Page 32 of Night Falls on Predicament Avenue
“Such as?”
He shrugged. “What was it that motivated an Englishwoman to leave her husband and come all the way to Iowa from London? An’ then her husband followed her here, claiming she’d been missin’? If her body was never found, how do we know it was Isabelle Addington?”
“You sound like Naomi.” The words slipped from Norah’s mouth before she could stop them, then hung there between them. She poked at her pasta and chicken but didn’t lift any of it to her mouth.
Sebastian filled the awkward silence. “It sounds to me like your sister asked good questions. Questions that deserve answers.”
Norah lifted her eyes. “It’s all in the past, though. Isabelle Addington has nothing to do with Naomi’s death. They both just happened to be associated with my house. With my aunt Eleanor’s house.”
“Coincidence?” Sebastian prodded gently.
Norah gave him an affirmative nod. “Yes. That’s all.”
“An’ you don’t suppose Naomi was researchin’ and came upon somethin’ she shouldn’t have?”
Norah couldn’t help but scowl at the idea. “After a century, I doubt anyone would care if she had.”
At Sebastian’s skeptical look, Norah set her fork on her plate. “It’s happenstance. It sucks, but that’s the truth of it. Naomi was fascinated by the story of 322 Predicament Avenue, and when she and I moved in to help Aunt Eleanor after we graduated, Naomi always wanted to see Isabelle’s ghost—like Otto claims he has. But we never saw anything. Not even a shadow. Whatever happened to Naomi has nothing to do with that old story.”
“You’ve never seen anythin’?” Sebastian’s eyes were leveled on Norah in a way that made her shift in her seat. He was kind but nosy too. She sure wasn’t going to acknowledge that since Aunt Eleanor’s death, yes, shehadseen something or someone.
The vision of the woman standing over Norah in the night, strands of hair falling over thin shoulders. But then Norah would blink, and the vision was gone. A nightmare? Sleep-induced? And why after Aunt Eleanor died and not before? All the years of sleeping in this supposed haunted house had garnered Norah nothing but a lackluster interest in Isabelle Addington’s nonexistent ghost.
Until now.
Until Sebastian Blaine.
Until Mr. Miller’s heart attack.
Until ghosts were rising unwanted from the dead like unfinished stories. Naomi’s. Isabelle’s. Two cold cases. One location. And one dead bed-and-breakfast guest.
“You’ve seen somethin’, haven’t you?” Sebastian’s recognition broke into Norah’s jittery thoughts.
“What?” She startled. “No. No.”
Sebastian stared at her, and Norah dropped her gaze. She frantically searched for a change of conversation, away from all these triggering questions and to a safer place. “Why didyoucome to Shepherd, Iowa?” Norah blurted out the question and then realized it was more than obvious. He’d come for his podcast. She knew that. And for the story of Isabelle Addington.
Sebastian was quick with his response. “I first came to the States about twenty years ago—not too long before I met Harper’s mum. An’ then when Harper was born, I felt like a cad returnin’ home to Lancashire.”
“I see. And you live in Nashville?”
Sebastian nodded. “I try an’ get home every so often to see my mum and dad. My family.”
“With Harper?” Norah asked, then bit her tongue. Harper wasn’t a particularly safe subject either.
Sebastian eyed her for a second as though unsure of her motivation for asking. Then he nodded. “Aye. I took her home with me a time or two. But Harper’s mum wasn’t keen on my takin’ her out of the country. Fact is”—it was Sebastian’s turn to drop his gaze—“Harper’s mum wasn’t keen onme. She’s controllin’. Wanted Harper to herself an’ nothin’ to do with me. So, Harper believes I’m just an uninvested father.”
Norah’s heart squeezed at the reflection of hurt in Sebastian’s admission. “Why do you let Harper believe that?”
Sebastian pondered for a moment before drawing in a deep breath. “She loves her grandparents, an’ I don’t want to cause tension for her. It’s not fair to a kid to be caught between parents who frankly don’t like each other. Even worse, if they find a place of security like Harper has with her grandparents an’ then they’re tossed about from place to place. So I’ve just let her be.”
Norah ran her fingertip around the rim of her water glass. “But if you don’t explain that to Harper, won’t she think you don’t care?”
“I don’t want to burden her.” Sebastian locked eyes with Norah. She saw honesty in them and felt perhaps he was giving her a part of himself in exchange for the pieces of Naomi she’d shared with him.
“Maybe she wants to be burdened with it,” Norah suggested hesitantly.
Sebastian’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
