Then she punched her pillows and made herself go to sleep, willing him into her dreams. But she woke early, all too aware that there had been no Matt—not even dreams of Matt—during the night. She rose, running her fingers through the tangles in her hair, and looked around.
“Please,” she whispered. “I know you’re here. Please…you have to let me see you.”
Silence was her only answer.
Even though it was ridiculously early, she knew she wasn’t going back to sleep, so she showered and dressed for the day, then went downstairs to make the coffee. It was when she was pouring water into the pot that she saw something with her peripheral vision. She held still for a moment, until she realized that the pot had overflowed and the water was running over her hands. She turned it off and looked toward the hearth.
Where she saw a woman apparently stirring something in a large pot hung over a ghostly fire.
Leslie remained silent, watching. The woman was young, pretty, wearing a mobcap over her soft blond hair.
After a long moment, Leslie spoke to her. “Please, don’t leave,” she said softly.
The woman froze; Leslie was sure she was about to fade away to nothing.
“Please,” Leslie said very softly. “Who are you? Why are you here?”
The woman began to fade, then became more visible again.
“I was betrayed,” she said. Her eyes became great pools of tears. “By one I trusted. One I loved,” she whispered.
Suddenly she spasmed, arching slightly backward, then slumped forward and faded away completely.
Leslie inhaled, staring for a very long timeat the spot where the woman had stood. But the woman was gone, and she knew it. Still, she felt a sense of elation. The apparition had not just appeared; it had spoken to her.
She turned, newly invigorated and wide awake, and finished making the coffee. A few minutes later, she heard a noise at the front door and Melissa came in. “You’re up early.”
“And you’re at work early,” Leslie replied.
Melissa nodded. “I have some paperwork to finish. I can’t stop thinking about last night, though. I’m sure this house is haunted. I think a ghost put that missing money back on the table for me.”
“Who knows?” Leslie said thoughtfully, then frowned suddenly. “Melissa, how long have you worked here?”
“Well, I was hired right before they had that party to open the place, but then they had to close it for a while because…well, you know.”
“So what happened then?” Leslie asked.
“Greta—she insists we call her Greta—said she was sorry, but the society couldn’t afford to keep us on while the house was being repaired, so I told her I’d just take a temporary job and come back here once it opened again. I love this house. I would never give up an opportunity to work here. And now that I know it’s haunted…”
“Maybe.”
Melissa pointed a finger at her. “You know it is.”
“I do?”
Melissa gave her a smile as if to say it was okay that she was trying to pull the wool over her eyes. “You know it’s haunted. You’re special.”
Leslie felt uneasy, as if she belonged in some carnival freak show. “Melissa…”
“If you see a ghost, you’ll let me know, right?” Melissa implored.
“Sure. If we’re standing here and a ghost appears, I’ll let you know. And you let me know, too, right?”
“There was one here yesterday. That’s why the books balanced.”
“So we have a ghost who used to be a CPA, huh?”
Melissa frowned and looked hurt.
“I’m just teasing you,” Leslie said quickly. “Who’s to say a ghost didn’t help you, right?” Leslie said, then went on to say, “If you still want to help with the dig, I’ll arrange for you to come help on Saturday, how’s that?”
Melissa looked as if she were experiencing pure rapture for the first time in her life.
“Great,” Leslie said. “I’m going to head over there now.”
“This early?”
“I like to get to the site ahead of the crowd.”
Melissa nodded sagely. “Better for getting vibes, right?”
“Better for working.”
“I brought doughnuts—you want one?”
“I’d love one, thank you.”
“Actually, I keep eggs and bread and sandwich stuff in the fridge, too. You can help yourself.”
Leslie helped herself to a doughnut. “Thanks. I owe you big time.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
She wolfed down the doughnut, finished her coffee and thanked Melissa again. Then she headed out.
She was surprised to see Joe’s car parked across the street. Frowning, she walked over to it. He looked up before she reached him, looking a little dismayed. But he had been sitting there going through files, and he didn’t try to hide them.
“Hi,” she said, her tone turning the simple word into a question.
“Hi,” he said sheepishly.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.