Redstone: Sanctuaries
Chapter 11: Dubious

"So," said Jose finally after Maria had been quiet for quite some time. "What do you think?"

The two of them were on the bed, sitting face to face, with so many clippings and archives strewn across the bedsheet.

"I stick to my original opinion" said Maria while fixing her hair ties behind her head. "Brooks suspicious. I don't trust him."

"But the advice is reasonable. If there is a demon, it is cast out. He's just worried about me." Jose scolds one clipping book and flips through its contents.

"Redstone had a bad experience with exorcism." Maria shifted one of the old article cutouts and placed it into Jose's lap. The article contains a snippet of news regarding the witch hunt forty years ago. "Exorsis is considered a witch, many of whom are hunted for death. If you even call exorcists to expel something that was once known only as a myth, you will give certainty to two things to everyone: one, one, ghosts that were just rumors exist and are real. Two, you will be considered infidel. Infidel. Pagan's."

"The witch hunt's been a long time, Mary. After all, if I call the priest to exorcism, how could I be an infidel or a pagan?"

"Maybe." Maria flicked her shoulders, which instead made her camisole arm sag down, exposing her unpattered smooth white skin. "Society sees only what it wants to see. The thing is, more than half of Redstone hates you. The rest don't care who you are. Brooks should have thought of that when he gave you advice! If you make a wrong move, everything can be broken."

Jose corrected Maria's camisole, took the opportunity to land a kiss on her neck while leaning in, and then looked back at the clippings on her lap. "I still think Brooks was just in a hurry to make a suggestion, not that he was suspicious. But you were right about the exorcism. I won't call anyone until it's clear what we're dealing with."

"Obviously a ghost, right?"

"Well, ghosts don't suddenly appear. There's always a reason" Jose thought. "Before there was no such thing. I passed the Golden Path many times but never saw a man with a face full of rope or hit by a strange wind. There must be a trigger."

"Don't Hubbert be the trigger? Maybe he was offending something or doing weird things." Maria smoothed out each scattered beam, her blue eyes intermittently staring at Jose, looking at the messy black hair, as well as at the stocky body despite looking slender from the outside. They had a long argument this afternoon about Brooks, who turned into a match looking for supporting data from old clippings and archives, the debate led to a flirtation to continue their intimacy this morning.

"Hubber? If from the story, he didn't do anything that could trigger something." Jose was sure the reporter was not doing anything stupid. "I'll try to talk to Graham. Maybe he knows something about the wind and the ghost myth here."

Maria raised both eyebrows in surprise. "yes too. Why didn't you call her back?"

"Because we rarely argue long," Jose laughed. His smile was warm. "I want to enjoy it for longer. We used to argue almost every day by the lake."

"I'll argue with you every day if you're that bad" said Maria amused. Her cheeks were reddish with pleasure. He inched closer, leaning his body into Jose's arms, enjoying the heat radiating to him. All he wanted was for these moments of peace to last longer. He doesn't want anything to disturb.

Brooks, Maria thought, closing her eyes, putting her forehead against Jose's neck, I'll be watching you.

***

Lucy comes back to the Redstone manor when the sun sets. The gatekeeper greeted him politely and called for another servant to escort him in.

In a short time he was already on the second floor, in a warm room whose walls were filled with bookshelves. At the end of the room there is a large work desk that eats half the place while at the beginning of the room lined up soft chairs that surround a low marble table. On the table served hot tea and dried pastries.

Marquis Redstone was on one of the chairs, smiling kindly at him and letting him sit down. "Please, Miss Lucy. I hope nothing bad happens until you have to come again."

"Oh, you admit it?" Jose laughs. "I thought you'd deny. Is that ... true? How's it?"

Lucy tells her ability, about how she would hear a faint ringing in the ear if someone lied.

Jose listened to him calmly, then nodded. "Alright, I understand," he said, there was no lie in his voice. "Then what, Miss Lucy? I don't think you came here to explain what you're capable of."

Lucy nodded. "I know that you know Devon. I'm .. I'm also sure that you can help me find him. He's gone after your train passes!"

Jose raised his eyebrows. "Train?"

Blake's gonna be pissed, Lucy knows it. But he is willing to accept Blake's anger later, after his brother returns. Lucy concocted a new story, "Devon the story that .. umm .. her friend said .. Your train will pass carrying mm golden ducats. Then we want to see it, I mean, I, uh, me and Devon. The train passed, and we went home. I first. When I looked, he was already missing. I can't find it."

Jose held out a handkerchief to her. Lucy accepted shyly and rubbed the corners of her wet eyes. "I've tried to ask a lot of people, but no one has seen it. And I .. I feel like he's really gone, not gone."

"Police report" said Jose Kalem. "I'll get you a cover letter, if that's what you need."

"Police won't help!" snapped Lucy. The girl blinked slowly, as if realizing that she had just passed. "Police .. will not be ..."

"If the police can't, why do you think I can help?" Jose laughs. "Do you think my job is to find people?"

Lucy bit her lips. His hands clutched his knees, trying to brace himself. "You ... You are Mr. Jose Argent" he said softly. "People say, you come back from the dead and can raise the dead."

"It's just gossip" Jose's voice was firm, but Lucy heard a voice that made her heart almost stop beating. He heard a long ringing in his ear.

"Huh?" Lucy was shocked. He almost jumped running. "That's true? So you ... You are an undead?"

Jose looked at him calmly. "Miss Lucy," she called him polite. He did not continue to talk, the door of the room was knocked from the outside.

The one who came was Edwin. The man apologized deeply to Jose for being disruptive, then said, "Mister Krucher forced his way in. Are you willing to meet him or should I call Boris?"

***

¬Infidel: godless. The word which was (formerly) used to denounce/denigrate people of other religions.

¬Pagan: a term used by Christians around the fourth century to refer to those who believe in gods.