by H. P. Bayne
He’d woken Sully twice already, believing he’d heard the sound of intruders. Sully had assured him they weren’t the sort of intruders who could hurt them and went promptly back to sleep.
It hadn’t made Dez feel any better. The difference between human bad guys and ghosts was minimal when it came to his nerves.
He’d given up on trying to sleep, relegating himself to fire duty and overall watchdog as the night ticked slowly past. His body ached from the beating he’d taken, a large, painful lump having formed on his head where he’d been clobbered by the pipe.
He’d gotten up an hour ago, keeping a musty quilt pulled up over his head like a cloak as he watched the fire.
He checked his watch. Almost twenty minutes after three. Being October, several hours remained before daybreak.
Crap.
Dez jumped at the sound of a scratch from the other side of the wall. At least, he hoped it was the other side. Nothing was on this side.
Nothing visible, anyway.
He’d heard the same sound earlier, and had awoken Sully to ask about it. The answer hadn’t been encouraging. Just a ghost, he’d said. One of the women. No, Sully had never seen her, but he had a sense of her. Yes, she was annoyed they were here, but she’d tolerate them. Go to sleep, Dez.
Well, sleep wasn’t happening, Sully.
Dez stared at the wall another few seconds as the scratching moved in the direction of the door. From his spot on the floor, Dez turned, facing that side of the room. His eyes darted along the wall, movement everywhere as the flames cast their dancing light upon it. He slid closer to Sully, hand hovering in preparation to wake him should the need arise. Dez’s eyes, wide and unblinking, focused on the door, awaiting the moment it flung itself open. The scratches were still moving that way, edging ever closer.
Now they moved to the door itself.
His eyes shifted to the knob. It was unlikely he’d see it turning from here, given it was round, but he was pretty sure it was rusty enough to make a noise should she try to open it.
Please, don’t let me hear that sound, he thought.
His hand lowered onto Sully’s arm, preparing to shake him awake.
Then the moaning started. Dez had heard a similar sound before, when he’d been with an accident victim as they died. Death moan.
Crap.
Dez shook Sully’s arm.
“What?” he grumbled.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“The moaning. It’s right outside the door.”
Sully lifted his head from the nest of his pillow and bundled covers. He was silent a moment, listening. Then he dropped his head back down and shut his eyes. “I don’t hear anything.”
Dez sighed. “Of course you don’t. You can’t hear ghosts, can you? But apparently, I can. And it’s right outside.”
“I can hear the scratching, if that helps convince you you’re not crazy.”
“I wasn’t worried about being crazy. I know what I’m hearing is real. How is it you can hear the scratching but not the moaning, anyway?”
Sully shifted the covers, burying most of his head beneath them, just his face exposed to allow his groggy answer. “I don’t know. Probably the usual problem with me not being able to hear them speaking. It’s different when they interact with the environment. I don’t know why, and I don’t care. Can you try and get some sleep?”
“With the Woman in Black standing outside the door waiting to kill us? I don’t think so.”
“She’s not going to kill us. The only one with the ability to cause us any harm is Ned, and he’s not going to.”
“But she doesn’t want us here, right?”
Sully opened his eyes to meet Dez’s gaze. “No, she doesn’t. But she’s not the boss of us, okay? They need to accept if they’re going to stay on earth that they need to share their space with the living. I’m not letting her or any of the others tell me what I can and can’t do in my own world. Neither should you.”
Dez’s eyes darted to the door, then back to Sully. “If you’re suggesting I should tell off a ghost, you’re crazy.”
“I’m not suggesting anything, except that you should try to get some sleep. If there’s any real danger, Ned will let us know in no uncertain terms.”
Dez glanced back at the fainting couch. It was on the other side of the large fireplace, too far to reach without moving from his current spot on the floor. He stood and approached it, then tugged it to the other side of the fireplace, right next to a set of chairs Sully was using as a bed.
Once Dez had lain down and tucked himself back in, he found Sully smirking at him.
“What are you doing?” Sully asked through a smile.
“Shut up.”
Sully chuckled but didn’t say anything more. The scratching didn’t stop.
Metal creaked—the sound of the doorknob.
“Sully?”
“Don’t worry, it’s one of her usual tricks. She’s never actually opened the door.”
“What if she does tonight?”
Sully didn’t answer right away. When he did, it wasn’t any kind of reply Dez had been expecting.
“Remember when Mom and Dad took us on that road trip west? We went through the mountains and stopped at that place made entirely out of pop bottles?”
“What the hell does this have to do with ghosts?”
“Nothing. That’s the point. You used to prattle my ear off when we were kids until I went to sleep. I’m returning the favour.”
“You really think it’s going to help?”
“It helped me.”
“You were seven.”
“Still helped. Now shut up and let me talk.”
Dez smiled. “Thanks, man.”
He lay there, eyes closed, forcing his brain beyond the night noises and into the past. Eventually, caught between memories and exhaustion, Sully’s voice and sleep drowned out the spirit at the door.
Dez awoke to a loud ring.
He patted the air, searching for his bedside table where he kept his phone charging. The search came up empty, and he opened his eyes to find out why. Morning disorientation fogged his brain, and it took a moment for him to piece it back together.
