The Road Ahead

"You've got company, lad." Bobby said as he poked his head into the guest bedroom. Calvin was already leaning on the window sill, seeing who was getting out of the strange car. He winched in pain though and quickly sat back down, unable to stand on unsteady feet. The bullet wound still burned in his side whenever he moved.

Abelard wrapped a dark scarf around his neck and donned his minister's wide-brim hat as he made for the door. Opening it, he almost ran right into Rocky who had is hand up, ready to knock on the front door of the farmhouse. Abelard jumped back, startled at the wide-eyed cat blocking his exit.

"Gah, what the devil are you doing here?!"

Rocky's smile spread from ear to ear. "Why reverend, I'm here to see my dear baby cousin. Is the boy up and about? Walking yet? Oh no, he hasn't gotten amnesia from the blood loss, has he?!" Rocky's mind ran at it's usual one hundred miles per hour.

"That's a myth." Elsa said as she made her way out of the kitchen. "But he is awake if you'd like to speak with Calvin. Mind letting the boy in, brother?"

Abelard rolled his eyes as he opened the door wider and gestured in. Rocky raced inside, tipping his hat at the reverend in gratitude. "And remove that demonic garbage from your head, son! This is a house of God!" Abelard called up to the grey tabby dressed in blue.

"I'm glad at least that God approves of whiskey." I said, removing my hat out of respect and extending a hand. "Thank you again, reverend. You and your family have done mine a great service by keeping Freckle here. While he recovers."

Abelard looked me up and down before hesitantly taking my hand. "Despite being a heathen, at least Freckle keeps to himself." Just then two children roared past us with Riley yelling "Wait up Rocky, I want to see Freckle too!" Joseph's feet barely touched the ground as the girl flew up the stairs.

"Egad, you've brought the little demons here as well?!" Abelard hissed.

"One heathen, three demons, and a ghost, Reverend. Quite the family, isn't it? I replied, putting my hat on the coat rack.

"You'd do well to teach the younger ones to not run in the house. I'd suggest the same for the grey one in those devilish clothes but I fear his soul may be too far gone."

"Yeah… Rocky isn't exactly modest. Don't mind the kids though. They're just excited to see their favorite heathen uncle up and about. I'll tell them to tone it down, though. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to see the lad myself. And you look like you've got some ministering to do."

"There is a harvest potluck tomorrow at the church." Abelard replied as he exited his house. I could see the faintest of smiles on his face. "Being a reverend does have its earthly benefits."

Freckle settled back into bed, making sure he didn't look too much like a mess. Rocky slowly opened the door, knocking on the exposed wooden frame with one hand and his hat in the other. A nervous smile was spread across his face. "Am I still welcome to come in, cousin?"

The two cousins stared at each other for a good long moment while the kids caught up to Rocky. Freckle smiled at the two youngsters before nodding his head. "You are always welcome."

In an instant, the two kids took the cue to crawl up onto the bed and pestered McMurray with questions. Riley especially was interested in seeing the results of the surgery. "What does it look like? Can we see? Ooh, did you get to keep the bullet? I read you can put one in a jar and save it—"

"Riley Ann Kelly! Stop pestering the poor man. And you two shouldn't be running around in the house like a couple of animals." I said as I stepped in behind Rocky. Riley froze and then backed off, "sorry…" She said.

"Oh, that's alright." Freckle said, hugging the two kids. "I'm glad to see you two. And I've got a special task for the both of you." He continued, gesturing for Riley and Joseph to lean in close. He then whispered something to them and they looked at him confused.

"What do you need with those?" Joseph asked.

"Oh, you'll see. Trust me, it's very important. I need the best you can dig up. Now go on, we'll talk more when you get back."

"Okay!" Riley said before scampering off with Joseph in tow.

Rocky and I looked at each other before turning back to Freckle. "That was rather… decisive…" Rocky commented. "Are you sure you're still yourself, cousin?" Freckle just shrugged his shoulders.

"Being uncle Freckle doesn't sound so bad anymore." He replied. The smile dropped from his face though and he became a lot more like himself now that the kids were gone. "So what happened? Mrs. Bastion told me you ran into trouble after I got… this." He said, gesturing to the bandages on his side.

I took a deep breath and sat down. "You missed a lot, Freckle. They weren't just after you."

"They wanted all of our heads!" Rocky exclaimed, gesturing a knife sliding across his neck. "And they nearly succeeded."

