Alexis Warren was sitting in her favorite armchair with a book on her lap. She was scanning the words, magnified by her glasses, and the story the author wanted to tell continued unwinding in her head. Reading was Alexis' obsession. Addiction. She was dived into the story so much she almost forgot to breathe...
Until she was interrupted by a loud "Shit!" coming from her sister.
Alexis sighed and put the book aside. "What happened?"
"Angel's Tears got interrupted again because some dork got killed."
"You should have some respect, Dee. A person just died and you brag about a soap opera."
Angel's Tears was the most popular soap opera in Gabriel's Gardens. It told a story of Marianna, a young, poor woman living in a slum district Daybreak who works long hours like a slave to have money for food. She has to choose between two men - Gareth, a rich older man with questionable past from The Centre which would be able to end her poverty and let her live in luxury, and Aidan, an university student from East Haven who isn't very rich, but loves her genuinely.
Almost every day at four, the sisters had a relax hour. They just sat in the living room and Alexis grabbed a book while Diane watched a new episode of Angel's Tears. Alexis often mocked her sister for watching the show since it was suitable more for middle-aged housewives.
"Who died?" Alexis asked. Diane pointed at the TV. Apparently, the murdered man was Grayson Forrestal Sr., a rich businessman from The Centre.
"Just a mafia settling their accounts," Diane noted. "Those rich dandies from The Centre die everyday. Doing business in Gardens is a rough thing and it brings some risks."
The police officer on the screen started to speak: "Grayson Forrestal senior was killed presumably today at night; the autopsy will tell us the exact time of death. We can't share more information with the media right now, but we will keep you updated if anything changes."
A long reportage about Forrestal followed. He was a quite handsome man with short gray hair and pleasant, wrinkled face, usually smiling. He was always clean shaved, wearing an expensive suit. He was the biggest producer of security systems in Gardens.
The set of short videos depicted him at public events, openings on new shopping malls which used his security systems (ForrSafe-T, pronounced "For safety") and charity events. He was quite popular even among the "commoners" - he was known for giving better jobs to people from Daybreak and Morningstar, the two slum districts of Gabriel's Gardens - the working conditions in these districts were terrible and getting a different job was like a blessing for those people.
He clearly didn't look like that type of "kingpin of the crime", a rich businessman capable of doing anything to eliminate the competition and gain even more money and power.
"This one seemed like a really nice guy," Diane summed it.
"I agree that out of the businessmen in The Centre, this one deserved death the least," Alexis said. "I met him personally once. It was at school, when I won a contest about the best short story. He gave me the prize and said my writing skills are excellent," she blushed a little.
Diane raised her eyebrows. "So there's a personal bias?"
Alexis shrugged. "Yes." Alexis went to her room and returned with a high-capacity flash disc with a logo of ForrSafe-T. "This was among the prizes," she said.
"Maybe he's that kind of dude who acts nice in front of the cameras and turns into asshole when they stop recording," Diane hinted.
"No. I'm pretty sure he was being honest."
"Why would anyone murder him, then?"
"The Centre is a wilderness," Alexis said. "Only the most aggresive and hungry can survive. He seemed too meek for this kind of business. It was only a matter of time before he crossed someone's way and got eliminated. Those are the rules in The Centre. The only problem is hiding the evidence so they can't catch the murderer."
"Makes sense."
The reportage ended and the broadcast returned to Angel's Tears. Diane nodded in agreement and continued watching tragedies of young Marianna. Alexis grabbed her book and got lost in the story again. Suddenly, the "company phone" (a phone whose number the sisters gave in the advertisements) started to ring - the ringtone was set to Whiskey in the Jar by Metallica.
"Looks like God doesn't want me to watch today," Diane sighed. "Yesterday, there was the blackout. And now this. I know that God probably hates cheesy soap operas, but this?"
"And I told you to not play with the ringtone," Alexis replied and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Warren sisters, paranormal investigation?" a young, nervous voice bursted out.
"Yes, what can we do for you?"
"Maybe I should introduce myself first. My name is Grayson Forrestal."
"That's the murdered guy!" Diane said. "So this is a phone call from a ghost?"
"No, no, no. I'm Grayson Forrestal junior, the person who was murdered was my father. Please listen... I'm now in the police station in The Centre. I have been accused of the murder of my father, but it wasn't me, I swear! I've seen the murderer. I hope you can help me."
"We are paranormal investigators, not detectives," Alexis objected.
"It was not an ordinary murderer. Look, I am allowed to have one visit and I've chosen you because you're probably the only ones able to make my name clean again. Please come."
He was interrupted by a husky voice in the background: "End that call already! You're wasting it anyway."
"Please," Forrestal junior whispered. The phone went silent.
>><<
"So... what do you think about this?" Diane said.
"Strange at least," Alexis mumbled. "Why would an arrested millionaire boy call us? But we are professionals, Dee. We have to talk to him at least. The we'll plan the next steps."
"I have to gently remind you about the previous time we got involved with a spoiled millionaire brat," Diane said. "Those Central people can't be trusted. We have to be careful."
Alexis nodded. They had not heard anything about Kyle or Marlene since they visited Kyle's mansion alongside Anna Lightfoot, their friend and unofficial third member of the team. That day, Marlene received proof that Kyle wasn't as perfect as she thought. Alexis wouldn't admit it, but every day, she expected a phone call from Marlene who would finally admit how blind she was. It had not happened so far.
"I'm not really excited about a trip to The Centre, but as I said, we have to talk to Forrestal's son. We can't just turn down a client just because he's jailed."
"He'd give us a one-star rating on the internet," Diane smirked. Then she poked her forehead several times with her finger. "But he can't give us a one-star rating when there's no internet in jail!"
Alexis sighed. "Did you just become a living meme?"
"Possibly."
The sisters caught a TEx into The Centre - they could afford the transportation expenses since they still had money earned in the previous case. The police station was far away from the Angel Square, so they got off the vehicle on the different station as usual.
They found the police station after twenty minutes of roaming the area and asking the bypassers for directions. No wonder, the building was pretty out-of-the-way and looked boring compared to flashy structures of The Centre. It was made only to serve its purpose, nothing more.
The girls entered without capturing much attention of the officers. "I thought it was a myth," Diane whispered. "They really eat donuts."
Finally, one of the officers stood up and approached them. It was a petite and short, yet attractive woman with pitch-black hair and slightly made-up blue eyes, probably in her late forties. "Greetings," she said. "My name is Alyssa Lafayette and I presume you are the Warren sisters." The woman looked at girls like she was examining them.
"Is there something interesting about us?" Diane uttered.
"No, no... you just reminded me of someone I used to know. I suppose you are here because of Grayson Forrestal, right?"
Alexis shrugged. "I guess we have no choice."
"He refuses to tell us what he saw," Alyssa said, "but I'm pretty certain he's innocent. Well, I know him personally, I am married to his older sister, so it may be a personal bias. But please, do as much as you can. And if you encounter some... paranormal explanations, don't hesitate to tell me. I have my own experience with this kind of things."
The sisters saw a possible ally in this officer. "Of course we will," Alexis ensured her.
Lafayette led them to the underground level with the cells inhabited by the detained criminals. Some of them began to shout at Alyssa, using the worst kind of words. Some of them even addressed the girls. The officer ignored them. The sisters decided to do the same.
Finally they reached a cell where Grayson Forrestal Jr. was held. He was about twenty years old and resembled his father in many ways, starting with handsome, well-groomed look. Alexis couldn't help but frown. That guy reminded her of Kyle so much.
Grayson looked different than Kyle, though. His hair were blonde and eyes dark. He also seemed more gaunt, compared to muscular Kyle, and was a few inches taller. Instead of an expensive suit, he was wearing a simple gray sweater and black jeans. When he saw the girls, he began to scan them just like Alyssa did a moment ago. The look in his eyes was somehow wise and mature.
He seemed, at the first glance, more pleasant than Kyle, but Alexis already made up her mind: I don't trust him. She had more than enough experience with handsome, rich Central youth.
>><<
"I'm so glad you came," Grayson said. Despite his good look, he seemed awkward and nervous. "My name is Grayson Forrestal junior, but you may just call me Gray. Nice to meet you."
"My pleasure!" Diane smiled. Alexis just nodded uptightly.
