Erik knew from his research that the dome at the Commodore Wilson had a 27-foot diameter and eight individual panels, like the slices of a pie.
“That’s it,” Erik said, excited that his hunch had paid off. “Anything dangerous like a collapsed ceiling?”
Ghosts could come and go despite the condition of the warehouse, but Erik and his friends had vulnerable human bodies.
“It does not look like anyone has been inside for a long time. Nothing has collapsed, but I cannot speak to safety,”Haley answered.
“How about a way in and out?” Ben added.
“There are large overhead doors on one end in addition to a couple of standard doors. The driveway is covered with debris.”Haley’s voice took on a dreamy quality that wasn’t part of her normal tone. She opened her eyes and gave a full-body shudder as the ghost left her.
“Thank you,” Haley said to the spirit, fully herself again. “Would you like to pass over now?” she asked the ghost.
Ben and Erik couldn’t see what actually happened, but Erik envisioned a doorway of light. In his mind’s eye, he saw the spirit walk through the opening and vanish as the glow dimmed.
“Did you get what you needed?” Alessia asked as Haley drank a glass of water and nibbled a cookie to replenish after channeling the ghost.
“Yes. The good news is that those crates sound exactly like what I’d expect for the dome, and it doesn’t seem like anyone has bothered them in thirty years,” Erik replied.
“And the bad news?” Ben prompted.
“There are a lot of them, and they’re going to be awkward and heavy as well. It’s going to take a full-sized semi-trailer truck. Since no one has tended the property in a long time, the driveway to the storage area has storm debris,” Erik said.
“At least you know for certain that they’re where you thought,” Alessia said.
“Thank you both so much for everything,” Erik replied. “We’ll let you know how it goes.” With that, he ended the video call, promising to get together soon for lunch, without mobsters or the impending end of the world.
“I’m guessing that Rowan and Donnelly could use magic to clear the driveway,” Ben said. “As for the containers, let them know about the dimensions and weight, and they’ll figure it out.”
Erik sent a text to Cassidy, knowing she would let the rest of the team know. He looked up at Ben. “How about you? Find more footage?”
Ben brought his laptop over and sat down next to Erik. He had several windows open and pulled up the first one.
“Here’s a flyover from four months ago,” Ben said. “Other than the storm that just finished, there haven’t been a lot of high winds to bring down branches or trees. You can make out theservice drive here.” He pointed with a pencil. “It doesn’t look like there are large pieces blocking it.”
He switched windows on his screen. “Here’s a video from some explorers who got inside the main hotel.” The clip was only about ten minutes long, and the dark surroundings made it difficult to pick up details.
“Ignore the chatter,” Ben instructed. “The important thing is that they didn’t seem to be dodging holes in the floor or fallen ceilings. That bodes well if we need to go inside, though I’m thinking we may just need to enter the storage building.”
A couple more exploration videos revealed a remarkably well-preserved interior, despite mold and cobwebs. Shaky cameras and breathless voice-overs were part of the deal for the amateur explorers or paranormal investigators.
“Any self-respecting ghost would have stayed hidden,” Erik observed.
“Look here.” Ben pointed. “I think this is the stained-glass corridor dome you mentioned.”
The videos were shot at night, so no daylight streamed in through the glass. Instead, someone shone a bright spotlight onto the narrow dome while the camera zoomed in.
“It’s actually in pretty good shape, considering,” Erik remarked. “I hope that the video doesn’t give looters or vandals any ideas.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Ben agreed. “But the original stained-glass archway backs up your theory on why the old owner wanted to add the dome from the Commodore Wilson.”
“Too bad he couldn’t pull it off,” Erik said. “It would have been spectacular.”
They made sandwiches and ate a quick lunch, then opted for some sleep since it would be a late night. They were both keyedup about the evening’s work, so they were content to kiss and cuddle but not take it further.
Erik slept hard enough that he felt disoriented when he woke a few hours later. They still had time before they were due to meet Sorren and the others, so Erik went to make an early dinner while Ben checked email.
His phone buzzed, and a message from Sorren gave an estimated arrival time, as well as confirmation of the meeting point behind Weston Hall. A picture of a semi-truck made Erik feel better about the logistics, and he hoped the vehicle came with a forklift and crew. They’d managed to get the dome into the warehouse, so it had to be possible to move it out.
