by Kathi Daley
Chelsea hesitated.
“You know Trevor cares about you, and you know he can keep a secret.”
Chelsea groaned. “Oh, okay. You can bring Mac and Trevor in it, but that’s it. If you need to bring my name into a conversation with anyone else I need you to promise you’ll check with me first.”
“Agreed.”
Chelsea smiled. “Great. So where do we start?”
I jotted down my email address and slipped it across the table to Chelsea. “Forward the photos to my personal email, not my school one. Once I get them I’ll talk things over with Mac and we’ll come up with a strategy. The easiest way to figure out who’s doing this to you will probably be to backtrack the photos to the phone number the texts were sent from or the IP address the emails were sent from.”
“Okay, I’ll do it after school, and thanks, Alyson. I know I haven’t always been nice to you, so I do appreciate your helping me.”
“No problem.”
I started to lay my head back down when Chelsea spoke once again. “You know, you’re looking a little ragged. If you aren’t going to get the sleep you need some concealer would be a good idea. The dark circles under your eyes are going to begin to attract attention and I sense attention isn’t what you’re after.”
Chelsea was right about that. Attention wasn’t at all what I was after. “Thanks. I’ll keep your suggestion in mind. Now if we’re done…”
“Certainly.”
Chelsea stood up and I lay my head back down on the desk. Unfortunately, the bell for fifth period rang before I had a chance to even close my eyes. Despite how desperately I needed it, it looked like I wasn’t going to get my power nap after all.
Chapter 2
The Haunted Hayride was put on every year by Seacliff High’s drama department. Last year it had been held at the Thomases’ farm, but this year the committee needed to look for a new location because the farm had been sold. After weeks of searching Caleb had managed to find another house that not only had been deserted for years but was situated in the middle of a dense forest that would work perfectly for the Hayride. The only problem was, the house really seemed to be haunted, and the resident haunts didn’t seem to want to be disturbed.
Trevor did text to let me know he’d have an extended practice that afternoon, so I headed to the software firm where Mac did her internship. She was not only a computer genius, she was a genius overall, and I couldn’t help but feel saddened by the fact that in less than a year she’d be going off to some Ivy League college while I stayed behind in Cutter’s Cove, hiding from the men who wanted to kill me.
“You look happy,” I commented as Mac slipped into the passenger seat of my Jeep.
“I am. My boss finally assigned me my own project.”
“That’s awesome. I know you’ve been wanting to get out from under the shadow of the paid employees. What are you going to be working on?”
“It’s a game called Zombie Invasion. I know it isn’t anything that will change technology as we know it, but it’s a start. Having my own project is going to look good on my college applications too.”
“Well, congratulations. I’m sure your game will be awesome.”
“I hope so. I want to create something unique, even if it’s mostly going to feature flesh eating, entrails feasting, and organ dining.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Sounds pretty gross.”
“Oh, it will be,” Mac said with enthusiasm. “The grossest and goriest I can possibly make it. And I’m going to make it totally lifelike.”
“Sounds…” I wanted to be supportive, but it sounded awful.
“While zombies eating humans wouldn’t have been my project of choice, it’s still a good opportunity for me,” Mac continued. “I’ve already got a bunch of ideas on how to improve the graphics. It’s going to be bloody, but it’s also going to be totally awesome.”
“If you say so.” I grimaced.
Mac’s smile faded. “You look tired. Didn’t you get your power nap today?”
“I tried, but Chelsea interrupted me just as I was drifting off. She has a problem she needs our help with.”
“What kind of problem?”
“She has a stalker.”
Mac frowned. “A stalker?”
I shared with her what Chelsea had told me.
“It sounds like she should call the cops,” Mac said. “A stalker can be dangerous.”
“I told her the same thing, but she’s so concerned about her parents flipping out or being embarrassed by it that she’d rather take her chances with us. She did agree to talk to them about what’s going on if we find out anything that makes it seem like she might be in real danger. Do I need to turn left or right on the coast road?”
