Solomon Key

Chapter 15

Dark clouds blanketed the night sky as Maddock and Kendra strolled along what had once been the Gallows Road, where convicted criminals were hanged. Maddock tried to imagine a convicted man, taking his final steps along this thoroughfare. He pictured onlookers lining the streets, some hurling epithets, shaking fists, or spitting, but most merely staring in fascination or horror. Up ahead, the hangman waited.

“You with me?” Kendra gave his hand a squeeze. “You’ve been quiet for a long time.”

“Sorry, sometimes I get caught up in the history of a place.”

“I hear you.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I think it’s endearing. A sense of wonder is a great thing.”

“Bones says it happens to him, too, but only at Hooters.”

Kendra laughed. “He’s…special.”

“That he is, but also the best friend anyone could ask for.”

Kendra guided them off the main road and onto a grassy lawn. She turned on the flashlight app on her smartphone and looked around until she located a spot where strips of fresh sod had recently been put down. “This is it,” she said, opening the backpack she’d picked up at her home. She shoved a blanket into Maddock’s arms. “Spread this out.”

“I like it so far. Want me to put on some slow jazz?”

“Pervert,” she said. “And if you’ve got slow jazz on your phone, I’d rather not know about it.”

Maddock spread the blanket atop the sod and sat down. Kendra joined him and began removing items from her pack.

“Digital recorder,” she said, placing a silver object that looked a bit like an old-time microphone on the blanket between them. “Sometimes you can actually hear what a spirit is saying, but that’s exceedingly rare. Spirits tend to communicate on a wavelength outside our auditory spectrum. That’s why sometimes a dog will react to the presence of a spirit while its family remains oblivious.”

Maddock nodded, determined to keep his skepticism at bay and embrace the experience, even if he thought it was a bunch of crap.

“Next we have an EMP monitor.” She handed him a handheld device with a large dial, a screen, and several buttons along the top. Two stubs, like small antennae, protruded from the top. “We use this for yes or no questions. Same with this flashlight.” She took out a small flashlight, turned it on, and unscrewed it until the light began to flicker. She tightened it again until the beam was steady, then clicked it off.

“I wondered how that worked,” Maddock said.

“The spirits can’t manipulate the switch, but they can interfere with the flow of a weak electrical current. We’ll switch everything on once everyone arrives.”

Maddock had texted Bones, apprising him of the plan. Meanwhile, Kendra had invited two friends who were paranormal investigators, explaining that it was common practice to have three or more “true believers” in order to guarantee optimal conditions.

“I take it I don’t qualify,” he said.

“Not even close,” Kendra said. “But I hope you’ll keep an open mind about it. There are a lot of intelligent, educated people who are either believers or who haven’t dismissed the possibility that spirits still exist.”

Maddock nodded. “So, why this particular spot?” He patted the blanket.

“Not long ago, an archaeological dig team uncovered evidence that the old gallows was located on this exact spot. It’s long been believed that they were built somewhere in this immediate vicinity, but only now are we finding supporting evidence that this was, in fact, the spot.”

“So, this is probably where Caesar died?”

“Almost certainly. He and the other pirates, along with other victims, are buried somewhere along this street, but no one knows where. In any case, the place where a person died, or where they lived, is really where you want to look. Burial sites are dead zones for the spirit world, pun intended.”

“Assuming I buy into all this, do you really think we have a chance of contacting Caesar?”

Kendra nodded. “I’ve done it before. Knowing a spirit’s name makes a big difference. They are compelled to respond to you, if only briefly until they can summon the strength to resist.” She looked up and her eyes brightened. “Here come my friends.”

Two men approached, walking hand in hand. Kendra greeted them with hugs and introduced them to Maddock, who shook hands with each. Joel was a rail-thin man in his early thirties with a tanned, weathered face, wispy mustache, and receding brown hair. His husband, Larry, was the opposite of his partner, plump, moon-faced, with fair skin and thick strawberry blond hair that he wore in a bowl cut.

“Are you a first-timer with the paranormal?” Joel asked, sitting cross-legged on the blanket.

“You could say that,” Maddock replied. “I take it you guys are veterans?”

“We’ve been doing this since college,” Larry said. “That’s how we met.” He looked around. “Aren’t there supposed to be more of us?”

“I’m here.” Bones’ voice drifted out of the darkness. A moment later, he and Sandra, the server he’d met earlier in the evening, appeared. Sandra, who had changed into street clothes, was already acquainted with Joel and Larry, and introduced them to Bones.

“This is going to rock,” Bones said, rubbing his hands together. “If this works, I’m totally going to have you guys ring up Jimi Hendrix.”

Joel frowned and Maddock quickly assure him that Bones was not mocking them. “He’s a believer and he’s always wanted to meet Hendrix.” The ghost hunter shrugged and turned his attention to Kendra. “We brought the PX. Want to use it?”

“What’s a PX?” Maddock asked.

“It’s a device that measures certain environmental conditions and matches them up with words in its database. It’s basically a Magic 8 Ball, but with several hundred possible responses.”

“We disagree on that,” Joel explained, “but it’s Kendra’s party so we’ll do it the old-fashioned way.” The meaningful look he directed at the digital recorder explained his meaning.

Kendra pressed her hands to her chest, miming a heart attack. “I get to be in charge!” But despite her moment of levity, she was quickly all business. She reminded everyone to turn off their cell phones. Next, she turned on the EMP monitor, adjusted the knob, and handed it to Maddock. “Keep an eye on the row of lights at the top, as well as the meter on the screen.” She tapped the green digital display, where a black arrow pointed to the left. “Hold it level in your lap where everyone can see it.” Next, she turned on the digital recorder and the flashlight, then nodded to Larry.

