Rosemary’s hand went to her mouth, and plump tears fell over her eyelids. “Lucas,” she said, finally getting hold of herself, “I knew my father could be a cruel man, and I know he despised you, but I never thought he would be the sort of person to hurt another, let alone . . .”
“What’s done is done.” If he was physically there, I knew he would’ve shrugged while holding out his hands. “There’s no going back or erasing the past. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to, because that would mean erasing you from my life.”
Rosemary’s chest hitched as she sobbed into her hands.
“I just wanted to see you one last time. To see your beautiful face and those eyes.”
A blush grew, and she laughed, a school girl again. She wiped her tears.
“And now that I have and Peyton has done as she promised, it’s time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain.”
“What do you mean?” Her smile faded.
“Peyton,” Lucas said.
I felt my shoulders tighten, neck stretched as I stood to attention.
“Thank you for bringing Rosemary here. I feel like I can finally move on. Now, to deal with the ghost that’s haunting this place and the other, you must find the object he so keenly loved.”
“Object?” I frowned.
“Yes.” His voice became hazy, floating, and I knew it was almost time.
He was finished here on earth, his spirit ready to move into the otherworld.
“What is it?”
No answer.
“Lucas?” I repeated, becoming frantic.
Without that knowledge, there was no way for me to complete the ritual. George’s ghost would continue to haunt the house and the Starlight.
“Lucas?” Behind me, Olivia spoke, voice steady amongst my panic.
“It’s no good.” I shook my head. “He’s gone.”
“What object was he talking about?” Olivia asked.
“I don’t know.” My shoulders slumped as I stared into the empty room.
It was over. I had failed. Without the object, I couldn’t clear the spirit. I had failed Roman. I had failed the Starlight.
“I know what it is,” Rosemary said a few moments later, voice calm and steady. Gone were the tears that had tracked down her cheeks only moments before.
“What?” I asked, stepping forward.
“Come with me.”
Rosemary spun on her heel, agile for a woman of her age, and marched down the corridor. She’d splashed through the puddle of grime on the floor before I came to my senses.
I rested my eyes on Olivia. She urged me into action by thrusting her hand forward, and it spurred me on. I followed Rosemary, racing up the stairs, towards the light, with Olivia close behind.
Once we were out of the basement, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t realised until then how cold I’d been or how oppressive it felt. And that was just Lucas’s ghost. I dreaded to think where we were going now.
As we reached the bottom of the ground floor staircase, the front door flung wide open. It crashed against the wall and bounced back. Behind me, Olivia shrieked and lunged forward. Then her hand gripped my shoulder.
“What the hell?” she muttered as the three of us stared at the door.
It seemed like an age passed while we watched the door waver in the still air, and then it slammed shut, cutting off the outside light and casting us into darkness.
“He’s here. He knows what we’re doing,” I whispered. I didn’t want him to hear. But I knew he knew.
“Move!” Rosemary shouted, making for the stairs. She took them two at a time, hand gripping the banister.
I lunged into action, pulling out of Olivia’s grasp, but I didn’t need to turn around to know she was following close behind.
We reached the first floor, and I followed Rosemary as she swung a right. Behind me, the banister shook, and what was left of the grand chandelier rattled, glass clinking together. I didn’t dare turn around and kept moving. Kept following as Rosemary led the way through her old home.
Then she dived through a doorway and stopped. We were in the master bedroom. That’s where Karen and Rick had been. That’s where the film had ended and the shadow emerged.
Olivia made it inside just as the door banged shut. Yelling, she jumped towards me and crashed against my body. I stumbled into Rosemary, and we tumbled to a heap. After pushing Olivia away, I regained my feet and hoisted Rosemary up.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “It’s got to be in here somewhere.”
“What?” I asked.
The air became dense. A vibration, thick and steady, grew louder and louder.
“His belt.”
My eyes widened as I looked at the woman who’d led us there. She gave me an almost imperceptible head shake, and I nodded.
I wouldn’t ask the question that burned in my mind. It wasn’t the time, and it certainly wasn’t my place. Instead, I took a deep breath.
“What if it’s gone?” Olivia asked.
“It has to be here,” I responded. “It’s keeping him here.”
“Then let’s get looking.” She made straight for the broken bed in the centre of the room.
I took one side as Olivia took the other, and we wrenched it away from the wall. The wood was old, and I heard some splinter—I didn’t think the wooden frame had much life left after the beating it had taken recently—but I kept pulling, dragging it across the floor. Dust rose from the patch it left, and beneath it I saw a stash of rubbish.
