《The Girl Named Rachel》 Chapter 1 The night served as a sanctuary for a particular town whose days are burned mercilessly by the summer sun. It is the only then that one can hope to witness a cool breeze. It was in these nights that it happened. A lush forest surrounded the town with a substantial lake to its side. The residents were a bit behind in technology when compared with their neighbors and didn''t have tall buildings filled with piercing lights. They say that they don''t have the money or the resources to build them, but the truth was that they just couldn¡¯t let some cheap LED lights replace the natural beauty of the stars in the sky. Among the stars, a romantic full moon ecstatically shone on the town as if thanking the residents for choosing nature. Now then, a romantic moon calls for romance, wouldn''t you agree? A couple was driving up to a specific summer house resting on a cliff, determined to not waste the opportunity. ¡°Robert, should we really be here? I mean¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s going to be fine.¡± The woman felt uneasy about their destination. She knew why Robert chose to go there. The cliff view could easily be considered the best in the town and no one ever uses the old summer house. They will be alone all night and no human would bother them. However, the stigma that the house carried wasn¡¯t because of humans. They parked the car outside the gate. Robert hopped over the fence and fiddled with the lock until it opened to let his partner in. They first enjoyed the mesmerizing scenery that the cliff had to offer. Beneath the ridge was the lake. No one had ever attempted to do a daring dive from there. The water was about a hundred meters below. If some unfortunate soul fell off the cliff, the water surely wouldn¡¯t soften the blow. After gazing upon the stars like two young lovers, it was time to borrow the summer house itself. Robert easily opened the door¡¯s lock, thanking his old friend for teaching him such a handy skill. He used his phone¡¯s light to navigate through the house. They didn¡¯t bring a torch, for what they were about to do is usually done in the dark. They only needed the minimum light to find the bedroom. ¡°Robert, I don¡¯t like this.¡± "You''re just overthinking, Su.¡± He called her by her nickname. The house did carry an eerie vibe. Their footprints were engraved on the floor because of the dust, and occasional nightcrawlers were found roaming around. Robert had been here before and had cleaned the bedroom in preparation. They climbed the creaky stairs to get to the main bed. He spun the doorknob to open it. Su was surprised to see how clean the room looked. The room was completely different from the rest of the house. She giggled at how much he prepared for this. He placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°After you.¡± He whispered in her ear. She entered the room and sat on the bed. The window on the left provided ample light, not too much and not too little. Just enough to know each other''s location. She extended her hand to invite him after he closed the door. Robert gently held her hand and traced it to her neck, softly kissing it. She placed her hand on his back, scratching it lightly, and ran fingers across his hair. He lifted and positioned a pillow underneath her. He took off the shirt that she had already unbuttoned and leaned in for another kiss when she suddenly stopped him. ¡°Robert, I think I heard someone knocking.¡± "What are you talking about? There''s no one here except us." The mood was set, and Robert didn''t want to ruin it. He didn''t hear any sound.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. --She just nervous. ¡°If anybody appears, I¡¯ll deal with him. You just relax.¡± He said sweetly to calm her down. *Knock* ¡°What was that?¡± This time he heard it too. It wasn''t just her imagination. No one should be here except them. Complete silence descended as both of them carefully listened for any more noise. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He loudly asked. Anxiety filled both of their hearts, but Robert was the one who didn''t let it show. No other noise came as they sat quietly. He hadn''t brought anything that could be used as a weapon to defend them. *Knock* This time the sound was loud enough to openly state that someone other than them was in the house. Robert worked up the courage to use his phone''s flashlight to walk up to the door. He didn''t know what was on the other side, and he didn''t want to know either. But he had to be the man in front of her. He tightly grasped the handle, imagining what he would do when the door would open. He rapidly opened the door to surprise the person, yet nothing but air hit their eyes when the door swung open. Who knocked on the door, and how did he get away without making any sound? Robert tried to come with an answer, and the only thing that repeatedly popped up in his mind was the rumors of this place. There wasn''t a trace of the mood that existed a few minutes ago, and an ominous feeling took over. He peeked out again with his flashlight and heard footsteps. ¡°That came from the stairs.¡± Su panicked. She was faint of heart and never enjoyed a horror movie. Being in a similar scenario made her voice shrink. ¡°You stay here. I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Robert was sure that the other person was human. No one else would use the stairs in such a manner. He went down the stairs making the same creaking noise as he heard before. If it was a man, he was sure that he could take him down. He just had to expose him. He placed his hand on the walls feeling the texture until he found the light switch. He pushed the buttons, and all the bulbs were turned on. ---That¡¯s better. Darkness always makes things more frightening than they actually are. Humans can''t see much in the dark, and their brains make up horrendous images to substitute for light. The dreadful fear of the unknown was still looming but was starting to weaken. The fans were turned on along the lights and lifted the dust that was gathered on the floor. Robert coughed a bit, inhaling the foul air, and continued searching. He felt that the fan''s noise was getting louder and more dust got mixed in the air. He twisted the dimmer to slow it down, yet the fan kept getting faster. The white lights started to change color. He couldn''t choose what to focus on, the lights or the fan. The light won as they changed into blood red. Robert''s heartbeat got faster, and he felt sick. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He again called out. ¡°Leave¡­¡± A whisper came and went. The living room went pitch black. He wanted to leave as the voice had instructed. His legs started shaking as he breathed heavily. The only available light was the one that came from the kitchen window. The light shone on the ground but was distorted with a shadow. ¡°I see you.¡± Robert shouted loudly to deafen his fear. He ran to the kitchen to fight whoever was there. He couldn¡¯t see well with dust in his eyes. He tried to keep one eye open when he cleaned the other. ¡°You..dare..come..here..¡± A pale voice hushed in his ear. The voice didn¡¯t come from the kitchen, but he was sure that someone was in here. His eyes adjusted again to the darkness as countless thoughts raced in his mind. He turned around and saw a figure darker than the darkness around him, standing at the doorway. He couldn''t see his face, but Robert knew¡­he knew that the shadow was smiling. Robert dared not to move, and he couldn''t take his eyes off the silhouette. The figure stood still, but it felt like he was growing more prominent the more he stared. Robert felt a tap on his shoulder that made him look away and felt a great force coming into collision with his face. Robert tumbled and used his hands to grab the kitchen¡¯s back door. He frantically pulled the door. ¡°Die¡­¡± The voice was still soft as ever, but now it sounded like the voice of the grim reaper. After pulling and pushing, Robert finally got the door opened and madly dashed outside. He was ready to abandon everything and began running to reach his car. He heard a terrifying scream that forced him to stop. He recognized the voice. ¡°Su!¡± He pushed the front door with all his might, yet it wouldn''t budge. How did the door lock itself was the least of his worries. He heard the soft voice again that sent chills down his spine. ¡°I¡¯ll..kill..her.¡± ¡°No!¡± Robert bolted to get to the kitchen''s door. He could still get in from there. A white silhouette caught his eye that made him stop. The figure had the body of a woman clad in white. She was standing at the edge of the cliff. ¡°Su?...what are you doing? Wait, Samantha. Stop.¡± The woman continued to walk forward on the ledge. He realized she was his wife, but how did she get there. ¡°Samantha, wait.¡± Robert desperately called out to Samantha. She was now at the very edge and turned around. The moon shone on her, giving her more of a ghostly appearance rather than an attractive one. ¡°Samantha, Samantha!!¡± Chapter 2 The undying heat of the sun scorching the town gave its residents the yearly reminder that summer had arrived. It hadn¡¯t rained for three weeks now, and the sky was disappointingly still clear as if someone had replaced it with a picture. The lake by the town had failed to attract any clouds, let alone give birth to them. Nevertheless, this was only the usual, and the people living here only lamented the irritating high temperature when there was nothing else to talk about. A shining blue land rover entered this heat trap with its AC blasting on full. The driver was a local here and knew the area like the back of his hand, making it a suitable job. Usually, he would take the long route to show off the sublime beauty this town had to offer to his customers, but this time he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The car didn¡¯t make a single stop and arrived at the police station rather quickly. ¡°We have arrived, sir.¡± The person whom he referred to as ¡®sir¡¯ didn¡¯t reply back and simply opened the left door to exit the car. He had paid the fare before the ride had begun and had maintained absolute silence through the entire 2-hour ride. Incidentally, the driver was supposed to accompany him until he leaves this town. From the car exited a boy wearing a formal suit. Despite the hellish heat the town was famous for, the boy did not feel uncomfortable in his gray shirt and trousers with a sky-blue waistcoat. He was about to head forward when a voice stopped him. ¡°Wait for me, Tom.¡± He turned around with a cold expression to see his companion gleefully getting out with a jump. Her pale blonde hair swayed back and forth from the quick movement. She patted her blue shirt to smooth out the curves and proceeded to walk forward. Tom shut the door close, seeing that she will not, and continued to walk with her. "This place is pretty neat, Tom. Let''s go eat ice cream." ¡°We¡¯re not here for sightseeing, Ray.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Why not? Let¡¯s have some fun after this.¡± Tom ignored his sister¡¯s comments and continued walking as if she was never there. He wasn¡¯t here to enjoy himself. He was here because he was hired by someone. He twisted the handle to enter the station and went straight to the receptionist. ¡°I¡¯m here to see sheriff Anthony. My name is Thomas Anderson.¡± "What is your purpose for meeting the sheriff, boy?" The receptionist dully asked. The AC there was broken, which made the station a literal oven. Everyone would sweat after merely moving from one office to another. ¡°I was called here to take care of a job. I¡¯m here to get the approval from the sheriff.¡± ¡°A job? Aren¡¯t you a little young for that?¡± A question Tom has heard more times than he could remember. --Why can¡¯t people mind their own business? It wasn¡¯t the question that bothered him. It was the reaction that people gave after hearing the answer that infuriated him. ¡°Listen here, I¡¯m a professional at my work. My age shouldn¡¯t be your concern.¡± Tom assertively stated that. The receptionist sensed the anger in his voice and smiled. Being a mother of two, the boy reminded him of his son when he wanted to be a soldier, saying he is already a man. Although Tom¡¯s dark shade of blonde and cold blue eyes was quite different from his son¡¯s appearance. ¡°And what is your work, young man?¡± There it was, the question he never wants to answer but has to. ¡°Go on. Tell her, Tom.¡± Rachel teased her brother, knowing what was going to happen. An eager grin appeared before her face. ¡°I¡¯m a¡­. paranormal investigator.