“What can they do?” Valerie replied. “We’ve tried to let people know when they book that the tours are ‘intense’. Some people think it’s all a big joke. Others leave the tour and want their money back. It’s been getting steadily worse over the last two weeks. You should see the comments we’ve gotten online.”
Valerie stuck to main routes on our way back, and while I spotted a few shifty shadows and we passed through some odd cold spots, we saw nothing like the ghostly activity from the main sites. “I cancelled tonight’s tours so I could show you around,” she said as we came back to the stables.
“Do you have any ideas of how to make it safer for my customers?” she asked. We followed her into the barn, where the horses looked up in curiosity, then went back to their hay.
“Other than the rock throwing, none of the ghosts actually did anything that might cause harm,” I mused. “Could you avoid the Inn, until things calm down?” If this kept up, Mrs. Teller was going to be a rich woman making charms to soothe the ghosts. Worse, if all the spirits were restless because of the Reapers, Charleston’s ghosts could be in real danger, and so far I had no idea of how to stop them from getting eaten.
“I can,” she said, giving a round of fresh water and carrots to the horses. “But what if the ghosts get bolder? What if they do more than just rattle the gates and windows?”
“We’ve had some weird things happen at the shop lately too,” I said. “Have you tried putting a root on whatever is making the ghosts bonkers?” Here in the Lowcountry, wise people take the idea of having a Hoodoo woman like Mrs. Teller ‘put a root on’ someone very seriously. “I bet she’s got some charms you can use when you take your tours around that might help, until we can figure out why the ghosts are acting up.”
Valerie nodded. “I know Mrs. Teller. I’ll go down tomorrow morning and see what she can do. At least it might make things calm down until someone can get to the bottom of the problem.” The look she gave me said I was on her short list of people who might do that.
“I’d be grateful for anything you can figure out on how to stop the disturbances,” Valerie said. “I’m afraid this is going to ruin the ghost tour business – or worse, someone will get hurt.”
Despite Valerie’s protests, we insisted on sticking around until she had finished checking on the horses. Her car was parked near Teag’s and Anthony’s, in a side lot one block up. The parking lot usually seemed well lit, but tonight, the security lights gave a dim glow, and the shadows around the lot’s edges were darker than I remembered.
Valerie got in her car, but when she turned the key, nothing happened. “Darn,” she muttered. “I’ve been having problems with the battery. I guess it finally gave out.”
I hoped it was that simple. “Why don’t I drop Valerie off at her house?” Anthony volunteered. I held my breath when Anthony tried his key, but to my relief, the engine roared to life. Valerie accepted Anthony’s offer gratefully, and we watched them head out of the lot.
That’s when the shadows engulfed Teag’s car. “I really don’t like the look of that,” I said. I held the athame in my right hand, walking stick in my left, and jangled the dog collar. Bo’s ghost appeared at my side. Immediately, he began to growl.
“Neither do I.” Teag held his staff defensively. It’s almost as tall as he is, made of ash, solid enough to give bad guys a solid thumping. Even without magic, Teag can whup ass with a fighting stave. But he’s enhanced the stave with carved runes and woven charms imbued with power, making it even more dangerous to bad things that go bump in the night.
“Let’s move toward the car and see if the shadows draw back,” I said. “Maybe it’s a warning, not a throw-down.”
We moved slowly, me facing forward and Teag behind me, facing away. The air grew colder, and there was a sense of foreboding that made me want to run away. I kept going, one foot in front of the other, until we were nearly to the car.
As I reached for the door, the shadows surged forward. For a moment, they nearly blotted out the overhead light.