asked by those watching at home. The cemetery was kind of a bust to be honest, too. There were a few blips and bings here and there, but nothing. It was weird. I expected to find the woman who died at the headstone, but she too was gone. That’s when Ember showed up and explained the situation. It was too much. Too much light. Too many people. Too many gadgets and doodads.

So, we decided to pare down and only allow my core group into the cemetery. That meant Lucy and Owen would be the only ones with cameras and at that, they would be set to night vision while the others stayed out. The change in atmosphere was almost immediate. It was downright cold in Salem, but this was bone-chilling. My fingers were numb. I could see my breath. A soft hum of a melody drifted up from the small meditation pond in the middle of the graveyard. We slowly and quietly trekked through the rows of tombstones over to the area where I'd heard the singing.

“Hello,” I whispered. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m sorry for the intrusion, but you have a lovely voice.”

A wispy, translucent smoke twirled and swayed in front of us and it seemed, only I could see her, the dancer. Or at least I thought it was her. She looked in my direction and the pain of being frozen solid and being afraid hit me instantly. I grimaced. My teeth chattered and my body burned yet ached from being stiff.Help me.The woman continued to stare at me, her form dancing as she sat on a reflection bench. The pain intensified. I glanced down at my hands and watched as they turned a startling shade of purple then back. Hypothermia plus frostbite equaled a deadly combo.

When I went back through all the research information we received from Betty, I found the autopsy report for the 'Jane Doe,' the performance troop member, later named Victoria Franks when her body was identified. She'd had severe frostbite on her fingers, nose, and toes. Her body had been so cold, it'd taken days before they could lay her out flat or even attempt to take fingerprints from what was left of her hands. According to the M.E., her skin was frail and waxy, too brittle to touch, causing skin slippage when they examine her making it nearly impossible to identify through fingerprints alone. Had her troop not gone to the police in search of their friend, she might have been buried in an unmarked grave as an unknown person.

The burn in my hands, feet, and face were from her. This was part of her death. The unrelenting lock of my joints as the blistering cold settled deep into my body, causing me to tire and ache. My eyes grew heavy and I swayed forward. Giving myself a mental shake to pull back from her some, I glanced at Jack who was pale and a bit green around the jaw area. "Owen, I need you to help Jack for a minute. He doesn't do so well with this stuff. Death isn't his thing." I returned my focus to the woman in front of me, and I took a step toward her again while calling forward Ember to help me out.

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