Mel Odom - Shades

"Ghosts that read minds," Michael snorted.

"Yes," Max said calmly. "That could explain how the ghosts knew who to appear as and how they were only visible to the people they chose to haunt."

"We could see them," Michael said.

"We're not exactly normal," Isabel put in.

"And some of you," Maria said pointedly, looking at Michael, "are less normal than others."

Michael scowled.

Before Michael could pick up his end of the argument, Max said, "Some form of telepathy, then."

"Let's start with that," Valenti said.

"With telepathic ghosts," Michael said derisively.

"That's where we're starting," Valenti said. "That's not where we're going to end up."

"Max said the Mesaliko were experiencing more manifestations," Michael said.

"Maybe it has to do with their spirituality," Kyle suggested. "Maybe the Mesaliko are closer to nature than our culture is. They believe in vision quests, and some of what River Dog has shown you guys has bordered on spirituality."

"Not exactly looking for New Age answers here, Buddha Boy," Michael said.

"That could have something to do with it," Max said. "But maybe it's something simpler."

"Like proximity," Liz said.

Max nodded. "Like proximity."

"The legend may have been based on something that actually happened in the past," Isabel said.

"Legends usually are," Valenti said.

"But what event?" Maria asked. "Spirits returning to haunt the Mesaliko? If we go that route, we're right back where we started."

"River Dog said Raven stole flames from the Sun God," Max said, his mind suddenly churning. "Raven brought the flames back to the Mesaliko, only he couldn't hold them in his beak. He spat the flames out, and they crashed to the earth, creating the desert."

"Let's keep the proximity thing going," Valenti said. "Looking back over Max's story, River Dog said that the ghosts had only haunted the Mesaliko people; they hadn't attacked them until today."

"Until I was there," Max said.

Valenti nodded toward the television. "All those other people who have seen ghosts, they aren't saying anything about lightning strikes or strange winds. They're just seeing ghosts."

"The ghosts reacted more strongly to us," Isabel said.

"Yeah," Valenti said. "Know when the last lightning phenomenon occurred?"

"At the hospital," Liz said. "While Max was there."

"Bingo," Valenti said.

"Maybe," Michael growled, "but what does it mean?"

"Don't know," Valenti said. "It's another correlation we need to factor in."

"Telepathic ghosts that react like a minefield to us?" Michael asked.

"That's a good way to put it," Valenti agreed.

"Why would they do that?"

"Because they recognize you as a greater threat than anyone else they've met," Valenti said.

"I heard River Dog's ancestor… or whatever it was… telling him that the Visitors had to be made to leave," Max said.

"I got the same treatment in the hospital," Kyle said. "Only it wasn't from a ghost." He quickly related the story of the strange insect creature he'd seen on the wall. "At first I thought I was just freaking because of the injury and all the weirdness going on."

Valenti grimaced. "Might have helped if you'd mentioned that story earlier, son."

"Why?" Michael demanded. "It wasn't enough that we have telepathic ghosts; now we have to add in the cyborg afterlife of Jiminy Cricket?"

"Why haven't any of you guys seen ghosts?" Valenti asked. "If the ghosts wanted to chase you out of Roswell, why didn't they start haunting you?"

"We saw ghosts," Isabel said.

"Not ghosts of people you know," Valenti corrected. "You saw other people's ghosts."

"Maybe that's worse," Maria said.

"Was it?" Valenti responded. "How about if you'd seen the ghost of someone you knew? Someone you loved and lost?"

Silence weighed into the room. Max watched Isabel, knowing they were all remembering Alex.

Valenti rubbed his face tiredly. "Sorry. I should have thought before I spoke."

"No," Max said. "It's all right. There's no explanation why we haven't seen our own ghosts."

"Because these telepathic ghosts can't read us," Michael said. "We're too strong, or we're the wrong wavelength. Something like that. Maybe the same thing that makes the ghosts fear us also protects us."

"Except our presence makes the ghosts react more violently," Isabel said.

"Because the ghosts are afraid of us," Max said.

Valenti strode into the midst of the room. "Let's check that line of inquiry where it is for the moment. We've done enough there to identify what we might be up against. We need to do some more work."

"What?" Max asked.

"The tie is missing," Valenti said.

"What tie?" Isabel asked.

"Max said that River Dog told him the spirit manifestations began a few days ago," Valenti said. "Why are the ghosts only now turning up in Roswell?"

"Because the ghosts are migrating," Max said, following the logic.

Valenti smiled mirthlessly. "I prefer the term contamination. Roswell is starting to show signs of contamination from whatever has summoned whatever the ghosts really turn out to be."

Max nodded. Scary as it was, the idea of looking for a physical culprit in the middle of all the confusion was also reassuring.

"But," Valenti said, "there's someone who got contaminated early."

"Who?" Max asked.

"Leroy Wilkins," Valenti answered.

"The guy in the Crashdown?" Kyle asked.

Valenti nodded.

"He was just the first one anyone knew about in Roswell," Kyle said.

"No," Liz put in. "My mom was talking to my deceased grandmother this morning."

"And you can't really say Wilkins was contaminated early," Maria said. "Wilkins came into the Crashdown today spazzing out. Today's when all the ghosts seemed to have showed up."

"Before he showed up in Roswell," Valenti said, "Wilkins took a pickax and a sledgehammer and tore down the basement wall where he'd hidden his partner after murdering him. At his age that would have taken some time. Wilkins had poured that wall to stay. When Michael and I searched the room, we found beer bottles and plates with unfinished meals."

"And a Bible," Michael added, evidently growing more interested in Valenti's story. He reached for another pizza slice.

"Why would Wilkins have a Bible there?" Max asked.

"Do the math on this one, Maxwell," Michael said. "A Bible at the hidden grave of the man Wilkins murdered."

"Wilkins was trying to perform an exorcism," Maria said.

"Yeah," Michael said. "The food that was down there? Been down there for days. Wilkins was haunted long before the rest of Roswell started feeling the affects."

"Where does Wilkins live?" Max asked.

"On the other side of the city from the Mesaliko reservation," Valenti said. "The ghost invasion would have had to skip over Roswell to get to him, then double back. There are other people living out there." He nodded toward the television. "So far, there aren't any reports of anyone else out there being affected."

"Why was Wilkins so special?" Maria asked.

"Exactly," Valenti replied.

Liz looked troubled. "Why didn't the ghost that was haunting Wilkins's basement haunt someone else after you left?"

"Because I grounded it out with the crowbar," Michael reminded her. "The lightning blast destroyed it."

"It's a ghost," Maria said. "How can you kill it again?"

"I don't make up the rules," Michael said. "I just play the game."

"This is so not a game."

Michael shrugged. "Whatever."

"After the lightning blasted the ghost away," Valenti said, reaching into his pocket, "I found this." Light splintered from the small piece of metal he held.

"What is it?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Valenti answered. "Something that didn't belong. That's what most investigations are all about: finding the things that aren't supposed to be there."