My inner cynic calculated the odds of ghost hunters being able to help us at twenty to one . . . in Kramer's favor. Still, I'd sworn that I would try to see the silver lining instead of only the ominous clouds, so I fetched my cell phone from the counter and handed it to Tyler.
"Make the call."
Tyler rose. "Right after I take a piss."
Once he disappeared into the bathroom, Bones spoke very softly. "Keep trying to tail Kramer, Elisabeth. If there's a particular place he frequents, or any humans he's attentive to, I want to know."
Bones must not have high hopes for the ghost hunters, either. Elisabeth nodded solemnly. "I saw him earlier today. He was not far from the largest ley line in Iowa, at Oktoberfest in Sioux City, but he left quickly. Too quickly for me to see if he'd been interacting with any humans."
"What time was this, do you know?" Bones asked, suspicion edging his emotions.
"Right after midday," she replied.
One-ish Iowa time would've been about 2:00 P.M. in Washington, D.C. Right about the same time that Tyler broke out the Ouija board.
"I think Kramer left in a hurry because he got a page," I said wryly.
Bones's gaze was speculative before he returned his attention to Elisabeth.
"Keep trying to find him, then follow him when you do, but don't let him tail you back here."
I knew how important it was for Elisabeth to find out who Kramer's intended victims were, not to mention the identity of his human accomplice; but after meeting the former Inquisitor, I really didn't want him to know where we lived. Sure, I could summon Remnants to our defense if Kramer tracked Elisabeth back here despite her best efforts, but what if he snapped Tyler's neck before I sicced the Remnants on him? Even if I were fast in calling forth my spectral guards, it only took a split second to kill a human, as I well knew.
And sometimes, it only took a split second to kill a vampire, too. We had plenty of silver knives at our house, for obvious reasons. What if the malevolent ghost poltergeisted one of those through Bones's heart before either of us even knew he was near? I shivered at the thought.
"What's wrong, Kitten?" Bones asked, his sharp gaze picking it up.
I forced a smile. No more what-if thoughts of worst-case scenarios. Silver linings and glasses half-full, remember?
"Nothing."
Chapter Nine
A huge building loomed in front of us, dark exterior looking ominous even with the many gold-edged leaves on the trees surrounding the grounds. Hundreds of windows reflected the moonlight as if in stark rejection of any illumination penetrating the structure's interior. Every so often, shadows would pass by those windows, and voices would drift out on the crisp autumn air, but the former hospital was empty.
Well, empty of anyone who was solid. All the members of N.I.P.D., the Northeastern Investigative Paranormal Division that Tyler had recommended, were still outside with us. They'd just finished setting up their equipment in various rooms of the former Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Now they were huddled up in a final group pep talk before they started their documentation of everything that went bump in the night here.
The sanatorium might have closed decades ago, but it was quite the popular attraction, as it turned out. The curious paid for guided tours of the facility, hearing all about its history and the many anecdotes of ghostly encounters. Amateur or professional paranormal buffs could opt to have the hospital all to themselves for a night of investigation, provided they paid the proper amount and booked in advance. Waverly Hills Sanatorium had a waiting list, and the owners didn't give refunds if a group missed its scheduled appointment.
That was why Bones and I were meeting the investigators-they didn't like the term "ghost hunters," as it turned out-here instead of at a local coffee shop or somewhere else normal. They'd planned their evening at Waverly weeks ago and weren't about to lose their time slot-or their money-just to talk to Tyler's new clients, as they considered Bones and me. For our part, we weren't willing to waste another day and night before finding out if they could help with Kramer. After Tyler set up our chat, we hopped in the car for a road trip to Louisville, Kentucky. Taking a plane would have been faster, but we weren't about to go anywhere unarmed, and airport security frowned on suitcases filled with a stockpile of weapons.
Tyler refused to leave Dexter behind, saying the dog would give us precious seconds of warning if Kramer was about to spoof up. Dexter did seem to have an uncanny radar for ghosts; he'd begun to whine in that eerie way of his as soon as we pulled up to the sanitarium. By comparison, it took Tyler a few minutes after we arrived to even see the shadows passing by the windows. Of the two of them, I had to admit that Dexter seemed to be the more qualified medium. Maybe Spade's demonologist friends really recommended Dexter, and the message somehow got garbled, I thought ruefully.
"Let's get this party started!" Chris, N.I.P.D.'s team leader, finished his pep talk with.
"Finally," Bones muttered, too low for anyone but me to overhear.
We'd promised not to start with our questions until all of their prep work was done, having been told that setting up was too crucial for distractions. Little did we know how much prep work they were talking about. We'd been standing outside for a good two hours. If left to himself, Bones might have green-eyed Chris and the others into forgetting about their set-up-first conditions, but he knew I would have objected to that. We were here because we wanted their help, not the other way around. Besides, two hours of polite waiting wasn't going to make or break our circumstances with Kramer.
Unless he showed up soon in another murderous mood.
"So," Chris said, sizing us up as he approached. I didn't mind that he'd barely glanced our way before this. All his attention had been on making sure his team was prepared, and that was a plus in my book. "What's this big, urgent issue that Tyler tells me can't wait until tomorrow?"
Bones glanced at the van with N.I.P.D. painted on the side, the endless cords for their equipment, and the dozen team members bustling about before he replied.
"You doing this because you truly believe in activity on the other side, or because you want to make a bit of profit off the gullible?"
Chris bristled, his cheeks becoming ruddier above his beard while his scent flared with anger. That wasn't what I paid attention to. It was his spate of thoughts.
So sick of dealing with ignorant pricks who can't see beyond what society tells them to believe. Never should've agreed to let Tyler bring them here tonight; we've got too much work to do.
"I have a Master of Science in Engineering from Stanford, so I can make more money with a hell of a lot less effort in about a hundred different fields," he replied evenly. "If that doesn't answer your question, then you're wasting my time."