Ghostly hostage, p.2
Ghostly Hostage, page 2
"We will do our best," Brayden told her. "What else can you tell me about him?"
She smiled. "He liked to dance and sing, but it was hard for him. He'd have trouble breathing when he danced, and he couldn't hold notes long when singing. He got teased a lot at school too because he had oxygen with him all the time. It's been hard."
Without any warning, Kyle jumped up and ran toward her. Before Lance could even blink, the echo of gunfire filled the room, nearly deafening him.
CHAPTER TWO
Jeremy floated through the streets, ignoring the cars that rushed through him. They couldn't hurt him. He was able to float almost as fast as a speeding car, but doing so took so much energy. If a ghost spent too much energy, they weren't able to move around much or even appear to some of the living. They faded to almost invisible until they'd rebuilt their energy level. He still didn't understand it all. It had something to do with vibration and frequencies, but he hadn't taken the time to learn it all yet. He was still learning about the afterlife and how the world worked. He wasn't sure he'd ever understand it all. For the first time since dying, he didn't care about his energy levels. He just rushed toward Lizzy's house, thankful that he knew where she lived, and praying that she was home. If she wasn't, he didn't know who else to contact. There was a doctor who could see ghosts, but he had no idea where she worked or lived. Lizzy was his only hope.
He was lucky enough not to have to stick to the sidewalks or even streets. He cut through yards, houses, and whatever else was in his way, doing a straight shot to Lizzy's home. Once there, he rushed inside. "Lizzy, I need help."
Lizzy was nowhere in sight, but her husband, Martin, sat watching TV. He couldn't see ghosts, so had no idea Jeremy was even in the house.
"Lizzy?" Jeremy called again, heading toward the garage to make sure the car was there and Lizzy wasn't out.
"She's in the shower. What's this all about?" Betty asked. Betty was Lizzy's best friend, but also like Jeremy, a ghost. She floated toward him, looking upset. "You can't just fly into people's houses unannounced."
"Lizzy needs to call the police. Someone is holding everyone at the morgue at gunpoint." Jeremy's energy levels were fading. That was okay. As long as Betty was there, she could see him even if he started to fade.
"What?" Betty's eyes went wide. "You're serious? This isn't a joke?"
"Would I joke about something like that? Guy wants an autopsy done on his son. Swears he was murdered. The wife and husband are there with guns. Have everyone in one room."
"Hold up," Betty told him. "I'm getting Lizzy." She disappeared through a wall.
Jeremy relaxed. He'd done all he could. Once he talked to Lizzy, he'd catch a ride with some random driver to get to Lance's house and alert Ray and Bethany about what was going on. They'd want to know and help in any way they could. He didn't have the energy left to go on his own. He wondered if he'd gain more energy the longer he was dead. It was something he'd have to ask Ray about.
"Jeremy?" Lizzy walked out with a robe on, and a towel wrapped around her hair. "What's going on?"
That got Martin's attention. "Liz?"
"Jeremy's here. Betty said something about a hostage situation at the morgue," Lizzy told Martin before she looked at Jeremy. "Tell me."
"You need to call the police and report that there is a couple at the morgue holding everyone at gunpoint. They're demanding an autopsy for their son who died at the hospital yesterday. The body is still at the hospital. I don't know much more. I left to come find you," Jeremy told her.
"Where's my phone?" Lizzy walked over to the coffee table and picked it up.
"What is going on?" Martin asked.
"Listen as I update Angus. I don't have time for both." Lizzy hit Angus's name on her phone and waited.
Jeremy did the same, hoping that somehow they could protect the men and women who'd become like family to him. Lance might be the only one to see him, but he'd grown to care for everyone at the morgue. He'd loved being there. He'd do whatever it took to keep them safe, even if it took all his energy to do it.
CHAPTER THREE
"Hey, Mom, what's up?" Angus answered his phone as he sat at his desk, trying to keep his mind on work and not the cruise he'd just enjoyed with Lance.