"Okay, now I'm gonna tell you who really murdered my father," Gray said and took a deep breath. "It's fine that Alyssa is here. She's a friend, trust me. In fact... a ghost in a suit killed my father."
Alexis frowned. "A ghost? They said your father was shot."
"Yes! Shot by a ghost!"
"That seems to be impossible, but I'm willing to hear you out. Go on."
"Sis, can you be just a little nicer to him?" Diane said. "His father died a few hours ago and he has been wrongly accused of killing him! Look at that dude, Lex, he's stressed out like a chicken near KFC."
Alexis tried to be a little more approachable, but Gray's face still irritated her. "Okay. So you say that a ghost in a suit murdered your father. I need to know more to judge if it's actually possible."
"Okay," Gray muttered. "It all started today at night... around three AM. I've heard some strange noises downstairs, so I decided to check it out. You know, my dad could have a seizure, he's prone to this kind of things. But instead, I saw some kind of... dim light walking into dad's workroom. He was still awake, working on a speech. I followed the light.
Then, in the workroom, I saw the light holding a gun. But at that time, it looked more like transparent, glowing human being. It was a bald man in a suit. Before I could do anything, he just shot dad straight into the heart. Then he looked at me. He grinned like he had just made a hilarious joke, the just disappeared. Dissolved into nothing. I couldn't do anything. Dad was already dead."
"Nonsense," Alexis proclaimed. "A ghost is never able to fire a gun."
"I know what I saw!" Gray exclaimed. "It was a ghost of a bald man in a suit shooting my dad!" Tears started rolling down his face. "This is the worst day of my life so far. First, my dad is killed by a ghost. Then I get arrested for something I didn't do! And as if it isn't enough, the only two paranormal experts in the whole city don't believe me!"
"I believe you," Diane said. "Alexis is just noting that ghosts are usually unable to fire guns."
"They're always unable!" Alexis barked. "They require immense amounts of energy just to show up in a form that can be captured by a human eye. They just can't grab a revolver and fire it! Well, poltergeists can move and manipulate things, but what Gray described was an apparition."
Gray looked confused. "Poltergeist? Apparition?"
"To put it simply," Diane said, "a poltergeist can move things, but cannot be seen. An apparition can be seen, but can't move things. You saw an entity which could be seen and was able to move things. And this is... just a little... impossible."
"Are you calling me a liar?!" Gray wailed.
"I banished my first ghost when I was seven, so I know my stuff," Alexis said.
"But you have to trust me! I know what I saw! It's probably sounding like I'm coming up with ridiculous explanations so I don't have to stay here... but I'm telling the truth!"
"I'm glad you said it frst," Alexis said. "Sorry, but it really sounds like it."
Another voice resonated in her head. I love Marlene. Honestly. I'm telling the truth.
Diane turned to Alyssa. "Were there any fingerprints on the gun?"
The officer sighed. "That's the biggest problem. There are only two sets of fingerprints on the gun. The fingerprints of both father and son."
"I've already explained that my dad taught me to shoot!"
"Oh, Gray, how I want to believe you. Even if only because of your sister," Alyssa looked at the wedding ring on her finger. But you have to admit that it doesn't look good for you. I also want to believe the version about the ghosts, but since Alexis and Diane say it's impossible for a ghost to use a firearm... I don't know, Gray. Maybe if you change your version to an assassin with gloves..."
"I am not making things up," Gray sounded desperate. "I saw a ghost in the suit!"
Alyssa turned to the girls. "Please," she said. "Investigate this case and do anything possible to help Gray. I'd be really grateful if you did. And remember... I can be sometimes useful if I want to."
Diane jeered and poked Alexis. "Did you hear it? Your favorite word."
>><<
"Can't you see it, Diane?" Alexis said once they arrived back home. "Grayson is clearly guilty. A ghost using a firearm? That's such a nonsense and you should know it!"
"But what if he's telling the truth?" Diane opposed. "Maybe the ghost found some way to materialize enough to grab a gun and do a bang-bang."
Alexis raised her index finger. "There's a rule that even paranormal occurences follow the laws of physics. If a ghost of a deceased person wanted to grab something as heavy as a gun and then fire it while remaining visible to the human eye, it'd require horrendous amounts of energy!"
"Anyway, we have to visit the Forrestal mansion tommorow," Diane said, trying to calm her sister down. "Alyssa granted us access and it would be rude to not use it. Also... would you be more open to the investigation if Gray was just an average guy from Blue Street?"
Alexis blushed. "What do you mean?"
"I know that something made you biased against rich hot guys from The Centre."
"I don't let my personal life interfere with my work routine," Alexis uttered.
Diane laughed. "I've seen how did you look at him. I've seen the writings Kyle #2 in your eyes. Yeah, his version is pretty suspicious, but I think we should invest at least a bit of time into it. After all, we have no other clients at the moment, so I guess it can't hurt."
"Okay, I'll do it," Alexis said, still not completely convinced.
They approached the Forrestal mansion, a luxurious home very similar to Kyle's house, next day at midnight. Alexis was carrying all her ghost-hunting supplies. Alyssa was already waiting by the door and allowed them to cross the police line.
"Just do your job," she said. "I'm only here to keep it official."
Alexis pulled out a voice recorder and began with EVP recording: "Is here anyone who would like to communicate with us? Did you kill Grayson Forrestal senior?"
In the meanwhile, Diane scanned the whole house with a thermovision cam, finding nothing. There was only one more room to examine - Forrestal's workroom. The place was sealed as a crime scene, but Alyssa let them enter under a few conditions. Alexis then grabbed another of her treasures - a device used to measure the electric field; it was widely known that the energy emmited from ghosts can influence these devices.
Alexis asked Alyssa to cut off the building from the electricity source because all of the electricity-powered things in the house could cause distortions in the measurement. The house soon sank into absolute darkness disrupted only by the light column of Alexis' flashlight.
The girl started to walk around the house, focused on the device. Its needle seemed calm and oscillated only a little. Except for a few spots which offered a slight response of the device. Alexis called Diane and the girls began to stare at the display together to find some possible patterns.
Diane didn't let Alexis down. "It's a trail," she revealed. "It's leading from Forrestal's workroom to... I don't know. Let's find out."
After some trial-and-error efforts, the sisters managed to find a whole trail of increased electric activity which apparently ended in Forrestal's workroom and begun in a seemingly random wall downstairs. "This is probably the trail the ghost took," Diane noted.
Alexis nodded; for the first time, she wasn't excited about finding a proof of paranormal occurences. Diane could see that she wanted Gray to be guity. Nevertheless, she said nothing and continued to the workroom. As soon as she stepped in, the needle started to oscillate like crazy.
"Wow, something big happened here!" Diane exclaimed.
"Since there's still an activity after days, it seems that the entity who was here was really powerful," Alexis said. At least she didn't let her bias interfere with her work.
>><<
"You have to admit it corresponds with Gray's explanation pretty well," Diane said the next morning. Alexis' eyes were dark-circled; she spent most of the night analyzing the material collected in the mansion. Apart from the electric trail, there was nothing.
"But I still refuse to believe that Forrestal was killed by a ghost shooting a gun," Alexis mutered. "There are ways he could fake the evidence if he studied something about ghosthunting."
Diane understood that Alexis has already made her mind and turned on the computer. As soon as she opened the internet browser, her face went pale. "Lex? Come here," she said.
There was a big headline on the local news portal: A PATRICIDE: GRAYSON FORRESTAL JR. KILLED HIS FATHER TO EARN HIS HERITAGE. The police found out that Gray's father changed his last will soon before the murder. He decided to make his daughter (Alyssa's wife) receive less than she originally should and assigned these money to Grayson jr. Gray found this fact out somehow and shot his father before he could change his mind again.
Grayson jr. was oficially arrested and now he was waiting for the trial.
"It makes sense," Diane admitted. "Maybe you were right again."
"We have to talk to Alyssa," Alexis decided. "She apparently knows Forrestal's daughter really well and maybe she can tell us something interesting."
After Diane agreed, she phoned Alyssa (the officer gave them her number at night, "in case you'll ever need something") and invited her for a visit. The officer had a day off, so she could arrive. She came in a civilian clothing - a blue blouse fitting her slim figure and black shorts. She greeted them with a grim smile.