¡± He muttered. ¡°Paranormal? You mean ghosts?¡± A brief silent spread which was soon broken by woman¡¯s laugh. ¡°There are no such things.¡± This was the reason he loathed the question as it never failed to lead to this. The woman felt a new energy surging through her. Sitting at the desk all day long in this heat had made her tedious. She would have paid good money for someone to make her laugh, and Tom did it for free. "This isn''t the place nor the time to be playing around, boy. Sorry, but the sheriff is a busy man that can''t be bothered with such things." ¡°No one asked you. I¡¯ll find him myself.¡± ¡°Hey, wait.¡± The receptionist tried to stop him, but Tom was already out of her reach. Seeing how Tom resurrected her from her half-dead state, she felt that he deserved to go. ¡°Take the second left, and it will be on your right.¡± Rachel followed Tom smugly. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get tired of people laughing at you?¡± ¡°Shut up, Ray.¡± Tom sharply replied. Rachel could never talk her brother out of this ridiculous job. Ever since he started this 3 years ago, almost every time he was hired, even the person who hired him couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after meeting him. All she could do was stay with him. Chapter 3 ¡°Are you sheriff Anthony?¡± Tom barged in the room to find a man in his mid-forties, signing a heap of documents that lay on his desk. The room thankfully had a working AC, but the man still had sweat forming on his forehead. ¡°Ever heard of knocking?¡± ¡°I believe I had informed you of my arrival via phone.¡± ¡°I get a lot of phone calls every day. You expect me to remember every single person who contacted me?¡± ¡°I am Thomas Anderson, the paranormal investigator.¡± The man looked up while his hands were still working. It didn¡¯t look like he was reading the documents he was signing. He scratched his neck with his left hand and motion him to come in. He let go of the pen in his right hand to give it a much-needed rest. ¡°So, you¡¯re that kid. I still don''t know what the higher-ups were thinking while giving an underage kid a warrant, but you got some mad negotiating skills to pull it off.¡± ¡°You just have to know the right people.¡± ¡°People who can forge a mirror copy of warrants, that is.¡± Rachel whispered into Tom¡¯s ear and got a rapid stomp on her foot as response. ¡°That hurts.¡± Tom pretended his stupid sister was never there and continued. ¡°Can I please get your permission now? I would like to get started as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Sure....¡± Taking in a deep breath, the sheriff scribbled his authority on to a paper and stamped it. He handed the paper to Tom as he folded it neatly and slipped it into his pocket. ¡°Remember, you got three days. After that, I want you out of here.¡± ¡°You need not worry. I¡¯m a man of my words.¡± The sheriff had yet to give his consent for allowing a teenager to solve problems in his town. His client was obviously stupid to have hired him to take care of childish things as ghosts, but he was desperate. Tom exited the room with Rachel behind him. ¡°Andrew sure is a nice guy.¡± ¡°You call that embodiment of a demon ¡®nice¡¯. He takes half of the earnings for every case that needs a warrant.¡± Tom dreamt of the day he wouldn¡¯t need Andrew¡¯s help. That will be the day he can punch the guy hard in the face without thinking twice. Andrew''s plastic smile grossed him out more than anything else. The so-called ¡®nice¡¯ person wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of people in need, and he did it with a beaming smile.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. They exited the station and headed to their client''s place. The client''s house was smaller than others and had a rough look to it. Obviously, the client wasn''t wealthy and needed someone with an affordable rate to work for him. Tom rang the doorbell, and out came a man in a worse condition than the house he was living in. Tom wasn''t sure if it was makeup or the dark circles around his eyes were real. His light brown hair was a mess, and so were his clothes. He had a lit cigarette in his mouth and had the stench of ash all around him. ¡°Greetings, I am Thomas Anderson.¡± ¡°Ah, I have been waiting for you.¡± Tom tried to fake a smile when shaking the man¡¯s oily hand. ¡°Come on in.¡± The man casually invited. Tom doubted if he was really the one who hired him. Even though his rates were cheap, the man didn''t look in the right condition to pay him even that. He took out a tissue to clean his hand from the shake. ¡°Tom, are you alright?¡± Rachel asked, seeing Tom shudder in disgust. The man looked as if a ghost and possessed him, and he needed an exorcism. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m almost bankrupt.¡± The man who is named William Carlson bluntly described his position. The ragged interior of his house screamed he was telling the truth. ¡°I have no choice but to resort to this.¡± ¡®It is alright, Mr. William. Help has arrived.¡± ¡°I sure hope so.¡± The man gave a dull laugh, deprived of energy. His expression had become stiff from the hardships he¡¯s been through. ¡®Well then, please start telling each and every detail.¡± ''There is nothing much to tell except for what I''ve told you before. I''m the younger son of my father who inherited his famous summer house. My older brother had gotten most of the things after our father died, but he willed his most precious possession to me before kicking the bucket." Tom took out his notepad to match the facts. "My brother always wanted the house, but I couldn''t just give it to him. As the older brother, he would mostly get new things, while all I got were hand-me-downs. But my father wanted me to have this. That house is well-built and was quite lavish at the time of construction. It also has the best view in the whole town. Something easily worth more than just a pretty penny. My brother inherited my father''s business, and I had to find my own place in the world. I left the town a few years ago to start my own gig, but that didn''t turn out too well." ¡°That¡¯s such a sad story.