Free 2 A Reason for Murder by Morgana Best

ask for a corner table, and position myself with my back to the wall, do a grounding meditation followed by shielding meditation, and wait for Melissa.
    I walked back in the direction of Collins Street and found a coffee shop on Little Collins. I was in luck. Although it was crowded with patrons, there was a spare table for two on a back wall in an alcove. I didn't have to ask for it; it was the only spare table. What's more, I had cell phone service in there. I would sit, drink coffee, and wait for Melissa to call.
    Morpeth was very much on my mind. Skinny was looking for an excuse to fire me. Irritating, to say the least. I was only making ends meet as it was. My feature story on Morpeth ghosts would have to be good, and even more to the point, would have to satisfy Skinny's unreasonable expectations.
    Suddenly, out of nowhere, the temperature dropped. I again sensed a hostile spirit, and at the same time experienced a moment of disorientation. Enough procrastinating. I immediately launched myself into a grounding meditation where I visualized my feet extending into the earth to let out negative energy and take back the earth's energy. I then opened YouTube on my iPhone and pulled up my Favorites, where I selected CharmingPixieFlora's Number 275 grounding and centering meditation. I find that an excellent one and a fast exercise which makes me feel good immediately.
    The air appeared to have returned to its normal temperature. I rubbed my arms, and then noticed an incoming call from Melissa. My phone was on silent, so who knows how long she'd been calling. I gave her directions, which must have been accurate, as she arrived soon after.
    "How did it go? Did you get what you needed?"
    Melissa was beside herself with enthusiasm. "Yes, it was great! The Princess Theater's the oldest theater in Melbourne. Now, only two years after it was built - oh, the original one was built in 1854 but replaced by the current one in 1886 - there was an onstage death. This is what happened." Melissa paused to consult her notes. "It was the evening of 3 March 1888. Frederick Baker, whose stage name was Federici, was performing the role of Mephistopheles in the opera Faust. It ended with Mephistopheles returning to Hell with Dr. Faustus. There was a trapdoor on stage and Federici had to go through it. Get it - the trapdoor was how he went down to Hell."
    I nodded. "Sure, I get it."
    "Well when he went down through the trapdoor, he had a heart attack and died. He was only thirty seven. The interesting thing is, the other actors weren't told of course, as they were onstage. They all took their bows, and every one of them saw Federici take his bow too, only he was already dead. Since then, right up to present times, many people have reported seeing a ghost dressed in evening clothes with a cloak and top-hat at the theater, usually in the dress circle. They even used to keep the third-row seat in the dress circle vacant in his honor, but that hasn't happened in the last few years."
    I was fascinated. "Are there any photos of him?"
    "Yes. There was documentary maker by the name of Kennedy Miller who made..."
    I butted in. "Let me guess, a documentary."
    Melissa glared at me over the top of her notes. "And it was in the early 1970s."
    I interrupted again. "You mean the Kennedy Miller Production Company?"
    "I suppose."
    "That's George Miller and Byron Kennedy of Mad Max fame - they did Happy Feet too."
    "You're kidding. I didn't know that. Anyway, someone took a shot of the film set in the Princess Theater. It was a short dramatized documentary, by the way. No one saw the ghost on set while they were making the documentary, but that photo clearly shows someone looking at the stage and he is partly transparent. So they have a photo of the ghost of Federici."
    "Wow, that's great. Can you get the photo for your story?"
    "No." Melissa looked crestfallen, and then changed the subject. "Misty, there's something I've been meaning to say. Now don't get