Page 22 of Ghost Hunters 2

“I thought so.” Bane smirked at the rare compliment. “Not everyone has angry demons they can use as bodyguards.”

“But why would they protect you?” Jillian asked. “They hate you, right?”

“Yes, they hate me beyond measure,” Bane replied. “But they want to end me. They do not want someone else to have that pleasure.”

Chapter Eleven

Suddenly, an odd sound hummed in the kitchen and they heard yelling as Goerge popped out of the wall again.

“Back so soon?” Bane asked him.

With a grunt, George looked confused. “That never happened before. I can’t seem to leave.”

“Aw, you poor thing and how does that make you feel?” Dino asked him.

Bane nodded. “Yeah, you look upset, Georgie. Do you need your blanky?”

Dino laughed.

“Shut the hell up!” George snapped.

“So, now you are trapped too. But in a much worse way,” Bane shrugged. “Sorry, but I am also a pickpocket. But no biggie, I added something of Georgies' to the mix.”

George looked confused and asked, “What? What do you mean?”

Bane sighed. “I admit it. I stole from you. You see, I went through all of the rooms here and found yours. In it, you had a few things. Like a very nice watch. I mean it is really old but it has Beau inscribed on the back.”

George glared at him. “That is mine! Give it back!”

Bane chuckled as he raised the conjure bag up and placed the watch into it. “Sorry Jillian but I picked your pocket a few minutes ago.” He then looked at George again. “You stole their stuff so it is only fair.”

George saw the bag now and he slowly backed away with a look of horror on his face. “You can’t remove a curse by digging up the Gris Gris.”

Bane nodded. “No, you can’t. But it does mean you are now the same as the rest of the ghosts here. Stuck and ready to roast all over again.”

“Damn!” Dino exclaimed. “That is so fucking clever.”

Bane looked over at him. “Glad you think so. My specialty has always been dealing with the devil. And picking pockets.”

“My grandmother gave me that watch!” Geroge shouted.

“A general awarded me that pin,” Matthew countered.

“And that ring came from my mother,” Tilly said.

“The hair clip was something Tilly bought for me,” Claire said.

“So you now know how it feels to be robbed, Beau,” Dino told him.

George’s rage spilled out again, “STOP CALLING ME BEAU!”

“Well, Beau, you already got burned once. So it ought to be a cakewalk for you this time around,” Bane said.

Jillian looked angry now as she stepped close to George. “If we’re all going to die, I think we have the right to know why you came here and why you did all those things.”

Dino looked over at her. “He doesn’t care, Jillian. Not about anyone. Just himself.”

“That is not true!” George screamed at them. “My grandmother told me I could never come back to the bayou I was raised in. I could never again ride the swamps in a cage boat. Never again would I smell the smoke of a sycamore tree as I cooked the catfish I caught.”