“Left. After about a mile you’ll turn left again onto Harbinger Lane. That turns into a dirt road that dead ends at the house. I spoke to Caleb earlier and he said he and some of the other volunteers would be at the house trying to repair the damage that’s been done the past few days.”
“At first, I thought Caleb really might have ghosts, which was why I agreed to come out in the first place, but I spoke to one of the volunteers during fifth period, who told me the extent of the damage that’s been caused. Not only have things been moved, but there’s graffiti on the walls and some of the props were hacked up into little pieces. If you ask me, causing that much damage to school property sounds more like a student thing than a ghost thing.”
“Yeah. I agree, but I suppose eliminating the spook angle will help him focus in on the real prankster. Harbinger Lane is just on the other side of the big grove of trees.”
I looked to where Mac was pointing to a grove of aspens decked out in fall color. I turned onto the road and slowed down. There were a few driveways connecting to the road on both the left and the right. They were long drives I assumed led to other farms. Once the paved road turned into a dirt lane I slowed down even more so as not to kick up too much dust. There were five cars parked in front of a large but dilapidated house. I parked well away from the others so I wouldn’t get blocked in if other volunteers arrived. Then I turned off the ignition and Mac and I climbed out.
She paused and looked at the house. “I’ll admit this house has a spooky feel to it.”
“It really does.” I nodded. “And with the forest all around, it seems a lot more isolated than it actually is. Caleb told me he was able to arrange parking at a dirt lot about a mile from here. He plans to have the wagons begin the route there and then drop people off at the house for the party.”
“It sounds like he has it handled, although I don’t see how it’s going to beat last year’s hayride.”
“Last year really was pretty spectacular,” I agreed.
“It looks like they’ve begun to set up the fake cemetery. Did you buy a headstone this year?” Mac asked.
“Not yet, but I will.”
In the past, the volunteers had just made up epitaphs to write on the wooden headstones, but Caleb had come up with the idea of selling the headstones, which would be decorated with custom inscriptions as an additional fund-raiser. The idea had earned the drama department an additional five hundred dollars so far.
Mac and I carefully climbed the four steps to the front door. When we walked in we found two volunteers painting a wall that had been vandalized when someone painted pictures of dragons in red. I was certain those drawings weren’t the work of a ghost, but I did sense an otherworldly presence, though I hadn’t come across any ghosts yet.
“Is Caleb around?” I asked.
“Upstairs,” a girl with dark hair who I seemed to remember from the spring musical last year answered.
“Okay, thanks,” I said as I headed up the stairs, with Mac following close behind.
The stairway led to a landing that connected hallways to the left and the right. I could hear people talking on the left, so I headed in that direction. I found Caleb speaking to a volunteer. They paused their conversation when Mac and I walked into a room
that looked as if it might have been used as an office or perhaps a library.
“Oh good, you made it,” Caleb greeted us. “What do you think? Do we have actual ghosts?”
I frowned. “I’m not sure. If it’s okay with you, Mac and I will look around. We’ll find you when we’re done.”
Caleb shrugged. “Fine by me. The main living area is on the first floor. There are bedrooms, offices, and bathrooms on this floor, and there’s both an attic and a cellar.”
“It’s a big house.”
“Over five thousand square feet if you count the attic and cellar. One of the reasons I was interested in this property was its size. I love the fact that there are so many rooms that can be used to create microenvironments within the larger overall theme. If you have any questions or need anything just holler; otherwise I’ll leave you to do your thing.”
“Thanks.” I glanced at Mac. “Should we start in the attic and work our way down?”
“I’m just following you.”
The stairs to the attic were steep and narrow. I imagined Caleb planned to have the house fairly dark on the night of the party, so I hoped he hadn’t planned to utilize the attic because I could almost see an accident in the making. The door separating the landing at the top of the stairs from the large A-shaped room groaned as Mac and I pushed it open. The dank and dusty attic contained remnants from residents past, including old pieces of furniture, boxes stacked one atop another, and several dressmaker’s mannequins with dresses still draped over them.
