Six Feet Under the Stars, [Jo]

[Jo Harvelle]

Jo waited until Tony agreed to the plan before starting to move forward on the opposite side he was headed toward. She didn't want to move where it could see her, but they needed confirmation that it was the creature before they could attack it. She looked across the desk at Tony, noting that he was getting the gasoline ready. Okay then, well, one real way to sort this out then. Jo closed her eyes for a second, realizing that this was possibly the most stupid thing she could choose to do and taking a breath to steady herself, then reopened them.

"Hey!" she said, nice and loudly so as to call attention to herself. "Come out from behind the desk," she ordered. There was a moment of hesitancy, where Jo looked back over at Tony. But then something pale and scary and definitely a monster dashed out from behind the desk and rushed her.

Jo had time to get two shots off before it reached her and judging from the way it screamed they were both hits. Gratifying, but not something that would do her many favors, since wounding didn't mean death in the case of this monster. Fire was a great way to kill things, but not exactly convenient if it could fight back. It reached her quicker than she would have expected, pushing her into a bookcase. Her gun was pretty much useless to her in this position, but her hands and feet weren't.

The rugaru was focusing on getting it's teeth anywhere near her skin, so it wasn't too hard to hit him in the face with the butt of her gun. His grip on her loosened enough for Jo to slip out of it and she started for Tony's side and safety. It was much to strong for her, and having a big strong man around would definitely help things along. A few steps away, however, it latched on again, tossing her onto the desk. Shit. It leaned into her, going for the whole teeth to skin thing again. Jo struggled against it, managing to get her legs between it's torso and hers.

"Something manly and heroic would be greatly appreciated right now," she ground out, then kicked as hard as she could. It managed to make the Rugaru back off a few feet in the direction of the mantle.

[Tony Vallone]

Jo's sudden calling-out to the creature startled him and he turned wide eyes on her, having no idea why she'd do that. He stumbled back in surprise when the thing, pale as parchment and ugly as sin, jumped out and went for her, Quickly shoving his SIG into his bag in place of the gas can, he scrambled to get the cap off of it. He heard Jo's gun go off twice and the chilling scream of the monster. Hearing a body collide with something, followed by the clatter of books, he looked up and saw the thing had Jo pinned to the bookcase. Reaching for his gun again, he aimed it and was about to squeeze the trigger when it stumbled back a step or two. Figuring Jo must have found a way to get it off of her, he lowered the gun slightly, only to raise it again when it grabbed her.

Growling, he pulled the trigger three times in quick succession, two shots missing and the third hitting flesh. The thing turned it's attention on him just as he saw Jo kick at it. He popped off two more shots as it stumbled back toward the fireplace.

"Heroic will have to wait," he answered her comment, shifting the gas can under the arm attatched to the hand holding his gun and he twisted the cap off finally and splashed the monster in the face as it came towards him. He dropped the can and the gun as it grabbed him, baring its teeth.Snarling, Tony struggled to get out of it's grip.

"Sorry, buddy," he growled at it, lifting a leg to try to jab his knee into the former human's stomach, twisting one arm out of his grip, feeling a sharp pain go through his wrist. Felt like a sprain, but until the thing was roasting, he couldn't take a single second to inspect the damage. Balling his fist, he punched it in the face, then raised his leg again, kicking it away. "Fuck, that hurt." It recovered quickly from his attack and he lunged at it before it could move for him again, tackling it to the ground, but the rugaru kicked him off and over, and Tony landed on his back on the floor, the breath knocked from his lungs. Unable to move without wheezing, gasping for air, he stared wide-eyed at the creature as it bore down on him, prone and easy prey.

"Little help..." he gasped, not even sure if it was loud enough that Jo could hear him. He had to hope she heard him or was able to to get the thing off of him before it could sink its teeth into him.

[Jo Harvelle]

Jo shot Tony a wry smile as he shot back a quip of his own. The Rugaru distracted from it's "Eat Jo's Face" mission, she could appreciate not being stuck in the damsel in distress scenario, needing him to save her instead of work with her. Hell, since the Rugaru seemed to have switched to "Eat Tony's Face" mode, she might end up saving him right back.

It was the gasoline that gave her the idea. Clearly this bitch wasn't going to hold still and let them set it on fire. Using the blow torch was probably also out, since it seemed to like getting really close to them and she didn't want to risk catching Tony too. Of course, she also thought slight burns were going to be a definite possibility either way you sliced this, but there was a difference in slightly toasted and torched.

