Double Murder (Ghost Crimes #1)
Content Warning: Alcohol and Cigarette Use, Anti-Lesbian Violence, Domestic Violence, Death, Spirit Possession
Books were strewn everywhere, like a small tornado had torn through the house. It was violent and destructive. Star had done a brief internet search before they’d come here, so they knew it was a haunted house. But this level of violence was unusual. No wonder they’d been hired.
They’d gotten the call first thing in the morning. The owner, Jessie, had sounded panicked. There had been a break in at her house and it was trashed. Before Star could object, Jessie clarified it was her haunted house. So they’d gotten breakfast, and headed right over.
“The lock was broken.” Jessie broke their line of thought. “That’s how I knew it was a break in. But, usually, break ins don’t cause all this.”
“I’m certainly no expert on break ins, but this does look like an angry spirit of some kinda.” Not that this was entirely accurate. Star wasn’t an expert on break ins, but they were friends with one. They’d talked with their friend about eir expertise enough to know what a break in looked like, and every part of this was sloppy. But this mess wasn’t that sloppiness. Certainly, the salt scattered on the ground wasn’t because of sloppiness.
She fidgeted with a pen in her hands. “I figured that was the case. That’s why I called a psychic, not the police.”
“I don’t feel the presence of a ghost in here. The house itself is alive with energy and thought, like all old buildings get, but nothing that could cause this.” Indeed, the house wouldn’t want to destroy itself this way. The structure of it would teach it to want to stay up and intact.
“The ghost is gone?”
“Yes. If I were to guess, that’s the doing of whoever broke in. An exorcism of some sort.” Star paused for dramatic effect. They didn’t like to be melodramatic, but a little bit of drama always helps sell a client. “This was ghost murder.”
Jessie stared at them in confusion. “Murder?”
“Well, yes, there was a ghost living here. Now, it seems, the ghost is gone and there is evidence of a struggle. In addition, there’s salt scattered on the ground. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t also water and oil as well. The ghost was unmade by whoever broke into your house.”
Jessie nodded. “I suppose I didn’t think of exorcism like that, I suppose.”
“Were you here when this happened?”
Jessie shook her head, “No, I live with my girlfriend. The haunting in this house makes it difficult to live in, but it’s a family house. We’ve had it for over a century, so I’m not about to give it up.”
That explained why she didn’t know this had happened until the day after. This would’ve been far too loud to miss if she’d been here. “What was the haunting like?”
Jessie fidgeted with her pen silently before speaking. “You won’t think I’m crazy, right?”
Star smiled. “No, of course not. This isn’t the first actually haunted house I’ve been to.” Reassuring clients was an important part of their job. Belief in magic and spirits was higher than it had been in decades, but public shaming of those experiences, things dismissively called the ‘supernatural’, persisted. Of course, none of it was supernatural. Spirits and magic were just as much a part of the natural world as anything else.
It took another minute for Jessie to get started, but, eventually, it all spilled out. “Things move in here. I’ve seen it. Without any wind or people. Books are taken off the shelves, chairs pushed out, doors opened. And there are… sounds that pervade the house. Laughing, talking, howls, crying. Sometimes I’d wake up and something had written things on my walls. It was intolerable to live in.”
They didn’t like the way people referred to spirits as things. They were as much people as anyone else. Star nodded. “Contrary to popular belief, ghosts aren’t immaterial. They have physical forms, just ephemeral ones. They form from the patterns of living creatures imprinted on the air and surroundings when someone dies. They can touch things, move things, anything a normal, living person would do. They certainly could move through doors without opening them, there are cracks, but they’re produced by someone who can’t, so some prefer to move through open doors.”
“I appreciate the lesson, but this is hardly the time,” Jessie said. Star liked explaining things. Spirits had long been a special interest of theirs. But she was right. Sometimes it wasn’t the time for that.
“Sorry. What I’m saying is that this sounds like a pretty typical haunting.” Star chewed on their words. “You never sold the building? Why’s that?”
“As I said, it’s a family house... But it was more than that, I guess. I never wanted to inflict the haunting on anyone else. And I don’t know what would happen if the building was torn down.”
“That’s sensible of you. But did anyone ever want it?”
“Yes. My...” She stopped herself. “My family was approached recently by a local brewery, the 18th Street Brewery. They wanted to open a new location, and they wanted our land.”
“Your family?”
“Me and my brother Luke. We don’t talk much. Our parents are no longer around and I’m the sole owner of the house, but he was included in the discussions. It is a family house.”
Star didn’t push the point. “Thank you for answering my questions. If you’d like, I could help you figure out who did this.”
“That would be appreciated. Thank you.” She paused a moment, then said, “How much would that cost?”
Star grinned and handed her a price list. “My usual rates apply.”
She examined it and nodded. “Thank you, Star. I’ll pay you when you can tell me what happened.”
They exchanged good byes and Star headed out.
As they left the house, they put on headphones with music and began the walk to the nearest bus stop.
im gonna need to do work before lunch, Star texted John. might bleed into meeting you.
They’d planned on meeting with him for awhile, he was only in town for a few days before he had to head out, again. They hated to bring work with them. But sometimes it was necessary.
It took John a minute to reply. lol. ur gonna do some smoke and mirrors on me?
its research for a client.
ah, a hot read.
They groaned. This was going to be a pain.
no, Star texted, this isn’t that sorta job, anyway. ill explain when you get there.
It didn’t take much longer for the bus to arrive. They got on, their thoughts trained on John.
He was one of their closest friends, family, really. When their parents had kicked them out in high school, he was the one who give them a place to live. But they hated how he treated their work. Just because he was skeptical of it doesn’t mean he had to be a dick about it. They weren’t going to miss out on lunch with their friend and they couldn’t put off work. But they weren’t sure how to pay rent without the money they’d make from this job, and money for food was tight. Their stomach grumbled at that. Their breakfast had been insubstantial. Quick and cheap. And John had agreed to pay for lunch... No. John was a friend, not a meal ticket. It’s not like the prospect of not having lunch didn’t factor into their decision to not cancel lunch, but…
The bus reached their stop at the 16th street mall and a lot of people got off. They checked their phone for the time. They were early. John wouldn't be here for another half hour.
They took their time on the walk. The bustle of the mall was distracting, but the fresh air would clear their head. Still, by the time they were to the Pavilion they were still upset. John had the ability to get under their skin like few others. They’d known him for longer than anyone else. Even their parents, technically. They hadn’t talked to them long enough.
They sat on a bench outside of the restaurant on the first floor of the Pavilion and pulled out their laptop from their grey messenger bag. It was cheap and barely functioning, but it’s not like they could afford anything more expensive, or even anything new.
They went to a Denver Post archival site. It was a useful tool for researching for clients. They searched for the address, but found nothing. A search for “haunted house” and the area got them a few short mentions of it as a haunted house. But nothing helpful.
It’s a family house, though, Star thought.