"I still refuse to believe that Gray did it," she said. "Well... I guess the evidence is never wrong."
Alexis invited Alyssa in, seated her and offered her a coffee. After a few minutes of small talk, Alexis switched to more serious questions. "So, Forrestal's daughter is your wife," she said. "Do you have any idea why would her father just cut her heritage?"
"Well, Melody was a black sheep of the family in Forrestal's eyes," Alyssa explained. "When she was younger, she was one of those dead-end kids dipped into drugs and other forms of crime. In fact, it was me who helped her back on her feet. Melody really hated all the rules that are associated with the life in luxury, so she decided to rebel. She told me countless times that her father hates her. It got even worse when Forrestal's wife gave birth to a son, a heir of the empire. Forrestal just pushed her away like a failed project and put all the efforts into his son, Grayson Forrestal junior."
"Poor girl," Alexis said. "Growing up rich in The Centre apparently isn't that easy."
Alyssa nodded and continued: "Melody told me a few times that she's not likely to inherit much money when her father dies. He even talked about disinheriting her completely. In the end, he only changed the last will so Grayson jr. gets the majority of the money... and it was also my fault. Forrestal didn't like the idea of his daughter living with a woman. I offered her that we should break up, at least seemingly. She didn't want to even hear about it. Melody said that she loves me more than her father's money." Alyssa blushed a little and emmited a dreamy smile. It was a strange sight on a woman her age.
"This really doesn't look good for Gray," Diane noted. "I presume he knew about the relationship of his father and sister. He probably also knew about the change of the testament his father planned to do. He could just carefully plan a murder, wait until Forrestal changes the last will and then - BANG."
"Unfortunately, you are right," Alyssa muttered. "Can I be wrong? What if Gray really did murder his father? It looks like I'll have to settle with this fact. By brother-in-law is a murderer."
"Don't make rushed assumptions," Alexis interrupted her. "There's still that anomaly we found in Forrestal's mansion. It seems to support Gray's testimony about a ghost murderer, even though my logical sice is stil unsettled by the idea of a apparition using a firearm."
Alyssa looked at them with hope in her eyes. "So you'll continue your investigation?"
Alexis shrugged. "It's our job, after all. If there's something paranormal behind it, we'll find out."
>><<
Later that day, after the sunset, the sisters were discussing possible ways to clean Gray's name.
"I think we've hit a dead end," Alexis said. "I hate to admit it, but I'm running out of options... hey, Dee, stop watching that stupid show when I'm talking to you!"
"Sorry, sorry," Diane shifted her attenton from Angel's tears to Alexis. "One would say that you'd be satisfied now. Gray Forrestal got arrested and maybe he'll get a stainless steel ride," she pricked her wrist with an imaginary injection and pushed the piston.
Alexis shivered. She really did not like the idea of Gray being executed, yet the capital punishment was present in Gabriel's Gardens and there was a chance that Gray would hear the death sentence soon. "I was convinced by those anomalies in Forrestal mansion," she said. "Something big had to happen there. And if the ghost was powerful enough to leave such strong marks, then..."
"Then it could be powerful enough to somehow fire a gun," Diane finished. "To be completely honest, an idea of a maniacal murdering spirit gives me creeps, and you know that I'm usually really gutsy."
"Yeah, it disturbs me too," Alexis said.
Shortly after that, all the electricity-powered devices in the flat turned off and left the sisters in absolute darkness. "What the...?" Diane shouted. "Another blackout! The last one was like three days ago. What kind of dabblers work in the energy section?"
"Don't worry, the power should be back shortly," Alexis ensured her, then grabbed a flashlight and began to read in its light. Diane could at least listen to music through her earbuds and play Angry Birds on her phone; the basses of the metal music she listened to were audible even for Alexis.
The blackout was fixed in less than an hour. Diane grabbed the remote immediately and switched the channel - there was a programme running called Crime Night on Gardens 2, which was basically a marathon of various crime TV shows such as CSI or Person of Interest. Ot was one of a few programmes both girls could agree on. They watched it together every weekend.
"It's kinda relief to see some flesh-and-bone murderers again," Diane noted while munching on a handful of potato chips. "No ghosts, demons or other paranormal mumbo-jumbo. I sometimes envy them. They just arrest the criminal and send him to jail. We have to investigate the occurence, communicate, find evidence, identify and banish the entity... at least it's kinda fun."
Alexis smirked. "You can ask Alyssa to accept you to the police academy."
"Police academy?" Diane laughed. "No way unless I meet that guy who was making funny noises."
Her sister understood the reference and they both laughed. For a moment, they let all worries fade away, even though it was hard to forget about Gray Forrestal and the sword of Damocles hanging above his head. They hoped that even if Gray would be found guilty, they wouldn't give him a death sentence.
Not when there's so many mysteries about this case.
Alexis was conflicted. The evidence was pointing at Gray and she had still some problems trusting him because of her experience with Kyle. On the other hand, it was obvious that something strange happened in Forrestal mansion. And the worst thing? She didn't know where to continue.
At least this problem was solved the next day in the morning. The news were full of the latest breaking event: another prominent businessman from The Centre was murdered. This time, it was one of the bosses of Gardens' industry named Pierre Montague. The official version was that someone took advantage of the blackout, sneaked into Montague's house and killed him.
Montague was another of the "this one doesn't seem evil" group of Gardens' businessmen. He was pretty obese even though he could afford a liposuction and his round face was almost always decorated by a heartfelt smile. Even the people liked him because he was always doing his best to keep the prices of his products reasonable. Nobody saw a connection between the two murders. Except for Alexis and Diane.
>><<
"Blackout is the key," Alexis said. "Remember? There was another blackout the night before Forrestal was murdered. There has to be a connection."
"Let's phone Alyssa," Diane said. "We have to search Montague's house and see if we can find similar anomalies as we did in Forrestal's mansion." She phoned the woman and Alyssa promised to appoint a private investigation for them. Tonight. She also confirmed that Montague was shot.
That night, the girls took a ride into The Centre and, with Alyssa's blessing, they investigated the mansion like they did with Forrestal's. It was there. A strange anomaly in electromagnetic field which made the needle of the measuring device oscillate like crazy.
"Now we know a couple of things," Alexis said to Alyssa. "First, it's very likely that Gray was telling the truth and these murders have a paranormal background. Second, both Forrestal and Montague were murdered by the same subject, either dead or alive. Since Gray is arrested now, it means he's probably innocent. Third, these murders have some connection with the blackouts occuring in the city lately."
Alyssa nodded, obviously relieved. "Thank you. It's so good to hear that Gray probably didn't do it. But... I can't convince the jury to accept these proofs. We'd know that Gray is innocent, but the court will still have power to execute him. We have to find the real murderer. Only then Gray will be completely guilt-free."
"We'll do everything possible," Alexis said. "Now we know that the murders are somehow connected to the blackouts. We also have two victims now. The murderer, dead or alive, probably proceeds systematically, that means his victims aren't random. Can you please find a possible connection between Forrestal and Montague? This way, we could be able to spot possible future victims."
The officer turned on her tablet computer and began to search on the internet. "I think I got something," she said after a while. "Both Forrestal and Montague were members of something like... an unofficial syndicate of honest businessmen of Gabriel's Gardens, to put it simply. They promised to not corrupt themselves nor allow their products to harm innocent citizens. You probably already see that this kind of cooperation isn't welcome in Gardens and they already faced numerous assassination attempts. Due to their tight cooperation, none of them was successful... until now."
"How many people from that syndicate are left?" Diane asked.
"Three."
"So that's three more possible victims of our ghost in a suit," Alexis said. "Of course it may be just a coincidence. It just murders businessmen and unintentionally killed two who belonged in a syndicate. But it's the best clue we have right now."
"What can we do now?" Alyssa asked.
"The plan is the following," Alexis explained. "You'll have to find contacts for the remaining members of the syndicate. You'll have to let them know that they should leave their homes as soon as a blackout strikes and find some safe shelter where no one would find them, but you have to do it discretely. You never know who's watching you, especially now, when we're dealing with a ghost murderer. Also tell them to rebuild at least a few of their security cameras to be battery-operated, so they can record even during blackout."
Alyssa nodded. "Understood."
