ONE
ERIK
Acold draft made Erik Mitchell shiver, right before a glass tottered off the edge of the break room counter and shattered on the floor.
“Stop that,” he said to the empty room. “What’s wrong with you today?”
“What happened?” Susan Hendricks, his assistant, came in from where she was watching the store. She stopped in the doorway and saw the broken glass. “Oh dear. I’ll get the dustpan.” She headed for the closet.
“It’s the ghosts. They’re more restless than usual.” Erik took the brush and pan from her and swept up the mess, then dumped it in the trash can. “Can you feel it?”
Susan frowned for a moment, taking stock. “I feel more jittery than usual, like I ate too much sugar. Does that count?”
“Everyone’s different.” Erik wasn’t a medium, but he could sense ghosts and see them when conditions were right. “I feel like I’m in the room with someone who’s wound up to the breaking point, only there’s no one around.”
“Is it a full moon? Isn’t that supposed to power up ghosts?” Susan took back the brush and pan and put them in the closet.
“Among other things.” Erik grabbed his cup of coffee and turned to give a stern look to the empty room. “Behave.”
In response, the plastic bottle of dish soap fell into the sink, although it hadn’t been near the edge.
“We haven’t had any new pieces come in that you haven’t vetted,” Susan said as they walked back into the shop. Trinkets had a long and storied history in Cape May for being a place to find high-quality antiques or sell valuable heirlooms. It also had a well-established but quieter reputation for being the place to go to get help with cursed or haunted objects.
Sometimes taking in an object that had supernatural residue without containing it properly led to an unruly spirit or bad energy. “Anything that might be a problem is warded and in the safe,” Erik replied. “But I’ve been feeling drafts all morning, and I can sense presences even if I can’t see or hear them.”
“Give Monty a call.” Susan named a friend who was a spirit medium. “He can probably tell you if there’s a bad moon on the rise, and stop in to send the spooks on their way.”
“We usually don’t have any problem with the long-timers,” Erik mused. The shop had a long history of handling magical, cursed, haunted, and supernatural objects. A few ghosts chose to hang around, and Erik didn’t mind so long as they didn’t cause damage or upset customers or staff.
“Then there’s probably something going on,” Susan replied. “He’ll know.”
Susan stayed up front in case a customer walked in, and Erik returned to the break room for privacy and placed the call.
Monty Clark answered on the second ring. “Hey, Erik. What’s up?”
“Hi, Monty. Is there a reason the ghosts are restless? The shop spirits are usually quiet, but they’re in a mood today.”
“I’ve heard that from a lot of people recently, and we’re seeing that here at the lighthouse. Even Jon is fidgety.” Montywas the resident keeper of the Cape May Light, where he lived with his ghostly lover, Jon.
“Does Jon know why?”
“No, and that worries me a little,” Monty said. “It’s more than the usual full moon energy. My bet is that either someone with strong psychic abilities just came to town, or there’s a new object that is causing the effect. But those are just educated guesses. I’m sorry that I don’t have answers.”
“I know you can’t leave the lighthouse,” Erik said. “Is there someone you recommend who might be able to get our ghosts to chill a little?”
“Actually, yes,” Monty said. “Haley Connor. She moved to Cape May a few months ago, and she’s a very gifted—and powerful—spirit medium. She’s the real deal. Séances, dispelling troublesome ghosts, un-haunting objects.”
“Sounds perfect,” Erik replied. “If she checks out with you, that’s good enough for me.”
“She gave me a business card. Here’s her scheduling number.” Monty read off the digits, and Erik made a note. “Tell her I sent you.”
“Will do. Hope you and Jon have a good evening,” Erik said as he ended the call and entered Haley’s number.
He was surprised when Haley picked up right away. “Spirited Outlook, this is Haley Connor. How can I help you?”
“I’m Erik Mitchell at Trinkets. Monty Clark recommended you. We don’t usually have a problem with our resident ghosts, but they’ve been unsettled today, and I was hoping that you could help.”
“It’s been quite the day for that,” Haley said. “And before you ask, I don’t know what’s got the spirits riled up, but it’s widespread. Are you in danger?”
