Page 38 of The Unseen

N ICOLE SAT DOWN AT THE WROUGHT IRON TABLE NEXT TO HER aunt. “We need to talk to you, Aunt Rachel.” She glanced around, but Lucas seemed to have disappeared.

“What is it, dearest?”

“Something happened at the gallery showing. The painting of the woman above the old cabin? The one we think is Simone?”

“What about her?”

“She showed up at the gallery. She was angry. She tore the place apart and nearly hurt some of the patrons.”

Both of Rachel’s black eyebrows shot up. “She could do that? Somehow show up in New Orleans?”

Nicole nodded. “I think she might even have been able to influence the weather. It was terrifying.”

Lucas reappeared on the terrace. “A spirit can attach itself to you and follow you wherever you go. That’s the reason dabbling with the occult can be so dangerous. You can bring the spirit into your life.”

Rachel shifted nervously in her chair, her gaze going from one of them to the other. “So you think Simone followed you to New Orleans?”

“I think that’s exactly what happened,” Lucas said. “But Belle Reve is where she’s most powerful, on her own home turf, so to speak.”

Rachel’s gaze went to the house. “Do you think it is possible she set the bugs loose in the house?”

“It’s possible,” Lucas said. “You can’t imagine what a strong entity is capable of doing.”

Nicole thought of the thousands of roaches crawling around inside the house, and her stomach roiled.

“In this case,” Lucas continued, “I don’t think that’s what happened.”

“Wait? What?” Nicole stood up from her chair. “After what happened in the gallery, you don’t think—”

“I took a look around,” Lucas said. “Someone broke into the house last night. Looks like they were able to get in through a window in the den.”

Color rose beneath the sculpted bones in Rachel’s cheeks. “I know I’m not as careful about locking up as I should be. I’ve lived here most of my life. It’s never been a problem.”

“Until now,” Lucas added.

“What about the bugs?” Nicole pressed. “Are you suggesting the person or persons who broke in last night are responsible for the cockroaches? It’s not like someone would just happen to have thousands of roaches on hand.”

Lucas pulled out his cell phone and brought up Google. “I looked it up. It’s not as difficult as you’d think.” He held out the phone for both of them to see. “There are a dozen websites that breed roaches and offer them for sale.”

He clicked on one of the links. “They aren’t even expensive. You can buy five thousand roaches for $43.98 and have them shipped right to your door.”

Rachel’s face looked pale. “I don’t understand. Why in God’s name would anyone want to buy cockroaches?”

“They use them to feed other creatures,” Lucas explained. “Fish, chickens, frogs, even bigger insects.”

“I think I’m beginning to see where you’re going with this,” Nicole said to him.

“Think about it. Belle Reve has suffered crippling water problems. Dangerous electrical fires. Now the house has been invaded by thousands of bugs. All of this is costing money, time, and stress. What’s the easiest solution?”

“Sell Belle Reve,” Nicole answered flatly.

“No!” Rachel shot up from her chair. “I’m not selling!”

“It’s all right, Rachel,” Lucas said. “We’re not suggesting you sell. We’re just saying there’s a very good chance your problems aren’t all in the spiritual realm.”

Nicole’s lips tightened as the answer hit her with the force of a blow. “Phillipe Villard.”

Rachel sank back down in her chair. “I have to admit I’ve wondered. I tried to convince myself it couldn’t be true, but … you really think he wants Belle Reve that bad?”

“Maybe there’s more to it than we know,” Lucas said.

“I have a friend. As a teen, Nathan was arrested for hacking into a government database, spent nearly a year in juvenile detention. Nate’s all grown up now, a big supporter of the youth center, has a fancy job with a computer company in New York—still a computer whiz. ”

“You think he’ll help us?” Nicole asked.

“I helped his younger brother a few years back. I think Nate will be glad to return the favor. I’ll call him, get him to take a deep dive into Villard and his companies, see if there’s more to him wanting the property than we know.”

Rachel gave him an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Lucas.”

“There’s something else we need to discuss.

” His intense brown gaze pinned Rachel where she sat, and the tension returned.

“We need to talk about what’s happening with Francois and Simone.

Simone is getting stronger. We need to find out more about her, about both of them, and about what happened in the past. We need my grandmother’s help. ”

“I … I’m not sure I’m ready,” Rachel said.

Nicole reached over and caught her aunt’s hand on top of the table. It felt icy cold. “If you had seen what happened in the gallery, you’d understand how urgent this is.”

Rachel inhaled a deep breath. She hesitated for several long moments, then sat up straighter in her chair. “All right. Do whatever you think is best.”

Nicole looked at Lucas.

“I’ll make the call. I’ll let you know what my grandmother says.”

