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end of next week. Meredith shouldn’t be able to tamper with the Bloodstone again as long as you keep your guard up. ”
    I realize how hard this must be for her, hard enough that I have to give her a little hope. Two weeks isn’t much time but it is better than nothing.
    “So we have some time to figure something out. We have a chance,” I say, meaning it. Nothing is impossible. I just hope we come up with something before I take what will probably be a one way trip to the boondocks.

Chapter Eight
    It’s the next day when I leave Solomon’s library. I think I’m the only person he has ever allowed to crash there besides Nerva. Instead of going home, I take the #5 train into the Bronx. My destination is only a few blocks away from where I grew up. A lot has changed for the better. Meredith’s property is the exception to the rule. It stands there as a monument to a past best forgotten. I look at the building and frown. Something is not right here. Kara can feel it too.
    The South Bronx is in the midst of a minor renaissance. Real estate is at a premium. The abandoned buildings and junkyards of yesteryear are a thing of the past. New housing is rising from the ashes. The slums have given way to the promise of a better tomorrow, everywhere but here. What made 168th Street and Forest Avenue different? Why would Meredith let this building sit and rot? With only with a little work, he could make a killing here.
    On the surface, everything looked normal. The front of the building was old and run down, a shadow of its former glory. Wooden boards were nailed over the windows and doors. Granted, the neighborhood could be better. It could be closer to the subway but that wasn't a reason to let good real estate go to waste.
    ” It’s one of those buildings,” Kara says and she’s right.
    If you’re not looking for them, you can miss the little clues and details that act as a warning. The building was free of the graffiti and posters that decorate most other abandoned buildings and construction sites. In this day and age, people jump at the chance for free advertising or to show off their art but not here. Everyone and thing avoided this place. Not even a pigeon could be seen roosting on the building. People took the extra effort to cross the street instead of walking past the place.
    The more and more I see, the less and less I like this set up. Kara is right. This is one of those buildings. What do I mean by that? It's simple. You ever wonder why some buildings, no matter how many housing violations they have are never condemned. Meanwhile other buildings are closed for seemingly trivial matters. I used to chalk it up to bribery, corruption, incompetence, or the warped thinking of bureaucrats but there was a much simpler reason I learned when I started working as a paranormal investigator.
    This may sound old and tired. That doesn't stop it from being another one of those universal truths that pop up in my line of work. There are things that shouldn't be disturbed. There are people who shouldn't be bothered. There are places that shouldn't be entered. That's the way things are. That's the way they have always been. Everyone knows it even if it's only on a subconscious level. Some choose to ignore their gut feelings especially those who have more greed than they do common sense. Real estate agents and developers are notorious for this.
    This building was one of those places. I know it, Kara knows it and so does Meredith. It was abandoned but not for any mundane reason. That's why he brought the place. That is why he is content not to have any work done on it. Okay, so what am I dealing with here? I could check it out now in the light of day but too much can go wrong. Rushing headlong into the unknown is a good way to end a career especially with someone like Meredith in the mix. I opt for the safer course of action. I’ll come back later after I make a few preparations. It might be more dangerous to explore the place at