“A lady. I thought you saw her too. Her face changes. She hates me…but I don’t know why.” She whined and said, “I don’t want to talk about it.” She looked over my shoulder again, and I instinctively looked around me. There was no one there, as far as I could tell. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
Watching Lily.
“There she is! You ready to go, kiddo?” Rachel’s broad smile lifted the heaviness I felt. I was glad to see she was having a “happy” day, but she was always good with both of the kids. She really was like a true aunt. My mind went to AJ’s other aunt, Detra Ann. I missed her being around. She and Henri had been like our family for so long. I mean, they still were, but I think some of the weirdness here at Seven Sisters had kept Detra Ann away. And now that she had Chloe, she had her hands full…and she was also more careful. More protective. Baby Boy was an easy child compared to Chloe’s demanding ways, but then again, Detra Ann always had to do things a certain way. She thrived on traditions and routines. Which was hilarious because Henri was always down with rolling with the punches. Yep, I missed them both.
“Carrie Jo? Did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry. What?” Rachel handed me a brown craft bag with a pretty blue and white checkered bow. It felt heavy. “For me? What is it?”
“It’s from Gran. Some of her candles and smelly potpourri.” Rachel patted Lily’s head and tugged her close. Lily looked completely happy. I raised an eyebrow but quickly hid my surprise for the kids’ sake. Clearly, Jan was aware of what was happening and wanted to help. I had an idea that the candles and the “potpourri,” which were probably herbs of some sort, were meant to protect us.
“I call shotgun!” Lily shouted.
“Hey, what about me?” Ashland said as she raced past him.
“Sorry, Uncle Ash.” She kissed his cheek and ran to the front door. “See you later! Come on, AJ! Stop being a slowpoke!”
My son trundled after her and waved at me. “Bye, Mommy. I be okay.” He dragged his bag behind him, and Ashland scooped him up. AJ looked so much like his father. I chewed my nail nervously as they left the house and headed to the car. I resisted the urge I had to kiss his cheeks and call him Baby Boy.
Rachel said seriously, “The candles have special oils in them. Gran says to set them in the front windows, the ones near the front door. She says to tell you to be careful tonight. She’s going to be praying. When they leave, the paranormal people, she wants you to burn this all through the house.”
I turned the fragrant herbs over in my hand. “What? Why?”
“The way she explained it, if you burn these herbs it will push any negative energy out of the house. I know why you’re doing this, I understand it. I guess if it was me and I had kids, I would try to do the same thing. But you know you can’t change who you are, or Ashland. Or Lily and AJ. You are all like beams of light in that other world.” She hugged me, which was a little out of character for her. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise you that I won’t take any risks. And I’m not letting any craziness go on. Thank you, Rachel. For all you do.”
“You’ve got it. Just remember, you’re the boss. You can shut it down anytime you want. Oh, who am I talking to? Is there anyone bossier than you?” she joked as we walked out of the house.
“Hey, I’m not bossy.”
Ashland overheard us and said, “Oh, yeah. She’s the boss.”
I gave him a playful glare and laughed. “Be safe! Listen to Aunt Rachel!” I shouted to the kids as Ash closed the car door and Rachel drove away. “You think we’re doing the right thing? I know I’ve asked you this a dozen times already. Just tell me it’s going to be all right.”
“It’s going to be great. You want to grab something to eat?”
“No, but I would like a glass of tea. Should we have called Detra Ann and Henri? I feel like we should at least let them know.”
“They do know. It was Henri who recommended Midas, remember? Let’s leave them out of this one. At least until we know what Midas has to say. You want lemon in your tea?”
“Yes, please.” We walked back inside, and I dug through Jan’s goody bag. I retrieved the candles, set them in the windows and lit them. Just as I lit the last one, Ash came to find me. “What’s that? Are those…?”
I accepted the iced tea and put the matchbook back on the foyer table. “It can’t hurt, right? Which reminds me, it looks like a tornado blew through AJ’s room.”
