Unsettled Graves: A Crossroads of Kings Mill Novel (The Crossroads of Kings Mill Book 3) (3 page)

              She had a good job and a new outlook, but love…nah. Tonya didn’t need that to make herself into the person she wanted to be. Right now, love was overrated.

#

              “Do you recommend using EVPs or infrared in research?” Tonya asked Vickie Synder, looking up over her cup of tea.

              “EVPs?” April Branford’s, great aunt gasped. “That’s blasphemy!”  The older woman who reminded Tonya of a version of what Katherine Hepburn must’ve been like, sat forward.

              “Do you not know your gift is beyond any mechanical nonsense they use in those shows? If half of those shows had any truth behind them, they would have a clairvoyant to see them through.”

              “But what about the electrical energy? The spirits are drawn to the power to help them manifest.”

              “Tonya, the spiritual world is drawn to vibrant energy patterns, but we each have that within us. We hone our energy and share it with the spirits.” Vickie soothed. She looked puzzled for a moment. “Think of it in a medical sense. Would you rather have every medication that can have odd effects on your physical and mental state induced into your body, or the natural healing of touch and holistic herbs…to heal the body the right way?”

              Tonya still battled with both the scientific and the ritualistic world. She wasn’t Wicca, Christian, Catholic, or even Atheist. She wasn’t sure where she fell in the great scheme of religion, but accepted, or rather “co-existed” as her bumper sticker on her car read.

              Vickie believed in homeopathic cures and that was fine for her. Tonya believed in them to some extent, too. She rode the fence between the old ways and new technology, but she came here for these sessions because Vickie had insisted on them. The lady had the uncanny ability to sense auras in people. Even though she left most people alone, Tonya had become her pet project after the incident a year ago with Millie. Vickie had insisted on weekly sessions for guidance.

              “So ghosts are more susceptible to respond to a more
natural
energy?” Tonya asked.

              “Well yes, of course. They can sense a person’s natural radiance. They are drawn to it like a magnet. You don’t have to go looking for them, they come to you seeking your energy.”

              “So they can manifest?” Tonya wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the powers behind her gift. She’d accepted her ability in one form or another, even if her mother hadn’t. She’d always had fun with the ghosts she’d encountered. But last year’s incident with Millie proved how extreme of a gift she had.

              Vickie’s narrowed eyes and far off gaze showed a side of the woman still uncertain on various metaphysical topics. “I don’t know if they want to manifest so much as to just belong in the living world, or better yet…understand why and where they are.”

              “Is there a reason? Could their uncertainty be based on a curse or perhaps unfinished business? I think with all the activity within Kings Mill lately, we have quite a few unsettled ghosts.”

              “That is the question, isn’t it, Tonya?” Vickie sat forward, gazing steadily over the rim of her tea cup. “Why are they so unsettled? Why here in and around Kings Mill? It’s as if this area might be a crossroads of sorts.”

              “Are you telling me you don’t know?” It wasn’t like the older woman not to know for certain anything about the metaphysical aspects of the paranormal world. Maybe Vickie didn’t know as much as Tonya thought she did. Metaphysics and paranormal entities were baffling to most people. There were usually no clear, concise evidence to prove or disprove events.

              “Anything is a possibility. Only those who live within the realm are certain.”

              Tonya let the conversation end. She wasn’t all the comfortable with Miss Vickie’s lack of focus and uncertainty. She was here to learn and right now her mentor was freaking her out as she wore an odd smile on her face as she continued to stare over her shoulder.

              Afraid to encounter a ghostly apparition, she slowly turned around. There was nothing there that she could sense, but Vickie’s eyes never strayed and her smile remained. It was time to call it a night.

Camden woke early. He wasn’t quite sure why, but the sense of unease settled around him. Nothing he could pinpoint just an odd feeling of being alone. Not him necessarily, he didn’t mind the quiet solitude and knew it would be short-lived in an hour or two. No, this was almost as if he sensed someone else’s loneliness inside of him.

You’re losing it, Cam. Your conscious is playing havoc on your mind.

He showered and dressed in the khaki slacks and sport shirt for the historical society. With nothing substantial in his kitchen he decided to leave early and get something at the Coffee Nut, a small bistro and coffee house, on his way to work.

At eight-thirty, he stepped outside to head to work. Just being outside had him sweating. Humidity from the morning dew made for a sticky, heavy atmosphere, but as he rode his bike down the bike path and over the wooden bridge crossing the shallow ravine, he was struck with a cold chill.

The mist hanging over the scrub brush and moat-like foliage below the bridge made the temperature drop a good ten degrees. Fine blond hairs stood straight up on his arms and the back of his neck as the fog rose to surround him.

Dampness coated his skin as he penetrated the veil of mist. Its thick consistency prevented him from seeing the other end of the bridge clearly. A small figure appeared before him in the shadowy mass. The dirty, baggy clothes and shock of red hair, he knew who it was. The kid from the pool last night. He squeezed the hand brakes, nearly tossing himself over the handle bars of the bicycle. Camden swerved to the far right of the bridge to keep from hitting the boy. He stopped short, adjusting the bike under him for control.

