Page 2 of Equalizer
“There’s a surprise,” Calvin muttered. “Anything else?”
Owen shook his head. “He thinks his body is in the woods. Maybe he can tell us more later, but he’s lucky to know that much.”
Winston was ready with a fresh cup of hot tea laced with plenty of sugar to help Owen gather his wits and replace the energy of reading a spirit. Calvin sat with him, noticing the wayOwen’s hand shook and how he had paled with the exertion of communicating with the dead.
“Thank you. I know it costs a lot to do that.” Calvin placed a hand on Owen’s thigh in support.
Owen closed his eyes and sighed as he sipped the fragrant tea. “Every effort has a cost. Mine is just a little weirder than most.”
“The railroad people will need time to clear the tracks before the train can move on, and then we still need to have the car put on a siding once we arrive,” Winston pointed out. “We won’t get settled until after everything is closed. You have time to rest before there’s any chance of going to the morgue.”
“Let’s get some fresh air and have a look,” Calvin suggested.
Calvin and Owen walked a short distance up the tracks, watching steam tractors haul away the wreckage as railroaders examined the tracks for damage. Night was falling, and the workers used torches to light the cleanup effort.
Trees lined the path of the tracks, set back from the easement. Calvin saw movement near the shadows and squinted for a better look, then caught his breath, eyes going wide.
The translucent figure of a headless woman in a gray dress stood at the edge of the shadows.
I’m not the one who usually sees ghosts. I’ve got to be imagining things.
“Owen? I need you.” Calvin’s voice sounded higher than usual, even to his own ears.
“I hope so,” Owen replied cheekily, coming up behind him, then quickly sobering. “What’s wrong.”
“I saw a ghost. A headless woman. Out there.” Calvin pointed toward the dark fringe of the forest, but the apparition was gone.
“There’s no one now.” Owen moved to stand next to Calvin.
“I don’t think I just imagined it,” Calvin said, still shaken. “Did I?”
Owen frowned. “People see ghosts all the time, regular folks who aren’t mediums. Certain ghosts have enough energy to make themselves visible while others need someone with the right power to see and hear them.”
“How are you so calm about this stuff?” Calvin stared into the darkness as if he could will the ghost to reappear.
Owen shrugged. “I’ve always had the Sight, and so did my mother and grandmother. Runs in the blood. The Church might not have liked it, but the neighbors believed.”
“Why do you think she showed up?”
Owen led him back inside. Calvin sat, and Owen moved behind him to massage his tight shoulders.
“She probably haunts this stretch of rail from a long-ago accident and it’s just a coincidence about her showing up now,” Owen replied. “Or maybe the energy of the wreck drew her. When we get to Chicago, Winston can dig into the local lore. I’m sure there’s a story to go with the haunting that’s partly true.”
“Do you think she caused the wreck?” Calvin tried to relax under Owen’s firm touch, just realizing how tight his shoulders were from stress.
“Maybe. Depends on whether she has a reputation for harming people or whether she’s just a harbinger. My bet is on the second choice. A lot of ghosts show up to warn the living about impending danger.”
“She’s a little late for the driver of the car.”
“Maybe he wasn’t who she was warning,” Owen pointed out. “You’re the one who saw her.”
“You think we’re in danger?” Calvin leaned into Owen’s hands, trying to ignore how the connection affected him.
Owen chuckled. “We’re government agents. We’re always in danger. The question is—is it a supernatural threat or one from regular people?”
“Usually both,” Calvin said with a sigh. “That’s how it goes.”
Owen shifted his hands to stroke the cords of Calvin’s neck, then moved to rub at the tight muscles of his clenched jaw.