They typed in their client’s last name. “Winthrop” brought them a few articles, but the most interesting one was from early in the archive. In the 1890s the wife of Eric Winthrop, a train magnate, went missing. Rumors speculated that he’d murdered her, but nothing substantiated that and the police didn’t investigate.
John arrived five minutes early.
Star smiled, but it was strained. They hurriedly put away their laptop. “I was doing some research as I was waiting.”
The two of them got a seat in the restaurant and put in their orders, a veggie burger with mushrooms and a cocktail for Star and a spicy burger and a soda for John. It was barely noon, but Star already wanted to get alcohol in themself.
John waited until their food arrived to finally ask, “So what’s the deal with your latest... client?”
“Someone broke into her haunted house and seems to have done an exorcism of some sort and she wants me to investigate it.”
John frowned. “So why doesn’t she call the police? If she can hire you, surely she’s able to turn to them for help?”
“Well, she thinks that, given the ghost stuff, someone who knows about ghosts would probably be pretty effective.”
John didn’t respond. The bustle of the restaurant dominated in absence of their conversation.
“Plus, she’s pretty clearly hiding something from me," Star said. "I’m willing to bet she doesn’t want the police to deal with whatever it is she’s hiding.”
“So you’re mixed up with some liar who’s rich enough to be able to call a psychic and crazy enough to believe it who’s hiding stuff and wants you to figure out who broke into her house?”
“Yes?”
“Star. Are you sure about this? Like, I don’t generally like your work, but this sounds dangerous for you. And potentially illegal. I don’t want to see you get hurt over some lady with a ghost problem.”
“I can’t exactly turn down the paycheck... Plus the case seems interesting.”
“I can help you out with money. I make more than enough. And we’re basically family.”
They knew he meant that. They couldn’t rely upon anyone as much as they could him. But...
No! They had relied upon John’s generosity far too much. It’s not like he was that much better off, especially since he was supporting his family on the reservation in Arizona. They grimaced and stared at their food. Their voice was quieter than before.
“I appreciate the offer, but I do prefer to pay my own bills.”
John sighed. “You’ve always been stubborn. So what’ve you found?”
Star smiled. John didn’t typically take an interest in their cases.
They filled him in on what they’d learned from Jessie and their initial research. They gave as much detail as they could remember.
“So, wait," John said, "what’s up with her brother?”
“What about him? She didn’t dwell much on him.”
“Yes, exactly. You’re right that she seems to be hiding something. And whatever she’s hiding, she wouldn’t want to draw attention to. And she didn’t dwell on her brother. So he’s somehow wrapped up in this. Right?”
Star’s face heated and they took a long drink from their cocktail. That seemed obvious now. “I should contact the brother.”
“Yes, exactly. I’m willing to bet she didn’t give you his number, but she might not refuse to give it to you if you asked. If she wants to avoid suspicion going his way, she wouldn’t go out of her way to prevent you from contacting him.”
“Hmm... I should text her. Hold up real quick.”
Star quickly sent her a text. Hi, Jessie. Star, here. I want another perspective on the haunting from someone else who lived there. Would I be able to contact Luke?
“You should probably also look into that brewery," John said. "But I doubt I can help you on that. You’ve got other friends for that.”
Star and John both knew who he was talking about, but they didn’t want to mention em here in public. E liked eir privacy.
“Do you know the other friend’s number? I think it was changed, recently.”
E used burner phones and it could be difficult to keep track of eir current number.
John wrote a number down on the napkin and handed it to Star who pocketed it.
Neither of them had made much progress on their food, so they took a break from talking to just eat. Eventually the silence between them was unbearable and Star asked, “So how’s your boyfriend doing?”
John smiled. “Oh, Haruki’s out of town right now. His current job is a delivery to Salt Lake City. A beautiful drive. But we’ve been calling every night. I’ve never clicked with someone as well as I have with him.”
“I’m sure you’re dying to see him, again.”
“Yeah... I miss him a lot, not gonna lie.” John sighed wistfully. “So have you finally found anyone?”
Star grimaced. “I don’t know who I could find. It’s hard enough to find someone who accepts me as I am, let alone one who wants to be... Y’know...”
“You shouldn’t be so down on yourself, little sibling. You just need to put yourself out there.” He smiled kindly. “Play the field at Raised Spirits. You can always cry to Silvia if things don’t work out while you’re there.”
They weren’t sure they wanted to do that sort of thing around Silvia... But that line of thought wouldn’t be helpful. They finished their drink, feeling the need for its effects right now “I’ll consider it...”
John grinned at them. They weren’t sure he knew what he was doing with that suggestion.
“That you’ll consider it is all I could possibly ask of you,” he said.
John got their bill. Star didn’t want to know how much it had come up to and got up to go.
“I should probably head home," Star said at the door. "So I can call her brother in some amount of privacy.”
And so they could call their other friend without so many prying eyes.
“Of course.” John smiled at Star. “But do remember that you’re family and I love you a lot.”
The two of them embraced, then headed in opposite directions. John would be biking home and they’d be taking the bus.
The walk from the restaurant to the bus stop was short, but they just missed the bus, so they had plenty of time to think as they waited.
They wouldn’t be able to call Zee until they got home. E wanted privacy for eir conversations, for understandable reasons. And Luke would have to wait, too. They needed to be careful with him. But there were people they could contact.
meet at Raised Spirits tonight? Star texted Aaron. need help with a job.
They didn’t have much else to do until they got home, so they paced and listened to their music until the bus arrived.
They were concerned about their conversation with John. He was concerned about them, they knew that. But they weren’t sure if they were even ready for a relationship, let alone prepared to put themself out there. Maybe he was right and they could stay late at Raised Spirits and see if anyone would like them. But hooking up with strangers after a conversation with a catholic priest wasn’t really their idea of a good time. Plus, Silvia would be there...
And he was also right that this job was risky to them. They needed Zee’s help, and they always paid Zee for eir work, but they weren’t sure they liked the prospect of getting arrested if e gets caught. And whoever broke into the house might be dangerous, too, and they weren’t exactly good for a fight. Maybe they should ask Silvia for help after they figure out who it is. For actually dealing with them.
They were also troubled by Jessie lying to them. They checked their texts for her and found that they had messaged her ten minutes ago.
Did you find the number? Star messaged.
Yes. Jessie texted back with his number.
Thank you.
She didn’t reply.
That’s out of the way, then, Star thought. They could call Luke as soon as they got home. And...
I can meet, Aaron replied. 6 PM.
gr8. c u thn.
The bus reached their stop and they got off. Their apartment block was right next to the stop and they were on the first floor.
Their apartment always felt empty. No roommates. Too small for more than one bed, anyway. They’d get a cat or something, but that was expensive, and their apartment block had a no pets policy. Some people kept pets anyway, but they couldn’t afford to be evicted.
Ok. Time to call Luke... But they could talk to Zee first... Talking to Luke was the scarier prospect. And they were still not feeling the best after their conversation with John. Maybe calling Zee would clear their mind.