Jo had dropped her bag when it threw her up against the bookcase, deciding it's contents would be useless to her if she let it claw her to death, but she scrambled for it now. She was aware that Tony seemed to be having an equally hard time with it - bastard was strong - but she didn't let that let her get clumsy. Steady-handed, she found what she was looking for, straightened, and took aim.

"Hey! Ugly!" Jo called at the Rugaru. Intent on his prey - Tony - this nonetheless confused it enough to make it pause still standing over the man on the floor rather than throwing itself on him, if only for a moment. But that second was all Jo needed. She fired her flare gun, sending the searingly hot flare straight into it's gasoline-soaked face.

She'd chosen her moment well; the thing was standing smack in front of the fireplace - a large thing she could easily have fit into. The force of the flare was strong enough to stagger it back several steps before it tripped over something that had fallen in their struggles with it, sending it headfirst into the fireplace. The gasoline Tony had splashed on it caught instantly, of course, so the Rugaru had gone up like a dry Christmas tree, letting out several unholy howls as it burned and thrashed in the fireplace.

Jo moved forward to Tony, extending a hand down to him. "You okay?" she asked. The monster hadn't been gentle with him, so it was a legitimate concern. "I'll tell you what, this thing," she said, raising the flare gun aloft, "has done a hell of a lot more good as a weapon than it has it's intended purpose."The blond wrinkled her nose as the smell of flambeed rugaru filled the room. She waved to the now unrecognizable flaming mass. It had stopped howling in pain, at least. That was an improvement. "Wow, that's really nasty. I hate to set fire to the homeowner and run, but could we at least get away from that?"

[Tony Vallone]

He heard her yell at the thing, heard it shriek as it stumbled back. The second he was able to suck in a full breath, he immediately wished he was still out of air. Breathing deeply the smoke of burning monster flesh was not exactly a welcome end to his ordeal on the floor. He managed to turn his head to see the thing's flailing subside to mere twitching as it burned, coughing as he choked on the fumes.

Managing a nod as he looked back at Jo, Tony raised his uninjured arm to take her hand, wincing as he let her pull him up. His back ached from the landing and his wrist was killing him, but other than that, he was pretty sure he was okay. Glancing at the flare gun, he managed an impressed look through the pain he was feeling. "I so need to get one of those," he rasped, coughing again. "And yeah, we can totally get out of here."

Tony shuffled towards the door, the dull throb raidiating down his back making it hard to walk properly. Figuring that now was a good time to assess his injuries, he thought that it was a distinct possibilty that his spine was intact due to his ability to stand upright and attempt to walk. Bruised muscles were a likely thing here. So a bruised back and a sprained wrist. He'd been dealt worse during a hunt, so this was good. This was easily managed. Ice and heat, repeat as needed. Once they'd left the house, Tony breathed the cool night air deeply, clearing his lungs. That felt better. Not much, but it was a start.

"So we make a good team, yeah?" he asked, glancing at her. "We managed to kill it, at any rate. Well, you killed it. I helped. Sort of." He lowered himself carefully to sit on the front steps, rubbing his back with his good hand, looking down at the injured one. Slight swelling. Too dark to see if there was bruising. It hurt like a son of a bitch. "It's dead, so that's all that matters, right? We should, like, celebrate or something. Maybe. If you want to."

[Jo Harvelle]

Once Tony was upright, Jo gave him a cursory look over to see if he was okay and whole. He looked to be, at least on the outside, so she was willing to let him be for the moment. She took a second to check out her own injuries. A couple scratches, and maybe a bruised rib from landing on that desk like that, but she seemed to mostly just be sore. She could deal with that, considering the alternative was becoming Alpo.

Glad that Tony agreed they should head on out of here, she let him lead the way out of the den and into the rest of the house, grabbing both their bags and supplies as she followed behind. Watching him walk, she wasn't so sure he wasn't as unhurt as she originally thought. Still, he made his way out of the house under his own power, though she'd stood ready just in case. Jo joined him out on the porch, thankful for the cool, clean air. Oh, whoever lived in this house next was going to have issues with the smell in there.

"Yeah, we do make a pretty good team," she agreed with a pleasant smile. "Oh, you totally helped," Jo told him sincerely. "I'd have been chow back there without you." She dropped down next to him on the steps, setting their things down next to her. Jo nodded at the hand he was looking at. "Break or sprain?" she asked him, trying to decide if they needed a doctor or just some good ol' fashioned rest.

