Fawkes and Hobbes meet the Gray Ghost by mardel PG-13 A little scary story since it is almost Halloween. "Gentlemen we have been asked to assist with a rather unusual case" The Official stood and moved to pace in the area behind his desk. Eberts had to scramble out of his way. "Assist" Hobbes asked, "Who is asking for 'our' help?" "The Department of Historic Places." Eberts informed them. "Historic Places? What happened did someone steal the house Washington slept in?" Darien quipped. "Not exactly, but you're close." The Official paced back to his seat, rested his hands on the back of his chair and took a deep breath. "A home was left to the DHP but the last three government personnel sent to inventory the property have turned up missing. The local police have investigated and turned up nothing." "I don't like the sound of this." Bobby exchanged glances with his partner. "Three people have disappeared, you'll pardon the expression, and now you want us to go there and check it out?" Darien asked for clarification. "The house in question has a reputation." "Eberts." The Official warned. "What kind of reputation?" Darien asked. Bobby flipped open the folder Eberts had provided him at the beginning of the meeting. He looked over the picture of a large Victorian house, then read the address. "Oh crap." "Let's just say strange things have been happening at that location for decades. I'd prefer that you check it out. Without knowing the details. You'll be more objective." The Official hedged his answer. "You want us to visit Amityville west?" Hobbes asked, his voice raising several steps higher than usual. "You have your assignment, I except a full report when you return." :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: "What was that all about? Amityville west ?" Darien asked as soon as they were in the van. "They are sending us to the worst haunted house in the entire west coast." Hobbes stated. Darien grinned, he'd seen his partner face down ten bad guys with only his automatic for help. But he seemed really bothered by the idea they were assigned to check out a place that might have a few ghosts. "You believe in ghosts Hobbes?" "I'm not saying I do or don't. But I head stories about that place and if ever there was a house that would have angry ghosts it would be that one." "Oh? Why, I don't remember hearing about this place before." "Here look." Bobby handed his partner the folder open to the picture of a three story Victorian house complete with gables, and gingerbread. "It looks like any old house to me." "That is the place that ten of the bodies were found from that monster Jennings." Hobbes informed his partner. "It is? I thought that was up in LA." "The area they found bodies at was up there but this was the final burial site for nearly half of his victims." "But ghosts, I thought you were worried about ghosts?" Darien reminded him. "No, I'm just saying I don't like this one bit." Bobby turned off the main road onto a side street. Darien was looking over the file as Hobbes drove to the house. "This place has been around since 1912, it does have historic value. Theodore Roosevelt stayed here during his election campaign. It was owned by the Mills family who were big in the shipping business. It was empty at the time Jennings used it for his dumping ground. But is does have history of sightings. There is supposed to be at least two resident ghosts. One of a woman that wanders the halls, the other a more misty form that chills the observer when it is present. There are reports of furniture moving, vases breaking and windows on the upper floors breaking for unexplained reasons." "That was what drew Jennings to it," Bobby added, " I remember reading he said he felt at home in a haunted house and he knew no one would come there to investigate sounds coming from the ghost house." "You seem to know a lot about this Jennings guy, did you work on the case?" "No, but I know one of the detectives that did. She use to tell me about some of the stuff they found. The house has been on the market for ten years at least. I guess the family finally decided to just donate it and have done with it." "Well can you blame them? I wouldn't want to live in a house where ten bodies were found when they captured a serial killer." Darien shuddered. "I don't even want to visit this place." Bobby agreed with his partner. "Help me find Maple Drive." Bobby was slowing down, he knew he was in the correct area but he didn't know every street in the city. "At least it's not Elm Street." Darien laughed. Bobby glared at his partner. Then turned the van onto Maple Drive. The house was at the far end, it had a high fence that surrounded the yard. But the drive was open bordered by two tall posts. Hobbes pulled Golda into the drive and parked. "Let's get this over with." Hobbes removed the keys from the ignition and reached for his door. Darien climbed out of the van, he wasn't to worried about this case. Just as Bobby joined him on the walkway to the front door a large cloud passed between the sun and the earth, throwing a dark cast to the surrounding countryside. "Ah crap." Darien didn't like that little detail happening as they arrived. "Maybe we could come back later?" "No. I want to get this over with now. There was a set of keys with the file, if they don't work we might need your lock picking skills, you got your stuff?" "Yeah, I've always got em." Darien waited behind Bobby as he selected a key and tried it on the front door. The