Sleuth Inc.

Solving Mysteries, Ghost Hunting and Explaining the Unknown

Synopsis: Louis, Rose, Johnny Dixon and Byron Q. ‘Fergie’ Ferguson as well as Anthony Monday start their own company together in the suburban Midwest, hunting ghosts, solving mysteries and encountering the supernatural and paranormal daily.

‘Life is really full of surprises, isn’t it ?’--Ms. Eells, The Dark Secret of Weatherend, Anthony Monday Book #2

Chapter 1—Hey, Hey, The Gang’s All Here !

It was such a surprise that there had been a convention in town close to where Louis Barnavelt had grown up. He had subsequently moved from his hometown to someplace quieter in the Midwest. However, just because he had moved didn’t mean he still wasn’t a magician. He had changed immensely since his youth. He wasn’t as pudgy as he had been as a kid. He was more muscular and had become a professional baseball player, hitting RBIs a plenty for the Illinois Iroquois. He had his magical ability on his side, something that Uncle Johnathan had taught him well. Johnathan was still alive and well, as well as Florence. The two had married long ago but hadn’t changed their last names to seal their union. He visited them from time to time even though they were quite a distance from Illinois, but they were proud of him, particularly of his marriage to Rose Rita and the fact that she was pregnant with twins. They weren’t certain whether the babies would be male or female but it didn’t matter. The two of them had already set up a business and running into their old friends, including some new faces at the Mystery Con was what seemed to be more than a coincidence.

It was a rather rakish young man named Johnny who approached them. He too, had a lovely wife. Her name was Mai and she had heard many fabulous and fanciful tales about Lou and Rose.

‘I’ll be glad to tell you that what Johnny says is true.’, Rose said, shaking the young occidental woman’s hand. She was extremely well dressed and had a lyrical laugh. Rose could tell that she and Mai were going to get on like gangbusters. Then there was Fergie, an old friend that Louis hung out with as a kid. He hadn’t really changed much, except in height. He had become gangly and towered over them all. He was an archaeologist and curator, extremely smart and seemed to have a wealth of knowledge, particularly on ancient texts and so called ‘dead languages’.

The final people to approach Louis were Anthony Monday and a ravishing black woman named Cassandra. Cassandra was a psychic and she kept elbowing Tony in the ribs.

‘You see, Tony ! I told you ! This was all meant to be ! It’s a good omen !’, she reassured him. Tony adjusted his red Cubs cap and smiled, knowing all along his wife had been right.

Chapter 2—Louis’ Proposition

It was outside of the convention hall that Louis had decided to gather his friends together for a meeting. Louis began explaining the premise of his new business. Things had been a bit slow going at first and Louis hoped that business would start to pick up rather soon.

‘Maybe you would all like to become my associates ? I figure each of you has a gift that would come in handy during investigations.’, he said, astutely. Cassandra nodded.

‘He’s right. Even though my Tony is a doctor, he can take time when he isn’t on call to help any sort of cause.’, she boasted.

It was at that point that the friends made a pact that they would do their best to help society realize that there was definitely more to everyday life than what could be understood or seen. They would also solve mysteries and break cold cases that had been abandoned for years. All they needed now was good advertisements, a YouTube channel and equipment to begin ‘educating’ society.

Chapter 3—Their First Ghost Hunting Expedition

Louis typically conducted ‘sightings’ and ‘tours’ with Rita but it certainly was reassuring to have supernatural aficionados among him. Before, they hadn’t known each other and had come from totally different walks of life, but in one way or another, the bizarre had touched them and left ineffable markings upon all of their characters, especially now that they were adults and beginning to become parents and business owners themselves.

It was a rather slow Monday evening but at last, a call came in.

‘Louis Barnavelt and associates. Who may I ask is speaking ?’, Rita said, having answered her cell phone first. Louis couldn’t help but grin. His lovely Rita was always so quick on the draw, particularly with clerical duty, alphabetization and trivial facts and figures. She was also really incredible with deciphering puzzles. There wasn’t a case yet that the duet hadn’t solved and they had a 5-star rating on Yelp as well as many other referral sites on the Internet.