His suggestion, however, brought back her bright smile from earlier in the evening, if slightly more timid. Some hunters meant a very different version of celebrate than she did, and she wanted a bit of clarification before she agreed. As much as she liked Tony, she had also just met him. "I'd like that. You know, monster killing gives a girl a terrible appetite. How about we go get something to eat and get to know each other. This time without fibbing about every little thing," she added with a wink.

[Tony Vallone]

"Probably just a sprain, I didn't hear anything break in there," he shrugged, wincing slightly as the action affected his back. He'd have to take a break from hunting for a while, at least until his wrist and back were mostly healed, to avoid further damage. Wouldn't be too hard, just hole up in a motel room with an ice pack and a heating pad and a Ghost Hunters marathon to keep him occupied.

He allowed a small chuckle at Jo's comment and suggestion. "Getting something to eat was exactly what I had in mind." Tony smiled at her. "Nothing but the truth this time, promise. I just wanna sit here for a little bit first. Hurt like a bitch when I hit the ground. Maybe we can head someplace with a booth or some comfy chairs, just something soft to rest against. Don't suppose you know any good places in town?" he asked, looking out at the street, his pale green Cadillac parked directly across from the front door.

He honestly wasn't looking forward to trying to drive with his wrist the way it was. If he worked his way into the driver's seat right, his back would be a minimal issue. "I'm kinda doubting I'll be able to drive with a sprained wrist. I mean, I might be able to, but it'll probably be a nuisance. What do you think? Think I can manage?" He honestly didn't mind leaving his car here if they decided to ride together to at least get a late dinner, but having to leave his pride and joy parked on the street for as long as it took for the pain in his wrist to subside, that was unthinkable.

Hopefully though, with sufficient application of ice and heat, the pain would only last for a couple days. It would surely take longer than that to fully heal, but at least the pain would be gone.

[Jo Harvelle]

Jo nodded, glad he didn't think it was serious. She'd gladly take him to the ER if Tony thought he'd need it, but that usually required lots of lying and forms and Jo thought they were both too tired from the fight to deal with it right now. Burning something alive wasn't exactly a moral booster, even if you did win.

Neither was it exactly appetizing, but grabbing dinner with Tony at least sounded like a moral booster. Jo laughed a little when he promised her the truth, indicating that she would be truthful as well. That was always the best part about meeting another hunter. You could say things to them you'd never be able to say to a stranger in a bar, and have them return the favor. Her eyebrows knit together as he asked her about good places in town. It had been a long time since she'd been here, but if Joseph's was still on Main street, she knew at least one good place. "Do you like Italian food?" she asked. "There's a good place I know of, complete with comfy booths, if you do."

Jo considered his problem with the car. "Well, sooner or later, someone is probably going to notice that," she waved at the house behind them, "if they haven't already. How about I move it down the street so it doesn't look so suspicious, then you ride with me to the restaurant? Then, after we eat, you can judge whether or not you're feeling up to driving. If not," she shrugged, "I don't mind chauffeuring you around for the evening." It was usually her routine to leave town the next day, so she hoped he was feeling up to providing his own transportation after that. On the other hand, she wasn't just going to abandon a friend, new or not, so she could bend that habit if necessary. Jo raised her brows, asking if he liked the idea, and held out a hand for keys if he did.

[Tony Vallone]

At the mention of Italian food, Tony nodded. He loved Italian food, especially if it was authentic, or as authentic as it could get. In fact, he'd often thought of visiting the motherland just for a truly authentic experience. But, being a hunter, he lacked the appropriate funds and time to take such a trip, so he made do with whatever he could find here in the continental United States. "That sounds fantastic," he said, sitting up a bit, straightening his back, wincing a bit. He couldn't wait to get back to hotel room to curl up with a heating pad against his back and just let the pain melt away. But for now, cushy booths in restaruants would have to do.

Sighing softly, he looked at his car. Jo had a point. Moving the car would certainly be a good option. Also, riding with her would give him something soft to lean his back against, provided the seats in her vehicle were soft, until they got to the restaurant. Tony nodded and shifted slightly, reaching into his pocket with his good hand to get to his car keys. "I can probably get an ice pack at the restaurant, right? Or at least keep my wrist close to the complimentary ice water? Should do the trick until I can get back to my motel." Holding the keys out to her, he added, "she's an old lady, be gentle with her." Allowing a chuckle, Tony shifted a bit on the porch steps. His butt was starting to fall asleep from sitting on the step, and he eased himself up into a standing postion.

