His Lovely Garden

Sugar Hill Series

Book Five

By M.L. Bullock

Text copyright © 2018 M.L. Bullock

All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

Prologue – Dominick Dufresne

Chapter One – Avery Dufresne

Chapter Two – Arnold Lee

Chapter Three – Mike DeLuca

Chapter Four – Avery

Chapter Five – Arnold Lee

Chapter Six – Avery

Chapter Seven – Dominick

Chapter Eight – Arnold Lee

Chapter Nine – Avery

Chapter Ten – Avery

Chapter Eleven – Mike

Chapter Twelve – Avery

Chapter Thirteen – Dominick

Chapter Fourteen – Mike

Chapter Fifteen – Avery

Chapter Sixteen – Lucas

Chapter Seventeen – Avery

Chapter Eighteen – Mike

Chapter Nineteen – Dolly Jane

Epilogue – Dolly Jane

In a Whispering Gallery

That whisper takes the voice
Of a Spirit, speaking to me,
Close, but invisible,
And throws me under a spell
At the kindling vision it brings;
And for a moment I rejoice,
And believe in transcendent things
That would make of this muddy earth
A spot for the splendid birth
Of everlasting lives,
Whereto no night arrives;
And this gaunt gray gallery
A tabernacle of worth
On this drab-aired afternoon,
When you can barely see
Across its hazed lacune
If opposite aught there be
Of fleshed humanity
Wherewith I may commune;
Or if the voice so near
Be a soul’s voice floating here.

—Thomas Hardy, 1928

Prologue – Dominick Dufresne

1839

A constant, incessant tapping woke me from my stupor. I had fallen asleep in the chair beside Ophelia’s bed. I unfurled slowly, silently cursing whomever it was that disturbed my alcohol-induced slumber. For the first time in weeks, I slept without dreams. No nightmares, no unwanted images of unforgettable horrors, but my unwelcome visitor had stolen that momentary peace from me. Anger replaced my peaceful repose, and I left my sanctuary in search of the offender. Not for the first time in recent days, I walked to the front door with both a candle and a pistol in my hands.

“Please, hurry. He may come for us,” a woman’s voice called from the other side of the door downstairs. I paused on the staircase wondering who this might be. This voice was not one I recognized. It was neither Annalee nor any of the servants. Annalee had left with her maid and my daughter Ida. Married now to Emilio Sota, Annalee lived presumably a happy life far from our cursed home, Sugar Hill. That knowledge brought a sliver of relief to my troubled mind. Annalee would love my daughter as if she were her own. So, who could this be? Not Livy. My former left-hand wife, the traitorous wench, rotted away in a New Orleans jail now.

The tapping resumed as the woman pleaded with me. I heard her sobbing now. My last remaining servant, an old man named Lemuel who was now mute, stepped out into the foyer with a candle in his hand. He glanced up at me as if to ask if he should open the door, but I shook my head and waved him back. He retreated down the hall, and I heard his bedroom door close with a creak. I had no mind to open my home to this strange woman—until I heard the child crying.

I could turn away this unknown woman, but a child?

Walking down the last remaining stairs, I set my candlestick on a table and waited. I pressed my face close to the door and listened.

“Shh now, junge,” the woman warned the child. I detected a strange accent intermingled with her broken English. Austrian, perhaps? I had heard this accent before at the Prescott Club during a night of cards and cigars with Champion, many years ago. Happier, foolish times.

The child whimpered and said, “I want my mother,” stirring something I did not expect—sympathy, I supposed. Until this moment, I believed I had none left. Placing the gun on the table with the candlestick, I walked to the door, my shoes crunching across the gritty floor. I opened the door a slice, only wide enough to lay eyes upon this woman and her child. Perhaps this was a trap? Maybe I would open the door and Champion would shoot me dead. He had tried before.

“Please, sir. Are you Dominick Dufresne? I have come to see Dominick Dufresne.” In the darkness, the woman’s features were not clear, but I could make out an oval-shaped face fringed with tight brown curls. She clutched a child’s hand, but his face was pressed against her skirts. “My name is Madlen, and this boy is Devon Dufresne.”

“Devon Dufresne?”

Quite agitated now, she whispered, “Your brother’s son. Please, let us in, Mr. Dufresne. Your brother is…he is ill, and it would not be good for him to find us here.”

“No one comes inside Sugar Hill. This place is cursed. Go back to my brother.”

The boy sobbed and buried his face deeper in Madlen’s black skirts. She clutched him close as she slung her hood back and said angrily, “If you send this boy back to his father, you might as well kill him yourself. He is your blood, your own blood. Gott helfe ihm.” When that did not move me, she added in an apologetic voice, “Have mercy, sir. Please. We have nowhere else to go, and I suspect his mother is no longer able to care for him.”

Those words did not shock me as she might have intended, but if this boy was truly a Dufresne, I could not allow him to wander about the streets of Belle Fontaine as a homeless urchin. My mother would never have done such a thing, and although I never knew my father, I believed he would have also been gracious. At any rate, I knew my brother to be a black-hearted bastard, a murdering rapist who would stop at nothing to fulfill his lusts.

“You may come inside, but only as far as the front room. And only for a little while.”

Madlen’s lips tightened, but she did not argue with me. As I opened the door, she hurried past me and shoved the boy inside first. She cast a worried eye behind her, but there was no one there. I stared into the darkness too, hoping I would see Champion lurking in the shadows of the live oaks. For a moment, I believed I saw a shadow, but it was nothing. Nothing at all.

Yes, coward. Come out and face me. You spawn of hell! Face me!

He did not appear, and I heard nothing, no evidence to suggest that Champion watched us or waited nearby. I joined the pair and shut the door behind us. The sound was empty, like the closing of a mausoleum. Yes, this unhappy place would be my tomb. Madlen’s eyes went to my gun, and she tucked the boy behind her. I waved them to two dusty wooden chairs that the servants had used when expecting guests in long-ago days, back when people wanted to come to Sugar Hill.

“You say this boy is my nephew, but who are you?” I took a seat but kept my eye on the door too.

“I am his governess, Madlen Auer. I have not been with the family long, only six weeks. I tell you, sir, we cannot remain in that house another day; there is danger there of a kind I can barely explain. And the boy’s father is not well. He talks to himself and drinks all day. Sometimes he is rough with the child and calls him by your name. I think he has lost his senses.”

“He is mad,” I agreed. My eyes fell on the boy. He had light hair, like his mother’s, I had seen Champion’s wife a handful of times, always from a distance except for at Ophelia’s birthday ball. But those eyes were certainly much like Champion’s, dark and brooding. Devon turned away from me and buried his face in Madlen’s skirts again. “How old are you?” I asked him. “Certainly too old to hide in a lady’s skirts.” My voice sounded strange and broken; I had become unaccustomed to speaking to the living. I spoke to ghosts all the time. Was I mad too, then?

With a nervous tremor in her lips, she patted the boy on his shoulder. “Your uncle is speaking to you, Devon. Tell him how old you are.”

With a sullen expression, he held up four fingers. What irony! While my sister endured the shame of Champion’s assault, our “brother” married and had a son? Why should I feel anything for his son? I had not made up my mind what to do yet when Madlen hurried on.

“His mother is missing, and I fear the worst. Mr. Dufresne is gone much of the time and is drunk when he returns home. He has proven to be a violent and unpredictable man.”

“This is no surprise to me, Miss Auer, but I wonder why you would come to me. I am the least likely person to care about Champion Dufresne or his son.”

Madlen licked her dry lips. Had they walked here from Thorn Hill? They must have, for I saw no carriage, no horse. The proper thing to do would be to offer some water, but I was not much of a proper man as of late.

She continued undaunted, “Please do not send us back, for I fear there is something worse in that house than your brother.”

“Tell me,” I insisted, “what do you mean?”

“I see a man, and he—it—pretends to be Mr. Dufresne, but then it is not him. He appears in my room and sometimes in the nursery.” Madlen tugged at her dress collar as if she wanted to pull it as tight as possible. As if she remembered something she wished to forget. An unholy handling, perhaps. How could she know about that? My sister used to cry to my mother and tell similar stories.

“Why is this my concern, miss?” I leaned back in my red velvet chair and watched the candle flicker in the breeze. The foyer smelled dirty; it suggested a layer of filth much deeper than a bit of grit and grime, much more than an unswept floor or two.

“I would speak to you further but not with the child present. He has been through enough with his mother missing and a madman for a father.”

“That is unfortunate, but the child should know what a rotten bastard his father has become, what a truly black-hearted villain he is.”

Madlen put her hands on Devon’s shoulders. She was undoubtedly thinking that this was a mistake, that she should not have come here at all. She would be correct.

“You care nothing for your own flesh and blood? Nothing for an innocent child? Then you are both mad. It is true, what they say.” She rose from her chair, her eyes wet with tears, her voice broken.

“And what is that, Miss Auer? What do they say about me?”

“That the Dufresnes are cursed! That a demon stalks this family, and that your mother made a deal with the devil.”

If she believed her words would shock me, she was mistaken. I knew better than anyone living, except perhaps Annalee, how cursed we were. But it was not my mother’s fault. That this strange woman would believe such a thing stirred up a perverse pleasure within me.

As they say, misery loves company. And oh, I was a miserable one.

“Take this boy back to his father and leave Thorn Hill behind, Miss Auer. Leave Belle Fontaine while you still can, for what they say is true.” I rose from my chair now too. “There are demons. And they are here at Sugar Hill, and also at Thorn Hill, and they will find this boy.”

As if the heavens or the pits of hell agreed with me, heavy fists banged on my front door. Madlen screamed, and the boy ran away from the sound. I waved them back and grabbed my gun.

Let this be our final exchange, brother!

As soon as Madlen and Devon disappeared from sight, I reached for the doorknob and raised my gun.

Let this be the end! Brother or no, you will die tonight, Champion Dufresne!

Chapter One – Avery Dufresne

Present Day

My fingers furiously tapped the desk in my office at Thorn Hill, and Reed sighed as if I were the class dunce and he the all-knowing, wise professor. Yes, he was being patient with me. Again. And it was the kind of patience one displayed when dealing with someone who was too stupid to understand a rudimentary concept like one plus one equals two. But this problem wasn’t quite as simple as that. I couldn’t believe he was challenging me on so important a subject. We’d only been married for two weeks, and we were already disagreeing on a major issue. This did not bode well for our future.

Our friend Jessica Chesterfield had disappeared; she’d vanished in front of two hundred people at the Starlight Ball and had not returned. From what Summer relayed to us, Jessica had become obsessed with Dominick Dufresne, a relative of mine from the 19th century. She claimed to have met him, and that she loved him. Convinced that she needed to shield Dominick from certain disaster, Jessica had sought a way back. As strange as that was, she believed every bit of it, and we’d found her shocking video testifying to that truth.

I want to be with Dominick. I’m going to find a way.

Yes, I believed in ghosts. I believed in many things, but going back in time? Whatever happened to my friend, I had to get to the truth. Maybe it was the reporter in me, and maybe it was just because I was Vertie’s granddaughter. I didn’t know what was driving me, but I had to try. The cops sure didn’t seem to care, and Jessica deserved to be found.

“We owe her this, Reed. Jessica saved me. If she hadn’t come to Thorn Hill, if she hadn’t intervened, I don’t know where I would be. And she only came to Alabama for our wedding. Don’t you think we should turn over every rock?”

Reed smiled patiently, and it grated on my nerves. “Yes, I believe in turning over every rock, but this one? Inviting paranormal investigators back to Sugar Hill doesn’t feel like the wisest course of action. We have not had good experiences with that type of interaction, Avery. In case you forgot.”

“I haven’t forgotten anything. What do you suggest we do, then? Nothing?”

Now it was Reed’s turn to get angry. “That’s not what I said at all, and you know it.”

“I’m not sure I do know it. Give me another suggestion, Reed. We’ve got cops and detectives up the ying-yang and nothing to show for it. Not a single clue except that video and the eyewitness testimony of about two hundred people. She vanished. She disappeared. In our ballroom!” He didn’t answer me. “Jessica’s parents deserve to know what happened to her, Reed.”

My husband sank back in the light brown leather chair, looking deflated. He’d given up. I knew that about him. I could read his tells. “Fine, Avery. You do what you want, like you’re going to anyway. But don’t blame me if they stir something up.”

I looked him squarely in the eye and said, “That spirit is gone, Reed, and he can’t come back.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed, Avery.” With that, he stalked out of my office. He knew I couldn’t chase him, not with this cast on my leg. What exactly was he insinuating? That I wanted Ambrose to return? I glanced down at the ring I inherited from my great-aunt. This little heirloom had tied all the matrones to Ambrose, to the Lovely Man, and it had once been a powerful item. The ring slipped off my finger easily now, and I sighed as I slid it back on. Once upon a time, the ring had been immovable, at least until the wearer was near death.

The Lovely Man’s power was no more. Whatever magic tied us together had been broken.

And to my utter horror, I knew Reed was right, although I would never admit that to another living soul. Especially not him. Even after everything—Jamie’s suicide, Summer’s departure from Sugar Hill, the death of Handsome Cheever and now Jessica’s disappearance—the loss of Ambrose saddened me. But why? I had everything a woman could want. A handsome husband, great wealth. I owned not one but two old historic homes and led a large, tight-knit family with a fine old name.

I hated myself for this strange sadness. Ambrose Dufresne, my ancestor, had stolen so much from us. How could I miss that murderous ghost?

You’re sick in the head, Avery. That’s how.

I shook away the image of his dark hair falling across his warm eyes, the sight of his red lips curled up in a smile. This strange feeling was further proof that we needed help.

I picked up the phone and called Mike DeLuca, Jessica’s former boss at My Haunted Plantation. He’d taken her disappearance hard and had wanted to investigate Sugar Hill for clues from the beginning, but the board of trustees had not been willing to grant him permission. But I didn’t give a damn now. I had veto power. I was the matrone, the leader of our large, demanding family, and this was my decision to make. The only person who could truly overrule me was Summer, and she’d left for Georgia soon after Jessica disappeared.

