Page 102 of The Haunting of Lockton

“Good memory,” Skyler said, impressed. “Your big brain is so sexy.”

My face was on fire.

“Are you saying Owen was involved with the riot?” Julian asked. He was a lifesaver, getting conversation back on track.

“Yes, but he wasn’t merely involved,” Callum responded. “He was the key player.”

“Survivors claimed to have seen windows exploding on their own and objects flying through the air,” I said. “All signs of telekinesis, right?”

“Correct. Owen was responsible for starting the riot.” Callum took a drink, then set his cup aside. “From what I know, it wasn’t intentional. Owen didn’t understand his powers. He had no one to explain them to him. Many witches come from families like mine, where we know from childhood what we are and what we’re capable of. We belong to covens that guide us as we grow. But there are some, like Owen, whose magic surfaces and they have no one to lean on.” A tight smile formed on his lips. “If my family had learned of him sooner, they could’ve taken him from Lockton and helped him. Unfortunately, all of this came to light once it was too late.”

We had more pieces now, but the puzzle was far from complete. We needed more pieces, more answers, before having a hope of fitting them together.

“You say it was unintentional,” I pointed out. “Why did it happen, then?”

“I can only speculate,” Callum answered. “But considering Owen’s inexperience with his powers, my guess is he experienced an emotion so intense that he lost control. Anger. Grief. Either of those would do it.”

“So he got angry and went on a rampage?” Skyler asked. “I can’t blame the guy. Some fucked-up shit happened at Lockton. There’s only so much someone can take before they snap.”

Julian focused on Callum. “What happened to him when your family intervened?”

“He was already dead when my great-grandfather arrived. Shot in the back of the head.”

“Someone killed him,” I said, and there was a twist in my gut.

“Yes. Since he was a patient, the police marked Owen off as another casualty of the massacre and moved on. One officer, however, knew of my family, and after hearing several of the nurses and patients describe what happened, he contacted them. My great-grandfather’s gift involved a type of mind control. Well, more so a power of influencing one’s mind. He tweaked the memories of the eyewitnesses, but some people are less susceptible, and it didn’t fully take hold, which explains the few instances where word got out. No one believed it, though, since the accounts had come from the patients.”

“The claims were marked as the ramblings of lunatics?” I guessed.

Callum nodded. “All mentions of what really happened were kept out of public record. Any notes were wiped clean. In the century since then, no one has spoken a word of it outside of my family. So, I’m curious as to how you learned of my family’s involvement in the matter.”

“A friend,” I answered.

His eyes narrowed.

“A friend who was alive back then,” I further explained, deciding if Callum could overcome his trepidation about telling us about his family, I could do the same about Alan. “He heard rumors circulating around town but wrote them off as rubbish.”

“Ah. I see.” Callum smoothed his lips together once, then reached for his tea again. “Your friend is a ghost.” He said it so casually. In his line of work, I supposed it wasn’t out of the ordinary.

“Yes.”

Callum’s phone lit up on the side table, and he checked the notification, a frown creasing his brow. “I’m afraid we’ll have to stop here for tonight. Something’s just come up.”

“Is everything okay?” Taylor asked.

“Yes. All is well.” Callum briefly glanced at Taylor before standing from his chair and grabbing the tray of dishes, returning to the kitchen. “It’s a family matter.”

“Oh.” Taylor stood and hesitated in place. “If you’re not busy tomorrow, maybe we can grab lunch. Or dinner?”

“Tomorrow is booked for me, as is the rest of the week,” Callum said without looking at him. “Perhaps another time.”

“Yeah. Another time.” Taylor swallowed and averted his gaze to the floor. “Just text me whenever you’re free.”

Callum nodded and rinsed out a cup. An unspoken dismissal.

Julian thanked Callum for his help before the four of us exited the loft. Taylor was quiet as we descended the stairs and stepped outside, heading toward the parking lot. I felt for the guy. He clearly had feelings for Callum, and those feelings seemed to be one-sided.

The twins talked about what we’d learned, and Skyler grumbled at the thought of doing any more research.