“Hey, kid!” he called out. “I almost hit you.”

The kid didn’t say anything, only stood there looking at him with that oddly blank stare.

“You need to be more careful of where you’re going. One side or the other. Walking down the middle of a foggy path is just asking for trouble.” Camden sighed when the kid still didn’t respond.

Getting off of his bike, he turned to lean it up against the iron bridge railing before confronting the kid on his own level. When Camden turned back around, the kid was gone.

There wasn’t anywhere for him to go, though. The bridge was fairly narrow and long. Camden could see through the mist just enough to know that the kid hadn’t run down the way he’d just come from or in the opposite way. The only thing he might’ve been able to do was slip between the iron slats of the bridge and hid underneath, but not likely. The bridge was too narrow and the horizontal beam across the middle of the slats would’ve made it impossible for him to crawl under.

So where did the kid go? Camden looked around again, taking time to analyze all probabilities and not a damn one made sense. It was like the kid just vanished into thin air. Or maybe he wasn’t even there and Camden had been hallucinating. He didn’t do drugs. His stomach growled, twisting a knot within him. More than likely he was seeing things due to a drop in blood sugar levels. He glanced at his watch. Damn! He might not have time to grab a bite before work now.

#

“You’re late,” Tonya whispered as Camden walked in with a cardboard coffee carrier and a paper bag of Coffee Nut’s fresh made crullers. The warm, yeasty smell surrounded by sweet glaze…

“Will you give me a pass in exchange for a cup of coffee and donuts?”

Camden’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously as he sat down and opened the bag, waving a decadent pastry in front of her. Tonya’s nose twitched. She had sworn off sweets and told herself she was going to get back into her size eight jeans before hopefully attending William & Mary this fall. The complacency of having a steady boyfriend since her senior year in high school wreaked havoc on her waistline.

“You are an evil, evil man.” She watched longingly as he waved the pastry, teasing her and then taking a bite out of it, releasing the intensity of the warm aroma. The fruit smoothie she’d had earlier didn’t seem quite as appealing. “Fine. Give me one and I’ll say you were in the bathroom before reporting in. But only if you have coffee for me, too.”

“As you wish.” He produced the other cup of coffee with a flourish along with a whole cruller of her own. “I didn’t know what you like in your coffee, so I just grabbed a bunch of stuff.” Camden tossed packets of sugars, sweeteners and little tubs of various flavored creamers onto the table. “So am I evil now?”

Tonya mulled over his question. Sure, on one hand he might be. After yesterday’s lunch and now ruining her diet…he was the very devil. But even the devil has a charming side. “I’ll let you know what my scale says next week at weigh-in.”

They ate and drank coffee as they went over the day’s workload. There wasn’t a whole bunch to do, so on slow days Tonya made a point of updating and cataloging any history that hadn’t been added to the computer system since the historical society move over a year ago.

“So what is there to do around Kings Mill on a weekend?”

The odd conversation broke into the third hour of the morning as they’d been quietly pouring over old files, preparing them for documentation into the computer system.

              Tonya shrugged. “Most of the town folks hang out downtown or go to the Old Mill.”

              “What about you? What do you do on the weekends?”

              “Depends. Sometimes I volunteer at the Old Mill as part of the characterization. Other times, I hike up to Cunningham Falls or take in a part of the Appalachian Trail nearby. Or I might watch a movie over in Frederick. It all depends.”

              “Sounds fun.” But the sneer in Camden’s voice and roll of his eyes told her he was being sarcastic.

              “What about Gettysburg? You ever go up there?”

              “Sure. I used to do ghost tours and investigations with friends of mine.”

              “Really? Don’t tell me you believe in that crap.”

              Okay, he could be a real asshole at times…regardless of his offerings of coffee and fresh crullers, or bribes as they had been.

              “And what if I do? You going to make fun of me and call me crazy?”

              “Ah…yeah.” He shook his head. “You watch those shows on TV, too? ‘Oooh, I feel cold. The hairs on my arms are standing up!’” He mimicked the television paranormal investigators. “Yeah, because you’re in an old, dark house scaring the shit out of yourself. And the
orbs
, yeah…whatever.”

              “Have you ever been on an investigation? Do you even know what they are about?” Tonya retaliated. This guy was being a major douche. He didn’t know anything.

              “Why? They’re all a hoax.”

              “Fine. Is that what you think?”

              “No. That’s what I know. There are no such thing as ghosts.”

              April took that moment to walk into the workroom. Tonya looked up at her as she moved behind Camden. The director of the historical society raised her eyebrow, having overheard the conversation.

              “Ghosts?” she asked.

              “Yes, Dr. Miles.” Camden sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Tonya seems to think that ghosts exist.”

