Return To Stony Ridge

“It’s okay, Boone,” Nola consoled. “Ghosts don’t hurt people.”

Ian peered around the dim dining room as if making sure the ghost wasn’t listening. “Haven’t you ever heard of pol…pol…polter something or other?”

“Poltergeists,” Nola told him briskly. “There’s a book on them in the library. They throw things. But they don’t make people disappear.”

“Yeah? What about Corey’s mom?” Ian demanded. “The ghost got her.”

“Stop it,” Nola ordered, laying an arm on her brother’s thin shoulder. She felt him quiver and barely stopped a shiver herself. “You don’t know that.”

“Sure I do. I saw him. He was out by the fountain that night.”

Nola did shiver this time. Her brother grabbed her hand. His fingers were cold in hers. The fountain was where the police had found the missing woman’s cell phone all smashed. She’d heard them talking about it.

“You’re making this up,” she said.

“No, I’m not.”

She could see he wasn’t.

“And that isn’t the best part,” Ian added, his eyes growing large with suppressed excitement. “I heard two of the adults talking in the kitchen last night. I know who the blond ghost is and why he’s haunting Heartskeep.”

“Who?” she breathed.

Boone leaned in close as Ian lowered his voice still further.

“The man who used to live here before this house was turned into a place for people like us was a doctor. He murdered his wife and buried her in the maze. But first he hid all his money so no one could take it away from him.” Ian paused for effect. “Then he went crazy. He got shot dead right on top of where he buried her.”

Boone gripped his sister’s hand so hard his fingernails punctured her skin. Nola pulled his bony shoulders more tightly against her body, holding him close as if she could fend off the feeling of horror licking at her mind, as well.

“It’s still here, Nola,” Ian pressed. “No one ever found his money because he’s guarding it.”

“You’re making this up,” she said again.

Ian’s expression turned hurt. He drew back his head.

“Am not. Mrs. Walsh wasn’t happy when Mrs. Isley asked about the story, but she admitted it was true. Even you have to admit Mrs. Walsh wouldn’t lie.”

No, it was unlikely the kindly Mrs. Walsh would tell a lie or a tall tale like that one.

“There’s more,” Ian added conspiratorially. “The house used to be different, with dark wood walls around the balconies upstairs. There were secret passages to get onto them. Only what if they didn’t find all of the hidden passages, huh? I bet there are more. Look at all these dark walls.”

He waved a hand expansively at the dark panels surrounding them and the others followed his gesture with wide eyes.

“I bet we could find them. I bet we could find the money and the ghost, too.”

His words scared Nola. The idea was terrifying. And just a teeny, tiny bit appealing.

“That’s stupid,” she scoffed.

“Is not!”

“Ghosts don’t need secret passages,” Nola protested. “They can walk through walls.”

Ian gave her a fierce scowl. “That doesn’t mean they can’t disappear inside one. I’ve been thinking about this. We saw the blond ghost disappear in this corner next to the fireplace, right? So what if there’s a secret passage over here? We should look now while our moms are in the kitchen talking to that new woman.”

Lucky nudged her arm for attention. Nola stroked the big dog’s head absently. She was glad for his presence because Lucky wouldn’t let anything bad happen. Nervously, she followed Ian to the gigantic fireplace that nearly spanned the back wall of the dining room.

“How are we going to find a secret passage even if there is one?” she asked.

“It’s got to be the bookcase, like in the movies.”

The three children eyed the bookcases that shored up either side of the big fireplace. Instead of books their shelves were filled with wine glasses and brightly colored dishes.

“If we break something, we’re going to get in big trouble,” Nola warned.

“We’ll have to be careful, then. Move, Lucky.”

“The ghost isn’t going to like this,” Boone warned unexpectedly, his small face seamed with worry.

“What ghost?”

All three children whirled at the sound of Teri’s voice. She stepped into sight from the hall and offered them her most reassuring smile.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was looking for Lucky.”

“You didn’t scare me,” the taller boy protested, recovering quickly.

“I’m glad. I’m Teri. You must be Ian. And you’re Nola so this must be Boone. Your mothers were telling me about you.”

Ian regarded her with a trace of belligerence. Boone peered up at her silently. The girl took her measure while resting a reassuring hand on her brother’s arm. Lucky trotted forward, stubby tail wagging. Gratefully, Teri scratched him behind the ear.

“Thanks for keeping Lucky out of trouble while I was talking to your mothers. I’m a friend of R.J.’s. I told him I’d watch Lucky, but I got to talking and forgot about him.”

“That’s okay. Lucky likes us,” Nola told her.

“I’m not surprised. Hanging with you guys would be a lot more fun than a group of boring adults. So you’re looking for secret passages, huh? I bet a spooky old house like this one has all sorts of secrets.”

The three children exchanged glances. As the oldest, Ian was obviously the spokesman.

“Heartskeep has lots of secrets,” he agreed. “There used to be secret passages upstairs, but someone tore them down.”

“Bummer. I’d love to find a secret room or see a ghost or two.”

