10

Allison tried to remain completely stoic and not let Tyler or any of them see the emotions sweeping through her.

She stared down into her coffee cup. She couldn’t meet his eyes any longer.

They were right about one thing. She didn’t want to die!

As she gazed into her coffee, she felt a sensation of strength slowly begin to fill her veins. She looked up; Tyler was still there, his face just inches from hers.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” she told him softly. “Alive…”

Something in his expression changed. Something she was afraid to see. He cared. He had spoken harshly to her, but he really cared. She didn’t know what had passed between them, but he was there to be her guardian.

“Please, admit that what’s on that screen is unnerving!” she said.

He nodded grimly.

She’d dressed up for years in the manner of Lucy Tarleton, and hosted tours through the house as if it were her own. She was young; Lucy had been young. There’d been jokes about her resembling the young patriot many times before, but it was also true that she’d never seen such a strong resemblance. And no one had ever suggested she was a spitting image of the long-dead heroine.

But it was just a resemblance. Maybe it had always been there.

Even if that was true, a ghost had shown up on film!

A ghost had been in or around the house, day after day....

And she had never known it.

“It’s so much to take in, to get used to,” Kelsey said gently. She nudged Tyler. He rose and stood near her, still watching intently.

“I’m sorry for sounding so cowardly. I’m usually not the type of person who jumps at shadows or…” Her voice faded away. She almost laughed and said, Or believes in ghosts and things that go bump in the night.

She didn’t just believe in ghosts now.

She knew they existed.

She clenched her teeth tightly together.

Trying to run away from what was happening would only make it worse.

Allison squared her shoulders. She looked up at the group and said, “I don’t suppose it would help for me to go home. If I’m the key to this thing as you say, then I guess Tyler was right. I’d better start figuring out how to solve it. Where do we go from here?”

“It’s not that you have to go anywhere. It’s that you have to open your mind to what you see and hear, and discover what the messages might be,” Logan explained.

“But we’re supposed to be doing something, aren’t we?” she asked.

“We are doing things,” Logan assured her. “Kat and Jane are down at the morgue. We’ve been studying the film we’ve taken overnight. Sometimes, when the spirits don’t reach out to us, we can see them on film, so at least we know they’re there.”

“But…that’s it?”

“It’s only ten o’clock,” Kelsey said. “If it was as easy as stepping inside and demanding that everyone who remained in the house show themselves and tell us what’s up, we might be done already.” She sat down next to Allison and continued. “The ghosts in this house may not have seen any more than you did. But they might know a great deal more about the past, and that could help us with the present.”

“Oh. But…”

Logan stood up. He glanced at Tyler and then at her. “Listen, Allison, we’ve gone over the house, the locks, the alarm system and every possible entry. Julian heard something and saw something. Someone was here. Someone living.” He hesitated and looked at Tyler again. She realized he was trying to tell her something she wouldn’t want to hear.

“Whoever caused Julian’s death has to be someone you’re close to, Allison,” Tyler said. “Whoever was in the house is someone who has access to it.”

“Julian is dead, so that would leave Annette and Jason.” Allison shook her head. “No, no—I don’t believe it was either of them. I know Annette was in agony from that tooth that needed the root canal. And I was with Jason. I watched him leave before…before I found Julian.”

“We’ve confirmed that Annette had a root canal done,” Logan said.

“You checked out her story?” Allison asked.

“We check out everything.”

“There’s also the board of directors,” Tyler said.

Startled, Allison looked at him. “As in Ethan Oxford? He’s not a small man. I can’t see him trying to creep around this place! Julian, yes, he was young and spry and in excellent shape. But—”

“There’s also Cherry Addison—” Tyler began.

“Cherry! We’d have heard those spiked heels of hers a mile away,” Allison interrupted.

“And Sarah Vining and Nathan Pierson,” he finished.

“I just can’t imagine our dignified board tiptoeing around the house to shove Julian’s head down on a bayonet and then somehow traumatize Artie Dixon and send him into a coma,” Allison said. “Have you met our board? Well, I know you met Cherry, but—”

“I’ve met them all,” Tyler told her. “We’ll need to spend some more time with them. And, I’m sorry to say, with Jason and Annette, as well.”

