I nodded. “Some, but most times the crew just don’t see them. They have all their gadgets and gizmos, and they can’t even see a ghost that’s jumping up and down in front of them.”
Ben gestured at the TV with his fork. “So, you can see ghosts when they’re on TV?”
“Well, yeah.” I’d never told anyone else that little talent. I’d always just assumed it went without saying. “They’re just like real people to me.”
He smiled slowly. “Cool. Apparently these guys have been trying to get into Haven Crest, but the town won’t give them a permit.” He glanced at me. “Do you think the ghosts there would put on a show for them?”
“I have no idea.” And then, “Hey, isn’t that Gretchen Jones?”
“It is.” He turned up the volume so we could hear better.
Gretchen Jones was the lead singer of Dead Babies. Gretchen was also six foot four, had spiky purple hair and cited Alice Cooper as his biggest musical influence. He was hot, but completely nuts. Still, the band was awesome.
On-screen, one of the members of the Supernatural Encounters team looked earnestly at Gretchen and asked, “So, at your concert in New Devon Halloween night you intend to raise the spirit of Joe Hard.”
Ben and I shared a glance. We knew the concert was in Joe’s honor, and I’d assumed they’d make a spectacle out of it, but actually raise Joe? That was powerful and dangerous stuff. It wasn’t the same as a summoning. A summoning called forth the lingering spirit. Raising someone meant you not only summoned them, but then you forced them to take some sort of form—usually a full-blown manifestation.
“Yeah,” Gretchen rasped. He had a voice that sounded like sandpaper on stone. “Joe Hard was a major influence on my music. I can’t think of any better way to honor his memory than to call him forth for one last encore, y’know?”
“Can he actually do that?” Ben asked.
“I have no freaking idea,” I replied. “Maybe? It wouldn’t surprise me. Shit.”
“You think that’s the ‘big thing’ that’s supposed to happen at Haven Crest?”
“No. Joe’s not evil.” Of course I’d told him all about my conversation with Emily, and he was the only one I had any intention of telling, unless it was necessary. “But if the band tries to raise him, that’s going to feed even more energy into the place.”
Ben looked at the TV. “Shit.”
I set my plate on the coffee table, half listening to Gretchen and the interviewer as I ran a list of possible scenarios in my head.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to go to Haven Crest. I don’t want any of us anywhere near it.” He didn’t sound afraid, but he would have been stupid not to be, and my guy wasn’t stupid.
“I don’t want me to go either, but I’ve been thinking about that. The simple solution to all of this is to dust Noah now and ruin any plans he has.”
Ben didn’t blink. “Okay, but what are you going to tell Wren? She’s not likely to forgive you for torching her boyfriend.”
“I can live with that if he’s as bad as Emily says.”
“If Emily told Wren I was evil and Wren killed me without talking to you first, would you ever forgive her?”
“No.” I didn’t even need to think about it. God, I hated it when he used logic on me. “Fine, I’ll talk to her.”
“What about Joe Hard? Did he mention any of this when you talked to him?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he knows. I probably should tell him. I have to go to the concert. I promised Joe I’d make sure Olgilvie got caught.” He was the only one I’d shared that information with, as well. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my friends—I did. But knowing that a local cop was a murderer was dangerous, and being my friend was already dangerous enough.
Ben gathered me up with his arm around my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out.”
I leaned against him. It wasn’t the danger that had me worried. Ghosts were scary, but there were things that scared me more than the dead. “Emily told me not to trust my sister.”
He kissed my forehead. “I know. Have you noticed any personality changes in her?”
“Sure. It’s Halloween, so there have been some changes. More than I remember her having before. It’s not all the time, but sometimes I’ve caught her looking at me like she wants to gouge my eyes out.”
“And you freaked out on her, too.”
“At home, yeah. It was like I was the ghost. Freaky. I just want this all to be over. I’m scared. I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t depend on Wren. I’m worried I’m going to get one of my friends hurt. People might die, and I don’t know how to stop it.” I was going to cry. I couldn’t let that happen. If I started I wouldn’t stop.
Ben took my plate from the coffee table and handed it to me. “Eat. And then go home. Find Wren and talk to her. Tell her what Emily said.”
I wrapped noodles around my fork. “She’s not going to like it. She probably won’t believe me.”