Scryer's Gulch

Episode 34: The Ghostly Convocation

"No need fer that, Miss Annie!" whined Aloysius as he apparated by the door. "Point that thang somewhar else! Bad enough to be stuck in the jail--a spirit bottle's worse'n that, by a fair piece!"

"You bet it is, so behave yourself," said the cat-thing.

"It's all right, Misi, it's just Aloysius. He's a friend. Aren't you, Aloysius?"

"Yes'm!"

"Hmf. Did Runnels send you to spy?" said Misi.

"Waal, I never!" huffed the ghost. "I wuz a horse thief, sure, but I ain't never been no kind of spy nor stool pigeon nor any sort'er feller like that. Now, please point that away from me afore it goes off!"

"On one condition. Promise me you'll say nothing about Misi to anyone."

"He's a demon, ain't he?"

"If you were still alive, I'd show you exactly how demonic I am," hissed the half-cat.

"No, you wouldn't," said his mistress. "Yes, he's a demon. Promise me."

"I promise, right off the reel! People tell me all kindsa thing in the jail, y'know, and I ain't never peached on a one, not even Jamie an' his nugget."

"You just peached on him right now!" said Misi.

"Naw, Miss Annie smoked him, I heared her tell the Sheriff. I won't tell about yer kitty."

"All right, then," she said, lowering the spirit-catcher.

"Awww," said Misi.

"Back to cat, right now." The demon grumbled and shrank down into his feline form.

"Whar in tarnation did you get that spirit-catcher, if'n you don't mind my askin'?" said Aloysius. "Pastor Bill has to fetch spirits the ol'-fashioned way."

"I'm a new-fashioned girl, I suppose," sighed Annabelle, sinking back into her chair.

"Sheriff's right about you, Miss Annie, yer all right," said the relieved spirit. "Pastor Bill, he ain't never tried to put the whammy on me, mind, but I seen him do it. I shorely wouldn't want to end up on his shelf--"

"What do you want, spook?" she interrupted.

"Oh!" he jumped. "Nothin'. Jest makin' my annual stroll round the town."

Misi jumped back onto Annabelle's lap. "Let me guess. Your first stop was the whorehouse."

"I'll have you know my first stop was to see Jamie at the Prakes. I wuz invited-like," huffed the ghost. "After this I'm goin' to Mamzelle's. Couldn't afford to whilst I was livin'. Guess I'll get along then, ma'am." The former horse thief began to fade.

"Wait," said Annabelle, sitting up straight enough to dump the complaining cat from her lap; the ghost came back into hazy view. "Aloysius, you overheard Sheriff Runnels and me talking about the hermetauxite, didn't you?"

"Yes'm, an' I do solemnly swear I ain't gonna tell a soul, livin' nor dead."

"Fine," she said hurriedly, "but I need you to do something for me. Keep an ear...or whatever...out for news about the hermetauxite--anything anyone might say."

"I done tole ya, I don't peach on nobody!"

"I'm not asking you to 'peach' on anyone. If you should hear something, though, you might tell me or John about it without revealing its source, couldn't you?"

Aloysius paused, stroking what would have been a fairly greasy beard. "Waaall...reckon I might do that, specially fer you, Miss Annie. And I'm fond enough of Runnels, I s'pose, considerin' he kilt me. But then, I wuz askin' fer it, and that's a fact."