Audra rode with Ethan from the high school back to the town square. Yolanda and Joshua had left the high school a little ahead of them after they had remained behind with the town council to pack up and clean up the auditorium, restacking chairs and making sure to sweep up any dirt and trash.
Audra had shadowed Ethan as he did a final check of the building. When they sat in his truck, she was struck by the strange silence between them that she wasn't sure how to break. Finally, she decided to tell him about her invitation to have dinner with the Shelleys.
"I don't think that's a good idea," he said flatly.
"Why not?"
He let out a pent up breath. "Why do you think it's a good idea?" he asked.
"After I stopped by the hospital for Abigail's file," she paused for a moment to see if he would mention hearing about her fainting episode from Sheriff Miller. When he didn't say anything, she continued, "I went to the high school to check out the lead Renee gave us about Mr. Hawthorn, the math teacher. It turns out he tried to push Abigail to file a report of assault. I think she may have been raped."
"You think the Shelleys are involved?" Ethan asked.
"I do," she said. "I think it's at least worth looking into."
Ethan snorted his derision of that statement.
"We need to get DNA from one of them. Dr. Shelley is dead but Brendon will be there. What about the third?" Audra asked.
Ethan looked stumped. "You know this is the first time I'm even hearing about a third Shelley brother."
"Isn't that strange." Audra shook her head. "Plus, there is this adopted daughter, Margret Shelley. I need to tell you more about her back at the B&B under the specter shield."
Ethan looked at her in the dark and she could tell that he understood the need for the extra security.
"About what Cordero said," Audra began, thinking it would be the best time to address the situation. "We were both equally to blame for that affair." She turned to look out at Specter's nighttime scenery. There was something strangely peaceful and pastoral about the shadowy landscape bathed in the moonlight. "And we're both responsible for this affair as well."
She couldn't force herself to turn back to him. She hoped he understood what she meant; that she wanted to be with him for as long as she could, no matter the cost. A few moments went by before his hand found hers in the dark and brought it to his mouth. She could feel the smile of his warm lips on the back of her hand as he kissed her.
"Thank you for saying that," he said and she could tell a great deal of tension had left his body. "But, I never thought what we had was just an affair. And I certainly hope that what we have now is more than just an affair as well."
Audra smiled and squeezed his hand. "Me too."
When they arrived at the dark, abandoned town square, they saw that the only activity of life came from the Daylight Candle Shop. Audra looked at the time on the truck dashboard and saw that it was already half past nine o'clock. They both got out of the truck and Audra reached for Ethan's hand again. She took note of the humble smile that touched his mouth as he took her hand and they entered the shop together.
Mackenzie entered the room from the back of the shop with a pot of coffee and five cups on a tray as Audra and Ethan walked in. Joshua and Yolanda sat with guarded expressions at the table across from the specters Dr. Shelley and Sheriff Miller.
"We were wondering how long it would take the two of you to join us." Yolanda seemed ill at ease despite her humorous welcome. Her eyes shifted from the specters, to Mackenzie, and then back to Audra and Ethan.
Audra got the distinct feeling that Yolanda felt she were surrounded by people and specters she was not sure she should trust. Audra appreciated the position that she was in and took a seat between her and Joshua. Ethan took a seat next to Mackenzie as she poured the coffee and passed the mugs around.
"Thank you all for coming," Dr. Shelley began.
"I doubt we had much of a choice after that fiasco," Joshua muttered, pushing his blond hair back in an effort to still some of the nerves that still seemed a bit jittery. Audra realized that this was probably the most trying field experience Joshua had ever endured, as his job usually pertained to lab work and data analysis. She could see that Yolanda had a kindred spirit in him as they were both slightly out of their depth.
"First, I would like whatever is said here to be kept off of any official record," Dr. Shelley implored.
"Why?" Audra asked.
"You have to understand that while specters pose no threat to the living, we have returned here for a very specific reason. That reason has to remain protected," Sheriff Miller explained.
Audra looked from Ethan, to Yolanda, to Joshua. They all nodded at each other.
"Fine," Audra spoke for the group.
"As important and precious as life is, it is not the most important element of the universe," Dr. Shelley began. "Heaven and Earth are folding in on each other. Our coming back among the living is a sign of the end times."
Dr. Shelley looked at each of them in turn. Audra looked to Mackenzie who seemed to already know or at least believe what Dr. Shelley was saying.
"The only specters that are allowed to walk in this realm are specters who died within the last ten years and were at peace. This means they didn't carry the burden of sin with them into death."
"Why is that?" Audra asked.
"Because the ones that were allowed to come back are charged with preparing the Earth for its possible end," Sheriff Miller stated.
"How do you do that?" Yolanda looked curious.
"We are each given different instructions," Sheriff Miller supplied.
"Such as?" Ethan urged him to continue.
"That much I cannot tell. But, as you can imagine, specters are the first line of defense in the changing times," Sheriff Miller stated.
"Defense against what?" Joshua asked.
"Whatever is already here and whatever is to come next," Dr. Shelley said.
Audra took the time to look at Ethan, Yolanda, and Joshua.
"Can you prove this?" she asked, knowing they could not.
"No," Sheriff Miller said. "But as much as I didn't want all of this business being dug up again, Specter must remain a haven for our kind. We need you to prove that a specter is not responsible for Gwyn's death."
"Do you have any information that could help us do that?" Audra directed to Dr. Shelley. "What happened with Abigail in high school?"
Dr. Shelley shook his head. "I don't know. I tried to find out while I was living, but couldn't. After my death, there was no trail that I could pursue. Any and everything was buried with Abigail."
"Mr. Hawthorn tried to get Abigail to confide in Principal Shelley but she wouldn't," Audra commented.
"I know," Dr. Shelley said, "I wish she had. Back then I was so young, I didn't see it as my place to butt in. I looked at the file, Agent Wheeler. She refused to name anyone."
Audra let out a sharp breath. She had to accept that he really didn't know any more about it. Audra stopped herself from bringing her sister and Margret into the discussion. As far and she knew, they didn't know anything about her sister being Margret's twin, and if they did, she didn't want to tip her hand.
"Whoever is responsible is using the idea of specter involvement to shield themselves," Sheriff Miller interjected. "It's possible that these specific coincidences have been staged. While it seems like their murders are related, I think it is only meant to appear that way."
"Whoever is responsible for Gwyn's murder, and the murder of all those other women, had very intimate knowledge of their circumstances of birth and their connection to her mother, Abigail," Dr. Shelley piped in.
"So, you think that there are two murderers? The person that killed Abigail and a different person who killed those other girls and attacked my sister," Audra said for clarification.
Dr. Shelley nodded. "As tragic as their deaths are, they may only be a distraction."
"Distractions from what?" Ethan asked.
"That is the million dollar question," Sheriff Miller answered.