Ghost Trackers (34 page)

The three friends gazed at Greg’s body in silence for a time after that.

It was Amber who finally spoke. “He turned out to be a good friend in the end, didn’t he?”

Drew and Trevor agreed.

“Nice day for
a funeral,” Trevor said.

Amber and Drew looked at him.

“Well, it is! It’s warm and sunny, and the sky’s clear. Beats cold and rainy, doesn’t it?”

Amber smiled. “I guess so.”

It was Wednesday morning, four days after Greg had sacrificed himself to save them from the Darkness. Ash Creek Memorial Cemetery was pleasant enough as graveyards went. The grass was trimmed, the grounds free of leaves and fallen branches, the headstones unmarred by bird droppings or mold. The three friends stood next to Greg’s freshly dug grave, which lay not far from a good-sized oak tree. They’d been the only ones in attendance at his funeral. He’d had no family, and no one from the reunion had attended. Most of their former classmates didn’t live in town and had already headed home, and after everything that had happened that weekend, those who did live in the area hadn’t felt like attending a funeral.

Considering how the Ash Creek police had reacted to their being present at the scene of a
third death in one weekend, Drew, Amber, and Trevor were lucky to be able to come to the funeral themselves. The police chief would have loved to lock them up, and if he’d had even a shred of evidence to tie them to Greg’s death, he would have done so.

They wore the same clothes they’d had on at the banquet, since they’d been staying at the hotel for the last few days. The three friends looked more festive than somber, mostly because of Amber’s green dress, but their clothing seemed to complement the nice weather.

“Thanks for paying for Greg’s funeral expenses, guys,” she said. “I wish I could’ve chipped in, but disability checks only stretch so far.”

“We may have footed the bill,” Trevor said, “but you did the important part. You picked out everything. The grave site, the coffin, the headstone . . . You did a great job, too.”

Drew nodded and squeezed Amber’s hand.

It would take several weeks for the headstone to be delivered. Right now, the space was empty. The stone itself was going to be a light gray, the letters black but not too stark. They would spell out “Gregory H. Daniels: Friend.”

“I wish I could’ve come up with something better to put on his headstone, though,” she said.

“I think what you chose is perfect,” Drew said.

“Me, too,” Trevor agreed.

They stood there a little while longer. Finally,
Amber wiped away a tear and whispered, “Goodbye, Greg.”

Trevor drove the
Prius while Amber and Drew sat in the backseat. He’d joked that he was their chauffeur and made a show of opening their doors for them. Now they were on the road, driving away from the cemetery.

“Now what?” Trevor asked.

“Now lunch,” she said. “I’m not all that hungry, but we should probably eat something.”

“How about Flying Pizza?” Drew suggested, and both Amber and Trevor thought that sounded good, so he headed for the restaurant.

“That wasn’t what I meant when I asked now what,” he said. “I meant where do we go from here? More to the point, are you two going to get married or what?”

Amber and Drew laughed.

“Don’t rush us!” she said. “We only held hands for the first time a few days ago. I’m feeling a lot better now, and I haven’t needed any of my meds at all. But I want to take some time and find a real job and a better place to live. Get a real life for myself, you know?”

Trevor looked at them in the rearview mirror. “Does that mean you two aren’t, uh, an item anymore?”

“No,” Drew said. “We are most definitely an item. But we’re going to take things slow for a
while and let our relationship develop naturally. I’ll go back to work at the hospital—”

“—and I’m thinking about moving to Chicago,” Amber said. “After that, we’ll see, you know?”

“Sounds good,” Trevor said. “But don’t move
too
slow. It took you more than fifteen years to get to this point, after all.”

“How about you?” Drew asked. “What are you going to do?”

“Keep writing,” he said. “Though I think I’m done covering haunted tourist attractions. After what we experienced this weekend, I think I’m going to try to focus on more substantial subjects. Greg showed me that there’s even more to the paranormal than I thought there was. I’d like to learn what’s
really
out there.” He paused. “Of course, it would be more fun to have some friends along to keep me company. We make a good team. Not only did we stop the Darkness, but we gave Greg a chance to redeem himself. There may be other people like him out there who can use our help. What do you say?”

Amber and Drew looked at each other, then smiled.

“You have our numbers,” she said. “Call when you need us.”

And Drew nodded.

Trevor grinned. “I’m glad you said that! Yesterday I got an e-mail from an ex-girlfriend of mine. She lives in Exeter, Indiana. You ever heard of it?

It’s famous for being the most haunted town in America. Anyway, she told me that there’s been some really weird stuff going on there lately.”

He kept on talking as they drove, and Amber and Drew listened.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for their support and assistance. And to Tim, for your ability to take our stories and help us turn them into masterpieces.

Also a special thanks to my wife, Kristen, for helping me keep my drive alive and standing beside me, never in front or behind me.

And to all of my children, to have your love and support has been all I have ever wanted. You have made me what I am today. You are forever my world.

—Jason

Thanks to my wife and my boys for always sticking by me. To the whole crew at Pilgrim Films for believing in us and in the paranormal field. To Jody Hotchkiss and Jen Heddle for their tireless work. And, of course, to Tim Waggoner, without whom this book would not exist, quite literally!

—Grant

Special thanks to Christine Avery, John Helfers, Russell Davis, Jennifer Heddle, and Wendy Keebler. This book is far better for their feedback and guidance, and I’m very grateful to them all.

Extra-special special thanks, of course, to my collaborators, Jason and Grant. Thanks for sharing with me the shocking truth behind your investigations. I promise never to tell a soul!

—Tim

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