“Mike? This is Avery Dufresne. I’ve decided to allow you access to investigate Sugar Hill. When can you get started?”

“I can be there in the morning, Avery. Thank you.” He sounded stunned to hear from me.

“One condition, though.” I chewed my lip. “I want to be in on the investigation.”

Mike paused and then said, “I don’t know, Avery. Didn’t you break your leg?”

I rubbed the cast. “Yes, but I can still get around. I have a chair and crutches.”

“That might not be a good idea, what with your sensitivity and all. You know, with the ring and the…”

“Stop hedging. You sound like Reed. Look, I want to find Jessica too. I want to help. I know that I have some sort of weird energy. Maybe you can use it. I want to try. I have to.”

Mike sighed, and I tried not to think about how much he really did sound like Reed just now. Was I getting on everyone’s nerves or what? Too bad. I was still the matrone, and Sugar Hill was my property. “I guess we could use your help, Avery, but in a limited way. I’m not willing to put you at risk, not if there’s something funky going on down there.”

“I understand. Thanks, Mike. Call me when you make it into town. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” He hung up, apparently eager to pack and get on the road. I chewed my bottom lip and slid the wheelchair out from under the desk. I wasn’t a pro at navigating this thing, but I would rather die than ask Reed to help me right now. I mumbled to myself thinking about how I would handle the fight that was coming. I had no illusions about this. Reed was a lawyer, and he wasn’t going to fold up like a cheap suit. I wished to God he’d see reason.

With a few bumps and false starts, I managed to guide the chair out from behind the desk. My thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound in the hallway. I heard a small child crying, but there weren’t any children at Thorn Hill. I ran through a quick checklist of possible suspects. The child sounded too young to be Dolly Jane, and she hadn’t been here for days.

“Hello?” I called as I pushed the chair toward the door. I paused, but the heartbreaking crying continued. It was coming from the hallway. I opened the door, eased the chair back and craned my neck around the door. There was no child in the hallway.

There was no one at all. Just the faint aroma of spicy cologne and cigarettes.

An aroma I knew all too well.

Chapter Two – Arnold Lee

His head felt woozy like that time he had the flu. If he concentrated really hard, squinted his eyes and got really still, Arnold Lee could almost hear the lady singing. He couldn’t understand why he could not hear her clearly; he’d never had this problem before. Whenever the lady sang to him, her songs had always been crystal clear. He listened as hard as he could because he felt he ought to hear her, but he couldn’t.

“Come on, son. Daddy’s got you now.” Arnold Lee’s father picked him up from the bed, and he tried to answer him. He thought he said, “Okay, Daddy,” but his lips wouldn’t move. It was like he was stuck inside his body. He could think but not speak or move or even cry…and the funny thing was, it didn’t bother him at all. Maybe he would float away like a feather or a balloon. And maybe he would float all the way up to heaven. Yeah, that would be cool because he would see his grandfather if he went to heaven. Daddy felt tense; his voice sounded broken just like that horrible day when he told Arnold Lee Grandpa had died.

“What did you do to my son, Alice Marie?”

“He’ll be fine, Lucas. The doctor said he might have to adjust the medication to get it right, but he’s just fine. Leave him be! I’m not letting you take him from me.”

Arnold Lee could hear them arguing, but his father never let him go and he was glad. He liked it at his father’s house; the house used to belong to his grandfather, and there was so much to explore and memories of Grandpa in every corner. Arnold Lee loved the old silver refrigerator where he hung his artwork. And the lady sang better there too. He would hear her clearly there for sure. Arnold Lee loved his mother, but she made him feel like he was bad all the time. He couldn’t help it if he heard the special songs. His mother didn’t like most of his pictures either, especially when he drew pictures of the girl with sad eyes and now the little boy. No, she did not like seeing any of his artwork unless it was a picture of a cat or a dog or a house or something else boring.

His parents were tussling again. “You hit me one more time, Alice Marie, and I’ll have you arrested. I mean it.”

His mother started to cry. He wanted to say something like, “It’s okay, Mommy,” but he still couldn’t speak.

“Go ahead and call the police, Lucas Cheever. I haven’t done anything except try to help our son. He’s hearing voices and seeing things. The doctor says he is—”

His father tensed again and pulled Arnold Lee closer to his chest. “Don’t you say another word. There’s nothing wrong with this boy. And if you give him anything else, ever, even a vitamin, I’ll make sure you never see him again. Now, move out of my way. Our son needs to go to the hospital.”

Me? Why am I going to the hospital? Did I break something?

“Are you threatening me, Lucas? Threatening me with that big name of yours? Now you’re a Dufresne and you think you’re better than me.”

Arnold Lee was outside now. It was cool outside and the stars sparkled above him, but their shine had a strange glow to them like he was seeing them from underwater. He squinted his eyes again but could not see any better. Not at all.

“You’re not a real Dufresne. You know that, don’t you? Don’t for a minute think you’re better than me, Lucas Cheever. You’re the son of a chauffeur. A broke-down, crazy old man who—”

His father laid him on the back seat and closed the door. His parents were still arguing but only for a few seconds. His father was in the car now, and the vehicle was moving. Or maybe it just felt that way. Arnold Lee really needed to go pee, but he couldn’t tell Daddy because his mouth wouldn’t work. He hoped he didn’t have an accident on himself, like a baby. But if he did, Daddy wouldn’t spank him. He would understand that his body didn’t work. He always understood those kinds of things.

“Hold on, son. I’ve got you. We’re going to get you some help.”

Again he said, “Okay, Daddy,” but no words came out. And then he closed his eyes. He felt sleepy, like he did on Christmas Eve when he tried his best to stay up all night to see Santa Claus. It never worked. He always fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a bright room. His blanket was soft and folded neatly under his arms. This wasn’t his room. There were no baseball pennants hanging on the walls, no bookshelf full of books and trinkets and no pictures of his father and grandfather. He loved those pictures. When he wasn’t wearing his grandfather’s hat, Arnold Lee always placed it by his picture. It just felt like it belonged there. Sometimes Arnold Lee imagined Grandpa would pop his head in his room and say, “Hey! Have you seen my hat?”

“Daddy?” he whispered as he blinked his eyes a few times. Yes, his father was here. He slept in the chair by his bed. Arnold Lee knew he was in a hospital. He had to be. He had a tube in his arm, which felt sore, and a strange machine beeped and blinked beside him. What happened? Were we in a car accident? “Daddy?”

“Arnold Lee…there you are. Thank God! Nurse!” Was Daddy crying? “I’ve been so worried about you.”

“What happened to me? Am I going to die?”

“No, son. You’re not going to die. Not for a long, long time.” His father took his hand and held it tight. That sure made Arnold Lee feel better. Daddy kissed his cheek and near about smothered Arnold Lee with a strong hug. His father was so happy to see him. “You were sick, but now you’re better. All better.” Man, I must have been really sick, Arnold Lee thought as a nurse ran into the room and left just as quickly.

“Where’s Mom? Did she come too?”

His father hesitated but then answered, “She was here, but she’s gone home now. Reed came to see you too, but right now it’s just you and me.”

Arnold Lee smiled even though he felt tired. “You and me, Daddy.”

“Yep. Just you and me.” His father squeezed his hand now. “Would you like that, Arnold Lee? Would you like it to be just you and me?”

“What do you mean?” Arnold Lee yawned and tried to think, but he needed a nap.

“I mean would you…”

But then Daddy’s words disappeared and his eyes felt so heavy. So sleepy. And he must have slept for a good long time because when he opened his eyes again, it was dark in the room. Daddy wasn’t there now, but he could smell his cologne and he knew he must have just left. He didn’t feel afraid, but he was hungry and he had to go pee again.

And then he heard the lady singing as clear as a bell. Like she was on a radio nearby. Yes, he knew her voice but did not recognize this particular song.

Oh, every time it rains,
It rains pennies from heaven.
Don’t you know each cloud contains
Pennies from heaven?

Oh, don’t sing about rain, lady. I gotta pee! He decided then and there that he would have to go to the bathroom. It was just on the other side of the room. He slid out of the bed and quickly realized that the tube in his arm was attached to the beeping machine. What was he supposed to do? “Hey! I gotta go to the bathroom,” he shouted, hoping that someone would hear him. But nobody came. If he pulled the tube out it might hurt, but he had to pee really bad. He wanted to cry, he had to go so bad. “Hey! Help me go to the bathroom.” He ripped off the tape as the lady kept singing. Her words were so clear now.

You’ll find your fortune
Fallin’ all over town.
Be sure that your umbrella is upside down.

His legs felt wobbly, and he was embarrassed to notice that he had no pants on. Feeling desperate, he pulled the needle out of his arm and began to cry when he saw the blood. He put his hand on the tiny hole it left behind and walked to the bathroom. He repeated the words to the song as he relieved himself, trying to think about something besides his bloody wound.

Where is Daddy?

Arnold Lee tidied up his arm with some paper towels and wiped his tears away. Surely his father would be back soon. He would never leave Arnold Lee here by himself. Not when he had been so sick. And the music played on.

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers.
If you want the things you love,
You must have showers.
So when you hear it thunder,
Don’t run under a tree.
There’ll be pennies from heaven
For you and me.

“Don’t run under a tree? Got it, lady. I got it,” Arnold Lee repeated as he reached for the door. That’s when he heard shuffling in the shower. Like someone was hiding there, someone who didn’t want him to find them.

“Daddy?”

Arnold Lee kept the paper towel pressed to his arm for a few seconds but then tossed it away. With shaking fingers, he reached for the curtain. He didn’t really want to pull it back, but he had to. He had to take a peek. Yes, he could see shoes, small shoes peeking out from under the plastic curtain. Old shoes, though. Not cool tennis shoes, not like his shoes.

“Hello?”

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Arnold Lee bravely slung the curtain back, but now the shoes were gone. Whoever was there was gone.

But Arnold Lee knew he wasn’t alone.

And the lady was singing up a storm.

Chapter Three – Mike DeLuca

I shut the back door of the van and waited for Jeffrey Becker to show up. This wasn’t the time for the kid to be late. We had a six-hour drive ahead of us, and every minute that ticked by made me more aggravated and worried for Jessica. I should have already been in Belle Fontaine. I shouldn’t have taken no for an answer the first time. Why it took Avery so long to agree to allow me in, I had no idea, but that did not sit well with me.

I knew Avery cared about Jessica “like a little sister” according to her, but if that was the case, why not let us investigate? Maybe it was the money. I had the distinct impression that money had something to do with it. Some of those old Southern families were really wary of bad press and its effects on their pocketbooks. I didn’t want to believe that about Avery, but then again, you never truly know about people. But to bottom-line it, I wasn’t really mad at Avery, Summer or any of those money-grubbing Dufresnes.

I was mad at myself.

All that time I was wasting time with Megan when Jessica Chesterfield had been the one I really cared about. But Jessica was too good for me. Too kind, too pure. Way too good for a washed-up ghost hunter. That’s what I believed, and now she was gone. Well, if Jess and I had gotten together, I wouldn’t have found Tina. Things happen for a reason, I supposed, but I would always care about Jess and wanted to find her safe.

Becker pulled up in his beater—when was he going to replace that thousand-year-old Honda? He got out with a wave, dragging his wrinkled duffel bag with him. His usual lopsided grin was absent, but he nodded and mumbled “good morning” at me. Yeah, Jessica’s absence had hit him hard too. The usually energetic, wise-cracking tech assistant appeared to have lost his bravado. I’d heard he’d had a difficult time since his firing from the show, but he deserved it. He’d been caught faking evidence, setting up digital recorders to play spooky sounds and the like. Becker would never officially work in the paranormal field again, but we weren’t working for a network this time. We were headed south for Jessica.

Surely he wouldn’t pull a stunt like that on this investigation. Not when Jessica’s life was at stake. Yeah, I was so desperate to find her that I’d even invited Megan to join us too, but she begged off. I was kind of glad.

Becker and I didn’t talk for a few minutes. He stowed his bag in the back of the van, slid into the passenger seat and buckled up. Then he finally asked, “What’s the game plan, Mike? I know you have one.”

I didn’t. Not really, but I wasn’t going to admit defeat before I started; I had to exude confidence. I was the leader of this rescue mission. “She disappeared in the ballroom, so we’ll focus our attention on that area. We’ll do EVPs, set up the laser grid and use the motion detector.”

“So, jack squat.” Okay, I wasn’t fooling him. “We don’t know what the hell we’re doing, Mike. It’s like stabbing at the darkness, at a ghost, no less.” Becker rubbed his eyes, and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked bad. Why hadn’t I noticed it before? Had he been drinking? “This equipment is only going to work if she’s dead. You know that, right?”

“Jessica ain’t dead, and she’s no ghost. Don’t say crap like that.”

“I didn’t say she was a ghost, Mike. I’m sorry, man. I’m just… I can’t believe she’s gone—vanished into thin air, I heard. How could she just disappear like that?” I had no answers for him, and he continued, “Do you think the Dufresnes had something to do with her disappearance? I mean, they are a weird-ass family, Mike. Trust me, I dated one of them. What if Jessica found another skeleton in a wall? Or uncovered some other secret? Maybe they made her disappear.”

“I’m going into this with an open mind. I don’t think Avery would let us in there if she’d done something to Jess. We don’t know anything yet, so let’s just keep our eyes and ears open. Anything is possible.”

I turned onto the interstate as a lump rose in my throat. This couldn’t be the end of Jessica. It couldn’t be. After jockeying for position on the highway, I hit cruise control.

“I had a dream about her, Mike.”

“Who?”

“Jessica, of course.” He pulled his hat down over his eyes. “She had on this big, poofy dress that had, like, gold lace around the bottom. She didn’t look quite the same.”

“Tell me more,” I said. “What else do you remember?”

“Her hair was different too. You know how she always wears it down? In this dream, it was up, like in a fancy bun twist thingy. I swear, she was talking to me, Mike, but I didn’t understand a word she said.”

“Well, try, Beck!” I clutched the steering wheel tighter as if it would make the ride go faster. “Think!”

