Two-fer
#2 of Paranormal Detective Agency
True to her word, Cleopatra had her people get together a few new jobs that had otherwise went unnoticed. The first was relatively easy and more definite, the second could have been just hallucination or fear based. In either case, he decided to head for the definite case first.
A private all girls catholic school, "Imagine that..." It was a report of a haunting in a bathroom. It had been ignored for a while, most just thought it was a random girl crying in a bathroom. One of the administrators decided to check about a week ago, and since then the bathroom had been sealed off. Cleopatra's people had discovered his pleas for help, and now here Steel was.
The meeting was at night to avoid suspicion, and he was met outside by the current principal of the school, "Ah, Mr. Steel. I am saddened to have to resort to such... unorthodox means, but I would prefer that my church would not learn about this and make a big deal. The spirit is not harmful, but it is a distraction and quite real."
"You know my rates, correct?"
"Actually, I had a word with a woman at your organization. I thought she had informed you." Steel was once again concerned, "In exchange for no payment, I will get in touch with other men and women of my faith and forward certain jobs to you."
Steel looked up, "I guess that would be more valuable in the long run." He pulled some black gloves coated in black sand from his pocket and put them on, "Can you at least point me in the correct direction?"
The principal was curious, "Of course, you go inside and make a right, then follow the sound of a crying girl. May I ask the purpose of those gloves?"
"Hm? Oh right, you wouldn't know much about pagan rituals. Well, this is black sand, further blessed with a ritual by a priestess of the natural world. In general, black sand placed along a doorway or windowsill will keep out spirits and ghosts. I took it a step further and infused these gloves so I can make physical contact with the ghosts I encounter. They come in handy. Ha, handy. Get it? 'Cause they're gloves. "
He was not reassured, "Thank the heavens I asked you to come at night. If my superiors found out about this..."
"I'm discreet. Oh, and just in case, I'm going to put a thin layer of black sand around the windows and door of the bathroom. It'll look like dust, but tell your people not to clean it for a while. If things don't go right, it'll keep this spirit out." Steel waved and walked into the school.
The private schools were very nice on the inside, reflecting the price tag of enrollment. The lockers were pristine, the lights weren't the usual fluorescent, but rather a high quality soft light meant to give things a natural glow, and the floors were made with actual tiles rather than linoleum. Just as the principal stated, he followed the sound of a young woman crying. He located the bathroom, which was sealed with caution tape, then knocked. The crying stopped.
He walked inside, "Hello?" Then nature called, "Uh, listen, sit tight. I have to deal with a little personal problem..." He opened a stall far from the stall which was also sealed with tape, took off his gloves, and started to urinate in the toilet, "Wow, they even have those electric eyes. You ever wonder if they are secretly cameras? Because I do." He finished and the toilet flushed on its own, "Gah! Creepy auto-toilets."
He left the stall and washed his hands, then put on the gloves again, "Who... are you?" Her voice had a slight echo, as did most ghosts, "Are you... going to hurt me?"
"Even an electronic eye on the dryers. What I wouldn't give to be a catholic girl with a rich family. My school didn't even allow stall doors, and each of the sinks was a different model." He knocked on the stall door, "Mind if I open up?"
The girl was quiet, "Uh... yes?" Steel removed the tape and pulled open the door. She was wearing the school uniform, but her entire form was transparent. She was also sitting on a closed toilet seat, "Who are you?"
Steel sat on one of the sinks across from the stalls, "You know, it's bad to sit on these. I'll just blame the kids in this school. I'm Steel, sole detective of the Paranormal Detective Agency. Can't really say owner anymore, but I still make money. May I know your name?"
"Sabrina."
"Okay Sabrina, so what brings you to this toilet stall?"
She started sobbing, "There were chasing me, torturing me, so I hid in here one day. They followed me in and I got a heart attack, that's all I remember."
Steel nodded, "Do you know their names?"
Sabrina looked away, "Y-Yes... " She pointed to a puddle on the floor, "They said I died alone, but that wasn't the case." Steel read the names written in water and jotted them down on a notepad, "I can't get up though."
"I figured. Well, good thing I'm here." Steel got up and walked over, "Take my hands, we're doing this the old fashioned way." She was hesitant, "Don't worry, you can grip the gloves." She did so, then Steel placed his feet on the outside wall of the stall and pulled, "Come on... you aren't staying stuck here... on my watch..." With a mighty roar, he tore her from the seat and sent both of them flying into the sinks, "Ow..."
He rubbed his head as Sabrina looked around, "I'm... free?" Steel nodded, "So... what do I do now?"
"I know someone who can take you into the afterlife if you want, other than that you are free to choose."
She stood up and looked away, then swayed back and forth, "Since you saved me, can I work for you? Like... answering phones and stuff?"
"Hmm..." Steel finally got to his feet, "Well, since I'm getting more jobs, I need someone to manage the phones when I'm away. I guess you're a lot better than her..." He shivered, "Alright, go to this address and wait on the third floor, tell anyone you see that I sent you." He showed her his business card until she memorized everything, "Great. Now I have one more job tonight."
Having a personal vehicle of his own was a great help, though the windowless van was a bit creepy. His next stop was a water supply plant. There were reports of workers not being able, or willing, to go into the lower sections because of an "apparition made of goo." It sounded a bit like hallucinations, so Steel made sure to bring his portable gas mask in case of a chemical leak.
