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“Well, I’m pretty sure it’s the second kind.”

Fuck. A desire for justice or revenge.

All signs point to the fact that poor Jonathan and the other ghosts haunting the place didn’t die a natural death.

With that, the music cuts out, and just as suddenly as they appeared, Jonathan and the phantom disco ball are gone.

“Bloody hell,” I mutter, running a hand over my face. “This is getting more complicated by the minute.”

My mouth sets in a grim line. “We need to find out more about whatever the hell used to be here and how these poor souls perished.”

Beau bites his bottom lip, worry reflected in his eyes. “He said something else.”

“What?”

His voice comes out in a shaky whisper. “The door wouldn’t open. We couldn’t get out.”

CHAPTER

EIGHT

On tonight’s episode, I’ll be talking about the science versus paranormal debate when it comes to the supernatural.

Anyone involved in the study of the supernatural has probably found themselves embroiled in one of these often quite heated discussions. Now, I want to preface things by saying that I’m not anti-science whatsoever. Scientific inquiry has led to a lot of important progress for humanity.

However, I don’t believe every single phenomenon can be measured or assessed using scientific method. Indeed, how does one measure that which exists neither fully here nor fully elsewhere? Spirits that manifest in this realm reside on a plane that is a kind of in-between space. That’s why only some folks can see and hear them.

Let’s talk about a few well-known cases when this debate has come up…

—Beau’s Boos and Beyond, Episode 10

Beau

Bright and early the next morning, Callum and I head to the City of Westminster Archives Centre.

“How can I help you?” asks a bespectacled, middle-aged archivist with a name tag that reads Jane.

Callum provides the current address of Salon de Spin, and Jane asks, “Has the street always been called that?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

She favors me with a kind smile. “Certain street names and numbering have changed in the city over time.” She studies the address and nods to herself. “Let’s try looking at a modern street index and then compare it with an older one. We’ll see if things line up.”

She pulls the current one up on her computer and then an older one from the 1950s and points at her screen. “See here, the street name stayed the same, but the numbers of the address don’t quite match.”

Callum frowns. “Will that create a problem in finding out more about the location’s history?”

“Not necessarily. Wait a moment while I go and pull a larger Ordnance Survey map for us to use for comparison.”

We follow her over to a large table where she tells us to wait while she disappears behind the counter and into the back rooms. About ten minutes later, she reappears and lays a large map out on the table.

“This is a map from the early nineties.”

Using a magnifying glass, she helps us locate the address. On this map, it’s simply a blank rectangle labeled car park.

I try not to laugh, remembering my parking lot versus car park moment the other day.

Callum nods. “We heard that there might have been a car park here before the current building was erected, so it’s helpful to confirm that, but we don’t know how long the car park was there.”