"Then we'll have to wait for the next blackout," Warren girl continued. "The syndicate members must run into safety and leave their homes empty until the next day. The ghost, or the murderer, will probably come to visit one of the houses and find its next victim. That's why we need the security cameras working. With a bit of luck, they'll record the murderer so we'll be finally able to tell whether it's a human or not."
"You're a genius," Alyssa complimented her and Alexis blushed a bit. "There are still many things that can go wrong, but it sounds solid enough to work. I will do my part of the job, and I will also try to delay Gray's trial. We have to buy him more time."
"Yes. That would be great," Alexis said. "And also... when you see Gray, please tell him... that I apologize for accusing him. I was blinded by my anger towards Kyle."
Alyssa smiled. "It's alright, Alexis. I have to admit it seemed pretty suspicious and even I believed it was him at some point. Good luck, girls."
>><<
It was time for their technology expert to help out.
"Look," Anna said while pointing at the screen of her computer. "Now I have access to all battery-powered security cams in the three houses. That policewoman, Alyssa, is great that she could convince the three men to share their IPs and let me hack the cameras."
"They're fearing for their lives," Diane said. "Every security measure is good when there's a probably undead maniac trying to kill you."
The computer screen was divided into three sections labeled Hunsaker, Menzel and Twining. Each section was divided furter into six squares showing the security camera recording the most important parts of the house. "I promised to turn it on only after the blackout occurs," Anna explained.
Alexis smirked. "Are you gonna keep the promise?"
"Probably," Anna shrugged. "I have no reason for being interested in rich men's lives."
"You are really headstrong," Diane said. "I'd peek at least if I were you."
The girls watched the cameras for a while to see if they were working. If they expected to see something exciting, they were disappointed since the businessmen were working. Menzel's wife was preparing the dinner. Twining's grandchildren were running around the house until their mother scolded them. Hunsaker's house was the quietest of them all.
"Look," Anna pointed at one of the camera frames. There was a green light flashing in the corner. "It's a motion detector. If something moves within the line of sight of the camera, it gives me a signal. That way. I don't have to watch all cameras at once. Just the ones which detect movement."
"That's really clever," Diane admitted.
Alexis added: "I think we're ready for the surprise visit."
They didn't leave Anna yet; the immobile girl turned out the PlayStation and turned on a racing game. "I think it's clear why didn't I buy a Kinect," she noted. The sisters stayed until the nightfall - surprisingly, Anna had the best results in the game. Alexis was driving too carefully while Diane rode like a kamikaze. They both succumbed to Anna, whose driving was systematic, careful, yet dynamic.
Alexis observed zeal in her eyes and her thin fingers holding a controller like a musical instrument. Alexis hadn't noticed her car crashed into the river until Diane started to laugh. "What the hell are you doing, Lex? Send regards to fish!"
Alexis laughed alongside her. "I'm sorry, my controller lagged."
Anna raised her eyebrows. "The controller was alright. You were looking at me."
"Well... I was trying to observe your technique. How intensely do you press the buttons, your timing... I'd look at Dee, but it seems that her goal is to destroy both her car and the controller." They all laughed and Alexis was glad she managed to slip out of the awkward situation.
Strange, it's usually really hard to distract me.
She unwillingly touched the crystal cross from her adoptive father in her pocket. It seemed that after all, God wasn't as cruel to her as she thought. He took Marlene from her, but gifted her with Anna instead. And the whole business with Kyle may be some kind of challenge to test her allegiance, just like he tested a biblical man named Job. Alexis decided to pass the test.
They'd get to Kyle later. Now they had to clean Grayson Forrestal jr's name.
After racing, they chose a famous fighting game Tekken; Alexis, playing as the character Nina Williams, had the upper hand in this game. Her cold-blooded playing style along with perfect timing and foreshadowing the opponent's moves allowed her to pull one combo after another and wipe out both Diane's reckless fighting style and Anna's quite laid-back strategy.
"C'mon, Lex, have some mercy," Diane groaned after another crushing defeat.
Alexis jeered. "There's no room for mercy."
The girls were so drawn into the game they forgor about time. When they finished, it was two AM and there was no other choice than a sleepover. Alexis was getting used to it. It was a pleasant occasional change from their comfy, yet little flat.
She remembered her falling asleep next to Anna last time and smiled. She considered a visit this time, too, but decided to not do it today. Maybe Anna would find her overly clingy. This time, she didn't have trouble falling asleep.
>><<
The blackout came in five days.
As Alyssa promised, she stopped next to Alexis and Diane's flat in a police car with sirens on. The sisters got in immediately and the police officer drove as fast as possible to Serenity Square. The city was drowning in darkness and Alyssa had to be extra careful, yet her driving skills were enough to arrive within minutes.
"Are the businessmen evacuated already?" Alexis asked.
Alyssa nodded. "They're safe. Now we'll have to watch the cameras and hope to see our murderer. Unless he already knows that his targets escaped."
"Or unless he chose a completely different target," Diane muttered grimly.
"I know it's hard. but I'd appreciate if you brightened up a bit," Alyssa noted and parked the car next to Anna's flat. They took the stairs, which was exhausting especially for Alexis, and came in; the door were already open. They met Augustus in the hallway.
"Police...?" he gasped.
"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong," Alyssa calmed him down. "We're trying to catch a person who killed Forrestal and Montague. I've heard that your younger sister can actually help us with it."
"In that case... good luck," Gus said. "And don't let Anna dip into something unpleasant."
"I guess it's too late," Diane noted.
Anna was already in her room, staring at the computer monitor (her laptop was running on battery) filled with security camera livestreams. Since the night vision of the cameras was on, the scenes were presented in eerie gray color. Sometimes the motion detector noticed something, but it was usually a curtain moved by the wind.
"How it's going?" Diane asked.
"Nothing yet," Anna replied. "It's probable that the killer will murder another person or won't come at all... but I'm not losing hope. I'm good at not losing hope," she smirked.
They waited, all four including Alyssa. Then, after an hour or so, something finally showed up. The motion sensor of the camera named Twining - kitchen started to do its job. Anna clicked on the camera stream to make it fullscreen. Then they saw it - a strange glow near the wall plug.
Alexis raised her eyebrows. "So the ghosts can travel through the electricity network? Even when the power is out? This case will soon destroy everything I studied about paranormal entities."
The glow soon took shape of a hazy human figure and continued in the direction of Twining's office. Anna quickly changed the camera. The apparition walked through the living room and headed upstairs. Although its details were unclear, a few things were visible.
"It has a bald head," Diane said. "And... goddamn, it's wearing a suit."
"So Gray was right all along," Alyssa uttered, slightly terrified by the eerie sight she was offered.
"Ghost in a suit," Alexis said. "It'd help if we knew who exactly it is. Anna, please change the camera again. We'll have to be careful and watch closely."
Anna changed the view by switching to the camera recording the staircase the ghost was walking on. As he got closer, more of his face could be recognized. The apparitions usually tended to appear only as hazy sihlouettes, but this one had its facial features clearly visible.
It was a middle-aged, clean shaved man with an unpleasant, sharp gaze and a long nose resembling a beak. He was really wearing a shirt, jacket and a tie. He continued upstairs, then the camera caught his attention. He gazed straight into the lens and frowned furiously. Then he raised his hand and the recording went black.
"Looks like he destroyed the camera," Anna said. "Fortunately, I have it all recorded and saved. We can show it to Mr. Twining. Maybe he'll recognize our undead murderer."
>><<
Peter Twining was the oldest of the syndicate. He was short and plump with curly white hair and a funny moustache. He seemed genuinely terrified; his hands with liver spots were shaking and the man constantly dried his sweaty forehead with a tissue.
"I guess you saved my life," he said. "I can't express my gratitude enough."
It was the morning after the blackout; all systems were on again. Twining's house, which all three girls visited, wasn't affected anyhow except for the destroyed camera and another electromagnetic field anomaly. As Alexis predicted, it started near the wall plug and copied the ghost's trail.
When Alexis replayed previous two investigations in her head, she realized that all trails began near the wall plug. The ghost must be able to travel through the electricity wires somehow.
Twining's house was already filled by all its inhabitans - his wife, daughter and three grandchildren. They seemed to have no idea what's going on here, but were grateful for their lives. The children were fascinated by Anna's wheelchair.