Inside he was met by a receptionist who called down the local manager of that section, "Ah, glad to see you made it. We can talk as we walk." He led Steel through a few doors, then down a few metal ladders. The underground was nothing but catwalks and grates allowing workers to access the moving mechanical parts of the plant, "My men say this pink blob keeps appearing, and it's terrifying them. They refuse to work, and if they don't maintain this area the entire city water supply could get tainted. I've called the cops, but they found nothing, the CDC, but they found nothing, I got a recommendation to call you, so here we are."
He pointed down another steep stairwell, "So, anything else you can tell me? Just a blob of goo that appears?"
"Well, one of my men said it took the shape of a woman, but I think he was just trying to spread more rumors. Anything you need?"
Steel put on the small mask that covered his nose and mouth, "Yeah, take my keys. Get the large bin from my van, lock up, and put it here just in case. Other than that, let me work my magic." The manager nodded and took off as Steel climbed down the staircase, "It's kinda scary knowing that all that's standing between contaminated water and clean water is me."
He walked on the lowest catwalk, then heard a gurgle, "Brgghghg."
Steel saw a pink blob on the ground, too tiny to be a woman, but some of it was hanging under the small gaps in the catwalk, "Okay, a shy one. Tell you what, I'll turn around, you take your form of choice, and then say when." Steel did as he said.
He had to wait only a second, "You aren't like the others. You are dressed differently, and you aren't afraid of me."
"No reason to be, you haven't attacked anyone, so I can guess you're not harmful. I'm Steel, lone detective of the Paranormal Detective Agency. May I ask your name?"
"Uh... I don't have a name? Or... no, I do. It's Aqua." Steel glanced to his side and noticed that she read from one of the water storage tanks, "I'm scared down here, but I don't know how I got here in the first place."
"Well, I'm here to somehow get you... out of here. Since you are goo, you may have rested in a reservoir and got sucked in. I suppose I could get take you away from here, but I don't know where to put you."
She bubbled, "You seem nice, and I know a lot about paranormal stuff, I looked at all sorts of things when I traveled. Also I like books."
Steel shook his head, "I swear, two new employees in one night. That being said, you could help me keep records better and sort through mail. You'd have to wear some sort of plastic gloves, but it might work. Install a few pipes from floor to floor so you can travel... meh, why not? I've got nothing to lose really. Let me check something, don't go anywhere."
Steel walked up the steep staircase and saw the bin, just large enough to Aqua to fit, and his keys on top. He dragged the bin down, "Hmm? What is that for?"
"Well, mostly to get you out. There are a lot of gaps and stairs, so you might fall through or lose pieces. I'll poke some holes in the top for air, and then drag you out. How heavy are you exactly?"
"I don't know!" She was happy as she climbed into the bin.
"Water is heavy, I think I've made a terrible mistake..." He poked some holes in the top with a screwdriver, sealed the lid, and went through the arduous process of dragging the bin through the facility. Thirty minutes later he made it into the main lobby, "Oh thank everything holy and evil. Can... can someone help me? This thing weighs a ton." He was out of breath.
The manager was a bit worried, "What do you have in there? You know I can't let you take anything away without searching." The receptionist was gone.
"Let's... let's just say... your workers won't have a problem... anymore..." He wiped his forehead, "Help me take this... to van... won't charge...for second hour..." As soon as Steel said that, the manager helped him lift the bin and put it into the van, "Thanks... for that."
The manager handed over a white envelope, "For what? This was just a friendly visit." He walked back into the facility as Steel hopped into the driver's seat.
"Is he gone?" The lid popped off and Aqua stuck her head up.
Steel nodded as he started up the van, "Yep. Now, you're gonna have to be less shy. My soon-to-be receptionist is shy as well, but the primary investor... she's a pain in the ass." Aqua looked around the van, "Yeah, I know. I guess it has it's uses." It was new, but it only had the two front seats and the back row. The middle seats had been removed.
It was a quiet ten minute drive, "Wow... I've never been in a building before. Well, without having to be in the pipes."
"Luckily, there is an elevator, so I don't have to drag you up so many stairs." Steel was still a bit upset that he had to drag the bin from his van to the building though. The elevator ride was a nice change of pace, "I'm home..."
Sabrina was sitting in a chair while Cleopatra was lounging in Steel's chair, "About time. Mind telling me about your new hire?"
The lid popped off of the bin and Aqua took her full form, "Multiple hires Miss Cleopatra."
Steel nodded, "Yep, since you got me more business, some help would be nice." He tossed the envelope on his desk, "Sabrina here can handle the phone calls. Oh." He handed over the black sand gloves, "Hold onto these until I can get a pair for you. Can't answer the phone if you can't pick it up. Also Aqua here will be helping with filing contact information and other things that... need... filing."
Cleopatra looked away, "Fine, I tire of this commoner work as it is. Also, I find it rather important that an agency such as ours should have employees that match the claims. I even put a sign on the outside door. I need to relax in luxury for a few moments."
Sabrina smiled as she flexed her fingers inside the gloves, "This is so cool."
Even Aqua was enjoying her new surroundings, "Amazing. Oh! I have a suggestion!" Steel looked at her, "What if, instead of installing pipes, you acquired some sort of remote controlled car wheels and a controller? That way I can move around more freely without making everything wet!"
"Good point. Probably cheaper too. Alright, think you can handle that Cleopatra? Wouldn't want an employee to struggle under someone with such power and influence."
She straightened up in her chair, "How dare you! Nobody under my roof will want for anything!"
"Easy as cookies. Well... the cookie dough. I have no idea what I'm talking about, someone please stop me."