Ravenwood. The most haunted house in the city.
He’d survived the night.
The scratching from last night was gone; daylight streaming into the room had washed away the nighttime terrors.
Sully was gone, too, but the fire was still crackling lightly, suggesting he’d rekindled it recently.
A chill hung in the air, one that made the idea of getting up even more unpleasant. His phone had stopped ringing, and he had yet to remember where he’d put it. He’d called Eva and Mara last night, letting them know he’d be spending the night with Sully. It could be one of them was checking in, and they’d be worried if he didn’t respond quickly.
His visual sweep of the room ended as the door opened to reveal Sully, plate in hand.
“Was that your phone?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Dez said. “Can’t remember where I put it.”
Sully scanned the room until his eyes settled on a spot above the fireplace. Dez followed his brother’s gaze to the mantle and watched as Sully plucked it from its spot there. Dez accepted the phone as Sully returned to his length of chairs, sitting on one and swinging his legs up onto the others.
“Who was it?” he asked.
Dez checked his missed calls. “Eva. Probably wanted to make sure we’re still alive. What you got there?”
“Breakfast,” Sully said, placing the plate next to Dez where he could see and reach it.
Dez wrinkled his nose. The contents of a can of salmon, a few pickles and a small pile of mushy strawberries from a tin. “Dude, that’s gross.”
“Hey, it’s survival. How do you think I’ve kept myself so svelte the past couple of years?”
“I’m getting the picture. Please tell me that stuff didn’t come with the house.”
“It didn’t. I picked up a few things at a late-night convenience store before coming back here a few nights ago. Figured I’d need some supplies.”
Dez hated canned fish, but he accepted one of the pickles before calling Eva back.
“How’s everything going?” she asked as soon as she answered.
“We survived the night,” Dez said around his crunching. “How’s everything there?”
“Fine. Pax is pretty mopey, though. I think he misses Sully.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring him by soon. They can reunite. Sully’s mooning over Pax too.”
Sully gently slapped the uninjured side of Dez’s head.
“I’m not sure it’s such a great idea for Sully to come by here,” Eva said. “Raynor was by at the crack of dawn. Probably thought he’d catch us by surprise. He’s looking for Sully. Said he really needs to talk to him.”
“Talk to him how?” Dez asked. “Like an informal chat, or a formal police station interview room kind of talk?”
“He didn’t say anything about an interview, but he definitely wants to speak with him about the Montague homicide. Investigators are getting desperate to piece it together. They’ve made no arrests and they’ve got no suspects—and you can bet your ass the press is all over it. There was a story on the news last night about the fact the case is still unsolved, and it’s been front-page news since it happened.”
“Damn. Did Raynor mention the words ‘obstructing justice’ at all? ’Cuz I guess that’s kind of what we’re doing.”
“Yeah, well, so is he, and he knows it. That’s why he’s getting desperate. He can’t expose Sully without outing his wife at the same time. I bet he’s hoping Sully will come forward willingly and fix everything.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not happening,” Dez said. “Not yet, anyway.”
“Dez?” Sully said.
Dez hadn’t put his phone on speaker, and he put his hand against the mouthpiece to allow him to speak to his brother. “What?”
“I’ll meet with Forbes, okay? If it will help convince him I’m not responsible for the murder, it might help them solve this thing sooner.”
“He’s well aware you’re not responsible,” Dez said. “But you’re still a key witness. You’re the only other person who was there when it happened. Raynor’s not the only one who will be interested in what you have to say. If you meet with him, I’m afraid he might haul you in. There’s enough to arrest you on suspicion, at least until they clear some stuff up.”
“So I’ll phone him,” Sully said. “That’s safe, right?”
Dez shrugged, then returned to the conversation with Eva. “Sully says he’ll phone him.”
“I doubt that will satisfy Forbes, but it’s better than nothing,” Eva said. “Make sure Sully’s prepared for questioning first, though.”
“I think he’s already prepared,” Dez said. “But I’ll walk him through whatever I suspect Raynor’s going to ask.”
“Everything okay with the two of you?” Eva asked. “We haven’t really talked about it.”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. We sorted it out.”
“Good. I’m proud of you. And about everything else, with Lowell, I mean. Let me know how I can help. And your mom too. Don’t leave us in the dark on this.”
“I won’t. Thanks, babe.”
“Later, Snowman. Love you.”
“Love you too. Hey, uh, just so you know, I kind of got beat up yesterday.”
“Beat up how?” Eva’s voice was tight, as Dez had expected. He’d debated not telling her, but he’d be seeing her later today, and he didn’t want his injuries to come as a shock.
“Nothing broken, but I’m pretty banged up. Sully and I got into a scrape with some gangsters at a house in The Forks.”
“The Forks?”
Dez grimaced. He thought he’d told her. “I mentioned we were staying there, didn’t I?”
“You told me you were staying the night with Sully. I assumed you meant at your apartment. Damn it, Dez. The Forks?”
Dez spoke fast. “The house is actually fairly safe. It comes with its own poltergeist guard. It’s the rest of the island that isn’t so good.”
“Damn it, Dez.”
