“I agree, her aunt seems to be the only one upset about her death.”
Mac led the way down the hall, past the unlit sconces and up the spiral staircase. The stone was rough in the stairwell and we felt our way upward with only a small flashlight for illumination. I had the sense of winding my way into the past. I thought about Violet’s story of the invalid wife who had drowned in her bath. She must have been very isolated back then if these twisting steps were the only way out of her room. I imagined the flickering light of candles on the uneven stones and almost believed a ghost might inhabit the room at the top.
We reached the landing outside Clarissa’s room and my hand was on the doorknob when we heard a distinct thump from inside. I knew it wasn’t the cat this time. Mac and I exchanged a wide-eyed look and I hesitated before opening the door. We leaned closer to the door and heard swishing noises and a footstep. Vi would claim it was the ghost if she were there.
“I think there’s someone in there,” I whispered.
Mac put himself between the door and me. “Stay back,” he said and held his arm out.
“You stay back,” I hissed and grabbed for the doorknob.
We were leaning into one another, jockeying for position in front of the door.
“Can’t you just be my girlfriend?” Mac whispered. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I can take care of myself.” I felt like a fourteen-year-old arguing for a later curfew.
Mac’s face softened. “I know that, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to protect you.”
“It’s probably just the wind.” I released the doorknob and let Mac take the lead.
Mac put his finger to his lips and slowly, quietly turned the knob. We both peeked through the crack. I couldn’t see much with Mac blocking most of the opening. It was dim inside because the curtains were still closed, but enough light leaked in that I could see the room was empty. I pressed Mac’s shoulder to let him know that we should go ahead.
He slowly pushed the door open and we stepped inside. I went to the window and opened the heavy curtains. They scraped loudly along the rod, and light flooded the room.
I jumped when I heard, “Oh, it’s you.”
Vi walked out of the bathroom with her hand to her chest.
“You two scared me to death,” she said. Her finger pointed threateningly.
“We scared you?” I said. “What are you doing here?”
Mac crossed his arms and glowered but let me deal with my aunt.
“Looking for clues, of course.” Vi matched Mac’s stance.
“What are you talking about? We’ll examine the room.” My voice rose to that shrill tone I hated. “We’re trained professionals.”
Mac waded into the conflict. “Ms. Greer, you can’t be in here. You’re interfering with a crime scene,” Mac said, in a much calmer tone than I was using.
Vi sniffed. “It’s not like there was any crime scene tape across the door. How was I to know . . .” She stopped when she saw the double glare we sent.
“Okay, okay.” She held her hands up. “Wally said you were talking to the Garrett ladies and I decided I’d come take a look.” She crossed her arms again. “I might be able to help. I might be able to sense something you two miss.”
Mac shook his head, and took a deep breath.
“Vi, you really need to leave, now,” I said and edged closer to Mac in case he wasn’t as calm as he looked. Vi could infuriate even a meditating monk.
“It’s fine, Clyde,” Mac said. “Let her look.” He waved an arm to encompass the room.
Violet grinned and my mouth must have dropped open because he looked at me and shrugged. “It’s too late now to protect any evidence, we already collected what we could, and we don’t have a crime scene team on the way. Maybe she’ll find something.”
This was so unlike Mac, I wondered if he’d been possessed by a friendly ghost.
“No touching.” Mac pointed his finger at her and tilted his head until she nodded.
“I’ll just look,” she said and rubbed her hands together.