The Academy (Moving In Series Book 6) by Ron Ripley Read Free Book Online

Mitchell asked.
    Bruce’s smile widened, and he shrugged. “I don’t know. He just told me to get them ready.”
    “Who?” Larry asked. “Who the hell told you to do anything, Bruce?”
    “He did,” Bruce said. “The old man. He told me to make sure they were ready, and I did.”
    Larry caught sight of a glance exchanged between Mitchell and Dave, both of the men’s faces paling.
    “What?” Larry asked. “What is it?” “Nothing,” Mitchell said, forcing a smile. “Nothing at all. Listen, Larry, Dave, sit with Bruce. I’m going to call an ambulance for him. We need to make sure he didn’t give himself a concussion.”
    Larry nodded. When Mitchell left, Larry looked at the broken display case.
    Why, Bruce? Larry wondered. Why the hell did you do it?
     

Chapter 14: Alma Mater
     
    When Brian got out of his car, he stretched, yawned, and took in the sight of the Academy. He had passed it once or twice since graduating over twenty years before, but he hadn’t gone back.
    He had never been nostalgic for high school. The experience had been miserable, and best forgotten. He put his keys in his back pocket and climbed the granite stairs of the Admin building. The old, oaken door opened on well-greased hinges, let him into the main lobby. On the right-hand side, were yellow caution signs with similarly colored tape cordoning off the old display case.
    The glass was gone.
    Brian paused, caught sight of specks of glass on the floor of the case, and shook his head before he went to a door marked, “Principal.”
    He knocked on it, and when Mitchell called out, “Come in,” he did so.
    His cousin sat at the secretary’s desk and looked up. A relieved smile spread across his face as he stood up.
    “Brian,” Mitchell said. “Thank you for coming.”
    “You’re welcome,” Brian said, embracing Mitchell after the man had come around the desk. “Damn, you look like someone beat the hell out of you.”
    “Feels like someone did,” Mitchell replied. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
    Brian nodded in understanding. “What happened in the lobby?”
    “One of the janitors broke the display,” Mitchell said.
    “Accidentally?”
    Mitchell shook his head, and he told Brian about the incident.
    “This isn’t good,” Brian said after a moment.
    “Not really what I wanted to hear,” Mitchell said, sighing. He sat down on the corner of the desk. “Take a seat, Brian.”
    Brian sat down in a chair that looked exactly like he remembered. “Mitchell, I know you don’t believe in any of this stuff. I know it must have been hard for you to make the call.”
    Mitchell nodded.
    “I’m going to poke around,” Brian continued. “I’m really hoping it’s something stupid, like some sort of chemical and people reacting to it badly. I want nothing more than to tell you that when I’m done. But please understand, from the little you’ve told me so far, this really sounds like a ghost. And not a particularly pleasant one.”
    “What are you going to do?” Mitchell asked.
    “First,” Brian said, “I’m going to take a walk around campus. I want to see if I can either spot him, or anyone else.”
    Mitchell frowned. “What do you mean? Other staff members?”
    Brian shook his head. “No. Ghosts.”
    Mitchell wanted to scoff, but he stopped himself. Too much had happened to dismiss the idea. He needed to know, one way or the other, why things were happening.
    “And after?” Mitchell asked.
    “After,” Brian said, “I’ll either tell you it’s nothing, or I’ll have to do some research on Nathaniel Weiss.”
    “Alright,” Mitchell said softly, nodding. “Okay.”
    “You want to walk around with me?” Brian asked.
    “No,” Mitchell said, “I’ve got to get all the staff together in the auditorium at ten o’clock. We’ve got some grief counselors coming in.”
    “Well,” Brian said, “walk me to my car at least. I want to grab a bottle of water.”
    “What, no whiskey?” Mitchell