3 Ghosts of Our Fathers by Michael Richan

us do it. I’m still grateful to this day. I’ll be
eternally grateful. What Davy helped us do changed our miserable childhoods
into something tolerable. I know he felt he was doing the right thing. I think
he still would have helped us even if he knew the consequences. But I’m sorry
this wheel has turned. I hope you are able to solve it, and if there’s anything
I can do to help, I will.”
    “Thank you, Garth,” Steven said.
“You’ve been very helpful already. I think Daniel and I will return to Seattle.
My father should be returning from a trip today and he might have some ideas on
how we can deal with this. I should also check up on my son.”
    Garth rose slowly to his feet.
“Old bones stand up a little slower than they used to,” he said. He extended a
hand to Steven and Daniel.
    “Is the best way to reach you the
number here at the reception office?” Steven asked.
    “Oh no,” Garth said. “Let me give
you my cell number.”
    They exchanged contact
information, plugging each other’s numbers into their respective cell phones.
    “Please let me know how things
go,” Garth said. “In a way I feel responsible for this mess, and if there’s
something I can do to help resolve it, I will.”
    “Thanks, Garth,” Steven said.
“I’ll stay in touch. In the meantime, please don’t worry. My father Roy will
know how to deal with this; we’ll come up with something.”
    Garth followed them out to the
main doors of the facility, and watched them go down the front ramp and towards
the parking lot. I wonder what Sean will think of this, he thought,
turning to walk to his room.

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    On the drive back to Seattle,
Steven replayed the meeting with Garth in his mind. He was searching for any clue
Garth might have mentioned that could lead them in a particular direction. He
was coming up empty. He grew frustrated at the idea this problem was something
from the past, something his progenitors didn’t take care of. Now it fell to
him to figure it out, and he was feeling resentful.
    “There’s got to be something we
can do,” Steven said. “It seems to me like we’re running out of time. I’m just
guessing here, but I get the feeling Frank will be harder to kill when he’s
free of the cage.”
    “Yes,” Daniel said, “he’ll be
easier to deal with while he’s in the cage.”
    Steven paused. “Don’t take this
the wrong way Daniel, but ‘deal with’ isn’t what I have in mind. Frank’s body
died years ago, and his soul had its hand wrapped around my neck recently.
Hearing Garth’s story, I mean to extinguish the guy.”
    “Oh,” Daniel paused. “Killing him
is certainly an option from my perspective. Just using an euphemism.”
    Steven simmered on the idea for a
few moments, steeling his resolve. This would not end like Michael or Jurgen,
with life still left in them, problems still waiting to happen. Frank had
threatened him directly and he would find a way to eliminate Frank completely.
    “Any ideas on how to kill him
while he’s still in the cage?” Steven said.
    “Well,” Daniel said, “the problem
is the cage itself. Without knowing the original terms of the binding, we don’t
know what type it is and what can get in or out. If we can find that out, we
might be able to figure out what vulnerabilities there are and come up with something
that would work.”
    “To kill him,” Steven said.
    “Yes, to kill him,” Daniel said a
little uncomfortably.
    “And if he gets out before we kill
him?” Steven asked.
    “You’re right, it’s going to be
more difficult if he gets out. There will be other options if he’s free of the
cage, but he’ll be much more dangerous. If we can figure out how to do it while
he’s still in the cage, that would be best.”
    “And by ‘do it,’ you mean ‘kill
him,’ right?” Steven asked.
    “Yes,” Daniel said, a little
irritated.
    “It seems it’s a word you’re not
very comfortable with,” Steven said.
    “I don’t