Beyond the Divide (Fractured Legacy Book 2) Read online

  “You’re deferring to me?” he asked.

  “Well, I figured that’s why you wanted to come along, Mr. Unbiased Party.” She rested the bag on the counter in front of him.

  Cole, fiddling with a broken handle of a coffee mug, glanced toward the door. “I wonder what’s keeping Dan.”

  “You told him what we do?” Jonah asked. She looked hurt, but he tried to keep his tone from being accusing. After all, he’d once told a girlfriend—and long-time friend—about his work. Since she’d gone into psychology, her specialty had come in handy on more than a few cases. Honestly, he was surprised the entire world didn’t know what Aicil stood for, but most people wouldn’t believe an agency existed to research paranormal activity. They had Hollywood and shelves full of fiction to ensure that.

  Cole never answered, still fiddling with the piece of porcelain.

  “Want to have a look at the living room, first?” Kaylyn asked. Her eyebrows were knotted against her forehead as she eyed her sister.

  “Yeah, I have a couple of wireless cameras; we can set them up and leave them in case of another incident. The live stream will go directly to the network for review. I can see that you’re all put up in a hotel for the night if you like, Cole.”

  “I’ll have to check with everyone.” She pushed away from the counter then stopped. “I thought telling him would make it easier, after everything that happened, but now he trusts me less than ever. As soon as I think we’re making progress, something else happens to make him question everything.”

  After Cole was out of earshot, Kaylyn began unloading equipment from the bag. “You still think it’s a poltergeist? What if it’s Todd?”

  Jonah shook his head—the caliber of the entity they’d been dealing with shouldn’t have left a spirit behind.

  “My mom came back,” Kaylyn reminded him, as if she knew what turn his mind had taken.

  “Your mom utilized some pretty powerful forces to be able to do that.”

  Kaylyn sucked in her lower lip and busied herself preparing one of the cameras.

  “I don’t want anyone jumping to conclusions for the wrong reasons.”

  A kitchen cupboard opened then slammed closed again, followed by two nearby drawers. Jonah and Kaylyn backed toward the doorway as the whole kitchen erupted with pounding doors, clinking silverware and shattering glass.

  “Holy fuck,” Cole yelled as she ran in the front door to join them. “What the hell did you two do?”

  “Nothing,” Kaylyn breathed. “We were prepping the equipment.”

  The kitchen erupted into one final blast of noise, and Jonah covered his ears with his hands. Then everything settled as if nothing had happened. “Well, that was... interesting.”

  As he turned, he saw Dan and Vivian standing behind Cole. Vivian stood with her hand over her mouth, the other tucked around her stomach as if she was trying to resist becoming ill, while Dan shoved his hand through his hair and shook his head. His skin was a few shades paler than it had been moments before.

  “I’ll set you all up with alternative living arrangements for a couple of days,” Jonah said, feeling Kaylyn’s intense stare fall on him. If he was right and it was a poltergeist phenomenon centered on Vivian, it would follow them wherever she went, but if he was wrong, it’d keep them out of the way.

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Vivian said, waving at the equipment on the counter. “And it won’t be necessary for you to set any of that up.”

  She grimaced as she looked around the disheveled room, then shook her head and disappeared up the stairs.

  “Dan?” Cole whispered. “We need to do something.”

  “You didn’t notice that it’s worse with you all here? I told you Cole, this—”

  “This is not my fault.” Cole’s hand sliced through the air as she reddened with anger.

  Jonah glanced at Kaylyn then decided to go ahead with his observations. “It’s likely a poltergeist.”

  Dan swung around and glared at him, fists clenched at his sides. Jonah wasn’t sure if Dan was a violent man, but he’d feel better if Cole wasn’t standing so close.

  Hoping to avoid conflict, he hurried his explanation along. “Poltergeist activity is usually tied to a single member of a family.”

  Dan’s scowl deepened. “So if Cole leaves, it leaves.”