He kicked his hat up and leaned forward. “I have tried, believe me, I have. She sounded like she was calling my name at first. Like she was underwater. Sounded real muffled. You think she is in the pond?”

“No, they would have found her body in that tiny pond.” I had never been a big believer in dreams, but what else did we have to go on right now? “Did she do anything? Did you notice anything else?”

“She waved at me like she wanted me to follow her. I heard music playing, old-fashioned ballroom music.”

“The ballroom is where she disappeared,” I reminded him. “Okay, we know we have to investigate that room. If you think of anything else, see anything else, let me know.”

“Yeah, okay.” Another few miles passed before he asked, “Anyone else investigating with us? Are we it? No Megan, I presume.”

“No. Megan couldn’t get away. She has this thing she has to do.” Why was I making excuses for my ex-girlfriend? Honestly, Megan didn’t want to get involved, pure and simple. I tapped my fingers on the wheel, feeling anxious to get this drive behind us. Too bad it was such a long one.

“Sure she does. Megan always has a thing. Mostly for herself. I’m surprised you guys made it so long.”

I shook my head as I eased around a slow-moving vehicle. “Yeah, well, Tina and I are very happy. Megan’s ancient history.”

He pulled his hat back down. “Good, because that woman was a cheater, my friend.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked suspiciously. And why would you bring this up now?

“Nothing.” He tugged his jacket tighter around himself. “Forget I said anything. I’m going to take a nap if you don’t mind. I haven’t been sleeping too well.”

“Fine, but I’m going to turn on the radio. I have to have something to occupy my mind and keep me awake. You always were a horrible road trip partner.”

“Yeah, I’m horrible at a lot of things. I don’t care about the radio; play it as loud as you want. My apartment is next to a railroad. I’ve learned to sleep through anything…when I can sleep, anyway.” He leaned his seat back, determined to catch forty winks.

I flipped on a random talk radio station and listened to the talking heads hammering out the pros and cons of an issue I cared nothing about. Like always. I hated politics, but at least it would keep me awake. Becker wasn’t the only one not sleeping. It wasn’t like I had dreams or anything, but I did see Jessica every time I closed my eyes.

What if Becker was right? What if the Dufresnes did have something to do with Jessica’s “disappearance?” Nah, I couldn’t give credence to that idea. If it were true, why would Avery call me? Unless the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing. Maybe another Dufresne got rid of her, like Summer or that old bastard with the big mouth. What was his name? Danny or something.

I tried to get into the lively discussion on the radio. Not happening. “Nope. I don’t believe any of you guys,” I muttered as I cut it off.

“What?”

“Sorry. Talking to myself.”

Becker stared at me with one open eye. “O-kay. Don’t make it a habit, dude. People might think you’re losing it.”

I decided to turn the radio back on but changed the channel. Maybe some music would soothe my mind? I hated pop music and luckily came across a jazz station. Old jazz, too.

“Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven,” I sang along to the tune that floated from the speakers. I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but this song…it just made you want to sing along. When it ended, I wiped the moisture from my eyes. Why this song made me cry, I couldn’t say.

I’m coming, Jess. I’m coming, and I will find you. Don’t be dead. Please, don’t be dead.

Chapter Four – Avery

My determination to remain aloof and avoid asking for Reed’s help didn’t last long. I felt sweaty and needed a bath in a major way, and I just couldn’t do it alone. You’ve gotten soft, Avery. Real soft, I reminded myself. As soon as you get out of this cast, you’re going to the gym. Just after you shave that leg. Luckily, Reed was gracious, even modestly flirtatious. Nothing says “I love you” like wrapping your sweetheart’s cast in a garbage bag to keep it from getting wet as she soaks in a tub.

I really ought to treat this man better.

“Feeling better, Avery?” he asked as he handed me a couple of towels and retrieved the clothing I asked for. It was a polite question if a little impersonal. There was none of our usual banter.

“I hate this, you know.” I mopped my face with a towel and handed it to him.

“Hate what?” After he helped me finish drying off, he tossed my towels in the hamper and handed me my clothing.

“How we are right now. I wish you would trust me, Reed.”

He ran his hand through his dark hair, and I almost caught my breath at how handsome my husband was. Forget Hollywood celebrities. Reed Dufresne was the real deal. I’d dated handsome men before. It wasn’t like that was the only reason I married him. I loved Reed. We had a rare chemistry, or at least it was rare for me.

“Trust works both ways, Avery.” He sat down on the edge of the bed as I finished putting on my underwear. I didn’t say much as I brushed my hair. I’d cut it off not long ago, but it was growing back fast. I was kind of glad.

“Why shouldn’t we bring Mike in? It’s not like he doesn’t already know our darkest secrets. If anyone knows how to reach Jessica, it would be someone in his field. He has all kinds of equipment and tons of experience.”

Reed put his hands in his pockets and surveyed me as I slid my tiny diamond earrings into my ears, wheeled over to my vanity and started on my makeup. “Mike is a reality television celebrity,” he said. “As far as I know, there is no diploma given for ghost busting. You’ve hired people before. Would you hire someone with just those credentials? Come on.”

I put the makeup brush down and eased my chair back around. “I am not proposing we put him on the payroll, but you can’t deny he has a lot of experience with contacting spirits.”

Reed shook his head. “So you think she’s dead?”

I wasn’t prepared for that question. I sure didn’t want to believe that or give up hope on finding Jessica alive, but she’d undoubtedly stepped into a different time, or realm, or something. I mean, Reed had seen her video too. He knew what she said she was trying to do, and if I believed her, she’d done it once before.

“Mike DeLuca doesn’t know what we know. He hasn’t had a ghost follow his family for centuries. He is not a Dufresne. I mean, he knows some of the family history but not all of it. And we’ve had enough scandal as of late. It is time for healing, Avery.”

“The only people who could help us are gone, Reed. Summer left for another state. Handsome gave his life to free us from Ambrose. Pepper is gone now too. Who do you have in mind?” I wasn’t trying to be unreasonable. I really didn’t have any other clues about how to find Jessica.

“Those aren’t the only Dufresnes who have special abilities, Avery.” His cryptic smile disturbed me. “We could invite some of the others. Quietly, of course, without the television crew here.”

“I’m clueless as to who you are suggesting. Care to enlighten me? I’m the new kid on the block, remember?”

“There’s Dolly Jane and Arnold Lee. And even Danforth. They are just a few of our family members who have special strengths like the kind we need.”

“Danforth? I had no idea. What does he…never mind. I’m sure I don’t want to know. Do you think they’d be willing to help us? Maybe we could have our own investigation at Sugar Hill before Mike gets here.”

“Or if we find answers, we wouldn’t even need Mike,” Reed answered hopefully. I couldn’t understand his reluctance. If this was such a great idea, why hadn’t he suggested it before? I decided against asking him. Reed wasn’t the kind of guy who was overly jealous, so I got the feeling that something else was bothering him.

“I’ve already asked Mike to come, Reed. He’s on the way, but he won’t be here until tomorrow.”

“Let’s at least try. Dolly Jane is already at Sugar Hill. Her family came up this week. Danforth will come too if his matrone asks him to; I can relay that message for you. Arnold Lee, though…I’m not really sure about Lucas allowing that. Not after what happened with Alice Marie. They’re in the middle of a divorce and a tough custody battle. You’ll have to make that call. Maybe you could offer to help.”

“I have offered a number of times, but I can try again.” I chewed my lip and thought about Reed’s proposal. Lucas was in a difficult situation, but he was a Dufresne now. He’d have to step up to the plate when called upon. We were family. “I will give him a call. Can’t hurt to ask. I’m going to call Summer too. She should know about this.”

“All right. Sounds like a plan. Let’s go eat, and then we can rally the troops.” Reed squatted down beside me. “I love you, Avery. I hope you know that.”

“Yes, I do know that. I never doubted it.” We kissed, and then my husband patiently eased my chair through the bedroom door and pushed me down the hall. As we passed the large mirror in the hallway, I frowned at my reflection. The bath didn’t help much. I looked a hot mess in my cast and unfinished makeup. I smiled at Reed’s handsome reflection and he smiled back.

Only the reflection had shifted, and the man smiling back at me wasn’t Reed anymore.

Chapter Five – Arnold Lee

Daddy picked up the phone and walked into the living room to talk to the caller. Arnold Lee didn’t know why he bothered doing that. Grandpa’s house was very small, and Arnold Lee could hear everything from his spot at the kitchen table. Unless his father went upstairs. He could hear less if Daddy went up there, but he didn’t bother trying to listen to his conversation. He wasn’t going to be nosy, and the lady’s song still played in his head. He wasn’t woozy anymore and could hear perfectly.

Humming her tune, Arnold Lee opened the new box of crayons and enjoyed the smell. He closed his eyes and smiled. He also had a new drawing pad and lots of magnets for hanging his art on the refrigerator. His father bought him all these things when he got out of the hospital. Arnold Lee continued to hum to himself as he drew his latest masterpiece. He knew exactly what he wanted to draw. He reached for the brown crayon and drew himself and his grandfather standing by the long black car. He used the blue crayon for his grandfather’s hat, and he colored one on his head too just for fun. Wouldn’t it be neat if they both had hats? He drew his grandfather waving at him and put a smile on his face with a red crayon. He missed Grandpa. He liked riding in his special car. It had a radio in the back seat and a little refrigerator with tiny bottles of water. Arnold Lee really liked that.

Try as he might, he couldn’t ignore his father’s phone conversation. Daddy was mad at someone, but it didn’t sound like his mother calling. His parents were getting a d-i-v-o-r-c-e. That’s what Daddy told their friend Larry. Arnold Lee guessed it was extra bad if you had to spell it, but he knew how to spell and also how to count to a thousand. He was pretty smart. And he knew what divorce meant too. He tried not to think about it too much. He had too much to draw, too many songs to learn.

As the lady sang, he continued to draw. His creation was almost finished. He grabbed a green crayon for the grass and trees, but the picture felt incomplete. Like he was missing something or someone.

He closed his eyes and waited. It would come to him. He would know how to fix this. He held his breath and counted to ten. Ah, yes! That’s who was missing. Jessie, with the big, sad eyes. He put her face at the corner of the picture, like she was photo-bombing Arnold Lee and his grandfather. Yeah, that’s what they called it when you snuck in a picture and you weren’t invited. He didn’t like the paleness of her skin. She had always been pale, but now she was paler. And her lips were thin, like she was thirsty or something.

The lady sang about the pennies, so he penciled them in. He had to use a pencil or else the pennies would look like brown blobs of snow. Luckily, he had one and a blue pen too.

“He doesn’t know anything, Avery. I’m sorry.” Daddy hung up the phone and poured himself a glass of tea. Arnold Lee had Kool-Aid, but he was focused now, entirely focused on getting this right. Daddy opened his checkbook and calculator. He tapped on the little black machine a few times and wrote in his checkbook. After a few minutes, both Arnold Lee and his father had completed their tasks. “What do you have there, son?” he asked as he scooted closer. “Another masterpiece, I see.”

“Yep. I think so,” Arnold Lee answered. He slid the picture toward his father and sipped his red drink. His mother never let him have red Kool-Aid. He sure did like it even if it did make his tummy feel extra excited sometimes.

His father stared at the picture and put his finger over Grandpa’s face. “Is that your grandfather, Arnold Lee? Does he visit you?”

“No, but I can see him in that picture. I think he’s busy. He has a lot to do now.”

“What about her? Who is this?” Arnold Lee stared at him. He felt a little disappointed that his father didn’t know who that was. Was his drawing that bad? “Did you hear me, son? Who is this?”

What should he say? His mother had warned him about telling people about the things he saw, and he didn’t actually see Jessie. Not in person, like his father or that kid in the shower at the hospital.

“You don’t have to hide anything from me, son. I can take the truth. Tell me the truth, Arnold Lee. I won’t punish you.”

“Okay, Daddy. That’s my friend Jessie. You know her.”

His father caught his breath and rubbed his hand over his mouth. He sometimes did that when he was nervous about something, like when his favorite football team played a championship game on television. “Can you see Jessica? It’s real important. Tell me.”

“Not all the time. She just kind of pops up when I draw. I won’t be thinking about her, but there she is…and she wants to be in my pictures. She likes them.”

“I’m sure she does. Let me see them, please.”

“Okay,” Arnold Lee answered. He ran upstairs and grabbed his stack of secret pictures. He put them in front of his father and stood nervously beside him. “She is in a lot of pictures. I am not in trouble, right?”

“No, no trouble.” His father wasn’t listening, though. He was shuffling through the pictures. There was Jessie in a big dress at a dance, dancing with an invisible man. In another picture, she was running and a man was chasing her. Arnold Lee did not know the man, but he was sure he was going to hurt her.

“Arnold Lee, I have something important to ask you. You can say no if you want to. I won’t be mad.”

He didn’t know what else to say except, “Okay, Daddy.”

“You know Jessica is missing. Avery wants to find her, and she thinks you can help. Do you think you can do that?”

Arnold Lee scratched his head. “How can I help?” Had they forgotten he was just a kid? Grown-ups never asked kids to help them. This must be really bad for Jessie.

“I’m not really sure, but Avery wants us to come to Sugar Hill this afternoon. Maybe we can search for clues and you can show her your artwork. If you want to.”

Arnold Lee smiled proudly at that idea. “I want to find Jessie. Nobody should be lost forever.”

“You have to promise me, Arnold Lee. You can’t tell your mother about this. You can’t. She won’t understand, and she’ll try to fix you by giving you medicine again. She might even take you back to that crazy preacher. Promise me you won’t tell her anything. I can’t lose you, son.”

Arnold Lee didn’t like lying to people, especially his mother, who always seemed to know when he did. He felt as if the weight of the whole world rested on his shoulders, but he would try for Daddy. And for Jessie. And as his father had explained before, it wasn’t quite lying. It was just not telling everything.

“What do we do?” Arnold Lee asked as he leaned forward in his seat.

His father rubbed the condensation off his tea glass with his finger. He never put ice in his drinks, but that tea was pretty cold. Arnold Lee learned about con-den-sa-tion from his science teacher, Mrs. Milford. She was big into science, except for bugs. She did not like bugs. Daddy looked worried and unhappy but more unhappy than worried.

