The Haunting of St. George College

By Allan McCarville

Maggie Parker and her boyfriend, Geoffrey Schofield, are in their final year at St. George College.
They have put the horrors of Seaview Manor behind them. There are those who view Maggie's ability to enter the world of the dead a gift. She sees it as a curse.
After her experience at the Gilmore Manor, she vowed she would never again pass through the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead. As long as she stays in the world of the living, she can avoid dealing with troubled spirits.
She was wrong.
Because of her “gift”, spirits can leave the spirit world to seek her out.
The spirit of a murdered woman forces its way into Maggie’s life. The woman was the victim of a serial killer.
A killer who has marked Maggie as his next victim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allan McCarville
• Release date: Mar 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781990672163

Allan McCarville

Allan McCarville is an author and researcher who has a number of titles published in the genres of fantasy, crime thrillers and historical fiction. He and his family reside in Stittsville, Ontario where he does his best to make people think that he's normal. Apparently it's not working.

Book preview

THE HAUNTING OF

ST. GEORGE COLLEGE

(Book 2 of the Spirit Justice League)

THE HAUNTING OF

ST. GEORGE COLLEGE

(Book 2 of the Spirit Justice League)

© 2023 by Allan McCarville

Published by MacCearbhaill Independent Publishing, Ottawa, Ontario

ISBN:

978-1-990672-15-6 (Hardcover)

978-1-990672-14-9 (Paperback)

978-1-990672-16-3 (eBook)

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people is coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission from the author except for discussion purposes by book clubs and schools.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Acknowledgements

Other Books by This Author

Chapter 1

The dead girl stood at the top of the stairs.

Maggie was halfway up the stairway before she had even noticed her. She abruptly stopped climbing, earning herself a few annoyed glares from students behind her who had to suddenly change direction to avoid a collision.

Maggie realized immediately that the young woman staring at her was dead. The small bullet hole between the girl’s eyes gave that away, that and the fact people were passing through her, apparently unable to see her. That didn’t really fluster Maggie - well, at least not too much. Maggie had discovered only a few short months ago that she and her younger brother had the ability to converse with the dead.

What knocked Maggie off balance was the fact that she was seeing the girl’s ghost in the physical world, not the spirit world. Maggie believed that her ability - or curse as she preferred to describe it - to see and communicate with the souls of the departed required her to slip into the spirit world, something she swore she would never do again, at least not voluntarily.

Yet there was no doubt that the spirit of this young woman was present in this world, standing at the top of the marble stairs leading up to the second floor of Marion Hall, one of the lecture buildings on the St. George College campus. Maggie had certainly not slipped through the veil to that other world.

This was something definitely new and unsettling. The implication in the unsolicited visitation was that if the dead could appear to her whenever they pleased, then they’d be in control, not her.

She wondered if her brother had also suddenly acquired this new facet to their ability. She hoped not. Poor kid still hadn’t fully recovered from the last foray into the spirit world. Her younger brother still tended to be as skittish as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. If ghosts started appearing to him unannounced and unsummoned, they’d likely have to lock the boy away in a padded room.

She would absolutely need to contact Sara Hamilton, her mentor regarding things paranormal, for an explanation. After the events that had occurred at the Seaview Manor, the Hamiltons had given both her and her brother instructions on how to prevent accidentally entering the spirit world.

Maggie shifted her backpack, preparing to use it to fend off the spirit should it make any aggressive moves towards her. Of course, swinging the backpack at someone only she could see would be ineffectual and would in all likelihood earn her her own padded room next toher brother.

She waited until there was a break in the stream of students before completing her climb to the second floor. She glanced around quickly, and when she was sure no one could overhear her, she whispered, What do you want?

The dead girl continued to stare at her.

Can’t you hear me? Maggie asked.

The ghost nodded her head.

Can’t you speak?

Again, a nod of affirmation.

Maggie was puzzled. If the spirit could speak, why didn’t she come out and tell her what she wanted? Then she understood. In order for her to hear the ghost, she would need to enter the spirit world. That was definitely not happening. It looked like they’d have to continue communicating by playing twenty questions. Not ideal as it could be time consuming and frustrating, not to mention how it would look if someone saw her chatting away to herself.

It was obvious to Maggie that the young woman had likely been murdered; the bullet hole between the eyes was definitely not self-inflicted. Maggie asked what she thought was the most logical question that might explain why the spirit was still lingering.

Are you asking for help to have the person who killed you brought to justice? she asked. Maggie was surprised at how composed she sounded in light of her inner turmoil.

The spirit woman nodded.

Now the questions could get a little tricky. Where were you killed?

The ghost pointed at the floor.

Here? You were murdered here at the college? Maggie found that thought disturbing to say the least.

Once again, the ghost indicated ‘yes’.

Do you know who killed you? asked Maggie.

The dead woman nodded in the affirmative then pointed to herself and held up her hand, fingers spread out.