"Wow! No walking, only riding!" one of them, a chubby boy around the age of seven, gasped. "I want a wheelchair too, Grandpa!"
Anna smiled at him. "Trust me, you don't want this."
Twining, who made his fortune by selling toys and books, handed Anna his laptop. The girl inserted a flash disc and clicked on a video file inside. The old man, his wife and daughter gathered around her and watched the video. The kids wanted to see it, too, but Twining didn't let them.
"Oh my god," Twining gasped as soon as the ghost appeared on-screen. His wife crossed herself, the face of his daughter went death pale. The scene shifted to the staircase and Anna paused the video right before the camera's destruction - that's where the ghost's face was visible the best.
"Oh no," Twining whispered. "I hoped I'd never see this face again."
"Whose? Who is it?" Alexis bursted out.
"This is Henry Rudger, the worst bastard I've ever met," the man said. "It was, like, twelve years ago. Rudger basically ruled the whole city with his dirty business. He had monopolies in nearly all fields of the industry, but no one could do anything about it because he had a whole army of lawyers and assassins. We all hated him so much, especially our syndicate - me, Forrestal, Montague, Hunsaker and Menzel. We tried to play fair and please both us and the customers, but his dirty strategies didn't allow it."
"So a pumped-up version of standard white-collar criminal," Diane said.
"Rudger wasn't just a criminal. He was a devil. He didn't hesitate to murder anyone in his way just to increase his profits. You either cooperated with him, or died. There was no other option. The people hated him. The businessmen hated him. But it was futile."
"But he died, didn't he?" Anna wonderd. "Ghosts usually aren't people who are alive."
"I'd rather not say how did he die," Twining muttered.
"You are in grave danger!" Alexis exclaimed. "Not only you, but Hunsaker and Menzel, too. Forrestal and Montague are dead already. We have to know every single detail about Rudger to banish him. And trust me, if a ghost makes its mind, only two things can stop it - completing its goals or banishing. And since its goal is to put some hot lead in your head, you should speak up."
Twining sighed. "Can we do it... privately?"
"Of course," Alexis said and the girls followed the man to his office - Alexis had to help Anna to get upstairs. All four entered the room, a typical workplace full of books and shelves with documents, and Twining sat down while drying his forehead again. "I hoped that story would never see the daylight again," he said.
"Rudger didn't die a natural death, right?" Alexis said.
Twining shook his head. "Listen closely, because I am not going to repeat it. It's really painful to think about it, trust me. It was like this."
>><<
"As you probably know already, Rudger made making business in Gardens almost impossible," Twining started. "And it was even harder for me, Forrestal, Montague, Hunsaker and Menzel. We agreed to play fair, but there were people without such boundaries. If we didn't form our alliance and played by ourselves, we'd be done for in a matter of months. Together, we were able to endure, though.
We had to deal with false accusations and hired guns almost every day. Fortunately, Hunsaker is a brilliant lawyer and Forrestal was a master when it came to security. We also managed to attract more customers than Rudger whose products were usually overpriced duds from eastern Europe. We managed to do the impossible. Rudger started to fear us."
"I have a feeling it doesn't end here, right?" Diane muttered.
"It certainly doesn't," Twining replied. "Rudger withdrew soon after he realized that we won. We thought that he accepted his defeat and maybe he'd move somewhere out of Gardens, but we were wrong. His son, who wasn't as bad as his daddy, warned us that Rudger was preparing a great scheme. By the end of it, we'd be dead and our families shamed for life. Clancy Rudger, the son, risked too much when he told us about the plan. Unfortunately, Henry Rudger found out. Clancy was found shot, presumed to be killed by drug gangs."
"What kind of bastard is able to kill his own son?" Anna frowned.
"Rudger would kill anyone in his way, including his closest family. He had been married two times. Guess where did his wives go? Before his death, he was all alone. But let's follow the timeline. After Clancy revealed his father's plans, even at the cost of his own life, we realized that stopping him was the only way we could survive and provide safety for our families. We begun with our own scheme."
"You planned Rudger's death," Anna proclaimed without a sign of judging in her voice.
"It was him or us. And honestly, nobody missed him when the job was done. Rudger made one grave mistake - he was using security systems made by Grayson Forrestal. And he, as a manufacturer, had a back door to every one of his systems. He just hacked Rudger's security and turned it off. It allowed us to enter Rudger's mansion. We basically hunted him in his own house. He fought back ferociously and even managed to seriously injure Menzel, but we managed to chase him down and end his life." Twining smiled grimly. "It was faster than he deserved. Just one bullet fired by Forrestal and it was done."
There wasn't a sign of judging in any of the girls' eyes. "You did the right thing," Anna said.
"We thought that we wouldn't have to face any revenge since Rudger didn't have any family or friends left. But that sucker just rose back from the dead and hunts us one by one. Why am I not surprised?"
"But, it's impossible to just rise from the grave and start haunting," Alexis noted. "Someone had to summon him. But why would anyone want to bring Rudger's spirit back? As you said, he had no family or friends. I suspect some group of edgy teenagers trying to act cool by summoning the spirit of the biggest gangster Gardens have ever experienced."
"Since when do you use the word edgy?" Diane smirked.
"I'm being serious. You know how much damage can cause an Ouija board used wrong. Usually it's just haunting or poltergeist manifestation, but this is different. People die because that ghost seems to be clever enough to somehow charge himself and kill people."
"Charge himself?" Anna bursted out. "Guys... I have a theory."
"Speak up," Alexis urged.
"Rudger's manifestation is always accompanied by a blackout, right?" Anna explained. "What if he just connects to some kind of power source and steals enough energy to materialize enough to be able to use a firearm? I hope it makes sense."
"It makes more sense than you think," Alexis murmured. "Finding a really big source of power and connecting to it... yes, it sounds like a way. But what can that energy source be? Something that would cause blackout each time the ghost connects to it..."
"A power plant!" Diane exclaimed.
Alexis thought about it. "Dee, you are a genius." In that moment, her phone started to ring. "It's Alyssa," she said and answered the call. "Really...? Oh my god. We'll be rigt there."
>><<
Twining agreed to give them a ride to the police station in his luxurious car (Anna's wheelchair fit into the car's trunk, the girl herself sat on the back seat next to Alexis). They'd enjoy the journey a lot more if there wasn't news Alyssa told them - new evidence against Gray Forrestal junior.
The businessman parked right next to the station and helped Alexis to get Anna back to her wheelchair even though the paralyzed girl protested ("I can really do this myself!"). They stepped inside the building; Alyssa Lafayette was already expecting them.
"So... what's the matter with Gray?" Diane bursted out instead of greeting.
"Come and take a look," the woman said and led them into her office. "We got an anonymous call urging us to search the Forrestal mansion one more time," she explained. "We did... and we found a thing we overlooked last time." She pointed at several items packed in the transparent evidence bags. "These were in Gray's room."
The biggest bag contained a wooden tablet inscribed with all letters of the alphabet, numbers 0 to 9 and words "YES" and "NO". Alexis immediately recognized the item. "That's an Ouija board," she gasped.
"If I'm right, this is the thingy used for communicating with ghosts, right?" Anna said.
Alexis nodded. "Some might see it as an innocent fun for bored teenagers, but it can actually become really dangerous. First, not only ghosts may enter through the ritual. Even priests warn that it can become a gateway for demons or other infernal beings. Second, Ouija is frequently used by inexperienced people who don't take it seriously. They just see it as some fun to kill time. Then something really happens, they panic, run away and forget to unsummon the entity which will continue its haunting."
"We found these, too," Alyssa showed them several books, also used as evidence. Books about occultism and spiritism. "Looks like Gray was halfway right," she sighed. "The ghost in a suit really did murder his father, but it was probably Gray himself who summoned him."
"Why else would he have books about spiritism in his house?" Alexis noted. "Looks like Gray is guilty after all... but how are you going to judge him? Using a ghost to murder people... it will sound like a joke to an ordinary court."
"We already had more cases with paranormal subtext," Alyssa said. "These cases are solved behind the closed door. It works as a normal court, it just accepts proved paranormal occurences as the evidence. No one wants to hear about that, but Gardens are filled with paranormal things which people refuse to see. If Gray really summoned Rudger's spirit, he'll be imprisoned or executed."