“You believe in ghosts?” Nola asked skeptically.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I’ve never seen one, but I think just about anything is possible, don’t you?”

Ian eyed her suspiciously. “My mother says there’s no such thing.”

“She could be right. I like to keep an open mind.”

“I’ve seen one,” he announced boldly.

The children stared intently, waiting for her reaction.

“Was it scary?” she asked.

Lucky nudged her hand. Teri went back to petting him.

“I wasn’t scared.”

“Were too,” Boone argued. Then he glanced at Teri and drew back, as if afraid he’d said something wrong.

Her heart hurt for the fearful child. This could be Corey in a few years if she wasn’t successful in getting him away. Nola patted Boone’s arm reassuringly in a motherly fashion that made Teri ache for her as well.

“I was not!” Ian bragged unfazed.

“Did I hear you say you saw the ghost the night the missing woman disappeared?” Teri interjected quickly.

Ian fell silent. His glance at Nola seemed to be asking her opinion.

“Ian says he did,” Nola responded primly.

“I did!” he insisted hotly. “He was out back, near the fountain. That’s where they found her cell phone, you know. It was all crushed and everything.”

“Ian thinks the ghost took her,” Nola put in, “but I told him ghosts don’t hurt people.”

Ian rounded on her. “How do you know?”

Teri stepped into the breach, fighting a wave of mingled fear and excitement.

“What did the ghost look like?”

The children fell silent. She’d let her tension come through and scared them. She had to go slower, win their trust.

“There are scientists who study ghosts, you know.”

Three sets of eyes regarded her mutely.

“They have trouble because most adults never see one.”

“I see him all the time,” Ian bragged.

Nola pursed her lips but didn’t argue.

“Will you tell me about him?” Teri asked.

Uncertainly, he looked at the others.

This was important. Teri knew Ian had seen something. Unfortunately, Betty Drexler chose that moment to appear in the doorway across from them.

“Mrs. Norwhich said lunch will be ready in about five minutes. The children need to go and wash their hands.”

Teri tamped down her impatience as the children were ushered out to wash their hands. There was nothing she could do but go along to the kitchen with everyone else a few minutes later.

The women were still uneasy around her as they settled at the large table in front of yet another huge fireplace. Teri understood their mistrust all too well. They all had a good reason for caution, but it made things hard. She’d already discovered that none of them wanted to talk to her. They especially didn’t want to answer any questions.

Two of the women were sporting obvious injuries. Ian’s mother appeared to have the most physical damage. Her right arm was in a cast and a sling, and bruises mottled her face. Teri suspected there were more bruises hidden by her clothing.

She fought the burning rage and bitter helplessness that churned in her stomach when she looked at these women. Life was so unfair. But as the last person entered the dining room, she looked around with a sinking feeling.

“Where’s Corey? I thought R.J. said only Valerie disappeared.”

The women exchanged uneasy glances. It was the taciturn and rather eerie-looking Mrs. Norwhich who answered as she carried over a tureen of soup and placed it on the table.

“Wyatt had him placed in foster care yesterday.”

Chapter Four

“Corey’s gone? Who has him?”

The skeletal woman speared her with beady eyes. “You’d have to ask Wyatt.” Turning, she ghosted back to the counter.

No one else met her eyes. If any of them knew the answer, they weren’t going to tell her and she couldn’t help wondering if R.J. had known Corey wasn’t here. While he hadn’t mentioned it, she hadn’t put any special emphasis on Corey either. In fact, quite the opposite. She’d wanted him to think Valerie had been her priority.

Earlier, she’d asked to see the room Valerie had used. Mrs. Norwhich had given her a tight, suspicious look before shaking her tightly permed head.

“Room’s locked. You’ll have to ask Wyatt’s permission to go inside.”

Teri had no intention of talking with the chief of police if she could avoid it, so Ian was her only hope. While he also eyed her with suspicion, the boy was the most approachable person she’d met so far. Besides, she had a feeling he saw more than any of the adults sitting at the table. Somehow, she had to get him alone and convince him to talk to her.

Tension hovered like an uninvited guest over the meal. The women ate quickly or picked at their food. Even the children were subdued.

The groundskeeper joined the group late. Will Leftcowitz was a lean, tall man in his sixties. While pleasant and friendly enough, he said very little and looked at Teri with enough speculation to make her nervous. He ate quickly, excusing himself from the table the moment he finished.

Teri tasted nothing of the meal and didn’t participate in what seemed to be the only safe topic of conversation, the coming birth of Alexis Crossley’s baby. Even that subject seemed to make everyone uneasy with Teri in their midst. Valerie’s disappearance must have left them feeling more vulnerable than ever. Teri saw no way to turn the conversation to what she really wanted to know.

Who had Corey?

She was relieved when the meal finished and the dishes were carried to the kitchen sink. Mrs. Norwhich waved them out, bustling peremptorily about the room. One of the women announced she was going to the library in search of something to read. The youngest of the group scurried for the back staircase without a word to anyone. Timid and plump, only her eyes spoke of inward scars.

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