But this time her family was involved.
“I’m here,” he said. “Jamie is here. And you’re the best damned agent I know. Things will work out fine.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He drove to Jamie O’Neill’s eighteenth century house, not much different from his parents’. Jamie kept the place in excellent shape. He was an exceptionally good man who’d almost gone into the priesthood. Instead, he’d studied psychiatry and donated an awful lot of pro bono work, always helping the underdog. Sam had known Jamie before he’d returned on the day of the Lexington House murders. He’d even met Jenna, though all he remembered of that day was being called upon by his parents to supervise a group of rowdy teenage girls.
Today, Jamie’s house seemed strange as he eased onto the old stone drive in front. Like a dark cloud had settled over it. But the afternoon was waning. Massachusetts’s autumns brought night quickly. Still, it seemed to Sam that clouds sat over the house and nowhere else. Jenna’s family was certain that the property was haunted, but by nice ghosts they claimed. Ghosts that went about their business and left the living to their own. He was curious about Elyssa Adair and her family. Apparently, they didn’t possess Jenna’s mom’s and dad’s ability to shrug off anything that might be paranormal.
The door opened and he saw Jamie O’Neill step out on the porch. He wore a sweater and jeans, but cast a grave look about him that Sam could not remember seeing often. He lifted a hand in greeting, as Jenna ran up the walk to hug him. Sam opened the trunk of the rental car and grabbed their bags.
A young woman burst from the house behind Jamie. She had red hair, similar to Jenna’s. Tall, lean, pretty, upset, yet relieved.
“Jenna. Thank you for coming.”
Sam knew that the young lady had to be Elyssa Adair.
“That was never in doubt,” Jenna said, engulfed in a tight and enthusiastic hug.
Sam moved forward, setting the bags down as Jenna disentangled herself and turned to make the introductions. “Elyssa, this is Special Agent Sam Hall. We work together and we’re together, too.”
“Uncle Jamie told me all about that,” Elyssa said.
The younger woman stared at him with beautiful eyes that weren’t quite as rich a green as Jenna’s. Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him.
Withdrawing at last, she said, “I knew you would come, too.”
He was puzzled. “Can I ask how?”
“The ghost told me. John Bradbury specifically said you were coming, and that was before Uncle Jamie ever mentioned you. He said he knew you when he was alive.”
Chapter 2
“Come in,” Uncle Jamie said after greeting Jenna and Sam.
Jenna looked at her uncle anxiously, wondering why she had such a bad feeling about what was going on. Elyssa had calmed and smiled at Jenna.
“Are you all right?” Jenna asked, hands on her young cousin’s shoulders. She hadn’t seen Elyssa for years, although they kept up on Facebook. Their lack of a visit hadn’t been on purpose, just the way life had fallen into place.
“I’m fine,” Elyssa said. “Now that you’re here.”
There was that unshakeable faith Elyssa seemed to have in her. Which was a lot to live up to.
“Let’s talk,” she said to both Elyssa and her uncle.
For a man who accepted just about anything on earth and maintained his faith with the loyalty of an angel, Uncle Jamie could be very matter-of-fact. “We need to, before Susan gets back.”
“Susan?” Sam asked, following Jenna across the porch to the front door.
“Elyssa’s mother,” Jamie said.
A minute later Uncle Jamie had served them all coffee and they sat around the dining room table. Jenna felt Sam’s hand on hers and met the strong gravity in his eyes.
“I’m here,” he said softly.
She nodded, a thank you in the squeeze she returned on his hand.
“From the beginning,” she told Elyssa. “Tell me everything.”
Elyssa glanced nervously at Uncle Jamie, took a breath and began. “Mom says I’m crazy. Dad is looking into ‘trauma doctors.’ I’m pretty sure he means shrinks.” She paused. “Uncle Jamie came to the house. Mom thinks he’s almost a priest—and he was almost—so she let me come here and she even said it was okay to talk to you because you’re with the FBI. She thinks you’ll make me understand the difference between a suicide and a murder. And Uncle Jamie has been the best person in the world for me because he doesn’t think that I’m crazy. He seems to believe in...whatever it is.”