They fumbled around in a drawer with a lot of junk, purposefully placed junk, and pulled out a beaten up flip phone. Zee had given them it for eir birthday as a “birthday present for emself”. Calling em with it would give them more privacy than without it, and they were supposed to regularly call some local businesses with it so that it seemed normal. Zee was a bit paranoid. They pulled out the napkin in their pocket and dial the number on it.
The phone rang exactly once. Zee picked up. “Yo, what’s up?”
“I need your help with a job," Star said. "I’ll pay.”
“You gonna be at Raised Spirits tonight?”
“Yes. I’m meeting Aaron there.”
“Right. Aaron. That’s why you’re going there.” Eir tone was light and airy.
They smiled. “Shut up. I need his help with the job, too.”
“You could always go to church.”
“And get burned by the holy water? I do witchcraft, after all.”
“Hey, I go to church all the time.”
Star laughed at that. “Yeah, but not on Sundays.”
There was a long pause. “Are you doing alright?” The levity had left eir voice.
They paused. “No, not really. Could you tell?”
“I can always tell when you’re upset.”
“I had a talk with John over lunch. He thinks I should put myself out there. Suggested I do it in Raised Spirits so that Silvia can comfort me if I get turned down.”
“Lol. You know he probably well knows how you feel...”
Star blinked. “I hadn’t considered.”
Zee laughed. “He’s trying to help you put yourself out there and he suggests there with her explicitly as the reason why”
“Right...”
“Anyway. Tonight. At Raised Spirits.”
Zee hung up without another word.
They lit the napkin with eir phone number on fire with their stove and let it burn out in the sink and redeposited the flip phone in the cluttered drawer.
Now they had to call Luke. They took a deep breath preparing themself. They dialed his number.
“Hello? Who is this?”
They nearly jumped. The phone had not rung very long
“Hello. My name is Star. I’m working with your sister on something and I needed to ask you some questions.” They used a professional tone.
“I’m not sure how I could help. I barely talk to my sister.”
“This isn’t about your sister. This is about your family’s house.”
“Oh. Yes. It’s ‘haunted’. I wanted to tear it down. But sis got it in the inheritance.”
Star raised their eyebrows. Was this what she’d been hiding? “I’m aware. Your family conflicts aren’t really my concern. What about the company which wanted to buy it up?”
“I don’t know much about that. I was only nominally included in discussions on the subject. Not that Jessie would listen to me.”
“And the haunting?”
“Is that what this is about? It’s silly. I believed it when we were kids, I guess, but that’s silly superstition.”
He was putting up a wall. They considered what else they could get out of this conversation, but concluded not much. “Thank you for answering my questions. Have a wonderful rest of your day.”
Both siblings were lying to them. Their stories clashed. Not majorly, but in details. Jessie had stopped short of saying some things, like that Luke wanted to tear the house down. They were certain that she nearly said that when she’d cut herself off. But they weren’t even sure if tearing down the house was Luke’s actual plan with it. They couldn’t trust a single word out of them. They’d get the information they need from Zee and that would be what they’d trust.
But it frustrated them. This would be easy to resolve if people just talked to them. Or if they could talk to the ghost that had been haunting the house. But that was off the table, too. Unless...
A theory formed. They’d have to ask Jessie about this when they next talked. Her ancestor’s wife mysteriously went missing with no investigations. Clearly, she’d died and her husband had covered it up. So why would he do that? Because he did it. There were, obviously, an innumerable reasons why he’d do this, but the most fruitful would be if she’d been cheating on him, this had angered him and he killed her. Which might mean that the lover’s ghost also remained. Especially if they died in the same event...
But they had nothing, yet, to prove that. They weren’t even sure if the siblings would know about it. It was family history, so they could, however... They needed to meet Jessie.
Can we meet tomorrow over breakfast? I have some things to ask you about. They weren’t sure how long it would take her to respond and they had a lot of time before they had to meet up with Aaron. It was, they checked their clock, nearly 3. They needed to clear their head, then get ready to go to Raised Spirits.
They set up in the center of their apartment. It was a studio, so finding the center had been easy. They set up a mat they owned on which they’d inscribed various runes and alchemical symbols on. They liked to borrow from various traditions for this sort of thing.
The ritual power of symbols derived from their use, and existing symbols gave them the opportunity to tap into the power of pre-existing practices. But they didn’t have many traditions of their own to draw upon. The closest they had to religious practices related to their heritage would be christianity, which they wanted nothing to do with, or voodou, but no one in their family had practiced and they’d never felt much of a connection to it. So they made it up as they went along, inventing practices and syncretizing existing practices.
Star settled on the mat, closed their eyes, and counted as they breathed in and out. Energy flowed into them, like warm water in the air, and circulated throughout their body. Their heartbeat steadied. The air around them thrummed and sheathed them. They traced the symbols on the mat. They couldn’t see them, but they’d done this often enough that they didn’t need to. They drew ritual, magical, power out of them, and drew the power in. For a moment, it was overwhelming. Their body was supercharged with power. Then they let it all out, and their bad feelings went with it.
They opened their eyes. Meditating had a cleansing effect on them. They got up and rolled up the mat. They’d meditated for nearly half an hour. It had felt nowhere near that long. They still had plenty of time before tonight.
Still, they could get ready now. They always wanted to look good when they went to Raised Spirits, and they spent the day in sweat pants and a t-shirt. They’d gotten ready in a rush this morning. No one had commented, but they still wanted to look good.
It took them awhile to pick out the right clothes. They could fuss over them a lot. Eventually, they picked out a red button up shirt a relatively short black skirt and long red pants to go under it. They needed to shower, change into their clothes, then put on some make up.
The shower was short and functional. They shaved their face, put on the pants, then the skirt over. The red shirt was buttoned up only halfway. They didn’t apply much in the way of make up. They put on some foundation. It was difficult to find foundation as dark as their skin, but Silvia had helped them with that late last year, so they had plenty. And they applied some red lipstick, also a gift from Silvia. But they didn’t put on apply else. They were ready to leave.
Star took the bus to Raised Spirits. They’d arrive early for their meeting with Aaron and they didn’t know when Zee would get there. They still weren’t sure of their theory about the two ghosts. At this point, it was just speculation and they didn’t know who the second one would be. Who would Laura have loved enough to face death? Or was that even it? Perhaps Eric had made a mistake, assumed something was happening when it wasn’t. They needed Jessie to tell them what she knew, if she knew anything. She had replied to them and set up the breakfast while they were waiting at the bus stop, so that would have to wait until tomorrow.
It was half an hour after 5 when they got to Raised Spirits. It had already been open for an hour. It wasn’t very busy, yet. It wasn’t a club. No loud music and it was well lit. It was the way Star liked it, quiet. They’d started coming here in high school with fake IDs. They’d met Silvia doing that well before she worked the bar. They’d gone to different schools, but had bonded instantly over underaged drinking and ghost stories.
