Page 22 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
“Not right now. It might wipe me out if I’m not careful. It’s actually one of my limits,” she admitted.
9
When the sun had finally begun to set on Hennessee House, Georgia announced they needed to leave.
Lucky watched as they packed the van. “So,” she began, aiming for casual. “Am I free to move about the cabin tonight?”
Georgia looked uneasy. “Do you plan to?”
She nodded. “The library piqued my interest. There might be other secrets in the walls to discover.”
“Why didn’t you do that earlier?”
Because they’d been quite serious about filming her all day. Not used to having two cameras, a producer, a host, and an intern following her every move, she sort of…sat down. In the living room. And didn’t move until lunch. She switched it up in the afternoon, relocating to the porch to read a book. No one objected or suggested she do something else. They all loitered around watching her be boring.
“I thought it might be better for the show,” she lied. “Chillsummer days and frightening summer nights has a ring to it. Like a theme park.”
“If that’s how you want it, we won’t stop you,” Stephen said. “There are some supplies in the closet under the stairs you may find useful.”
“You’re a brave one. Godspeed.” Chase jumped into the driver’s seat.
Georgia gave her a pitying look. “If I don’t see you tomorrow, it was nice to meet you.”
“You’re not coming back?”
“More likeyoumight not be here.” Georgia laughed as she got in the van. “History isn’t on your side.”
“Bye, Lucky!” Rebel waved from the back seat. “I hope I see you tomorrow.”
Maverick stood next to her, stalling. He kept his voice low, no doubt hoping the others didn’t hear. “You don’t have to find anything. It’s okay if you stay in the suite.”
“No, I do. Don’t tell me good luck—it’s in the name.” She pointed to herself and joked, “Now, say goodbye. You can do it.”
“I can’t. I won’t. Because this isn’t goodbye,” he said. “I’ll see you at sunrise.”
She smiled. “Sunrise it is.”
Lucky spent the rest of her evening getting ready to explore Hennessee House after dark. Stephen had been right about the closet. Inside, she found plenty of candles, flashlights, batteries, and, interestingly, a life alert necklace for emergencies. The directions stated that once pressed, it notified Stephen, Xander, local law enforcement, and a neighbor she hadn’t met yet.
For her part, she wanted to keep things low-key, only using items it’d made sense for her to have. Production asking why shehad an electromagnetic field radiation detector would only make things awkward for everyone.
She sold a piece of her soul-shaped savings to buy a small camera with excellent infrared and night vision and attached it to a makeshift chest harness (created from a repurposed sweater-vest) to keep her hands free. Her shopping spree also included a backup hard drive with a ridiculous amount of memory, two recorders—digital and analog tape for comparison in case her electronics failed—and a smartwatch to monitor her heart rate and temperature while investigating.
Her body’s response to fear would be an important determinant. Fear altered one’s perception. And according to Rebel, fear was Hennessee House’s aim.
She’d stay upstairs, only exploring the bedrooms. Primarily because she wanted to pace herself. It’d be all too easy to get overexcited, do too much, and miss something. Secondarily because she wanted to get plenty of sleep.
Approximately two hours after sunset, she performed one final equipment check, said her affirmations, and reached for the doorknob, just as her phone rang loud as all hell in her front former-sweater-vest pocket.
“Damn it,” she mumbled and exhaled to calm herself. She’d set the volume to the highest setting with vibration as a safety precaution. If lost, she, or someone else, would be able to find it. “Maverick.”
“Lucky.” He laughed lightly.
“Are you watching me or something?” She whirled around, searching her suite. “How do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Call me with suspiciously perfect timing.”
