“Yeah,” he said, avoiding sight of his room in favor of meeting her eyes, hoping she wasn’t disappointed that he’d thrown his covers across his bed. Otherwise, his room wasn’t messy.
Eloise shook her head. “The entity has been here, but you weren’t there at the time, although you almost entered to find it there.”
Logan recalled that moment. He’d suspected something amiss and was about to open his door until Ashleigh called out for him yesterday. She hadn’t known it at the time, but she saved him from a potential encounter. He thanked his sister under his breath for her uncanny timing, even if she hadn’t suspected anything unordinary at the time.
Eloise removed a cell phone from her purse, tapped the screen a few times, and began texting. “I’m getting in touch with my partner about this case.” She spent another minute texting before slipping the phone into her purse.
He’d assumed Eloise had worked alone. Did that mean her partner also had supernatural abilities? If so, how many others had that aptitude? “You have a partner?”
She nodded. “She’s a good friend. We just brought her on.”
“There are more than two of you?”
Tears built in Eloise’s eyes, making them glassy. “I’m sorry.” Her voice trembled, and she turned aside. She lifted a hand to her eyes and cleared tears that slipped between her lashes.
Upon seeing her sorrow, Logan felt a stab of pain. He wanted to comfort her, but considering that she had rotated away from him, he gave her the space she needed. Had he offended her? He didn’t think so.
A few moments later, Eloise sniffed, took in a heavy breath, and nodded. “Sorry about that.” She wiped moisture from her cheeks and turned back to him. “I lost a friend a couple of months ago on the job. I’m still torn up about it, obviously.”
The thought chilled him. He’d been right. This was a very dangerous occupation. He immediately wanted to shield her from those perils. The only problem was…Eloise had chosen this path. Either that or it had chosen her. It was difficult to say. But she’d made a choice to investigate these cases. And he wanted to support her because she’d given her time and energy to help his family. She deserved the same respect.
Logan stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m really sorry to hear about that. You two must’ve been close.”
“Luckily,” Eloise said, “my friend, Jocelyn, has been there for me through it all. She’s become a really good friend and an even better partner.”
“Does she have the same abilities as you?”
“Not exactly. Her specialty lies elsewhere. That’s what makes us such a great team. We complement each other very well. Anyway…”
Sensing that Eloise wanted to get back to business, Logan didn’t step aside from the doorway. “You’ve checked every room so far. What’re your thoughts?”
“First,” she whispered, quirking an eyebrow. “I don’t know what it is.”
That put a fright into Logan. How would they know how to get rid of whatever has been spooking them, if they didn’t know what has been visiting? “Has that ever happened before? Not being sure what you’re dealing with?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “Usually the entity reveals itself, but in this case, it’s not like this woman was trying to hide her identity since you saw her reflection on the television screen.”
“Exactly. But when I turned around, she wasn’t behind me, so that means she has to be a ghost because she was invisible, right?”
“Every entity has a different power base, but this one’s power fluctuates. It’s strong one moment, weak another.”
“So you sensed it with us right now?” The mere thought put a fright in him.
“No. But ghosts can leave behind energy residue. That’s how I saw the water on the bathroom floor, how I watched chains dragging across this floor, and how I knew the entity hit the picture frame.”
“With its fist?” he asked, startled.
Eloise glanced down. She nodded.
“But the glass was streaked across the top of the photo where Ashleigh and I stood. Hold on, are you saying this entity punched my face?”
“I can’t be certain,” she said, raising her head to meet his gaze. “But the anger lingering in that spot makes me think that you could be right.”
If the entity punched it, and the glass broke across the image of him and Ashleigh, Logan wondered why the woman had gotten more violent. Did it have anything to do with its power base? Eloise mentioned that its strength fluctuated. If so, he hoped he didn’t come into contact with the entity while it was filled with energy.
“Maybe she’s getting more aggressive as time goes on,” he said. Realizing he’d raised his voice a couple of notches, he forced himself to lower it. “It punched the picture. It grabbed Ashleigh at her friend’s house.” That reminded him of what he’d read. “Did the entity do that because it…latched onto her?”
“No, it probably clutched onto your sister as a scare tactic. Otherwise, in many cases, an entity wouldn’t want you to know that it’s siphoning energy from you. If this entity was draining power from one or more of you, it would keep doing so to grow more powerful.”
“Does it usually do that? Drain energy from one person to the next?”
“It depends on the circumstances. For instance, if your family moved into a haunted house, the ghost might remove energy from any source it wanted, whether it was from a human or an electrical source. Why? Because it probably wouldn’t want anyone in ‘its home.’ That’s why it’ll keep sucking power away from humans. First, so it can frighten them enough to leave. Second, when you feel physically and emotionally drained, you lose your patience and temper much quicker. That’s when we’re prone to making bad decisions, and that’s what that ghost wants.”
“But we’ve lived in this house for years. This activity just started up a couple of days ago.”
Eloise put a hand to her mouth and mulled that over.
“Why would it start now?”
“Have any relatives recently passed away?”
“No,” Logan said.
“Any friends?”
“No.”
