Chapter 6: Normality

The next day, Ed returned to work, arriving early. He checked in with his boss before diving into work on bug fixes.

Ed sat in his cubicle all day, putting in a solid day of work. He was relieved no ghosts arrived. It was a welcome rest from recent days.

At a respectable time, Ed closed his computer and stood.

“Goodnight, Blake,” he said over the cubicle wall to his co-worker.

“Goodnight, Ed,” came the reply.

Ed walked outside the building. He kept alert for possible attackers as he rushed to his car. Fortunately, the walk was uneventful, and he drove off.

Soon, he parked at his apartment building and took the elevator to his floor. He entered his apartment.

Ed expected a ghost to appear in his living room, but none did. He’d had a normal day.

He read his book until he felt tired, then went to bed. It was a relief not sneaking out searching for bodies in the darkness or running from foreign agents.

Meanwhile, one of the foreign agents had escaped capture. He saw all his colleagues arrested and hid in a closet. He waited until everyone left before stepping out of the closet and leaving.

Later, he tried to call his contact in Langley. The number was out of service. This was when he realized he was alone.

He called his contact in Moscow. After exchanging pass phrases, he reported the situation.

“Stay hidden. We’ll send reinforcements. They’ll arrive in two days,” said the contact (in Russian).

After he got the arrival information, he hung up the phone. He’d better be ready for when they arrive.

Two days later, Ed received a visit from a ghost.

Ed sat reading in his living room when Sara appeared. He put his book to one side and looked at her.

“Ed, I have good news. The task force caught the serial killer!”

“Good evening. I’m glad for you. Will you be moving on, then?”

“I’m not going anywhere yet. I have a surprise for you,” she said. Sara gestured to someone Ed couldn’t see.

A moment later, several ghosts arrived, most floating out of the walls. They all stopped in front of the sofa, facing Ed. The temperature in the room dropped noticeably.

“I wanted you to see this. We’re all victims of that serial killer. We’re all dead because of him. He is in police custody, thanks to your help.”

Ed was struck dumb. The magnitude of this was too much. Each of the ghosts floated in front of him, looking at him.

“Because of you, his killing has ended. These souls will find peace.”

Ed looked at Sara.

“Can you really find peace? Justice perhaps, but peace?” he asked.

Sara shrugged.

The other ghosts faded out or floated through a wall, leaving Sara remaining.

“Thank you for showing me that,” said Ed.

“It took some effort to round them up,” she said, grinning.

“A ghost round up! Now I’ve seen everything.”

“Ed, I’ve decided I want to stick around. I want to track down killers. With your help, I can achieve much more than I did as a detective.”

“I helped you catch your killer. But I already have a life, and a job that I enjoy. That sounds like a full-time job.”

“It’s very important. We can take dangerous killers off the streets.”

“It’s not my job. I helped you once, and I helped find Ian’s killer. I didn’t plan on a career change.”

“You didn’t plan on it, but you have a unique talent. Remember Spider-Man: With great power comes great responsibility. Besides, I can handle most of the investigation. I just need you to pass on leads.”

“I’m not interested in doing that. Tomorrow I’m going to work, to my regular job.”

Ed picked up his book and started reading, ignoring her. He missed the look of disapproval on Sara’s face. A few minutes later, she disappeared.

The next morning, Ed awoke. He went through his morning routine with no disruption from ghosts. The rain was heavy as he drove to work.

Ed arrived at work and hurried to his cubicle. He pulled up the next bug to fix and began.

The day went quickly, fixing several bugs and sending a new release to QA for re-testing. Ed enjoyed the satisfaction that progress brought.

That evening, he got home and returned to his book. The hero was rescuing folks before they got consumed by a black hole.

An hour later, a visitor disturbed his reading. The ghost of a young girl materialized in front of him.

Ed peered over the top of his book. He’d almost had a whole day without a ghostly visitor. This one stood, looking at the floor.

“And your name is?” asked Ed.

“Lucy” she said. It was barely a whisper.

“Did Sara send you here?”

She looked at the floor, then shook her head.

Ed set his book on the sofa. He could talk with adults, but a child? He had little experience with children.

“Lucy, you came here for my help?”

She nodded her head.

“Let me guess, you were murdered and you want me to help you get justice?”

She peered at him through her bangs.

Ed waited. He wondered if Sara could help coax her story out of her. He still didn’t trust that Sara hadn’t sent her.

“Sara, are you somewhere nearby? I need your help,” said Ed. Lucy stood in front of him, looking at her feet.

Ed waited for a response, hoping Sara would appear. When she didn’t, he finally continued.

“Lucy, if I’m to help you, I need more information.”

Lucy stared at Ed for a minute, then something changed. She floated forwards.

Ed sat motionless, unsure of what to do. Before he could ask, she reached out her hand and touched Ed’s shoulder.

The next moment, Ed was somewhere different. He sat on a bed, reading a book. Only he wasn’t Ed anymore. He was Lucy!

Her bedroom door opened, and a man entered. His hair was dark and cut short, but his face was blurred. Ed immediately felt terror, and he had an urgent need to escape.

The man spoke, but Ed heard nothing. Fear paralyzed him and blocked out his senses.

Ed couldn’t move as the man closed the door and approached him.

His malevolence was tangible and overwhelming, but Ed felt frozen. He just sat there, knowing not to argue or move.

Ed felt a huge hand stroking his hair. He wanted to scream.

Then the huge hand pushed him backwards, and he felt the weight of the enormous man on top of him, smothering him. He couldn’t breathe!

As his life was ending, he tried to push back in vain at his assailant. Panic consumed his thoughts.

Soon, everything went dark.

Ed opened his eyes, still seated on the sofa and facing Lucy. He had a cold sweat and his heart beat rapidly.

“Wow! I didn’t realize you could do that,” said Ed.

Lucy looked at her feet.

“I’m really sorry for you. That man is a monster. He shouldn’t have done that.”

She looked at him through her bangs.

“I understand what happened. I must know where he is, and where he hid your body. Then I need evidence to show he killed you.”

She shrugged, but said nothing. Ed sighed.

“He can’t hurt you anymore. I need more information. I don’t know where you lived. I don’t know the murderer. Without that, I can’t help you.”

Lucy looked at her feet.

“We could go for a drive. Can you show me where your home is?” he asked.

A minute passed. She nodded.

They left the apartment and went to his car. He got in his car and Lucy floated through the car door and ‘sat’ in the passenger seat. She looked at her hands in her lap.

“When I reach the street, I’m going to need some directions,” said Ed.

As Ed pulled out of the underground parking, he paused and looked at Lucy. She lifted her hand and pointed to the right. Ed turned right.

A few blocks later, she pointed left. He took a left turn. It continued this way for about half an hour. Ed made it to a residential street in a middle-class area.

“Are we getting close?” asked Ed.

She briefly nodded.

Ed pulled over and parked outside a small two-level home.

“Was this your home?” he asked.

She nodded.

Ed made a note of the address.

“Does that man live here?”

She shook her head.

“Is your body anywhere near here?”

She shrugged.

“Lucy, it’s getting late. I need to return home to sleep. We can continue tomorrow.”

She peered at him through her bangs. He smiled and started the car.

Half an hour later, he pulled into his apartment complex.

“Lucy, thank you for trusting me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She vanished. Ed returned to his apartment and got ready for bed.

At the Seattle-Tacoma International airport, the foreign agent waited in the arrivals lounge.

A flight from Amsterdam landed, and passengers streamed through the greeting area.

Two burly men approached the foreign agent, recognizing his face. He nodded, and they left together for his car in the parkade.