"What?" Freckle sat up, alarmed. "What about Ivy?"

"She's fine. At college, safe and sound. She and Mitzi are going to meet her dad today."

"Oh… maybe it's a good thing I'm stuck here."

"For the moment, you're safe here too. But don't worry, home will be safe again soon."

"About that… Ethan, you said—"

"I know, Freckle. I thought we'd be safer out there in the sticks making whiskey instead of smuggling it into town. If I thought…"

"We're not going be safe, ever, are we?"

"What?! No, of course we'll be safe!" Rocky tried to comfort his cousin. "We just need a different strategy, that's all."

"We're shutting down the speakeasy." I said, putting my hand on Freckle's shoulder.

"I've told Ivy this before, but I can't stand to lose any one of you. You all are my family now, and I've been a terrible brother for bringing danger to our doorstep."

"No, Ethan. It wasn't—"

"Yes, Freckle, it was my fault. I should have left it well alone, but when you got attacked, I just had to pick a fight with the Green Ones. They were the ones who tried to kill you, Rocky, and me. An when they figure out, they haven't finished the job, they'll keep hunting us."

"So… what are we going to do?"

"You, Freckle, are going to stay here a little while longer. A week or so, just enough time to take the fight elsewhere. Rocky is going to help Mitzi with shutting the speakeasy down. He's only going to help me with a couple of small tasks. You two plus the children and the women are going to be as far from danger as possible."

"And what about you?"

"I… am going to bring the fight to the Green Ones. They shot you, Freckle. Perhaps I could walk away if that was going to be the end of it, but it won't be. They'll keep coming for us and I'm not going to rest until there's none left to kill us."

"What if we left town? Got on a train and went somewhere else? All of us? Surely that would be easier than taking on the entire mafia on your own!"

"Where would we go, Freckle? Without that farm we have nothing. This is where you and Rocky were raised. This is where Ivy and the kids go to school. This is the city Isabella's parents call home. We can't vacate the streets of St. Louis, Freckle. Those streets are part of us now. But I won't be alone. I'm asking you, one last time, to trust me. Can you do that?"

Freckle looked past us before gazing down at the bandaged side. Injuries and the risk of death are the price of doing illegal business. He now understood exactly why his mother didn't want him following Ethan that night. Logic would dictate that he should separate himself right now. Take Ivy and start again. At the same time, Ethan was right. He couldn't just leave his home town out of fear.

"Okay, Ethan, I'll trust you. And you too, cousin. But we can't afford any more mistakes."

"We won't suffer any more mistakes, Freckle. There are better days ahead, I promise you that. But we have to make those days happen."

A few minutes later the two kids returned, each with the requested item for Freckle. "What did you two find?" He asked while we gave them some space. Joseph produced a small, straight piece of dogwood. Freckle picked it up and examined it carefully before nodding his head, satisfied. "Well done, Joseph. And you, Riley?"

Riley excitedly produced a brilliant pink mineral sample. "What on Earth is that?" I asked.

"Mozarkite…" Rocky said, looking over Riley's shoulder.

"It's a special kind of Quartz." Freckle explained as he looked over the sample. "Now I'll have something to do besides read and receive sermons from Reverend Abelard."

Back in Town

"So… remind me of the plan, again?" Wick asked as he adjusted his hat in the train depot.

"We are taking Ivy and Rueben to the university and then picking them up later in the afternoon." Mitzi explained as she looked at herself in her pocket mirror.

"That I understood. I meant about Ivy's… other activities."

"The plan is not to mention them, Mr. Sable. Especially not what the boys have been up to." Ivy said as she excitedly looked around the platform. And just like that, there he was. Rueben appeared, walking through a cloud of smoke and steam coming from the locomotive. Ivy started jumping up and down. "Dad! Dad! Over here!"

His eyes lit up when he saw Ivy and the two quickly closed the distance. Rueben grabbed Ivy and swung her around from the waist. "There's my girl!"

She giggled. At least for the moment he seemed to be more excited about seeing her again. But that would only mean the questions would be coming later. "Oh Ivy, you should see the engine they got up front! The driving wheels are bigger than both of us!"

"Hehe. How is Kansas City, Dad?" Ivy asked as Ruby let go of her and held her hand.

"Oh you know, the usual. Now then, did Mitzi drive you over?"

"Well, actually…"

Rueben then spotted Mitzi and the familiar face in a top hat. "Mitzi, there you are! And is that Wick Sable?"