  “Wrong,” Kaylyn said. “It’s tied to emotional energy, and the person it’s tied to has to be present during the activity. Cole wasn’t here when the living room was trashed.”

  “But that would leave me or Mom,” Dan kept his voice low, spitting out every word. “That’s ridiculous. We haven’t been involved in any of this shit.”

  “You don’t have to be,” Jonah explained. “It’s not an entity. Not a ghost or demon. It’s a disturbance caused by intense subconscious psychokinetic energy. It’s usually associated with women, during puberty and menopause, who are experiencing increased stress or anxiety.”

  “Man,” Dan backed away, shaking his head, “You really didn’t need to go there.”

  “It’s scientific, man—”

  Kaylyn elbowed him in the arm. “Seriously, boss.” She took a step toward Dan and pointed over her shoulder at Jonah. “He’s not usually this cranky, but he’s right. Whether or not we leave, the activity is coming from your mother. She’s upset about Todd—understandably so—but this isn’t going to get any better until she addresses the deeper issue.”

  “Stress?” Dan repeated looking to Cole.

  Cole lowered her head and rubbed her temples. “I sense that no matter what, this is going to be turned around and made my fault.”

  Dan shook his head and dropped against the archway between the kitchen and living room. “It’s not your fault. It’s easier when there’s someone to blame—someone real, someone physical.” Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes.

  Cole turned away, surveying the mess in the living room.

  “If you’re right,” Dan said, “how are we supposed to deal with it.”

  “Certainly not by blaming it all on Cole,” Kaylyn said. “Grief management might be a nice place to start. For the lot of you, not just Vivian.”

  The drama never ends around this place, Jonah thought. As if there was anywhere really free from the drama, especially in their line of work. Clients, family, co-workers, friends—when half of your life included things that most people didn’t believe existed, it left limitless possibilities for everything to go pear shaped.

  “We have an investigation to get to,” Cole said.

  Jonah sat back against one of the kitchen stools. “The farmhouse can wait until you’re in a better frame of mind.”

  Cole shook her head. “I’m fine. I want to investigate. Do some good where people actually want my help.”

  Another car pulled into the driveway, and they all looked toward the windows as the pickup door slammed.

  “Leon,” Cole said.

  “How many people did you invite?” Dan asked throwing up his arms and heading toward a doorway off the side of the kitchen.

  “So much for civility, eh?” Kaylyn mumbled in Jonah’s ear.

  As soon as Dan was out of sight, Cole scaled the kitchen counter and pulled down a camera, adding it to the supplies Kaylyn had brought in. Then, she sprinted silently out to the living room and grabbed the second device from amid a collection of glass elephants and birds on top of the bookcase. “They’ll freak even more,” she explained. “And I’m not dealing with it. Maybe we can make sure it’s a poltergeist, but—” She went quiet and her hands shook as she removed the memory cards and deactivated the cameras.

  “I’ll take the cameras,” Jonah said. “But I still think you both should consider taking the day off.”

  Leon knocked and Kaylyn ducked away to let him in.

  “I’d rather concentrate on the case. I’ll be fine.” But, she wouldn’t look at him. She wouldn’t even look up from the memory cards in her hand. “Does it get better?” she asked quietly.

&n
bsp; “What do I know; apparently, you’ve heard about my last relationship.” Jonah glanced over his shoulder, and as soon as she saw the look on Leon’s face, he knew exactly what was going to come out of the man’s mouth. Jonah raised his hand, before Leon could speak. “I’m still the boss.”

  Leon crossed his arms and shrugged. “I give up. What’s the plan here?”

  “We’re pretty sure it’s a poltergeist,” Cole said. “Seems connected to Vivian, but no one wants us involved so, I guess we’re wasting our time and we may as well get on with the real investigation.”

  Rattling and clattering rose around the kitchen.

  “As cold as it is,” Jonah said, stepping away from one of the cupboards as it banged in his ear. “I think we should move this conversation outside before things get worse in here.”

  Kaylyn nodded in agreement, quickly stuffing the equipment back into the bag. “I’ll take cold over Vivian any day.”