Allison started to answer but fell silent as they heard a commotion at the door. Logan frowned and raised a brow at Tyler, who shrugged.

“We have to knock. People are living there now!” they heard.

It was a feminine voice—one Allison knew well.

“You won’t have to wait for the board. A few of them are already here,” she said.

“Did you know they were coming?” Logan asked Tyler.

Tyler shook his head as he walked to the door, unlocking it. Sarah stepped back in shock as the door opened; she had a hand on Nathan Pierson’s arm. Nathan still held his key, ready to use it, and Cherry Addison was standing impatiently behind them.

“Hello,” Tyler said.

“Agent Montague.” Nathan spoke casually, grinning. “We’ve come to see if you’re settling in all right.”

“Oh, good God, Nathan, tell them the truth. We came to make sure you weren’t putting garlic around the windows or doing anything to destroy the integrity of the property,” Cherry told him. She smiled, though. Cherry really seemed to like Tyler.

“Come and meet the rest of the Krewe,” Tyler said. “And no, I guarantee that we don’t put garlic around the windows.”

As they filed in, Tyler began the introductions to Sean, Kelsey and Logan. When he’d finished, he asked, “Where’s Ethan?”

“Ethan’s been friends with Adam Harrison for a long time. I believe they’re at a fundraiser now, some kind of breakfast,” Nathan said. “I’d thought Adam would be the head honcho here,” he added.

“Adam puts things together. He’s the organizer. We’re the workers,” Logan explained.

Allison noted that Sean had hit a key on the computer; the scenes depicted on all the screens were of the present.

Cherry Addison turned to her. “So, Allison, you’re still showing the Krewe around. That’s so kind of you, dear. You could be taking this time to hole up in your little room on campus and do your brilliant academic work.”

Cherry had a way of speaking. Her words were benign enough, but her tone often contradicted them, with a sarcastic or disbelieving inflection that suggested the opposite of what she said. She seemed to be saying that Allison belonged in a stuffy university office or library.

“Cherry, you know how I love the house!” Allison said.

“Ms. Leigh has been extremely helpful,” Tyler put in.

“Of course, the house and its history are near and dear to us all.” Sarah smiled at Allison. Bless Sarah; she was so like a nervous terrier, but her intentions were always the best. “And I just can’t believe that anyone—anyone!—would purposely hurt that young Mr. Mitchell. He was such a talented man,” Sarah said sadly.

“And a showoff, not to mention a goofball.” Cherry’s voice was caustic. “What’s most troubling is the type of story that keeps coming out in the media about that man—Artie Dixon. They’ve practically turned his coma into an alien invasion!”

“Cherry, that’s one of the reasons Ethan was so keen on inviting this unit of law enforcement to come in,” Nathan said. “They’ll bring our historic property back into historic perspective.” He shrugged. “But, even if that doesn’t happen, everyone loves a good haunted house, huh?”

“As long as people stop dying in it,” Allison said.

She was surprised that she’d spoken. She stood, uncomfortable with the words that had escaped her. A silence descended on the room.

Nathan looked at her. “You’re right, Allison. As long as people stop dying in it. Well, we’ll leave you to your work. We just thought we should drop by and see if you needed anything. Oh, as to the office. I can arrange to come and help you put things back in order, Allison.”

Allison smiled at him. “Thanks, Nathan. I can do it on my own, but it’s up to you.”

“I suppose I could help,” Cherry said, sounding reluctant. “But not today. Oh, my husband is having a gallery showing tomorrow evening. You must all come.”

“Cherry, they’re here to work,” Sarah reminded her.

“All work and no play…” Cherry gestured expansively. “They need to breathe once in a while, Sarah. Please join us. The gallery is farther down on Walnut. Take a break and come by.”

“Have you discovered anything?” Sarah asked the group. “Is it possible that Julian trashed the office before doing himself in?”

“We’ve really just begun, Ms. Vining,” Kelsey said. “But we will do our absolute best to find out the truth.”

Sarah nodded. “Yes, I’m sure you will.”

“I have a luncheon date,” Nathan said. “I need to get moving. But we do want you to let us know if you need anything. Anything at all.”