Mistletoe Mansion (27 page)

‘Or dog.’ Jess grinned. ‘I’ll find Groucho and lock him in the back garden.

Doug put his notebook into his rucksack and pulled out some sort of gadget, about the size of a camera. It had a dial and a meter with a red hand. This was more like it! I bounced from foot to foot, still wishing Doug and the others wore some special uniform.

‘Rob, you’ll take the EMF detector?’ said the ex-policeman.

Rob nodded and caught my eye. ‘It measures electromagnetic fields,’ he said. ‘Spirits supposedly give off high levels of electromagnetic charges.’

‘Could one of you go around and check that all the windows, and inside and outside doors, are firmly locked and closed,’ said Barbara. ‘And turn off the heating, so that we can hear the slightest noise.'

‘Sure,’ said Luke and whistled as he circumnavigated the talc and went upstairs.

Barbara opened her bag and took out some wind chimes and string. ‘I’ll find some good spots to hang these,’ she said and disappeared into the kitchen.

Rob handed Doug a torch and then took a strange-looking camera out of his bag. It had a wide lens and behind, at the top of its long, red handle, was a screen. ‘Thermal imaging camera,’ he muttered, as Luke came back.

‘To show up hot or cold spots?’ I said, chuffed that hours of watching Most Haunted had paid off.

Rob nodded. ‘It can reveal areas of heat that the human eye can’t see. Some people believe spirits absorb energy and therefore lower the temperature of the air directly around them.’

That explained Walter’s icy presence. Ooh, I felt another Facebook status coming on: “I’m delving into the spirit world with machinery at the forefront of science.”

Slightly out of breath, Jess came back to the hallway. ‘So, Rob, you don’t believe in any of this spooky stuff, yet Melissa Winsford’s friend was dead happy with the results of your visit and felt their supposed poltergeist had been banished. How do you explain that and the supposed success of SpiritShooters?’

‘Good question,’ said Rob. ‘In short, most people are so desperate by the time we arrive, that they are willing to believe anything they think will help. I’m always honest with them. I’ve never yet come away from a job and believed I’ve really come into contact with the dead. Often, just having us say that and them seeing our tests puts their minds at rest; they stop seeing every shadow or hearing every noise as proof of life beyond the grave.’

‘You’ve
never
seen or sensed a ghost?’ I asked. ‘Not once?’

‘Sure, we’ve picked up stuff on our equipment, but I can’t say I’ve ever been truly convinced. You’re a good example of what happens when people start to believe there’s something from another world in their house,’ he said. ‘By the time that hose trapped your foot, you’d already been spooked a few times and your mind was set to think the worst of everything. That’s what happens. Paranoia is a powerful emotion.’

‘So, you’re earning money under false pretences,’ said Luke.

‘You’ve got to remember,’ said Doug. ‘That’s just Rob’s opinion. More often than not, Barbara and I feel we’ve communicated with some lost or confused spirit. We feel we’ve helped them to move on.’

‘Either way,’ said Rob, ‘if the customer’s happy, I reckon we deserve our fee.’ He sniggered. ‘Believe me, I’m as disappointed as anyone. What wouldn’t I give to take a spirit on?’ He made a gun shape with his hand and pretend fired.

I swallowed, fearing for Walter’s safety.

Barbara came out of the lounge, hands empty, wind chimes obviously in place.

‘Let’s turn out this hallway light. On with the torches,’ she said. One by one we went up the stairs, in the dark.

‘Keep away from the talc, people,’ said Rob.

‘As quiet as you can, please, everyone,’ said Doug. ‘Now, let’s separate. Barbara, why don’t you take Kimmy into her bedroom, seeing as that was the first place there was
an event
?’

‘Luke, you show me the locked rooms,’ said Rob. ‘I’ll switch the EMF detector on.’

Unfair! I wanted to take a peek at Walter’s stuff.

‘Jess, could you show me the office and your room, please,’ said Doug. ‘Explain exactly what you heard last night when everyone else was downstairs, in the hot tub? I need to know precisely where the sounds seemed to be coming from, how long they lasted, whether they were high or low pitch… Then you and me, Rob, we’ll scout around downstairs.’

Everyone mumbled their agreement and fell silent.

‘What’s that noise?’ said Luke.

Oh, here we go again, funny ha ha, except… Everyone listened. Aarggh! It was faint music. Walter? Hush! Barbara will find you out. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Was that because I was cold? Scoot, Walter, quick as you can, escape.

‘I’ll go down to investigate,’ said Barbara.

