"Angels of Mercy"
Part 4
"Then you'll come?" Declan asked in to the phone as he watched Peggy through the phone booth glass.
"Sure," came the monosyllabic reply.
"Thanks, Miranda," Declan beamed. "I knew I could count on you." He hung up the phone and stepped out of the cramped phone booth. "Miranda's on her way," Declan told Peggy as he hopped into his truck.
"She's going to bring all that ghost catching stuff, right?" Peggy asked in a half-patronizing, half-joking tone of voice.
Which, of course, Declan was oblivious to. "Yeah. We're going to set up the equipment and see if we can't catch the angels in action."
"Declan…" Peggy began.
"Come on, Peg! Don't you want to know what's going on in that alley?"
Peggy sighed. "Okay, I'll admit that it is intriguing, but I just don't think it's really angels."
I guess we'll find out tonight, then," Declan replied.
~*~*~*~
Miranda arrived later than evening with the EMF meter and the other "ghost catching equipment." It didn't take them long to set up, despite protests from the inhabitants of Wash-out Lane.
Then the waiting began.
~*~*~*~
"Nothing," Declan said for the second time. The trio had rented a double-room suite from the local motel so they could examine the tapes in private. "I can't believe there's nothing here."
"Maybe the angels went away." Miranda suggested, staring at the read-out from the EMF meter. "Nothing out of the ordinary here."
"So now what?" Peggy asked. "Do we just go home?"
"And give up?" Declan asked. "Come on, Peg! Don't you want to know what happened out there?"
"Actually, Declan," Peggy said, "I'm more interested in why no one cares what becomes of these poor people."
"Didn't you the mayor's wife started a soup kitchen or something?" Miranda asked.
"It was a homeless shelter," replied Declan, rewinding the tape they'd used from the night before. "And she didn't get to build it."
"Her *husband* shot down the idea before it could be implemented," Peggy added.
"Nice man," quipped Miranda.
~*~*~*~
"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Peggy asked as she and Declan stood on the sidewalk in front of the Lawrence Roman Memorial Hospital.
"You're the one who said there has to be a logical explanation for it," Declan countered. "So I just figured we could do some more digging before nightfall. You know, see what we could find out about our homeless friends."
"I did, but--"
"And..." Declan plunged on, ignoring the flustered look on her face. "you also said that it's likely some of those people in that alley are a little--" He raised his hand, twirling a finger in a circular motion around the vicinity of his ear.
"What's that?" Peggy asked.
"Crazy. Loco. You know," he said, repeating the motion. "Screwy."
"Declan, that's not very nice."
"But you said it yourself, Peg. What are the chances of any of those people being mentally ill?"
Peggy sighed. "So you want me to do what? I don't know anyone in this hospital and I don't work here. What can I do?"
"I dunno, Peg, but I know you can do it." He flashed her a hopeful smile and she caved in, following him into the hospital. She briefly wondered why she couldn't have gotten the easy job like Miranda--checking the town hall for any records pertaining to the homeless in the alley and the ill-received shelter.
~*~*~*~
Continued in Part 5...
Part 4
"Then you'll come?" Declan asked in to the phone as he watched Peggy through the phone booth glass.
"Sure," came the monosyllabic reply.
"Thanks, Miranda," Declan beamed. "I knew I could count on you." He hung up the phone and stepped out of the cramped phone booth. "Miranda's on her way," Declan told Peggy as he hopped into his truck.
"She's going to bring all that ghost catching stuff, right?" Peggy asked in a half-patronizing, half-joking tone of voice.
Which, of course, Declan was oblivious to. "Yeah. We're going to set up the equipment and see if we can't catch the angels in action."
"Declan…" Peggy began.
"Come on, Peg! Don't you want to know what's going on in that alley?"
Peggy sighed. "Okay, I'll admit that it is intriguing, but I just don't think it's really angels."
I guess we'll find out tonight, then," Declan replied.
~*~*~*~
Miranda arrived later than evening with the EMF meter and the other "ghost catching equipment." It didn't take them long to set up, despite protests from the inhabitants of Wash-out Lane.
Then the waiting began.
~*~*~*~
"Nothing," Declan said for the second time. The trio had rented a double-room suite from the local motel so they could examine the tapes in private. "I can't believe there's nothing here."
"Maybe the angels went away." Miranda suggested, staring at the read-out from the EMF meter. "Nothing out of the ordinary here."
"So now what?" Peggy asked. "Do we just go home?"
"And give up?" Declan asked. "Come on, Peg! Don't you want to know what happened out there?"
"Actually, Declan," Peggy said, "I'm more interested in why no one cares what becomes of these poor people."
"Didn't you the mayor's wife started a soup kitchen or something?" Miranda asked.
"It was a homeless shelter," replied Declan, rewinding the tape they'd used from the night before. "And she didn't get to build it."
"Her *husband* shot down the idea before it could be implemented," Peggy added.
"Nice man," quipped Miranda.
~*~*~*~
"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Peggy asked as she and Declan stood on the sidewalk in front of the Lawrence Roman Memorial Hospital.
"You're the one who said there has to be a logical explanation for it," Declan countered. "So I just figured we could do some more digging before nightfall. You know, see what we could find out about our homeless friends."
"I did, but--"
"And..." Declan plunged on, ignoring the flustered look on her face. "you also said that it's likely some of those people in that alley are a little--" He raised his hand, twirling a finger in a circular motion around the vicinity of his ear.
"What's that?" Peggy asked.
"Crazy. Loco. You know," he said, repeating the motion. "Screwy."
"Declan, that's not very nice."
"But you said it yourself, Peg. What are the chances of any of those people being mentally ill?"
Peggy sighed. "So you want me to do what? I don't know anyone in this hospital and I don't work here. What can I do?"
"I dunno, Peg, but I know you can do it." He flashed her a hopeful smile and she caved in, following him into the hospital. She briefly wondered why she couldn't have gotten the easy job like Miranda--checking the town hall for any records pertaining to the homeless in the alley and the ill-received shelter.
~*~*~*~
Continued in Part 5...