“Christ,” Detective Lux exclaimed at the grizzly sight, “what the hell happened here?” Lux looked at the blood scrawled on the wall, mysterious symbols he didn’t recognize. An altar thrown together on an old nightstand sat in the center of the wall, littered with melted candles and topped with a bowl of blood. A few dismembered body parts could be seen lying around the makeshift altar.
“Well, nothing good, sir,” Officer Cross replied, trying to make light of the horror that was spattered before them. “But, both the forensics and para-forensics teams are gathering evidence.” Lux eyed him, hoping there was more. “And,” Cross continued, with a hint of a smile, “I was told we caught a break.”
“I’m hoping you mean we have a witness.”
“Better, we have Danielle Wong.” Cross handed him a folder filled initial information about the crime scene and a picture of Danielle. The Officer stepped out of the room and led Detective Lux down the hallway.
“Is that name supposed to mean something to me? Who is this Danielle Wong?” 
Cross stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway, “Well she’s the woman who was murdered.” Cross turned the handle and opened the door.
Lux groaned, “You know how I feel about talking with spirits.”
“I do, I do, but humans have been communicating with the dead for hundreds of years. And it was proven back in 1932 that we are, in fact, speaking with spirits.” He stepped into the bedroom, and Lux reluctantly followed, closing the door behind them.
They both took a seat at the small table at the foot of the bed where a mechanical box was already waiting for them, “It’s not that I don’t believe in ghosts, Cross, it’s about how accurate the information we get from them is. Since we can’t see them, and rarely do we ever hear their disembodied voice, you just never know for sure. On top of that, you know as well as I do that ghosts are mischievous little deviants who just like to play games with people.”
“Yes but--”
Lux held up a hand, “I know you specialized in this stuff at the academy, and you have your fancy equipment, but I’ve still got decades of actual experience on you, so don’t tell me otherwise.” Cross just sat quietly, letting his superior have the last word, “But go ahead, continue.”
“Okay, let's begin.” Cross said, placing his hand on the machine. Lux followed suit, and the box turned on and began to glow from the orb fixated in the center of the square.
The air grew cold, and a stillness settled on the two. “Danielle Wong, please speak with us, are you there? My name is Lucas Cross, can you tell me what happened?” Cross opened his eyes to see if a message had appeared. Lux looked around, trying to see any movement in the room. 

The room was still quiet, but no response after multiple attempts. Lux stood up, “Well, the para-forensics team got it wrong, or the ghost just doesn’t want to talk to you. Let’s go find a more reliable lead.” He headed for the door, irritated at the seemingly waste of time. “I suppose, let me pack up.” Cross gathered his things, carefully placing them into the large black bag on the floor, “So what would you like to lead up on, sir?” With no initial response, Cross turned around to see if Lux had left him without a word, but instead he say Lux staring wide-eyed at the ghostly being of Danielle Wong standing at the door. Danielle then let out a cry, “Please, you need to help me!” Detective Lux opened the folder, glancing at the picture, just to be sure, and looked back at Officer Cross, “Well, it looks like it worked.” Officer Cross held out a hand, “It’s okay, we’re here to help Danielle. Just start from the beginning.”