No way! I had to think fast.

Chapter 21

‘Let me check it out,’ I said. ‘Honestly Barbara. It’s probably nothing.’

Was that by accident she shone her torch towards my face? I held a calm, polite smile for a few seconds before making my way downstairs. Luke followed.

‘Don’t want you injuring your back, again,’ he said.

‘Whatever.’ I hurried into the Games Room. Phew. Panic over. ‘It’s Terry’s Disco Anthems CD. You and Jess must have left it on.’

I went to the bar and switched it off. On turning around, I almost collided with Luke’s chest, not realising he stood so close.

‘Fearless, aren’t you,’ he murmured. ‘After everything you’ve experienced… Didn’t you worry that there might be a sinister being in here, waiting to throw you in the cupboard again – or worse… make you a target on the dartboard?’

‘Is that supposed to be funny?’ I said, resisting the urge to spread my palm against the firmness of his torso.

‘How
is
your back?’ he asked, in unfamiliar gentle tones.

‘Um… fine.’ I tried to get past but he put his hands on his hips and didn’t budge. Ooh, this was all a bit Game of Thrones like, with him being stubborn and macho.

‘Did you hear that?’ he said.

Mirroring him, I put my hands on my hips and shook my head.

‘The phantom hose,’ he whispered back. ‘It’s slithering and sliding, coming to get you again.’

‘Yeah, thanks for showing me up by telling everyone about that.’ I couldn’t hold back a smile.

‘Just trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on,’ said Luke, acting all innocent, his quirked up mouth giving away a mischievous nature. ‘Look… I’m sorry, okay? About yesterday… Adam’s an idiot, but I didn’t mean to upset you.’

Wow. An apology? This was unchartered territory.

‘Anyway, you get back upstairs,’ he said. ‘I’m going to check the windows – I forgot to take a look in here. Make sure you don’t walk in the talc and…’ he smiled again, as I rolled my eyes, ‘… I know. You’re not stupid. I’ll shut up now.’

Upstairs on the landing, Rob was waiting for Luke. ‘Well?’

‘Just a CD we left on,’ I whispered. ‘Is Barbara in my room?’

He nodded and signalled for me to go in. Gently, I pushed open my door. Moonlight half-lit the room as Barbara was by the window and had opened the velvet curtains. Outside, the flakes of snow were now big and clunky, looking far too heavy for the delicate way they wafted down.

‘When the spirit made contact – clasped your leg – did the room feel especially warm or cold?’ she asked.

‘Um, I don’t think so.’

‘And downstairs, under the cupboard? You say the spirit spoke to you? What exactly were its words, dear?’

‘“Come out or make a noise at your peril”.’

‘No temperature changes? No draughts?’

‘Just that windy noise – and the scratching from the word it etched on the desk.’

‘It’s odd,’ she said, ‘because ever since I entered this house I’ve felt… welcome; relaxed. Not threatened in any way.’ She fiddled with one of her many rings. ‘Some buildings I walk into, straightaway I’m on my guard, I can just sense that there’s a negative spirit waiting for the opportunity to make trouble.’ She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. ‘There is the whiff of anger but… and this is going to sound odd…’ She opened her eyes. ‘It’s almost smothered by an aura of politeness. You know, old-fashioned good manners, not wanting to upset people who are innocent bystanders…’

Mouth dry, I sat on the bed. Wow. She was good. But another reason I couldn’t risk telling her about Walter was that Mike Murphy was paying her fee. Whatever I said about the old boy needing more time here, she might move him on, to close the case and keep her client happy. Or trigger-happy Rob might do something more ominous. Or Mr Murphy will find out his uncle isn’t happy and be more careful with his lies about how well they got on.

‘Kimmy?’ she said, quietly. ‘Is there something you want to tell me?’

Without looking her in the eye, I shook my head.

Barbara pulled her cardigan tighter and shone her torch at the photo of me and Adam and smiled. ‘He looks nice. Your boyfriend?’

‘Um, no. We’re not… You see…’ And before I knew it, I was telling her all about the break-up – then meeting Deborah, helping out Melissa… Aarggh! I even let slip about Jess’s pregnancy.

‘It’s been quite an eventful week then,’ she said.

Tears pricked my eyes and I chewed on the gum manically for a second. Where did all that emotion come from?

She squeezed my arm. ‘You’re sensitive. That’s why, perhaps, you’ve connected with something astral, here…?

I said nothing.

‘Kimmy?’