That had been years ago. More than a decade. Now Silvia worked the bar and Star lived the ghost stories.
“My favorite customer.” Silvia smiled at their entrance and got to work making them a cocktail. She hadn’t asked them what they wanted to drink in years and just made them whatever she thought they’d like. Not that they were complaining.
“It’s always good to see you too, Silvia.” Star smiled back. “I’m here on business, unfortunately, I’m meeting Aaron in half an hour for information. And, if another friend happens to be here taking a smoke, I might pop out and have some boring conversations with em.”
Silvia slid over a drink. It tasted of blue raspberry, but smelled of her. “Always with the cloak and daggers with em.”
“Paranoia is what e breathes.” They’d met Zee through Silvia. She’d never explained how she’d met Zee, but they assumed it was something criminal. “Say... You might be able to help out, too.”
Silvia grinned. “I’ve got time to talk. Spill.”
“What’s the deal with the 18th Street Brewery? They’re trying to buy my client’s house, so more information on them would be good.”
Silvia’s lips purse. It was cute. “They’re well established. Founded awhile back. Their founder went on to do big things, but they’ve been getting a rise in business and need new locations. We sell their stuff here.”
“My client has a haunted house. Someone broke in and did an exorcism. I’m supposed to figure out who and why.” They paused a moment. “It’s a murder investigation. For the ghost.”
Silvia laughed. “That’s very you. I had heard they were trying to get a haunted house, but were backing off for some reason.”
Star blinked. “They’re backing off? Do you know why?”
“I heard that someone had given them bad advice.” She pondered a moment. “I suppose, if you’re going to go out and smoke, you’ll probably be able to get more about their internal workings than I could give you.”
Now was Star’s turn to laugh. “Yes, I suppose I will. Still, it helps to get multiple perspectives.”
“So what’s this murder investigation all about?”
Star explained to her everything they’d found so far. They even told her about their speculations. They loved telling her about their cases.
“The brother did it.” Silvia was matter of fact about it as if it were a foregone conclusion.
“That’s what I’m thinking, but I’m not certain yet. That’s why I’m meeting with the client tomorrow. I need to know what happened to Laura.”
“If you need any back up, I’m off work tomorrow and you know I’m always willing to help you out.”
They took a deep drink for their drink. “Thanks, Silvia.”
“So how’s John doing? We haven’t talked in awhile.”
“Well, he’s got steady work. And he’s going steady with his current boyfriend. More serious than his previous ones.” Star sighed. “He hassled me about relationships. He thinks I should start putting myself out there.”
“He’s right, you know. Anyone would be lucky to meet you at a bar some time and go, ‘Hello, beautiful stranger.”
They took another drink to hid their blush.
“I could always find someone to set you up with,” she said.
“He suggested I try to find someone here. Something about how I could commiserate with you if I get shot down.”
She reached across the bar and patted their arm. Their heartbeat began to quicken, but they steadied it with their breathing. “I’m always down with commiserating with you.”
Another customer called for her and she was off. It was getting on to when Aaron would show up.
Someone whistled. Well, not ‘someone’. They recognized the whistle.
“Hey, Silvia," Star said, "Watch my drink for a bit. I need to get a smoke.”
She nodded.
They went outside and pulled out two cigarettes from their shirt pocket. Zee would bring eir own, but they always liked giving em one regardless. A down payment.
Zee was crouched by the entrance to the store. E dressed to blend in, looking vague and non-threatening. E was small and slight, but that merely hid eir well developed muscles.
“You could go into the bar some time.” Star always gave em a hard time about this. They handed em the cigarette and they helped em light it again their own. It was a ritual the two of them had.
“Too many people,” Zee said. “I don’t like being seen. I call it sometimes to make my burner phones seem innocuous. I like talking with Silvia.”
“So do I.” Star smiled. They also liked talking with em. “Anyway, I need some help for a job.”
“Who do you want to know more about?”
“The 18th Street Brewery. They’re trying to buy my client’s house. Silvia says that they’ve been dealing with some bad information and might be backing down.”
Zee nodded. “I can get you information by tomorrow. I’ll wake you.”
“Thank you, Zee.”
“Don’t mention it. Really.”
Star grinned. The two of them shared the moment in silence. Star leaned against the wall while Zee stayed crouched beside them. Finally, the moment was broken by Zee standing. Star gave em a hand.
“It’s always nice to see you, Star.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.”
Zee put out eir cigarette then stepped out into the people walking down the sidewalk and disappeared into the crowd. Star sighed and returned to the bar.
“Hello, Star," said Aaron, who sat at the bar.
They hadn’t seen him enter while they were outside, but they were a bit preoccupied with Zee. He was a Catholic priest, but mostly he was a professional exorcist on the payroll of the Catholic Church. They hated his work and the Church, but they’d always gotten along with him personally and they were in similar lines of work.
“Good evening, Father.” They bowed their head respectfully, more for Aaron than for his position. “How’s the church?”
“It’s well. Many of the people who go there have been requiring my services, and I’m always happy to provide.”
They wrinkled their nose. His ‘services’ meant harm to spirits. He didn’t bother with meeting them on their own terms, only on his terms, and the spirits rarely survived. “Well, that’s what I’m here about.”
Aaron smiled “Surely not asking for my services. I know how you feel about what I do.” The two of them argued about how to deal with spirits from time to time.
“No. I need information. I client’s house was broken into and I saw signs of an exorcism.”
They explained to him the scene of the murder.
“Hmm...” Aaron considered his words carefully. “Now, Star, you know I can’t share with you anything divulged to me by my parishioners.”
They nodded.
“However... Without giving any personal information... A colleague of mine at a different church was approached by a young man asking about exorcism. He’d given that young man information how to do it, but had refused to do it himself because the ghost haunted a location that wasn’t the young man’s own possession. We’re priests. Breaking and entering isn’t exactly within our purview.”
Star considered that. “That sounds like who I’d be looking for... Mind if I run some theory’s by you?”
“Of course not.”
“The client has a brother. She was hesitant to talk about him. Lied by omission. And, when he talked to me, I’m certain he lied to me. But the one thing I believe him on is that he wanted the house and wanted to tear it down. He said that he didn’t believe in the ghosts anymore, but I don’t buy that. No reason to want to tear the house down, otherwise.”
Aaron nodded in agreement.
“So it’s not the house he wants torn down. It’s the ghosts he wants gone. He can’t tear the house down, but, if he has the right information, he can break in and do an exorcism himself.”
“So far makes sense.”
“So he breaks in and does the exorcism. But the scene was fairly violent, so it was more than he was expecting. Which I think supports a theory I’ve had.”
Star paused for effect.
“Please," Aaron said, "do tell me.”
“You never let me be dramatic.”
Aaron smiled at them.
“Anyway, I think there’s two ghosts. The owner of the house centuries ago murdered his wife, I’m sure of it. But he doesn’t do so for no reason. He finds her cheating on him, or in a position where he interprets it as cheating, and murders her and her lover in a fit of jealousy, then covers it up after the fact. Which means there’s two ghosts.”
