Page 13 of Shadow Running
She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes.“Pain.So much pain and death.Whatever happened was gruesome.Great Mother Hecate, what the fuck went on here?”
“Wonderful.Are the ghosts inside the house, or out here?”Carson asked.
“Both,” I said, suddenly catching a glimpse of a swing hanging from an oak bough.There was a young girl on it, swinging, ignoring me.But as I began to move toward her direction, she vanished, along with the swing.“Did you see that?”I asked.
Penn nodded.“Yeah, but she’s not just some little girl.She’s dangerous.”
“What?What little girl?”Carson asked.
“Just a spirit,” I said.“Come on, let’s ring the bell.”
I led them up the stairs, toward the door.The porch itself looked like it had been recently repaired.There was a large patch on the floor—fresh wood alongside the old.The wood had probably rotted through in that area.
The porch was wide and extended the full width of the house.A porch swing was fastened to the left side of the door—our left—and it was swinging gently without any breeze to make it sway.The chains creaked softly.I tried to catch a glimpse of whoever might be on it, but they were keeping themselves from my sight.
I turned back to the door and reached out, ringing the bell.
After a few moments, a man answered.He was tall and stocky, and looked to be somewhere near sixty.He stared at us, unsmiling, with bags lurking beneath his eyes.He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and he was wearing a sage green cardigan over an old Black Sabbath t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans.He looked comfortable and tidy, if exhausted.
“Konstantine Crow?”I asked.
He nodded.“And you’re Shadow Blade Investigations?”
“Yes.I’m Kyann Sarasan, and this is my partner Dante Franco, co-owner of the agency.And this is our head of IT—Carson Dreyfus, and Penelope—she’s a witch.May we come in?”
Konstantine started.“I’m sorry, I totally spaced out there.I don’t mean to be churlish.Yes, please, come in.”He opened the door and stood back, allowing us to enter.
As we entered the house, I quickly realized that the house had to be close to its original state.We stood in the foyer, and there was a pocket door that was half-open, leading to a powder room.To the right of the powder room was a narrow hall, leading through to more of the house.To our direct right was a large arched opening into the living room.
Konstantine ushered us into the living room, staring intently at me.“Excuse me, but have we met?You look so familiar.”
He wasn’t coming on to me, that much I could tell.But I’d never met him.I shook my head.“I’m sorry, I don’t think so.”
“You’re sure?”he asked.
I nodded.
“I’m sorry, I must be mixing you up with someone else.Please, have a seat,” Konstantine said.He led us into the living room and bade us to sit down.
The living room was as faded as the rest of the house.The red velveteen sofa had lost its luster, the matching chairs were threadbare, the end tables and coffee table hadn’t been polished in a long time, and the books on the built in shelves were covered with dust.The room felt like it was suspended in time.There were no signs of clutter, everything was in its place, but I suspected that Konstantine kept clear of the space.
As we sat down, something zapped me on the arm.I jumped a little, expecting to see a mosquito or some other bug, but there was nothing there.As I frowned, trying to focus, I caught a shimmer over by the fireplace, right next to it.Immediately, a feeling of despair washed over me, and I felt weighted down, almost unable to move.
“Kyann, there’s something very odd going on here.Something about Konstantine feels familiar, but I can’t tell you what,” Penn leaned over to whisper in my ear.
I glanced at her, nodding, but said nothing.Turning back to Konstantine, I said, “Tell us about your problem, please.”
“The house is haunted.It’s been that way since my mother bought it, but the past couple of years, since she died, it’s been getting worse.My family has always had a string of bad luck—maybe it’s because of that.But I can tell you, if I wanted to live my life in sorrow, this is the place to do it.”He shrugged, frowning.
“How long have you lived here?”I asked.
“Since I was a child.My mother brought us up here—usbeing my sister and me.Our father ran off when I was born.My sister was seven years older than me.She vanished when she was twenty-two.We never heard from her again.”He sighed, staring at his hands.
There was something about him, something that made me want to scurry over and give him a hug.Now,hefelt familiar tome, but I couldn’t place why.
“Do you think she’s alive?”I asked.
He shook his head.“I used to.In fact, I’d have talks with her, even though she was nowhere to be found.I always thought that maybe she could hear me.We were close, Erin and me.”