¡± Rachel sympathized with the man. William had it rough, and she felt sorry for him. On the other hand, no emotion leaked out of Tom''s expressionless face. "After that, I returned here. I needed money, and I needed it urgently. With a heavy heart, I was forced to sell the only thing I was left with¡ªthe summer house. Strangely, no one was ready to buy it even though I had received offers crossing 150 grand for that place before I left. Now nobody was ready to pay a hundred. As it turns out, some ghosts have taken over that house and haunt the place. Those were the rumors. I decided to find out for myself, but I''m a chicken of a man." William scratched his head and made a silly face unusual for his age. Tom wasn''t sure how old the man in front of him was. His appearance and few strands of hair said he was fifty, but his attitude said he was in his mid-thirties. Intriguingly, he hid the fact that the reason he was bankrupt was because of a little gambling. "So I arranged for a priest to get rid of them, but that didn''t work. The priest got scared himself. And now this incident proves that the ghosts are real, and I need an expert to make them leave.¡± ¡°And thus, you contacted me." ¡°Please, this is my last chance. Help me.¡± William forcefully joined his hand and pleaded. The man¡¯s back was against the wall. Tom placed his notebook back into his pocket and stood up. ¡°The time limit given is three days. The matter will be solved before then, I assure you. Please have the fee ready.¡± Chapter 4 They parted with the house and went straight to the cause of the problem, the summer house. It was past 3 pm now. They had to make the most of the time before it gets dark. Case: Summer house; a man was arrested for killing his wife by pushing her off the cliff. The man swears he did not kill her and claims that the house is haunted. Saying a ghost possessed her made her jump off. Such is the case Tom has to solve. They arrived at the summer house soon after. Tom took out his briefcase where he kept all of his equipment and used the key William gave him to enter the house. ¡°More than haunted, this place is filthy.¡± A quick glance was enough to state that. A gust of dust ascended in the air to welcome its guest. --Did no one ever bothered to clean this place.? Tom wanted to leave the place. He was almost sure that no ghost would ever live in these conditions. ¡°Tom!¡± ¡°Ray?¡± Tom heard a shriek and ran to the kitchen finding Rachel in tears. ¡°What happened?¡± He was ready for combat. The ghosts knew they were here. He quickly opened his briefcase to take out his weapon before they can strike. ¡°A s-spider got stuck in m-my hair.¡± She whispered as if dying. Tom saw a black dot in Rachel''s blond hair. She was frozen stiff, and tears wouldn''t stop coming out. "How are you scared of spiders?" He picked up the little spider and tossed it away. ¡°They¡¯re scary¡­¡± Rachel whimpered, clenching her pink jacket while kneeling.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Idiot! We are here to get rid of ghosts. Are spiders more frightening than ghosts?¡± Rachel only nodded, handing victory to the spiders. Tom facepalmed at that expression. He did not have time to deal with this. "I''m going upstairs. You search this area. If any insect comes, you can use your ability." ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Tom was ashamed of his sister. ''Is she really my sister?'', sometimes he found himself asking that question. She was there ever since he could remember. However, there is a chance that she was adopted. Tom walked upstairs and took out his temperature detector. Among the two, only Tom was a normal human. He had to rely on science to fight the supernatural. Anything supernatural, except for those who can transform into their bizarre state, make their surroundings cold. If something was really there, Tom would expect a sudden dip in temperature. He walked around, slowly waving his detector. He arrived at the master bedroom and was pleased to see it clean. He didn''t know the full story, but they say that the man also went into this room with his wife. Tom checked for anything suspicious. He first had to ascertain what kind of creature they were dealing with. Ghosts aren''t very powerful since they are the extension of the person who died. The few things that most ghosts can use are permeation, invisibility, mediocre possession, and weak levitation, excluding the fact that all paranormal creatures can detect others. He opened the drawer beside the bed and found that man was really well prepared for some action. In there were pills that increased one''s libido, lube, a whole box of condoms, and even a pair of handcuffs. The chances that he killed his wife were extremely low after Tom discovered them. A subtle reddening formed on his cheek after witnessing them. He quickly shook off the embarrassment and went away. He couldn¡¯t find anything that supported that the house was haunted. He went downstairs to meet up with Rachel. ¡°Did you sense anything?¡± ¡°Nothing at all. Maybe they¡¯re not here right now.¡± Rachel shrugged. If ghosts or any creature is going to haunt the place, they leave something behind to mark it as their territory. ---If they can mask their presence from Ray they should be strong. ¡°Did you find anything, Tom?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Tom decided to hide the erotic discovery he made. ¡°The guy said this place was well built. This is the complete opposite of that.¡± Tom was still unsure if something actually haunted the place or not. Even ghosts have their standards. The entire site was covered with dust, and every panel downstairs creaked severely. ¡°Tom, I do smell something, but it isn''t a spooky smell.¡± Rachel uses the word spooky to describe other supernatural creatures'' scent. ¡°Come to think of it, I do too.¡± There was a weird smell in the house. Something was mixed in the air beside the nauseating dust. But Tom didn''t recognize the smell. He hoped it wasn''t anything disgusting. He went out to get away from all the filth and decided to peek at the cliff from where she jumped. It was a long fall down and can unquestionably cause death. At least this part remained true if nothing else, but Tom was now confident that the man didn''t kill his wife. The sun was setting and had painted the town orange. It won¡¯t be long before it would get dark. Tom decided to head to one last place. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time to meet the man himself.¡± Chapter 5 They headed back to the police station. Tom had the authority to question the suspect from the sheriff himself. It was now that the permission granted became useful. ¡°Well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t the great detective Timothy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Thomas. And I¡¯m not a detective. I¡¯m a paranormal investigator.¡± ¡°Whatever. So have you caught the ghost?¡± A sly grin appeared on the receptionist''s face as she teased him. Tom forgot she was still here. He thought maybe he should use Rachel to curse her to make her believe in ghosts. ¡°I¡¯m not here for chit-chat. I¡¯m here to see the prisoner Robert Bart. Take me to him immediately.¡± Tom ordered. ¡°Hold on big guy. I¡¯ve heard that the sheriff granted you permission. How did you get that?¡± ¡°That is none of your concern.¡± ¡°Then find him yourself. You won¡¯t get a word out of me with that nasty attitude.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, Tom. Your attitude is awful.¡± Rachel snickered as well. Tom knew his sister would never take his side in these matters, but he wished she would shut up and not say a word if this would be the scenario. ¡°I¡¯ll find him myself.¡± Tom spent 2 hours finding the guy. Rachel was no help either. She kept telling him to apologize, but he turned a deaf ear to her advice. He regretted the 2 hours that were wasted, but to him, it was better than apologizing. --As if I¡¯ll apologize to that old hag. In the end, he only found him after the receptionist took pity on him and told him where he was. Tom still didn¡¯t apologized to her though he did feel a little guilty when she told him. ¡°I told you guys already, I did not kill her.¡± Robert placed his hand on his head in frustration. ¡°Calm down, I believe you. But you need to tell the story carefully with every little detail so I can prove your innocence. I will also be recording our conversation here. Please don''t let it bother you." Tom pulled out a voice recorder from his briefcase along with a notepad. He pressed the button to start it.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Please begin." "Fine...I went to the old summer house with Su that night.¡± ¡°Hold on, the woman¡¯s name was Samantha.¡± Tom had to make sure every fact he got resonated with the other. He was careful of every detail. ¡°I know, but I called her Su as a nickname. So I went with her on that night for¡­uh¡­um." ¡°It¡¯s alright, I already know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Rachel bluntly asked. Robert¡¯s face grew red with embarrassment, knowing that a kid knew why he was there. Rachel was clueless about what was happening. Tom cleared his throat. ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with it. Continue, Mr. Robert." The awkward air remained for a while before Robert continued. He took a deep breath to relax himself. "I admit we broke into the house, but I swear we weren''t going to steal anything. We were in the room when we heard a knock on the door. I thought it was just our imagination, but it happened again, louder this time." ¡°Hmm¡­Knocks, I see.¡± Tom kept writing every bit of information he found useful. ¡°I called out to see if anyone would answer, but nobody did. The door was again banged instead of knocked on the third time. I opened the door, yet no one was there. Then I heard footsteps. I told Su to wait and took my phone to check the stairs.¡± Robert started getting uncomfortable reliving those memories. "I-I got down the stairs to switch on the lights, but they suddenly went red and went out. Also, the fans sped up and caused the dust to enter the air. All of a sudden, I heard a soft voice saying, ''Leave.'' I wanted to leave but saw someone in the kitchen. I went inside, but the same thing was at the door." Robert paused. He didn¡¯t want to continue and felt cold. "It said, ''You dare come here.'' Next thing I knew, I got punched in the face. I ran outside through the kitchen door. I was running to my car when I heard Su scream. The front door was locked, and I heard it say that it will kill her. I ran back to the kitchen door. That is when I saw her on the edge of the cliff. I tried calling out to her, but she wouldn''t stop and jumped off. When we got her body back, she was already dead. When I reported this to the cops, they said I killed her and arrested me. That¡¯s the whole story.¡± ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Robert.¡± Tom stood up and placed his things back into his briefcase. ¡°Hey, does that thing help you fight ghosts?¡± Robert pointed to the sapphire brooch that hung on Tom¡¯s bowtie. He felt relieved that the police believed him and called in ghost experts. Tom clutched the large brooch in his hand. ¡°Something like that.¡± Later that night, Tom was reviewing the notes he had gathered. He felt that Robert wasn''t lying, but he wasn''t telling the whole truth either. The story felt off. But if he actually killed his wife, he would need a pretty good reason to do it. No explanation came to his mind. --I want to examine Samantha''s body to see how strongly she was possessed, but Ray wouldn''t let me dig her up from the graveyard. Tom felt no pity for the dead. He kept listening to the recording again, playing with the brooch. The brooch wasn''t extraordinary. The only importance it had was that it matched his sister''s eyes, and she gave it to him. If he didn''t wear the brooch, she wouldn''t respond to him. Those were the dumb conditions she had set. Now he had grown accustomed to it and felt weird if he didn''t wear it. ¡°You¡¯re still up?¡± Rachel had changed into her nightgown. She had taken off her red scrunchy and let her long hair swivel around. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m about to sleep. Don¡¯t try anything weird while I¡¯m sleeping.¡± ¡°When have I ever done that?¡± Rachel winked, smiling cutely. Tom didn''t buy the act. It was because of her stupid antics that almost got him killed many times in the past. What''s worse, she would mindlessly throw herself in danger to protect him, resulting the both of them getting severely injured. He had to protect himself for her sake as well. --Science has yet to find a cure for stupidity. Chapter 6 ¡°The investigation has started, Mr. William. We might be dealing with something powerful. The fee won¡¯t change so you can be at ease.