“But which ghost if either survived the exorcism?”
Aaron might be a priest, but he always had good contributions. Star grinned. “And can I get in contact with them.”
“You want to confront the brother.”
Star nodded. “I think letting the ghost speak to him will force him to consider a different perspective than the one that led to his... actions.”
Aaron smiled. “You’re doing priest work.”
Star nearly spit their drink laughing. “I would never dream of it.”
“I’m serious. Your relationship to ghosts and demons may be different from my own, but your position isn’t much. You’ve found a situation with troubled souls and you’re attempting to redeem the one who’s done harm. That’s precisely the work of a priest.”
Star thought about it somewhat. Finally they said, “Or of a shaman. Or a witch.”
Aaron nodded. “There are spiritual leaders in many faiths and, while we may disagree, all are able to do good work.”
“I thought you’d object more to the witch comment.”
Aaron laughed. “Child, the days of the Catholic Church killing witches is long past.”
They weren’t fans of the church, but Aaron had always treated them with respect. He’d never questioned Star’s identity nor pushed on them a change. They disagree on a lot, and surely on even that, but Aaron wasn’t the type to judge. Star nodded. “Thank you, Father.”
Aaron smiled. “I’m sure the information will be most helpful.”
“Not for that. For your reassurance. I wanted to object to your description of my work as ‘priest work’, but you’re not wrong. I appreciate the interreligious support, I suppose.”
“Ah.” Aaron nodded. “Think nothing of it. You have my support when you need it.”
After some silence, Aaron said, “Speaking of support, I can buy dinner. I know you struggle with money more than I.”
Aaron ordered a steak. Star ordered nachos. They ate in silence. Star appreciated the silence, and Aaron knew them well enough to give them that.
When they were done, they said their goodbyes and Aaron got up to leave. Star wasn’t sure if they should follow or not. Silvia answered that by coming over.
“How was your conversation with the priest?”
Star smiled. “It went really well. He gave me the information I needed, that someone matching the brother’s description, was asking around about exorcisms and helped me bounce ideas off of him.”
“The two of you have quite the odd friendship all things considered.”
Star giggled.
Silvia grinned “I’ll never get it. But I’m glad he can help.”
“You helped, too. I’ll need to make sure to call you tomorrow to ask for your help with the the thing I’m going to do tomorrow so you can help out.” Not their most eloquent sentences.
Silvia laughed. “You better! I don’t want to be left out.”
They said their goodbyes and Star got up to leave as she went to serve other customers. The bus ride home was quiet and lonely and Star spent it grinning. They got home and cleaned off their make up before collapsing in bed and falling asleep instantly.
Star woke up with a start.
“You slept in your clothes from last night.” Zee was sitting on their chest looking down at them.
They groaned. “You could knock some time.”
“You were asleep and would not have answered the door. Plus this is more fun.” E dropped some files on the bed beside them. “I found the information you’re looking for. Indeed, a very interesting name came up when I was looking into the files. ‘Luke Winthrop’. Same last name as the person on the deed of the house they were looking to buy. He was fired last week. No reason was given, but I looked through their records and he had promised that he’d be able to get the house, but it wasn’t working. He said he could convince his sister. He couldn’t. That’s why they’re backing down.”
“Oh. This is very interesting, honestly. I just would appreciate it if you got off of me so I could get up and get some coffee.”
Zee sighed and slid off of them slowly and with more effort than it required. “So what’re you gonna do about Luke?”
They got up and headed to their kitchen to make some instant coffee. “I’m gonna confront him with this at the house. I need to know some more stuff from his sister, but I think I can get it arranged for tonight. I’m having breakfast with her.”
Zee grabbed the folder of papers. “Oh, in that case, I’m coming. I want to be there for your fabulous reveal.” Star opened their mouth to object, but Zee said, “I’ll waive my payment if you let me.”
“Ok, fine. You know I need the money.”
Zee smiled. “Sweet! I can’t wait to be involved in one of your ghost stories.” Zee came up to them and hugged them. “I’ll be at the house tonight. Don’t start without me.”
Star grinned and hugged em back. “I’ll make sure not to.”
Zee broke the hug after a bit, then fled the apartment without a goodbye.
They had more time to dress than yesterday, but they just put on jeans and a t-shirt. Jessie wouldn’t be expecting anything fancy after their sweatpants from yesterday. Finally, they were on the bus heading toward breakfast.
Jessie was waiting for them outside the restaurant and the two of them went in and got seated. Both of them had been here, before, so they were able to order quickly. Jessie got salmon and Star got Eggs New Orleans.
Jessie broke the silence waiting for the food to com. “So why did you need to meet up?”
“I need information that’s not publicly available which I hope you can help me with.” Star paused for her to ask and, when she doesn’t, continues, “Over a century ago, an Eric and Laura Winthrop, your ancestors, lived in that house. Laura went missing and there was never an investigation. I suspect that Eric murdered her and used his wealth to cover it up. I don’t know this for sure, but I was hoping you might.”
Jessie pursed her lips, hesitating. Time stretched and Star gave her time to answer. The server came with their food and put it there. Finally, she spoke. “It’s an old family story. About how the house became haunted. I’d hoped it wouldn’t be necessary to convey.”
Star nodded. “I understand. It’s unfortunately necessary. I need every detail about it you have.”
Jessie toyed with her salmon. “We used to be told about how Eric killed Laura and their maid when we were kids. It was a family secret. Something we weren’t allowed to tell anyone. A pathology, if you ask me. No one in the family has been immune, not even me. Laura had married Eric, but, so the story goes, she had only wanted him for the money and was plotting against him. It would probably be more accurate to say her family wanted the money. The marriage was arranged. And she was unhappy with the marriage.”
She stopped, chewing on her words.
Star waited patiently.
"Which brings us to the affair," she said. "We were told again and again that Eric treated her well so she never had a reason to cheat on him like that. But that probably didn’t matter. It was with one of their maids, Maria. She had worked for Eric for decades, longer than he was married to Laura. A ‘double betrayal’, we were told. Laura betrayed her husband and Maria her employer. He was enraged to discover the ‘betrayal’. Murdered them on the spot.
“But he still grieved them. Must be why he covered up their deaths.” Jessie’s face twisted into a pained smile. “So they were buried beneath the house. And they came back as ghosts from this burial. They haunted the house ever since. To remind us of what our family was built upon.”
She took a bite out of her salmon and looked distant. “It’s why I never told my parents about my girlfriend. Any situation that even reminds us vaguely of Laura is taboo in our family. My brother found out after they died. We’ve barely talked since. He’s stuck in the past.”
“Or the past is stuck in him," Star said. "We can’t escape the past. Even without ghosts. It sticks with us. Haunts us. We can move on, but we can never escape it.”
Jessie nodded. “I’ve tried. I moved out of the house. I lived my life my way. But its pathological for our family. I can’t move on by just moving away.”