“I wonder why the previous owner left all this stuff behind,” Mac mused.
“I suppose it’s is possible whoever used to own the house died and the heir hasn’t gotten around to sorting through the stuff that was left up here, although the rest of the house was cleaned out. We can ask Caleb about the history of the house. Knowing who lived here could help us identify our ghost, if there is one.”
“Do you see anyone?” Mac asked.
I shook my head. “It appears the attic is ghost free. At least for the moment.” I took several steps into the room, studying the floor as I walked. “Someone has been in here, though. Based on the size of the footprints I’m going to say a small someone.”
“A child?”
“Probably.” I bent down and looked at the footprints more closely. “It looks like there are three different sets of prints. All made by tennis shoes. All too small to belong to an adult, unless it was a really small adult.” I stood back up and looked around. “Chances are Caleb’s spooks are kids.”
“Caleb mentioned that he locks all the doors and windows when he leaves every day. And he said everything’s still locked tight when he gets here the next day. If the pranksters are human children instead of ghosts how are they getting in and out?”
“Let’s keep our eye out for a way in while we’re looking around.”
After we finished looking around the attic, Mac and I tackled the second floor. There were six bedrooms, two baths, and the large room where we’d first found Caleb that I’d imagined may have been an office, although whatever had been in the room before had been removed. It appeared the second floor was free of ghosts as well, so we headed down to the main floor, where Caleb, along with five other volunteers, were hanging cobwebs and draping the walls with black fabric.
“Did you find anything?” Caleb asked.
I shook my head. “Not so far, but I found footprints in the attic. Ghosts don’t leave footprints, so I’m going out on a limb and suggesting you have human pranksters messing with your props. My guess is they’re kids maybe between eight and twelve, based on the size of the shoeprints.”
Caleb frowned. “If kids are getting in I’d sure like to know how. I check and recheck all the locks when I leave.”
“I suppose it’s possible there’s a hidden entry of some sort. This is an old house, and the old houses in this area, especially the larger ones near the sea, tend to have hidden passageways. We’ll keep an eye out for something like that. We’ll finish looking around on this floor and then go down to the cellar.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you make a good point,” Caleb responded. “The history center is full of old photos and artifacts from back in the day when men involved in illegal trade lived here.” Caleb paused and then continued. “The staircase down to the cellar opens into the kitchen just beyond the pantry. You’ll see a doorway. I wasn’t planning to use the cellar for the party so I haven’t spent much time down there, but I remember there being cabinets along the back wall. If there’s a hidden passage I’d start by looking there.”
“Thanks, we will,” I said.
The first floor of the house had undergone the greatest amount of decorating, so I assumed the volunteers had spent most of their time there. The rooms we explored didn’t reveal any signs of ghosts, so Mac and I went downstairs to the cellar. When we arrived in the cold and damp room I was overcome with a feeling of sorrow.
“Do you see anything?” Mac asked as I stood in the middle of the room and looked around.
I turned slowly in a circle to get a panoramic view. “No. I don’t see anything, but I definitely feel something.”
Mac took a step closer to me. “Like what?”
I placed a hand on my chest. “A profound sadness mingled with fear and confusion. I think if the house does have ghosts we’ll find them down here.”
“Sounds like the ghosts aren’t in a good place.”
“Ghosts rarely are, but this seems more intense. I can almost feel the emotion that fills the space, but there’s something else as well.”
“Something else? Like what?”
I frowned. “I’m not sure. I sense the cellar is home to more than one spirit. I also sense that the spirits are in some way related to each other.”
“Related as in a parent and child or siblings?”