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Tom reported to his client on the phone. He had yet to conclude what they were up against, but it was safe to decide that it''s strong. Carelessness could be fatal. Tom made it a point to overestimate the enemy to leave no chance of error. He was cautious by nature. ¡°Also, I have something to tell you I think I should have told you yesterday. Remember, I told you that my brother Peter always had an eye on that house. It''s just a possibility, but I think Peter has placed a curse on it. He can¡¯t do it himself but can hire someone to do it.¡± ¡°Did you say curse?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Thank you for telling me. I shall keep that in mind.¡± This information opened up a whole new possibility. The data was quite useful. But Tom wasn''t pleased to hear it. --Curses are a pain. There were two types of curses, natural and supernatural. Ironically, natural are more dangerous to deal with. They can''t be detected directly and change the laws of nature itself. They are problematic to dispel but so is casting them. Only grand mages can cast them, and even if you could hire one, it would take a fortune. The first one was out. Then there are supernatural. They aren¡¯t really curses. You just contract some demons to haunt the place. If the demons are skilled, they can hide their presence. There were still some things that didn''t make sense, but that theory looked plausible. Tom needed more data. ¡°Ray, get ready. We¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Peter¡¯s house.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate what happened to my brother. You can¡¯t help but feel sorry for him.¡± It was plain as day that Peter was much better off than his brother. His full set of brown hair, healthy body, and bright face were just some of the proves that instantly come to display. His house was much grander than his brother as well. ¡°Mr. Peter, do you have any idea on how the house could have been haunted?¡± "Hmm¡­No idea. I could come up with an arbitrary explanation, but I don''t want to throw you off your path." Peter sat crossed legged across the sofa. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. Any information would be helpful.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a rumor going around that someone cursed the place.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s funny that your brother said the same thing except that he thinks that you had something to do with the curse.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tom openly gave out the information. He wanted to see how Peter would react to this. People usually give a piece of valuable information when they are surprised. Though Tom''s skills were weak in this area. He specializes in dealing with paranormal creatures, not with humans. Peter gave a hearty laugh. ¡°Of course, he would say that. You see, we have a bit of bad blood between each other. He was always suspicious of others and did what he wanted. I wanted the summer house and proposed 200 grand for it. But he outright refused me. Can you believe it? The guy refused 200 thousand dollars. I had the money and loved the house. It''s natural he would be suspect me to do something. I assure you I have no hand in this." ¡°Will you still buy the house now? ¡°I would for half the price I offered initially. But that stubborn idiot won¡¯t give it to me even now. He¡¯s hopeless.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time, Mr. Peter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Hope you get rid of the ghost.¡± Meeting Peter boosted Tom''s suspicion that Peter could be behind this. He has the money to hire a demon contractor to haunt the place, but no sign of ill will could be sensed from him, not that this was Tom''s strong suit. If the demons are bound by a contract, then the contract can be broken. Demons are similar to humans in the sense that they will work if you pay them. If the contract is destroyed, they have no obligation to work and will leave. Tom just had to confirm one thing. Breaking a contract is possible, but with Tom''s current skills, he would need the help of expensive equipment to help break it. If somehow he is wrong, he could never recover from this financially. Tom had to be sure that it was demons. ¡°Why are you taking this route?¡± Tom asked the driver. "The other road is blocked. This is longer, but it''s faster because there isn''t any traffic here." The driver was on the road that headed out of the town. They stopped at the post to get checked. The town is also notorious, serving as a hub for drugs. Every car is thoroughly checked for narcotics. They soon made it out, and the driver took a left turn to head into the forest and soon arrived at the summer house. Tom and Rachel had to wait till night to do anything. Weak demons generally hate sunlight or bright areas. They hide in damp and dark places until night arrives. Time was running out as the second day was almost over as well with no progression. Tom used this time to gather the things he needed. When night arrived, he began the ritual. He chose the bedroom as it was the cleanest of all and made a pentagram with mercury. He lit 5 candles and placed each one near the edge of the star. He stepped inside the circle and took out a blade to prick himself. He dropped 3 drops of blood in the center and chanted. ¡°Zeistay¡­Ascenta¡­Shama!¡± The candles fell and lit the pentagram on fire. A purple light illuminated the room with hints of red and yellow. ¡°Hey, demons. Show yourself right now.¡± "I don''t think they will come out if you ask so rudely. They might be scared. Try saying please." Rachel suggested as 5 minutes went by with no response. Tom wanted to slap his sister for saying that demons are scared of him but couldn''t because of the circle''s effect. ¡°Da Vinci himself invented this ritual to interact with supernatural creatures. No one can lay a finger on the other without consent in its vicinity. Mind telling me how they are scared?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your voice.