Hatchetfield.

Hatchetfield unsolved

"Ghosts aren't real guys. At least Bill had some sense," Paul huffed, rolling back in his office chair so he could address Charlotte and Melissa. His arms crossed.

"Ghosts are just stories for kids, you two aren't serious are you?" Bill sighed like he was scolding a child.

Melissa shook her head, widening her stance and raising her voice obnoxiously loud. "Ghosts are real! And if you don't believe in them you're just boring!"

Charlotte giggled sheepishly. "Oh I suppose I'm being a little silly."

"Charlotte! Who's side are you on!?" Melissa gaped. "Ghosts are real! I've seen them before! Paul, don't you remember how the the storeroom at the gym in Sycamore used to be haunted?"

"It wasn't ever haunted, Melissa. The lights just flickered."

"Because of Ghosts!" She shoved a finger at Paul's chest, glaring at him.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Emma appeared in the door with their trays of coffees, Ted just behind her.

"Yeah, I heard drama so I came as soon as I could." He rested his elbow on Emma's head.

"That's not true. He's just following me so he can bother me," Emma shrugged, resigning to letting Ted use her as an armrest.

Paul held a hand to his heart. "Finally, someone who'll make some sense. Melissa is telling everyone the house on the corner of Nordstrom is haunted," he rolled his eyes.

"It is!" Melissa insisted, picking up her hot chocolate from the tray in Emma's hand, and delivering Charlotte's to her.

"But Emma, I'm glad you're on my side! Tell them, ghosts aren't real."

"-ghosts are totally real," both Ted and Emma spoke over the top of Paul's sentence, all three of them taking a second to compute what was said before exchanging confused, panicked glances.

"Emma, you think ghosts are real?"

"You don't believe in them?" Emma fired back. "Paul, there's no way to prove ghosts aren't real."

Paul was almost too surprised to address Emma. "Ted, even you? You're siding with Melissa and Emma of all people?"

"Hey!" Melissa elbowed Paul.

Emma clutched the coffee tray closer to her. "You aren't getting your coffee now, babe, or can I even call you that anymore?"

Ted let out a single, drawn out and high pitch laugh. "Bill? Who's side are you on?"

"Ghosts aren't real. We'd have seen them by now," Bill shook his head.

Melissa sputtered, looking for the words. "You're lying to me if you've never watched a top ten ghost sighting video, and I'm telling you! Nordstrom house? Haunted. I walked by on my way home from softball practice with some girls on my team and we heard super weird noises! The door was creaked open and I swear I saw something moving in there!"

"Maybe someone just lives there, Melissa," Bill tried to reason with her.

Charlotte winced. "Sam says that house is being set up to knock down. He says the precinct is going to chain it off because people keep squatting in there."

"Well then maybe it was just a squatter!" Paul held up a hand to suggest how logical his argument was.

"What's going on in here?" A third figure appeared in the doorway, knocking Emma and Ted apart and into the IT room.

"Mr. Davidson!" Melissa was the only one with enough guts to address her boss. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"That's what this is all about? I hired you all to do your jobs, not have silly conversations about ghosts," he glared warningly at his employees, Emma scuffed her flats against the floor, trying to avoid standing out. "I'm paying you to get your work done. Ted, get back to your own office and Melissa there's work for you to finish on my desk. And you- oh, you don't work for me," he pointed at Emma.