On Saturdays, Sean liked to work on his model cars and play games in his studio. He was feeling good, back to normal after the shooting—no headaches, nothing like that. Outside, the rain was falling, pattering on the roof. He liked it out here when it rained.

He glanced up at the sound of a knock on the studio door, walked over, and pulled it open.

“You got a minute?” Lucas asked.

Sean was getting used to calling Coach by his name when they weren’t at school. “Sure, come on in. You want a Coke or something, Lucas?”

“Sounds good.”

Sean headed for the small fridge, next to the old microwave oven his sister had bought at a secondhand store, and took out a couple of ice-cold cans.

They each sat down in a chair at the battered table, not far from the foldout sofa bed he had been sleeping on.

The studio wasn’t fancy, but it was his own personal space and he loved it.

Lucas studied Sean’s latest project, a scale model of Senna’s McLaren MP4 race car. “Looks like it’s coming along really well.”

“Yeah. I think it’s gonna be one of my best.”

Lucas nodded. “You do nice work. You take your time, do it right.” He tipped up the can of cola and took a long swallow. “I came out here to talk to you about what’s going on at Belle Reve.”

Sean toyed with his almost-empty Coke can. “I heard about the cockroaches. Yuck.”

“That’s part of it. We think someone may be sabotaging the house.”

Sean straightened. “Villard? If that bastard—”

“We don’t have any evidence that links him to the mishaps so far. Just keep your eyes open for any unexpected trouble.”

“You bet I will.”

“What I came to talk to you about is something else.”

Sean’s interest sharpened. “Ghosts?”

“That’s right. You already know some of what’s been going on—you helped me dig up Francois Villard’s grave.”

“You think they’ll put his bones back in there now?”

“I think they might, once they’re satisfied it’s really him.”

“Aunt Rachel thinks he’s haunting the house.”

“I know spirits aren’t something most people believe in.”

“But you do.”

“I’ve seen things, Sean. I believe your aunt is right about the house. Finding the old bones seemed to be the catalyst for all of this. Tonight my grandmother is coming over. Her name is Gabrielle, but everyone calls her Grandmere.”

“ That’s French, right?”

Lucas nodded. “My grandmother was born with a special talent. She can communicate with spirits.”

Nicole had told him that, though he wasn’t sure he believed it. “My sister says your grandmother can figure out why the spooks are here.”

“We research ahead of time, try to find out as much as possible about what happened to them. So she knows a lot before she goes in. Grandmere can often tell us the rest.”

“She tries to help them get where they’re supposed to be after they die.”

“That’s right,” Lucas said.

It gave Sean the willies to think of it. Dead people hanging around the old house. “I’ve never seen a ghost. It would be scary, for sure, but also freakin’ amazing.”

“It definitely is that. Unfortunately, dealing with the occult can be dangerous. Not all spirits are friendly. I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay out here.”

“What?” Sean jumped up from his chair. “No way!”

“You could be seriously injured, Sean. It’s too dangerous.”

“I just got shot. It can’t be more dangerous than that.”

Lucas smiled. “You have a point, but there’s no way your sister is going to take the chance.”

“Won’t she be in danger, too?”

“Your aunt refuses to leave. Nicole wants to be there in case Rachel needs her.”

“Let me be in the house, Lucas. It’ll be an experience I’ll never get the chance to have again.”

“If you’re lucky,” Lucas grumbled.

“Please? I promise I’ll stay out of the way.” Sean considered his options. He could always agree, then sneak over and watch through the window, which, by the look on Coach’s face, Lucas had already guessed.

“Even if I say yes, you’ll have to clear it with your sister, and that might not be easy.”

“What might not be easy?” Nicole stood in the open doorway. The old door usually squeaked a warning, but not this time.

“Sean wants to be there tonight.”

Sean managed a pleading expression. “Please, sis. I’ll never get another chance like this. Think what I could learn.”

Nicole shook her head. “It’s too dangerous, Sean. You can’t believe what happened at the art show.”

“What if the ghost comes out here?” he said. “It’s possible, right? Back when the Villards owned the property, our house used to be the carriage house, and they used to keep horses and wagons out here. Maybe one of the ghosts will come out here and do something bad. It could happen, right?”

Nicole flicked Lucas a glance.

“It’s possible,” he said.

Nicole sighed. “Anything’s possible. Okay, you can come over to the house.”

“You have to understand there’s a chance nothing will happen,” Lucas said. “They live in a different dimension. They choose the place and time.”

Nicole looked at Sean hard. “You can come over, but if things start to happen, you do exactly what Lucas tells you. Agreed?”

“Yes!” Sean punched a fist into the air.

Lucas finished his Coke and tossed the can into the trash. “Take a nap. Looks like you’ll be staying up late tonight.”