Page 47 of From the Darkness

Bree focused in on the conversation again in time to hear Nola say, “But he does things. Like that music this afternoon in his room.”

“The schoolteacher could be lying. She could have turned it on.”

“Maybe. But I’m sure she wasn’t in our bedroom this morning. I found my calcium pills emptied into the trash can.”

“It could have fallen in.”

“No. The empty bottle was on the sink.”

Abner sighed. “You don’t know it was him. The old lady could have done it by accident—and she doesn’t want to own up to it. Or maybe it was Graves, trying to spook you. He’s spooky enough even when he’s not up to mischief. It could be him—trying to make us think that London is up to no good when he’s dead.”

Dead! Bree felt an icy shiver travel down her spine.

“You don’t know if he’s dead. You haven’t found any evidence. There’s more evidence that he’s alive.”

“I say he’s dead, and it’s his ghost haunting us—for revenge. There’s a tradition of ghosts in this damn place.”

Bree pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from making a sound, and Nola said something she couldn’t catch.

“I didn’t think you believe in ghosts,” Abner answered.

“I didn’t. Until I came here. But we’re not going to settle anything by arguing about it,” Nola muttered. “I want to get away from this place. I’m tired of telling lies so nobody will question why we’re staying here.”

“Yeah, me too. But this is a lot more comfortable than living out of the back of a van.”

Nola sighed.

“Just hang in there for a little while longer, until I can work some kind of deal.” Abner said, his voice more gentle.

“You and your deals. That’s how we always get into trouble.”

“This time is different. The money is going to start rolling in. You’ll see.”

“Oh. Right.”

Sliding her gaze around the corner of the doorway, Bree watched the man and woman head toward the office.

Lord, they sounded like they were in pretty bad shape. Frightened and paranoid. She’d assumed that they were in charge of things here. Now it sounded like they were captives of circumstances.

And what about Troy? Mrs. Martindale said he was on the loose, hiding out around the estate. Abner thought he was dead.

But he wasn’t dead. She’d talked to him—and felt his touch. He’d felt warm and alive. Yet the encounters had all been so strange. And although Dinah had talked to him, she couldn’t remember his touch.

Her heart blocked her windpipe, and she ordered herself to get a grip. From the conversation, it sounded like the Sterlings had had some frightening experiences since Troy had disappeared. Bree had explained her own strange encounters with him by telling herself that Troy had unexplained powers he could use to keep himself hidden—and to create special effects.

Apparently the Sterlings were making different assumptions.

Maybe reading that book in the library had gotten Nola started on the ghost theme.

Bree rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to wipe away the cold, clammy feeling that had suddenly enveloped her.

She wanted to sprint back to the relative safety of her room. But she couldn’t do it yet. At the moment, she was trapped in the kitchen. If she stepped into the hall, the Sterlings might come back this way and spot her.

So, she stood where she was, pressing her shoulder to the wall and shifting her weight from one foot to the other, hoping Mrs. Martindale didn’t decide to come down here in the middle of the night.

It seemed like a thousand endless years before she heard a door open, heard footsteps again. This time the Sterlings were silent as they made their way back down the hall to the stairs.

Bree waited another five minutes after she’d heard them climb the steps. When she couldn’t stand still another minute, she tiptoed quietly down the hall to the office.

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