“How about enemies?”
“Not that I can think of. Mom, Ashleigh, or Tyler would have told me. We’re pretty open with our thoughts and feelings around here. We don’t hold back if we’re happy or upset.” That was important for them after his father died. They all agreed to share because each of them went through the same difficult process, even if they handled it in different ways.
“Can this entity latch onto Tyler? Or me?”
Eloise nodded again.
He let out a long breath, shaking his head, stunned that the news kept getting worse. “So how do we know if that’s happening?”
“You may feel yourself getting emotional for no reason. Angry or depressed.”
His thoughts turned to how he’d lashed out at Ashleigh last night before turning his frustration on Tyler in their mother’s bedroom. Had the entity been there with them last night, influencing their behavior…when Logan presumed he’d been protecting them?
It meant no place was safe from this entity. No matter where they went or what they did, this woman could find them. The notion made him feel sick.
Eloise rested her free hand on Logan’s wrist. “I’m off the next couple of days, and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll work this out with you if you’d like.”
“Yes.” Her declaration to stay on the case was a godsend. He didn’t think he’d be able to keep his sanity without her. “Thank you.”
“It’ll show up again,” Eloise said, “probably when it gets strong enough.”
“Hey!” Ashleigh called out from the staircase. “How’s it going up there?”
Logan rotated toward the hallway. “We’re trying to figure that out. Give us a couple more minutes.” He waited a few seconds to find out if she’d ask another question, but it didn’t surprise him that she remained quiet. His sister, while curious and a little
pushy, didn’t want to get scared, and she knew that he would update her without breaking the news in an overly frightening manner.
Logan turned back to Eloise. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“You said it stopped moving last night around the middle of the hall.”
Logan nodded.
“It may have disappeared. My theory is that it wasn’t strong enough to stay longer than it did.”
Logan thought back on how each paranormal situation played out so far. “Each incident has been increasing in—”
“Intensity?” she asked, her brow furrowing at the thought.
“Not exactly. I was about to say the woman has been showing up and staying longer each time she visited.”
Eloise nodded and clenched her teeth.
She looked worried. That hadn’t happened until now, which raised his fear level. “That doesn’t look good.”
“Well, if my hunch is right, she might be staying longer because she’s growing more powerful. And you’re right, that might not be good.” She paused for a moment, opened her mouth, and shut it again.
He didn’t like how she prepared to speak but thought better of it. Had she done that to avoid saying something he might blow out of proportion? “Okay, now you’re starting to worry me.”
“This activity seems to have started after your mother left. Do you think there could be a connection there?”
Logan didn’t need more than a second to string together that thought with the voicemail his mother had left the other day. She was irritated that she couldn’t pass along the message his father wanted Logan to hear. And now that he’d made that connection, Logan was certain that it wasn’t a coincidence.
Whatever his father wished to tell him had something to do with the woman haunting their home.
15
Logan sat down with his siblings and Eloise at the kitchen table. He laid out everything she said and answered all of their questions, except one: why had this entity begun haunting their home? Despite suspecting that his father may have had an answer to that question, Logan didn’t mention it to them or Eloise. Doing so would only invite more questions. Questions he couldn’t answer. When they found themselves at an impasse, the doorbell rang.
“Jimmy John’s?” asked Tyler with a half-grin.
“Neither Jimmy nor John,” Eloise said with a straight face. “Her name is Jocelyn. She’s my partner, and she’s going to try and help us figure out what this entity is.”
Logan got up to attend to their next visitor. In doing so, he checked on his siblings.
Ashleigh and Tyler remained at the table, their faces a shade paler than before they had returned to the table. They traded a wordless glance at each other before watching their older brother and Eloise heading toward the door.
Logan took the lead. Ordinarily, he felt odd letting a stranger in the house, similar to allowing a service technician to attend to the HVAC, but in this instance, he didn’t mind since she was Eloise’s partner. “You never told me what Jocelyn’s specialty is.”
Eloise pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “I’m trying to expand her horizons, so she can get better at sensing other supernatural beings.”
He didn’t miss how she’d evaded answering his question for the second time. She’d done so for a reason. It disturbed him, made him think she was purposely hiding something. And as much as the topic pecked at his mind, he had to let it go. Eloise had her reasons for neglecting to answer. At the same time, she’d given him no reason not to trust her, so he was determined to continue doing just that.
Logan reached the door, twisted the handle, and opened the door.
An attractive dark-haired woman in her early twenties spotted Eloise first. “Hey!” She turned her gaze on Logan. “You must be—”
“The man of the house,” Tyler said with a low voice, grinning at his sarcasm.
Ashleigh gave him a backhanded slap across the chest.
“My brother, Tyler.” Logan rolled his eyes. “Pretend he doesn’t exist. That’s what I do.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Eloise told their visitor. “Thanks for coming.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jocelyn.” Logan stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. “Please…”
“Thanks.” Jocelyn stepped through the threshold and scanned the area. “You have a nice place.”
Logan motioned to his sister, who was engaged in a quiet conversation with Tyler. “We have Ashleigh to thank for it looking so nice.”