“You’re kidding. It was fine just a few minutes ago. Oh wow. Looks like our company is here. No time for sipping tea, babe.” Ashland and I set our glasses down on the bar in the kitchen and went to the front door to watch a black SUV and a shiny black van pull into the driveway.
“Here we go, Ashland. There’s no turning back now, is there?”
We watched as they came to a stop. Ash and I stepped out on the porch; his hand was on my shoulder and my arm was around his waist as we waited. Here we were, bravely facing the ghosts of Seven Sisters. Again.
Please, God. Let this be the last time. All I want is some peace in my home.
That’s when every door in the house slammed shut.
Chapter Eight—Midas
Cassidy clutched my arm as a thunderous boom shook the ground for a solid few seconds. It was so deep and loud that it made the van rock for a half second. The question “What the hell was that?” was on the tip of my tongue, but it was Cassidy who expressed it. And loudly. We froze in our tracks, but it didn’t happen again. The Stuarts were on the porch and both looked up at the house, their eyes wide with fear. They hustled down the porch stairs and greeted us on the gravel pathway as we left the van.
“You must be Midas.” Ashland extended his hand to me. “I’m Ashland Stuart. This is my wife, Carrie Jo. I’d say perfect timing on your arrival. The house knows you are here.” There wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face.
“Has this happened before?” I asked him.
“No. I mean, other things have happened, but I’ve never heard that—I’m thinking all the doors in the house shut, and there’s no wind at all. Do you feel a wind? I think it’s meant as a warning.”
Carrie Jo tucked a curl behind her ear and folded her arms. She wasn’t really looking at us anymore. She was staring up at the windows of the attic.
“Carrie Jo? I’m Cassidy. Do you mind if I walk around the yard? I drew something earlier, a certain window. A wide window on the top floor. It overlooked a garden. This one. Would you take me?” she asked our client. When I’d picked her up after lunch, she looked exhausted. When I saw her sketch, I knew why. She was showing Carrie Jo the sketch now, but the dream catcher didn’t appear surprised by any of it.
Carrie Jo bit her lip anxiously. “You’re an artist? What did you draw? I’ll take you to the herb garden. I think that’s the window you’re talking about.”
“Why don’t I take you inside?” Ashland the rest of us asked politely.
“Sure. I’m anxious to see the inside of this place. Gothic revival, right? Or at least this main section.” My legs still felt a bit wobbly after the boom. Man, that shook me to the core, but I was also excited about beginning this investigation. The debunker in me reminded me that what I had just experienced could very well have been a sonic boom or something else logical and not at all paranormal.
Joshua was walking up now with two bags in his hands. “What was that?”
“It sounded like every portal in this place closed,” Sierra said from behind him as she set her bag on the grass. “Hi, I’m Sierra. This is my husband, Joshua. Nice to meet you, Mr. Stuart.”
“Nice to meet you too. Um, you guys come inside. And call me Ashland.”
We walked up the steps and I waved the rest of the crew on, but to my surprise Beverly and Leeland didn’t join us. I raised an eyebrow at Sierra, but she only rolled her eyes and shrugged. They were out of the van, but they weren’t coming to the house. Instead, they were walking down the driveway
—in the other direction. What the hell?
“Where are they going?” Ashland asked us before closing the door.
“They are probably just walking the property to get a feel for the grounds. I hope that’s okay,” Sierra murmured convincingly. Ashland hadn’t seen her rolling her eyes just now.
“Sure, whatever they need to do. I guess they know they can just come in when they are ready.”
“Wow, Ashland. This is a beautiful home. I think two, make that three of my houses would fit in here. I’ve always wanted to take a peek inside one of these beautiful old homes—one that’s been restored. I remember when the renovations started on this place. So much has happened since then, hasn’t it?” Sierra asked. Her voice sounded soft and sad.
“More than I can express, I’m afraid. Let’s go into the Blue Room. Midas, you mentioned wanting to have a spot to work in, and I think this room will work. It’s quite frankly my favorite room in the house.”