¡± Tom decided to wait until the circle to disappear to deliver the slap. The pentagram has many different uses but is usually affiliated with summoning the devil or demons when it only offers protection. Humans are generally the weakest of creatures when compared to other beings. Leonardo Da Vinci''s desire to meet them made him come up with this. This circle borrows the power of God himself to offer protection. Usually, all meetings with ghosts, demons, or occasionally with the devil are done this way, giving it its bad reputation. If you ignore that, the pentagram has many uses in magic, cosmology, alchemy, etc. The circle has the natural tendency to attract paranormal creatures towards it, yet no response was found in the house all night. Tom spent the entire night in the house trying other things to get their attention only to waste his resources. Chapter 7 Today was the last day. Tom had to solve the problem before midnight. However, he has found nothing that could help him start the main phase of getting rid of whatever haunted the house. Everything he tried failed on him. He didn¡¯t know why. People say that the house is haunted, the guy who hired him says it haunted, a woman died because it''s haunted yet nothing out of the ordinary made its appearance. They spent the rest of their time asking the town folks anything they knew about the incident with no clear view of a solution. ¡°Samantha was my close friend. She was a very observant girl.¡± "Robert is a nice guy. I don''t think he killed her, but he was not happy with the relationship." ¡°It was a ghost, I tell you." These were one of the many comments the people made. The driver was with Tom during this time. He couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Hey, why are you working so hard? It¡¯s clear that he killed her for another woman and blamed it on a non-existent ghost.¡± ¡°Robert didn¡¯t kill her. I am sure of this.¡± The rest of the ride was silent. It was unbearably awkward for the driver. He had to say something, even if it was something stupid. ¡°Then couldn¡¯t this all be a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Stop the car!¡± ¡°W-What!¡± The driver was stunned after stopping the car so suddenly. --I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. ¡°Tom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Rachel asked. It seems Tom¡¯s patience had run out. Nobody spoke another word and waited for him. ¡°¡­why didn¡¯t you say that before?¡± --No wonder this case was so cold. The driver was not sure what he had done, but it seemed he was useful. For the first time, Tom smiled in three days, but it was a dangerous smile. Immense anger hid behind it. Someone was going to get hurt. Dusk had fallen, and soon it would be night.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "I need to make a few stops. Hurry now." ¡°Y-yes, sir.¡± The final night had fallen, and the summer house was still haunted. Tom was tired of this case and entered the house for the last time to end it all. But this time, instead of a detector or a jewel or anything he normally uses to deal with ghosts, his choice of weapon was a crowbar. ¡°Oye ghost, get your ass out here.¡± He kicked open the door, unfitting of his usual calm character. He waited for 10 seconds to see if anything happened and started hitting everything his crowbar touched. "Show yourself, you coward." He broke the furniture and dented the walls, continuously making a ruckus. Finally, he got a reaction. He heard footsteps and loud bangs. The lights were turned on with a blood-red color. A terrifying voice shouted. ¡°Leave!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Tom ignored the ghost''s warning and continued destroying the house. The fans were turned on, and dust swirled in the air. Tom stopped for a moment and threw a cup out of the house. As soon as the cup broke the window, the lights went off along with the fans. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± Tom wasn¡¯t impressed by the ghost¡¯s little trick and continued. At last, the one he was waiting for arrived. A black figure, darker than its surroundings, descended the stairs. The figure was slender and freakishly long. ¡°Di-ahhhh.¡± Tom swiftly ran to the figure and pulled out his trusty weapon he uses when everything else fails; a taser. Every creature feels the pain of electricity no matter who they are. However, the scream was unlike any monster and sounded human. The black figure dropped down in agonizing pain. Tom shone his phone''s light and lifted up the black dress to reveal a man. He tased the man again to quench his anger. ¡°This is for not showing any response yesterday.¡± He suddenly felt that someone gripped him from behind, but Tom was prepared for this. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about you.¡± Tom dexterously grabbed the man''s hand to get out of his grip and sunk his knee deep into his stomach. As the man kneeled, Tom struck him with the taser. Tom wasn''t about to show any mercy to them. ¡°I should have known that all of this was fake from the start. Guess I still need more experience.¡± Apparently, three years of training and work was not sufficient. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bright boy?¡± A heavy kick swept Tom off his feet. The taser slipped out his hand. The dust got in his eyes, and he was blinded. "No hard feelings, but we can''t let this secret out." Tom had heard the voice before. ¡°Likewise, Mr. Peter.¡± Tom stood up and dusted off his dirty clothes. Dust was still in his eyes, and in stung painfully, but Tom smiled as he stood there defenselessly. He placed his hand on his neck to check that the brooch was still there. Nothing else mattered. Peter took out his knife and ran to him to finish the job. He was about to stab Tom when a powerful force met his head. He fell down as blood came from his head. Tom took out his handkerchief to clean his face. Peter wondered what had suddenly hit him. Tom held out his hand, and the Taser was placed in it. ¡°Your late, Ray.¡± "You expect me to run all the way from there in 5 minutes. You''re crazy." Rachel came with pliers in her hand after cutting off the electricity going to the house. ¡°I expect you to be useful once in a while.