  Jonah scoffed and helped Kaylyn pack. Then she zipped up the bag and threw it over her shoulder before Jonah could complain.

  “Got it,” she said, heading for the door.

  Cole paused and looked toward the doorway Dan had taken earlier. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  Leaving her to wrap things up, Leon, Kaylyn, and Jonah gathered around their vehicles. It was barely mid-morning, and although the sun was rising in the sky, it only provided the faintest touch of warmth.

  “You really think it’s a good idea to leave them like this?” Leon asked.

  Kaylyn leaned against the front bumper of Leon’s truck. “I think it’ll get far worse if we try to interfere. You should have seen the kitchen earlier. Vivian has never been a huge fan of Cole anyway, she dislikes me more, but that’s not saying much.”

  “And all of this has something to do with the last case y’all worked?” Leon asked.

  “Worked isn’t exactly the term I’d use for it, but, yeah. The entity that was after me was responsible for Todd’s disappearance. And all of that led to Cole telling Dan the truth. As he demonstrated, he’s not taking it too well. I’m not sure how much the rest of the family knows, but I suspect at this point....” She stared up at the house and shook her head.

  Leon leaned in next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders and propping his foot up against the front of the truck. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “That’s not even the half of it,” Kaylyn said quietly, tucking her arms around herself and rolling her foot in the gravel of the driveway. She glanced up at the front door, before speaking again. “Cole said she doesn’t blame me, but everything is different now. We went to work out yesterday because I thought it’d give us a chance to reconnect—she never mentioned anything was going on here beyond the usual. Although, there were some other things that got in the way of conversing.”

  “You look exhausted, Kaylyn—” Jonah began, but her pointed look cut him off before he dared continue.

  “So do you, boss. But you’re still standing here doing what you do.”

  “We’re all fucking stubborn beyond common sense,” Leon said with a snort. “What are they thinking leaving us all in the same office?”

  “Probably that we’ll self-destruct. Or no one else wants to deal with us.”

  “All of the above,” Kaylyn agreed.

  Leon nodded to the door and scuffed his boot through the gravel. “Think she’s ever coming back out?”

  No one responded, and although the cold initially felt good on his back, the longer they stood, the more the ache intensified. Just as Jonah was beginning to wonder if someone would have to go back in and check on his missing employee, Cole appeared at the door.

  “Sorry,” she called, jogging down the driveway. “I didn’t mean to drag you all here for nothing. Are you ready to hit the farmhouse, Kay?”

  Kaylyn put her hands up and shrugged. “I think we should get the boss back home first. Unless he’s intent on following us around the farmhouse, too.”

  “You’re certain it’s a poltergeist?”

  “Everything fits. I can’t be entirely sure without an investigation, but I’d say that once Vivian calms down things will go back to normal.”

  “Well, if you two are stubborn enough to head out to the farmhouse, keep in touch. And, since it doesn’t appear that I’m going to be any help here, I’m grabbing some lunch and heading back to the office. You ladies be careful,” Leon patted Kaylyn’s shoulder, then pointed to Jonah. “And I hope not to see you anywhere near the office tomorrow. I know you’re antsy, but take a break. I do believe you’ve earned it.”

  Earning it wasn’t the issue. Convincing himself to stay home and not worry about his new position and staff was.

  Chapter 15

  Eager to take her mind off her own problems, she settled next to Kaylyn on the living room floor, peeking over her sister’s shoulder to see the unopened emails from Gina that waited in Kaylyn’s inbox. Kaylyn clicked the first of the emails, with an attached video clip of the attic window sliding open unaided.

  Kaylyn made a sound in her throat and replayed the video, enlarging it to full screen. “Looks like we missed lots of goodies while we were running down Miranda.”

  “Let’s hope this speeds the investigation along.”

  They watched as the video played through their efforts to close the window. As soon as they exited the room, the window twitched upward again before slamming closed and shattering. The images didn’t provide any clues on what had caused the disturbance, but it proved that no person did it. Nor was it a natural occurrence.

