“Something interesting?” Susan came up to stand beside him. She was the mother of the Cape May chief of police and close in age to Erik’s own mom.
“It’s not just our ghosts who are upset. Even if I can’t see them, I know the local spirits are jittery.”
Cape May, New Jersey, was famous for its history, architecture, and haunted places. While visitors enjoyed ghost tours and the occasional sighting, to those who lived here, the spirits were just a different kind of neighbor.
“You have a two o’clock appointment coming up,” Susan reminded him. “Mr. Thompson has an antique ring he wants to get appraised for sale.”
“Did he say anything else about it?” Erik asked. Sometimes the antiques they handled came without supernatural baggage, but more often than not, the pieces had a hidden story and a complicated past.
“Just that he was hoping to come to an agreement today. I guess he needs the money.” Susan shrugged.
Or it’s causing him trouble,Erik thought.
By the time Thompson arrived, Erik was ready. He decided to err on the side of caution and assume the ring was actively or maliciously haunted. That meant doing the appraisal warded against dark supernatural energies.
Erik had also set out a cloth on the table that was blessed and woven with silver threads, and had a pair of gloves made of the same material so he didn’t have to handle the ring with bare skin. A box covered with protective runes sat nearby, ready to hold the ring until Erik could put it in the spelled safe for one of his contacts to deal with safely.
A thin, middle-aged, balding man entered the shop and glanced around. He looked haggard and his clothing was rumpled and coffee-stained. His gaze settled on Erik. “Are you the owner? I’m Bill Thompson.”
Erik nodded. “I’m Erik Mitchell. Please, come in.” He ushered Thompson into the break room and gestured for him to sit down at the table across from the protective cloth.
“Tell me about your ring,” Erik said.
Thompson glanced from side to side as if he were afraid of being overheard. “You’re going to think I’m nuts.”
“I promise that I won’t,” Erik assured him. “You’d be surprised at what items come into an antique shop, especially one like ours.”
“I heard that you handleproblempieces. Is that true?”
Erik shrugged. “I guess it depends on the type of problem. Haunted or with a tinge of supernatural energy, yes. Questionable provenance or uncertain legality, no.”
“It’s not stolen,” Thompson said hurriedly. “Nothing like that. But ever since I brought the damn thing home, it’s been like one of those poltergeist movies. Things move from place to place on their own. Books fall over when no one’s near. A coffee cup exploded. And I feel like I’m being watched.”
Thanks to Haley just cleansing the area and strengthening the protections, those effects were muted, but Erik once again sensed nearby spirits that were much less agreeable than the shop’s resident ghosts.
“What would you like to do?” Erik asked.
“Throw it in a volcano, like in that movie,” Thompson replied without humor. “Sell it to you if you’ll buy. I’d be happy to get a fraction back of what I paid just to be rid of the damn thing.”
“Go ahead and set the ring on the cloth,” Erik instructed as he pulled on the gloves. “I can’t resell it. But I can make sure it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
The ring tumbled out of the box Thompson withdrew from his pocket, a pretty circlet of silver with tiny carved runes that Erik was certain invoked magic of some sort. It was old but not particularly valuable for craftsmanship, although he wondered about the provenance.
Erik quickly put the ring into the spelled containment bag and felt the energy in the room ease. “Do you know anything about its history?”
Thompson shook his head. “No. I saw it at a swap meet that I went to a few days ago. A lady with a table had all kinds of baubles, and it caught my eye. I asked about it because it looked old, and she said it had belonged to several powerful women in her family, and it was time to pass it on.”
“Did you get a business card?” Erik asked, although he suspected he already knew the answer.
“No. It was an impulse buy. And when the weird things started to happen and I went back, she was gone, and no one knew how to contact her,” Thompson said ruefully.
“She took advantage of you. It’s not your fault,” Erik said. “I’ll make sure the ring never causes problems for anyone else.”
“How much can you give me for it?” Thompson asked.
Erik shook his head. “I can’t resell it, so I can’t pay you for it. But I can dispose of it safely and permanently.”
Thompson bit his lip, clearly having a silent argument with himself. Finally, he sighed.