“Look out.” I gave Olivia the heads up as I jumped on top of the old mattress and stared at the debris.
Beneath me, the bed was moving.
“Shit.” I almost toppled forward, arms wheeling as I struggled to catch my balance. I managed to stay upright and gripped the edge of the frame.
The bed moved towards the window. I had to get off.
I glanced at the pile of rubbish and then back at the window. I’d have to take my chances. I leapt from the old structure just as it flipped over and crashed against the wall. Behind me, Rosemary shrieked. I couldn’t look now. I had to stay focused.
I landed on the floor, with a thud, and crouched. I’d just missed the debris, and right in front of me, a needle stuck into the air.
“Peyton!” Olivia yelled.
I looked up and saw her face, a mask of concern, arms reaching towards me.
And then I saw it. The belt nestled amongst the rubbish.
I leapt to my feet, righted myself, and used my boots to shove away the trash. Once I’d cleared a path, I picked up the belt with my fingers, being careful as possible to stay away from the refuse around it. I grasped it and hoisted it into the air just as the bed came flying my way. I jumped, hoping I’d make the height, but the wooden frame caught my calves, and I yelled, stumbling forward.
The belt went flying from my hands as I flailed. I came down towards the rubbish and was just about to land, when a pair of hands hooked me under the arms from behind.
“Peyton!” Olivia yelled. “Get up!”
I wasted no time getting my legs under me and pushing myself up. Then I leapt across the remaining rubbish and grabbed the belt.
“Let’s go!” I shouted over the din of the vibration, rushing for the door. I opened it and sped into the corridor, towards the stairs.
Olivia and Rosemary were close behind. One of them stumbled, but I didn’t dare look back. The door slammed into the bedroom frame so hard I thought it might crack and splinter. Then we were rushing down the stairs, towards the front door. It was still pushed shut.
I reached the bottom and kept running. Then I grabbed the handle and yanked the door open. I rushed outside into the tangle of weeds, still holding the belt like a snake.
I was joined moments later by breathless Olivia and Rosemary.
“Time to end this.” I produced a lighter from my pocket.
It had become a staple of my kit after Pete’s wedding. I never left home without one.
<
br /> The flame caught, and I held it under the belt. At first I thought it was going to go out, and then the leather became consumed with flames. I dropped it amongst the weeds and stepped back, watching it curl, as inside Hilltop House, the wails of George Donaldson pierced the day for the last time.
“So you’ve had the full report now, and I can guarantee that you won’t have any more hassle from him.” I smiled and crossed my legs. I was sitting next to Olivia in Roman’s office at the Starlight Cinema.
His lips pursed, and he still wore a frown. “All very well and good, but how do I get my customers back?”
“I’m afraid that’s not my area of expertise.”
“Throw a free cinema night.” Olivia shrugged. “That’s bound to get the masses in.”
“Very well. I’ll wire payment.”
“Thank you.” I grinned as I stood up. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”
I left the office and the Starlight behind, Olivia on my heel. I was glad to see the back of the theatre and Roman, and I knew that any future cinema trips wouldn’t be at this venue.
“I have to tell you something, Peyton.”
“What’s that?” I opened Thumper’s door and paused.
“I’m not sure all this ghost hunting is for me.”
“What?” My stomach dropped.
“Don’t worry.” She held her hands up. “I’m not proposing to leave.”
“Then what?”
“This case, being at the Starlight from the very beginning, it’s been too much for me. I think it just really hit me how real this is, and it scares me that I’ve had to rely on you to keep me safe.”
“Haven’t I always looked after you?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to be a burden either. It’s not right. And let’s face it, you’re the one who does all the leg work. My talents are much better suited to another sort of role. I’ll work from the office. Admin, receptionist, and communications. What do you think?”
“Olivia, if that’s what you want, then I’d rather have you in the office than not at all.”
A smile creased her lips. “It turns out I was your secretary, after all.”
I couldn’t help but grin. Even though Olivia said she would be the secretary, I knew she’d always be much more than that. My best friend was stronger than she knew, and if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that Olivia would return to investigation sooner rather than later.
About the Author
Alice lives and works in the North East of England with her partner and slightly ferocious cats! She writes all manner of fiction with a tendency to lean towards the dark side. Most of her work is rooted in darkness, her inspiration coming from a macabre selection of reads as well as the dreams that frequent her sleep.
For more information:
A Request from Peyton
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Also by Alice J. Black
The Leak of Madness
The Darkness Within
The Room of Arches
The Beginning
Dead Drunk
The Parliament House
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