“I’m sorry. I thought I said.”
“You didn’t. You think if you had, I would have been so quick to let it slide?”
“Okay, point taken. We’ll come back over today, all right? Could you forewarn Mom and Kayleigh for me, that I’ve got some bumps and bruises? I don’t want anyone freaking out over it.”
“I’ll mention it. Anyway, I’m likely to add a few when I see you. Be careful—or more careful than you have been.”
“I will. Sorry, babe.”
“We’ll discuss it later.”
She hung up without another word, and Dez exhaled through pursed lips as he tucked his phone into his pocket.
“She’s pissed, huh?” Sully asked.
“Uh, yeah, you could say that. Guess we’d better track Lachlan down next.”
“Yeah, but maybe we could do that from the boat. In my experience, it’s best leaving in the early morning or late at night. Less chance of someone being able to see. If anyone catches wind I’ve got a boat hidden away here, it’ll be gone before I know it.”
“Ned won’t watch it for you?”
“Ned stays in the house, at least as far as I’m aware. This place is all he cares about.”
“Okay, well, if you’re thinking we should bail now, I’m all for it. The sooner we get out of this place, the happier I’ll be.”
While Dez rowed, Sully called Lachlan but, at Dez’s insistence, waited on the call to Forbes. Dez wanted to ensure his attention was undivided when his brother made the call, enabling him to shut things down quickly if Forbes tried any tricks.
Sully put Lachlan onto speaker, allowing Dez to hear the conversation from both ends.
“Find anything useful at the house?” Lachlan asked.
“Death,” Dez said. “We almost found death.”
Sully provided a better explanation. “We were jumped by some gang members tweaking on something. We got a little banged up, but we’ll live.”
“Speaking of which, I haven’t checked your cuts today,” Dez said. “Remind me to take a look when we get to shore. If they get infected, we’ll have some serious decisions to make.”
“I’m sure there’s a story there, but I’d rather hear if you found anything of use to our investigation,” Lachlan said.
Dez snorted. “Thanks for your concern.”
“Hey, you’re well enough to gripe at me, so you’re clearly all right. Now talk.”
“I saw Eloise,” Sully said. “She’s appearing to me as quite young, and she’s got some pretty bad injuries. She showed me their son’s room—and it was very much still their son’s room. Gerhardt had to have been living there at the time of the flood. He never left, not until he had no choice.”
“Could be he was attached to memories in the place, or hoped his kid might find his way back there,” Lachlan said. “Or it could be he was sitting on top of evidence he didn’t want to leave for someone else to uncover. I’ve seen it before. Had a case once where a guy killed his wife and buried her in the basement. Lived there for thirty-odd years—right on top of her—to make sure no one found out.”
“We didn’t have time to give the place a real thorough search,” Dez said. “And I doubt we’ll be able to. I’m not sure how those guys saw us go in there, but they swooped in on us pretty quick. It could be they’re set up in a place nearby. Until we know for sure, we can’t risk going back, not without a full-scale tactical team at our backs.”
“I did get one other thing out of it,” Sully said. “I grabbed a set of keys from the master bedroom. I can’t say for sure without checking, but they look to me like they might be for Lockwood.”
Dez raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“I forgot. Things went sideways fast after I found the
m, and we’ve both had plenty of other stuff on our minds since.”
Lachlan offered a, “Hmm,” but didn’t add to it immediately. Dez was too focused on his increasingly sore body to bother trying to figure out what Lachlan was thinking. His injuries roared at him as he continued to row, and the shore, though only another couple of minutes away, felt miles off.
“I’m wondering,” Lachlan said at last. “Might there be value in our sneaking into Lockwood? The place is a fortress. If I had something to hide, better to keep it there than at home. He runs the place, after all, and he’s well-respected by most around there. Others fear him. I can’t imagine many would cross him by digging through his personal property.”
“Given he left his keys behind at the house, some locks were probably changed,” Dez said.
“To his office and personal filing cabinets, certainly,” Lachlan said. “But not the ones for the main building. They would’ve just given him copies of those.”
“Yeah, I realize that. What I was getting at was that anything useful to us would likely be kept in his office. Only he and maybe the cleaning staff would have keys, and I’d actually be shocked if he allowed the cleaners a way in. Guy like him, he’d probably do his own dusting before allowing anyone a chance at catching wind of one of his dirty little secrets.”
“There’s a good chance that’s not where he keeps his dirty little secrets,” Sully said. “The Blue Room is in the old, unused part of the institution. Hardly anyone has keys to that wing, and no one’s allowed in. Seems to me that might be the logical place to keep anything he doesn’t want found.”
“You have the keys to get in there?” Lachlan asked.
Sully pulled a large keyring from his pocket. Even from here, Dez could see what appeared to be a series of older keys dangling from the ring. “I might, yeah.”
Lachlan went quiet again, and Dez waited for the inevitable: the request he didn’t feel either he or Sully could meet.
“I’m thinking we might need to take advantage of this find, boys,” Lachlan said a moment later.
“As in sneak into Lockwood and search the place?” Dez asked. “No way.”
“Only the abandoned wing,” Lachlan said. “Not the rest.”