More Harry Hogan stories!
Harry caught a glimpse of Gary Martin’s car pulling into the driveway and wished he had a back door. There was no doubt that he had provided great information about Paddy O’Flynn for the Historical Society… but the man couldn’t seem to shake his belief that every unexpected sound he heard was another ghost.
As he leaned back in his chair, Harry’s thoughts drifted back to his first encounter with Gary Martin, a man who was pretty much afraid of his own shadow and terrified of ghosts. When the ghost he thought he’d heard at the old mine site was explained, Harry thought that would be the end of it.
However, Martin had turned up a second time, about a month later, claiming that Paddy O’Flynn’s ghost was back and this time Martin didn’t think he was alone.
“O’Flynn always worked alone, didn’t he?”Harry asked, and Martin nodded. “Why would he feel the need to take on a partner now – if he’s a ghost?
Martin shrugged. “I only know what I heard.”
“And exactly what did you hear this time?”
“Something was being dragged across the floor of the tunnel and… I heard voices… whispering.”
“What were they saying?”
“I couldn’t make out the words, but… I’m sure there were two voices… unless… do ghosts talk to themselves?”
Harry drew a deep breath. “I have no idea what they can – or can’t – do, but I still don’t think it’s a ghost.” He picked up the phone and dialled a number. “Have you started work at the site of Paddy O’Flynn’s mine yet?” he asked the person on the other end. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Martin was watching and listening intently.
“That sounds good,” Harry said. “Have any of your people heard or seen anything out of the ordinary in the area?” He listened for a minute. “Like something being dragged across the ground, or someone whispering… Yeah, I think you’re probably right. Thanks for the information.” He ended the call and turned to Martin. “I think I know what you heard.”
“Did someone else hear it too?”
Harry shook his head. “That was the Chairperson of the Historical Society. They have students working, installing information boards, benches, picnic tables and garbage bins along several hiking trails that end at places with historical interest, including Paddy’s mine site. ”
“That’s a great idea,” Martin said. “But, what did they hear?”
“Nothing but themselves,” Harry said. “They were sweeping the debris from the tunnel to eliminate tripping hazards.”
“What about the voices… the whispering voices?”
“Can you imagine teenagers working together without talking?” Martin shook his head. “They could have been sharing gossip… Internet gaming information… or perhaps just something between themselves… it’s irrelevant. The point is that what you heard were teenagers doing what they were hired to do. And I’m sure they were allowed to talk while they worked.”
Martin sighed. “I wish I could get past this obsession with things I can’t explain.”
“Next time it happens, just tell yourself there’s a logical explanation,” Harry said, “because ninety-nine percent of the time – there is.”
“What about the remaining one percent? That’s what worries me.”
Harry shrugged. “I like to think the explanation is out there but I just haven’t found it yet.”
“I’m not sure I can do that,” Martin said as he was leaving. “My brain just isn’t wired the way yours is and I’ve had this thing about… ghosts… since I was six years old.”
*Something happened to scare you,” Harry said.
Martin nodded. “It was a few days before Halloween. I was walking home from school when someone wearing a white sheet jumped out at me from behind a tree, groaning and rattling chains.”
“That would do it, especially for a six-year-old.”
“For the next two years, I spent Halloween night safe inside my own bedroom. I wouldn’t dare to go trick-or-treating, or even to a Halloween party. I still don’t like ghosts, but I never really believed in them until I did that high school paper on Paddy.” He stepped outside, closing the door quietly behind him.
********************