Alexis' anxiety was growing. She already settled with the fact Gray was innocent. But now? A new evidence. Ouija board and spiritist textbooks. All you need to summon a ghost killer.
"There are Gray's fingerprints on all the items," Alyssa added. "We'll confront him about it. You, please, take care of Rudger's spirit."
"We think we already know his marketing strategy," Anna said. "I'm certain that Dee and Alexis will be able to solve it. I'd love to help them, but you see... I have a... problem," she smirked. "I'm afraid of ghosts."
"That call urging you to search Forrestal mansion once more," Alexis said. "Who was it?"
"The voice was female, but I don't know any further details," Alyssa replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I can't stop the feeling someone's toying with us," the girl uttered. "At the beginning, I wanted to believe Gray's guilty. Now I'm not sure how to feel. Is it really possible that the police overlooked a goddamn Ouija board in Grayson's room?"
Alyssa shrugged. "Maybe we didn't, but we thought it's not that important. At that time, we didn't know about the paranormal aspect of the case."
"But still..."
"Sis, let's get rid of that ghost first," Diane said. "Then we can proceed to some detective work. I also kinda refuse to believe that Gray did it. He seemed too wimpy to play with such things. Alyssa, could you please delay Gray's trial a little longer? Maybe we can find out something more."
The policewoman nodded. "I will try. Good luck, girls."
>><<
Back at Anna's flat.
"There are two power plants in the city," Anna muttered while scanning the map of Gabriel's Gardens. "The nuclear power plant in Morningstar and a water power plant in the Frontier dam, New Eden district. Let's say the ghost can connect himself to the power source somehow; it could force the power plant to stop working, causing the blackout."
Alexis continued: "Electricity would change the spirit's substance, allowing him to travel through electric network and escape through the power plug. If he daws lots of energy from the power plant, theoretically, he may be able to materialize himself enough to take the gun and shoot his victim."
"But now... which one?" Anna asked.
"I'd go for the Frontier dam," Diane said. "I've already heard something about that Rudger guy. He was a master asshole, but it's said that he loved Gardens more than any place in the world. He saw the city as the kingdom of crystal clear capitalism with no limitations - just as he liked it. I think he wouldn't want to risk a nuclear explosion which would wipe out the entire city."
"Makes sense," Anna agreed.
"One question remains: how are we going to use this information? We can't just spend days in the Frontier dam waiting for the ghost. Also, after the fiasco he experienced previous time, he'll be way more careful. Now he knows someone's after him."
Anna opened a news portal and searched for the deaths of Forrestal and Montague. "Forrestal was killed on 7th of August," she said. "Montague on 14th. And the last blackout was on 21st. Do you see it? There is exactly a week gap between each blackout. This way, we know the date of next blackout."
"August 28th," Alexis replied. "Great job, Annie."
The girl blushed. "It was nothing. Also, it's always on Monday. Maybe you should go to the Frontier dam and ask the employees if something happens every week on Monday."
"Good idea," Diane nodded. "We'll do it right tommorow."
As they said, they did. Frontier dam was located in the New Eden district, the most natural place in the city with beautiful parks, forests and even an atrifical mountain range. The dam was towering above huge water reservoir. The constant hum of the water streams falling down felt calming.
The sisters wandered towards the dam and Alexis really enjoyed the walk. The air filled with salty water mist was really effective against her allergies which plagued her in summer.
"I have to resist a joke about a dam snack bar," Diane jeered.
They roamed around the dam until they found an employee working on a tablet computer. "May I ask you something?" Alexis asked him. "Is there anything that happens every week on Monday regarding the dam?"
"Oh, you have to be addressing those blackouts," the man replied. "Every Monday, we check and update the software of the power plant. But recently... every time we do this, a blackout occurs for some strange reason. We are trying to find the cause and fix it and we're sorry for the inconvenience."
We already know the cause, Alexis thought. A ghost is getting drunk on your power.
The girls thanked the man and left.
"So, there's some kind of mainentance every Monday," Alexis summed the things. "I think our beloved Rudger is using them to his favor - he waits until the employees are busy, then finds a power source and charges himself, causing the complex to shut down in the process. We just have to be inside on Monday, wait for Rudger and banish him. Case closed."
"Not yet," Diane added. "We'll have to find out who summoned Rudger in the first place. Maybe Gray really did it. We can ask Rudger when we meet him."
Her sister laughed. "A friendly talk with a killer ghost."
"Why not? 'Mr. Ghost, could you pretty please tell you who brought you back from the dead?'"
"Well, we've already met some spirits who were friendly, but I'm afraid this won't be the case. We'll be lucky if we manage to successfully banish him. We'll have to find the summoner by ourselves."
>><<
Waiting for Monday was really long. Everyone involved with the case lived in suspense - what if Rudger changes his schedule and decides to go after the remaining members of the syndicate earlier? Fortunately, it seemed that Rudger was somehow bound by the Frontier dam mainentance.
Alyssa let them know that Gray's case didn't look good. The court already had enough evidence against him and the policewoman stated that she wasn't able to prolong the investigation for much longer. Everyone was becoming nervous and it seemed that they wanted to finally have Forrestal jr. behind the bars.
"It seems that Gray is really guilty," Diane muttered. "Everything points at it. That thing with the heritage, the Ouija board... besides that, who else would want to get rid of Forrestal and the syndicate? Who else would try and summon the biggest bastard in the history of Gardens? I think you're right, Lex. You can't trust rich, hot guys. They should just arrest him and swallow the key."
"I'm also disappointed," Alexis sighed. "I thought that at least Gray could do better."
"Well, it's our job to clean the mess he's made. It's almost evening, Lex. We don't know the exact time of Rudger's arrival, so we'd better arrive in advance."
The girls got dressed and caught a TEx to the New Eden district, then headed towards the Frontier dam. After sunset, the atmosphere changed. The monumental building now looked eerie and the falling water's hum sounded more like screams of thousands of damned souls to them. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere Rudger's arrival would create.
The girls stood atop of the dam and found the entrance to the mainentance section inside the building labelled For authorized personnel only. "Okay, we need to get in," Diane said. "Sometimes I wish I was a ghost, too. Ability to move through the walls can be really useful sometimes."
Alexis smirked. "Keep pissing me off and I'll fulfill your wish." Then she turned on a radiotransmitter - the second device stayed with Anna in Serenity Square. "Annie? Can you hear us?" she said.
"Loud and clear," Anna confirmed.
"Is the syndicate and their families secure? Rudger can show at any given moment and we can't tell for sure if we'll be able to banish him at the first try."
"Yes, they are away. Yet I'm afraid that Rudger will choose a different strategy this time and try to find his victims. He's not that stupid."
"I have the same feeling," Alexis said. "I think that Rudger will be able to locate the victims somehow and get his job done. We have to stop him now. Let's get inside."
"Good luck."
Diane's insignia started to glow.
"Dee, don't!" Alexis hissed, but it was too late. One supernaturally strenghtened punch of Diane's fist was enough to destroy the door's electronic lock and open them. Alexis frowned. "Are you crazy, sister? Everyone had to hear it! There are employees inside, we had to enter quietly to not startle them."
Diane smirked and raised her fist. "You have to accept that this is my universal key."
Alexis sighed and entered the area poorly illuminated by electric strip lights. The girls didn't consider one thing: the mainentance area of the Frontier dam was a maze. They went through numerous engine and server rooms, but Rudger was nowhere to be found. Additionally, they began to realize they got lost.
"I think we should already shout for help," Diane noted. "We're lost."
"I underestimated the complex," Alexis admitted. "I imagined it... somehow... less complex."
"You ran out of words. That means we're really screwed."
Alexis tried to argue, but was interrupted by something crossing the hallway in front of them. It happened far away from them and only for a brief moment, but both girls saw a dim glow illuminating the hallway for a second. They looked at each other. "Rudger," they said in unison.
They started running towards the hallway; Alexis soon began to lag behind Diane because she wasn't as physically fit. "I hate you, Dee," she tried to catch her breath. "You basically do nothing all day and eat so much junk food it'd kill an elephant. And yet you're still fit as hell."
Diane jeered. "I guess I'm just lucky. Where did Rudger go?"
