Hemingway's Ghost (7 page)

“Sure will, Sarge. I appreciate you stopping by.”

“If you do get any insight as to why he did it, be sure to let me know. It’ll help me sleep at night.”

“Of course,” Bumby murmured.

After Sergeant Cohn left, after the museum gates were closed and the old estate lay still and quiet in the night, Bumby moved the writing desk and then the rug aside, and descended into the basement, into his real writing room, the solitary desk surrounded by the secret relics of the man who was, in Bumby’s opinion, the greatest writer who has ever lived.

Bumby didn’t go to his chair and brand new computer. Instead he pulled Champ’s Ouija Board off the top of one of the bookshelves, and set it on the floor. He warmed up the planchette, then asked the question he always asked first.

“Are you there?”

I spelled out,—
OF COURSE-

“Do you think Cohn suspects anything?”

-HE IS CLEVER—
I said,
—BUT HE WILL NEVER KNOW AND I WILL WATCH HIM-

Bumby swallowed. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, are you sure you’re not upset about your son?”

I enjoyed watching Bumby’s pathetic squirming.—
OF COURSE NOT HE IS WITH ME NOW-

Bumby exhaled with relief. “Good. Because I didn’t have a choice, you know. I didn’t mean to.”

I let him stew in his own filthy guilt, and didn’t bother to tell him that it had worked out perfectly, because my son had cancer and was dying. In fact, I couldn’t have planned it better: my secret was safe, the counter ritual remained hidden within the bookshelves, some of those disgusting impersonators were disposed of in the process, and I had found the perfect successor, someone as obsessive as I once was.

Of course, even
I
shuddered to think at the things I would do to Bumby to avenge my son, once Bumby’s day arrived and I could reach him.

Bumby said, with a childlike nervousness, “Can I talk to him tonight? Please?”

-JUST FOR A MINUTE-

One day the fool might figure out that he can contact him directly from the grounds, and that I can’t intervene, which is how they reached him in the first place. A nasty little quirk in the ritual over which I have no control.

“Ernest?” Bumby said, and I faded into the background to watch.

-YES-

“Nice to hear you tonight.”

-HELP ME-

“I’m sorry, you know how much I love you, but I can’t yet. I haven’t figured out how.”

-YOU MUST-

“I’ll help you one day,” Bumby whispered. “I promise.”

-PLEASE-

“Now,” Bumby said, having to grit his teeth to block out the guilt, “let’s discuss that troublesome paragraph in chapter three again. I can’t seem to get it quite right.”

Hemingway’s ghost wailed, and the last doe-eyed tourists still standing outside the closed gates, trying to absorb the essence of the great man himself, mistook the spectral cry for the whisper of the breeze through the palms.

In addition to writing, Layton Green was a practicing attorney for the better part of a decade. He has also traveled to more than fifty countries, and has been an intern for the United Nations, an ESL teacher in Central America, a bartender in London, a seller of cheap knives on the streets of Brixton, a door to door phone book deliverer, and the list goes downhill from there.

Layton is also the Kindle bestselling author of
The Summoner
, the first work in a globe-hopping suspense series whose protagonists investigate the world’s most bizarre and dangerous cults. See below for more information on
The Summoner
, and please visit Layton at
www.laytongreen.com
for a free sample and more. Look for
The Immortalist
, the next novel in the Dominic Grey series, coming soon.

The Summoner

A United States diplomat disappears in front of hundreds of onlookers while attending a religious ceremony in the bushveld of Zimbabwe.

Dominic Grey, Diplomatic Security special agent, product of a violent childhood and a worn passport, is assigned to investigate. Aiding the investigation is Professor Viktor Radek, religious phenomenologist and expert on cults, and Nya Mashumba, the local government liaison.

What Grey uncovers is a terrifying cult older than Western civilization, the harsh underbelly of a country in despair, a priest seemingly able to perform impossibilities, and the identity of the newest target.

Himself…

The Summoner
is available in paperback, as well as on Kindle, Nook and other e-book distributors.

Praise for
The Summoner

“Favorite book of the year so far.”

—
A Novel Source

“
The Summoner
is one of those books that make you want to turn on all the lights in your house and lock the doors…The settings are authentic and you can feel and smell the countryside…This is a wonderful read for those who enjoy both suspense and action stories.”

—
Seattle
Post-Intelligencer

“I moved a little outside my comfort zone with
The Summoner
, and I am glad I did. A blend of action, history, anthropology, thrills, and chills, all delivered with a mature, polished voice. I am eager for more from this author.”

—Scott Nicholson, Bestselling Author

“Layton Green has written a tale with supernatural and political undertones that unravels with ever increasing suspense…The book is plain terrific.”

—Richard Marek, former President and Publisher of E.P. Dutton

“[T]his book is above and beyond in its narrative, its cohesiveness, the depth of its characters and the quality of the writing. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read for Odyssey Reviews.”

—
Odyssey Reviews
(Winner—
Odyssey Review’s
Award of Indie Excellence
)

“[C]alls to mind such series as Jason Bourne and Indiana Jones, with supernatural/religious overtones thrown in. I recommend
The Summoner
to anyone looking for a suspense-filled journey into a unique—and at times, terrifying—culture that’ll keep you guessing.”

—
Bookhound’s Den

“Yes, I did put TWO Five Stars up there…giving Green’s
The Summoner
Five stars and Five stars alone downplays how I felt about this book…BUY THIS BOOK.”

—
1000 + Books To Read

“Mystical, complicated, completely believable and terrifying…[w]ith an ending that will catapult you out of your reading chair. Riveting.”

—
The Review Broads

“Green writes like a dream. Dominic Grey is a fascinating protagonist, and his quest for justice in the heart of a troubled African city gripped me from start to finish.
The Summoner
also beautifully captures Zimbabwe’s diverse and conflicting landscapes—both urban and rural, ancient and modern. The result is a fast-paced and searing narrative that offers a glimpse into a world of religion, politics, and culture few could imagine. The next installment of Green’s suspenseful storytelling and Grey’s next journey can’t come soon enough!”

—Melody Moezzi, Award-winning Author,
War on Error