Back in Montague’s command center I got some coffee and we watched the recordings, taken from two angles. I saw Montague and me on the screen—I needed a haircut—staring at the swirling fiery sphere. Dudley slowed it down as it shrank, and I looked for the woman I’d seen standing inside it, but she wasn’t visible. Did I imagine her?
Charley walked in to join us, a can of beer in his hand. “That was loud. Find any ghosts yet?”
Montague hooked her camera up to a laptop and we watched it again. Nothing different. “Is that what you’ve seen here before?”
“Yes.” Kathryn nodded.
“Not me.” Charley shook his head. “Not that, anyway. I saw those two kids once, standing in the middle of the front hall one night when I came down for a beer. When I got to the bottom step they ran through the door. They didn’t open it or anything, they just ran right through it and disappeared.” He burped. “Weird. Maybe I was drunk. Hey, what was that writing on the wall?”
Kathryn rolled her eyes.
“Did you see anything else when we were down there?” I asked.
Rachel shook her head. “I kept an eye on the other cameras—until the banging started.”
Dudley ran footage from the other locations. No swirling lights in the upstairs hall, no ghostly figures in the dining room. In the study an empty wine bottle fell over during the clanging.
I looked at Rachel. “So—did you feel anything?”
She grimaced. “Yeah. It was—loud. Inside my head, not just in the walls. And angry.”
Kathryn shuddered. “I knew it.”
“At us?” Charley gulped some beer.
“Who do you think?” She looked ready to slap the can from him.
“Why?” I asked. Kathryn or Rachel, whoever could answer. “Why is this happening?”
Rachel shook her head. Kathryn shrugged. Charley looked at his beer.
“Okay.” I finished my coffee. “I’m going upstairs. Wake me if—well, unless something else wakes me.”
Rachel followed me out and then up the stairs. “Any lies?” I asked.
“Charley’s more freaked out than he’s letting on.”
“So am I. Anyone else?”
“Kathryn’s keeping stuff back. And I get a vibe from Dudley, but I’m not sure what it is.”
In our room I yawned and opened my laptop. “I’ve got some more work to do. Get some sleep.”
“You’re not the boss of me.” She flipped her own laptop up and plugged earphones in. “Just a few episodes of Cougar Town.” Her latest streaming addiction
“Enjoy.” I started searching.
Stuck here with the rest of us, Mrs. Chambers put out plates of pastries and fruit for breakfast. I wandered in at 10 or so with my laptop under my arm. Rachel was still in the shower. Craig and Brandy were finishing their coffee silently. Mrs. Heller sat with her hands folded in front of an empty cup, as if she’d been up at dawn and was now judging us for sleeping in. Charley came in after me and loaded up on donuts.
The writing had been wiped from the staircase wall when I came down, presumably by Olivia or Halley. Nobody mentioned it. I hoped Montague had images.
“Mr. Jurgen, I hope you slept well.” Mrs. Heller turned her eyes to me.
“Thank you, ma’am. After the noise stopped. Did you?”
She blinked. “I sleep like the dead most nights.”
I looked at Craig. “You guys?”
“We slept fine.” Brandy seemed to want her husband to keep quiet.
“We getting out of here today?” Charley slumped in a chair.
I looked at the dining room window. Snow kept falling outside, still steady and heavy and hard to see through
“I called this morning.” Craig set his coffee cup down. “Snow’s not going to stop until this afternoon. Maybe tonight.”
“Good thing I brought extra underwear.” He smirked.
Craig stood up. “Let’s see what’s on TV.”
Rachel came down a few minutes later. Mrs. Heller greeted her, then stood up. “I think that’s everyone. Kathryn is in back with Ms. Montague. Please make yourself as comfortable as you can.” She sighed. “I can’t wait for spring.”
She picked up her cane and left.
Rachel ate some melon and a danish as I drank coffee and Charley looked at his phone. Then we carried our dishes to the kitchen. I thanked Mrs. Chambers again. Rachel kept an apple as we headed back to Montague’s command center.
Kathryn sat next to her as she stared at a computer screen, tapping buttons. “Anything new?” I leaned over their shoulders, holding my coffee carefully. “It seemed quiet after all the commotion.”
Montague pointed to a screen and ran video backwards. “Some activity in the library.” Five books fell off a shelf, then moved around on the floor until they formed a cross. “What does it mean? I don’t know.”
“Well, I did some research last night.” I sat down and opened my laptop. “How far did you check Emil Dudley’s background?”
She looked puzzled. “He had references. They all checked out. What do you mean?”
“I do background checks for a living. When I’m not investigating haunted houses.” I brought up what I’d found. “Your guy was he was fired from a news station three years ago for using archival footage of a factory of a factory fire in a story about an apartment building fire. Before that he was sued for doctoring footage on a reality TV show.”
“What show?” Rachel is addicted to reality TV.
“Lost in Lust Cove, season three.”
“I remember that!” She punched my arm. “I didn’t know the guy’s name, though.”
“Okay, okay!” Montague waved for our attention. “That doesn’t mean he’s faking everything here! Before we even got here.”
“It doesn’t help your credibility. Have you worked with him a long time?”
“We’ve worked on three projects together. That doesn’t make him—”
“Hey, where is Emil?” Kathryn looked around.
Montague sighed and tapped on her phone. We heard four buzzes. “Hi, it’s Emil, I guess I can’t pick up right now, but—”
She cut the call. “Maybe he’s taking a shower.”
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