Page 58 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes
“It doesn’t matter anyway.” Bruce swallows slowly. “It was such a long time ago, his father’s probably long dead by now. He was never in great shape. He smoked too much, drank too much, had already had two heart attacks when I knew them.”
Bruce closes his eyes, looking utterly drained as he lets out a sigh.
“Tris.” Dusty looks up at me from where she’s kneeling at his side. “What’s wrong with him? Surely this isn’t normal?”
I shrug, returning her gaze helplessly. “I don’t know what normal is, so I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“It’s the doorway,” Bruce mutters, his eyes still closed. “There’s something wrong with it.”
“Oh my god.” Dusty blinks. “Is this totally an E.T. and Elliott moment?”
I chew my lip as I study Bruce and then lift my gaze to the archway. I’m not familiar enough with the doorway to be able to tell the difference exactly, but now that he mentions it, it does look a bit… I don’t know, darker? Like it’s swathed in shadows.
“We know he’s physically bound to the doorway,” I mumble to myself as I try to figure it out. “It probably stands to reason that if there’s something wrong with it, it’ll have some kind of effect on Bruce.”
“We need to do something.” Dusty looks up at me desperately, and I’m sure my face mirrors the worry etched on hers.
My gaze slides to Bruce. “We’ll figure it out, Bruce, I promise,” I tell him fervently, and he rewards me with a ghost of a smile that seems to take a great deal of effort.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
I don’t want to tell him it’s because I’m pretty sure the chaos monster living on the other side wants out and is most likely draining the psychic energy from him.
My eyes suddenly widen. “Oh my god,” I gasp.
“What?” Dusty says.
“Chaos,” I whisper, trying not to alarm Bruce, who seems to be slipping in and out of sleep. “Whatever that thing is on the other side,” I say, my breath rushing out of me, “I think it’s feeding off the psychic energy of this place. Remember what it was like before when we would come here? It was like the air was alive with energy, especially as so many spirits congregated here. It was like it supercharged the place. What if Chaos is using that energy? It may be how he’s able to reach beyond the doorway’s boundaries to effect things physically in our world. He doesn’t have the strength to cross over yet, not until the eclipse. So maybe he’s not driving the other spirits away. What if they know about him and they’re staying away purposefully so they don’t make him stronger?”
“Fuck, this sounds like the plot of a really bad movie.” Dusty blinks and then frowns. “But what about me? I’ve been here loads of times recently, even after Bruce started getting sick, and it’s not affecting me.”
“But you’re not like them,” I reply. “You’re a free spirit.”
“Christ, boo, you make me sound like I should be wearing denim cut-offs and a daisy crown, twirling barefoot through a field and calling myself Bluebell.”
“I said free spirit not a hippy from the seventies.” My mouth curves. “Maybe he can only affect earthbound spirits,” I muse. “You’re not, you’ve crossed over. You’ve been into the light and chosen to come back. You’re a spirit guide, which puts you at a higher plane of existence than them. Maybe that gives you some measure of protection.”
“What do we do?” she says quietly as she looks down at Bruce. “How do we help him?”
“Death said that if we figure out the doorway, how it came to be in the first place, we’d figure out Bruce’s connection to it.”
Dusty scowls. “Easier said than done.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” I straighten up and take a step back.
“Where are you going?”
“To eat chips with Viv and find out what she knows about the origins of the bookshop,” I say. “Are you coming?”
Dusty looks down at Bruce, her expression filled with concern. “I think I’ll stay here.” She glances back at me. “I can’t leave him, not like this.”
I nod. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes,” she replies, her glare hardening, “and if Death’s evil twin comes anywhere near Bruce, he’s going to feel my stiletto in his balls.”
I smile at my sweet, fierce best friend. “Make sure you keep checking in so I know you’re both okay.”
She nods and rises to her feet, then kicks off her heels and climbs into the huge chair beside Bruce. Resting her feet on the large footstool, she shifts Bruce so that his head is resting on her chest peacefully. I watch as she tucks the blanket back around him and wraps him in her arms, placing a kiss to his dark hair as he dozes.