"That light went from right to left," Alexis replied and checked the door present in the hallway. Then she pointed at one of them. "Here." The tag on the door read Generators - mainentance.
>><<
Diane smashed the door open again; they didn't have time to proceed quietly anymore. They entered a large, well-illuminated room whose most prominent feature was a set of turbines growing from the floor. The girls were greeted by a high-pitched hum from the fast-spinning turbines producing the electricity.
"Impressive," Diane noted.
Then suddenly, a loud crack sounded through the room. The hum stopped and all lights went out. The girls found themselves in absolute darkness disrupted only by one bright point now located in the middle of the room. Alexis turned on a flashlight and, alongside her sister, she used a metal staircase to get to the ground level.
"Rudger!" she screamed. "Stop right there!"
The figure seemingly made of light started to walk towards them. "Try and stop me," it said. "I can disappear into the electric network at any given moment, then possess the cameras of all the phones, computers and tablets in the city and find the remaining three. Just in case you were curious."
With a nasty laugh, the figure started to dissolve in the air. Alexis quickly raised her arms and engulfed the apparition in a layer of soft blue light. Rudger groaned and tried to break free, but Alexis' shield was working well. "Diane, go and fight him!" she shouted. "He should be material enough to be hit. Try to incapacite him for a moment while I try to banish him."
"This is the moment," Diane grinned while her insignia started to glow. "I've always wanted to punch the shit out of a ghost." She rushed forward with a battle cry, raised her fist and punched the imprisoned ghost. They both shouted in pain as another loud crack sounded through the generator room.
"Dee!" Alexis shouted. "Are you alright?"
Diane was laying on the ground, looking intensely shook. Rudger stumbled a few steps away from her, his aura now flickering like a damaged lightbulb. "I'm fine," Diane said faintly. "Proceed to banishing - I think I put him out of balance for a while!"
Alexis reached into her pocket and pulled out a small jewel - a crystal cross, a gift from Reverend Warren. Her insignia begun to shine even brighter and the crystal resonated with her energy. She came closer to Rudger and the spirit flinched - he could feel the holy energy flowing through the girl's body.
"Leave this world. You don't belong here anymore," she said, looking surprisingly calm.
Rudger grinned. "Don't tell me what to do, young lady. I was brought back by a mistake of some goddamn amateur and that was a lucky day for me. I have three more tasks to complete, then I can return in peace, knowing they'll come there with me. I won't waste this opportunity."
The girl raised her cross, causing the ghost to step back even further. She begun to chant:
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum,
adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in caelo, et in terra...
She was chanting the Lord's prayer in Latin which was an effective way to weaken and banish malevolent beings. While chanting, she remembered the times when she was eight and Reverend Warren was teaching her the prayer, giving her a candy for each successfully remembered verse. It seemed effective since Rudger begun to groan again. Then, out of desperation, he attacked Alexis.
The girl had no time to react, so she just uttered more and more words of the prayer while watching the ghost charging against her. Rudger's painful expression gave away that he has to overcome a great obstacle, the holy words, but he didn't stop.
She closed her eyes and expected an immensely strong electric shock.
>><<
Rudger was only centimeters away from Alexis; the girl could already feel the static in the air. Then something flew through the air like a soccer goalkeeper and tackled the spirit to the ground; the act was followed by another crack. Alexis opened her eyes and saw Diane standing above Rudger, her forearms covered in burns and blisters. "Now!" she exclaimed. "Send him back to Hell!"
Rudger tried to fight back, but every contact with Diane depleted a big chunk of the power he drained from the power plant. Now he was only a shadowy figure, not different from common apparitions. He shouted and cursed, but that didn't stop Alexis from finishing the prayer.
Finally, she pressed the glowing cross against Rudger's forehead. She felt no shock, only almost pleasant tingling in her fingers. "In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti!" she shouted. "Now be gone, you murderous sucker. Go back where you came from!"
With one last scream, Rudger dissolved into the air and exhausted Alexis fell on her knees. The ritual of banishing using force cost her too much energy. "Thank you, Diane," she whispered. "Are you alright? I'm sorry... I can't use my healing powers right now."
Diane smiled - her sister cared about her even though she already hit the breaking point. "Nah, that's alright," she replied, looking at her charred forearms. "I've been worse already. But I have to admit that the close encounters with Rudger were a shocking experience."
Alexis returned the smile and got back on her feet. "Seriously, Diane. You're like the only human alive who's able to crack terrible jokes in such situation."
Diane shrugged. "We're truly done for only when we run out of reasons to laugh."
"That was surprisingly deep."
Diane carried a flashlight (with Rudger's defeat, the interior went completely black again) and both sisters stumbled out the generator room. Alexis soon begun to regain her strength. It took them a while to find a way back to the surface, but they managed it somehow. Alexis inhaled the fresh air.
"Rudger is on the other side again," she stated.
"Good to know, Captain Obvious," Diane smirked. "No, really. You did a good job. Y'know, I'm terrible at these prayers and rituals and stuff; I'm better at, well, punching things and making popculture references during it. We're a good team."
Alexis nodded. "I agree. Rudger is gone and the syndicate is safe, but the question remains: who summoned him. He only stated it was an amateur. That can mean anyone."
"I have a theory, but it's probably stupid," Diane said; Alexis noticed her clenched lips indicating the pain she's experiencing. "If Gray summoned Rudger, wouldn't he call his summoner 'Forrestal's brat' or something like that? Remember that he hated Forrestal and his family. He would mention it."
"That... makes sense," Alexis admitted. "I'll take it as a point for Gray's innocence."
They didn't discuss the matter until they arrived home where Alexis regained some more energy using a hot shower and a tasty dinner. Then she proceeded to use her powers to heal at least the worst burns on her sister's arms. "Don't overdo it," Diane said. "It's not as bad as it looks."
"I guess we have to contact Alyssa," Alexis noted. "To let her know that the syndicate members are safe... hopefully." She finished the therapy (Diane's arms looked much better after the procedure), then grabbed her cell phone and dialled the officer's number. "Hello? It's Lafayette," she announced.
"Alyssa! We have good news, I guess. We managed to banish Rudger's ghost, so the businessmen should be safe by now. They can go home freely."
"Thank God," Alyssa exhaled in relief. "You did a great job, girls. But I have to ask... did he say something about who summoned him?"
"No, and that's the thing," Alexis explained their theory. "So, as you can see, Gray probably didn't do it. Alyssa, do you have still access to those occult aids found in Gray's house?"
"Of course I do."
"I can't stop the feeling that these aids were simply arranged there for you to find. Someone sneaked into Forrestal mansion and put it there, I'm almost certain. Could you please scan these things once more and try to find some traces of DNA? I think that the real summoner had to read these books, too, in order to contact Rudger and bring him back to the world of living."
"That's a good idea. I'll do it right now."
>><<
The girls treated themselves with a refreshing sleep. Diane greeted the new day with a massive mug of coffee which she called her "emergency survival kit". Alexis satisfied with a cup of a herb tea.
"I wonder how's Gray doing," Diane noted while sipping the hot liquid. "It has to be tough for him. He used to have everything he wished for... now his father is dead and he has to wait imprisoned for the verdict. It has to be an awful feeling, having no control over your life, waiting until the others decide."
"At least it teaches him a valuable lesson about being humble," Alexis shrugged.
After lunch, the phone started to ring. Alexis rapidly grabbed the phone and answered Alyssa's call. "So?" she bursted out. "Did you find something?"
"Actually, yes," Alyssa said with an anxious voice. "And the discovery surprised us all."
"Don't keep us in suspense anymore!" Diane shouted. "What did you find?"
"The book about occultism was brand new and untouched, but, exactly like you said, I found some traces of DNA between the pages of the book about spiritism. We scanned through the database and found a match. We can clearly say that the book has been read by Kyle Fletcher."
Both girls gasped. "Kyle...?"
"Yes. The board was clean, too, he probably washed it before he arranged it in the Forrestal mansion. But he wasn't able to clean the whole book. My guess is that Fletcher summoned Rudger hoping that the spirit would serve him, but it went rogue instead and started to take its revenge. Fletcher wanted to put the blame on Gray, so he arranged his book, board and freshly bought book about occultism in the Forrestal mansion."
"That son of a bitch," Diane grumbled. "We should've suspected him right from the start!"