“What is it, Daddy?”

“I don’t know, Arnold Lee. Just a feeling I have.” He picked up Arnold Lee’s picture and touched the faces again. “Hey, where am I in this picture? Don’t I get a hat too?”

“No. But you have to wear boots. You’ll need some boots, I think. And some work clothes so your good clothes don’t get dirty.”

Daddy’s smile disappeared. Suddenly, he hugged Arnold Lee. He hugged him tight. He sobbed once but didn’t actually cry. Arnold Lee was glad about that. He didn’t like seeing anyone cry, much less his big strong father.

They didn’t talk any more about it, just hugged for a minute before Daddy went to make his phone call. Arnold Lee figured that was good enough. Hugs were much better than words.

Always.

Chapter Six – Avery

“This isn’t the first time someone has disappeared from Sugar Hill,” Danforth’s voice boomed through the empty ballroom. He was so loud he didn’t need a microphone. God, I disliked this man. He’d been such a jerk in the past, especially to Pepper and during that whole thing with Bray. But he’d been repentant, and Reed had advised me about keeping my friends close and my enemies closer. Somehow, Danforth and I had managed to work together, but it was still difficult to trust him. I expected loyalty in every relationship, and when someone proved untrustworthy, I didn’t usually give them a second chance. I wasn’t convinced Danforth was going to be any help to us at all, but for Reed, I would go on a little faith.

I shivered at remembering the weird reflection in the mirror at Thorn Hill. Surely that had been a trick of the light. Your pain medication. Anything but a ghost.

“Nope. Not the first,” he repeated proudly. As usual, Danforth sported one of his rumpled Matlock suits, and today he appeared a touch flushed around the nose and cheeks. He did like the occasional nip of bourbon. Kind of early for that, though, wasn’t it?

“Are you referring to Regina Dufresne and her mother? I’d say their disappearance has been solved.” If I sounded like a smartass, it was all right. I meant to. “I think we know Arthur Dufresne walled them up. He left them to die in the most horrible way possible.”

Danforth snapped back, “That was a little before my time and yours too, Avery. We really have no idea who put them there.”

I shook my head prepared to argue when Reed touched my shoulder. Did he really want to get involved in this skirmish? Before I could say another word, Dolly Jane walked in. How old was she now? Kids these days looked way older than they actually were. She wore her hair straight, as was the fashion, and had on fitted blue jeans and a cute polka-dot top. She barely limped at all.

“Hey, Dolly. Your mother can join us too if she wants to.”

“She’s busy at the moment. We’re heading back home in just a little while. But we’ll be back for the holidays. Try not to miss me.” Her backpack purse plunked on the ground, and she sat in the chair opposite me. She took out her cell phone and began tapping on it.

“I’ll try,” I joked back.

“Have you talked to Aunt Summer recently?” Dolly Jane asked. She ignored Danforth, who snorted like he had something to say but wisely chose not to say it.

“I left her a message earlier but haven’t heard anything. Have you?”

“No.” Dolly Jane shook her head, making her hair shimmer. “If you do talk to her, tell her to call me.” She finished her text or whatever it was and shoved her phone in her shiny purse.

“Okay,” I replied, trying not to feel like I’d been passed over for cool “Aunt” Summer. Dolly Jane was technically our cousin, but the age difference made it appropriate for her to think of us as her aunts. “Hey, Lucas! Arnold Lee! Glad you could make it.”

Arnold Lee headed our way with a big grin. He had a stack of artwork in his hands, and I could tell he was dying to show me what he had created. He was such a sweet boy. He reminded me so much of his grandfather, who had been one of a kind. Like Handsome, Arnold Lee lived in his own world and was quite happy there.

Like Jessica, too.

“Wow. Look at these beautiful pictures. You’re really turning into a regular Picasso, Arnold Lee.” I couldn’t help but notice an odd character in each of these pictures, a familiar-looking young woman with large eyes and thin arms. Her green dress and pink lips were captivating. “Is this…who is this, Arnold Lee?” Better not to put words in his mouth. Let him tell me.

“Jessie,” the boy answered. He sounded kind of hurt that I didn’t immediately recognize her.

“I knew that. I was just teasing you. What is she doing here, Arnold Lee? Lying down on a bed? And this one. Ooh, I like this one. Tell me about this one.” A black shadow hovered behind her, and a dark hand reached for her shoulder. Her cartoon face had no smile, and her lips looked as if she was going to scream. It could be just his imagination. Right?

“I’m not sure. That’s just what I saw. She doesn’t talk much.”

I glanced at Reed, who was also studying the pictures. We passed them around, and everyone took a seat in the circle of chairs Reed had arranged in the center of the ballroom. He had been careful to put them around the spot where Jessica had disappeared. “Arnold Lee, thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. It really means a lot. Are you going to let me keep one?”

He nodded and selected one. As he handed it to me, tears welled up in my eyes. It was certainly Handsome and Arnold Lee near the old limo. Jessica’s face was in the foreground of this drawing.

“My favorite. I will put it on my refrigerator.”

Dolly Jane pulled her legs up in her chair and said, “I was there that night, Avery. I saw Jessica vanish. I was dancing and everything was perfect, and then she was gone.”

“Did she say anything to you before? Anything at all? What about you, Lucas?”

“I didn’t get to speak with her, but she was smiling, like she saw someone she knew. I thought she was smiling at Aunt Summer, but she kind of looked past her. You know how she sometimes got that dreamy look on her face? Well, it was like that. And then she started running and then…it was kind of like she walked through an invisible door.”

Lucas said, “I didn’t pay attention, I’m sad to say. Sorry I can’t be more help.”

“What about you, Danforth? Did you see Jessica that evening?” Reed asked.

Danforth’s face reddened, and I wondered if he would walk out of the ballroom. The older man did not appear comfortable with this topic of conversation. “I wondered why you wanted me here. I guess I know now.”

“Did you see her, Danforth?” I echoed. I had to know.

“Yes, I saw her. It’s like Dolly Jane said. One minute, she was running, and the next, she was gone. I told Summer all this. Where is she? She should be here.”

I glanced at Reed suspiciously. Didn’t Danforth know that Summer had left Belle Fontaine? Was he drunk, or did he just not remember? “As far as I know, Danforth, Summer is in Georgia and in no hurry to come back home. I wish she were here too, but she’s not. It’s just us now.”

“I knew that. I just thought she would be here.”

I addressed the whole group. “Time is not on our side, family. I thought the police would be able to find Jessica, but it’s apparently not within their power. It might be in yours, though.”

Reed added, “Which is why you all are here. Avery and I hope that together we can get to the bottom of this. We want to know what happened to Jessica Chesterfield. We refuse to let another tragedy happen on our watch.”

Lucas pulled Arnold Lee into his lap and said, “I don’t know how my son can help, except to show you his pictures. What do you want from us?”

I sighed. That was a good question; I didn’t really know what we expected. This had been Reed’s idea to begin with. Thankfully, he picked up the reins of the conversation.

“Each one of you is a Dufresne, and with that bloodline sometimes comes special powers. Not every one of us has these, but you four do: Avery, Danforth, Dolly Jane and Arnold Lee. No, make that five.” He eyed Lucas, and even though he didn’t say what he was thinking, I knew what he meant. And even you, Lucas, if only you were willing to admit it. “If we work together, maybe we can figure out where Jessica is and bring her home.”

“How do you propose we do that, Reed? I’m no ghostbuster,” Danforth spouted off snidely.

Reed continued, ignoring Danforth’s attitude. “Tomorrow, Mike DeLuca from the Paranormal Channel will arrive at Sugar Hill. He’s going to be investigating the house, looking for clues. I think it would help if you all stayed here at the house while he’s here. You’ll be like paranormal antennas—if you see or hear anything, you’ll tell us.”

“You think she’s still alive?” Dolly Jane asked me in a quiet voice.

“Jessica really believes that she went back in time before the ball, and she was trying to do it again. She even left a video recording. She said that time moved differently in the past, that what felt like days there was only a few minutes here. I would say yes, there is a chance.”

“But it’s been weeks, Avery. What if we can’t find her?” Dolly Jane brushed a tear away. I had no idea that Jessica’s disappearance had affected her like this. How insensitive of me!

“I don’t know, Dolly Jane. I don’t know what that will mean, but we have to try. Jessica is a special person, a sweet soul. I can’t walk away from her without at least giving a rescue attempt a shot.”

“What if she doesn’t want to come back, Avery?” Danforth asked quietly. “What if she never wanted to come back?”

“She doesn’t belong there, not in that time. Jessica belongs with us. She has a life, a beautiful life ahead of her. We can’t let her vanish. What about the people who love her? No. I’m not going to give up. Will you help me, Danforth?” I stared right at him. He wasted no time in nodding his head.

“Yes, I’ll help. I’ll stay for a few days.”

“Thank you. What about you, Dolly Jane? Do you think your mother would mind if you guys stayed a little longer?”

She twisted her lips and asked, “Are you going to be here?”

“Yes,” I replied as I smiled at her, “I’ll be here.”

“Okay. I’ll tell her. We will stay.”

“Thanks. Let’s all meet back here for an early supper. Around five?” Everyone agreed except Lucas. Dolly Jane and Danforth left to make their arrangements. I could see Lucas wasn’t happy at all, but he let Arnold Lee out of his lap. The boy skipped and hopped around the ballroom. I watched as he spun around in circles, singing a song he couldn’t possibly know.

What was that? Pennies from Heaven?

“I might lose him, Avery. I might lose Arnold Lee if I let him stay here. Alice Marie wants to take him from me. She thinks he’s crazy. My boy isn’t crazy. I could lose him. You understand that, right?”

“Okay, Lucas. If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. I understand. But he’s drawing Jessica. His help could be important.” He nodded as he flicked tears away. I didn’t blame him for being reluctant, and I wasn’t going to push the issue. Not with so much at stake. “Anything I can do to help you keep Arnold Lee out of harm’s way, I will. You say the word. You are a Dufresne, Lucas. A one-hundred percent, dyed-in-the-wool Dufresne. You and I are blood. Fight for your son and don’t let him go and let us help you. Even if you can’t help with this, I will still help you. You belong with us.”

He wiped at his eyes and nodded with a smile. “Thanks for saying that, Avery. I guess I’ve been kind of stubborn about the whole thing. I don’t want to take something that isn’t really mine. I’ve never been one to ask for help.”

“More proof that we’re related. But the name is yours, Lucas, through Susanna. It matters not at all that we don’t look alike. It’s the blood that flows through our veins. That’s what matters.”

“I know that. It’s just…I guess I’ve been so afraid of losing my son. I kind of lost sight of that.”

“Well, it is understandable. Your life has changed a lot recently.”

“I’ll go home and pack our bags. We can stay one night, but then it’s back to school for Arnold Lee. I have temporary full custody of him, since his hospital stay, and I can’t imagine Alice Marie would ever come here. But if I see he’s afraid or hurting in some way…”

“I would not want either of those things, Lucas.”

“All right. Arnold Lee! Come on, son. We have to go pack. How would you like to stay at Sugar Hill tonight? We could fish in the pond.”

“Yeah! Can I bring my hat too?”

“Sure you can.”

They left us alone in the ballroom. It felt cool in here now. And it was quiet.

“That went better than I expected,” I confessed to Reed. “Especially Danforth. You never told me about him. What is it that makes him so necessary for this project? And Dolly Jane, does she see ghosts?”

“Danforth? Have you ever heard of wicking?”

“You mean with candles?” I asked with a confused expression on my face. I really had no idea what he was talking about.

“Uh, no. Some people can handle objects and tell you exactly who handled them. It’s called wicking. You have to see him in action. When he’s on his game, it is incredible.”

“I see.” I didn’t quite know what to make of that.

“And don’t underestimate Dolly Jane. That young lady is strong, probably the strongest of us all.”

“How do you know that?”

“After dealing with Dufresnes all my life, I have a kind of sixth sense about these things.”

Obviously, he didn’t want to tell me everything, and I was too tired to push him. My leg ached, my medication was wearing off, and I needed a nap. “What about you, Reed? What are your superpowers?” I asked as he pushed me out of the ballroom.

“I’m your husband. That’s superpower enough.”

“Are you trying to say it takes superpowers to be married to me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. Are you hungry? Want to grab some lunch?”

“Yep, I’m starving. But let me drive this thing. If nothing else, I’ll get one heck of an upper-body workout.”

“I know of better ways to do that,” he said with a wink. Yep, it had been awhile.

“Why don’t we skip lunch, then, or postpone it for a little while?” I asked him as I slid the wheelchair into the service elevator. He stepped in beside me and smiled as I pushed the button for the second floor.

“Sounds perfect.” Reed picked me up and kissed me. The doors opened, and he carried me the rest of the way. We left the chair behind.

Chapter Seven – Dominick

I had no explanation for the phantom knocker that so rudely made its presence known last evening. Of course, Madlen took this opportunity to insist that she and Devon remain at Sugar Hill with me. Confused by the whole experience, I was in no shape to argue with her, but neither would I feign hospitality. I made it clear to the nervous governess that if she were to seek shelter in my home, she would tend to herself.

“I have no servants other than Lemuel, and he is too old and feeble to carry water or wait on you hand and foot. There is no one to wait on you here. I insist you leave at first light.” And then I added with some measured steel in my voice, “And you will remain on this floor. Do not come upstairs. My wife needs her rest, and I will not tolerate a child racing up and down the hallway.”

Madlen hastily agreed to my terms and hurried the boy away into one of the dark rooms past the ballroom. I wondered at myself. Why should I care one whit what happened to Champion’s son? If he wished to kill his spawn, who was I to stop him? What a fool the man was! The devil himself could not be more evil than my own brother! Why should I care about the child when Champion had stolen my happiness? Ophelia! It would be justice if I returned the favor. But how? How would I do it?

