Page 79 of The Haunting of Lockton
“Sneaking out again,”a deep voice rumbled amidst the static.
“I…” Paxton paused on the recording. The memory of why filled my memory. He had lowered his face to mine, his lips so damn close, our breaths mingling. “I might not mind it.”
“And right here,” I said.
“Back in your rooms,”the same deep voice growled.
I stopped the clip. “The door down the corridor slammed after that.”
“We actually got it on camera.” Julian pulled up the video and showed Paxton. Clear as day, the door slammed on its own.
“Awesome, right?” I asked.
“The ghost thought we were patients sneaking out of our rooms,” Paxton said. “Wow.”
“Notice how the voice saidagain,” Julian noted. “If it’s a residual haunting, where the ghost follows the same path from when they were alive, then he could’ve caught patients sneaking out several times.”
“Two male patients, to be specific.” Paxton rubbed at his jaw, a contemplative set to his brow. “Roy, maybe?”
“And the guy he called his brave knight,” I responded. “It’s a definite possibility, I think.”
“That’s amazing.” Paxton grabbed his coffee and took a sip. He made a face at it. He’d already finished it, and nothing was left in the mug.
“Says the guy who has a legit ghost for a best friend and housemate,” I said. Alan hadn’t appeared yet, much to my brother’s disappointment. Julian had been stoked when I’d told him about Alan.
“Oh. Right.” Paxton dropped his gaze to his empty mug, his pale cheeks taking on some color.
Julian turned his head to the side, eyes narrowing slightly. He then returned his attention to his laptop. Had he sensed Alan?
We showed Paxton footage from some of the other cameras. Nothing too extreme, mainly just flickering orbs, a glimmery cloudlike substance shooting from one wall to the other, a wheelchair that rolled forward several inches before stopping, and a few more audio clips of footsteps and indistinct voices.
“That’s it for now,” Julian said, sitting farther back in the armchair. “We still have a lot to go through.”
“I can help,” Paxton told him.
“Only if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Just tell me what to do.”
“We’re reviewing camera footage, so can you listen to audio?” Julian handed Paxton a pair of headphones and instructed him on what to do. It was fairly straightforward: listen for any voices or sounds that stuck out.
Amidst his instruction, a burbling sound came from the kitchen, followed by the aroma of brewing coffee.
Paxton glanced up, a smile not far behind.
Julian frowned and followed his stare to the archway. “Is that him?”
“Yes,” Paxton answered. “He makes the best coffee.”
Still hard to grasp that a ghost could do such a human task. Alan not only made coffee but could also cook, according to Paxton. But apparently, Alan was a wretched cook and tended to burn things.
“Is he shy?” Julian asked.
“He’s not used to other people,” Paxton responded. “He was excited about you two coming over though.”
When the three of us headed to the kitchen, a fresh pot of coffee awaited us, as did a platter of cookies and a variety ofbite-sized chocolate bars that had been dumped into a big plastic bowl.
“Are those peanut butter?” I asked, my gaze locking on the platter.
