Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town by Michael Pryor

Author:Michael Pryor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2019-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Bec and Rani burst in. ‘Tanja!’ Bec screeched and octopused my aunt in a hug. Tanja hugged back, and I could have been overthinking it, but I thought I saw a tiny frown and a moment of hesitation, as if she wasn’t quite sure who Bec was. Or maybe being trapped in this Elsewhere place made you a bit icky about touching people. Who knows?

Bec and Tanja had always got on well. I think Bec respected her because Tanja was smart and independent and didn’t take crap from anyone, me included. Tanja liked Bec, I reckon, for pretty much the same reasons.

Eventually, Bec broke off and grabbed Rani’s hand. ‘Tanja, this is Rani. She’s with the Company of the Righteous. Used to be with them. Works with us now. It’s complicated.’

Tanja shrugged uneasily. ‘Let’s just say that my own relationship with them is complicated too.’

Oh yeah. That’s right. Even though the Company of the Righteous booted the Marins out a couple of hundred years ago, Tanja and Commander Gatehouse, Rani’s old boss, were an item once upon a time. A long time ago. A long, long time ago. Fingers in ears, I don’t want to hear about it.

‘I’m on secondment,’ Rani said. ‘More or less.’

‘Uh huh,’ Tanja said. ‘But you trained with them, so you’re good with the martial side of things?’

‘I can handle myself.’

‘She’s deadly,’ I said. ‘She took it right up to those Ragged Sisters.’

The slightest grimace touched Rani’s face, but at that moment Bec hauled her laptop out of her backpack. ‘So, tell us where you’ve been, Tanja. And you don’t mind if we record you?’ She beamed. ‘This is going to be so good.’

Tanja had her arms folded again, and both index fingers were drumming away on her elbows. ‘Look, that can wait. We’ve got more important things to worry about.’

‘More important?’ Bec echoed, bewildered.

‘The Ragged Sisters should be our number one priority,’ Tanja said. ‘If they’re here, that means big trouble for any of us with ghost sight – which includes me, so I have a vested interest in all of you understanding what you’re dealing with here.’

‘You know about them?’ Bec asked.

‘I put some study into them, years ago,’ Tanja said. ‘A deeply dangerous family with truly committed followers.’ She tugged on an earlobe – another Tanja giveaway. ‘I wonder if Sigurd is still around.’ Blank faces all round had her explaining impatiently. ‘One of my colleagues from the old days, a specialist in Trespassers.’

‘We can set you up with communications,’ Bec said. ‘And your own laptop.’

‘Good. And from what you’re telling me about this outbreak, looks like you can use another ghost hunter.’

‘You’re up to it?’

‘Give me a couple of days. I’ll be right.’

Dad lumbered in, wearing a tartan waistcoat that could only have been chosen by someone with bleary eyes. He stood in the doorway. ‘No, not a dream.’ He spread his arms wide and hugged his sister clumsily. ‘It’s good to have you back.’

Tanja remained stiff for a few seconds before sagging into his embrace and starting to sob.

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