He hoped he was going to be able to drive after dinner, because this was going to be annoying if he had to keep his car here until he was able to pick it up when he was healed up enough to not be in pain behind the wheel. Hopefully, using the water glass at the restaraunt to ice his wrist was going to be enough to at least keep it from twinging while making turns or some of the other things he did while driving, like adjusting the air conditioning vents by the wheel or adjusting his seat belt while at a stop light. "I really appreciate this," he told her, referring to her offer to move his car and let him ride with her to the restaraunt.

[Jo Harvelle]

The plan agreed to, Jo took Tony's keys, nodding at his instruction and waving away his thanks. Discretion was part of the gig and it was the least she could do to help him maintain it. It took just a couple minutes to relocate his car to the next block - hiding it among a line of other cars - and ducking back around for her own car. She brought it around to the front of the house, leaving it idling as she hopped out and approached Tony.

"Okay, let's get you to those comfy chairs and ice water," Jo announced cheerily. She companionably slid his uninjured arm around her shoulders in case he needed help. If he didn't, then it could be easily brushed off as a friendly gesture, but if he did then he could lean on her without trouble. He kind of worried her a bit to be honest; she didn't know him well enough to know if he was making less of his injuries or not. But he'd turned down getting medical attention and she wouldn't insult him by asking again. Jo would just offer whatever help she could as inconspicuously as she could.

She grabbed her bag from the stoop before they left - she'd taken Tony's back to his car when she moved it - and they were ready to leave the house with it's gruesome scene behind. The drive to the restaurant took several minutes, but since it was after the usual dinner hour, they got a table right away.

"So," Jo said, once their server had brought them menus and water and then left to let them consider their meal options. "How long have you been doing the job?"

[Tony Vallone]

Gratefully, Tony leaned on Jo as she helped him to her car. His back was still bothering him a bit, though not as much as it was a few minutes earlier. He'd decide after dinner if it was still necessary to put heat on it, but for now, he could deal. Relaxing in the seat of her car, Tony took a deep breath as they drove away from the house. He felt better already. They rode in relative silence until they reached the restaurant, and after Jo had parked, he eased himself out of the car and followed her in.

Once they'd taken their seats at a booth table, Tony leaned back against the soft cushions, looking around. There was a nice, homey feel, which Tony liked. Took him back to dinners with his family, happy times. Nodding his thanks to the waiter, he took his menu and opened it to browse the selection when Jo asked.

"Oh, about ten years," he answered, frowning slightly. He'd asked her earlier about the monster, and he knew he probably sounded like such a newb, but now he'd revealed he'd been hunting for the past decade and now she probably thought he was an idiot because, after that long, he hadn't known about rugarus. "Interesting story, how I got in, but I won't bore you with the details, unless you want them. Um. What about you?"

As he waited for her answer, he took a moment to glance over the menu, pleased to find that they served orecchiette. One of his favorites. He knew exactly what he'd be ordering. The thought occured to him that they'd need some sort of alcohol to make this a real victory celebration, and there was only one kind he wanted right now.

"Red, or white?" he asked, his eyes glancing over the wine list included in the menu, "or rosι?"

[Jo Harvelle]

Jo was glad Tony had agreed to this place. Growing up two hours from here, she had been here enough times that it was familiar without the unfortunate memories home had. Sore and tired from the hunt tonight, all she wanted was somewhere she felt safe enough to kick back with a drink and let the tension seep out of her. Good food and conversation would help too.

Jo nodded appreciably at his answer, like years in the job were a sports stat to be proud of. Given the number of hunters she had known who were no longer living, that analogy was probably true. "Oh, I love a good story," she assured him. Jo had heard a lot of hunting stories over the years - and lived her fair share - but no two were the same. The tellers often differed so much in their recounting that even stories about similar hunts were new and interesting. Jo had absorbed these like a sponge as a girl, but was no less interested in them just because she had a few of her own to tell.