"This isn't a social call. We have an emergency. Jeremy just showed up here to tell me that two people have taken everyone at the morgue hostage. They're demanding they do an autopsy on their son who died at the hospital." Lizzy sounded worried.
"Mom, don't joke." Angus tossed a pen at his partner Franks who sat at the desk beside him.
"I'm not joking. You need to do something," Lizzy hissed at him.
"Mom, I'm putting you on speaker so Franks can hear this. Now, what is going on?" Angus hit the button to make it so Franks could hear the call.
"Jeremy just burst into my home to tell me to get help. Everyone at the morgue is being held at gunpoint by… Hold on, Jeremy is telling me more. A husband and wife are holding them hostage, demanding they do an autopsy on their son. They claim the kid died of a heart attack and the parents don't believe it."
"Shit," Angus cursed as he stood. "Franks, try and call Lance."
Franks pulled out his phone and hit a button. A moment later, he shook his head. "Goes right to voicemail. Trying the front desk now." Franks pushed another button.
"Is everyone okay?" Angus asked.
"Jeremy said they were when he left. They have them all in one of the autopsy rooms sitting on the floor. He said they burst right in during the middle of a case. The body's still on the table." Lizzy sounded tense.
"If this is true, I'm going to need you on the scene, Mom. You're the only one who can talk to Jeremy and keep us updated on what's going on." Angus watched as Franks set his phone down.
"Front desk isn't answering either. It went to voicemail," Franks said.
That never happened during office hours. There was always someone working at the front desk. Even if Kathy left for the bathroom, she had someone cover the phones for her. "Can you meet me in the parking lot of the Medical Examiner's Office, Mom?"
"Of course. I need to get dressed and I'll be there. Jeremy is going to get Bethany and Ray and meet us there too," Lizzy informed him.
Angus didn't ask why his mother wasn't dressed at ten in the morning. He really didn't want to know. "That's great. Hopefully, I'll have more information by then." He knew Betty would come with his mom and could go in and get an update until Jeremy got back. He was going to have to lie to his captain and tell him Lance had somehow contacted him. There was no other way to explain how he would know what was going on inside. "I'll let you go get ready. I'll see you at the morgue. Thanks, Mom, and thank Jeremy as well."
"Of course." She disconnected the call.
Angus glanced at Franks. "Tell me again why I didn't stay on vacation?"
"I bet Lance is asking the same question right now." Franks stood. "What are you going to tell Captain Marshall?"
"That Lance somehow got a call out to me. It's all I can think of." Angus shoved his phone in his pocket, downed the last of his coffee, and started out the door, knowing Franks would follow.
"Of all places to have a hostage situation." Franks kept pace beside him.
"Right? Distraught parents aren't going to be easy to reason with. We need to find out who they are and then find out everything we can about them." Angus paused and knocked on Captain Marshall's door. "Cap, you got a second?"
"Come in," Captain Marshall called from behind his desk. "Welcome back. How was the cruise?"
"Sir, I just got a call from the Medical Examiner's Office that they are being held hostage by a couple who are demanding an autopsy on their son. I don't have much more information. The call was cut off and he's not answering now." Angus prayed they never looked to see if the call happened at all.
The captain stood. "Isn't that where your boyfriend works?"
"Yes, Sir." The captain had met Lance a few times since they'd started dating.
"Did you try calling the front office?" Captain Marshall asked.
"No answer there either, Sir," Franks told him.
"Head over there and see what you find, then call me. Do we have names or anything about this couple or their son?"
"Not yet, Sir. We only know he died yesterday at the hospital and the family is claiming he was murdered." Angus wanted to run out the door and get to Lance, but forced himself to wait for the captain to finish.
"I'll call the hospital and find out if a child died there yesterday. I can't imagine we have too many children dying every day. Call me with what you find once you get to the morgue." Captain Marshall reached for the phone on his desk.