Despite all my heartache, I would never harm the boy with Champion’s eyes. But my mind was such a poisoned place now that I dared not trust it for too long. Taking the gun and the candle, I walked back up the stairs and returned to my wife’s bedside. As I expected, she had not moved an inch, and now her sheets were soaked with sweat. I immediately set about the task of caring for her. At least she no longer bled.

How many days had it been since I’d seen her open her eyes? How many days had gone by since she’d taken any food or water? How much longer would she live without either one of those things? The doctor cleaned the wound every few days, and at least the man had removed the bullet; beyond that, there was nothing else to be done but wait. The old physician gave me a bottle of medicine that would ease Ophelia’s suffering, but she had not the presence of mind to ask for relief. In her fever, she mumbled things I did not understand, words that were strange to me. Hearing such confusion did not ease my soul.

My back hurt and my mouth felt dry from drink, but I tended to my wife as if she were a child. I piled the soiled laundry outside the door. Lemuel would retrieve the sheets in the morning and clean them in a boiling pot before hanging them out to dry. Bless the old man. He had refused to leave my side, such was his devotion to me.

The hour had grown late, and I heard the whippoorwill calling in the yard below. “Do you hear the birds, my love? Can you hear me?”

The days move so quickly now, Ophelia. Please, come back to me.

I would use all my strength, all my will, and force her to come back to me! She could not deny my love forever. She must return to me. “Ophelia, please, wife. Open your eyes.” I dragged the chair next to the bed and clutched her hand as I folded the blanket under her arms. “Please, dearest. Awaken, my darling. Come back to me.” She neither moved nor answered. I touched her hair and arranged it around her face. I would have to brush it tomorrow. How I used to love to watch her brush her hair, her long slender fingers working the curls with her ivory comb in her careful hands. I laid my head on the bed next to her and closed my eyes. I had no strength left to cry. But at least I could feel her breathing; the bed moved slightly with each breath.

“Please, Ophelia. Come back to me.” A lazy breeze caught the hem of the curtains, and they brushed across my face. I welcomed the cool air even though it doused the only light in the room. Soon, night ceased its sounds and everything grew still; even the whippoorwills had stopped their calling. The only sound I heard was Ophelia’s soft breathing. At least she was still here, in the land of the living. I could not sleep. I would not. What if she slipped away while I slept?

Suddenly, I had an idea, a strange idea but one that might work. I had to at least try.

No, it is wrong! You are a good man! Do not do this. Never make a deal with the devil! the quiet voice in my mind warned me sternly, but desperation choked that voice into silence. How many nights had I prayed? How many times must I plead? And then I decided I would no longer fight the rising tide of despair that wanted to swallow me, to take me under. I would embrace it.

Taking Ophelia’s hand, I did something I had never done before. I spoke to the darkness…

Chapter Eight – Arnold Lee

Arnold Lee loved this palace—well, he knew it wasn’t really a palace, but it looked like one. Sugar Hill was much larger than either of his parents’ homes and even larger than the one they used to share. Arnold Lee got the distinct impression that he belonged here, that this place was a part of him. And even though he couldn’t quite understand what it was he felt, he welcomed it. Yes, it felt just fine being here. He even liked the name, Sugar Hill. He had been here before when he came to the big wedding and saw lots of people; some he knew and some he didn’t, but that didn’t matter because the food was delicious.

But this time was different. Arnold Lee hadn’t been invited as a party guest. He was here for a different reason now. Arnold Lee belonged here. This was home. It would always be home.

“Daddy, are we going to live here now?” he asked hopefully as he unpacked his overnight bag and obediently placed his clothes neatly in the open dresser drawer. He liked this room; it was purple. No, make that lavender, like his favorite crayon.

“No, Arnold Lee. We are not going to live here. We’re just spending the night. Is that okay with you? Why would you think we were moving in?” Arnold Lee’s father chuckled as he put their slippers under the bed.

“I was just wondering.” His father sat on the edge of the bed and patted it. Arnold Lee hopped up and sat beside him. He could see his reflection in the big mirror across the room. Yep. They looked just alike, just like his mother always said.

“I thought you understood why we are here. We’ve come to help Avery find Jessica. Have you forgotten already?”

Arnold Lee frowned. He hadn’t forgotten; he just wanted to talk about it. “Is she lost in the house? There are a lot of rooms here.”

His father shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not really sure. What do you think?”

“I think she is lost. I think she is hurt real bad too.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’m working on a new picture. Would you like to see it?”

His father furrowed his brows and studied his face like Arnold Lee was hiding some secret. He smiled back at him, hoping to reassure his father that everything was a-okay. He didn’t believe he was successful because Daddy’s frown never disappeared.

“Why don’t we take a walk first? I thought I might show you around if you’re up to it.”

“Yes! I would love that.”

They walked around the second floor, and Arnold Lee could not help but be amazed. There were indeed many rooms, almost as many as his school had. And the rooms they were able to open were painted different colors, mostly soft pastels like spring flowers. That’s what he needed to add to his picture! As his father talked about different things, like who was in that painting and where this and that came from, he tried to listen, but the music in his head grew louder and louder.

Sometime during the night, the lady began to sing a different song. He didn’t really like this song very much. It felt sad and kind of scary. He fought the urge to sing along and smiled up at his father as if he heard every word he was saying.

Sunday is gloomy
My hours are slumberless.
Dearest, the shadows
I live with are numberless.

“This way, son. Let’s go outside and take a walk by the pond. It’s a beautiful day.”

Arnold Lee felt more upset by the second. No, he didn’t like this song at all. What did she mean singing about shadows? Was she trying to tell Arnold Lee that there were dangerous shadows here? Yeah, he knew that. He could feel the shadows huddling close together like they wanted to pounce on him.

And now he didn’t like this house so much either. He wanted to go outside with every fiber of his being, go outside and step into the sunshine just for a few minutes. But he couldn’t actually leave. Not yet. Not without Jessie.

Little white flowers
Will never awaken you.
Not where the black coach
Of sorrow has taken you.

Angels have no thoughts
Of ever returning you.
Would they be angry
If I thought of joining you?

Gloomy Sunday

“Daddy? Why are Sundays gloomy?” he asked as they walked out the door.

Suddenly, Daddy was on his knees in front of Arnold Lee. “What do you mean? Are you talking about the song? Is the lady singing, Arnold Lee? Can you hear her?”

He was reluctant to answer because whenever he told the truth about her, it never ended well. Never.

“Maybe,” he said without looking into his father’s brown eyes. He could not lie to him. “Yes, sir. She’s singing about Sundays being gloomy and all. And shadows. The shadows are around.”

Lucas smiled at him, but it wasn’t the kind of smile that went all the way to his eyes. He was worried about Arnold Lee. Not angry, just worried. “Sing me the song, son. Can you do that?” Arnold Lee tried to breathe, and he felt sad now. He should have kept this to himself. Why had he ruined this very pleasant day here at Sugar Hill? They could have gone fishing or something fun like that. Arnold Lee’s skin crawled up and down. He had what his grandfather would call the willies.

“Please try, son.”

Gloomy is Sunday.
With shadows I spend it all.
My heart and I
Have decided to end it all.

Soon there’ll be candles
And prayers that are said, I know.
Let them not weep.
Let them know that I’m glad to go.

Death is no dream,
For in death I’m caressin’ you.
With the last breath of my soul,
I’ll be blessin’ you.

Arnold Lee did as he was told and sang the words the lady sang to him. He was surprised to hear Daddy singing along with him. “You hear her too, Daddy?”

“Sometimes, but not like you, Arnold Lee.”

“What does it mean? Why is she singing this song? I don’t like it very much.” He shivered in the purple shadows of the mansion. They’d forgotten all about their walk by the pond.

“Let’s go back inside. I think I know what to do. You hungry?”

“Yes, sir. I’m very hungry.”

He took Daddy’s hand, and together they walked back in the house. The back door stood open, as if the house wanted them to return. Yep, he believed that. It was like this house had a heart and a soul. But what kind?

Then he saw her. It wasn’t Jessie but a woman in a long blue dress, the old-fashioned kind. She had a plain face, and her hair was curly, real curly. And right by her side was a little boy. As quickly as he saw the two of them, they disappeared in a flash of light. Were they stuck here too? Arnold Lee caught his breath and looked up at Daddy.

Nope. Daddy didn’t see them. But Arnold Lee did.

And he knew he would see them again.

Chapter Nine – Avery

Since Danforth’s paranormal powers relied on handling items, I decided to check out the room where Jessica last stayed in hopes of finding something he could use to make contact with her. Maybe a hair tie or a toothbrush, any forgotten item. I couldn’t believe some of the stories Reed told me about Danforth’s past performances. Why did I not know about this? Our family was so secretive, and since I was not raised as part of the family, this was all new to me. Reed said that since Danforth’s wife’s death, he had clammed up about his abilities. Or powers. How did Danforth refer to them? I guessed I’d find out later.

Wobbling around on crutches was not my idea of a good time, but my wheelchair was still in the elevator. Teach me to fall asleep without my husband around. By the time I made it inside the guest room, my arms were burning. I was more out of shape than I realized. I rummaged through a few empty drawers and checked out the closet but didn’t find anything that belonged to Jessica. All her personal effects had been claimed by her family, so those items were out of reach, and the police had confiscated her strange video recording. I sat on the bed and tapped my finger on my lips thoughtfully as I scanned the floor for any item Robin might have missed. There was nothing to see.

“Shoot,” I said to myself. I should have asked Reed to help me before he left for Thorn Hill. He had gone to pack a few things for us and set the house in order while we were gone for the weekend. Where else might Jessica have visited? From what Summer told me, the garden, the ballroom and the attic. But there was no question that I wasn’t going to make it to any of those places, not by myself. Not with these crutches and certainly not with a wheelchair.

But maybe someone else could.

With renewed determination, I clumsily returned to the master bedroom and flopped into the chair by the door. I pressed the button on the intercom and asked Robin to find Dolly Jane for me. She had to be here somewhere. The good-natured young woman did as I asked, but I noticed she didn’t query me further. After being involved with previous supernatural goings-on, I think Robin was a bit gun-shy of getting involved in this family’s paranormal tendencies. And that was okay. A few years ago, I would never have dreamed I would be involved in such things either.

About a half-hour later, Dolly Jane tapped on my door and I invited her to the mini living room in my bedroom suite.

“How is your mom, Dolly Jane? Is she okay with staying a little longer?”

“Of course. Anything we can do to help our family and our matrone.” Dolly Jane had changed her clothes since I’d seen her earlier. She now wore an oversized t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, dark blue tights and ballet flats. I wasn’t familiar with the band logo emblazoned on her shirt, but then again, I wasn’t too hip with the music scene. Not since my ill-fated romance with Jonah Blight.

“I need your help. These blasted crutches have slowed me down. There are places I need to go but can’t get to, like the attic, and I really believe we need to find something that belongs to Jessica. Something Danforth can touch. From what Reed tells me, that’s how he operates. By touching an item, he can connect with whoever it belonged to. All of Jessica’s personal items are gone, but there might be something up there.”

“You really love her, don’t you?” she asked, her light eyes piercing mine.

“Yes. She’s like the little sister I never had.”

“I can understand that. I always wanted a sister. I used to pretend that Aunt Summer was my big sister. Kind of silly, huh?” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Had she been crying?

“Not silly at all. You favor her. You could pass as her little sister.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, I do,” I said with a smile. I was telling the honest-to-God truth. She did look like a younger Summer, especially when she cocked her eyebrow.

“I wonder why she hasn’t called me back. I keep trying.”

“She will, I promise. I tell you what, I’ll call her again. We’ll just harass her until she answers us. Knowing Summer, she’s rock climbing or doing something even crazier. That girl is an adventurer at heart.”

“If you do talk to her, tell her she has to call me. It’s really important.” Dolly Jane chewed her lip and stared out the window for a few seconds. Whatever was on her mind, she wasn’t going to tell me about it, and I wasn’t going to pry. “What would you like me to do, Avery?”

“Like I said, Jessica spent some time in the attic before she disappeared. I think it’s possible that she left something up there. Would you go have a look around? If you see anything unusual, anything that doesn’t belong, bring it to me.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Thank you. By the way, what would you like for dinner?”

“Uh, pizza?”

“Pizza sounds good. Invite your mom too.”

“She’s not here, so it’s just me.”

“Reed will probably be back by then, and Arnold Lee and Lucas are on the way, if they aren’t already here.” Dolly Jane hopped up, eager to take on her task. “Hey, be careful up there,” I added. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up before she left me alone.

She was gone awhile, but I was determined to stay awake. This pain medication is kicking my behind. About twenty minutes later, I heard a light tapping on my door. “Come in,” I said, setting my Starlight Foundation paperwork to the side. I really didn’t have the mindset for these decisions today, but it felt good to pretend.

Dolly Jane proudly smiled. “Hey. I’ve got something, I think.”

“Really?” I said hopefully. “What is it?”

My younger cousin placed a tarnished pocket watch in front of me. “That looks old.”

I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. I didn’t see anything that would indicate Jessica had handled this antique. “I don’t understand, Dolly Jane. How could this help us?”

“Open it up,” she said as she sat on the couch. I tinkered with the clasp until it opened. Inside was a tiny painting. Even though it was small, the colors were as bright as if this treasure had been painted yesterday.

I gasped at seeing Jessica’s face smiling back at me. “How can this be?”

“She made it back, Avery. Check out the engraving. Jessica made it back. She’s not lost, she’s just in another time.”

Turning on the lamp, I read the faint engraving. To Dominick with All My Love. “There has to be another explanation.”

“There isn’t. Are we still having pizza?”

I sniffed back a tear, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the portrait. What could this mean? Was Dolly Jane right?

“Yes, at five o’clock. Will you tell the others?”

“Sure, Aunt Avery.” She’d never called me that before. And despite the tears in my eyes, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll make that phone call too. I haven’t forgotten.”

“Thank you.”

As she headed back out, I called after her, “Dolly Jane? How did you know where to find this? It must have been lost in that attic for at least a century.”

She smiled cryptically and said, “I just asked. See you for dinner.” She eased the door closed and left me staring after her.

