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Law informed us he’d asked local police departments for support. Black Hawk and Rapid City were each sending two uniforms to help with crowd control. He said the cells were jammed, and he needed to process people as soon as possible. The problem was every time Law and Bow tried to write citations and move those arrested along, another incident occurred.

The extra four officers would help police the town and let them regain some semblance of control. For now, Spearfish sent an officer to watch over the holding cells tonight, so Bow and Law could get some sleep. With everything going on, I couldn’t relax, and I heard a thump as I lay in bed. Frowning, I sat up as it repeated. I walked to my door and checked the hallway; just as I was about to return to bed, a light flickered.

I wasn’t superstitious and didn’t believe in the paranormal except for Aurora-Victoria, but my skin crawled. Silently, I padded down the hallway and hit the top of the stairs. The light flickered again. My head screamed at me not to go downstairs, but my feet weren’t listening.

This was the scene in the horror movie where my gut got slashed open and my throat slit. Yup, even that idea didn’t make my stupid feet pause.

I entered the rec room and glanced around. I couldn’t see anything, and a glance at the doors revealed they were firmly bolted from the inside. A quick check of the kitchen and offices showed nothing, and then I saw the light flicker again near the stage.

I moved around our furniture, and my eyes searched the darkness. Then a woman appeared. She was faint, but definitely there. Her hair was swept up, and she wore a floor-length black dress with one of those bustle things. A long white-and-black striped coat topped it off. A hat was perched on her head with feathers sticking out.

“Are you him?” she asked, and shivers ran down my spine.

“Wh…” I swallowed hard as my voice broke. I coughed. “Who?”

Sadness crossed her face, and she faded away. The lights abruptly switched on, and I screamed.

“No freaking way,” Amy said, peering at me. I threw toast at her, and Amy caught it, looking amused. “Vortex wouldn’t.”

I was somewhat appeased. My woman trusted me.

“Amy, a full-on high-pitched scream,” Hercules stated.

I hated him. What an asshole. I sincerely hoped he’d choke on his food.

“How many does that make now?” Abyss queried.

“The three horsemen, Merritt Mike, ghostly legs, the woman, and the stranger in black,” Law said.

“And three hanging in the stables,” Tracker added. Isabelle walked in looking dead tired and in a foul mood.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, concerned.

Isabelle scowled. “The hauntings have sprung to the hotels. The Silver Dollar had a customer who woke up to footsteps. They were delighted; however, another one had been banging on the walls, which got me woken up at four this morning.”

“Oh, great,” I muttered.

“We’ve a woman who was walking the corridor in the Plaza Hotel, and several witnesses saw her. The Grand Hotel had a shadow figure hiding in a stairwell and wandering the floors. I need coffee and a nap,” Isabelle whined.

Sabre got up, fetched her two cups, and returned to load a breakfast plate for her. Isabelle gratefully accepted and growled at Hercules as he tried to steal a sausage. She stabbed at him with her fork, and he yanked his hand back, looking hurt.

“Wow,” he muttered, turning to me.

“Fuck off,” I hissed, and Hercules grinned. He was such an asshole.

“Makes me dread what else the day is going to bring,” Zorro said.

“Think you just jinxed us, asshole,” Riot shot back.

Zorro shook his head and carried on eating.

Riot

If we thought yesterday’s crowds were bad, they’d tripled today. The problem with town was it was open. Anyone could walk in, and while we could control the parking lot, we couldn’t police who entered. The streets were far worse than yesterday, and the stables drew a horrendous crowd. I’d never seen so many cameras and people with weird fuckin’ equipment.

Luckily for us, the ghosts seemed shy today because none showed. I was downstairs shooting the shit with Nightmare and Abyss. Most had gone to bed, but for some reason we were wired.

A soft sound from outside caught our attention.