ScandalandSin (20 page)

“Take it. I’ll be busy here a while.”

He stepped out of the room. Picturing the
idiots who had set fire to her house, Alaina lifted the hammer and hit the old
plaster right between the bookcases. Bull’s-eye.

She swung the hammer a couple more times,
making nice holes in the plaster, before she felt the cold air wash over her.
Alaina dropped the hammer and whirled around. Laura stood two feet away.

The ghost was transparent, but Alaina could
make out more of Laura’s features. She seemed to be easier to see each time she
appeared. She stepped closer to the bookcase on Alaina’s right. Holding her
hands in front of her body, she made two fists and pulled them close to her
chest.

“I don’t know what you want,” Alaina
whispered.

Laura pointed to the bookcase, then made
the fists again and pulled them toward her chest.

“You want the bookcase moved?”

Laura nodded.

“I can’t move it by myself.”

Holding up one hand, Laura made a circle
with her fingers and thumb. With her other hand, she pushed against the circle
with one forefinger, as if she were pressing a button.

“There’s a button that moves the case?”
Alaina asked.

Laura nodded again.

“Where?”

The ghost disappeared.

“Laura, come back!”

No cold air and no ghost. “A button that
moves the case,” Alaina muttered. “How am I supposed to find a button? And will
it still work if I
do
find it?”

Logically, it would be right in the middle
of the case so someone could get to it easily. But if someone wanted it to be
hidden, they’d put the button up high or down low. Alaina couldn’t reach the
top shelf without a stepladder, so decided to start at the bottom. Dropping to
her knees, she felt all along the bottom shelf and up the sides.

Brown work boots came into her line of
vision. Alaina looked up long legs covered with denim—stopping for a moment at
the fly, which she easily recognized—and up Rye’s torso to his face.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for a button.”

His gaze passed over her body. “You’re
wearing jeans and a T. You don’t have any buttons.”

Alaina sat back on her heels. She’d debated
with herself about mentioning Laura’s ghost to Rye. Now seemed like a good time
to tell him. She wiggled one finger at him, silently asking him to come closer.
He dropped to the floor next to her.

“What’s up?”

“First, this is going to sound really
weird. Please hear me out and let me finish.”

“Sure,” he said, although he looked
confused.

“Do you remember when I felt cold air in
the turret?”

“Yeah.”

“It happened again Monday, right before I
saw the ghost of Laura Cummins.”

Rye’s eyes bugged out. “The
what
?”

“I saw the ghost of Laura Cummins. She
pointed to the window seat. That’s how I knew where to find the painting. She
appeared again a few minutes ago. She can’t talk, but told me through hand
gestures that this bookcase moves by pushing a button. So I’m looking for the
button.”

Rye rested his elbow on his upraised knee
and rubbed his mustache. He didn’t look at her.

“I know how crazy this sounds. It sounds
crazy to me when I say it, and I experienced it. But, Rye, I swear to you I’m
telling the truth.”

He blew out a heavy breath. “Alaina, I’m
sure you believe you’re telling the truth, but—”

“I’ve seen her three times. The first time
I couldn’t tell for sure who she was, but her image becomes clearer each time
she appears.” She reached over and clasped his hand. “Rye, she’s trying to tell
me something. She helped me find that painting. Maybe there’s another painting
behind this bookcase.”

“How do you know it’s Laura Cummins?”

“I’ve seen pictures of her. I did a lot of
research when I decided to buy this house.” She squeezed his hand. “You have to
believe me.”

“I want to. I really do, but I don’t
believe in ghosts.”

“Then how would I know about the button
that moves this bookcase?”

“You haven’t actually found a button yet,
have you?”

“No, because you interrupted me.” She
understood why he didn’t believe that she’d seen a ghost, but he could at least
keep an open mind. “Work with me here, Rye.”

“You’re asking a lot, Alaina.”

“I know that.” If he couldn’t trust her
totally yet because of Alesia, at least he could trust that she told him the
truth about seeing Laura’s ghost. “Help me look for the button. If we find it,
will that convince you I really saw a ghost?”

Without answering her question, Rye stood
and began to feel along the edge of the bookcase. Alaina returned to the bottom
shelf, running her fingers slowly along every part of it. Nothing.

“I think I found something,” Rye said.

Alaina scrambled to her feet. Rye had his
hand behind an ornamental facing at the top of the bookcase, a place she
wouldn’t have been able to reach without a ladder. “Is it a button?”

“Feels like an indentation.”

A low rumbling sound came from the
bookcase. Alaina stepped back, unsure what would happen next. Rye moved beside
her. The case shook, hinges screeched, then it slowly swung away from the wall
until it stood at a forty-five-degree angle.

“Wow,” she breathed. “Laura was right.”

“I’ll get a flashlight,” Rye said, not
acknowledging her comment about the ghost.

Alaina waited, bouncing up and down on her
toes, for him to come back. Finding the hidden space proved she wasn’t lying
about seeing Laura Cummins’ ghost. Rye had to believe her now.

He returned with a large flashlight. “Stay
behind me.”

She had no problem with that. If there was
something icky behind that bookcase, she’d rather Rye find it first.

Narrow shelves filled the space. There were
also cobwebs and mice droppings, and something square wrapped in burlap sitting
on one of the top shelves. He took it from the shelf and handed it to Alaina.
Carefully, she unwrapped the burlap to find another painting similar to the one
she’d found in the turret. It depicted a different part of the riverbank, one
she didn’t recognize.

“That looks like Mac Morrison’s place,” Rye
said. He pointed to an old barn in the background. “That barn fell down about
ten years ago.”

“It’s wonderful.” She looked at the
signature in the bottom, but couldn’t make out a name. It looked like just a
series of loops. “I wonder if Bella knows who painted it.”

