a feeling there’s a malevolent spirit who’s running the show and influencing the people who come in contact with it.” If they failed to solve this case, Jude wasn’t just going to look like shit, he was going to feel like it too.
“Are you saying this spirit is possessing people?” Ronan absently rubbed the bullet scars on the right side of his chest. He knew a thing or three about spirit possession.
“I’m not sure,” Cope said, with a worried tone in his voice. “What I do know was that after Jude got off the phone with Marc Waller, he turned space cadet for a minute or two.”
“Okay, hold on.” Cisco walked into the center of the living room with his hands up, as if to say, “Woah.” His dark eyes were focused on Jude. “Let’s leave the paranormal mumbo-jumbo out of this for a minute.” His left eyebrow shot high as his exacting gaze moved to Cope. “Tell me about this domestic dispute.”
“There’s not much to tell. The husband is trying his damnedest to get the wife committed to a psychiatric hospital, which would give him free reign over her money. He’s cheating on her with his high school sweetheart, turned meth-head, and he tried to obtain LSD, which he was going to use to poison her until the paranormal thing you don’t want to talk about fell into his lap.” Jude smirked at the chief.
“Not much to tell? Jesus Christ, Jude. The bare bones alone would make one hell of a Hollywood blockbuster.” Cisco took a seat on the sofa. “Okay, now hit me with the paranormal.”
Jude’s smile was the real thing this time. Cisco was engaged to Salem’s only known vampire. The chief was well versed in all things paranormal. “I bought Cope an old-fashioned manual typewriter for his birthday. It came with an extra bonus. The spirit of a man who was murdered around the time the Japanese were surrendering on the deck of the USS Missouri.”
“Of course the typewriter was haunted. How could it not be?” Cisco rolled his eyes. “What the hell does a seventy-year-old cold case have to do with this Waller guy taking his wife hostage?”
“We think he’s being influenced by the spirit of Father Radcliffe Musgrave who had his own one room, gay-conversion schoolhouse in the servants’ quarters of The Beecher House.”
“Is there any chance you’re just shitting me?” Cisco’s dark eyes roamed around the room.
“This case is legitimate, Chief,” Ronan said softly. “We’ve done all the background research on the house and the people involved, past and present.”
“Obviously, the reason we’re all sitting around chatting like this is a dinner party is because whatever Waller has planned isn’t going to start until you get there, right?” Cisco sounded more annoyed than angry.
“That’s right.” Jude sighed. “This priest has it out for the gays. He wants Cope and I to be the next victims in his twisted game and we’re going to give him exactly what he wants.” For now, Jude added silently.
37
Copeland
The ride out to The Beecher House was a quiet one. Each man seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Fitzgibbon drove, his SUV was the biggest. He’d snapped off the radio when he’d started the engine, setting the tone for the drive.
Cope welcomed the quiet. It gave him a few minutes to focus on his gift. So much of this case had been spent trying to quiet his emotions, rather than taking a step back and looking at the situation through a less filtered lens.
Brooks Stanhope wasn’t the first man persecuted for being gay and Lord knew, he wouldn’t be the last. All Cope could do now was make sure Brooks, and the other spirits trapped in that house, were set free and allowed to finally cross over. As for Marc and the spirit of Father Musgrave, Cope would make sure they paid for their sins, earthly and otherwise.
“You got a plan, Jude?” Cisco Jackson asked when Fitzgibbon parked in front of The Beecher House.
“Yeah, we’re all going in there.” Jude tore off his seatbelt and started to climb out of the car.
“I figured as much,” Cisco deadpanned. He followed Jude, grabbing him by the arm to stop him from charging up to the front door. “Kevin and I will get the wife out of the situation and then the rest of you can work your voodoo on Marc and the other spirits in the house. I have my side arm, please do not make me use it.”