Wraith woke and watched the early morning rain run down his skylight. He thought about how much debt he was in. If he didn't find a big job soon, he would have to move out to something smaller. The thought of giving up his home chilled him.
His phone rang and for a split second he fantasized that it was a billion dollar offer from some Russian oligarch. We have ghosts in the Kremlin, you come quick, yes?
Instead it was Inspector Lomax of the Metropolitan Police. From time to time Wraith did some very discreet jobs for her department, the pay was lousy but it was regular. She sounded grim. "How fast can you get to St Gertrude's retirement home Tower?"
"How much?" Wraith said.
"God damn it Wraith! People are dying here!" She screamed back at him.
45 minutes later, Inspector Lomax lifted the police tape so that Wraith could enter the main entrance to St Gertrude's retirement home Tower. He had left Hex at home; this was a daylight case; no hellhound dogs were allowed. Especially when the Police was concerned.
Wraith looked around, everything looked normal. "Ok, what is this? Is it a ghost or a..."
Inspector Lomax cut in. "It's a monster. A great big bloody monster." From above a scream came. Inspector Lomax flinched. "Every time we send anyone up there the thing eats them."
"Get a SWAT Team up there." Wraith advised. "And blast it to kingdom come."
"That scream was the last of the SWAT Team." Inspector Lomax said as she tried to light a cigarette. "The Chief inspector is due in the next half hour. I know he'll call the army out."
"What's so bad about that?" Wraith asked. "Let the professionals deal with it."
"Because my mother lives on the 7th floor and she's not answering her phone and the bloody army will blow the building up if they can't kill it. I need to get her out. I need to get anyone who is still alive up there out."
She wiped a tear away from her eye. "It's a monster Wraith, a big bad monster and you're the only person I know who deals with monsters. Help me please, I've got no one else to turn to."
From above there came a crashing sound, the thing whatever it was, was now on the move.
She finally lit the cigarette and took a deep drag then threw it to the floor and looked at Wraith. "Fine! I'll go up by myself then."
"Just wait will you." Wraith said to her. "Let me think for a moment."
"What's there to think about?"
"You say whenever you send someone up there, the monster eats them?"
"What's your point Wraith?"
"My point is: do you have a gun?"
"No. I'm a police officer not a cowboy."
Wraith slipped his hand into his coat pocket and brought out his gun. Inspector Lomax's eyes grew big. "Tell me you got a licence for that thing Wraith."
"Yeah, sure." Wraith said. "I'll show it to you some day. Now come on, let's see if that monster is still hungry or not."