Page 53 of Equalizer
They thanked Arabella and took their leave, heading back to the carriage, but didn’t speak until they were inside the vehicle’s wardings.
“I take it you wish to get a look at Humphries’s operatory?” Winston asked before he climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Seems to be the next step,” Owen replied. “Since I suspect we’re going to end up there sooner rather than later.”
“Very well. I’ll scan for magical traps and protections and do my best to keep us tightly shielded. You might want to stay alert for more ghosts than usual,” Winston told Owen. “I have a suspicion that for all of Humphries’s successes, he’s probably also had a deadly learning curve.”
The carriage left the stable and moved into the crowded Chicago streets, threading its way among delivery wagons and coaches. They quickly left the more prosperous areas and headed into a warehouse district that was much less traveled and looked hard used.
Most of the buildings bore faded signs, but there was no way to tell whether those enterprises were still active or merely marked where they used to do business. Owen guessed that most were empty and disused or had new squatters eager to avoid notice.
A few sheets of newspaper blew across the empty street. Compared to Chicago’s vibrant downtown, it was hard to imagine this ghost town was part of the same city.
“Want to bet the cops don’t make regular patrols in this area?” Owen looked out the carriage window, glad they weren’t on foot despite their advantages with weapons and magic.
“Probably not. If the other businesses are legit, they sure don’t look prosperous, or they aren’t spending their money to impress the neighbors,” Calvin agreed.
Their coach was warded, and they all had protective amulets. Winston sat in the driver’s seat, and his witch senses and magicswept the area around them as discreetly as possible to avoid raising alarms.
Not many people were in sight. That wasn’t surprising for an area that didn’t cater to retail traffic, but it added to the aura of disuse and abandonment.
“I wonder how many other illegal enterprises are in the other buildings,” Owen mused.
“Probably plenty. Which means people mind their business and aren’t likely to report something odd to the police,” Calvin agreed.
“No obvious security guards.”
“If people could see them, they’d wonder what needs guarding. Kinda defeats the purpose of being inconspicuous,” Calvin pointed out.
Owen opened his senses to the spirits. He could see them like a translucent overlay, hidden figures who remained connected to this place long after their deaths.
Young boys were probably cutpurses or pickpockets. The women look like streetwalkers. The older toughs might have been Mob, gang members, or common thieves. A couple of them look like they blundered into the wrong neighborhood and didn’t make it home.
“I think I caught a glimpse of some guards loitering in a few doorways.” Calvin kept his revolver on his lap, as did Owen, just in case. “I can’t imagine what else they’d be doing here.”
“Anyone doing business here probably needs plenty of guards,” Owen replied. “I’ll be interested to see what Winston picks up. My magic isn’t nearly as powerful as his, and I can sense the wardings. There’s a very strong sense of being unwelcome. I know Winston has spells on the horses, but I’m honestly surprised that the ambient magic isn’t making them balk.”
They didn’t slow down, keeping an even speed as if they were hapless travelers who took a wrong turn.
The closer they got to Humphries’s building, the more ghosts Owen glimpsed.They look confused like they don’t know how they got here. Mostly teens to thirties—makes sense for prime bodies. All male, which would go with replacing limbs for their enforcers.
Owen’s heart went out to the ghosts who looked so lost.Bad enough that they were murdered, but they’ve found no rest on the other side.
Back in his Army days, Owen had heard the belief that people who lost a limb couldn’t move on to the afterlife without a complete body. That had always seemed ridiculous to him. Now, he hoped more than ever that wasn’t true.
“There’s a large black delivery carriage beside Humphries’s building,” Calvin noted. “Plenty of room for a body in there.”
“The building has enough space for a big generator to create the electricity he needs,” Owen observed. “And if the other buildings are largely deserted, there are fewer people to notice odd smells and lights.”
They didn’t linger, not wanting to call attention to themselves. Owen breathed in relief when they returned to more trafficked areas and came into sight of their Pullman car.
“Go in and get warm,” Winston told them when they got back to the train station. “I’ll return the carriage and start on dinner.”
They headed for the Pullman, but Owen came to a dead stop a few feet away and threw his arm out to stop Calvin. “Someone left us a present.”
A severed hand lay on the platform in front of the Pullman’s door.
“I guess Humphries figured out we weren’t professors.” Calvin wrinkled his nose in disgust.
