Page 80 of The Legend of Lovers Hollow

“Unlike Professor Plume, who has the personality of mouse,” Skid scoffs.

“Where is he?” I ask. “I thought I saw him in the corner a moment ago.”

“Did a runner at the first sign of trouble, didn’t he?” Skid rolls his eyes.

I see Morgan over in the corner by the exit into the bar area and beside him is Sam, who looks very serious. They beckon me over, trying not to attract too much attention.

“What’s going on?” I ask Sam, stepping in close to Morgan.

“Remember what I said earlier?” Sam says. “About keeping everyone together in one place so we can protect them?”

I nod.

“Well this is what we’re going to do.” He shoots a look to Morgan, who nods.

“Lock them in here? Are you crazy?” I whisper. “You can’t do that.”

“You really need to trust me on this,” Sam says urgently. “My skin is crawling, and every instinct and supernatural gift I have is on high alert. Something is coming and I can’t get a handle on how dangerous it is until I see what we’re dealing with. In here, they’ll be safe and they’ll have the ghosts to protect them.”

“Say what now?” Bertie says, staring at Sam.

“We’re going to divide and conquer. Pick a couple of your people to stay in here and keep anyone from leaving.”

“It’s perfect, actually, Bertie,” I tell her. “Give them a haunting.”

“What?” Morgan blinks.

“Give them a haunting in a safe, controlled environment. They still get their ghost hunt, kind of, and we’ll deal with Lady Clare and the other two.”

Sam nods. “Perfect. It’ll keep everyone out from under our feet who could potentially get hurt, like a diversion tactic.”

“Okay,” Morgan says to the ghosts. “Artie, stay here with your sister, and Pops. I’m trusting you to keep them and Victor, Martha, and Essie safe.”

Artie puffs out his chest and lifts his chin.

“Gotcha,” he says, saluting like a little army cadet.

“Edwina, you’d better stay.” Morgan looks at her, wide-eyed and trembling as she clutches onto Skid’s arm. “Skid, you too, seeing as you seem to be her emotional support punk right now. Also, Admiral Hilary, you and Leona too. Bertie, you come with us. Where are Roger and Stanley? If it gets out of hand, we may need the Bureau to step in again.”

“The what?” Sam says.

“Never mind that now.” I wave him off. “Bertie, where are they?”

“Out in the lobby keeping watch,” Bertie says.

We look up as the lights flicker again. “Okay, Skid, you’re in charge of everyone in here,” I tell him, seeing as he seems the most sensible of the lot, despite his usual anarchic appearance. “Give them a mini haunting. Remember, we don’t want any heart attacks or anyone requiring medical attention. Barricade the doors, and if it gets too much for them in here, you can open up the secret passageway into the dining room. Just don’t let them get further than there. Keep them out of the lobby.”

I look to Sam, who nods. “Whatever is about to go down is going to happen in there, I know it.”

“You might want to warn the people who already know about you,” Morgan says. “Pops, Essie, Martha, John the Maid, Aggie. They can help try and keep all the new guests calm.”

“Does everyone know what they’re doing?” I ask. The ghosts all nod and I grin. “Okay. Go forth and haunt, and have fun!”

Morgan slips his hand into mine, holding tightly, and with Sam in front and Bertie bringing up the rear, we head for the doors, hoping no one notices. The lights start flickering wildly, and we bolt the last couple of steps out the door, then slam it shut behind us.

Suddenly, the light cuts out completely, plunging us into darkness. Screaming begins in the ballroom, and I wince, feeling a little bad, but this really is the lesser of two evils. We’re probably going to have to give everyone refunds on their rooms after this.

The doors rattle, but no one’s getting out of there just yet. The air around us thickens, and that strange burned scent sharpens. My skin is pricking uncomfortably now, and my hair feels like it’s standing on end.