Forged In The Fire

15. Tall Tales

Harriet glared at her father. "Daddy, you need to say sorry."

"Sorry, sweet pea. But do we yell? Cady, we don't scream."

"No, Daddy. Sorry."

Sam frowned at his brother. "Dean, I told you, I have nothing to do with-"

He was cut off by a knock on the door. Sam stood and went to open the door. He looked through the peephole, then back and Dean, Lucie, Harriet and Cadence, then opened the door. Bobby was outside.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam greeted.

Bobby entered, hands in pockets as he said, "Boys. Girls."

Dean stood and approached. "Hey, Bobby."

"It's so good to see you again so soon."

"Yeah, thanks for coming," Sam replied. "Come on in."

Dean shook Bobby's hand firmly. "Thank God you're here."

Lucie nodded. "Yes, what he said."

Bobby looked between the five of them. "So, uh, what didn't you want to talk to me on the phone about?"

"It's this job we're working. We weren't sure you would believe us," Sam answered.

"Well, we can believe a lot," Bobby replied.

"Yeah, no, no, it's just, we've never seen anything like it-"

"Not even close-" Dean added.

"And we though we could use some fresh eyes," Lucie finished as Harriet and Cadence walked to one of the beds.

"Well, why don't you begin at the beginning?" Bobby suggested.

"Yeah, um, all right." He gestured to the bed. Bobby picked up the empty takeout tray and peered at it, set it aside, and sat. "So, it all started when we caught wind of an obit. See, a professor took a nosedive from a fourth story window, only there's a campus legend that the building's haunted. So we pretexted as reporters from the local paper."

FLASHBACK 1A - SAM'S POV - BAR

Sam and Lucie were sitting at a table with a cocky jock boy, Curtis, and a dippy attractive girl, Jen, and set a voice recorder down on the table.

"Yeah, we both had the professor for Ethics and Morality," Curtis said.

"Yeah? So why do you think he did it?" Sam asked.

"Who knows?" Jen replied. "I mean, he was tenured, wife and kids. His book is like a really big deal. Then again..." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Who's to say it was suicide?"

Curtis scoffed. "Jen, come on."

Lucie frowned. "Well, what else could it be?"

"Well, you two know about Crawford Hall?" Jen questioned.

"No, we don't, actually," Sam answered.

"It's a bunch of crap, it's a total urban legend," Curtis said.

"Yeah well, Heather's mom went to school here, and she knew the girl?" Jen told them.

"Wait, what girl?" Sam and Lucie asked.

"Thirty years ago, this girl was having an affair with some professor. He broke it off, she jumped out the window and killed herself."

"You know her name?" Lucie inquired.

"No. But they say she jumped from room 669. Get it? You turn the nine upside down?" Sam and Lucie nodded and Curtis laughed. "So now she haunts the building. And anyone who sees her? They don't live to tell the tale."