We followed Ashland through the foyer, past the grand staircase and a host of other rooms. And as I suspected, all the doors were closed. Sierra kept looking over her shoulder, but she didn’t say much else.
Ashland opened the door, and we walked inside a beautifully painted room. The color of the walls was slightly lighter than robin’s egg blue, but it didn’t feel cold like some rooms painted blue did. It felt warm and lived in. I liked it instantly. It did feel very different in here, but using your feelings was no measure for determining how much paranormal activity was going on around you. I glanced at my watch and hoped Beverly and Leeland showed up sooner rather than later. Nobody had said anything to me about taking a walk around the property first. If they were going to be involved with us in the future, they would have to follow the rules.
“Sierra and Joshua, would you guys grab the laser grid, the two thermals and whatever else you think we need? I think we’re going to focus primarily on the bottom floor tonight. Save the second floor and the attic for tomorrow night. On night three, we will tackle the grounds.”
“Night three?” Sierra asked. Then she nodded in agreement. “I can see that. This place is too big to wrap up in just two nights.”
“We’d better get the rest of the gear, Sierra Kay.”
“And check on the other two while you’re at it,” I whispered to Joshua as they left Ashland and me alone. Ashland’s level of calm surprised me. I’m not sure why, I guess because from what he told me over the phone he lived with high degrees of strangeness every day of his life. I sat on the couch across from him and prepared to listen to what he had to say. He was an average guy, clearly not delusional. He just wanted to help his family.
“Are you sure you want to investigate this house? Seven Sisters has a way of leaving a m…mark on your soul.”
“I want to help you and your family, Ashland. We all want to help. If we can, we will. If not, at least we will be able to say we tried. So, other than those doors slamming, what’s been happening recently?”
“My niece, Lily, she’s been seeing a woman in her bedroom window. We’ve had experiences here in the past. My wife is a dream catcher, she dreams about the past, and I see ghosts from time to time, but neither of us dabble in occultism practices. No séances or Ouija boards. Nothing like that. We don’t have to; it’s almost as if the two of us, no, make that the four of us are like bug lights. The paranormal bugs just find us. Now that we’re growing our family, I’d like very much to put a stop to the activity, as much as we can. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that we will probably never b…be…be entirely safe, but there has to be a way to tamp all this down. If we can’t m…manage it, we’ll have to move.”
Damn. Beneath his calm façade, Ashland was clearly struggling with this situation. I had an uncle who stuttered from time to time, especially when he was upset or stressed out. I wondered if Ashland’s condition was similar. “Is it true that you are related to the original owner? That means this house has been in your family for quite some time, hasn’t it?”
“It has, but it hasn’t been an easy path. We lost Seven Sisters for a while, but my parents bought it back—they are both gone now. It’s been my passion to restore her, not just for glory’s sake but to remember the people who lived and died here. The rich and the poor. Believe it or not, Carrie Jo is related to one of the slaves who used to live here. It’s strange how it has all come f…f…full circle.”
“Maybe not as strange as some would believe,” I offered as comfort.
“How did you get involved in ghost hunting, Midas?”
“When I was a boy, my cousin Dom died. We were very close, best friends, and the circumstances were…unfortunate. I saw him after he died. Nobody believed me, but I saw him. Ever since then, I’ve been interested in the paranormal. Dom’s death was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. The hardest. But if it hadn’t happened, I’m sure I wouldn’t be doing any of this.”
“Ashland!” a voice called from the hallway.
“Carrie Jo?” Ashland got off the couch with an awkward wobble. He quickly recovered and stepped into the hallway.
“You need to get up here quick!”
Chapter Nine—Carrie Jo
“What isss it, babe?” Ashland asked as he cleared the top step. My heart dropped to hear his stutter. Dang it. When did that come back?
“Lil’s door won’t open, and I can hear someone shuffling around in there.” I tugged at the door, and the strange rustling on the other side ceased immediately. Cassidy put her ear to the door and closed her eyes.