"Thank you, Sir." Angus turned and hurried out of the office.
"They'll pull you from this with Lance involved," Franks warned him. "They'll tell us we're homicide detectives and to leave this for others to handle."
"I have to be involved. My mom's the only one who can tell them what's happening inside."
"They won't believe her," Franks warned.
"It doesn't matter if they believe her or not as long as you and I do." Angus unlocked his car and got in.
Franks sat in the passenger seat.
"If Lance is in danger, I'm not sitting this one out." Angus couldn't stand back while the man he loved was in danger. He pulled onto the road and made the quick trip across town to where the Medical Examiner's Office sat. It was a large building with the state labs and other offices on the upstairs floors. The morgue took up the whole bottom floor and the only access to it was through the front door or through the garage where they loaded and unloaded the bodies.
"Thank God, Jeremy was there. We might not have found out for hours if he hadn't been able to contact your mom." Franks pulled out his notebook. "Who would be inside right now? Lance, Sam, the two assistants, the older lady at the front desk…" He wrote as he spoke.
"An intern, too. I can't recall his name. He's shadowing Lance and Sam. The lady at the front desk is Kathy, and Kyle and Carrie are the assistants." Angus weaved through traffic. "Upstairs is the state lab, and aren't our dispatchers in that building too?"
"Yes, on the fourth floor." Franks pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Gloria. She can run down and tell me if the doors are locked."
"Tell her to be careful and not tell anyone. We don't want anyone to panic." Lance hadn't met Franks' friend with dispatch. He only knew Franks and Gloria went out to dinner from time to time. Franks claimed they were just friends, but Angus wasn't so sure. He listened as Franks made his call. He needed to know what was going on and that Lance was safe. He couldn't lose Lance. He'd finally found the one person he wanted to grow old with, and he wouldn't lose him to something like this.
"Gloria is going to check now. She's keeping me on the line while she looks," Franks told Angus, still holding the phone to his ear.
Angus nodded, cursing at the traffic light that had just turned red. He could use his lights and siren, but he was almost there.
"No, don't go in if it's unlocked. We don't know the situation there yet. Just try the door, then back away." Franks was speaking on the phone. "It's locked? Any signs up or anything? Okay, thanks. No, go back to work. We'll be there in a few minutes and figure out what's going on." Franks ended the call and glanced over at Angus. "The door is locked, no signs on the door as to why."
"Not good. That door is never locked during business hours. When we get there, start running the plates of the cars in the parking lot. The sooner we get the names of our suspects, the sooner we can try and end this." Angus had dealt with grieving parents in the past. He had notified several of their son or daughter's death. Some went silent in shock, others got violent and refused to believe. He didn't judge any of them for their reaction. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child. Still, to take a group of people hostage because of it was something he'd never imagined having to face.
Angus finally got to the Medical Examiner's Office and parked at the curb. From the outside, everything looked normal. He could almost imagine Lance walking out the door with a silly smile on his face as they met to go to lunch. Since meeting Lance, this had become like a second home to Angus. He sighed and shut off the car. "I'm going to check the doors, then walk around back and see if the garage is open."
Franks nodded. "I'll stay here and start running those plates. I'll skip the ones with permits in the windows for now."
"Good thinking. Be back in a few." Angus got out and walked up the door. It was one of two doors in the area. The first led to the Medical Examiner's Office, and the second door led inside to a small lobby and elevator for the other businesses to use. From what he knew, there wasn't an interior door to get into the morgue. He pulled on the door, and as expected, it didn't open. He leaned in, cupping his hands around his face to block out the glare, and tried to look inside. He could just make out the front desk along with the small swinging wooden gate that led to the area where Kathy sat. He couldn't see anyone around or make out any shadows or movement. Frustrated, he started to walk around the building. He'd never been in the garage. They kept it locked unless they were coming or going or had a mortuary coming in for a pick-up. He didn't expect to find it open now. As he walked, he pulled out his phone again and tried to call Lance. It rang six times before connecting to voicemail. He left a quick message. "Hey, I'm aware of what's going on at the morgue. Call me if you can. I love you." He ended the call. Angus doubted that Lance would be allowed to use his phone. As far as he knew, Lance kept it in his desk while he was working.