              “Well, we don’t know if they do or not.” She shrugged.

              “There is no scientific proof to their existence. Only a crazy person would say they’re real.”

              April leaned down, propping herself at the end of the table with her fists, and narrowed her eyes at him. “Define crazy, Mr. Phillips?”

              That shut him up for a moment as his brows tightened from her scrutiny. Tonya fought hard to hold her laughter in and not to crack a smile. Of all people to declare that statement to. April Branford-Miles was married to the soul of a former ghost. Kings Mill’s founding father, to be exact.

              She handed Tonya a file. “Look this information over. We have a family needing a connection with a possible ancestor lost in the Battle of Monocacy. Can you drive over to Frederick and look into it this afternoon?”

“Sure. No problem, Dr. Miles.” Tonya examined the articles in the file, still trying not to get into a pissing match with Camden as April turned to leave.

“Oh, one more thing, Mr. Phillips,” April added, “you don’t have to be crazy to experience the dead…but it helps.”

#

              “Was Dr. Miles serious?” Camden asked as they drove to Frederick to check out the information over at Monocacy Battlefield.

              Tonya shrugged. “Who’s to know? Some people have the ability to interact with the deceased.”

              “So she was pulling my leg?”

              “Look, Camden, you either believe or you don’t. It’s no big deal.” She glanced at him briefly. “What I can’t stand is someone who is being a bigot about others abilities and beliefs, so I really don’t want to hear your bullshit about what other people might perceive as truth.”

              “No. You just want to believe in the fantasy world. I bet you believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, too.”

              Right when Tonya thought they might be able to get along, he goes and pulls this kind of negativity. She didn’t need or want this in her life. “Hey, I’m driving here. I could pull over and kick your ass out of my car.”

              “I’d like to see you try,” he challenged.

              Jerking the wheel over, she pulled off onto the shoulder of the road. “Get out.”

              “Whoa! I was kidding. You don’t have to go all batshit crazy on me.” Camden held his hands up in defense.

              “Get out.”

              “You’re serious. You are actually going to make me get out and walk?”

              “I’ll give you until the count of three before I come over there and haul your ass out.” She glared at him. Why did guys not take her seriously? Tony hadn’t believed her when she told him she was throwing all of his stuff he’d left at her house out the window if he didn’t come get it by the next day. She had…and every last CD, X-Box game and piece of clothing had been ruined in a rainstorm.

“One…two…” her hand was on the driver’s door.

              “Fine. Play your childish games. Believe in the boogeyman. I don’t give a shit. I’m out of here. You are crazy.”

              Camden stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind him. She sped off, spitting gravel from under the tires of her Hyundia Elantra. She looked in the rearview mirror to see him shielding himself from her dust. If he was smart he would use his cell phone GPS to realize he was only a half a mile away from the Monocacy Battlefield.

              She wasn’t crazy enough to leave him stranded in the middle of nowhere, she just wanted to make a point that people who didn’t take her seriously suffered the consequences. It was time she stood up for herself and her beliefs.

#

Stunned, Camden didn’t know what to think about Tonya. At first, he was pissed. He’d never had a girl treat him like that. He’d been all-star football player in high school, so he didn’t have a shortage of girls who threw themselves at him. Even his first two years in college, he’d made a name for himself with upper and under class females. Everyone liked him. So what beef did Tonya have with him?

But as he got out his phone and drew up his GPS, he had to appreciate her attitude. Yeah, he’d been a real pecker and he admired her grit to kick his ass out of her car…even though he was within walking distance from the battlefield location. He would give her kudos for her spirit.

Traffic was light this time of day so he was thankful not many people saw him doing the walk of shame down the side of the road. But Maryland wasn’t like home where everyone knew him and would stop to give him a lift.

“You had to make me walk during the hottest, most humid part of the day, didn’t you?” He began talking to himself, shaking his head at the thought of Tonya having done this to him as he made his way to the entrance of the national park.

The area was enclosed with a wooden fence capturing the feel of the Civil War era. The grassy fields were bare except for dots of monuments dedicated to fallen units of soldiers. Through the humid haze, he could make out the visitors center where Tonya was probably enjoying the air conditioned comfort and boasting to everyone she could about kicking him out of her car. Yeah, he’d be the laughing stock when he arrived. The joke of the day they would all tell family and friends around the dinner table tonight.

A group of re-enactors dressed in Confederate uniforms crossed the road up ahead. He waved at them, but no one returned his greeting. They were in character on a mission. He understood. Maybe he could ask some of them for help with his paper later. Camden waited and watched as the men walked across his path and over into the other field to disappear into the dense tree line off in the distance.

The modern museum building up ahead was a relief to see. After a few of the longest steps, he was inside. Finally, the cool air conditioning hit him, chilling the sweat rolling down his neck and back. The front lobby was empty, but he heard Tonya’s voice in the other room. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the archway, ready to give her a hard time for making him walk.