Ghost Tales of Seattle

Ghost Chase Part 5

  A half hour into the lecture on the spirits of people killed in the Great Seattle Fire, Robert Matthews stopped and surveyed his audience. "I have a special treat for you."

He gestured to the back of the room and Matthew rose from his chair and joined the ghost hunter. The fans in the back row glanced at each other as if they were wondering whether they were going to be called up next. I stood in the back. I wanted to observe the whole room. There was a risk to a medium channeling a ghost in a place with lots of historical connections. Another spirit might try to possess him after Adelaide was done.

"This is Matthew Wynn, a local psychic. He's agreed to channel a ghost who is connected to one of the items here at the museum," Matthews said. "Let's get right to it."

Matthew closed his eyes and I watched Adelaide Bolton's spirit surround him as a silver mist. I hadn't seen my boyfriend channel before. Addie's face was superimposed over his. A cold shiver ran down my spine. I was glad I didn't have to channel to truly communicate with ghosts. I patted my pocket, which held a sprig of rowan. Our friend the witch, Marva, was not fond of ghost possessions. She'd shown me a ritual which should banish any unfriendly shade if it tried to take over Matthew.

Matthews wasn't shy. "You say you were Buffalo Bill's lover and had his child. How did you even meet him, Miss Bolton?"

"It was at a 4th of July Picnic in Washington DC. The show I belonged to wasn't invited to the White House or anything like that, but I had a friend who worked for the first lady and she got me into a picnic on the grounds. Bill was there with a couple of his employees and he came over to talk to me. We almost couldn't hear each other over the lady singing 'rocket's red glare, bombs bursting in air' so he invited me to come to the hotel his troupe was staying in that evening. The next morning he offered me a gold locket, but I wasn't a lady of the evening. I was about ready to punch him in the eye socket, but he realized his mistake."

"What did he do?" Matthews asked.

"He reached under his pillow and pulled out a gun. 'I just wanted to give you a souvenir of our night together. You're a sharpshooter, will you take this gun to remember me by?' Of course I took it. Now I want to pass it down to my great great granddaughter."

"Where is the gun?" Matthews asked. "I'd love to help you get it to her."

I bet he would like that and to film the whole thing for his new Seattle ghost hunting show on Netflix. I stood, ready to intervene, but Addie could handle herself. She'd been in show business and knew his type.