"But why would Kyle want to summon Rudger's spirit?" Alexis asked.
"Guess we have to talk to him a little." Diane got dressed and left the house, Alexis right behind her. She thanked Alyssa for her efforts and followed her sister to the TEx station.There they took a train to The Centre.
"I can't believe it," Alexis whispered. "Kyle was behind this from the start."
"I actually can believe it," Diane uttered. "That dude played with magic and failed miserably once. He tried it once more and failed again. The most dangerous thing about him is his incompetence."
"This time he took it too far. People died."
"I've beaten up a ghost yesterday," Diane said; her tank top was revealing the burns which remained after Alexis' treatment. "I'll have no problem improving a facade of one arrogant moron."
"No violence," Alexis halted her. "He may use Marlene as a living shield again."
"So what? We should let that girl kill herself if she wants to. There is no point in living anyway if you dedicate your life to a manipulative sociopath."
"Don't say such things, Diane. I think there's still hope for her."
"Lex, you must learn how to let go. I understand that she was your best friend, but now, as you can see, she's gone. She stayed with Kyle even after she learned about his criminal past. You don't need her, sis. You have Annie. And you have me."
Alexis smiled. "Thank you, Dee. If only I could tell you the whole truth."
"Then do it."
"Not now. Not yet."
The train is approaching the station The Centre: Angel Square!
The girls left the train and headed towards the Fletcher mansion. Diane knocked at the door. Kyle, perfectly groomed and handsome as always, opened and frowned. "I expected you to show up sooner or later. Look, I don't want any quarrels right now, so just come in and let me explain certain things."
>><<
The girls, surprised by Kyle's peaceful greeting, stepped inside the luxurious mansion. Kyle guided them inside a huge living room with antique furniture and a monumental fireplace. Marlene was already sitting here, frowning at the newcomers. The man sat next to her and grabbed her waist. "It's alright, darling. I invited them."
Kyle's acting made Alexis nauseous. She tried to look into Marlene's eyes, tried to see at least a bit of recognization, but Marlene was looking at her like she was a complete stranger. Maybe Diane was right and she should let her go. That dazzling, perfectly-looking lady in front of her wasn't Marlene. Marlene's beauty lied in her nerdy charm, intelligence and adorable shyness. Now she lacked all three.
"You wanted to explain," Diane barked. "Then explain! What was that mess with Rudger's ghost?"
"I have to admit it didn't go as I planned," Kyle said. "I won't lie - I wanted to take revenge on you for that... incident with Possessed. I wanted to summon a ghost and make him haunt your appartment. And since I wanted to go big, I went for the biggest bastard in the history of Gardens."
Alexis facepalmed. "Did you really think you can just summon a ghost and command it: 'Go haunt there'? You are a goddamn idiot, Kyle!"
"Stop talking about him like this!" Marlene screamed.
Kyle calmed her down. "She's kind of right, I should've prepared for the act more. Right after we managed to summon Rudger, he just laughed at me and then disappeared." Marlene started to shiver. It was clear that Kyle used her in the ritual.
Alexis stood up, anger searing from her eyes. "Do you have any idea what did your ignorance cause? Two people died because of you! Kyle, the fun and games end here. You have blood on your hands and I'll make sure to bring you to justice even if it's the last thing I do."
Kyle smiled arrogantly. "Come and try it. Look, I never meant to kill anyone. Like I said, I just wanted to each you a lesson about interfering with others' business. I wanted to see how would you cope with a haunting in your own home. But it slipped out of my hand. I admit I can make mistakes, too."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't beat you to a bloody pulp here and now," Diane growled.
"I would stop you!" Marlene exclaimed, determination in her eyes. "Don't touch him. He did nothing wrong." Her expression revealed that she'd actually catch a bullet for her lover.
"He only summoned a killer ghost who shot dead two people," Diane jeered.
"He didn't want to!"
"So driving us insane by summoning a ghost right in our flat is more acceptable?" Alexis shouted. "Marlene, open your eyes, he's evil! Please, leave him while you still can."
"So you can seduce him instead of me, right?" Marlene hissed. "You will never have him. He's mine and he loves only me. He has a good reason for whatever he's doing, which you'll never understand. Gardens are a savage place and only the strong can survive. And Kyle is the strongest of them all."
"Thank you, my love," Kyle kissed Marlene on the cheek.
Diane noticed that Alexis has to hold back tears.
"You managed to banish the ghost, I guess," Kyle shrugged. "Looks like we can close the case."
"Close the case?" Alexis went hysterical. "Two. People. Died. You accused the wrong person so you can escape clean. You're the sickest bastard I've ever seen."
"Oh, so you know about young Forrestal, too," Kyle smiled. "Sorry, but that guy was a pussy. Totally unable to stand for himself. It's good I sent him to jail, because in real world, he wouldn't survive for five minutes without his papa covering his back," he laughed. "It was a good thing that Forrestal senior was the first victim. I could throw it at his son and make it look like a speeded-up heritage attempt."
"Good thing?" Alexis trebled with rage.
Kyle looked at her with his pitch-black eyes. "This is Gabriel's Gardens, my dear," he purred. "All morals must be put aside. The successful know that. And this is why did I choose Marlene. She understands. Understands that sometimes, we have to do certain things in order to thrive."
Alexis was ready to spit out all the curses she knew at him, but she was interrupted by a doorbell. Kyle just casually walked towards the door and opened her. Right after, a quiet, yet powerful female voice sounded through the hallway. "Kyle Theodore Fletcher, you are arrested as a suspect of murdering two people using paranormal ways."
Marlene's face went dead pale. The sisters smiled. Alyssa arrived just in time.
>><<
A few days later, the girls were browsing the internet. Kyle's trial was supposed to begin soon.
"If there is at least some justice in this city, they'll arrest that sucker!" Diane cheered.
Alexis wasn't as optimistic. "The justice is taking side of the rich. I bet that the jury is bribed and Kyle already has some touching lies ready. I think they'll free him."
Diane shrugged. "Even if they do, Gray is free and that can't be changed. Yeah, there was a rich hot guy behind it all, but now they have the correct one."
The sisters met Gray Forrestal right after he was released. His thankful speeches were endless and the tears in his eyes confirmed their honesty. The girls were proud of themselves - they did the right thing and saved an innocent person from suffering in jail.
Suddenly, their "business phone" rang. Diane picked it up. "There's a change on our bank account," she muttered. "It must be some kind of error." She took the laptop and opened the internet banking. Then she gasped and opened her eyes wide.
"Sister... oh my god..." she said. "He sent us three... hundred... THOUSAND DOLLARS!" She screamed in joy and begun to dance around the room, then hugged Alexis really tight. "We're rich, sis! We're finally rich! Oh my god... I can't believe this!"
Alexis looked at the internet banking page. Diane was right. Their account balance increased by $300,000. Under the transaction, there was a note for receiver:
This is only a small token of my gratitude. Please use it well.
Thank you for saving my life, reputation and everything.
- Gray
"What will we do with it?" Diane asked, even though she already knew.
"We will move," Alexis said. "This is more than enough money to buy a flat in Serenity Square and the necessary furniture. And even after that, there will be something left."
Diane looked around their old flat. It was comfortable and pleasant, but it looked like a college students' dorm. There wasn't enough space to ensure both sisters' privacy, the rent was pretty high and the flat's condition also wasn't ideal. Moving to Serenity Square seemed like a viable option.
Alexis immediately begun browsing the webpages of real estate brokers. Her smile grew even bigger. "Guess what?" she said. "There is one free flat right in the block where Annie lives. It can be ours for 150,000. What do you think?"
"Being neighbours with Annie?" Diane whooped. "Is that even a question?"
They phoned Anna the news right away. When they told her about Forrestal's money and their intention to buy a flat right next to her, Anna was silent for a moment, then screamed in joy. "That's so unreal!" she cheered. "My best friends will become my neighbours! Oh my god... I can't believe this. Congratulations! Sometimes it's good to save ass of a rich guy."
They talked to Anna, who seemed a little too excited, for several more minutes. Right after that, Alexis phoned the company which would sell them the flat. "It looks like it's ours," she announced after the call ended. Both sisters bursted into laughter and hugged each other. They were already looking forward to their new life.