“It stopped,” she said as her eyes narrowed at me curiously. I hoped she wasn’t thinking this was some kind of joke. I took a step back as Ashland reached for the doorknob, and it came open as easily as if it were brand new fresh out of the box. Easy peasy. Cassidy whipped out her phone and held it up as we all poured into the room. It was undeniably colder in here than in the hall. Much colder. But that wasn’t a reason for the door to get stuck. Or for someone to hold the knob to prevent me from coming in. I was convinced that was what happened. I knew every inch of this house like the back of my hand. We’d never had serious problems with this room. Why now?
“Look at these readings, Midas. There’s a ten-degree temperature drop in this corner. No, that’s not right. Looks like there’s a twenty-degree temp drop. Am I reading this right?”
I stared at the screen and was surprised to see that I could see Cassidy’s breath. And mine!
Midas stepped out into the hallway and called for the rest of his team to come up. I exited the room and leaned against the wall with Ashland beside me. “Something is going on in that room, Ash. Why?”
“Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
I don’t know why I suddenly felt weepy, but I did. My poor Lily. How long had the paranormal activity been going on? A week? Two weeks? A month? She’d been trying to tell me in her own way, but I was so anxious for everything to be so normal for her in our home that I refused to acknowledge the danger.
“I have to call Rachel just to make sure the kids are okay.”
“They are okay, babe. I promise. Just let it go for a minute. You want to go downstairs? Hey, Midas. We’re going down. You guys got it from here, right?”
“Sure. Change of plans, though. I think we will set some equipment up in this room and in the hallway here.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem. We will keep the kids away for as long as it takes.”
Midas nodded sadly as the blond investigator—Sierra, I think her name was—sat on Lily’s toy box and began staring at the empty corner of the room. Like she could see something none of the rest of us could. Maybe she could. Ashland kept checking that corner too, but he didn’t share what he saw.
“Let’s go, Ashland. I can’t breathe in this hallway. I just…can’t…”
“It’s okay. Come on. Take my arm, sweetheart.” He held out his arm, and I looped mine through it. I bit my lip to keep from crying like a brokenhearted teenager. There were tears in his eyes too. What w
as wrong with us? We weren’t usually this frightened. Where were all this guilt and anxiety coming from? I clutched Ash’s arm as we descended the stairs, and by the time we hit the bottom step, I felt better.
“I’m fine, Ash,” I murmured with some confusion. “I’m really okay.” I tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear and glanced up at the staircase as a feeling of dread washed over me. “Did you feel that? Did you feel the…whatever it was?”
“Yessss…I…did. But then again, as you can tell, I’m not quite myself today. Let’s go outside for a bit. I could use some air.”
We walked through the foyer and out the back door in silence. I wasn’t going to ask Ashland to walk down all these steps too. He was clearly tired now, so we took seats on the cast iron bench near the back door. We’d purchased a nice royal blue cushion for it recently.
“It’s the activity, Ashland. That’s all it is. You were fine up until they came. It’s clearly the house; it’s just lashing out. It will pass.” I reached over to take his hand and was surprised to see his blue eyes filled with tears. Real tears. “Babe, what is it?”
“It’s this,” he said as he waved a hand at his leg. “It’s me. I’m broken just like this place. I guess I always knew I was, who am I kidding? I’ve been trying to hold on to this place for so long, and I thought getting it back would be a good thing. But it’s not. I’ve put you in danger, and Lily and our son. We should just walk away, Carrie Jo. Let’s walk away while we still can.”
And just like that, my husband was hugging me. We were both crying. Both of us were tired, confused and I suspected being influenced by whatever haunts were lingering at Seven Sisters. “We have each other, and that’s all that matters, Ash baby. Always. No house can tear us apart. It’s you and me. Always. You and me, Ash.”
We held each other for a while before we both stopped crying. “We’re doing the right thing, Ashland. You were right to make this call. I had no idea that I’d been so blind to what was going on because I wanted to pretend that it would all go away. It won’t, and life will probably never be completely normal for us, but we’re not giving up. Calpurnia came back for a reason. Muncie protected us here. They know our work here isn’t done yet.”
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