Ghostfinders 02 - Ghost of a Smile

Patterson’s body and hold it, deny the rider access. After a while, he’ll have to depart, or risk dissipation. Then she can come back out of the body and let it fall.”
    “No,” said JC. “This is a bad idea. A really bad idea. Somebody else come up with another idea.”
    “It will work, and you know it,” said Latimer. “And it’s the only real chance we’ve got. You haven’t any more weapons, and I’m completely out of tricks. The ghost girl is our only chance, our only hope.”
    “She has a name,” JC said tightly. “Her name is Kim.”
    “Of course,” said Latimer. She bowed very slightly to the ghost. “I’m sorry, my dear. I can’t make you do anything. But if you want to save your young man here, it’s the only way.”
    “It’s all right, JC,” said Kim. “I’ll do it. I quite like the idea of being the only one of the team left to save the day. It’s not as if anything could go wrong. I’m dead. That’s as bad as it gets. Just . . . don’t leave me inside that thing any longer than you have to.”
    “I’m not sure I like this,” said Happy.
    “Do you have a better idea?” JC said savagely. “I’d really love to hear a better idea! No? Then let’s do it. Happy—link us.”
    It only took a moment. Happy concentrated, reached out, and brought the three of them together into a single unit. Three minds meshed together, like the working parts of a single great mechanism. Fitting as though they’d always belonged together. They still knew who they were, but now they possessed all of each other’s strengths and none of their weaknesses. They turned to look at Patterson, at the dead man, and he flinched suddenly because now all three of them had glowing golden eyes. The glare burned brightly in the dark of the night, so very bright, and the dead man had to turn his dead gaze away from it. He couldn’t even move, held where he was, but even so, the three minds working together still weren’t strong enough to punch through his shields. Latimer stepped forward.
    “Robert! This is your chance! Your last chance to be the man I always knew you were! Break the shields from your side! Let them in!”
    And whether what was left of Robert heard her, or whether the linked trio finally won through, or whether the rider’s power wore out . . . the shields fell, and JC and Melody and Happy rushed in. They reached out to Kim and urged her on. The ghost girl smiled bravely and moved towards the dead man. Some unfelt breeze swept her on, flapping her dress and ruffling her long hair. She drifted up to the dead man and on into him, disappearing inside as though walking on in a direction none of the others could follow. In a moment, she was gone, and the dead man swayed and almost fell. A great mental cry of rage and pain and horror briefly filled the night, then was gone. The dead man slowly straightened up, broken bones scraping loudly against each other, and for a moment someone new looked out of the dead man’s eyes. And then it was only a corpse, standing still, and Happy broke the link.
    JC and Melody cried out briefly as they dropped back into their own heads. They were already forgetting what it had been like to be so much more, because deep down they knew that was necessary for their continued sanity. Happy could have remembered if he’d wanted; but he already had enough problems. Latimer looked at them all expectantly, but they had nothing to say to her.
    “Is it done?” she said finally.
    “Of course it’s done,” said Happy. “Look at the bloody thing. Not an ounce of malice left in it. Probably fall over if you breathed on it. And I feel much the same, thank you for asking.”
    JC moved forward to stare right into the dead face. “Kim? Are you in there?”
    “She can’t answer you,” said Happy. “She is occupying the body, not possessing it. Give her a few minutes, to be sure the rider isn’t coming back, and I’ll haul her out of there.”
    JC nodded slowly, only half-convinced. “Hang in there, sweetie. I have to talk to the Boss about something.”
    “Right,” said Happy. “Boss, while we were linked, and touching the rider’s mind, we Saw something.”
    “Something important,” said Melody. “Something bad.”
    They all stood close together, as though afraid of being overheard, even though there was no-one else in the quiet, deserted street.
    “Is this something to do with the rider’s identity?” said Latimer. “Did you See who it