Page 6

6

Cary

T he calming of the spirits the night before had worn me out more than I’d anticipated. As a result, I slept much later than usual and didn’t hear the phone until it was too late to answer.

I stumbled out of bed and went to the bathroom, where I splashed water on my face in an attempt to wake up more, before returning to deal with my phone.

When I checked my missed calls and saw the name Evan Garland on my caller ID, I groaned. “Well, so much for having some downtime before the drama starts,” I said to myself.

I quickly listened to his voicemail and sighed when he said he had lots of questions. I was sure he did. Not the least of which was what had attacked him when he entered the manor. I decided to caffeinate myself before dealing with the man.

My coffee machine was on automatic, but since I usually got up around six, and it was closer to noon, I knew my coffee would be concentrated and cold since my maker automatically turned off around ten thirty.

Oh well, at least there would be caffeine. I sipped the not-so-great liquid, found my center, and using my third eye, focused on the world around me.

As usual, no astral spirits were around, not in my home. The one lone ghost who’d been here when I moved in had eagerly moved on and crossed the veil when I confirmed he was dead and not just dreaming. One of the easiest crossovers I’d ever been involved with.

However, in the corner of my consciousness, I could see an orange color seeping in. At first I thought it might be the evil entity, although I’d never detected the old man’s spirit near my cottage before. If it was, we’d have major trouble since I’d put up some pretty powerful wards.

I scanned my memory for what orange in an aura meant. Cheeky, bold, trendy, creative, warm… sexual.

My grandmother’s voice echoed in my memory as she sat at the old card table she used when giving readings. The thought made me smile. Orange auras were good things and indicated good people… usually.

The cute twink… Evan… fuck … how was I seeing his aura? I mean, he was the new owner and had set foot on the estate, but it was unusual for a person’s aura to be present unless they were actually on the premises. Was Evan here? I immediately scanned his aura for darkness, any tinges that might give me some insight into its owner. Just then, I caught a whiff, not of anything from him, but rather of the old man from the manor. “Shit,” I said, and immediately opened my eyes. “I need to get to the house?”

I grabbed my phone and returned the phone call. “Hello?” he answered, thank goodness.

“Hi, um, Mr. Garland? This is Cary Beacroft, returning your call,” I said nervously.

“Hi, yes, thanks, Cary. I wondered if you could come by the manor and answer some questions for me.”

“You’re… you’re there now? At the manor?” I asked to confirm my suspicion.

“Yes, you seem surprised. Is everything okay?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. How did I keep screwing up with this guy? “Yeah, it’s good,” I squeaked. “Give me a few moments, and I’ll head your way.”

“Oh, okay. I mean, there’s no hurry. I’m just wandering around.”

“Don’t go in the basement!” I shouted into the phone. Silence met me on the other end. I probably sounded crazed, but for good reason. “I mean, please don’t go down there until I’m with you. It can be, um, dangerous in an old place you’re not familiar with.”

“Okay, I won’t. I don’t even know how to get to the basement.”

“Good, I’ll just put—” I stopped, not wanting him to know I’d just gotten up. “I’ll head over in a few minutes.”

I could tell he was reticent. Hell, I would’ve felt the same if someone was wigging out on me. I didn’t think the guy had exchanged more than a handful of words with me yesterday, now I was hemming and hawing like an idiot.

I threw my clothes on, brushed my teeth, and rushed up to the manor, hoping to at least come across as keeping my cool. Even though inside, I was terrified of what might still happen. We’d settled the spirits and calmed them enough that I was moderately confident the nasty entity couldn’t pose much more of a problem to the guy, but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

I walked through the front door, and when I didn’t see Evan, I closed my eyes, letting my senses guide me. I could feel his energy vibrating from above. I took the stairs three at a time, forgoing the elevator that took more than a decade to get from top to bottom, and stopped when I reached the second floor.