Chapter Ten – Avery

Robin made our pizza dinner special by tossing a red and white checkered tablecloth on the informal dining room table and even took the time to add extras like red napkins and candles. The Italian music and white china were a nice touch too. Everyone loved our tasty picnic, especially the younger two of our group, and it felt good to have my family around, laughing, joking and acting like a normal family and not a family of weirdos about to embark on a paranormal experiment. Even Danforth smiled a few times at Arnold Lee’s antics.

Between bites I announced, “I talked to Summer earlier. I don’t think she’s coming home anytime soon. Apparently, she’s really made a connection with Eric Richards.” I avoided meeting Dolly Jane’s sad eyes.

Danforth snorted as he dabbed pizza sauce from his chin. “She’s a matrone. She has to come home sooner or later.” It was like because he said so, it had to be true.

“Be that as it may, I don’t think she’s in a hurry to race back here. And being matrone does not come with the restrictions it did before,” I added. I didn’t get into specifics, not in front of Arnold Lee and Dolly Jane. They didn’t need to know about the Lovely Man and the pact that previous matrones had with him. It hadn’t been the matrones’ fault, and I didn’t even blame Susanna. She was a victim of chance and a poorly cast spell if nothing else. There used to be a time that the ring would draw the wearer back to Sugar Hill, a time when Ambrose claimed the matrone for himself, but that was no more. So why did I feel a sense of loss?

And if Summer found a bit of joy elsewhere, I wished her nothing but happiness, but I missed her too. Jamie’s death had devastated her. I realized later that she had fallen in love with the troubled police detective, which wasn’t easy for my independent cousin. Summer was the kind of woman that when she set her mind on something, or someone, she was going to have it or him. I hoped that her affection for Eric wasn’t merely an expression of her desire to finish what she started with Jamie. Dolly Jane didn’t look happy—that is, until her phone rang. “It’s Summer!” she announced as she held up the phone and left the room so she could talk privately. I smiled, thankful that my cousin had kept her promise to me.

Be careful, Avery. The spirits of Sugar Hill aren’t through with us yet. I shivered at the memory of our earlier conversation. She didn’t like what I was doing either, but I didn’t mention that to anyone.

“I was hoping Patty would join us. I haven’t talked to her in a while. In fact, I haven’t seen her yet. It’s like the woman has turned into a ghost herself,” I joked. But apparently my joke wasn’t appreciated because nobody smiled. It was true, though. I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Dolly Jane’s mother since my arrival at Sugar Hill. “What?” I asked Reed, who was giving me a look.

“Patty has been drinking again. She’s gotten so bad that she stays gone half the time. Dolly Jane’s father left a month ago, which doesn’t really sound like a bad thing. There were rumors that he was abusive to Patty.”

“What the…” I cast an eye at Arnold Lee, who was watching me carefully. “How come I didn’t know about this?”

“Because we were on our honeymoon and then Jessica disappeared. I figured you had enough to deal with,” Reed said softly.

I wasn’t going to let him off the hook on this one. This was the kind of thing a matrone should know about, but I didn’t want to hammer that out in front of Danforth or Lucas or Arnold Lee. “When she does come back around, I would like to have a word with her,” I told him in a low voice.

“I’ll make sure you do.”

Arnold Lee wiped his face and looked up at his father. “Can I go outside and play?”

“Sure, but stay close to the house. Don’t go near the pond, Arnold Lee.”

“I won’t, Daddy.”

The bright-eyed child bounced out of the room, completely happy and unafraid of whatever might lurk in the gardens of Sugar Hill. But then again, he knew very little about what used to walk in the shadows here. It was gone now, right? I felt a tinge of worry in my stomach but kept a pleasant smile on my face. Once again, I thought of Arnold Lee’s grandfather. I would always remember the first time I met him. “You can call me Handsome.” Little did I know then on that car ride from the airport to Belle Fontaine that Handsome Cheever would play such an important role in my life and in the Dufresnes’ future.

“What is the plan for this evening, Avery?” Lucas asked, sounding nervous and a bit unsure. He didn’t smile much lately, but I attributed his unhappiness to all the drama with Alice Marie.

“I thought we would start with this. Dolly Jane did some exploring for me earlier and found this pocket watch.”

I handed it to Reed, who opened it and had the same reaction I did. “Jessica?”

“It sure looks like her, and the watch belonged to Dominick.” Reed offered it to Danforth, but he refused to touch it.

“I’ll wait until we gather in the ballroom if you don’t mind. Wicking takes it out of me nowadays.” Danforth sighed as if just the mere thought of handling the pocket watch wore him out. He looked tired and not well.

No, he’s not well at all.

“Tell me about wicking,” I asked, curious to hear more about Danforth’s supernatural skills.

“That’s what the old-timers call it. Wicking or handling.”

“I’ve never heard of that before. How does it work?”

He sipped his tea before answering. “Wickers handle objects like books or personal belongings. We pick up on things, like how the person may have felt or what they were thinking about. My mother had a real knack for it, but my father never approved of the practice. I think he worried that she’d find out about his misdoings if you get my drift.”

“Misdoings?” Lucas laughed at the description, but Danforth didn’t think it was too funny.

“Yes. Misdoings.” Was he talking about adultery or something else? I didn’t have the courage to ask.

“Tell us about your mother, Danforth. Did wicking come naturally to you?”

“It did come naturally. Too naturally at times. In the beginning, my mother would give me small things like empty spools of thread or a bobby pin, things left over from her quilting club. What a competitive group of women that was, I can tell you.” He crunched on some ice before he continued. “She’d say, ‘Tell me if Irma stole my shears, Danny. Tell me the truth now.’ They were silly questions, but I took pride in knowing these things at first. But then, I began to realize her wicking had weakened as mine strengthened. That’s why she was always on me to tell her things. It works that way, I think. Wicking can weaken if there are others around with similar gifts.” As he took his eyes off the remaining ice in his glass, he saw that we were watching him, wide-eyed and anxious to hear more. Danforth usually kept his past to himself, so this was a rare treat. I blamed the loosening of his tongue on the bourbon he’d undoubtedly enjoyed before coming to dinner. “My mother began to depend on me more and more until I had to move away from home. She’d become obsessed with my wicking. It became too much after a while, and wicking can be something of a trap.”

“What do you mean, Danforth?” Reed asked. “Are there horrible side effects?”

“Not at all. I mean that it can be a great temptation. So much so that it can cause a person to do stupid things, like taking things that aren’t theirs to take.” He eyed me and the pocket watch. “Sometimes the past is best left alone, Avery.”

“I’ll be happy to leave the past alone, but I want my friend back!” I snapped back at him, my blood pressure rising quickly.

“And are you willing to sacrifice us to find this woman, a woman who isn’t even a Dufresne? I can tell you what your Aunt Anne would say. She would have said no way, no how. Just ask our sister—oh, I’m sorry. I forgot about Vertie.” Danforth put his glass down and stared me in the eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“I’m not sacrificing anyone.”

“This was my idea,” Reed said sharply. “Not hers, Danforth.”

The older man tapped the table thoughtfully but never dropped his eyes. “We’ve been lucky so far, you know. These family ghosts demand a high price, Avery. A high price indeed.”

Lucas had had enough of this conversation. “I agree. No, please hear me out. My father is dead. He gave his life to set things right. It feels wrong to tamper with these things now.” His hurt expression broke my heart. I hoped he didn’t believe that I would willingly sacrifice him or his son. “My dad was an honest man if I ever saw one and a good man. Jessica should have left things alone. Sugar Hill and Thorn Hill are not safe places to explore if you’re sensitive to the supernatural side of life.”

I agreed with them, but that didn’t make the idea of giving up taste any sweeter. “It’s too late now. She’s gone. What’s done is done,” Lucas said. We sat in silence for a few minutes.

Then Danforth leaned in and asked in a near whisper, “And what about the Lovely Man, Avery? The power of the ring has been broken, I believe that, but have you considered that it is only broken here in this present time? In the past, Ambro—I mean, the Lovely Man—is still in power. He still woos the women of this family with promises of love and fortune and revenge. He is still tending his Lovely Garden, as the older generation called it. Do you think he doesn’t know what’s happened to the ring, that the power has been broken? He knows, and he will not be happy about it. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt it if he tried to show himself to you again. Or someone else.” He cast his eyes to the doorway where Dolly Jane paced while talking to Summer.

I sat in wide-eyed horror as I pondered his words. Danforth was right. I never thought I would agree with him, but he was completely right. It was possible that the Lovely Man already knew we had defeated him, but he wasn’t defeated in the past. Could he come after us now? If so, he might be able to reach one of the Dufresnes.

“Forgive me, Avery and Reed. I’m not feeling quite myself. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to go home and freshen up before we get started. Did you say seven o’clock? In the ballroom, correct?” His change of tone surprised me, but I was ready to be out of his presence. I had a lot to think about.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“All right. I’ll be there. I’d better take this with me.” Using a napkin, he picked up the pocket watch and left.

“I should check on Arnold Lee,” Lucas said unhappily as he left Reed and me alone with the pizza “bones” and dirty plates.

Reed said, “That didn’t go as well as it might. But I think it was pretty good for a Dufresne party. No one got drunk, and no one died.”

I laid my head on his shoulder. “So, you really think this is a bad idea? It’s not too late to call it off, Reed.”

“I think it’s the only real way you’re going to know what happened to Jessica, but you can’t guarantee anyone’s safety. You know that, and so do they.”

“So we’re all just pawns in some paranormal game?”

“No. I think we all have choices. We’re not pawns at all.”

“I feel like I’ve been trapped here in this house forever and we’ve only been here a day.” I shivered at hearing my own description. What would that be like, being trapped in Sugar Hill forever? I couldn’t imagine, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Jessica knew all about it.

And I had to set her free. No matter what the cost.

Chapter Eleven – Mike

“When was the first time you saw a ghost?” Becker’s voice surprised me. We’d grabbed subs for dinner and crashed in the hotel, neither one of us saying much. I left Avery a message but hadn’t heard back from her. My back felt stiff—long drives killed me nowadays. Too much time on the road.

“Had my first experience at the community college library in my hometown, twenty or so years ago.”

“No kidding? Like Ghostbusters? Isn’t that where they saw their first ghost?”

I snorted at the comparison. “That’s fiction. What I saw was the real deal, and it wasn’t an apparition of an old lady hanging out by the card catalog. This thing—I’d say it was a shadow creature—it tried to push me off a ladder.”

“What? Seriously?”

I put the television on mute. “Yeah. It was a temporary summer job. Not much pay but enough to live on between semesters. I still had dreams of becoming a veterinarian back then. The job was pretty easy. We were to do some small repairs, basic maintenance like change out the light bulbs and install new cabinets and bookcases. It was just me and one other college kid, Paul something or other. We had to work in the evenings because there were a ton of students there during the day. One night, we were screwing down a new bookcase; this thing was huge, a wooden monstrosity that went from floor to ceiling. Paul had this thing about heights, so I had to go up the ladder.”

“Kind of like you do now?” Becker joked as he popped the top on a can of soda.

Funny how I hadn’t put that together until he mentioned it. Man, Megan was right. I wasn’t in touch with myself at all.

“True. I didn’t have that fear or phobia before that night, but it has stayed with me even after all these years. Man, I will always remember that experience. The library had an eerie vibe to it that night. I felt like eyes were on me. I kept looking around thinking I’d catch whoever it was staring at me, but there wasn’t a soul in the library that night. Even with the lights on, that place cast a lot of shadows.”

“I never have liked libraries.”

I nodded in agreement. “Paul left to get me a new battery for the power drill. Had to go out to the truck to grab one. While he was gone, the lights in the resource room where we were working began to flicker. I couldn’t understand it because we’d just replaced the ballasts and bulbs. I had to climb down to check it out, but it was as dark as a cave in that back room. I couldn’t see a thing, so I had to wait until my eyes adjusted to the dark. I called for Paul a few times, but the jerk didn’t answer. I finally said screw it, I’ve got to get down.”

“Sounds intense. Hey, no wonder you don’t like heights. Did you fall?”

“No, but it’s a miracle I didn’t. That shadow thing, I thought at first maybe it was a cat, it began to circle the bottom of the ladder. It kept going around and around. The room was pitch black, like I said, but this thing was even blacker. It gathered up into a ball and growled at me, and when I heard that, I knew I was in trouble. I got about halfway down—these were ten-foot ceilings—and the whole ladder started shaking. The legs rocked back and forth like I was riding a bucking bronco. I shouted at it, but it didn’t do any good. Just when I was about to fall, Paul came back in the room and flipped the lights on. Everything stopped. First thing he asked me was why I turned the lights off. I told him what happened, but he didn’t believe me. Not at first, anyway.”

“Dang. Definitely intense. I thought I had an awesome first-time ghost story.”

“Yeah. I saw that thing twice after that. The third time was the charm because I quit and left Paul to finish the job himself. He saw something, though; I have no doubt about that. He saw something but didn’t want to tell me about it.”

“You know, if people were honest, I think we’d hear about a lot more supernatural encounters. But it’s like some big secret. I mean, who hasn’t seen something they can’t explain?”

“Yeah,” I agreed as I leaned back on the pillow. “Tell me about your first-time ghost story, as you so eloquently put it.”

“Nothing like yours. I saw my grandfather after he died, Grandpa Dave. He was in the garage sitting in his old car, a 1968 hardtop Chevy Camaro. He wasn’t a nice guy when he was alive, and he sure as heck didn’t like people tinkering with his car. Grandpa Dave let me know in no uncertain terms I wasn’t to touch his ride. I got the message.”

“No doubt you would. What was he doing?”

“After he passed away, my friend and I went to check out the car. I just wanted to sit in it…it wasn’t like I really intended on driving it out of the garage. Jack, my bud from school, decided to be a wise guy and light up a cigarette in the car. Suddenly the doors locked all by themselves. And these weren’t electronic locks. Both doors locked, whoomp, whoomp. I looked in the rearview mirror, and there was Grandpa Dave. Jack and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

“Shoot. What did Jack say?”

“Not a dang thing. He didn’t want to talk about it.”

