The Edge Of The Cemetery (9 page)

I took Lombard west toward Golden Gate Bridge, then cut through the Presidio, the Richmond District, and Golden Gate Park until I reached Lincoln Way, from there it was just a few blocks further. The drive took twenty minutes, but Calvin was clearly exhausted and had dozed off minutes after we got in the car.

As I pulled into the driveway, the garage door opened—obviously Eric was on watch, yet again, for our arrival. I drove into the deep cavernous space and parked. Eric's bright smile caught the meager light as Billy and Calvin came around from the passenger side. He shot his hand out in greeting. Calvin stepped back, but then timidly reached out and limply shook his hand.

Eric said, “Listen kid, I hear you need some down time. I've got a room all set for you…clean sheets and towels and a TV with three-hundred channels of nothing but crap to watch.” He winked at Calvin and his smile broadened. Calvin smiled back,
sort of
, but he did relax, and that was the important part.

Eric led us up a narrow stairwell that opened into a large hallway; from there we walked to the front of the house, where the main staircase was located. He waved his hand upwards. “Your room is the first door on the left…there's a bathroom right next to it. You hungry or thirsty or anything? I can make something up for you.”

Calvin shook his head and Billy said, “Thanks Eric, we just ate. But if you've got any bottled water he can take up with him….”

“You bet, be right back. Go on up and make yourself at home, Calvin.” He headed to the kitchen and Billy took Calvin by the arm and steered him up the staircase while I waited for Eric. He returned a minute later and glanced up the stairs, quietly saying, “So that's the killer kid? He doesn't look like he's got it in him.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You think that demon is anywhere nearby?”

“Honestly, Eric, that monster would be crazy to show up here; we'd take him out in a second. But we do need it to show up at some point. It's clearly one of the strongest and most dangerous we've come across, and it needs to go,” I said tiredly. “I'll take those up and be back down in a few minutes. Will you still be awake?”

He laughed lightly. “Not sure I'm going to be able to sleep with that kid in the house. From what I've heard, he's got some serious skills—using that demon's juice and all. I don't want to get caught off guard, know what I mean?”

I patted his shoulder. “Yeah, I do.”

I took the water and followed Billy and Calvin's path up the stairs. The door to the room Eric indicated was slightly ajar and light seeped out around it. As I approached, I could hear Billy and Calvin speaking in quiet tones. I knocked lightly and entered the room.

Calvin was standing next to the bed, staring down at the coverlet longingly.

“Here's your water, Calvin. You need anything else?” He shook his head. “Calvin, I know you're tired, but I need to ask you something, okay?”

Billy was now standing next to me and he looked at her for approval. She nodded and Calvin tilted his head in my direction.

“How did you find us tonight?”

His gaze darted between us, and finally he said, “A ghost, she came to me and told me you could help. She told me where you were.”

Billy and I exchanged glances, and she walked closer to Calvin and said, “When did she tell you this, Calvin?”

He shrugged absently and sat down on the bed…more like slumped onto the bed. “'Dunno, this morning I guess…she said to come to the city and she'd find me. And when I did she sent me to that street and showed me your car.” His words were beginning to slur and I decided we should let him sleep—we could interrogate him in the morning. I took Billy by the arm and led her to the door.

“You get some sleep, Calvin. We'll be downstairs if you need us, okay?” I said, trying to mimic Billy's gentle tone.

Out in the hallway, Billy said, “I don't want to leave him alone. What if that demon shows up?”

“I think he'll be okay…I think GG's around and watching over him.” I wanted to believe that was true, and then Billy smiled and pointed to Calvin's door.

GG stood like a sentry, her expression hard and firm. “Is everything okay?” I asked. She nodded and waved us away.

Billy and I found Eric downstairs in the large and comfortably furnished den, talking quietly on his cell phone. We both took a seat on one of the couches and waited for him to finish up his call.

When he was done, he sat on the couch opposite ours and said, “That was Aris. He wanted me to let him know when you guys got here, and he wanted to know what the kid's condition was.” He tilted his head upward and asked, “Is he asleep?”

I said, “Probably. He seemed pretty wiped out. Listen, Eric, you should know, we're not the only ones in the house. There's a ghost up there watching out for the kid.” Eric's eyes widened and I held my hand up. “She's a good ghost…she helped my mom when she was at Vokkel's institution, and she helped us fight Vokkel's surge a few months back.”

Eric relaxed. “Right, I heard about her….” He paused. “So did you call her here?”

I shook my head. “No, but she came to me the other day and more or less told me that she was here to help us with the kid…and according to Calvin, she came to him too, and convinced him to come and find us.”

Billy was nodding off beside me, and I looked at Eric and said, “Why don't you get some sleep? We'll stay down here and keep our ears open for the kid.”