"Well, I've been hunting for about six years," she went on to answer. "But I was born in the life. My dad hunted," Jo explained. "and my mom - and I, when I was old enough - ran a bar that a bunch of hunters liked to frequent when they were passing through. Harvelle's Roadhouse?" she tacked on the name in case he had heard of it, though she was sure he had never been to the place while she had been there. It tended to attract a rougher type than Tony anyway.

She smiled slightly when he asked what kind of wine she would like. "Whatever you prefer," Jo answered. Though she had manned a bar since she was old enough to have a believable fake ID, she didnt know a great deal about wine. Her customers tended to be more impressed by an ability to name and decribe beers and whiskies. So she tended to let others make wine choices, since she would usually be happy with just about any kind.

The waitress returned with a basket of bread and asked if they needed more time. Jo quirked a brow at Tony, indicating wih a slight nod that she was ready if he was. She added her order - chicken fetticine - to his, and picked up a piece of bread as the waitress left to get the drinks.

"I love eating after a hunt," she shared as she tore a bit off. "You'd think that after seeing something as gross as what we just did, I'd lose my appetite, but I swear its like the adrenaline just leaves me hungry. Not all the time, of course, because there are things that are just too gross." Jo grinned over the table at him. "Now you probably think I'm weird."

[Tony Vallone]

"Maybe I'll tell you, then," Tony smiled when she told him she loved stories. He leaned forward a bit as she answered his question. He frowned a bit in thought at the name she'd dropped. He was pretty sure Jake had mentioned the place once or twice, but hadn't really gone into much detail about what kind of place it was. Just that it was a bar. Tony himself had never been there, though. "I've heard of it, but I've never visited. I think Jake did a couple times, he's the one that told me about it."

The waitress came by and he handed his menu to her as he ordered his pasta, "and half a bottle of merlot, please." Tony only requested the half bottle because he wasn't sure they'd be hanging out long enough to split a full bottle between them. The waitress left and Tony turned his attention back to Jo.

"I know exactly what you mean. It's not weird at all," he assured her, "though I can't really name anything off the top of my head that I couldn't eat after. There was a wendigo that I found while it was eating something that looked more like a someone. I think I went without food after that one. Second thing I ever hunted." Tony shuddered a bit. The damn thing had taken a chunk out of him and when he'd gone back for revenge after Chris had patched him up and given him an implement of firey destruction, he'd tracked the thing to its hideout and found it in the middle of lunch. He'd wasted no time frying the thing, and had buried what was left of the person he'd been unable to save. He cleared his throat a bit, hoping to avoid elaborating on that one. They were about to eat, they didn't need to be sharing stories of the most disgusting or disturbing things they'd seen in the line of duty.

If they were going to tell stories over dinner, Tony actually much prefered to share the tale of his beginnings as a hunter. "So is this storytime?" he asked with a smile, figuring he should check if she was okay with storytelling instead of awkward small talk before starting the story.

[Jo Harvelle]

Jo nodded when Tony said he'd heard of it but never been. "It's been closed for about five years now - demons set it on fire with a bunch of hunters inside. Not me or my mom, though," she assured him, feeling like she was stating a little of the obvious since she was sitting in front of him. On the other hand, she kind of was a walking dead girl, so the clarification made sense to her. "I think I might remember a couple Jakes though. Glad at least one of them is still upright."

"Oh good," she laughed, picking at her piece of bread. "Some times its hard to determine between normal and weird when your normal is weird." Jo listened to him talking about the wendigo, wrinkling her nose. It was gross, but didn't put her off her dinner. She had heard and seen plenty worse. "Man, I hate the ones that eat people. There's just such an increased ick factor from the ones that just kill people, you know?"

"Oh, definitely," Jo agreed when he suggested telling her his story. The waitress returned with their wine, and the blond served them both so Tony could focus on his story. Habit anyway. She settled back in her chair to listen. She hadn't been lying, they did have super comfortable seats. Between that and the alcohol, not to mention hot meal and good company, she was already feeling more relaxed.

[Tony Vallone]

Tony nodded in agreement with her assertion regarding people-eaters versus people-killers. Those kind really were grosser, and now there was one less in the world, thanks to them. He settled himself more comfortably and lifted his glass of wine when Jo had filled his glass, offering a smile as thanks.

