Page 78 of Ghost
“I’ve been working on this case a long time,” Ms. Protean repeated her earlier statement. “The tristate area has a history of young women disappearing without a trace. And, after a few weeks, searches for these women were abandoned. On an official level, the cases for these women are unrelated. The victims are different ethnicities, religions, abilities, and—some—are even without supernatural strengths. While I was a new detective, the possibility that we had a serial killer stood out to me. And, apparently, a few other investigators who worked on their own believed the same. But I had something they didn’t have—a starting point.”
I glanced at her, expectant.
“Grace,” Ms. Protean explained. “I firmly believe that Grace was meant to be another victim. Or at least originally. When I recollected her being taken as an adult, I realized that taking Grace had been entirely professional. The mannerisms of everyone involved spoke of practice. It was luck that I wasn’t found. I don’t know why Grace was chosen for marriage, rather than whatever else Edward Cole had planned. But at that point, I knew that Edward Cole was involved. I had watched him for years, but could never find proof. Which was unfortunate, because you cannot go against the Cole family without evidence. A member of my team attempted it once. We thought we had a link between another missing woman and Garrett Cole, Edward Cole’s son. But it ended badly, and there was retaliation. Since he publically made the accusation on his own, and we were working secretly, the rest of us were left alone. But I’ve been determined to discover the truth ever since.”
“Your team?” I asked, looking up. “Who were they?”
Ms. Protean’s mouth thinned, and a flash of pain shot through her eyes. “Who they are is not important. But the fact of the matter is, the house that you are researching has a shady history. At least two people have died there in the past, and those are only the records that we know. And the original owners are unpredictable psychopaths. Do not be foolish busybody, like Caleb Weaver. I’m only telling you this so that you understand what is at stake. Stay out of it and leave this to the professionals.”
I paused, considering. But I already knew it would be impossible to stop. None of this had gotten me any closer to discovering the identity of the spirit who kept appearing to me. But at least now I had somewhere to start—she had to be one of the missing women.
But there was still something I didn’t understand.
“What’s so important about the Cole family?”
Her desperate expression lifted.
“The Cole family are descendants of a certain witch coven, who are unremarkable in terms of power. However, they are historically known to be fair-minded and their word holds a powerful sway in our culture. Our world is a chaotic one, and full of dangerous power-plays between groups. Especially in the olden days. So the Cole’s were chosen to be mediators and leaders because of their unbiased decisions. As political influence, the law, and the economy grew, throughout the ages, so did the sphere of their influence. Now, members of that line hold some of the most powerful positions in our immediate area.”
I paused, not understanding at first. The name had been nagging at me for a while, but I hadn’t been able to place it. But then it clicked—I had seen a billboard on the way into town.
She answered my unspoken question. “Edward Cole, my sister’s husband, was a district judge. But he’s been deceased for a long time. However, our state senator is Garrett Cole. And our chief of police is Alexander Cole. They are brothers, and are my great-nephews.”
Chapter Thirty
Titus
Plot
Alexander Cole was on the cusp of retirement. He was a bulky, stern-looking man who never married. Nor had he had any children. Instead, he chose to spend his younger days buried in his work and slowly rose his way through the ranks.
His father had been a sedentary man, choosing a sedentary lifestyle. Like his brother. I knew, because Alexander would complain about it any time his brother was mentioned. Alexander seemed to dislike Garrett and strove to be his exact opposite.
It had been a while since I’d seen him, and desk work finally caught up to him. At least, it seemed that way from how his brisk walk down the hallway had winded the man.
“Mr. Ducharme,” he greeted, holding out his hand. “Thank you for coming. I know that you don’t like to leave your territory, but it is important that we do this report in person.”
He was trying to be thoughtful, so I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I grasped his hand in greeting. After all, it wasn’t his fault. Stereotypes had existed for dragons for as long as the population knew of us. But so many stories missed the truth.
One stereotype, of course, was dragons hid in mountains and guarded a hoard of treasure. This particular one was made popular thanks to a certain fantasy novel.
I really hated Tolkien.
But still, some thingswerecorrect. Therefore, I chose to ignore the more insulting aspects the man chose to memorialize.
“It’s not a problem, Chief Cole,” I responded, trying not to rush this along. I was fighting my instinct at the moment, because every fiber of my being told me I had to get back. My skin prickled, and I found myself hating Maria, who got to be with Bianca tonight in my place.
Normally I enjoyed the merits of working, not so much the act itself. It was through working, and learning to deal with stuffy clothing and fake mannerisms, one could acquire what one wanted in life.
And there was a lot I wanted, especially now.
“It’s not a problem,” I repeated, gesturing back toward the hallway Alexander had just come from. “But I’d like to get started as soon as possible, if that works. I have items at home that require my attention.”
He nodded, as if my statement was expected. And I realized I had played directly into his bias. But for the first time, I was thankful.
“We’ll debrief in my office and discuss the situation,” he said.
I agreed and followed the man back to his office. The disorganized room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn, as usual. Taking a seat, I glanced at my travel companion.