Jenna thought about how much she really loved her uncle. He told her once that he believed deeply in his faith, so he had to accept that there was life after death. And who was he to declare that departed souls might not linger, trying to help others.
“What makes the police think it was suicide?” Sam asked.
Elyssa flushed uncomfortably. “There was a kicked over stool found near where he was hanging, right in the niche.”
Sam shrugged. “Could have been planted.”
“Why don’t you tell us what happened exactly, from beginning to end?” Jenna said.
“We’re open to hearing everything you have to say,” Sam added.
Elyssa looked at Sam and nodded. She seemed to have taken an instant liking to him. Unlike Jenna, who’d admired Sam’s stature and reputation from the beginning, but had not been all that enamored. It had been Uncle Jamie who’d known that Sam would come around to their way of thinking, and their determination to find the truth about the Lexington House murders. And then she’d been lucky. Sam had fallen in love with her, while she was falling hard for him. And now she couldn’t imagine her life without him. It didn’t hurt that he really was a gorgeous man, rugged, tall, smooth and dignified, with a rock hard jaw and a steely determination when he made up his mind to get something done.
Elyssa launched into her story. She’d just been out for a night of fun and heard a strange voice in her head, which she ignored. She’d tried to connect with John Bradbury when they’d reached the mortuary, but he’d not been around.
Then she found him.
Hanging dead.
The haunted attraction had been closed down and she’d answered questions over and over again. Back home, her mom had actually made her tea with whiskey in it so that she could sleep. But then she’d opened her eyes and John Bradbury had been sitting at the foot of her bed, telling her that he was grateful, but that she had to stop what was happening or other people would die.
“He didn’t by any chance tell you what was happening, did he?” Sam asked.
“He doesn’t really know. He was working downstairs in the embalming room when someone slipped a noose around his neck. He heard people talking, two people, he thinks. Then someone said something about the witch trials and wacky cults. Another voice said something about that person needing to shut up. And then the person who’d spoken first said what the hell did it matter? Bradbury would be dead. Who cares.”
“The witch trials?” Jenna asked, adding, “Not Wiccans today?”
Elyssa nodded. “The witch trials, that’s what he said. Someone was talking about the witch trials and cults. But, what they said exactly, I don’t know.” She looked hopeful. “Maybe now that you’re here, John will come and talk to you instead of me. I can’t remember all that he said. I’m not sure he knows exactly what he heard.”
“We’ll look into whatever new groups are in town,” Sam said. “And, of course check out the older covens and groups too. Most of the Wiccans in town are good and peaceful people. They practice their faith like any religion.”
“Good people come in all faiths,” Uncle Jamie said. “Elyssa knows that.”
“I mean, that’s the thing. I couldn’t figure out why he appeared to me. I’m in my last year of high school,” Elyssa said. “I have midterms coming up. I’m not the police or even an investigator. Early this morning he came back. He wasn’t a creepy ghost or anything. He didn’t pop into the sho
wer on me or anything like that. He appeared right when I’d finished dressing. Mom said I shouldn’t go to school today. When I first woke up—that’s when I called you, Jenna—I was still feeling freaked out. Then you said that you’d come and I was so relieved. I was finally hungry and was going to go out to get some breakfast when he appeared at my bedroom door. He thanked me again and said that you and Sam could help.”
Sam smiled at her. “He came back and talked to you in your room and you didn’t scream or pass out? Pretty brave kid.”
Elyssa smiled. “Maybe I’m like you.”
“Maybe you are—and it’s really not so bad,” Jenna told her.
“Should we have known this man?” Sam asked.
“He was from Salem,” Jenna told him. “Five to ten years older than you. Do you remember his name from anything?”
Sam reflected for a moment and then shook his head. “I’m not really sure.”
