Free Spirit Breaker by William Massa Page A

do?”
    “How do you tell someone they’re dead? A degree in psychology never covered that one.” She managed a weak smile, hoping to lighten the situation.
    “There’s something else,” Steve said. “I have a call for you. Dr. Mason wants us to head back immediately.”
    “What? We can’t leave him like this!” She gestured to where the specter had been moments before.
    Steve handed her the phone. “You better tell him that yourself.”
    She gathered her thoughts, regaining her composure somewhat, snatched the phone and said, “Dr. Mason, what’s going on?”
    “Adira, you need to come back now.”
    Her hands were shaking, this time with rage. “Listen, there is something…someone…out here who needs help. But it’ll take some time. I just managed to establish contact.”
    “I’m sorry, but it will have to wait. I need you and your team to call off your current investigation. We have a far bigger problem.”
    “What are you talking about?
“I’d rather not explain over the phone. Let’s just say our benefactor needs us.”
    To Adira’s mind, the purpose and mission of Nexus wasn’t to serve the private whims of some billionaire. Simon Casca was signing the checks these days, and she should have known that the money would come with strings attached.  
    “We’re still in phase one of the Spirit Breaker program,” Dr. Mason said. “We’ll figure this out and return to the crash site. You’ll get another chance.”
    Another chance was fine… but would she be able to go through with it again? The sight of the ghost had struck a primal chord of terror in her. She had chosen this path to exorcise the past, but now she wondered if she might have made a terrible mistake. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for fieldwork.
    “Mason, I saw something…and I think it will haunt me for the rest of my life unless I face it right now…”
    She broke off, strangled by emotion.  
    “I’m sorry, but I need you and your team to head to Ampton, Ohio, right now.”
    This caught her off guard. “What’s in Ohio?”
    “I’ll send you more information to review on your flight. Get your mind straight. I’ll need you to be on your A-game out there.”
    The line went dead. Adira sighed.
    Dr. Mason was a brilliant man, but he demanded a lot from the people he trusted and respected enough to be part of the Spirit Breaker program. She was still reeling from the phone call. Mason had sounded almost…afraid. What could possibly be waiting for them that could frighten even the great Dr. Mason?
    “What’s going on?” Steve asked.
    “He wants us to head for Ohio.”
    “What?”
    “My thoughts exactly. Some sort of emergency,” she said and shrugged. “Let’s pack up the gear.”
    She soaked in the clearing one last time before she turned toward the Jeep.  
    “What about the-?” Chan said.
    She merely shook her head. She peered out at the field where she knew the spirit lurked.  
    “I’m sorry, but we’ll be back.”
    No matter what might await her in Ohio, she intended to keep her promise at all costs.  

C HAPTER E LEVEN

    SIMON CASCA HAD first heard about the Nexus Foundation a year earlier when he’d attended the annual convention of the Parapsychological Association. The event was held at the University of Greenwich in London every July as scientists and scholars from around the world gathered for three days of paper presentations, workshops, and panel discussions on the latest research into PSI and related phenomena. Topics such as extra-sensory perception, psychokinesis, psychic healing, altered states of consciousness, mediumship, and possible survival of bodily death were all on the program.  
    After a long day of lectures, Casca had tried to unwind at a local pub near the university. While sipping on a pint while reviewing the seminars of the day, Dr. Mason approached him. The man was sixty-five, lean with an energetic demeanor, hyper-intelligent eyes, and a roguish smile. He had introduced himself