There wasn’t much to say after that, and I felt exhausted. It was still light out, too early for bed, but I couldn’t move another inch.

“Hey, Mike?”

“Huh?” I said as I closed my eyes. I was so tired, tired but anxious. I was ready for tomorrow to arrive. Tomorrow I’d be walking into Sugar Hill; I’d be that much closer to finding out what happened to Jessica.

“Thanks.”

“For what?” I asked as I opened a lazy eye. “Driving the whole way here and letting you sleep? I’d be surprised if you slept at all tonight.”

“No, not that. And for your information, I can sleep anytime, anywhere. You should know that by now.”

Remembering the half dozen times I’d caught Jeffrey Becker napping in the My Haunted Plantation van brought a smile to my face. The kid used to drive me crazy with that crap, but now I’d give anything to have those days back. To have Jessica back.

“I mean thanks for inviting me along. I don’t think many investigators would do that nowadays. I’m kind of damaged goods.”

“Yeah, well, I’m kind of desperate,” I lied. I could have reached out to someone else, but the truth was I wanted Becker here. He was part of the team. For better or for worse. No, that’s marriage. I don’t know. My brain hurts.

“Yeah, I know I screwed up. I should never have tinkered with the evidence. I’m sorry I did. I let you down with that whole thing, but I won’t let you down again.”

I reached over and turned off the lamp. “We’re okay, Becker. Let’s just find Jessica and bring her home.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “What if we can’t find her?”

I hesitated a minute. I didn’t even want to consider that possibility. “Do I need to tuck you in or something, or can I go to sleep now?”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

Becker turned the television down but didn’t turn it off. That didn’t bother me. I was used to sleeping with the television on.

It helped to drown out the voices.

So many voices. So many ghosts. I couldn’t live with one more.

Chapter Twelve – Avery

Reed wheeled me into the ballroom a few minutes before seven, and I was surprised to see we were the last ones to arrive. Lucas hovered behind Arnold Lee like a mama bird. His son waved at us while Dolly Jane sat in her comfy chair and looked bored, but then she always looked bored. Robin had thoughtfully brought in five chairs and arranged them in a circle. Danforth had red cheeks; a sure sign that he’d decided to partake of a bit of bourbon before coming down here.

“Thank you for being here. I appreciate you all more than I can say. You must think I’m being dramatic, insisting that we meet here in the ballroom, but this would be about the time that Jessica disappeared, and this is certainly the place. Tomorrow, Jessica’s friends from her paranormal team are coming to Sugar Hill to search for her. But before they do that, Reed thought it would be a good idea if we looked for her ourselves. However, I don’t want any of you to get hurt. If you feel at all that you’re in danger at any time, I want you to leave the ballroom. Lucas, that goes double for you. If you think it’s unsafe for you or Arnold Lee, you take him and go. I will understand. No hard feelings. I haven’t asked you here as matrone; you were asked to come because we consider you our friends.”

Danforth respectfully nodded while Lucas hugged his son. Arnold Lee perched in his lap and tugged on his father’s shirt. He desperately wanted me to see his picture, so I accepted it. The child’s drawing skills had improved so much, and he’d begun to add a lot of detail to each picture. This one was unusual because Arnold Lee had sketched it out as if it were a comic book. The long sheet of paper was drawn into eight square boxes. The first box was easy to recognize. That was Arnold Lee and his grandfather. They both wore chauffeur’s hats.

“I know who that is, Arnold Lee. That’s your grandpa, right?”

He smiled and pointed to the next one. “And that is Daddy. He’s wearing his special boots because it is really muddy out.”

“Really? Let’s take a look. That looks like a pond. Is he working down at the pond?” Arnold Lee gave me a thumbs-up and pointed to the next few frames. The last one caught my eye. Jessica was the only character in that one. She was lying in a bed with her eyes closed, looking like a princess in her green dress. Her hands were folded over her chest…did this mean she was dead? I couldn’t ask him that. I felt tears burn my eyes.

And then I heard Arnold Lee humming a tune. What was that? Gloomy Sunday? “How long have you been singing that song, Arnold Lee? I like that song.”

“Since a few days ago. But I don’t like it much.” He pointed to another frame of the drawing. “See that?”

What was that? A well? I knew there was a well on the property. Back when I first arrived here, when Susanna reached out to me and my ex-producer Amanda tried to kill me, I’d fought a desperate spirit there. Handsome had saved me. Where would I be without him?

“Let me look a little closer. Is that a well?” I asked Arnold Lee politely.

Dolly Jane leaned over and laughed. “That is a portal. You can see the air swirling around.”

“I do see it. Thank you, Arnold Lee.” His beautiful smile lit up his face, and with it came a truckload of guilt. No way could I allow this child to interact with the paranormal. Not at this level. Reed’s sad expression confirmed what I was thinking. “Lucas, you go ahead and take Arnold Lee on home now.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Thank you for the picture, Arnold Lee. This is exactly what we needed. You keep on drawing.”

“I will. I will!”

Lucas stood up and mouthed, “Thank you,” to me, and I gave him a grim smile. No, they didn’t belong here. Lucas was right. His father had already given the ultimate sacrifice. Did this house require more from the Cheever bloodline? No, it did not. As matrone, I would not allow it.

You hear me, fate? You will not touch that boy or his father!

And now there were just four of us: Danforth, Reed, Dolly Jane and me. “Everyone all right? Dolly Jane? Danforth, are you ready to get started?” I asked him anxiously.

“Yes, I’m ready.” With shaking hands, Danforth removed the pocket watch from his pocket. It was still wrapped in a napkin. He held it in the palm of his hand, and his other hand hovered over it, not touching it. He waved his hand back and forth while he closed his eyes. This went on for a minute or so until Dolly Jane said, “Are you going to touch it or what?” She was as curious as I was about the whole process.

“Yes, but I am waiting for the right person to show up. Lots of people have touched this item, including you, young lady. Be patient. I have to go back quite a ways.”

“Oh, I see what you’re doing.” Dolly Jane sat up now, completely mesmerized by Danforth’s wicking. “It’s almost like you’re swiping away the wrong energy and searching for the right one.”

Danforth stopped what he was doing and opened his eyes. “You have the gift too, don’t you?”

“I’m not a child. I’m fifteen, thank you very much.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. “Is Danforth right, Dolly Jane? Do you know how to wick?”

“No, but I think I can do it. I can do a lot of things.” She grinned that sneaky Summer smile but didn’t provide any further information.

Danforth said, “As I mentioned earlier, a person’s wicking ability diminishes if someone else present has a greater gift. But I shall try.” He closed his eyes again, and we all watched. “I see many faces, but not the one I am looking for.” He continued to swipe as if he were turning the pages of a book. Suddenly he shouted, “Ah! He knows me. He has seen me, Avery. He knows I’m there and that I’m looking for Jessica.” Danforth’s face turned red, and he clutched the pocket watch as if he were in a great struggle with some invisible force.

“Reed! Do something!” And then finally, Danforth gave up the fight and the watch dropped on the floor. Before any of us could think, Dolly Jane picked it up.

She held it in her hand strangely, with the chain drooped over her wrist. With a determined expression, she said, “The door is open! I can see it!”

I could barely keep up with everything that was happening. Danforth cried out, “Dolly Jane, don’t do it!” He was crying so hard that I immediately pushed my chair beside him.

“It’s okay, Danforth. That’s enough for tonight. We tried. Please, that’s enough.” I was crying too, and I was confused. “Reed, Dolly Jane…”

But she wasn’t there. “Dolly Jane?” I repeated. My cousin had disappeared, and nobody had seen her leave. “Dolly Jane! Where are you?”

Danforth continued to cry and blubber. “He saw me, Avery. I should have fought harder. The Lovely Man used to come to me too. I knew him. He would bring me presents when I was young, trinkets, jewels, money. He asked me to do things for him, and because I was a child, I listened to him. I did horrible things. He knows me!” Danforth was losing it, and I didn’t know what to do about it or what to make of his confession.

“Where is Dolly Jane, Danforth? Where is she right now?”

“She’s done what I can’t do, and you can’t either, Avery. We’re not as strong as she is. Dolly Jane is stronger than all of us, even stronger than Summer. She’s with him now—gone to find Jessica. I do not know if he will let her go.”

“Come on, Danforth. Let’s get you out of here. I’d better take him up to his room and put him to bed. Avery, will you be all right here for a minute?”

“Yes,” I said as I wiped tears from my eyes. “I’ll be here.”

“All right,” he said in a worried tone. Danforth cried all the way down the hall. I could hear him crying as he climbed the steps.

And now, not one young woman was missing but two. Yes, indeed, Ambrose would want to fill his Lovely Garden, as Danforth put it. He would want to keep beauties like Dolly Jane and Jessica by his side, but what power would he have over Jessica? She was not a Dufresne.

But Ambrose had done this for a reason. He had allowed this for a reason. He wanted me back and didn’t care what he had to do to get to me.

Even cross time itself…

Chapter Thirteen – Dominick

I left to seek Doctor Montrose’s help, and Madlen was by Ophelia’s bedside when I returned. To my surprise, Ophelia had opened her eyes. Although she could not speak much, for she was still far too weak for that, my sweet wife smiled at me lovingly.

“Ophelia? Can this be true? You came back to me.” I sobbed as I clutched her pale hand. I swallowed the insults I had intended to hurl Madlen’s way. After all, she had brought my Ophelia back from the brink of death.

“What medicines did you use, madam?” Doctor Montrose asked her suspiciously. Undoubtedly, he was distrustful of the governess because she was a woman, or because she had an accent or simply because she had done what no one else had been able to do, snatch my wife from the jaws of death and pull her back into the light!

“Yes, Madlen. What did you do?” I asked as I sat beside my wife. Ophelia squeezed my hand, and I kissed her cheek. The smell of death had left her skin. Not everyone could smell such things, but I had learned to accept from an early age that I could. Mother saw her ghosts, and Annalee believed in her spells, but I smelled death and knew when it was near. For the first time in many days, it was gone, gone from Ophelia completely. I wanted to pick her up and dance about the room with her.

Doctor Montrose spoke angrily to Madlen, accusing her of witchcraft or some such nonsense, but she did not back down. Her accent had all but disappeared, which I found strange, but I was too relieved to think much about it. The doctor huffed away from her and picked up my wife’s hand, presumably to check her pulse. I could not help but laugh for joy at the sight of her returned to me.

“Please look at me, Mrs. Dufresne. Can you see me?” My wife obediently nodded her head but appeared pale and near lifeless. I wasn’t eager to make her talk more or wear herself out to the extent that she closed her eyes again.

“Ophelia, dearest…”

“You should know, sir, certain poisons can create the effect of healing…but they will in fact deliver quite the opposite result. I know this woman’s reputation, this Madlen. She isn’t a physician, I assure you. Far from it.”

“But look at my wife. She is awake!”

Red-faced, he set his leather bag on the table and directed his attention to me. “This woman is not qualified to care for your wife, sir. Please send her away, or I cannot be responsible for what happens here. This woman has been in your brother’s…” Montrose paused here, his face an even darker shade of red. “…employ, and their relationship has been the subject of much talk about town. It is even said that she is a witch!” Madlen neither admitted nor denied this accusation.

And what about me? Hadn’t I spoken to the darkness? Hadn’t I offered myself in exchange for my wife? Maybe that was who this Madlen truly was. Perhaps the doctor was correct.

Fear gripped me now. “What did you do, Madlen? Please explain to the doctor what you did to awaken my wife.”

She didn’t speak right away. “I held her hand and prayed with her. That is all.” Yes, the governess’ voice was not quite the same. She seemed softer, more vulnerable, and the accent was gone completely.

“You see?”

Doctor Montrose was having none of it. Did he even care that Ophelia had improved? “Mind your tongue, sir. I have heard it said that you Dufresnes lack respect for holy things, but such matters are not to be taken lightly and are not profitable for any Christian man to partake in! Or am I to believe you approve of this woman’s witchcraft?”

Madlen spoke again in perfect English. “I am no witch, but I know more about healing than you ever will!”

Ophelia’s eyes filled with tears, and she squeezed my hand. Here they were, fighting with one another while my wife fought for her life.

“Come, Doctor. Let me have my man prepare you a room. You can rest for the evening and leave in the morning.”

Doctor Montrose did not like that idea at all. “I will not stay in this house another minute with that woman. I, for one, care about my reputation.”

“Fine, then let me show you to the door. There is no need for you to remain in such an accursed place.”

***

“We don’t have much time. Jessica? I know it is you. My name is Dolly Jane, Dolly Jane Dufresne. Avery sent me to find you, Jessica. You have to come back to your time. You don’t belong here, and neither do I. We have to go.” I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and helped her take a sip.

“Madlen?” she said in barely a whisper.

“No, I’m not Madlen. I’m just borrowing her image. I’m Dolly Jane, Avery’s cousin. I have to get you home, Jessica. Can you sit up?”

She shook her head and pulled her hand away from me. “No, leave me alone!”

“I can’t just leave you, Jessica. You belong in our time, not here.”

“How…do…you…know?” Tears were in Jessica’s eyes. Her skin was white and clammy from blood loss; she needed a transfusion to restore her health. I could feel her life fading, the essence of her that made her unique. She needed good, clean blood. I honestly had no power to heal at all. It had only been a coincidence that I arrived when she opened her eyes.

“Go home, Doll-y Jane.”

And then Dominick was back, smiling and kissing her. He was in love; that was a miracle that shouldn’t have happened. Jessica or Ophelia or whoever she was should have died, but by some miracle, she was still alive. If we did not get her to honest-to-goodness twenty-first-century medicine, she would relapse soon. But how would I explain that to Dominick?

I would never have the chance. The front door opened with a slam that shook the house. I heard a man crying downstairs, crying and swearing and mumbling to himself. My heart pounded in my chest. How was I going to get out of here? Jessica’s eyes were wide with fear; I could not tell if that fear was for Dominick or for me. She tried to reach her hand out to Dominick, but the joy on his face from his wife’s return had quickly faded.

I saw a man bent on revenge.