Eric smiled and said, “Uh-uh, I'm staying right here with you two. That way if that demon shows up or the kid goes berserk, we'll be able to fight together.” He winked and pulled a throw blanket from the back of the couch, kicked his shoes off, and laid down; he was snoring lightly in a matter of minutes. So much for not being able to sleep with the kid in the house.

By now Billy had moved to the end of our sofa and curled into a fetal position, snoring softly too. There was another blanket on the couch behind me and I covered her with it, then put my feet on the coffee table and leaned my head back. I didn't think I'd sleep, but woke almost seven hours later to a stiff neck, the smell of coffee, and the sound of voices from somewhere in the house.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I made my way to the kitchen. Billy was seated at the table with Phil, Aris, and Carol. Eric and Pete were standing at the large island counter.

“Hey man, you're awake,” Phil said cheerfully. “I brought some bagels and Eric made coffee…help yourself.”

“Morning everyone.” I took Phil's suggestion and sat next to Billy. “Is he awake yet?” I asked. Billy shook her head. “Is GG still here?” She shrugged. Another one of GG's talents—actually, any super strong ghost or demon could do this—was deciding who saw her and who didn't. Billy may not have seen her this morning, but that didn't mean she wasn't here.

Aris turned to me and asked, “George, from what you've told me regarding your communication with GG, she uses a form of hand signals and encourages you to guess her meaning, is that correct?”

“Yeah, and I know where you're going with this. How was GG able to give the kid such specific directions?”

Aris nodded.

Billy said, “Look, we don't know much about him and his power, aside from what we saw in Marin.” She paused to sip her coffee. “For all we know, he can talk to ghosts on a higher level than any of us have experienced before.”

Eric cleared his throat and said, “Hey Calvin, how'd you sleep?”

We all turned to find a somnolent Calvin standing in the doorway. Billy stood up and walked over to him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Come on in and have some breakfast.” She guided him over to the table and into a chair next to hers. “Calvin, this is Aris, Carol, and Phil,” she nodded towards Pete, who was still standing at the counter, “and that's Pete. They're here to ask you some questions, okay?” He nodded.

Eric asked, “You want some coffee or juice? We have bagels too.”

Calvin nodded timidly and Eric went about arranging the proffered items and setting them in front of Calvin. Much like last night, he dug in with enthusiasm, eating two bagels and downing both beverages. When he was done, Aris asked if he would mind talking for a bit. The boy shrugged in response.

“Calvin, you told Billy and George that the ghost, GG, spoke with you; can you tell me about your encounters with her?” Aris had adjusted his customary monotone for something more soothing.

Calvin glanced at Billy, then at me—he looked scared and insecure. I said, “He means the ghost from last night…her name's GG. She's the one who told you to come to us, right?”

“I know her name…,” he said, his tone slightly defensive.

“You do? How?” Billy asked. GG may have managed to get the message across about us, but I couldn't see how she would have been able to tell him her name—which wasn't her real name anyway. GG was a moniker that Phil had given her. It stood for Guardian Ghost, and she didn't try and correct or direct us otherwise.

“She told me…she said you call her GG.” Now Calvin's tone had softened.

“Calvin, how does GG talk to you?” I asked.

His brow furrowed. “I guess she's like…in my head, but I just talk to her regular, like we're talking now.”

Aris asked, “Have you always been able to speak with ghosts in this form, Calvin?”

He shrugged. “I guess, I been doing it since I was a little kid…don't remember not being able to do it.”

“Did you always know they were ghosts?” Phil asked.

“I s'pose.” Calvin started to chew on his nails. They were still filthy and I looked away in disgust.

“Do you speak to the musketeer ghost in this form?” Aris asked.

Calvin nodded. We'd suspected the kid must be pretty strong, and Vokkel had him labeled as a '1,' which meant he thought the same. But to speak to the ghosts and demons on this level was unheard of, and I was beginning to worry we were dealing with a power level we hadn't seen before.

Before Aris could pursue this line of questioning—which was definitely important, but not as important as his connection to Edgar and why he decided to come to us—I asked, “Calvin, we need to understand some things. Why did you come to us last night?”

“I was scared and she said you could help.”

“What were you scared of?”

“This man, he…he was hurt, and once he got better he said that you hurt him and needed to pay, and that me and Gilles could make you pay. But it didn't go right in Marin and he beat me up, said it was my fault.”

“Okay Calvin, slow down…,” I said soothingly. “Was the man Edgar?” He nodded. “Who's Gilles?”

Calvin frowned, “He's my friend…he's a ghost.”

“You mean the musketeer?” He nodded again and I looked around the room. I could tell everyone else was concerned about his use of “friend” in connection with the musketeer demon.