‘I might have a poltergeist. Or a demon ! I can’t tell which, honestly.’, the panicked voice peeped in a tone barely audible.

‘Ma’am, I understand this is frightening, but take deep breaths. We’re all here to help you.’, she said, gently. Rita was also had a panache for keeping everyone around her calm even in the face of grave danger. The poor woman began to describe an experience that she and her husband had only recently begun having. They didn’t need much detail. Anthony already knew what the elderly couple was contending with.

‘This is an imp. Sure, it’s a low-level demon, but they can cause just as much havoc as their brethren. I know exactly what to do, and I won’t have to prep too much. Come on, that couple needs our help so they can finally achieve a peace of mind and of course, serenity in their home.’, Tony stated. Cass had known that Tony had had his fair share of demons he vanquished in the past. He hadn’t exorcised in a while, but that didn’t mean that Anthony had lost his touch. The others knew a few things about how to deal with demons as well, so in the case that the imp gave Tony a run for his money, they were ample back up.

Chapter 4—Dukok the Vile

After using their GPS to arrive at the darling couple’s cottage in the forest, the air began to smell of signature sulfur. It was so bad their eyes had begun to sting. Blinking back tears and trying not to wretch, the gang made their entry. Atop a table sat a 90’s outfitted imp, doing his best to impersonate MC Hammer. His style was all over the place and he looked as if the whole decade had vomited him up from the depth of fashion disaster hell.

‘I’m Dukok ! What gives you the right to come in here, wreckin’ my party vibes ? That just ain’t righteous. Man, that’s a bunch of WHACK !’, the scraggly imp stated, through jagged teeth. His venitian glasses did him little flattery to his glowing ruby eyes. He was plenty ugly to look at but his discourtesy and picking various orifices was going to make the matron of the family ill if she kept watching.

‘You have no right to be here, Dukok.’, Tony began, firmly. The imp, smaller, but yet imposing, stared at Anthony and glowered. His body began to ignite. Flames jumped from his stubby arms as his anger roiled within him. Lewis readied a squirt gun, topped to the hilt with Holy Water.

‘Says who ? You and your pipsqueak friends ? I came here to do a bit of remolding. I have to say that this is my best work yet. I hated it down in Hell. You’re at the whip crack of Lucifer himself. Up here, MAN, it’s the BOMB ! I can do whatever, whenever to WHOMEVER !’, Dukok laughed maniacally.

‘Either kindly return from whence you came or we can go about this the hard way.’, Lewis retorted, resolutely. Dukok rolled his viper eyes and stuck out his forked tongue in mockery.

‘Feh. You can’t do ANYTHING. I’ve dealt with mortals far more powerful than the likes of you little whelps !’, the imp answered, snidely. He was about to go on another house rampage when Lewis began to douse him with the blessed water. Shrieking, the imp could try as he might but nothing he did would have any effect. Rose had surrounded him with salt.

‘How dare you, vile woman !’, Dukok said, shouting out curses as he melted away. Anthony began chanting a prayer in Latin and Dukok screamed, finally disappearing in a singular puff of smoke and ash. Quickly, Mai grabbed the nearest watering can she could find and put out whatever embers might have been crackling after Dukok was exiled for good.

The couple, once hugging each other for safety and reassurance. The man of the house then did something totally unexpected. He embraced the whole team together and thanked them profusely. He paid them more than what they had asked, since he had a sizable bank account and a time share in Hawaii.

‘I can’t thank all of you enough. That little imp was terrorizing us !’, the matriarch explained. Her forehead, dappled with sweat, wasn’t gleaming as much and her shaky timbre of voice had become smooth and placid. The couple paid the investigators handsomely and the lot of them were on their way after they had been rewarded with more casserole than they knew what to do with.

Chapter 5—Wards of Light Vs. The Powers of Darkness

Every member of Sleuth Inc. knew that they had been set apart for greatness in the realm of the supernatural. None of them were lofty or bragged about this onus, since it was quite a hefty burden to bear, especially when you weren’t familiar with the territory. Fergis, Tony, Lewis, Rose, Mai and Cass all knew how to navigate the wily waters of the paranormal. All of them had their own gifts and it seemed now that the gang had grown in number that people had become wise to their existence.

