Way Exorcism Consultants

Four: In Which Clara Brooks is Murdered

Frank felt his eyelids getting heavier with each blink, begging him for some sleep, or at least some coffee. He was sitting in a chair in the back room, Gerard at his desk, computer open and the glow making him look paler than usual. Frank was reading a book on ghost basics, or rather re-reading it; it was one of the books Gerard assigned him to read when he first started and he'd skimmed the whole thing.

Mikey stuck his head into the room. "Hey, it's almost midnight so I'm gonna head to bed. I'll send Ray down with some coffee."

Gerard nodded in gratitude and Mikey retreated to his bed. Man, sleep sounds nice, Frank sighed, but decided to push through at the prospect of coffee. He flipped the page he was reading and settled a little deeper into his chair.

After a few minutes, Ray brought the two men coffees and proclaimed that he was going to bed as well.

"You guys should get some sleep too," he said as he left.

Gerard shrugged. "I still gotta find out what happened in that house."

"Have you still not found anything?"

"I only started a few minutes ago!"

"What were you doing before?" Frank asked. "For like, you know, the four hours we've been working back here?"

"I was trying to figure out what era that wedding dress was from!" Gerard said, looking offended. "And I had to read over everything that Mikey wrote and then write about that."

"What wedding dress?" Frank asked.

"That dress in the chest? That was a wedding dress from the fifties. I knew nothing that elaborate and white could be just any old dress."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Tell me when you--"

"Got it!" Gerard yelled, jumping up. "A woman was murdered there the night before her wedding!"

"Well that explains it," Frank said, getting up and peering over Gerard's shoulder at the computer screen. He was opened to some newspaper archive, looking at a scanned article with the headline Young Woman Found Dead on the Eve of Her Wedding. A small black and white photo accompanied it, reading Clara Brooks

"She was very pretty," Gerard remarked and Frank felt his stomach drop. Of course Gerard's into girls, he thought bitterly. Frank wasn't lucky enough for someone with that nice an ass and that kind a touch to possibly be gay. Frank tried to focus on reading the article.

May 3rd, 1953, Clara Brooks was discovered dead in her bedroom at 184 King Street. Coroners have yet to determine a cause of death, but the twenty year old seemed to be in perfect health. Her fiancé James Thomas, who she was to marry in the morning, is distraught. The funeral will be held...

"No cause of death?" Frank pondered. "Why's that?"

"Why are you asking me? Maybe something else happened after this," Gerard said, searching for the papers over the next couple of days. "Pull your chair over here," Gerard said, not taking his eyes off of the screen. Frank complied, dragging his chair through the books to perch next to Gerard. He read the papers over the other man's shoulder, looking for anything relating to Clara Brooks' death.

On May 6th, there was another article, saying that traces of poison were found in Clara's blood, and that her fiancé was now suspected of murdering her. Gerard printed out both articles and began pasting them in his notebook. Frank went back to reading his book and sipping his coffee. A few minutes passed in silence before Frank had a worrying thought.

"Gerard?" Frank asked. "Where do you get priests for exorcisms? This is--"

"We're exorcism consultants, we rarely preform exorcisms ourselves," Gerard said. "And... I used to be a priest."

"What?!" Frank sputtered. "You?"

"I left the church after like... A little under a year," Gerard muttered. "It was a strange experience but I can still preform exorcisms, which I don't think we'll need for a simple ghost. You'd know that if you kept reading your book."

"Do you mind me asking... Why'd you leave?" Frank asked timidly.

"I..." Gerard sighed. "I'm queer, Frank. I got sick of the closet and the incense."

Frank's eyes widened. Gerard wasn't straight! He just had one surprise coming after another.

"What's that look for? You aren't homophobic are you?" Gerard asked angrily.

"No, no! Quite the opposite. I'm gay. You just surprised me," Frank explained.

"Shit. I owe Mikey five bucks." Gerard smiled.

"You were betting on my sexuality?" Frank mocked offense.

"Well, I was hoping you were queer but I didn't think I'd be that lucky. That's why Mikey wins the bet," Gerard mumbled.

He was hoping I was gay?! Frank thought, blushing. The two men fell into an awkward silence, tension so thick in the air you could cut it.

"Um..." Gerard mumbled, not making eye contact with Frank. "It's late, do you wanna sleep here tonight?"

Frank nodded. He didn't want to walk home this early in the morning. Gerard got up and both men walked upstairs to Gerard and Mikey's apartment. Gerard quickly made up a bed on the couch.

"I don't think you wanna sleep in my bed," Gerard laughed. "My room's a mess anyways."

Frank nodded and collapsed onto the couch. "Thanks, dude."

"No problem," Gerard said with a small smile. "Goodnight, Frank."

"Night, Gerard."

Frank covered his face with his hands as soon as Gerard left the room. He felt like a fifteen year old again, with stupid crushes and no confidence, but he was too tired to stay worried and awake, so he fell into a dreamless sleep.

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Okay this one's a little short and I'm not super proud of it but I hope you liked it. Comment plz?