Page 110 of Real Fake Hauntings

That didn’t mean Bagley had all the power, though. Far from it.

Crouching, I used one hand to dig a small hole in the grass.

THIRTY-THREE

“What are you doing?” Hutton asked, still standing a wary distance away.

“I’m digging a hole for Bagley.”

“Huh,” he said.

“What?” screeched Bagley.

I shook the locket. “A hole for you, from where you can’t plan anything evil again.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Watch me.”

“Don’t be so blackhearted, child,” Bagley chided. “It’s not in your nature to leave people to suffer.”

I studied the small hole. “Hmm. I don’t know.”

“You know you aren’t,” she said in her warmest tone. “You’re a silly, useless witch, but you’re not?—”

I dropped the locket into the hole.

“Wait, wait. Honesty is best, don’t you know?”

“You want honesty?”

“It always works best.”

Picking the locket back up, I let it dangle above the hole. “Tell me how to access your secret bank account.”

Bagley cackled. “Having trouble finding it, are you?”

“Gloating will get you nowhere but a hole in the ground,” I warned her.

“I suppose you could have the account. If you promise not to shut me away.”

“I promise.” She was right, after all. Bagley might be evil, a murderer, and who knows how many other horrible things, but leaving her to rot alone in the darkness was beyond my current level of dislike.

Give it a few months, though.

“Very well.” She named a bank and branch. “You’ll find the log-in and password on page thirteen, line thirteen of my ledger.”

“And the secret question answer?”

“Mistress of Evil.”

“I hope that’s real or you’re going into the hole.”

“Ungrateful wretch, how dare you question me? Look at all the work I’ve put into un-haunting my own shop and at no extra cost!”

I dangled the locket over the hole.

“Bah, fine. It’s baby pink dolphins,” she grumbled.

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