“I appreciate you saying that, Tennyson. I really do. I hope you can help my classmates. If they’re still here in the lunchroom, then they’re not resting in peace.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to help them. I promise.” Ten hoped at least one of the kids reached out to him, Everly, or Cope before it was time to go. He checked the clock on the wall. They were scheduled to be back on the bus in fifteen minutes.
Nodding, Flo got up from the table and headed back into the kitchen.
Ten dumped his uneaten lunch in the trash and joined Ronan and the others at their lunch table.
“Where have you been?” Ronan asked.
“I asked one of the lunch ladies if there was any haunting activity in the kitchen, and she said that she hadn’t experienced anything like that, but she was one of the students who was in this lunchroom when the three kids got sick back in ’68. She told me the whole story.” Ten shook his head. “Jesus, Ronan, it was awful. I hope Everly hasn’t picked up on what happened to them.”
A bright giggle reached Ten’s ears. Everly, Aurora, and some other little girls were laughing together.
“I think she’s okay. I’m gonna go take some pictures of the girls with their new friends. Are you okay?” Ronan gave Ten’s hand a squeeze.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ten turned to Cope. “Have you sensed anything about what happened here all those years ago?”
Cope shook his head. “No, nothing, but while we were waiting for you, Ronan and I had a chat with Everly about sending a message to the spirits that we can help them. All they have to do is ask for help. After that, she went and joined the girls for lunch. I kept an eye on her, and she seems in good spirits. No pun intended.”
Ten found his first smile in what felt like forever. They were only going to be at the school for a little while longer. If the spirits didn’t reach out for help between now and then, there wasn’t a lot he could do for them.
Maybe it was for the best. Ten hated the idea of these spirits not being at rest, but if they didn’t appear to him, Cope, or Everly, his hands were tied.
9
Ronan
The rest of the day had flown by in a flash. After lunch, the kids said their goodbyes to their new friends and got on the bus to go back to Salem. Ten had been busy checking names off on his clipboard to make sure all students and parent chaperones were aboard. He’d spent a good portion of the drive home congratulating each of the kids for a job well done in the concert. He’d taken an empty seat in the middle of the bus after he’d spoken to everyone, and Ronan hadn’t seen him again until they’d gotten back to the school.
When they got home, Ezra had been a little cuddle bug, which Ronan knew meant he wasn’t feeling well. He’d taken his son’s temperature, and it had been a little high. Ten had cooked dinner while he stayed with Ezzie. It had taken longer than usual for the little boy to go down for the night.
Everly, for her part, had wanted five books and three drinks of water before she’d even consider going to sleep. By the time Ronan got to bed, he was exhausted and felt like he could sleep for a week. Sleep, however, would have to wait. He wanted to hear what Ten had to say about what was going on at the New Hampshire school.
“Oh, good, you’re still up.” Ronan pressed a kiss to Ten’s cheek and went to change and brush his teeth.
“I have a feeling I’m going to be up for a while.” Ten sounded resigned to his fate.
“Because of what happened at the school today or something else?” Ronan hoped to hell there was nothing else preying on his husband’s mind.
“What happened in New Hampshire.” Ten sighed. “It was just supposed to be a simple exchange concert. A fun bus ride, singing songs, making new friends, and thenbam! I’m caught in the middle of a fifty-year-old cold case. I was scrambling for clues, and the ones I found seem to go nowhere. Christ, is this how it feels for you when a case just drops into your lap?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Ronan agreed. “Tell me what you found out.”
Ten quickly explained what he’d learned during his conversation with Flo. Her firsthand eyewitness account was as heartbreaking as it was invaluable.
“Wow,” Ronan said, sounding as shocked as he felt. “I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been for the other kids to see their friends get sick in front of them like that, then to learn later that three of them had died. I would have been scarred for life.”
“That’s exactly what happened to Flo. It felt like she was back in the moment as she told me the events of that day. What was worse than listening to her explain in detail what happened to her classmates was the guilt she felt over speaking with the police.”
“What do you mean? She would have been five years old at the time. Why was Flo speaking with an officer?” Ronan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Yes, three kids had died in a crowded lunchroom, but there must have been plenty of adults to question before having to resort to interviewing elementary-aged children.
“She said that the cops had come to the school the next day and spoke with all of the kids in Miss Fairbanks’s class.”
“Individually or in a group?” Ronan was appalled. Granted, it was fifty years ago, and a lot had changed with interview and interrogation policies, but regardless, the idea of the police questioning an entire kindergarten class the day after three of their friends died was beyond the pale.
“Individually, with no parents present.” Ten shook his head. “I would have a fit if police even tried to speak to Everly without our consent and without one of us in the room.”
“I can’t believe it.” All Ronan could think about was Everly and how she would have responded to losing classmates and then speaking with a police officer by herself. Even with her gifts and limited exposure to law enforcement, Ronan had to imagine his daughter would be terrified. He felt his temper start to rise.