"Indeed, it is good to see you again Rueben." Wick said, extending a hand as Ivy's father embraced Mitzi. Rueben shook Wick's hand as expected, but then pulled him in as well so he could hug each cat with one arm. He cackled with his head looking up at the steam-filled sky. "It's been far too long. Gosh, I haven't seen either of you since…"

"…the funeral…" Mitzi said as she regained her composure, taking a more somber tone.

"Ah geez, I'm sorry Mitzi. And how have you been getting on? Do you still have the café?"

"No…" Mitzi said, shaking her head as her mind ran through the total of her losses since the previous year.

"I, uh, bought the building." Wick explained. "Now it's a dandy set of offices right in the heart of St. Louis."

"What, the café is gone? Ivy, you didn't tell me it was renovated out of existence. I thought you were working the till there?"

Ivy tried to keep the conversation away from anything having to do with the speakeasy. "Oh yeah, I guess I forgot. But I was working there until June!"

Rueben shook his head. "All three of you will have to fill me in on what I missed. In the meantime, I think we better have a talk about this letter I got, young lady." He said, pulling out the envelope. "When is the meeting?"

"At eleven." Ivy said, avoiding eye contact.

"That's in less than an hour! Come on then. Wick, I assume you brought them here?"

"Yes, Bix is waiting just outside."

Ivy was feeling the tension on the ride over. Rueben didn't say anything for a minute as he re-read the letter. His eyes then peered up at his daughter, looking at her with a sternness he only reserved for serious discussions. "So, mind explaining why you haven't been showing up to class and staying out late?"

Her eyes darted around nervously. Though Miss M was sympathetic, she couldn't do much without revealing the entirety of her goddaughter's activities. Wick merely adjusted his collar as he stared out the window, pretending not to hear the conversation that was about to unfold.

"Nothing to say, huh?" Rueben scoffed. "Why are you in college, peanut?"

"To… learn?"

"To get an education. And maybe find a suitable man along the way. Someone who's smart, has a future, isn't in… my line of work."

"Oh great, not this again…" Ivy slid down in her seat.

"I know, I know. You don't want to talk about marriage. I'm not saying you have to marry someone tomorrow, but the university is the best place to look. And even if you don't find the right guy at SLU, you'll at least be able to get a great job. Wick, how much is Lacy making now?"

"Oh, what was it? Fifteen hundred a year if I remember right."

"See? Fifteen hundred buckaroos a year, Ivy! And that's a secretary! Your mother and I didn't make that much combined until Atlas came along. So imagine my surprise when the university sends me a letter saying that my daughter is off campus and not paying attention to the biggest money-making thing she's got going."

"Dad, money isn't everything…"

"Of course it isn't, honey. But look at the company we keep. We're in the car of a high roller right now! Hey, that gives me an idea. Wick, do you know any up-and-comers in the rock industry?"

"I, uh… Rueben, if you don't mind, I'd rather not get involved in a family matter such as this."

Rueben shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, we'll talk about that later. The point is, Ivy, you've got plenty of options. I was nervous about you being in St. Louis but I can't deny that there is opportunity here. And as much as I love to see you, I don't want to have to take a train all the way from Kansas City to bail you out of some discipline hearing."

"Mr. Sable, we have arrived." Bix said in a monotone voice as he pulled up to the curb. "This is as close as I can drive to the administrative building."

Wick opened the door and stepped out of his extended Cadillac to let his passengers onto the sidewalk. Rueben, taking a reprieve from his lecturing, looked around in awe of the campus as the last of the autumn leaves were being torn from the branches of at least a dozen different species of trees, each precisely manicured by the groundskeeping staff. "Ah, college! Some days I wish I had gone to a place like this. Life sure would have been easier, eh Mitzi?"

"I don't think college was meant for people like us, hon." Mitzi replied.

Inside the stuffy room full of suits, men passed papers back and forth. There were exactly three women in the conference room. Ivy, the women's dorm manager, and the secretary. A greying, rotund cat with bushy eyebrows cleared his throat. "Are we ready to get started, gentlemen?"

A round of nodding, coughing, and general agreement filled the air. "Very good. Ivy Pepper, do you know why we've called you and your father here?"

"I think I have an idea."