You died five years ago? guessed Maggie. The young woman was wearing contemporary attire, so she had to have died relatively recently. Ladies’ fashions had not changed that dramatically the past several years.

The ghost shook her head and pointed to herself again before indicating the number five with her hand. Maggie now thought she understood what the dead girl was trying to tell her, but she hoped she was wrong.

Are you saying you are the fifth victim?

The dead girl smiled, nodded, then vanished.

Maggie had to lean against the wall for support when she realized what the ghost was trying to tell her. It was a warning.

There was a serial killer on campus.

Chapter 2

I saw a ghost! Maggie shouted into the phone at Sara Hamilton, as if the woman was somehow responsible for the apparition. Maggie’s anger was more a reflection of her fear that she might be losing her ability to control her curse, than any real anger towards her mentor.

And good morning to you too Miss Parker, said Sara calmly in return. Although Maggie couldn’t see her over the connection, Sara was smiling at Maggie’s outburst. Sara was well aware of the young woman’s ability to enter the spirit world and converse with the spirits of the departed. She, along with her husband, Larry, had spent time with both Maggie and her younger brother, Morgan, helping them learn how to control their gift.

Sara considered Maggie and Morgan’s ability a gift; an opinion that was not shared by either of the Parker siblings.

Sara herself had the ability to sense and converse with spirits, but she was unable to see them, nor was she able to enter the spirit world, that transient realm between the world of the living and the afterlife.

I said, I saw a ghost, repeated Maggie hotly, although with less vehemence than her initial declaration.

Yes, I heard you, Sara chuckled. Then she became serious, sensing an underlying uneasiness beneath the anger in Maggie’s tone. Did you enter the spirit world? she asked worriedly.

No! snapped Maggie in frustration.

Maggie took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, a little embarrassed by her outburst. She was twenty-one she reminded herself, not a five-year old. Sara might be able to communicate with spirits, but the woman was not a mind reader. Sorry, she apologized with a sigh. I saw the ghost of a woman at the top of the stairs on my way to class this morning, she explained. I had not entered that other place.

"Now that is interesting," remarked Sara.

Maggie shook her head and rolled her eyes. Only Sara would find the unwanted sighting of a ghost interesting. You might find it interesting, she grumbled, but I for one don’t want ghosts popping up out of the blue! How can I prevent that from happening?

Unfortunately, you can’t, Sara reluctantly advised her.

That revelation evoked a string of profanities from Maggie.

Sara waited until Maggie stopped cursing then she continued. I’m not really surprised by this new facet of your gift.

Gift? interrupted Maggie. You mean curse!

Sara ignored Maggie’s comment; their differing views on Maggie’s ability was something that had been a bone of contention between them since they first met. You have the ability to enter the spirit world, said Sara, which means, of course, that spirits would be able to detect that you can communicate with them. My guess is that the young woman you saw sensed your ability and made her presence known to you. She wants something, and you were likely the first person she sensed to whom she could make her desires known. I’m willing to bet that she’s been lingering for some time now, and while maybe a few could feel her presence, you are the first who could actually see and talk to her.

Lucky me, growled Maggie. Maybe I should run out and buy a lottery ticket.

Sara ignored Maggie’s sarcasm. Tell me what happened.

Maggie spent the next few minutes explaining her encounter to Sara.

Sara didn’t interrupt her and was silent after Maggie had finished her story. For a moment Maggie wondered if Sara was still on the line. Sara? she queried.

Just thinking, responded Sara. Spirits of the dead usually linger for only a few basic reasons: they’re unaware they died and are hence confused, they have unfinished business, have a pressing need to pass along a message, or they want justice or perhaps revenge. Did your ghost seem angry?

Maggie thought about the brief encounter before replying. No, she said, I don’t think she was angry but now that I think about it, I did get a sense of worry and confusion, but no anger. Isn’t that odd if she wanted revenge?

You said she wanted her killer identified, Sara reminded her. That tells me one of the things that’s preventing her from moving on is the need for justice. Justice is not the same thing as revenge, although people often incorrectly consider the terms interchangeable which typically leads to escalation rather than reconciliation.

Maggie frowned. What do you mean, ‘one of the things’? she asked anxiously, dreading the idea of having to deal with a ghost that had a multi-itemed agenda.

Well, you did discover that she wanted justice, wanted her killer identified, said Sara. Also, according to the information you gleaned from her, she was not the killer’s first victim. So, she might have been trying to warn you that her killer may still be alive and hunting for victims.

So, I should go to the police? suggested Maggie uncertainly. That thought did not appeal to her in the least. I can just imagine their reaction when I tell them I met with a ghost who told me she was a victim of a serial killer who might still be out there. They’ll lock me up in the nearest asylum and throw away the key.

If there is a killer still stalking the streets, Sara remarked, "we can’t ignore it. However, you’re correct that in all likelihood no one will believe you. Let me sleep on it; I have done some work with various police forces and know