lock turned, but when he pushed the door open it creaked loudly. Hobbes turned on his flash light and stepped into the foyer of the large house. "Let's take it slow, I dont' want to be surprised by anything." He resisted the urge to pull his weapon so soon. They weren't expecting to find anything his automatic could defend against. Darien followed his partner into the dark house. All utilities had been cut once the house was donated to the Historic Trust. The front hall was spacious with a large chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Dust covered the table in the foyer, but it wasn't years of neglect. Hobbes shone the light around the room. Darien noticed a chill to the room, even though it was a warm day. There was dust on the railing of the stairs, and the air smelled musty. "Do you feel that?" Bobby asked shinning the flash light on the room off to the right. It looked like a wood paneled room, it was even darker inside than the entryway. "Yeah, it's colder in here than you'd think it should be for this time of year." Darien was all eyes, he used to love horror movies as a kid. But at the moment he wasn't sure he wanted to explore this house, even with Hobbes there. Bobby headed for the doorway to the dark room. " Looks like it was the library." He saw dark shelves, and a desk on one side of the room. "Hey, what's this." Bobby crossed the room and picked up a woman's high heel shoe using his handkerchief. "That can't be good." Darien was hovering near Bobby. He hadn't been worried about this case. But now the longer he stayed in the house, the more he felt uneasy. Bobby stashed the shoe in his jacket pocket, and stood up. "Come on, we need to check the other rooms." Darien followed him back out into the foyer, the next room was the Dinning room, it was still furnished with a long table and chairs. The table covered with a sheets, made it seem all the more spooky. "Nothing here," Bobby moved through the connecting door to the large kitchen. There was some light from outside seeping through the partly closed shades. Dust covered the counter tops and large stove. Darien was keeping as close to his partner as he could. "Easy there Fawkes, there isn't room in my jacket for the both of us." "Sorry," Darien mumbled. The last room on the first floor was a sitting room the a huge fireplace at one end. The chairs and couches were all covered with sheets. Hobbes searched for anything that seemed out of place. But there was nothing to find. When they moved back into the foyer, Darien felt the chill in the air again. "Do we have to go up stairs?" "Yeah, we do partner." Hobbes nodded and moved to the stair case the forth step up creaked loudly when he stepped on it. Darien startled at the sound and froze on the second step. "You know this reminds me of a movie I saw once..." Bobby started. "Don't tell me." Darien stopped him. "Okay, just thought you might like to know what happened." "Hobbes!" "Okay, okay." Bobby continued climbing the stairs. He reached the top with no further creaks. He shown his light down the hall to the left then to the right. "Which way?" "Right." Darien chose. Hobbes moved right shining his light on the floor and walls looking for anything strange. Darien felt the cold spot again just as Bobby reached for the door handle on the first room. "Hobbes do you feel it?" "Yeah, I was hoping it was just me." He nodded and turned back towards Darien. "No, I think we have company." Darien quicksilvered his eyes to see if he could spot the cause of the coldness. He saw a misty shape hovering several feet from the carpet at the head of stairs. "Do you see anything?" "Yeah, but it's just a shape, no detail." The mist moved backwards as Darien reached a hand towards it. Then whooshed away. Gone. "What's happening?" Bobby asked. " Is it gone I don't feel the coldness now." "Yeah, when I reached towards it, it ran... poofed out of here." Darien looked confused. "Come on." Hobbes turned back to the door, he turned the brass knob and pushed open the door to the first bedroom. It there was only a bed still occupying the room. "Where is the woman ghost supposed to been seen?" Darien asked remembering the notes he'd read on the way over. "The hallway, do you think that was what you saw?" "No, that was just mist. No shape to it at all." Darien was standing just inside the door of the bedroom. He was keeping the door open, he didn't want anything to sneak up on them. "Nothing much here." Bobby moved past Darien into the hall again and lead the way to the next bedroom. It too was empty except for a large bed. The next room was a bathroom with a large claw foot bath tub, marble floor and stain glass window. It looked like it had been converted from a small bedroom at some point in the house's history. The last room on the hall was the masterbedroom very large with it's own fireplace. Bobby was shinning his light around the room when there was a high pitched woman's scream. Darien and Bobby both jumped. Quicksilver shimmered on Darien's skin, for a few seconds before he gained control. Both men rushed towards the doorway at the same time and jammed their shoulders in the frame. "Fawkes!" "Hobbes!" They struggled to get through the doorway. Bobby making a face of mixed frustration and fright. Darien sucked in his shoulders and turned sideways so they could move. He did his patented basket ball forward, backward twist move and was on Bobby's heels running towards the sound of the scream. end part one