  The next email contained a clip of the living room. It seemed to have been recorded while Kaylyn and Cole were running around searching for the noise. Neither girl appeared on screen, but the creaking of their footsteps and the shrill sound were audible.

  Cole began to wonder if that was the only point of the video until the TV suddenly turned off. “Okay,” she drawled, “I hadn’t noticed that while we were running around.”

  “Have you ever seen a ghost perform this well for the camera?”

  “Too easy.” She shook her head. There was so much evidence piling up, but none of it explained a damn thing. Nearly every report and personal experience was backed up, but they didn’t have a single thread to pull that might lead them to a solution. “What about the last message?”

  Kaylyn opened the final video captioned “the big one.” It was from the camera they’d set up to cover the second-floor hallway.

  Cole leaned in to watch the dark screen, but Kaylyn stiffened and edged away from the computer.

  On screen, Kaylyn stopped at the end of the hallway and looked up as soon as a dark figure passed in front of the lens.

  “You did see something,” Cole exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Not only had Kaylyn noticed it but they caught it on camera. “Apparently we should have set up more cameras on the second floor.”

  Kaylyn sat quietly, replaying the video and holding her stomach.

  “Why aren’t you more excited?” Cole asked. They finally had something definitive—something that clearly showed that there was a humanoid entity of some kind in the house.

  Her sister tapped the keyboard and frowned. “I don’t think it’s really anything.”

  “That”—Cole pointed for emphasis—“is a shadow person.”

  “Or your shadow,” Kaylyn said without looking up.

  “Bullshit. Why would you jump up and chase my shadow into the very room the noise was coming from?”

  Kaylyn snapped the laptop closed and glared up at Cole. “It has nothing to do with the case.”

  Cole frowned, waiting with one hand propped on her hip and eyebrows raised for a better explanation. Kaylyn had seen it, but passed it off as intuition, and now she was trying to explain it away.

  “It’s um....” Kaylyn wrung her hands in her lap then shook them out. “It’s a spirit, but it’s not from this house.”

  For an instant, Cole felt light-headed, and she knelt so that she
was eye to eye with her sister. “Your mom?”

  “No,” Kaylyn said weakly.

  “So, like a guardian spirit? Why didn’t you say anything?” Cole shrieked, jumping back to her feet. There were so many possibilities bubbling over in her brain that she couldn’t stay still. “What else has she, or it, or whatever told you?”

  “Not much.”

  “The journal,” Cole exclaimed pointing at Kaylyn.

  Kaylyn shook her head, but she looked pale and distant. “I um... I saw a residual image—watched Miranda hide it there.”

  Cole took a deep breath and calmed herself. Whatever her sister was seeing, she wasn’t ready to talk about it. But there was no way to hide this kind of thing from cases for long, and it could obviously come in handy.

  “Kaylyn intuition 2.0,” Kaylyn tapped her temple. “I didn’t know how to explain it.” Ruffling her hands through her hair, Kaylyn groaned and rose to her feet.

  “Does Jonah know?”

  Kaylyn leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “He knows I sometimes see things because he was with me the first time it happened. And I’m sorry, but I don’t really have any other information, just a throbbing headache, and a nauseated stomach.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered, finally settling. “Would you like a glass of water?”

  “That’d be great.” Kaylyn rubbed her hands over her face and turned toward the front window.

  Cole slipped into the kitchen, grabbed a small glass from the dish drainer, and turned on the cold water, letting it run for a few seconds to make sure it was cool. She flicked her hand under the stream to check, and her hand buzzed with an electric shock. “What the hell?” she yelled, as the glass she’d held shattered into the sink.

  Kaylyn ran into the kitchen.

  “The water shocked the shit out of me.” Cole gestured toward the faucet.

  Kaylyn’s eyes widened, but turned without a word and returned a few seconds later with a current tester. It wouldn’t tell them how powerful the charge was, but they’d know for sure if one was present. Kaylyn stuck the prongs in the water and the light blinked.