Page 29 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder

“Exactly,” Harper agreed. “I mean, he’s already dead. What else could happen to him?”

Natalie looked to the others in the room, the spirits, for answers. As a living she certainly didn’t have any answers of her own.

Most of the ghosts shook their heads. All except one.

Train Track Tim.

She leaned forward. “Tim. Do you know something?”

He nodded.

This was going to be interesting trying to get answers out of a ghost who couldn’t talk. Time for spectral charades.

“Do you know what Doug is frightened of?” she asked.

Tim lifted the shoulder of his existing arm.

Interpreting that response as best she could, Natalie asked, “You’re not sure, but do you have a guess?”

Tim nodded vigorously, rattling what remained of his missing jaw. He reached out with his one hand and with a single finger, traced a letter on the table.

“D,” Natalie said aloud as she watched him.

“What’s happening?” Harper asked.

“Tim is writing something,” she answered quickly. Then as he formed the next letter she said, “R.”

He continued writing, and she went on reading the letters aloud until Tim finally leaned back. Natalie mentally reviewed the letters.

“Dreams,” Harriet breathed, before Natalie was able to cobble together the word in her head.

“Dreams?” Natalie repeated.

“What does that mean?” Harper asked.

“I’ve heard of it before,” Harriet began. “In the ghost world, some spirits are destined to relive the moment of their death. Over and over again. It’s not so much a dream, exactly. More like an… echo.”

“It sounds like more of a nightmare,” Rick commented.

“And odd, because I don’t remember my stabbing. And Millie doesn’t remember falling to her death.”

Harriet nodded. “You’re right. It’s not common. But it does happen. I’m guessing when the trauma is bad enough.”

“Is it like a residual haunting?” Natalie asked.

Gabe rolled his eyes. “You and your residual hauntings.”

Natalie frowned at him as Harriet continued, “For those I’ve heard talk about it, it seems like the more violent, the more terrifying the death the more likely the victims are to experience it over and over again.”

Again Tim nodded his head.

“Tim, do you have these dreams?” Natalie asked.

He tipped his head once, slowly, and her heart broke for him. As if his death and his afterlife weren’t horrible enough in the state he was left in, he had to relive it over and over again? Forever?

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Tim bobbed his head one more time in acknowledgment.