“He knew you, or about you,” Elyssa said, staring at them both expectantly.
“We should start with the covens and cultists,” Jenna noted. “Though that could be a long list. Seems like new things sprout up here every Halloween.”
“I’ll get Angela working on it back at headquarters,” Sam said. “I’d like to get into the autopsy. I’ll call Jackson, see if Adam Harrison has any sway up here.”
“Adam has sway everywhere,” Jenna assured him.
Adam Harrison, the dignified philanthropist who’d finally organized his little army of psychic researchers into an FBI unit, did seem to have sway everywhere. He was a good man, one who’d made a great deal of money and managed to keep his principles. His son, dead in a car accident in high school, had been one of those special people with an unusual ability. Eventually, Adam had learned that his son was not the only one.
“Excuse me,” Sam told them. “I’m going to make some calls. You know Devin Lyle and Craig Rockwell are from this area, too. We might need some help covering the ground.”
“Good idea,” Jenna said. In all the rush she’d forgotten that her co-agents were also from Salem. Then again, Elyssa’s hysterical call that morning had made her forget everything. “Hopefully, they’re not already on assignment.”
“We’ll see,” Sam said, and headed out to the living room where he could call privately.
Uncle Jamie glanced at his watch. “Susan is due back soon. What are we going to say to her? I can’t encourage a child to lie to her parents, but Susan and Matt will see her locked away in an institution.”
“I’m not a child,” Elyssa reminded them. “Come June, I’ll be both a high school grad and over eighteen.”
“And that means you’ll stop loving and caring for your parents?” Jamie asked.
“Of course not. But Uncle Jamie, they think I’m crazy.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Jenna said. “Your mom knows that you called me, right?”
Elyssa nodded. “I seem to have the gift. My mom doesn’t, so she’ll never understand.”
“Some people never do,” Jenna said. “But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you. So what we’re going to do is this. You’ll say you can’t help but be concerned and worried. And I’ll say that Sam and I have come because we’ve realized just how long it’s been since we’ve been back here, so why not check out this situation for you. How’s that?”
She looked at Jamie and Elyssa.
“Omission in itself can be a lie,” her uncle said. “But, okay, it’s not a lie.”
The admission came just in time, as the doorbell rang. They could hear the door open and Sam’s deep voice as he introduced himself to Susan and Matt Adair, Elyssa’s parents.
“Jenna,” Susan Adair said, hurrying across the room with a huge hug. “Have you had a chance to speak with Elyssa? You’ve explained that, while it’s sad and tragic, poor Mr. Bradbury took his own life. All I think about are his children. This will be so hard for them.”
“Not to worry,” Jenna said. “We’ve assured Elyssa that we’ll look into it all and that she needs to worry about school and midterms.”
Sam laid his hands on Jenna’s shoulders. “It never hurts to be thorough. That’s what the bureau is all about. But Jenna is right. Elyssa doesn’t have to worry or be concerned about a thing.”
“See,” Susan said, turning to her daughter triumphantly. “That’s all good.”
Matt Adair had been hovering by the door, watching the reunion. He was fit––an athletic man, coaching football at the local high school. They were quite the odd couple. Susan, Irish-looking with carrot red hair and amber eyes, a ball of fire and energy. Matt, except for when he was on the football field, a model of quiet and calm.
He greeted Jenna with a hug, then said, “I never like to say there’s nothing to worry about.”
Elyssa let out a sigh. “He’s worried because I was babbling, and he’s afraid my peers are going to make fun of me. That’s the least of my worries. Honestly, Dad. My feet are on the ground, and I’ve never been swayed by peer pressure.”
And, to the best of Jenna’s knowledge, she hadn’t been. Elyssa was bright and happy. She made friends because she was honestly interested in others and enjoyed meeting people. Between them, Susan and Matt had raised her right. A daughter open to new experiences, but comfortable in her own.