However, there were always the skeptics. There was a group of news reporters that harassed Sleuth Inc. daily but was never brave enough to go on one of the gang’s ‘tours’. The CEO of the printing company, Richard Gaunt, was an atheist and loathed businesses like SI, since it was forged in the element of the unknown. They were handling the ‘unquantifiable’, and he deemed it ‘quackery’, ‘superstition’ and ‘preying off people’s lack of knowledge’. Getting plenty peeved at Sleuth Inc, he steeled his courage and gave Louis Barnavelt a call.

‘Hello, is Mr. Barnavelt available ?’, he asked, sitting at his comfortable desk at Gaunt Publishing, Incorporated. Richard’s son, Dewy, was playing with a Switch , passing by the time. His ears pricked as soon as he heard what his dad was talking about.

‘You’re talking to the ghost hunters ? COOL ! I’ve always wanted to go to the Pleasant Meadow Cemetery to see if the rumors are true !’, he shouted, near delirium. Richard rolled his eyes. He had no idea where Dewy got these insane ideas. It was neither from he, nor his wife. Heaving a heavy sigh, he continued questioning Lewis. Lewis handled the call professionally, especially seeing that he had spoken to Richard or his associates on a number of occasions.

‘So, you’ve taken it upon yourself to sate your curiosity ?’, Lewis queried, with a sense of satisfaction. He knew he had just bated the man with a Chekhov's gun he couldn’t possibly refuse. Journalists always were searching for the ‘Truth’, however objective or subjective. Little did he know he was about to get the chill of a lifetime on this ghost hunt with the Sleuths.

As requested, Lewis and his associates were gathered at Pleasant Meadow Cemetery. It had been subject to multitudinous hauntings in a long stretch of time. Mostly a guest to Native American spirits and all sorts of lost infantrymen from the Civil War, it was a favorite place for supernatural enthusiasts to investigate and catch any ultra dimensional or multidimensional beings that winked in and out of our sphere of existence.

‘Alright, so I’m here. Dewy practically dragged me here.’, Richard said, petulantly. Dewy stuck his tongue out at his dad and chuckled.

‘Come on, dad ! This is gonna be epic ! I’ve watched Ghost Hunters and they document this place all the time. I just can’t believe we’re going on an actual hunt with real paranormal investigators !’, Dewy nearly shouted but kept his voice level so as not to rile the neighbors.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened at first, but the more they searched around the plots the colder it became. There was an Indian with a tomahawk poised over Richard, ready to scalp him, but only passed through him.

‘Devil white man moves too quickly for Blue Jay.’, Blue Jay lamented.

‘Really funny, guys. Getting a period actor to come out here to scare me...’, Richard began.

‘That’s no period actor. That’s Blue Jay, a chief of the Cherokee tribe. Sadly he was killed by a colonist years ago during a wampum trade gone south. Jay obviously didn’t take it well. He skulks the cemetery for his murderer and apparently you resemble him enough...’, Rita began.

‘He’s definitely miffed.’, Cassandra added. Richard turned whiter than a sheet and began to shiver, pleading for his life even though the Chief was long since dead.

‘You can speak to him. He’ll take it well. His spirit has been roaming the cemetery for years.’, Cassandra began. Dewy was simply eating all of this action up as he witnessed it.

‘Chief Blue Jay, I am not your murderer but I do ask pardon if I do resemble him. I mean no harm. Be released and return to the Great Spirit.’, Richard said.

‘Woah, dad. That’s so cool ! How do you know how to speak to the undead so politely ?’, Dewy questioned.

‘The Golden Rule applies to the dead just as well as the living Dewy Hugh.’, Richard explained, resolutely.

‘Incredible.’, Dewy said, not even phased that his dad had used his full name in public to make a point. The spirit of the tall, lanky Indian chief disappeared into the moonlight mist, never to be seen again, but spirit, apparently had more pranks and scares to play on the father and son duo that evening.