"Good, then we'll get straight to the point. Your absences are out of line, young lady. Not only have you not been showing up to many of your classes, but Mrs. Kirkland has noted that you haven't made it back to the dorms by curfew a total of twenty-eight times. At St. Louis University we pride ourselves on a student body who wants to learn. Who want to be here. Not only that, but the streets of Saint Louis are no place for a young woman like yourself, Miss Pepper. Why just today I read about a gang shootout on a bridge west of town over the weekend."

Rueben raised his hand to stop the lecture. "I think both my daughter and I get the point, sir. What can we do to rectify this?"

"Rectify?" The fat cat scoffed. "Sir, this is a hearing to decide whether your daughter will continue to study here or go home with you. Do either of you wish to make a case for Ivy's continued enrollment? Was there a good reason for these absences? A death in the family, perhaps?"

"No…" Rueben replied, looking at his daughter. "But kids screw up all the time, surely—"

"Mr. Pepper, this is a private college. Not being Catholic is one thing, but in our experience female students who are out on the town every other night partake in some… unladylike acts."

"And what, exactly, are you insinuating that my daughter is doing?" Rueben stood up, scoffing at the notion. "You think she's sleeping around? Oh, or maybe running liquor for some street gang?"

"There have been rumors…" The cat replied, looking down at his paperwork. "In any case, the reason why is not important. What is relevant here is that by all accounts your daughter is not—"

Just then the room echoed with a knock on the door. In stepped an aging cat with kind eyes behind bifocal spectacles. The dean looked at the man as if he had just kissed a nun. "Dr. Polk, this is hardly an appropriate time. Can't you see you're interrupting a discipline hearing?"

The cat smiled, taking off his glasses and putting them in his pocket. "That's actually why I am here, sir. Is it too late to give testimony?"

"Testimony on what, exactly? Ms. Pepper has been absent without explanation enough times to warrant expulsion."

"Well, I can't explain every absence, of course. But there was one in particular I think this board should know about. The night that dreadful tornado tore through town."

As the board discussed it amongst themselves, Rueben looked at his daughter. "And what's this about?"

"I, uh, kinda… sort of…"

"Very well, Dr. Polk. As a respected, tenured professor at the University, if you have anything to add in regard to this case, we will admit whatever testimony you have to give."

"Excellent. As some of you know, on the night after the tornado I was part of a group of volunteers who offered assistance to the affected neighborhoods. While in the old part of town north of the campus, Miss Pepper requested my assistance with a woman trapped in a pile of debris…"

Ivy looked at her father, trying to register whether he was getting angry or not as Dr. Polk continued. "Anyway, I was unable to provide assistance on account of a partial collapse inside the remaining structure. The other rescuers, Miss Pepper's friends, were debating on what to do when this young lady grabbed my medical bag and bravely crawled into the middle of the pile. Without regard to her own life, she proceeded to give the trapped woman a leg amputation with only verbal instructions and a dim lamp."

Rueben's eyes widened as the doctor told the story. "Afterwards I offered Miss Pepper the chance to enroll in our medical school if she wanted to. When I heard through the grapevine that she was at a discipline hearing, I came over as soon as possible to extend this opportunity again."

The dean was hardly impressed. "It is quite the story, Dr. Polk, and perhaps it does say something of Miss Pepper's character. But she does not possess the academic aptitude as evidenced by her grades to—"

"Sir, this young lady saved a woman's life in one of the darkest days of this city. Before that she was rendering aid to other injured people and running much-needed supplies to doctors and nurses. I have not seen bravery like this since the Marne. And I can tell you right now that if it had been up to us old fogeys, that poor woman would have never lived to see her son again."

"Your testimony is noted, Dr. Polk. But even if this explains one or two absences from the dorm and her classes, Miss Pepper has many more for which she is unable to account for. We cannot simply turn a blind eye to this."

"Agreed, which is why I would be more than happy to work with Miss Pepper for the remainder of the school year to get her grades back on track. And after this year, I would like her to join our school's nursing program. She may need help with the academic side of classes, but she has proven herself to possess certain qualities that many veteran nurses and doctors have never developed in themselves."

The board muttered amongst themselves while the good doctor winked at Ivy and shook Rueben's hand as the cat was still trying to process the story he had just heard. The dean held his hand up, signaling the others to cease their discussions. "It is highly unusual for a professor to reach out an offer such as this. You've been at this university longer than I have, Dr. Polk, yet I have not heard of you extending a similar kindness to anyone else. It is the opinion of this board that Miss Pepper can stay enrolled at SLU provided she can show progress in her academics by the end of the year."