¡± Rachel whined, swinging the crowbar at her brother. Chapter 8 A police car arrived at the summer house at the crack of dawn. Sheriff Anthony got out of the vehicle. He took a moment to gaze upon the serene view of sunrise. He was annoyed to be here so early in morning but seeing the view made it a little worthwhile. --This area really has the best view in town. ¡°I hate to bother you when you''re so busy but care to come inside, Mr. Anthony." Anthony was disturbed by a young voice and knew whom it belonged to. He twisted his neck and saw Tom standing at the front door with his hands in his pockets. He was the reason Anthony was there in the first place. ¡°I told you that you had three days to solve the case.¡± ¡°I solved the case in the three days I was provided. I just wanted to show you what I uncovered. That is why I¡¯m still here. Come inside.¡± Tom signaled to invite him in, and Anthony reluctantly obeyed. Tom never explained why he had to come there, only writing down instructions saying, "Be there at dawn." Once inside, he saw three men tied together with each other. Two of them were unconscious, leaving only Peter was awake. ¡°Now, tell him what you told me.¡± ¡°Do it yourself.¡± Peter groaned. ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t learned your lesson yet.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Keep that thing away from me.¡± Tom kept the centipede in his hand in case he changes his mind. ¡°I hired these guys to haunt the place. I was hoping that William would give up on this place so I can claim it.¡± Anthony was shocked. He was sure that there was no ghost, but he didn''t expect a teenager to fight three grown adults and win. ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Tom brought the centipede near Peter¡¯s face. ¡°I-I smuggle marijuana from here. There is a route that doesn¡¯t go through the checkpoint from here. There is marijuana under the house. That is why the floor panels creak. I also mixed some of it in the dust so people would hallucinate, making their fear grow stronger. We also scared the couple that came here that day, but we didn''t kill anybody." ¡°And there you have it, Officer. Case solved.¡± ¡°So, Robert really did kill his wife.¡± Tom was about to head out of the house when he stopped.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot about that. Samantha committed suicide.¡± ¡°What? Why would she do that? I¡¯m sure Robert brought him here to push her off the cliff.¡± "That''s the misconception everyone believes. Samantha never came here with Robert." Tom hadn''t slept a wink from the last day. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Anthony still didn''t understand what Tom meant by that. "Robert did come here with a woman. But she wasn''t Samantha. It was someone named Susan. I took the liberty of inviting myself to Robert''s house. The people were right. Samantha was a really observant person, and she wrote her observations in her diary. She had found out that Robert was cheating. The maelstrom of emotions couldn''t be contained, and, in the end, she decided to kill herself by jumping off the cliff. It just so happens that Robert had chosen the same place and time and saw her death. I believe that everything has been explained now, and I will take my leave." Tom yawned as he waved goodbye and left the place. He was sleep-deprived and wanted to drop dead right now, but he wanted to get out of this hellish place as soon as possible as well. --Su is a terrible nickname for Samantha. ¡°You know, I hired you to get rid of ghosts and...¡± ¡°I solved your problem, didn¡¯t I? In fact, I solved something that was out of my area of expertise. You should be paying me more." ¡°But you also damaged my house.¡± Tom didn''t like the look William gave. He wasn''t in the mood to sugarcoat his words. William was scratching his head, trying to find a way to wriggle out of this. ¡°Listen here, Mr. William. If you don¡¯t give me my money, I swear I¡¯ll kill myself to become a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your life. Now cough it up.¡± Tom''s expression was dead serious. His dark circles added more weight to his threat. Tom glared at him until he pulled out his wallet. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Tom sighed as he exited the house. The sun was full up, and its rays hurt his eyes. ¡°This is why I hate fake cases.¡± He mumbled. "You didn''t have to scare him that badly, Tom." ¡°The guy wasn¡¯t ready to pay the money.¡± "Since we got the money, let''s go get some ice cream now." ¡°Hey, Ray, wait.¡± Rachel snatched Tom''s wallet and blitz away, mercilessly leaving behind her drowsy brother. Tom was forcefully made to run after her. Rachel wasn''t exhausted at all and was energetic as ever. They ran into the main streets as Rachel laughingly teased her brother. There are many mysteries in this world that science has yet to explain. These things are categorized under the name supernatural. Almost all famous mythical creatures are real. Ghosts are real, vampires are real, werewolves are real, trolls are real, and even ghouls are real. Tom would rather deal with them instead of humans. No one is better in the art of deceit than humans. A troll might be more dangerous, but he would pick it over a human any day of the week. He looked at Rachel smiling gingerly as she ran ahead of him. His sister was his strength when he was down and couldn¡¯t get back up. She was his light when he was in the dark. She was the reason he chose this thorny path. Tom was gasping for air and stopped to catch his breath. ¡°Hurry, Tom.¡± She called out to him. They were already in a crowd, and the mall was near. A couple of kids were playing among the public and were running without looking ahead. A boy ran into Rachel but passed through her, feeling a cold chill down his spine. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± His friends asked why he stopped all of a sudden. The boy shrugged it off and started running again. Rachel smiled at the kids that are unaware of what happened to them. She was again remined of who and what she was and what she has become. Mysteries are unknown things. And the unknown usually cause harm more than good. Tom didn''t mind if he has to solve one non-supernatural case once in a while. A wave of joy splashes over the people when a mystery is solved. Tom hoped that soon his own mystery would be solved so he can embrace the same joy as others. -One day, I¡¯ll definitely save you¡­. Ray.