“Of course not. We’re always stuck with the past. But we can change our relationship to the past.” They paused for effect. “Your family’s obsession was with Eric. With his pain. But they’ve never considered other perspectives in the past. You don’t need to run away from your family’s past, to try to escape it. Laura is as much your past as Eric is.”
Jessie slowly ate her salmon. She took a minute before she speaks again. “Thank you. I hadn’t considered that, really.”
“I need to ask you a favor to put this whole incident to a rest.”
Jessie smiled at the. “Anything you need.”
“I’m going to do a séance at the house tonight. Contact the dead. See what survived. But it’ll be tricky because of the exorcism. I’ll need both you and your brother there to help me channel her ghost. I can contact your brother for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.”
“No. I can get him there. I’ll set things up. When will this start?”
“We need to start around sundown. I’ll have two assistants there with me to help with my set up. You just need to be there with your brother.”
“Thank you. I’ll be there.” With that, they finished their meal in silence. Jessie paid. She offered them a ride back to their place and they refused.
Once she was gone, they called up Silvia. “I’ve got it set up for tonight. But I need to do something, first, and I’d like your help.”
Silvia was already at Star’s apartment when they got there. She drove, they did not.
“What do you need to do so badly, Star?” She was dressed casually, but her tall figure was imposing. She worked out in her free time. A lot. Star was a fan.
“I’m going to channel a ghost and you’re going to convince her to come to the scene her girlfriend was murdered and confront the killer.” Star walked past her and opened the door. They motioned for Silvia to follow.
Despite that, Silvia stood there for a bit before she said, “You heard the whole story.”
“Yes. And I will get justice for the death. And I need help to do it.”
Silvia nodded and followed them inside. They pulled out their meditation mat and set it up in the center of their apartment as always, then went and grabbed some candles. Silvia helped set them up in a circle around the mat. Five candles for the five pointed star.
As they worked, Star explained to Silvia everything they’d figured out and the plan for that night.
“I want you to light these candles one at a time while I sit in the middle. Start with the one in front of me and go counterclockwise. With each one I want you to say, ‘Maria’. I’ll be chanting her name as you do it. Don’t stop when things gets weird."
They sat in the center and closed their eyes, controlling their breathing. They heard the lighter and began to chant.
"Maria. Maria. Maria. Maria."
The room grew cold.
"Maria. Maria. Maria. Maria."
The warmth on their skin from the window shifted.
"Maria. Maria. Maria. Maria."
They touched the runes on their mat. Energy was flowing into their apartment.
"Maria. Maria. Maria. Maria."
The final candle was lit.
"Maria. Maria. Maria. Mar-"
They were Maria.
“Where am I?”
It was their mouth that moved, but it wasn’t their voice that came out. Oh, it used their vocal chords, but the tone was off. Someone else spoke through their body.
Their eyes were open, staring around the apartment. A lady was there. She was tall and intimidating. But her eyes were kind.
“My friend can channel ghosts and spirits," she said. "They called you here for a conversation. They can’t talk to you while you in them, so you’ll need to talk to me.”
They looked down at their hands. It was odd. Their skin was dark. They’d always had this skin, but it looked new to them right then. Everything around them was new. “What do you need of a ghost?”
“Star, the person who’s body you inhabit, was hired by the house you inhabited. Someone had broken in and performed an exorcism. A murder. I’m sure you know about that,”
“It was that boy. Except he was all grown up. Time is funny. He broke in to the house. Hadn’t been there since he was a child. The exorcism was painful. We fought back.” All of a sudden, anger boiled in them. They nearly screamed. “He killed Laura. She had already died. Why did he need to kill her again?”
“Your story was a family sickness. Something they told themselves so often that it defined the way they saw the world. And he saw Laura in your sister. So he took out his anger on Laura herself.” The lady’s voice was kind. Comforting.
Tears rolled down their cheeks. Their head was in their hands. “It’s so unfair. We never wanted any of this to happen.”
“I know it’s unfair. But Star wants to give Laura justice. They’ll be a voice for you, for the past. So that the boy isn’t able to pretend like you don’t matter, pretend like your voice is irrelevant.”
They looked up and stared at the lady. “What do you need of me?”
“Tonight, Star will do this ritual again, but, this time, they want you to be there already so they don’t have to call out to you. They’ll give you a voice to talk to the boy. You will be allowed to speak.”
Tears welled up again. They sobbed openly. The lady’s hand rested on their shoulder. They leaned against her and she put her arm around them. Finally they were able to speak again. “No one has ever given me the chance to speak like this. Me and Laura. We were silenced by him. By the whole family. Treated as an embarrassment. I want to be able to speak.”
“You will get the chance to. You need to be at the house by sundown. Star will do the rest.”
They shivered. All of a sudden, they were Star again. Their head laid against Silvia’s side. Blush immediately plagued their face, but Silvia’s arm kept them there. “Silvia! I can’t break your grip.”
Silvia released them from her arm. “Oh. Star. Sorry.” She looked away, blushing slightly as well.
Star took a moment to gather themself, then blew out each candle in turn, moving clockwise starting with the last candle lit. They spoke. “That went well. I can count on you for tonight, right?”
Silvia nodded. “You’ll need a ride, if nothing else.”
Star smiled. “More importantly, I need someone to keep Luke from panicking and running away.”
Silvia laughed. “Oh. You need my muscles.”
“And Zee will be bringing eir information.”
“Let’s get ready for tonight, then.”
The channeling had taken a long time, but it was still hours away from sundown. Enough time for them to get ready. Silvia had come to the apartment on her motorcycle and she offered to give them a ride. She lent them her spare helmet and mounted the motorcycle, then they mounted behind her and gripped her around her waist. This wasn’t their first time riding with Silvia.
They grabbed some food first off, cheap fast food they gorged on, then picked up some extra candles. Star owned some, but not enough for tonight’s ritual. They got some extra chalk while they were at it. Finally, they stopped by Silvia’s apartment for her to get a telescopic baton she kept for self-defense. “Just in case.”
Silvia’s apartment was a nicer place than Star’s, but not by much. She had a separated bedroom and it was maintained better, but she hardly lived in a luxury apartment. It was getting late. They had enough time to get there before sundown, so they could stop to relax.
“Want a smoke?” Silvia held out a cigarette.
“Gods. I’ve been needing one all day.” Star happily took it and Silvia lit it for them before lighting her own. They took a long drag, blowing out cluttered thoughts with the smoke, clearing their mind. It was nice.
Star and Silvia stood side by side leaning against Silvia’s balcony. Star liked it when the two of them just shared a space in silence. Her presence put their mind at ease as much as the cigarette did.
“You know,” Silvia said, “when you told me those ghost stories when we were kids, I never imagined they were real.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure I believed them, either. I could see things, sure, but no one ever listened to me, until I met you.”