I caught a whisp of Evan’s energy coming from the maintenance room. “Crap,” I whispered. He’d gone into the one room in the entire manor even the old management company knew to stay out of. The evil entity held command over the basement, but something not even I had been able to chase down controlled the maintenance room. I wasn’t sure if it was a benign spirit or something else that occupied it, but I’d have preferred he not stir it up.

Oh well, not much I could do about that now. I could sense Evan’s energy stronger now. It was coming from above me. The third floor had originally been servants’ quarters and, unfortunately, the elevator was built where the servants’ stairs had been. That meant unless I wanted to climb the fire escape outside, I had no choice but to use the ancient elevator.

I pushed the button and waited until it finally opened, and there stood the very man I was searching for. “Oh, you found me,” he said, and smiled. “I was just coming down to see if you were here yet.”

“Um, yeah, but… yeah.”

He chuckled and stepped off the elevator. “Why don’t we walk down from here? I have a feeling this thing would take a month of Sundays to get there.”

I smiled as the statement was true enough. We could walk up and down the stairs twice before the old thing reached the first floor.

“You wanted to ask me some questions?” I asked, feeling like an idiot. Where was my cool? I mean, I tended to play that role around strangers. Keep things quiet and mysterious, and they didn’t ask much of you. You could just get on with your life being a witch, keeping spirits at bay, and they wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“I do. Did the company actually rent these rooms to the public?” he asked.

I glanced along the hallway at the row of closed doors and nodded. “Not like they used to, but the hotel also served as an event venue, so they used the rooms when hosting a wedding or gathering.” I smiled then and, mostly tongue-in-cheek, asked, “So, you don’t like the rooms?”

“Ugh,” he said, sounding exasperated. “They might’ve been in fashion decades ago, but they are beyond ugly now. I mean, shag carpet, seriously?”

I held back a snicker as we walked down the grand staircase to the first floor, and entered the great room. “So, this was used as a sitting room, right? I don’t see any televisions or anything like that.”

I shook my head. “No, this was the formal ballroom. Occasionally, they’d rent it out as a wedding venue, but for the most part, it was left like this between events.”

He nodded, and I followed him into the dining room. “And this is the dining room and kitchen. I can tell it was being used fairly recently. I’m assuming the restaurant was open?”

“Yeah, until the lease ran out after the state announced you would take ownership.”

“Why didn’t they clear everything out, though? The kitchen is fully stocked with pots, pans, and equipment.”

I shrugged. “All I know is they told me they’d cover my contract, which ends this month, and that you’d have to take over my fees if you wanted to keep me on.”

He laughed. “Sorry, I’m not rich. Despite how it may appear now that I own this estate, I can barely afford myself, much less your salary.” He turned toward me and cringed. “Sorry,” he said again, but this time he sounded genuine. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I really can’t afford your salary, or anything for that matter. I’ll have to sell or rent the place if I’m going to stay afloat.”

I knew this was coming and, to be honest, it made handling our ghost problem that much more pressing since I would no longer be here full-time to manage them. I had so much work to do.

Ignoring my internal conflict, I mustered up a reassuring smile for Evan. “It’s worth a lot. You should have no trouble finding a buyer.” I looked around the dining room. “Obviously, Hallock did let the cosmetics go, but they were a good company and kept the old place up… at least the bones of it.”

Evan nodded and followed my gaze. “Why didn’t they try to keep it running as a hotel?” he asked. “There must have been some money in it. I mean, I’d think tourists would flock to this place, especially the history buffs.”

“Yes, tourist season here is intense, all summer it’s busy, but that traffic slows down considerably the rest of the year. Besides, Hallock is a family business. The old man who owns it has mostly sold out of the business and just keeps a few hotels his kids will inherit.”

“How well do you know him?” he asked.

I shrugged. “His grandson and I are best friends. We went to school together in Tillamook. The state would’ve taken the estate back from them anyway. Before they decided to give it to you, I’d heard they were considering turning the manor into a museum, and the land would be converted to a park.”

“It could be a museum,” Evan said, looking up at the grand ceilings and intricate chandeliers. “You can almost feel the history of this place. It’s as if it wants to tell you all its secrets.”