Chasing Henry Marshall

Chapter Eight

    Dinner was drawn out and silent, but full of good food. Lillian and Mrs. Kelley must have spent quite a bit of time to prepare such a meal for all of us. Normally I would have really enjoyed a feast like this but this time, there was a particular thought on my mind that made it really hard to be happy about anything. I looked at Mr. Marshall several times throughout dinner, hoping he would show some sign of concern, but as expected, he was not giving anything away. Alice, on the other hand, seemed to glance at Mr. Kelley every so often. I could tell she was nervous and it did nothing to settle my own unease.
   When dinner was done, I stayed close to Conner and Nathaniel. They were the only two who seemed to like me. Alice hadn't said a word to me, nor gave me more than a criticizing look, and Kenji had flashed me many of his intimidating stares. Mr. Marshall barely tolerated me, but he kind of had to, considering the circumstances. The two boys were talking over something, acting like children, but I didn't really pay attention. I was watching Mr. Kelley and Henry. They were talking to the rest of the family. I could only imagine that the conversation as directed toward the fact that they would be staying away from the house for the next several days, or until the investigation was complete. There was a few brief nods and then the family dispersed to pack.
   Henry rejoined us shortly after.
   "Everything clear Sir?" Nathaniel asked, his child-like qualities sinking beneath the mask of duty and seriousness.
   "Yes. We are free to begin the first night of investigation. The family has assured me that they would be out within the hour."
   I felt bad for the four of them. They had just moved in and their stuff probably wasn't even unpacked, yet they were being told to leave again. I tore my eyes away from the steps and looked at Conner.
   "What happens now?"
   The blond smiled a little and took my wrist, pulling me along after the group.
   "Boss is going to share what you guys learned from the client and then we are going to do a walk through and take base readings of the entire building."
   I looked at his hand and then up at his face. His green eyes were brighter than they had been before. Maybe they lit up when he got excited? I slipped my wrist from his grip and held my notebook closer to my chest. I felt bad that the crew didn't know what they were getting involved in, even though I was sure that they had been on many cases like this in the past.
   "What base readings do you guys do?" I asked, wanting to distract myself.
   "Well we-" He stopped as we entered the base. Henry was already talking.
   "...receives 3 scratches in several places about every other day. You all know what this means and I expect you all to rise to meet the occasion. This has just went from level 2 to level 4."
    I knew Mr. Marshall wouldn't answer any of my questions so I moved over and stood by Nathaniel. My best bet on getting explanations was from the right hand man.

   "Hey Nathaniel?" I whispered.
   He must have been really in tune with what his boss was saying because it took a moment for my voice to register. He blinked and looked down at me, brown eyes losing a bit of the tension. He smiled faintly and felt like I was talking to the older brother I never had.
   "What's up Isabella"
   "I don't understand anything he's saying..."
   "Well, let me break it down for you while he breaks the crew up," He said softly, patting my shoulder. "There are 4 levels to our hauntings, based on the severity of the symptoms. Level one is a residual haunting, which is pretty much a ghost stuck on repeat. They relive their death over and over again, or sometimes they don't even know their dead, so they live on like normal. That's the easiest level to understand."
   I hesitated and then grabbed my notebook. I began to take notes on the back cover, "Continue?"
   Nathaniel chuckled and shook his head, "Level 2 is a poltergeist. Do you know what a poltergeist is?"
   I nodded, "German for noisy ghost. Knocking to levitating things, with rare cases of physical harm."
   Nathaniel grinned, "Level 3 is just a step above a poltergeist. While poltergeists are known to sometimes hurt people, leaving much more than a red mark is rare. And it should only happen when a certain act is performed or when a certain person is around or absent. There are... conditions. A level 3 is when the ghost is a malevolent being."
   I wrote quickly and glanced up at him, "So let me guess. They don't operate under conditions. They attack when they want and most likely leave lasting marks. They are most likely seeking some sort of revenge?"
   "Now your getting it."
   "And a level 4, I can only assume from what I know about this case, is a demon?"
   Nathaniel's happiness went cold, "Exactly..."
   I wanted to ask further questions but Henry was staring at us.
   "You two are ridiculously close."
   I noticed a soft pink tint color Nathaniel's cheeks. I folded my arms and stared at Henry.
   "Well when he's the only one giving me answers, its natural."
   Henry's gaze hardened and he looked up at his assistant, "Base check with Alice. I'll go with Miss Maine." Nathaniel and I both looked slightly surprised, but he knew not to argue. He quickly left with the researcher. I watched him go and wanted to call him back like a small child would cry for their mother on the first day of kindergarten.
   "So your distracting my crew now?"
   I groaned and turned around, "What?"
   "Nathaniel didn't even get a chance to hear anything I said because your ignorance was distracting him. You're lucky that he knows his stuff."
   "Or what? You'd put him in timeout? Mr. Marshall, no offense but you are such a killjoy."
   The blond scoffed and grabbed a equipment belt off one of the portable metal shelves. He draped it over his shoulder and walked for the door.
   "Maybe I am, but you don't get to where I am by being a child. You'd do best to remember that."
   I stared after him and then threw my notebook on one of the shelves, stalking after him.