Page 64 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder

“That’s what we’re here to work out,” she said, too beat up already by life and the universe to feign being polite. She’d probably regret that later.

“I have an idea.” It was Millie’s disembodied voice that spoke those words.

Hearing her almost brought tears to Natalie’s eyes once more. But then she noticed the expressions of most of the attendees in the room and she had to smother a laugh. It was like most of them had never heard a ghost before.

She allowed herself a smile because she knew that most of them probably had not.

Just like how she knew there were plenty of people who’d watched the reality show she’d gotten roped into doing who’d heard Gabe and Millie on the show but still didn’t believe any of it was real. Smoke and mirrors and the magic of television is what they thought. But there was no production team here now manipulating what they’d just heard.

Natalie smiled. “Go ahead, Millie. What’s your idea?”

“Wait, wait, wait… Who the hell is that and how are you doing it?” That moderately belligerent question came from someone seated in the front this time.

“Millie, Gabe, I know we can’t technically explain the phenomenon behind why we can hear only you two and only when you’re together and touching, but could you explain how you both came to be here in Mudville?” Natalie prompted.

Why talk for the ghosts when they could talk for themselves?

Besides, she had to think a little shock and awe was exactly what this crowd needed. If she couldn’t warm them up to her, Natalie was perfectly willing to scare the hell out of them instead.

By the time Gabe had finished the tale of how he was murdered and his body donated to research as a John Doe just a few years ago, only to become one of Liam’s cadavers, and Millie had regaled them with the story of the night of her own murder over a hundred years ago, the room was dead silent—no pun intended.

“Thanks, you two. Now, Millie, you said you had an idea?” Natalie asked, so proud of how the shy young Victorian woman had melded so seamlessly into modern society since Natalie and Gabe had discovered her spirit hiding in Harper’s attic.

“Yes,” Millie said while Natalie wished she could see her. And Gabe. And Harriet and Rick and even Train Track Tim, who she’d bet were all there even though she couldn’t see them.

“We know we as spirits have geographical limitations. We can’t stray more than a certain distance from where our remains are⁠—”

“So then ship that damn brain back to where it came from and get it out of Mudville!” someone shouted from the back.

“Oh, great idea. I never thought of that. That was sarcasm, by the way, in case it went over your head.” Natalie scowled deeply. “And in answer to your comment, Liam and I agreed dooming the people of wherever the brain is sent to next is not an option. Now, you interrupted Millie. Please let her finish.”

Liam pressed his hand against her back. A show of support. She glanced up at him and he smiled. She smiled back. Taking on the doubters in the audience had somehow chased away her blues.

“Both points are valid,” Millie began again. “We can’t keep the brain here, but we can’t send it to a populated area either. So, why don’t we send it to a non-populated area?”

“But where?” Agnes asked.

“That depends on how far we can travel and if all of us have the same limitations. Once we determine how many miles spirits are limited to, you bury the brain in the center of an area with no population within that circumference,” Millie explained.

“Like in the middle of a desert,” Gabe chimed in after Millie.

“Or… the ocean,” Liam said, glancing down at Natalie with eyes wide with excitement. “We can do this. We just need to test and record the limit on the distance.”

“And how do we do that?” Margaret Trout asked.

Natalie’s instinct was to glance over at Gabe… whom she could no longer see.

Hating the loss of her power more than ever, she aimed her gaze in the direction from where his voice had come from last. “Gabe, I’m afraid we’re going to have to depend on you and Millie again, since I can’t help with communications right now.”

Or ever again.

“It’s okay, Nat. We got this,” Gabe said. “The ghost council will pass the word to every spirit in Mudville.”

“What the hell? There’s a ghost council?” a man she didn’t recognize grumbled.

Since that reality show the existence of ghosts and Natalie’s ability to see them—make that former ability—was not a secret. In fact, it was well known in Mudville for those paying attention. It seemed there were plenty who hadn’t been paying attention and they’d all crawled out of their holes for this meeting. Too bad it took a murder and multiple attacks for them to notice.

Gabe ignored the comment and continued, “Every ghost in Mudville can be tested. Millie and I will accompany them. We’ll walk until we reach the barrier. We’ll see if it’s the same for all of us, or different. But we will need a living to record and then calculate the exact distances.”