‘There’s a bad spirit here.’ I stared her in the face and folded my arms. ‘That’s what you need to work on. It assaults people and scares them with smoke.’ I stood up and paced around for a moment. ‘SpiritShooters – that’s quite an aggressive name.’

‘I know. Personally I’m not happy with it, but the men – they both own guns. Boys and their toys – I was outnumbered when it came to a vote. Really, what it means is “troubleshooters” – we go into a situation and sort it out. It doesn’t mean we’re out to eliminate any sort of lost soul… And of course not all souls want to depart this mortal coil. Not until they’re ready. Sometimes they have to find closure.’

We looked at each other and inexplicably my eyes felt wet again. Could she sense Walter’s concerns? The door opened.

‘What’s the verdict, Barbara?’ said Rob. ‘Luke’s shown me the two locked rooms – nothing much in there, apart from old furniture and knick-knacks. The EMF meter didn’t spring into life, either.’ He glanced at me. ‘There was no sign of a spooky face near the front window. I had a preliminary scout around downstairs, in the lounge and Games Room.’ He shrugged. ‘Zilch there.’

Just visible through the darkness, Jess, Doug and Luke appeared on the landing.

‘Nothing to report,’ said Doug. ‘Haven’t heard your wind chimes either, Barbara. No knocking, gusts, cold or warm patches. Nothing came up on the camera.’

I looked sideways at Barbara and shivered, wishing we could put the heating back on.

‘I think you might be right on this one, Rob,’ she said and glanced back at me, through the moonlight. ‘Kimmy’s been under a lot of stress lately, and could perhaps have imagined things… like with the hose.’

Jess’s voice cut through the shadows. ‘There’s nothing wrong with us. Whilst I’m not convinced there’s anything paranormal here, don’t forget all of the previous housesitters have scarpered, cos of strange goings-on.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Doug. ‘We’ve the whole night ahead of us. Who knows what might happen. And even if we rule out a haunting, that’s only the beginning – Rob and I will then come into our own and investigate, try and work out if anyone is sabotaging the attempts to sell this house on purpose. You and previous sitters may be the victims of a cruel joke – some sort of elaborate hoax.’

As we followed the others downstairs, Barbara held me back for a moment.

‘If there’s anything you want to tell me – anyway I can help – just ring our number. Ask to speak to me. I could come round on my own one night with my Ouija board.’ Her voice lightened. ‘And I don’t own a gun.’

I muttered my thanks. Luke switched on the lights and we all made our way downstairs. I almost collided with Barbara as she stopped dead at the foot of the stairs and stared at the coin on the hallway desk. Oh my God! It had moved. I followed her gaze down to the talc. Wow. No footprints. So how had something got to the desk without walking? Surely Walter wouldn’t have bothered moving the money – which meant that at last the other spirit was putting in an appearance. Rob could blast that one with a paranormal Kalashnikov, if he wanted.

Rob turned off the lights again and took out the EMF meter, whilst Doug immediately lifted up his thermal imaging camera. But whilst we all skulked around downstairs for another hour or so, nothing else happened. Eventually Barbara flicked all the lights back on and I prepared soup and sandwiches. Then the ghostbusting team set up camp in the lounge, for the night. Once more Luke was to sleep next to my room, on the sofa in the office.

‘Night, Jess,’ I called from the landing, as she disappeared into her bedroom. Luke hovered by my door. ‘So, Kimmy, do you still believe in your ghost?’

I shrugged and avoided his eye. ‘I just hope SpiritShooters don’t leave too much mess. Prospective buyers are visiting tomorrow morning. Then I’ve got some last minute cooking to do for the hen party in the evening.’

‘I had a job on, but it’s been cancelled,’ he said. ‘I’ll nip home to change, first thing in the morning, then come back and help you tidy up, if you like; stick around for when the buyers are here – make sure no funny stuff goes on.’

I met his gaze. ‘That’s very…’ Surprising. Yet I wasn’t sure whether to accept his offer. Deborah herself had said he didn’t have the best manner when prospective buyers visited.

‘It’ll make things easier all round,’ he said.

‘I suppose…’ My eyes narrowed as I took in his cocky, teasing smile.

‘You’re at a crucial stage with KimCakes Ltd. You need to be on form tomorrow night – up for networking. Making contacts, that’s your priority.’ He shrugged. ‘And if the investigators come up with nothing, it won’t hurt to have a big, brave man around the house.’

I snorted. ‘Who would that be?’

He chuckled and I joined in. Then I stared at him for several seconds.