“January? Where are you?” Killian’s voice echoed from the library.
“We’re in here, in the secret room. Come on in.”
Killian pushed open the door and glanced around. “What’s going on? Why did you move the cats back to my house?”
“Because something’s haunting my house and we’re about to find out what may be the source of it,” I said. “Hold on, Teran. Let me bring him up to speed.” I quickly ran down everything that had happened. “Oh,” I added. “I forgot—did the retriever make it?”
He nodded, staring at the chest. “Yes, thank the gods. Here, Teran, let me do that. We don’t know what’s in there and I don’t want you putting yourself at risk.” He offered her his arm and she took it, letting him help her off the floor. Then, motioning for us to move back, he took hold of the lid of the chest and slowly began to open it.
A fetid smell wafted out, making me want to gag. Killian let out an exclamation as he threw back the lid and quickly stepped away from the chest. There, in the footlocker, was something wrapped in what looked like plastic tarps.
“That’s not…what I think it is, is it?” I whispered.
But Killian slowly peeled back the plastic just enough so that we could see the dried stains. Through the folds of the tarp, we could see skeletal fingers sticking out.
“Oh hell,” I whispered, leaning against the door. “Houston, we have a problem.”
Chapter Five
For a moment, none of us said anything. Then, I glanced at the other trunk. “Do you think…?”
Killian held out his hand and Teran silently placed the key in his palm. He crossed to the second trunk and opened it, cautiously peering in. Then he shook his head. “Looks like clothing—men’s clothing.” He started to reach in.
“Don’t touch it,” I said.
We couldn’t keep this under wraps. I was going to have to call the police. As I turned around, wanting to get out of the storage space so I could catch my breath, I saw what looked like runic symbols written all around the door. I recognized enough of them to realize they were there to keep something in, not keep anything out. And as I looked closer, I knew that my mother had written them. I knew her style of runes, and her handwriting, and these were her work.
“What?” Teran asked.
“Look at these.” I pointed out the runes.
Teran scanned them. “That’s a Major Ward of Binding. I had no clue your mother could perform major wards. I didn’t think she had the skill. It takes a lot of skill to cast spells of that caliber.”
“Let’s go back to the living room. I’m going to call Millie.” As I led them back into the living room, I realized I was feeling both faint and a little queasy. I walked over to the big bay windows, knelt on the window seat, and opened the side panels. “I need fresh air.”
“I think we all do,” Killian said. “Do you have any idea of—”
“Who the dead person is? Nope,” I said. “Why did my parents seal up a dead body in a storage space? I have no idea. Is the spirit the one causing the problems? Most likely. By the way, I have to go into work tomorrow. We’ve run across a problem.”
I rattled off my thoughts like I might be dictating a grocery list. I really wasn’t in the mood for any of this, and it felt like I was suddenly drowning in problems.
“Oh, and also by the way, I saw Rebecca the imp out in the forest this morning. She warned me there’s something dangerous and new in the Mystic Wood. For once she didn’t try to charm me. I think she wants me to take care of it, because of course, I have nothing better to do than make life easier for an imp who tried to kill me when I was a child.”
Both Killian and Teran were staring at me like I’d just taken leave of my senses.
“Do you want to lie down?” Killian asked.
“Yes, I would like that. But instead, I have to call the police because, for some reason, my parents decided to seal up a dead man inside the house!”
In that moment, I realized I was getting hysterical. I was tired, and hated the disruption that the renovations had caused, both during the process and now, with the aftermath. I was also grappling with the fact that my parents had shared this house for who knew how long with a dead man. Or woman. I didn’t know which.
I pulled out my phone and called Millie Tuptin. She had been a friend in high school and she made a very competent chief of police. “Hey, Millie, I need your help.”
“What’s up? It’s a slow night, so even if it’s a cat stuck in a tree, I can come out.” The smile was evident in the lightness of her voice. Even though she had been a cop so long, you’d think she would be jaded, but truth was, Millie was one of the most optimistic people I knew.
“Unfortunately, it’s a lot more serious than that. Um…I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to come out with it. I found a skeleton hidden in my house today. It’s packed in a trunk that was locked inside a storage room, and the room was sealed over so that even I had forgotten the room was there. The contractors uncovered it when they were renovating my house. Well, the door to the room—not the skeleton. We just found the body tonight.”
As the words poured out, all I could think about was how much I needed something sweet, or more caffeine, or anything that could help me cope with what we had found. I was about to add that I now had a ghost haunting me, but before I could, the window on the side panel of the bay window slammed shut, so hard that the glass shattered in the pane. Startled, I let out a scream.
“What was that? Are you all right?” Millie shouted.
Teran and Killian jumped up. “I’ll grab a whisk broom and dustpan,” Teran said, heading for the kitchen.
Trying to control my breathing, I let out a long breath and shuddered.
“Yeah, I’m all right. Apparently my ghost doesn’t like me talking about it. I don’t give a fuck. If I have to bring in the nuclear power plant of the psychic world, I’m getting rid of this creep.”
“Your ghost? I think I missed something.” Millie just sounded confused now.
“That’s right—I didn’t have a chance to tell you that I’m being haunted. Can you just come over and take the body away?” The frustration had mounted so much that I burst into tears.
“I’ll be right there, and I’ll have to bring the ME, you know.”
“I know,” I said. “We’ll see you when you get here.” I hung up, sniffling as I dropped into the rocker. I didn’t feel at home at all. I felt like I was in some horror movie version of my home. “Everything is so messed up,” I said, leaning back to rest my head against the cushion.
Killian gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and tucked a tissue into my hand. “I’ll get a sheet of plywood from my workshop to board up the window. Why don’t you go sit on the front porch of my house? You like the porch swing, and it’s not terribly chilly out. You could use a breath of fresh air. Teran, why don’t you go with her?” He nodded toward the door.
Teran bundled me into my jacket and then led me out the door, down the steps and along the driveway that Killian and I shared. While there was a fence between the lots, when it came to the drive, the fence stopped.