“Calvin, I want to know more about him…Gilles…in a minute, but right now, tell us about Edgar and what he wanted you to do.”

His nervousness hadn't subsided, but he'd stopped chewing his nails. “He came to my house a while ago. He was bleeding pretty bad, and said he needed a place to stay and some stuff. He gave me a list and I went and bought what he needed. I told him to go up to the ranch, ʼcause my mom didn't like him and she'd be freaked out that he was bleeding like that and stuff. So I helped him fix himself up and took care of him. When he was better he said that he needed Gilles and me to find some other mean ghosts and do stuff to make you guys come, but I don't exactly remember what we were supposed to do.” His shoulders sagged a bit. “I get kind of fuzzy in the head when they're both around.”

“How does your mom know him?” Billy asked.

“I'm not sure…he and this other guy came to our house a bunch of times when I was growing up.”

“How does Edgar know about Gilles? Can he see Gilles?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah, he can see him. I showed him to him a long time ago and he's been able to see him ever since.”

We knew Edgar could see ghosts if he was touching a ghost killer with the ability to share his or her sight. Billy and I could share our sight, but I wasn't sure that's what Calvin meant.

“Calvin, can Edgar talk to Gilles without you around? Doesn't Edgar have to be touching you to see Gilles?”

He shrugged again. “Yeah, at first, but now they just talk on their own.” Another glance around the room told me what I immediately feared; either Edgar had somehow gotten stronger in his abilities, or this demon was exceptionally powerful and able to make itself appear and communicate with someone other than a ghost killer. That wasn't unheard of, but it was pretty rare.

“Calvin, the other man, was his name Frederick Vokkel?” Aris asked, which elicited another nod from Calvin, who seemed more comfortable nodding and shrugging than actually speaking in response to most questions. Aris continued. “What did Vokkel want when he came to see you?”

The kid's face had taken on a look of concentration, like he couldn't quite remember what Vokkel was doing there. Finally he said, “He asked me stuff about the ghosts I could see and talk to mostly; he didn't come that much.”

“Calvin, do you know where Edgar is?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I went home after the last time and got my bike and took off. I haven't seen him since then.”

I was confused, and I asked, “When did Edgar hit you, Calvin? Does he have his own car, or were you sharing your car?”

“He…I don't know, I can't remember. It's all fuzzy and stuff….” Calvin slumped into his chair.

Billy asked, “Are you all right, Calvin?”

“Yeah, I'm really tired.”

Aris said, “Of course, you have been through a great deal. However, we must ask you a few more questions. Afterwards, you may go back to your room and rest. Is that acceptable?” Another nodded response, and Aris smiled. “Thank you, Calvin. Please, tell me everything you can about Gilles.”

He took a deep breath. “His name's Gilles d'Aubray.”

“How did you meet him?” Aris's voice took on a hypnotic tone that Calvin seemed to focus on.

Calvin said, “He started hanging out at my uncle's house.”

“Could your uncle see him too?”

Calvin shook his head. “Naw.”

“How come he started hanging out at your uncle's?” Phil asked.

Calvin shrugged…again. “I don't know, he never told me.”

“What else did Gilles say to you?” Aris again.

“He said he could make my uncle strong.” Calvin started to pick at his nails now, but at least he wasn't chewing on them.

“Why did your uncle need to be strong?”

“I don't know. My mom always said he wasn't very smart, but he was loyal or something like that. I figured Gilles meant he could make him strong in the brain.”

“How did Gilles plan to do that?”

“He said he could get into Uncle Leo sometimes, and when he did that, Uncle Leo was stronger. But only, you know, like muscles and stuff…he wasn't much smarter in the head.” Calvin pointed to his temple. “But he said that if he lived in Uncle Leo all the time, then he'd be really strong
and
smart.”

Aris asked, “Calvin, did Gilles tell you how to make him live in your Uncle Leo permanently?”

“He tried to explain it, but I didn't really understand.” He shrugged again, “But it didn't matter, ʼcause Uncle Leo did that stupid thing and he got electrocuted.”

“What stupid thing was that, Calvin?”

“He had this old hot tub…he said it needed new wiring and I couldn't use it. But then I came up one weekend and he was in it, dead. They said he was drunk too, and the wires in the underwater lights were bad or something like that. He got shocked to death or something.”

“What does Gilles want now?”

“He wants to be human again. Edgar said he could make one of you do that if we helped him,” Calvin said as he looked from Billy to me.

“Thank you, Calvin,” Aris said softly. “Billy will walk you to your room. If you'd like, I will arrange for new clothes to be brought in for you. Would that be acceptable?”

Again with the shrugging, Calvin said, “Yeah, sure, that'd be okay.”