Jocelyn looked her way. “Oh, you must be Logan’s sister?”
“No,” Tyler said. “She came with the house. Mom asked the neighbors if they wanted her, but she won’t leave, so we kinda got stuck with her.”
Smiling, Ashleigh left the table and extended a hand as an introduction. “I’m Ashleigh, at least when they remember my name. Otherwise, it’s ‘hey, you.’”
“Nice to meet you, Ashleigh.” Jocelyn shook her hand and set her attention on Tyler. “And you’re—”
“Call me Ty,” he said in a serious tone that matched his expression. Tyler left his chair and strolled over to Jocelyn. “You’re really beautiful. Did you know that?”
Jocelyn snickered. “Well, that’s a first.” She met Logan’s eyes before returning her gaze to Tyler. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ty.”
“The pleasure…” Tyler took her left hand in his and kissed it. “…is all mine.” He straightened and winked an eyebrow at her.
“Wow!” Jocelyn said with a large grin. “That’s quite the introduction, young man.”
Tyler caught Logan’s gaze. “And that’s how you treat a lady.”
Logan admired the smooth way his brother attended to Jocelyn. Maybe it had to do with the Golden Age of Hollywood horror classics he watched with gentlemen that treated women with a refined nature. Logan wished that he’d had that ability as a ten-year-old. For that matter, he’d like some of that old-school charm at his current age.
Tyler leaned in close to Jocelyn and placed a hand beside his mouth to confide in her. “My brother is romancing Eloise, so don’t get mad if he’s distracted.” Whether intended or not, he hadn’t lowered his voice, which allowed everyone to hear him speak.
Logan’s cheeks warmed up. He should’ve been used to his brother’s embarrassing comments, but apparently, he still had a long way to go.
“Oh my God!” Ashleigh said, tilting her head back and staring at the ceiling. “You’re both sooo...” She let out an aggravated groan that rattled in her throat. “It’s a pain to have one brother, but two? So unfair!”
Eloise chuckled. “I’ve only got sisters. Six of them. Well, they’re not officially my sisters, but they might as well be.” She grinned. “It’s a long story.”
Jocelyn took her cue. “And I’ve got a twin sister, but no brothers.”
Ashleigh sighed. “You’re both so lucky.”
“If you play your cards right,” Logan said. “They might take you in.” He looked over at Tyler. “Do you think Mom would give her up?”
His brother blew air through his lips. “She’d pay for them to haul Ashleigh away.”
Logan appreciated the slight reprieve from the dark reasons these two women had visited.
Eloise gestured to Logan and got his attention. “I’m going to give Jocelyn a little tour.”
When they left, Logan waved his siblings to step closer to him. “Guys, I need to talk with you about something that might be important.” They directed their scrutiny toward him and remained completely silent. He hadn’t anticipated such an immediate response, especially from Tyler.
“What’s wrong, Logan?” Ashleigh asked in a tremulous voice. “You’re scaring me.”
It wasn’t his intention to frighten his siblings. He divided his attention between them. “After Mom left for vacation, she told me that Dad left me a very important note for me to read on my nineteenth birthday. Mom misplaced it, and I’ve tried to find it, but I haven’t had any luck. I’ve been trying
to get in touch with Mom to find out what Dad wrote, but we haven’t had a chance to connect on that yet. I can’t be certain, but I think that letter Dad wrote is somehow connected to this entity that’s stalking us.”
“Why?” asked Ashleigh, wide-eyed and once more nibbling on her fingernails.
Logan shook his head. “It’s just a feeling.” He looked at Tyler. “I know you don’t like hearing us talk about Dad, but we’re dealing with something really serious and—”
“I know,” Tyler said and looked down. “You don’t have to say anything more about it.”
Logan was glad to see that his brother understood the gravity of the situation they faced and pushed past his aversion to discuss anything related to his father.
Ashleigh’s fear seemed to have ebbed because she now looked perturbed. “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?”
“I didn’t think they were related, but I also didn’t want to upset you. If Dad also left you a letter, Mom didn’t tell me about it. If Dad just left one for me, I didn’t want you to feel slighted. I’m only telling everyone now because we’re dealing with something bad, and if telling the group now is important later and it can save us from pain or danger, I want to make sure we all get that chance.”
“I’m not happy to hear that,” Ashleigh said, unwilling to meet his gaze. “But I’m not mad at you either.”
“Maybe your dad had nothing to do with it,” Tyler said. “This whole thing started after Mom left. What if she did something?”
While Ashleigh stammered to respond, Logan whipped his head toward his little brother. He couldn’t believe the darkness behind Tyler’s statement. It floored him. Discussion of his father must have really messed with his wiring.
“To get rid of us?” asked Ashleigh, her mouth contorting in an offended manner. “That’s...just, no way. She’s busy a lot and doesn’t spend as much time with us anymore, but she loves us, Ty.”
He stared at the ground and shrugged.
Ashleigh went over to him and curled an arm around his shoulder. “She may not say it much, but she loves you. It’s only Logan she hates.” She turned her head toward him with a big grin.
The Descendants Page 12