Ivy's eyes lit up, realizing that she would get to stay after all!

"Are there any questions…? Then in that case, this hearing has concluded. Congratulations, Miss Pepper. It seems you have a guardian angel at this university. But I warn you not to take Dr. Polk's offer for granted. Slip up like this again and you will be headed home, understood?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"Good. Off to lunch then. Susan, when you've gotten done with the edits could you please make a copy for Miss Pepper's school file."

Outside the building, Rueben was quick to start asking questions of his own. "You were outside past curfew in the rotten part of town, digging people out of rubble? Who else was with you?"

Mitzi and Wick looked at each other. Rueben took notice. "You two?"

"I thought you got the Post-Dispatch in Kansas City, Rueben." Wick said. "Sable Mining provided all the materials necessary to dig the neighborhood out after that tornado came through. It was on the front page."

Rueben shook his head and sighed. "Well, at least she was with you two instead of… oh God, what was that guy's name, the violinist? The one who lights himself on fire regularly?"

"Rocky?" Ivy replied.

"Yeah, that one. And where was the big man in all this mess? I'm pretty sure Viktor could lift a house if he needed to."

"About that…" Mitzi said, looking away. "Tell you what, why don't we head down to the old speakeasy and catch up properly?" She suggested. "Ivy, you can let Alena know to come down there with Isabella when they're both done with classes for the day."

Old Henry

"So this is where Sable took you and Miss M that night?" Rocky said as he looked at the large house with security out front.

"Yeah. I know it doesn't look like it, but the guy who lives in that house was apparently one of the baddest mob bosses this side of the river." I said as he put the car in neutral and engaged the brake.

"Did he make you and offer you couldn't refuse?" He asked, puffing out his cheeks and speaking with a thick Italian accent.

"No… but he did give me a gun and some advice. Oh yeah, and he's Irish like us, not Italian."

"Oh… So why did you want to come back here?"

I waited at the door while Rocky tried to hide himself from the unnerving glare the two security guards gave us. "They would give Viktor a run for his money." Rocky noted, whispering the comment into my ear. He was still loud enough for the two goons to understand, though.

"And what business do you have with Mr. Hogan? You with his campaign or something?"

"Eh, not quite. If you could, just let him know that Ethan Kelly is here to see him again."

After waiting for a couple of minutes, the door opened and Jeannie was there to greet us. Her eyes lit up upon seeing me again. All I could think was "ugh, not again."

"Ethan Kelly! Please, come in dear. And who's your friend there?"

"Oh, this is Rocky. An… associate and employee of Miss M."

It took her all of about three seconds to notice that Rocky wasn't exactly built like a brick house. She instantly had pity written all over her face. "Oh, you poor thing. Are they starving you at work, dear?"

"I, uh, what? Me? Starving? Well, I would hardly consider it the job of my employer to—"

"Come along, I think there are leftovers." She said, prying Rocky away from me.

"But, but—"

"There you go, Rocky. Getting yourself free lunch! Now don't complain, we are guests in Mrs. Hogan's house."

"Ethan, is that you, my boy? I'm over in the study." A voice called. Following its direction, I found myself back in Mr. Hogan's retreat from the world. He greeted me with a warm smile and a handshake.

"You're lucky I was around today, Ethan."

"How goes the campaigning, sir?"

"Well, it's going as good as can be expected. You know, we could use your endorsement. Everyone in Miller's campaign is still looking for local heroes to help him stay in office."

"That's… not really my forte. Besides, I'm being hunted. Can't afford to let my face get plastered all over the paper again."

"Ah, so that's why you've come here. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but for the greater good I have withdrawing from the criminal career of my youth. I hope you haven't had to put that gun to use."

"Actually. I did. A bullet detonated the magazine and gave me a face full of metal shards." I explained, pointing at the wounds which were now being covered up by fur. Only a couple of the bad ones still required a bandage.

"Well that's unfortunate. But you made it through that scrape. So what can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you'd know who the Green Ones hired to kill my family."

"The suspect list must be a mile long, Ethan. Did you get a look at him?"

"Not exactly. I remember someone from the trees fired a single shot at me. A big bullet slammed into the rifle. This person also took a shot at my brother, Freckle. It was a long poke. He was accurate too, almost got Rocky and me right then and there. Now, I might be new to the life of organized crime, but I know people and I know guns. Your average street thug couldn't make shots like that in a million years."