"So. I was twenty-four. Out of college, on a trip to Florida with some friends of mine, taking pictures. We had a little activist group to protect the ocean and I had a camera and took some classes in college to be a professional photographer. We made flyers and booklets to 'save the whales' and stop overfishing and all that kind of stuff. So we were down there, took a boat and our equipment out in the general area of the Florida point of the Bermuda Triangle." Tony paused to sip his wine. The Bermuda Triangle. The center of paranormal activity. Ships and planes had disappeared over and in the area for years, and his and his friends' boat had been one of them, thankfully without any of them on board.

"We were getting some photos of seascapes and one of the guys was getting some underwater photographs of the tropical fish and the day went from clear and sunny to cloudy and stormy. I liked getting all kinds of photographs, so I kept taking pictures and there was something in the water in the Triangle. Some sort of sea serpent. I got a picture of it as my friends were getting the boat back to shore. We were lucky to get everyone off before the wind and waves swept the boat back into the open water and we never saw it, or our equipment again. Anyway, we got the photos developed and there was the sea serpent. My friends thought I was crazy, that my film was somehow damaged. But I know what I saw." He leaned back a bit and sipped more of his wine. "Researched the hell out of it. Became something of an ocean lore expert in the process. Anyway, turns out. There's a Kraken in the Bermuda Triangle. And that's how I was introduced to monsters. My first hunt on the other hand... that's a really short story," he chuckled.

"What about you? Any fascinating stories of hunts you've been on or monsters you've seen?" He set his wine glass down and folded his arms across the tabletop. It was only fair she tell one of her own in return.

[Jo Harvelle]

Jo leaned forward ever so slightly, propping her elbow on the linen-covered table so she could rest her chin on her palm while Tony began his story. She didn't have to feign her interest; this was sounding more like a "the truth is out there" story than "lost a loved one" and those were generally less gruesome and tended to tell you a bit about the person telling them.

With her free hand, she played idly with her wine glass, not taking her eyes off the other hunter until he got to the part about a sea serpent. "Get out," Jo said, but hesitantly. The blond leaned back in her seat and picked up her wine glass. There were things that liked the water, she knew, but an honest to God Kraken? Well, she hardly had seen it all so why not a Kraken, she reasoned as she lifted the glass to her lips.

"Let me guess," Jo said when he mentioned his first hunt, grinning over the table at him. "You thought you had it all under control, but then things went terribly wrong. But with a lotta luck you pulled through and solved the case?" She waited a beat, then relented with a self-depreciating laugh.

"That's what happened to me," she admitted. "I told you I was raised in the life, and I was, but after my dad died my mom was crazy insistant that I not do the job. That's why only six years." Jo took another drink, then placed her glass back on the table. It wasn't necessarily her best or more interesting job, but since they were talking orgin stories....

"So I was twenty-one. Did all the ground work for this one myself. I naively figured that if I did it without any help, including even being told about it, I would somehow prove myself to her." Jo rolled her eyes, indicating the likelihood of that happening. "When I tried to talk to her about going, World War III. Some friends of ours - other hunters - came in just then and she gave the case file to them. Of course, that didn't stop me. Played it like I was pissed and was going to Vegas to blow off some steam, but really I met up with the guys to work the case. Have you ever heard of H.H. Holmes? America's first serial killer? He liked kidnapping young, petite blondes and shutting them up in his walls and basement for some fun before killing them. His ghost was doing the same thing in an apartment building built over where he was executed."

Jo laughed softly again and shook her head. "You can imagine how that turned out for me," she commented. "First case and I end up locked in an old ...storage thing in the sewer. Had an iron knife on me though; that kind of kept him at bay for a little bit but once he knew I had it, it was only a matter of time until he figured out how to take it from me. Luckily for me," she added, "I wasn't alone on the job. The guys I was with found us right when he'd managed to get around the fact that I was armed and salt rocked him into oblivion for a few minutes. Of course, the situation didn't have an easy fix." Her tone became wry, her expression saying 'they never do.'

"Holmes body was encased in concrete. No easy salt and burn. I had to stay down there in that room to lure him out into the open. We lined it with salt," she explained, so he wouldn't think they hadn't had a plan, "and when he showed, the guys cut off his escape with more salt while I got the hell out of there. We sealed the place off, then covered it with concrete," she finished, grinning. "Only right his ghost get the same treatment his body did. Not a perfect fix," Jo admitted, "but I got back and check on it every so often. He's still down there, safe and sound."

Figuring that this line of conversation was a good one, Jo thought she'd continue it. "So we've shared first exposures to the supernatural. How about last ones? What was your case before this one, if you don't mind my asking?"