“Everyone adopt a spirit of welcoming,” Larry said, “and open yourselves to the spirit world.” He took out a tiny bell, and rang it three times. It produced a thin, high-pitched note, scarcely audible. Seemingly satisfied, he pocketed the bell and inclined his head toward Kendra. A thick canopy of silence drew over the six people seated in a circle.

“We invite the man called Caesar to join us,” Kendra said in a firm, clear voice. As they waited, Maddock realized his heart was racing a mile a minute, his eyes locked on the device in his hands. After a minute’s wait, Kendra asked, “Caesar, are you with us?”

Nothing.

She waited a few seconds. “We respectfully ask you to join us. We have questions that only you can answer.”

Sandra gasped and pointed to the flashlight, which flickered.

“Caesar, are you with us?” Kendra asked.

Maddock’s jaw dropped as the arrow on his digital display swept over to the right and the first three lights on the device lit up.

“Something happened,” he whispered. He suddenly felt clammy all over as if a pocket of cold, damp air had descended upon this spot.

“We saw,” Joel said, his voice serene.

“If you are the man who was known to some as the pirate called Black Caesar, turn off the flashlight,” Kendra said.

The flashlight flickered and the EMP monitor registered another hit.

“Wicked,” Bones whispered.

Kendra proceeded with a set of questions about Caesar’s life and death, all simple “yes or no” questions. The first few times she asked that Caesar turn off the flashlight if the answer was affirmative, then dropped the reminder after a few positive results. Every time the flashlight flickered, the monitor registered the result. Maddock knew it was possible that some sort of electrical interference could be causing both phenomena, but so far it had only happened immediately after a question. Not a single stray flicker of the light or result from the monitor. Finally, Kendra got down to business.

“Caesar, did you once own a special ring?”

This time the readout on the monitor was off the charts, the flashlight beam flickering strobelike.

“He has strong feelings about the ring,” Larry whispered.

“Did this ring have any special powers?”

Again, a strong result. Every light on the EMP monitor lit up for a full second.

“Are we upsetting him?” Sandra asked, reaching out to take Bones’ hand.

“It’s more likely that this is something he’s been waiting a long time to talk about. This ring must have been important to him,” Joel reassured.

Kendra cast a nervous glance at Maddock. He returned what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Caesar, turn off the flashlight if you died with the ring in your possession.”

Nothing.

“Ask about the island,” Maddock whispered.

“Did you hide the ring on your island in Florida?”

Again, nothing.

“Did you give the ring to someone before you died?” Bones blurted.

Everyone jumped as the flashlight began to turn itself on and off. Maddock held the monitor at arm’s length, watching the lights flash on and off.

Larry reached out and gave Joel’s hand a squeeze.

“Wow. You know what this means?” Larry whispered.

“If he feels this strongly, the ring might be the reason his spirit never departed,” Joel replied. “Maybe he’s been waiting for someone to ask him about it.”

The flashlight flickered again.

“I think he agrees with you,” Kendra said. “Caesar, did one of your captors take the ring from you?”

No reply.

“Did you give the ring to one of your crew members?” Bones asked.

Once again, the flashlight went crazy.

Despite his reservations, Maddock found himself caught up in the excitement. “Did you give the ring away before you were captured?”

Nothing.

“He doesn’t like you, Maddock,” Bones said. “Knows you’re a skeptic.”

Maddock tried again. “Did you give it to one of your fellow prisoners?”

Flashing lights, sweeping arrow on the monitor.

“How about we try the PX now?” Joel asked. “Maybe he’ll name the person he gave it to.”

“How’s he going to do that? You’ve got a limited number of words in that device and no proper names?” she asked.

“Phonetics,” Joel said.

“We’ll stick with yes or no for now. I’ve got the list of captives here,” Kendra said, taking a sheet of paper out of her bag. “But I can’t wait to play back the audio recording.”

“I’m going to try the PX anyway,” Joel said. “I’ll mute the audio so it doesn’t interfere with your recording.” He took out a small handheld device, flicked a few switches, and then pointed at Kendra.

She cleared her throat. “Caesar, did you give the ring to…” One by one, she went down the list, naming each of the pirates. None of them produced a result. Finally, she came to the last name on the list. “Did you give the ring to Israel Hands?”

This time everyone jumped. The flashlight flashed on and off over and over again. All the readings on Maddock’s monitor shot up to the red and remained there. After ten seconds, the flashlight went black and the readings on the monitor flatlined. No one said a word.

Kendra put a hand on Maddock’s knee and gave it a squeeze.

“Amazing,” Sandra marveled.

“Caesar,” Kendra said tentatively, “are you still with us?”

They waited, but whatever force or presence had been with them had gone.

“That was freaking awesome!” Bones said. “Still a skeptic, Maddock?”

Maddock shrugged. He had no explanation for what they’d just experienced.

“You’ll get there.” Bones turned to Joel. “What does the PX have to say?”

Joel stared slack-jawed at Bones for a full second, and then he gave a quick shake as if coming out of a trance.

“Sorry, I got so caught up in things I forgot to look. Let’s see.” He tapped the PX device. “Oh my God!”

“What is it?” Kendra asked.

Joel held the PX up for all to see. There on the digital display was a string of words.