“I guess I wanted them to be real. For there to be more in this world than what I was told. I had people telling me the world was cold, inert, and lifeless. That we were alone in an empty universe. And I had other people telling me that the world was God’s kingdom. That our immortal soul was at stake in our every action and we’ll be judged in the end of times when the dead walk.” She took a long drag from her cigarette. “You were the first person who showed me a world alive with spirits, but where we could escape from God’s judgment.”
Star nodded. “God isn’t who judges us. It is other people in this world.”
“So what does that make you, then? You come into this story after the fact. Not even after the body is dead, but after their ghost was killed, too. Are you taking on the role of the judging God I learned about in church?” Her tone was light, just chatting, not arguing. But it had an edge to it.
Star shook their head.
“No," they said. "I’m not here to judge anyone. I don’t want to mete out punishment or pronounce innocence or guilt. I’m not a cop, a judge, a jury, or a prison warden. All I seek to do is give the past a voice. The past never leaves us, but some voices are given a louder say than other. Their whole family only ever paid attention to Eric’s side of the story. They were trapped in his story, incapable of escaping it. Their family was already doing violence to the dead with their obsession. Luke just did what naturally followed from it.” Star’s voice hardened. “But he has to see that other people in that story had a point of view, too. His family objectified Laura and Maria. They were mere things in the story who lacked thoughts and interests of their own. All I want to do is force him to see her as a person. Beyond that, whatever happens is up to Maria and Jessie.”
Silvia nodded. She was silent for a good minute before she spoke. “I don’t want to be a part of the sort of judgment I heard about in church. I know you’re friends with Father Aaron and I assume he’s never treated you badly, but his world is exactly the one I escaped. If you had been planning on casting judgment on Luke, on punishing him for his sins, I wouldn’t leave my apartment to help you.”
Silvia said that as a statement of fact without malice. Star thought on this for a moment. “If I were going to punish him, I wouldn’t want you to come. I wouldn’t want to go. That sort of punishment is for wrathful gods, not for witches or shamans. My role in this is only as a facilitator, as a mouthpiece.”
Silvia flicked her cigarette out onto the gravel below. “Come on. Let’s go.” She turned and left.
Hurriedly, Star tossed their own cigarette and followed. Silvia’s legs were longer than their own, she loomed over them, so it was a struggle to catch up. But, eventually, they were on the back of her bike, again. And they drove off toward the house, toward the night, and toward the final confrontation with the killer.
Dusk was creeping when they arrived. Zee was already there, though it would be easy to miss em where e’d set up in the deepening shadows of the house. E took up position beside Star and Laura.
Zee grinned. “Took you long enough to show up.”
“We had to prepare before we came here," Star said.
Together the three of them went up the stairs and opened the door to enter, not bothering to knock, Jessie had said that would be alright. Together they traversed the house to the scene of the murder. Star already felt the presence of Maria in the room and they nodded to her.
Once inside, they unrolled their mat from home.
“We need to draw this pattern on the floor," Star said. "It should cover most of the room and leave enough space to line candles around it. Please be exact with this.”
They weren’t sure how necessary it would all be, but they wanted extra power to their magic just in case. They worked on adding extra sigils to the design as Silvia and Zee put down the base pattern. Once it was all drawn, they placed the candles carefully. A total of twenty around the large circle. The candles formed four interlocking pentagrams.
Before too long it was all set up. They were ready for the ritual. All that needed to happen was for everyone to arrive.
Jessie and Luke arrived just before sundown.
Luke was a bit disheveled, like he hadn’t been taking care of himself. He looked around at the whole set up with concern. “What is all this, Jessie?”
“I don’t know or care, Luke. Whatever Star needs to do their work.”
She glared at him and he shut up.
“There’s no need for any hostility from either of you. I just need your help with this séance. I hope Jessie filled you in on what’s going on.”
Luke nodded sullenly.
“Good," Star said. "My assistants will be waiting just outside of the room and I’ll need you to sit...”
They helped direct Luke and Jessie to the best points on the circle for them to sit, so that all three of them would be on the same pentagram and Silvia and Zee left the room.
“I’m going to be summoning a spirit into my body. Give the ghost a chance to speak. We live in a world haunted by the past. The two of you would know this better than most.”
They looked at the two of them in turn.
“Stories of the past carry a power within them," Star continued. "They present a point of view, and one that can be skewed. And, when it is skewed, it is necessary for others from the past to speak, to provide other points of view.”
The two siblings stared at them waiting for something to happen.
“Also," Star said, "I may have lied to the two of you a bit. An exchange for the lies, half truths, and omissions both of you supplied me. Laura, your ancestor, is dead and gone. Her ghost was destroyed in an exorcism. Both of you already know who did it, even as you refuse to admit it. But that’s ok. I have my own witness who was there.”
They tilted back their head. The breathed in the air and closed their eyes.
"MARIA!"
Their voice echoed out, somehow louder than their vocal chords could make. The fires on the candles flickered as wind swirled around them.
"MARIA!"
They were Maria. This time it was less disorienting. They could feel Star sharing this body with them. They looked out at the two sitting there. Anger grew inside them, but a voice told them that it wasn’t necessary. Not yet.
“So this is what remains of the Winthrop family. The family I served. The family that murdered me for being in love. The family which continued to murder me with every passing generation by speaking lies about me and my beloved. The family which wouldn’t even allow my Laura to rest in peace and killed her a second time. A double betrayal.”
Jessie and Luke stared at them. Silence hung in the air for a few moments.
“What the hell is going on?” Luke asked.
“MURDERER!” screamed Maria from Star’s body. The wind whipped up around them as they did. They rose, both staring at Luke with their eyes, a burning fire within them and tears streaming down their face. Their voice was steadier now. “We were silenced repeatedly. First by Eric who, in his rage, murdered us. Second by your family’s lies. And third when Laura’s ghost was destroyed.”
“Maria..." Jessie said. "I’m so sorry...”
Maria in Star’s body turned to her. “Jessie. You of all people are least worthy of my anger. You remind me of Laura. Like you, she was afraid. Afraid of people knowing who she was, what she wanted. Afraid of your family and how similar you are to Laura. You are as infected by the pathology of your entire family. But you are hurt by it more than you hurt others with it.”
“What do you want of us?” Luke’s voice shook. He hadn’t expected this.
“I want you to shut up and listen. Both of you.” Both of them looked down, almost sullen. “You both know Eric’s story. But you do not know mine or Laura’s. That changes tonight.”
They moved to the center of the circle.
“My family was hired by Eric's father when I was young, when he was young. Before I was old enough to clean, to cook, to work, I played with him as children. We were like family.” They continued walking forward until they stood at the circle’s edge between Luke and Jessie. Luke looked away. "At least back then. His father was a railroad magnate and he inherited the company. It was a lot for him to handle, but he struggled, he worked hard. But, in his struggles, he lost the joy he had as a kid. He learned to fight for dominance, to crack down on his lessers, to destroy his competitors, and so on and so forth.”
They stalked around the circle, barely looking at who they were speaking to.