The day was growing warm, and Angus thought about how strange it was to be back in Texas after a week on the ocean. He'd never been on a cruise before, but now that he'd experienced it, he wanted to go again. It was the perfect way to travel, relax, and see parts of the world he probably wouldn't see otherwise. He would get Lance out of danger, then they could sit down and plan another trip later in the year. He was supposed to start moving his things to Lance's house this weekend, and slowly getting his house ready to rent. He was excited to finally move in with Lance, and he wouldn't let this hostage situation turn bad and ruin his plans. Lance would be fine, and they would follow through on all their plans together.
Just as he'd expected, the garage was securely locked. He tried to lift it, despite knowing it was an automatic door. It didn't give. He wondered if Mack had an opener to it or if he kept it in one of the M.E.'s vans they used to go pick up bodies. He needed to get Mack's number. He was sure Mack would have keys to the building at least. That could get them inside. He pulled out his phone again and called his captain.
"Marshall." The captain's voice was loud and strong.
"It's Detective Young. I'm at the Medical Examiner's Office and it's locked up tight. I couldn't see much through the front door but didn't see any movement. Can you try and get hold of a guy named Mack who works graveyards at the morgue? Sorry, I don't have his last name. He might have keys to the building."
"I'll see if I can locate his name." Captain Marshall told him. "I was able to confirm a child died at the hospital yesterday. His name was Reggie Meyers. I'm trying to get information about his parents now. The hospital won't give me any information. I had to fight just to get the child's name. I'll need a warrant, but as of right now, I have nothing solid to take to a judge."
"I've tried calling inside but no one is answering. Let me try a few other options and see what I can get." Angus hoped the ghosts would show up soon. He needed to know what was going on inside. He'd have to try to figure out how to explain everything once he found out, but he'd deal with that later. "Call me if you hear anything."
"You do the same." Captain Marshall ended the call.
Angus hurried back around to the front and leaned against the car next to Franks' window. "It's locked up tight. Captain Marshall confirmed a child named Reggie Meyers died at the hospital yesterday."
"That's the blue pickup there on the front row. Comes back to a Tim and Shawnee Meyers." Franks pointed to the truck.
Angus sent a text to the captain giving him the parents' names and asking for all the information they had about them. "That's great. We at least know who we're dealing with. I just sent a request to have Captain Marshall run their names and let us know what he finds out." He sighed. "Where the hell is my mother?"
"She'll be here. She's never let you down before. You know she wouldn't miss out on being a part of this. She loves to assist you with your cases." Franks pushed the car door open and stepped out. "Got any plans?"
"Not yet. I can't risk running in there and putting everyone at risk. I need to know what's going on inside before we do anything." Angus stared at the building. Lance was in there and being held at gunpoint. He had to know Jeremy had gone for help. Was Lance waiting on him? He felt helpless with no plan and nothing to do but wait.
"We'll get him out of there." Franks gripped Angus's shoulder.
"I know we will. I just pray that he's still alive when we do it." Angus lifted his face to the sun and wished they'd never gotten off that cruise ship.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kyle dropped onto the ground, several feet away from the woman, banging his head hard on the tile floor.
"Shit." The woman's eyes went wide as she stared at Kyle on the floor.
Carrie screamed and Kathy cried harder.
Lance swallowed hard. He was unable to tell where Kyle had been shot. "Let me go to him and help him." Lance stared at the woman. "You don't want his death on your hands. Let me at least try and stop the bleeding." He could see blood start to saturate Kyle's shirt on the right side, but was at the wrong angle to see more. "Please?"
She shook her head, took two steps back, then nodded. "Okay, but just you, and crawl to him."