Hogan looked out the window in thought. "There was one person in St. Louis who could shoot like that. I think I mentioned him to you before. Luke Kennedy. But, no, that's not possible. The man is dead…"

Henry looked around at the farmyard. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing that would suggest a shoot out or a struggle. Even so, Matt and Elias hadn't checked in and now they weren't where they were supposed to be. He stood up with a grunt, not finding any sort of clue on the ground. "This isn't like them, John."

John stood watch over both of them, taking in views of the barn and the farmhouse. Nothing seemed out of place to him either. "You think they decided to hit the road after seven of our best went down fighting that ghost?"

"No, they never abandoned their post like this before."

"Maybe we should just wait around a while? It's possible they drove into town to pick up supplies."

"Possible, yes. But then they would have called us."

John looked at the ground and noted that the most recent tire tracks left the yard and went into the field. Squinting, he saw freshly disturbed dirt in the back field. "It looks like they got the last target." He said, pointing out into the barren acres.

"We should go check out the bridge. Maybe they are cleaning up any evidence e the cops missed?" Henry said as he limped back to the car. John was growing tired of the charade and he pulled out his revolver, cocking it. Henry stopped in his tracks and sighed. "What, you think I had something to do with this?"

"No, but something is wrong. You know it and I know it. Now, I get that lying comes with the territory, but I think it's about time we're honest with each other. You aren't actually named 'Henry', are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, John. Just because there's parts of my past I'd like to keep buried, doesn't mean that—"

"Your name is Luke Kennedy. Your real name. I pieced it together a while ago. I heard you were killed, so how the hell are you standing there right now?"

Henry shook his head and smiled. "I haven't heard that name in years. Luke Kennedy. Fine, alright, you caught me. I got lucky."

"No, that ain't good enough for me. I remember reading about you as a teenager. How are you still alive?"

"I don't want to—"

"There's no one else around. Please, I need to know who I'm working with. It's been eating at me for weeks! Enough of my men's blood as been spilled on this crusade of yours to give my brother vengeance. Now two of your own are missing. So tell me the truth."

Luke gave up, pointing at the front porch of the house. "Fine, I guess wherever Matt and Elias are they are either already dead or they are out doing… something. I'm going to keep this short though."

"The 1921 war was something else. I was the fastest triggerman in the city. Everyone wanted my services, even Atlas May tried to hire me! But Jellyroll Hogan kept us Irishmen well-fed and busy. That all changed though when I took one life too many. William Egan was the man's name. A police officer of the most crooked variety. His family were eventually ran out of town, but not before going to war against us Hoganites. Anyway, in vengeance a couple of Egan's Rats managed to get a lucky shot at me. That wound knocked me back a few pegs!

A few months later, it was obvious to everyone that I wasn't as good as I once was before the injury. By then I had switched to my old service rifle from the war. I wasn't fast anymore, but by God could I shoot that Enfield! Even so, I was getting tired. Yearning for a new start. But we don't just to quit this line of work. Just like in war, you either outlive everyone else or you go home in a box. No one said you had to be dead inside that box, though. So when the opportunity presented itself, I took the money I saved up and gave it to a couple of the more easily swayed members of the Rats. One tragic shooting later and everyone thought I was in a pine box six feet below.

Of course, the real tragedy was that even in death I couldn't escape this life. I just didn't know how else to make a living. So I had to leave town, find work under other people. I should have known that sooner or later I would find myself back in this damned city! That's why I started calling myself Henry. An unassuming name for an unassuming face. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Come on, Rocky. Put your back into it." I said as we dug furiously in the moon light. We would have to be quick unless we wanted someone to call the cops on us.

"You know, this is a lot easier when I have Freckle doing most of the work." Rocky said as he tried to keep up.

"You know, it's hard to build muscle if you avoid work, Rocky." I joked. Both cousins weren't exactly built like Viktor and I was still blessed with being lean. A miner's muscles never tire!

Just then, Rocky's shovel hit something solid. We both had been at this long enough to know when we found a coffin. But usually the Arbogasts buried the coffin full of booze a couple feet below ground and now a full six feet under. As I rested the shove against the dirt inside the hole, I double checked the name. It was faded, but still legible. "Luke Kennedy"

Struggling, we both managed to pry the lid open. The flashlight revealed… nothing. Not a single bone, piece of jewelry, clothing, flesh, or anything at all. "Ethan, what does this mean?" He asked.

"It means I'm not the only ghost in this town."