“That’s when he met Laura. Her family wasn’t rich, but they weren’t poor. And they were social climbers. They wanted his money, and he wanted Laura. I remember the first time she came around. She was nervous, and accompanied by her family. They were the ones who really wanted to be here. They stared at everything in wonder, and greed. Laura stared at nothing. But I couldn't keep my eyes off her. It wasn’t until her third time coming that I caught her eyes. She had come to a backroom to hide. She was so scared by everything and I found her there. I comforted her. We talked for hours until she was willing to go back to her family, to Eric.”
Jessie looked down, frowning. She fiddled with her pen in her lap.
“They were married by the end of the year. Eric paid for everything. Laura’s family got a hefty dowry and Eric bought them a house. They were happy with the arrangement. Laura was not. We met again in the backroom on her wedding night. She sobbed. We’d met there many times and she was never happy with her life. Never happy with Eric.”
They stopped to stare at Luke. He flinched and they said, “The wedding had never been her idea, her choice. Eric had robbed her of her life.
“We grew close. Grew to love each other. We kissed the first time just over a year after their wedding. I knew she couldn’t leave him. It simply wasn’t an option. And she knew that, too. But we used to fantasize about running away together. Maybe to Europe. Or Asia.”
Their cheeks were wet with tears. They stopped speaking for a bit. Luke opened his mouth, but Jessie shushed him. She was crying.
They said, “Somewhere Eric couldn’t touch us. We never did that. She had a kid with him. She wanted to abort him. She resented that Eric wanted this of her. But, when she met the baby, she couldn’t help but love him. He wasn’t his father. He didn’t have his father’s cruelty. At least not yet. It was only a few years after that when Eric discovered us.”
They finally sat back down at the seat they had started at.
“He had suspected that she was seeing someone for years, but he could never prove it. He grew paranoid over this, over the possibility that Laura would find an escape from him. He fired so many servants in his paranoia. But he never suspected me. That is, until he walked in on us in the backroom. In this room. He screamed and yelled. And he smashed our heads against the bed post. His anger took over.” Their voice was shaking. Hard to control.
“But we weren’t over. In our violent end, we manifested again as ghosts. We watched him as he sobbed over our bodies. He begged God for forgiveness, but heard no answer. He’d blame us for what he’d done one minute, then apologize to us the next. He didn’t hate us. But he did hate himself. He hated what we had done. He hated what he had turned into. He hid our bodies, tossed them in a river, and bribed the cops to not investigate. He didn’t even need to bribe them for me. And he only ever told two people what he’d done: A priest and his son.”
They stared daggers at Luke. He whimpered.
Their voice grew weaker. Cracked and tired. “His son took his action up as an obsession. He told his wife. He told his children. He stripped out all of Eric’s doubt, all of Eric’s conflict, and told the story as a struggle between good and evil. I watched as it festered within the family. As they used it to justify all sorts of horrors. Disowning people for sex out of wedlock. Screaming at people for divorce. Even as times changed, and the family changed with the times, the story stuck around as a pathology. Anger and hate, not directed outwards at the world, but inwards toward themselves. And, eventually, it came down to the two of you. You both moved out. But Luke broke in here and performed an exorcism. He murdered Laura a second time. Finally the anger and hate boiled over and turned on the past.”
Luke stared in horror. For a few seconds they were frozen in place. The story had enraptured them. It was their pathology laid bare, their family’s myth stripped down and destroyed. In a flash of movement, Luke scrambled for the door and opened it. Silvia blocked his way.
Silvia extended her telescopic baton with a grin.
“Show them what you found, Zee,” Maria said.
Zee grinned and pulled a manila folder out of their jacket pocket. “This was helpfully given to me by the 18th Street Brewery. This contains employment records of one Luke Winthrop. They hired you as a negotiator and had sought to buy this house. Luke thought they’d tear it down and replace it, erase the past. But they never intended that. They wanted to use the building itself. But Luke hadn’t worked. His contributions didn’t convince Jessie to sell the house. So they fired him last week. I presume that’s when you hatched your plan to break in.” Zee pulled out another sheet of paper. “Oh, and this here is testimony helpfully provided to me by Father O’Connor telling me a young man had approached him to ask him about how to perform an exorcism. I presume that was you.”
Luke simply stared at them, then to the ground. He slumped against the wall by the door. He looked broken. Finally he spoke, “This changes nothing. You and Laura still betrayed Eric. It doesn’t matter if she was unhappy. She had made a promise.”
“It was a promise made under duress.” Maria spoke with a harsh voice. “Her family forced her to promise her life to someone. It was their promise, not hers. And her family certainly broke their promise. Not with what she did with me. They had promised him that she would be his. That she’d want him. She’d choose to be with him. None of that was ever true. It was never her choice, nor her desire. She was never his.”
Luke opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. Instead he stared at his feet. He was in shock.
“We are both shaped by our family’s past.” Jessie’s voice was soft, kind. “I kept as much hate within me as you did. I hated myself for who I was. And we can never escape that past. But we can find a new way to relate to it. We can see things from more perspectives than Eric’s.”
Luke slumped against the wall.
Jessie looked at everyone else. “This is a family matter. I would please ask you all to leave. You may stay Maria, but you may not, Star.”
They were Star once more. Outside of the room, they slumped against the wall. Zee and Silvia helped stabilize them.
“You look exhausted.” Silvia’s voice was filled with concern.
“I am exhausted. Things were intense. Maria’s anger was consuming.” They rested between Zee and Silvia’s arms for a moment. “Thank you. Both of you. For being here with me. You helped.”
Silvia smiled at them. “It’s no problem. We are friends.”
“Yeah, totes," Zee added. "I’d never miss a chance to help you.”
Star stared at the door. “I wonder what they’re talking about in there.”
“It’s quiet," Zee said. "So they can’t be fighting. Not with any yelling, at least.”
“I guess we’ll find out when they emerge,” Silvia said.
More time passed. No one came out. Star broke the silence first. “Once this is all over, do the two of you want to come back to my place? Have some pizza, drink some alcohol, spend time together?”
“Of course.” The two of them answered. They laughed and, after a few moments, Star joined in.
The door opened. Luke was crying and Jessie’s face was stained with tears as well. She took a few moments to collect herself and no one dared to push her.
“Luke and I will need to start seeing a family therapist together," Jessie said. "We have a lot to work through. This is only a start.”
Star nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“It wouldn't be right for me or Luke to do this. Not after all we’ve done. Our family has done. But could you set up a memorial for Laura? Not right now. But in here. You have full access to the house to do it when you have the chance.”
Star nodded. “I would be happy to.”
“Thank you.” She started to turn back into the room, then stopped. “Oh, I suppose I should pay you.” She handed Star an envelope of money.
Star bowed their head slightly, a gesture Jessie returned. Then she returned to the room.
If you enjoy these stories, please consider pledging monthly money to my Patreon or one time donations with Venmo or Cashapp. Thank you.
Next: TAKEN TO THE GRAVE