The crew caught EVPs that evening and then unfortunately, came upon the grave of a witch. Dewy was all too curious and provoked the witch that happened to be buried there. She had been known to dabble in the dark arts and cursed everyone she came across since she had been horribly antisocial and hated ‘non-magic’ mortals. Her name was Eunice and she did all she could to maintain immortality but unfortunately, became a victim of pneumonia having been a chronic smoker. She wasn’t well liked and she didn’t have many friends. She did, however, collect a vast variety of black cats and fostered many of them although her hovel was disheveled and no place for anyone, let alone Eunice to live in.

Dewy evoked a curse and Eunice was awakened.

‘That TEARS it ! Today is the last day I remain underneath the soil and sod. I cannot tolerate your bloody racket any longer ! Today, Eunice the Darkhearted gets REVENGE !’, the cackling voice from beneath the plot shouted. Everything began to shake.

‘I lost sight of the boy ! I had no idea he was poking around causing mischief...’, Richard fumbled, stuttering. The spectre of the witch was terrifying, with its red, soulless eyes and rotting teeth. The smell that emanated from her was even worse. This was a woman who had crawled up from the depths of hell itself just for one more act of vengeance. She had written her own incantation that if anyone defiled her grave, even by accident, it would be enough to resurrect her. She hadn’t however, known that the crew had Holy Water and other implements to assist them to bury her a second time.

‘No ! Dad, I’m so sorry ! I was foolin’ around, I meant nothing by it !’, Dewy said, crying. He didn’t even care that he was sobbing in front of complete strangers. His dad was glad that Dewy was honest and forthright. He had confessed his wrongdoing but he would still get a punishment for not sticking close to his dad in order to teach him a lesson.

‘It’s fine, Dewy but I still have to enact a punishment once this is over...’, Richard said. Richard couldn’t believe everything he had witnessed but his viewpoint had been shifted. His whole life had been transformed. He knew if he ever had a question or if he had a topic that was related to Sleuth Inc’s expertise, that he would call them immediately. He wouldn’t dial any psychics on his mobile. Many of the ‘mediums’ he had contacted in the past had been phony. These people however, were rarer than gold in the Klondike and even more valuable. From that point on, Richard Gaunt became their staunchest supporter and their fame began to spread far and wide.

Chapter 6—Passing the Baton

There came a point in time that even the gurus at Sleuth Inc had to pass their business to their progeny. Lewis had a son named Johnathan, after his Uncle. Fergis remained the bachelor of the group, but he was always champion for orphans even if Fergis always took the lead in putting them in the right houses and in situations that he was certain would accelerate their enrichment. He always felt it part of his journey and purpose to help the under privileged since his best friend had been an orphan before Johnathan and Florence took him in.

Johnny and Mai had two daughters of their own, Xishang and LiFao. The two were almost indistinguishable but they were unique as night and day. Li always did company finance but Xishang was really into energies and psychometry. She solved many cold cases using her ‘white crow’ ability. Finally, there came Anthony and Cass. They too had a son they named Anthony Jr. The new team soon became the proprietors of the company and the friends could retire and go their separate ways. Of course, they wouldn’t be too far from each other, seeing that they used what they had earned overtime, particularly from popularity, to buy their own timeshare in the Pacific. It was idyllic but not without its own set of trials and tribulations. It would belong to their children and grandchildren someday. Now, however, the friends were simply content to be sharing a simple moment playing baseball together, laughing and chatting about everything they’ve witnessed and endured and watching the sun set concluding another perfect day.

Epilogue

To this day, Sleuth Inc. is the most well known outfit in the world to contact if one should have trouble with the paranormal. When things go bump in the night, the Sleuths tend to bump back. Although it is no longer owned by its original task force, the new breed is far more excellent than the original founders. Lewis and his friends look upon it with a sense of pride, but tend not to gush overtly. They maintain their humility. So, if you are looking for answers to any questions you might have about the supernatural, look no further than Sleuth Inc. They’ll lend you a hand no matter the time of day.

The End