Gypsy Magic - J.R. Rain Page 0,30

of helping spirits move on and wasn’t very familiar with the more technological side of ghost hunting.

“Ha!” Henner laughed and then shook his head. “As far as spectrographic analysis goes, we have a whole ton of tools we use.”

Marty smiled at me and gave me a nudge in the arm. “Now you’ve done it.”

I laughed but then gave my attention back to Henner, who was already taking in a deep breath, apparently to enlighten me.

“I use an oscilloscope to measure changes in frequencies, a thermal scanner to measure air temperature changes, and an EMF meter to measure levels of electromagnetic radiation. We use multiple cameras to record audio and video, including subsonic and ultra-high frequencies beyond normal human hearing. And the video can detect objects beyond the visible spectrum, such as ultraviolet and infrared. We also use a tool to measure changes in air density and a camera that employs infrared thermal vision and a DVR that can be set to detect movement in pixels. We use several motions sensors. Also a barometer, a psychrometer, an ion meter and a static meter.” He tapped his finger on his lower lip for a few seconds. “I think that’s about it.”

“I understood about two words in that whole explanation,” I answered with another laugh.

“Me too,” Marty said as he shook his head. “Henner is our tech guy, and I don’t even try to understand his jargon.”

“The other key,” Henner went on, his expression one of someone who just remembered something, “is minimal lighting. You don’t want to confuse sensitive instruments.”

“About the whole ghost subject,” Marty started as he looked at me.

I wasn’t sure why, but my entire stomach dropped as I wondered at what he might say next. Did he somehow know about the ghostly visions I’d been having? But, no, there was no way...

“Yes?” I started.

“I have a particularly… difficult case I’d love to get your feedback on.”

“Difficult?”

“We can’t get the ghost to leave the property,” Henner filled in, shaking his head.

“And we’d love it if we could get your help,” Marty added. “I told Henner about your banishment potions and the fact that you’ve got experience with exorcising spirits.”

“Okay,” I started. “My help as far as?”

“Could you give us a few banishment potions to try?” Marty asked.

“Yeah,” Henner added. “I’ve never tried one before and I’m really curious as to how they do.”

“Of course!” I answered with a big smile. I was worried Marty was actually asking me to help banish the ghost, something I’d sworn to Finn I would never get involved with again, not after how difficult it was to get rid of Frank.

“Yo, yo, yo!” A high voice called from the doorway, drawing our collective attention.

Finn took a step inside the store, the hardwood creaking under his gray Skechers. His eyes grew a little round as he absorbed the radical change in the shop. An orange plastic bag swung limply to his side, and I caught a glimpse of a sea of candy corns before he got a firmer grip on it. Someone spent his allowance at Sweeter Haunts. Not that I minded.

“Whoa,” he breathed as he looked around.

“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “Henner and McFly are miracle workers.”

“Told you McFly was great,” Finn said with a sage nod.

“Ah, thanks, buddy,” Marty answered.

I introduced Henner to Finn, and the latter was immediately absorbed in Henner’s explanation of the ghost box and how it worked. Of course, Finn was a little nervous as soon as Henner mentioned the word ‘ghost’, but that fear soon turned to childhood interest as he asked Henner questions about how the thing worked. Or maybe Finn just wanted to keep his fears to himself, lest he be judged for them.

But, the longer he spent talking to Henner, the clearer it became that Henner wasn’t the type to judge anyone, least of all, Finn. The two started laughing and talking over each other and asking each other questions, and it was fairly obvious they were kindred spirits.

“You ready, buddy?” Marty asked, placing a big hand on Finn’s narrow shoulder. He pretended to covertly reach for a candy corn from Finn’s overflowing bag and smiled when Finn drew the bag back with a laugh.

“I’m just kidding,” Finn said. “You can have as many as you want.” Then he turned to face Henner. “Hey, Henner, you want some candy corns?”

“I would love some candy corns,” Henner answered as Marty turned to face me.

“Looks like I’ve got competition for the title of Finn’s best friend now.”

I