“It’s always smart to be cautious,” Uncle Jamie murmured. “Now, how about some food. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering out. Italian. And I think the delivery person just drove up.”
“I’ll head out and get it,” Sam offered.
“And I’ll give you a hand,” Matt said.
“Wait,” Susan said. “Why does anyone need to be cautious? This was a suicide. Right? Our daughter found the poor man and that’s that.”
But no one answered her.
Jenna hurried to help Uncle Jamie with plates and Elyssa found silverware and glasses. The delivery order included lasagna, salad, and breadsticks and the next few minutes were spent passing food around.
“What’s new in town?” Sam asked, when everyone was satisfied with a plate filled to their liking.
“They keep building ugly new structures,” Matt said.
“It used to be so quaint here. But commercialism is ruining the place,” Susan added, shaking her head.
“But a lot of the old shops are still around, right?”
“Oh, yes, and more.” Susan said. “New England seems to be moving into an age of diversity. We now have a large Asian population.”
“And Hispanic,” Matt said.
“Russian, too. Mostly Eastern Europeans,” Uncle Jamie said. “We have a new family from Estonia at my church these days, and a number of Polish.”
Susan shrugged and smiled. “And islanders. South Americans and Southerners.”
Jenna had to laugh. The way Susan spoke, it seemed that Southerners were the most foreign of anyone who’d moved to Salem. “The world moves all over these days. People go different places for work, to study, and some just to live.”
“I actually love all of the different languages, the people and accents,” Susan said. “But I have to say, if this weren’t my home, I don’t know if I would have moved here.”
Jenna was curious. “Why?”
“Snow,” Elyssa said. “Mom hates the snow.”
“I don’t hate the snow. I hate shoveling snow. And chipping the windows covered with ice.”
“Oh, mom, you love Salem. We couldn’t pry you out of here with a fire poker.”
Elyssa seemed exceptionally happy. As if what had been so horrible was not half so bad anymore.
“Tell me about the new shops in town,” Jenna said, glancing at Sam. No better way to learn the lay of the land than ask the locals.
“There’s a great place called Down River on Essex Street,” Matt said. “I love it. All kinds of books, new and used, and wonderful art and artifacts.”
“It’s owned by one of the silly Southerners who moved north to shovel snow,” Susan said. “Pass the garlic bre
ad, will you please?”
“And there’s a restaurant and shop that opened near there,” Matt told them. “Indian, from across the ocean. Great food. Beautiful saris and shirts.”
“Too much curry, that’s the way I see the food,” Susan said.
“What about the old places?”
“Most of them are still around. And, of course, there are a number of covens. I think we also have people practicing Santeria or voodoo or something like that.” Susan shook her head. “Evil spells.” And her hand with the fork shivered halfway to her mouth.
“Most people,” Uncle Jamie said, “whether they’re practicing Santeria or voodoo or if they’re Baptists or Catholics or Episcopalians, are good people. Today’s Wiccans tend to be lovely, not wanting to hurt anyone.”
“You really do see the good in everyone,” Susan said.
“Most religions are good. What men and women do with that sometimes is the problem. I just don’t go assuming they’re out to do evil.”
“I hope not,” Matt said. “Halloween seems to bring out all of the kooks. Especially in Salem. And we did have that terrible incident with those murders just a year or two back.”
“We know about that,” Sam said. “We had colleagues involved with the investigation.”
“We’re going to hope that everyone behaves for Halloween,” Susan said sternly. “And plan on all good things, right, Elyssa?”
The young girl nodded. “I’m going to the school dance, then a party at Nate’s house. I’m going to be an angel. Not costume-wise. I’m going as Poison Ivy. But I’ll be an angel.”
When it was time for the Adair family to leave, Elyssa caught Jenna by the door and gave her a tight hug once again. “Thank you so much for coming. You’ve made me feel sane again.”
Jenna smiled and watched the family go.
As the car drove down the street, Sam turned to Uncle Jamie. “Okay, so what’s really going on around here?”