The Demon Hunter

7: "This comes in handy when you play poker."

Lauren felt cold. Shivers went down her spine. Not that she believed in ghosts or had ever believed in them. She was a scientist, a psychologist. The idea that there was a ghost present in a room with her was absurd. But it was the fact that the prisoner whom she had uncuffed before had claimed this to be fact, in all sincerity. He believed it to be true. He was crazy.

And she was locked in a room with a madman who was convicted for murder.

She opened her mouth, gathering her breath to call for the guards, while her heart raced. And Simon watched her reaction, her every move of every muscle. He stood there, motionless. The arms hanging on the side of his body, completely relaxed. Of course he had to notice her sudden brush with anxiety after this reveal, and her reaction to it was painfully obvious. When he saw it and realized what she was about to do, he did something she did not expect: He made a step backwards, backing off from her, holding his hands with the palms towards her, in a gesture to show that he meant her no harm. And then he stood there, silently waiting.

The call that she was about to utter didn't make it past her throat. She looked in his eyes... and she couldn't do it. She closed her mouth again.

Simon's gaze went back to that spot on the wall that Lauren suspected to be there. Again, a faint smile was visible on his face. "He is also surprised that you haven't written down yet that I am crazy. Well, maybe he was wrong after all."

She turned around, now really unsure of herself. Maybe there was something to it. But it was illogical. She turned back to Simon, staring at him. From where he stood, it was really hard to look at her notebook and also make out what she wrote down in there. But with good eyes Simon could have been able to do so. It was a more logical explanation than having a ghost looking over her shoulder.

As Simon looked at her, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready to continue?"

She had doubts. Serious doubts. In any other case she would have written this off as the delusions of a madman, or as something a prisoner would cook up to land in an asylum instead of a prison. This was way more logical than having the ghost of a dead person roaming an interrogation room in a prison that couldn't be seen by anyone but the convict. But it didn't add up. Simon didn't want to go to an asylum, he even seemed to be afraid of that. He had said time and time again, not only to her, but to everyone else, that he belonged in prison.

But maybe that was his plan... Maybe his entire act was a hoax to throw her off guard, to make her believe that he was crazy, so she would do what she always does in such a case and have him sent off to a clinic. If he planned to play her for a sucker...

She put down her pen and hid her right hand behind her back. "How many fingers am I holding up?" she then asked him.

He didn't even hesitate. "One."

She frowned, then moved her fingers. "Three," Simon said at once.

Again... "Four." And again... "Two." She started switching numbers faster. "One. Five. Three. Four. Two. None."

Mistrustful she looked behind her. Could he see it somehow? Every single number he had told her had been correct. Every single one! Was there something behind her reflecting the image of her hand? But there was nothing but the heavy metal door. It had a dull coat of paint. And the shadow of her body hid the one of her hand. Even with the light in this room, from where Simon stood, there was no way he could have told the right amount of fingers.

Still she wasn't convinced. She used her left hand along with the right one. But even then Simon was right every time. "Three-two. One-none. Five-five. Two-four. Three-one..." He frowned at this one. "And it is not nice to use that finger for it, Doctor."

She sighed, putting her hands back on the table. "How much change do I have in my pocket?" she then asked, still not fully convinced.

This time Simon shook his head. "It doesn't work this way. Dad can see things from a different angle, but he can't look into places where noone can see, like your pocket. He also can't feel anything. Or move things with his mind, if that idea is coming to you next."

"So how does this work?" She couldn't even believe that she asked this. That she was really starting to believe in ghosts. There had to be some logical explanation for what had just happened. But she couldn't find it.

As Simon saw that she was relaxing again, he took a step forward and sat down on his chair again. "Beats me, honestly," he then confessed. "I am no expert in such things. It just happens to me. And he is the only ghost I can see. Although, I have seen some other things since this all started - but we will get to that later..."

"I guess this comes in handy when you play poker," Lauren suggested.

Simon snorted. "I wish. Most poker players put their hand on the table after taking a short glimpse, so nobody can take a peek. But you are right, otherwise it would be a good source for some money on the side."

At this point Lauren gave in. She decided to just accept the possibility, go along with it. "For how long has this been going on now?" she asked.

Although she pretty much knew the answer already. If that happened shortly after the death of Weisa sr., then it must have been five years. Simon confirmed that. "At first he appeared every now and then. I truly started to believe it after the second time, when he paid me a visit while I was fully awake, and it was daylight. Anything else I would have taken as another dream. But even then it was really hard to believe." With a smirk he added: "As you might well imagine..."

Again she caught herself looking around, and she felt like her neck hair was standing up. It made her feel uncomfortable. "This is extraordinary," she uttered. She didn't add If it was true... "How about now?"

Simon gave the spot where Lauren now suspected the ghost to be. "He hasn't left me ever since I arrived here. For the last four years and a half he had been an additional cell mate."

Suddenly things started to add up. Simon was popular with the other inmates and the guards. Even the personnel like cooks, doctors and such held him in high regards. However he used his ability - whether it really was a ghost, or some sort of mental ability, which she still wasn't sure of - he had used it to get in touch with the people here. That ability could solve problems, end fights, uncover secrets... But it wasn't only that. Simon radiated goodness, kindness. Apart from one or two incidents where he reacted to her in a slightly sharper tone, he had shown nothing but consideration and politeness to her.

Then how had he been able to kill a man in the first place?

She felt Simon's gaze on her again, and she knew that he guessed what was going on in her head. "Now for the part that you came here for," he announced. "But be aware, this might really blow your mind!"