“She hasn’t lived in this house in decades.
After her father died, she rented out the house. There’s probably been at least
twenty people who’ve lived here. Any of them could’ve hidden the paintings.”

Alaina stared at the beautiful picture
another moment before looking at Rye. “Do you believe me now?”

He rubbed his mustache again, a gesture
Alaina now recognized as when Rye was considering his words. “I want to say no,
but this is pretty heavy evidence.”

“What’s heavy evidence?” Dax asked behind
them.

Alaina turned to see Dax and Griff, both
holding large Sonic sacks. “I’ll tell you over breakfast. I’m starved.”

* * * * *

Whether or not Alaina had actually seen
Laura Cummins’ ghost, she believed she did. Rye unwrapped his breakfast burrito.
He decided to remain silent and let her explain the ghost and the paintings to
his brothers.

“You’ve seen her three times?” Dax asked.

Alaina nodded. “I’ve felt cold air flow
over me five times, but I’ve actually seen her three times. I think she tried
to materialize those other times, but couldn’t for some reason.”

“You bought a haunted house.” Dax grinned.
“Cool.”

“We don’t know it’s haunted,” Rye said,
trying to be the voice of reason. “We’ve never heard any stories about a ghost
sighting here.”

“Maybe that’s because no one told us.”
Griff wiped his hands on a paper napkin. “Most of the people in Lanville know
about our family’s history. There could have been all kinds of things that
happened in this house that didn’t get back to us.”

Rye unwrapped his second burrito. “No
matter our history, we would’ve heard about a ghost in this house. Someone
would have mentioned it.”

“You could ask Miss Maebelle to be sure.”

“Who’s Miss Maebelle?” Alaina asked Griff.

“Maebelle Griffith, Lanville’s historian.
She’s kept records of the town for the last fifty years.”

“Gracious, how old is she?”

“Probably early eighties. She took over the
job from her mother about fifteen years ago. Do you remember her mother,
Lucille Griffith?”

She shook her head. “I moved away from
Lanville when I was thirteen. There are a lot of people I don’t remember.”

“If anyone knows about ghost sightings in
this house, it would be Miss Maebelle. She can remember dates and facts better
than a lot of people half her age.”

Alaina turned to Rye. “Can we go see her?”

He’d do whatever she wanted, yet couldn’t
ignore the doubt deep inside that Laura Cummins’ ghost existed. “Sure.”

His tone must have given away his feelings
for Alaina sat back in her chair, a discouraged look on her face. “You don’t believe
me. Even with finding the painting behind the bookcase, you still don’t believe
me.”

He glanced at his brothers. Dax gave a
slight shrug. Griff frowned and shook his head, as if to tell Rye not to blow
it. Rye decided his youngest brother was a very wise man.

“Alaina, I believe there are a lot of
things in this world that can’t be explained by logic. You believe you saw
Laura Cummins’ ghost. I don’t doubt that.”

He was rather proud of the way he’d
commented without disputing her ghost sighting. She gave him a look that
clearly said she knew he was dancing around the subject to keep from declaring
his disbelief to her again. She didn’t say anything as she picked up the rest
of her burrito and popped it into her mouth.

He hated that he hurt her yesterday when he
didn’t answer her question about trusting her. He didn’t want to hurt her
again.

“We’ll go see Miss Maebelle when she gets
to her office.”

Alaina’s smile lit up her eyes. “Thank
you.”

* * * * *

Miss Maebelle looked like Mrs. Santa Claus.
That was Alaina’s first impression of the white-haired lady with the little
square glasses on her nose. She wore a loose, short-sleeved print dress that
hung straight to mid-calf. Her blue eyes twinkled when she smiled, just as
Alaina imagined Mrs. Claus’ would.

She thought Miss Maebelle was adorable.

The older woman took Alaina’s hand in both
of hers after Rye introduced them and squeezed it. “Welcome to Lanville,
Alaina.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”

“So nice to meet
you
. Please, sit
down.”

She led the way to a sitting area with four
overstuffed chairs set in a circle with a round table in the middle. A tiny
kitchenette held a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. Bookshelves lined
three walls and created aisles across the floor. Filing cabinets filled the
fourth wall.

Alaina had always loved the smell and feel
of books. She imagined working here, surrounded by the town’s history, had to
be very rewarding.

“Can anyone look at these books?” Alaina
asked.

“Oh yes. I’m here from nine o’clock to four
o’clock six days a week. The newer books can be checked out, but the older ones
can’t leave the building. That’s why I have this sitting area so someone can be
comfortable while they read.”

“The county donated this building,” Rye
said to Alaina, “but private donations run it.”

“Your family has been very generous with
your donations, Rye.”

“History is important. That’s why we’re
here.”

“I’m happy to help if I can. Would either
of you like coffee or tea?”

“No, thank you.” Rye leaned forward and
clasped his hands between his knees. “Alaina bought Stevens House to remodel
for a bed-and-breakfast.”

“I heard that.” Miss Maebelle smiled at
Alaina. “I think it’s wonderful. Lanville needs more places for people to
stay.”

Rye nodded, then looked at Alaina. “You
want to explain everything to her?”

Alaina nodded and swallowed the lump in her
throat. She didn’t want to sound like an idiot. “Have you ever heard of someone
seeing a ghost in Stevens House?”

Miss Maebelle picked up the strand of long
pearls around her neck and ran them through her fingers. “I’ve never heard
anything about a ghost. I don’t have a record of any sightings. Are you worried
the house is haunted?”

“Not exactly worried, but…” She scooted
forward in her chair. “I’ve seen the ghost of Laura Cummins. Three times.”