I narrowed my gaze. “Maybe, but not necessarily. The spirits who reside here are linked, but I’m not picking up a genetic link. They may have died here together or they may have died at different times but were killed by the same person.”
“So you think they were murdered?”
“That would be my guess at this point. I’d like to make contact. Maybe if I can I’ll be able to figure out who the spirits belonged to and how to help them. My suspicion, however, is that our ghostly friends are hiding out while all the people are here.” I paused to consider the situation. “Everything that’s been happening seems to happen at night. I think I might come back after everyone’s gone.”
“History midterm,” Mac reminded me.
“Oh yeah. I do want to pass that. Maybe tomorrow night, after the game.”
“You seriously want to come back here after dark?”
I nodded. “I think if we want answers that’s when we’ll find them.” I glanced at Mac. “You in?”
“Visiting a spooky old house after dark that’s very likely haunted by actual ghosts? Sure!” Mac screeched with a tone of panic in her voice. “Who wouldn’t want to do something crazy like that?”
“I can come alone. Or maybe Trevor will want to come with me.”
“I’ll come,” Mac grumbled. “But let’s ask Trevor anyway. And bring Tucker. I think a haunted house is the perfect place to have a big, protective German shepherd on hand.”
“Great.” I smiled. “I’ll arrange it with Caleb.”
I chatted with Caleb to make arrangements to return the following evening, then Mac and I headed to the house I share with my mother on a bluff overlooking the sea. When Mom and I moved to Cutter’s Cove one of the things that really sold us on this specific location was the huge, dilapidated mansion that was a total mess but was situated right on the water. Mom and I had spent a year remodeling and now we had a warm, comfortable home with fantastic views on a very private plot of land at the end of its own road.
Mom must have seen us coming because the front door magically opened when I pulled up and my dog, Tucker, came running out to greet us. One of the things I love th
e most about my big bundle of joy is that he’s always so happy to see me, no matter how long I’ve been gone. I bent down to pet my pup as he performed his happy dance at my feet before trotting over to Mac and giving her the same hero’s welcome.
“I wish my mom would let me have a dog.” Mac laughed as Tucker licked her face. “It must be so nice to have someone greet you with such enthusiasm every day.”
“He is pretty great. I don’t know what I’d do without him. When I had to leave without notice last spring it was Tucker who gave me the courage to do what I needed to do it.”
Mac and I headed inside and greeted my mom, who was busy making homemade seafood chowder, which she planned to serve with a crisp green salad and fresh-from-the-bakery sourdough bread. I noticed chocolate cake on the counter, which I knew was Trevor’s favorite.
“Isn’t Trevor coming too?” Mom asked, confirming my suspicion that she’d made the cake just for him.
“Yeah, he should be here any time.” I crossed the room and picked up Shadow, a new animal spirit in my life, who I’d connected with while visiting Madrona Island. Shadow was a large black cat with thick long hair who seemed to be able to see ghosts the same way I could. I’d noticed Tucker was completely unaware of the ghosts that visited our house, but Shadow seemed to know they were nearby even before I did. Maybe I’d bring both Shadow and Tucker with me when Mac and I went back to the haunted house tomorrow evening.
Trevor arrived shortly after Mac and I went up to my room to study. He was interested in what we’d found at the house, so we filled him in on the footprints in the attic, the feeling of ghostly presence in the cellar, and our plans to go back the next evening. I also shared the history of the house Caleb had told us before we left.
“The last person to live in the house was a man named Eliston Weston. He died in the house two years ago. Caleb said Mr. Weston owned the house for about thirty years after buying it from a couple who’d used it to take in foster kids. He wasn’t certain why the couple, Joe and Jenny Jenkins, sold the property to Mr. Weston, but as far as he knew, no deaths had occurred while they lived there. Prior to the Jenkinses, a farmer named Walter Bentley lived in the house with his wife and four children. Caleb’s pretty sure Mr. Bentley inherited the farm from his father, but he didn’t know if there were other owners before that.”