The intruder, whom I assumed was Champion from the sound of it, began to shout for the woman whose body I now occupied. “Madlen! You crafty deceiver! Where is my son? I want my boy. Bring me Devon now!”

“Champion!” Dominick shouted, seemingly forgetting all about his ailing wife; he grabbed his pistol and ran out the bedroom door and down the steps. Jessica moaned, but not from pain. She was trying to get up, to follow Dominick. Would she risk her life for him twice? I raced back to her side. I had to compel her to return with me! I had to!

“Please, Jessica! I can help you, but you have to try. Please, put your arm around my neck. Quickly!”

Her sad eyes welled up again. She was whispering, but I could not hear her now. Even the shouting and arguing had faded. I felt strange, as if I’d stepped into a mirror made of water. I was wet, but it didn’t make my skin wet, and then I remembered.

This must be how it feels when you go back.

And then I was back. I didn’t know how, but I was back in my own time. I was in the ballroom, covered in sweat and shaking with the chills. I had failed completely. Jessica was still in the past, and Champion was out for blood.

But Avery was there weeping, and soon I fell into her arms.

Chapter Fourteen – Mike

There were a few cars out front in the circular driveway of Sugar Hill. I hoped we weren’t going to be hindered by the presence of Avery’s legal team. From what I heard, she’d married her cousin or distant cousin or however that went, and the guy was a lawyer. I’d met him before. He wasn’t my biggest fan; Reed was his name. Who named their kid Reed? I’d never forget how angry he’d become when the My Haunted Plantation team found dead bodies walled up in the basement of Sugar Hill. As if we’d planned on finding them. Yep, anything for the family name. That poor Jamie guy didn’t stand a chance.

“Dude, this place. I forgot how it feels.” Becker glanced up at the massive columns that lined the front of the old plantation and pulled his hooded sweatshirt up around his neck. I didn’t recall him being so skittish on our previous visit.

“Forget feelings. We’re here for Jess. And this time, leave the Dufresne ladies alone, Becker.” It was late in the afternoon, and long shadows pooled across the whitewashed porch. Everything was as it had been. Time appeared to stand still here at historic Sugar Hill. Damned place is cursed, I thought for the tenth time that day. Avery had put me off all day, something about a sick family member, but she finally called me a few minutes ago and now here we were. I had to wonder what they were hiding, what she was hiding.

“No worries. Summer made it clear she didn’t want to hear from me again.”

“Ouch. Well, let’s focus on finding Jess. No way in hell she just vanished. These people know what happened to her.”

“So, we aren’t here to investigate the paranormal?”

“I’m here to find Jessica. Whatever I have to do to achieve that, I’ll do it.”

“Understood.”

Becker and I climbed out of the van and hurried to the back to retrieve our equipment. I packed the whole kit and caboodle, from the ALS device to the laser grid to cameras. This was my personal collection, and it was extensive. If possible, I was going to mount some hidden cameras somewhere in hopes that I could catch Avery and her crazy family talking about Jessica. That was the only way I’d get the truth.

“What do we grab first?”

“Let’s start with some simple stuff, digital recorders and the infrared cameras. I have a feeling we’ll have to take our time. I don’t think they really want us here.”

Becker took the camera out of the case. “I guess the hope is that we don’t find anything, right?”

“Yeah, nothing paranormal, anyway.” I heard the front door of the house open and whispered to Beck, “Keep your eyes open.”

“Why would they harm Jess, Mike? She loved these people, and I’m pretty sure they cared about her.”

“Who knows, Becker, but this is the last place she was seen. How in the hell does someone just vanish into thin air? Keep your eyes peeled.” I closed the van doors, and together we walked up the painted steps. Avery Dufresne was waiting for us. It was a shock to see her in a wheelchair.

“Hey, guys. Welcome back.”

Seeing Avery Dufresne, America’s Sweetheart, in person was always a surreal experience. If I didn’t know about all the creepy crawlies that came with the old family name, I would have been impressed. I used to be. My old buddy Reed hovered behind her like a white-collar enforcer. Same white shirt, same playboy looks.

I stepped inside the house behind Avery, and Becker was right on my heels. “Thanks for letting us come. It means a lot to me, to both of us.”

“Me too,” she said. Reed greeted us politely, and there was another person present, a teenage girl who looked way too much like a grown-up. I sent Becker a warning look, but he wasn’t paying much attention to her or us. He took in the scenery and acted as if someone or something would jump out at him any minute. It wasn’t like him to be spooked by a place. Even up at the John Dees Asylum, he hadn’t flinched.

I nudged him politely. “You guys remember Jeffrey Becker. He worked with me on My Haunted Plantation. He was with the original crew.”

“Hey,” he said politely, extending his hand to Avery and her husband.

“Oh yes, I remember him,” Avery said pleasantly as she shook it. “You know Reed, and this is my cousin Dolly Jane.”

“Hi, Dolly Jane. Are you a fan of the show?” I didn’t know why I asked her that, maybe because most kids her age were ghost fanatics. At least the ones I’d met; thousands of them at various cons and other events told me they were.

“What show?” she asked as she leaned against the doorframe.

Avery chuckled and said, “Come on, gentlemen. I’ll take you to the ballroom.”

I followed behind Reed, who pushed Avery’s chair. Dolly Jane didn’t come with us but scampered up the stairs. That’s right, I remembered her. She’d walked with a limp the last time I saw her. Beck bumped into me, his camera up on his shoulder.

“Sorry, I thought…”

“No filming yet,” I murmured. He dropped the camera but didn’t look any more comfortable than when we came in.

Avery said, “This is it, Mike. There’s not much in here right now, but the night of the Starlight Ball this place was packed. It was a big fundraiser for the foundation. I had every intention of being here, but I broke my leg. Reed and I decided it was best that we stay in Bermuda and not risk traveling so soon after the injury. I regret that now.”

“Why?” I couldn’t hide the suspicion in my voice. “It’s not like you could have prevented whatever happened.”

“I think you know why. This house isn’t good for some people. Not sensitive people like Jessica.”

She didn’t know it, but I had the digital recorder going in my pocket. I decided to push a little more, hopefully without pissing her off to the point that she would make me leave. “Since you know how sensitive she is, I am surprised that you would let her come back. I wouldn’t have recommended it. If she had asked me.”

Avery eased closer to me. “Let’s get this straight right now, Mike. The last time I talked to Jessica, she wasn’t planning on driving down because filming had run behind. When she arrived, we were already on a plane for Bermuda.”

The room got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was Becker who broke the silence. “Is there any footage of her disappearance? Anyone catch it on film?”

Avery glanced at Reed, and he frowned, but she dug in her pocket and pulled out a flash drive and offered it to me. “Funny you should ask. One of Danforth’s grandsons dropped this off this morning. He says he didn’t even think about reviewing it until yesterday. You should take a look at this before we go any further. Nobody knows about this video, not even the police.”

“If it is evidence, then we do need to get this to the police.”

“I agree, Mike, but please watch it first. I really must insist.”

I accepted it without a second thought. “Okay, what’s on it?”

“Jessica. If you really want to know what happened, watch it. Reed and I will be in the patio garden if you decide to stay. Just through those doors.” Avery rolled away, and Reed walked beside her. He glanced back at me one last time. Yeah, he didn’t care for me too much.

The feeling is mutual, buddy.

Becker muttered, “Being a little hostile, aren’t you, dude? I thought we were trying to play it cool.”

“I am cool,” I said unconvincingly as I tucked the flash drive in my pocket. The doors closed, and the Dufresne pair disappeared. They were like a weird-ass Barbie and Ken set. And now my goosebumps had goosebumps.

“What now?” Becker asked as I clicked off the recorder. His eyebrows lifted at seeing it. “Oh, pretty crafty.”

“Yeah, well, we aren’t getting anywhere with those two. I guess we’ll have to play along, Beck. Let’s go plug this into the laptop. We’ll have to take a bite of the apple, apparently.”

Five minutes later, we had the drive connected and were scanning the video, waiting to see whatever marvelous discovery these Dufresnes wanted us to see. As I watched the dancers swirling around to the orchestra music, I shook my head. Nobody seemed to mind that two dead women were unearthed in the walls around them not that long ago. Did they think that was a joke? The sheer evil, the cruelty it would take to do such a thing. To hear them screaming and crying, knowing they would die a slow death, in the dark…what if Jessica—

“Hey, stop!” Becker squatted down beside the shelf where we’d mounted the laptop. “Go back about ten seconds. Didn’t you see her?”

I skipped the video back, surprised that I’d missed her the first time. Jessica! She was on the dance floor by herself; the couples moved around her as if they didn’t see her. Apparently, this video was shot from a nearby table, so she came in and out of view. What was she wearing? I’d never seen her dressed up like that, but it was definitely her. I couldn’t believe it. I almost didn’t recognize her. I slowed the video to half speed.

An odd light shone…it was green, but it wasn’t something you would normally see on a dance floor. The source wasn’t the ceiling or the floor. It was as if the light appeared right in the center of the room. Nobody seemed to notice it except Jessica. Her face brightened—she was smiling. She picked up her skirts, and then a couple got in the way; the lady in red was laughing at her partner. And there was Jessica again! Now running, now gone. She dashed toward the light, and then the light vanished.

And Jessica was gone. If I was to believe my eyes, to believe this video, I could come to only one conclusion.

Jessica had purposefully stepped through a portal.

Chapter Fifteen – Avery

Reed shifted in his seat, and I realized we weren’t alone. Mike and Becker returned—both of them had their game faces on, but the younger man was not doing such a great job managing his fear. If they thought that was hard to believe, wait until they heard what Dolly Jane had to say. I had been the one who had wanted Mike to come to Sugar Hill, but he was acting like a jerk, as if I—no, we—had something to do with what happened to Jessica. Nobody spoke at first, but then they both did.

“And you’re sure that’s legit?” Becker asked as he played with his jacket zipper.

Mike added, “You would not believe the things we have seen. People add special effects to videos all the time. Is there any chance this grandson isn’t on the up and up?” he asked with a touch of suspicion in his gravelly voice. Sure. Reed and I did it. All the way from Bermuda. Reed sighed and leaned back in his chair, his arm thrown over the back. My husband was quickly losing patience and was ready for all this back-and-forth to be over. I was too, but sending them home would mean we might not get Jessica back.

“No chance. It is the real deal. What you see is what happened. And to support that, we know that Jessica told Summer what happened in the garden, that she had already walked through. I guess that means there may be more than one of those portals here at Sugar Hill, but she went looking for this one. On purpose.”

“Why would Jessica do that?”

“You saw the look on her face. She was happy about going back. She knew what she was doing, or she believed she did. I saw the other video, the one she made in the attic. Jessica fell in love with Dominick Dufresne. She had a connection to him and wanted to be with him. But more than that, she wanted to save him.”

Mike shook his head in disbelief. I wasn’t getting through to this guy. Not at all. He wasn’t going to accept the truth no matter how many videos I showed him. Reed was right. Bringing Mike here had been a mistake. Hope vanished like a wisp of smoke on a windy day.

At least Becker asked a pertinent question. “Save him from what?”

“Death. Dominick and his brother Champion fought a duel. Dominick was supposed to come out the loser, but Jessica intervened.”

“Is she…is she dead now?”

“Beck, shut up. You can’t believe this. You really believe Jessica went back in time to save a dead guy? This is bull!” Mike suddenly jumped up and paced the patio.

“I do believe it, Mike. No way that video was doctored. I can spot a fake a mile away, you know that. Jessica must have slipped back; it has happened before. We’ve heard the stories on investigations. People walk into a room, and the whole place is changed, down to the gas lamps and wallpaper.”

“Momentary glitches in the fabric of time. People don’t go back and stay, Becker. Things usually come into this dimension from other portals, not the other way around.”

“How do you know that? What if some people do?” Becker’s voice broke slightly. “All I’m saying is we can’t rule anything out. Isn’t that what you have always taught me? I think we should keep an open mind to all the possibilities. Look, man, you can’t let your guilt get in the way here. Yeah, you should have told her how you felt. Yeah, you should have been together, but get over it. You’re married, for crying out loud. And Jessica needs us now. Right now.”

I spoke up. “If you still care about her, Mike, you will help me bring her home. If we made her go away, why would we be looking for her now?”

Mike shot Becker a look but didn’t say anything else. This was a surprising turn of events. Out of nowhere, a mighty breeze blew across the yard. The magnolia tree to the right of the patio creaked under its own weight, and a shower of leaves pelted the ground and us. With the falling leaves came a blast of sweet fragrance, but the scent didn’t last long, a sad reminder that my friend with the sad eyes didn’t have long either. We didn’t have time to sit here and share theories. We needed to find Jessica, but I was apparently the only person left in this world, in this time, who believed that was important. That thought made me want to cry.

“You should listen to Aunt Avery.” I turned around to see Dolly Jane lingering in the doorway. The teenager’s tanned arms were crossed, her thin legs looking even thinner in her bright green tights and oversized garage band t-shirt. This one read RAGE across the front. “Jessica is back there. I saw her myself. They thought I was a witch.”

“You mean you saw her the night of the ball?” Mike asked with an unbelieving smile on his face.

“No…” she began as if he were a slow-witted dullard. “I know what I mean. I saw her last night. Here. I went back. In the ballroom. It’s taken me all day to recover, and it nearly killed my great-uncle Danforth. But between us, we were able to do it. Jessica is back there, and she’s going to die.”

Unable to control himself, Mike asked, “What do you mean she’s going to die?”

“She took a bullet for Dominick Dufresne. Someone dug it out of her back, but it was a crude job. I don’t know if she’ll ever walk again, even if she survives, and she’s lost a lot of blood. I mean, a lot.”

“If you saw her, why isn’t she here?” he demanded angrily.

“Like I said, she didn’t want to come. Jessica knew who I was, but she didn’t want to come back with me. And I did try.”

I wiped tears from my eyes and squeezed Reed’s hand. “We have to hurry. I think we can do it again, open the portal, I mean. I can help Dolly Jane since Danforth is too weak now.”

Becker leaned forward and said, “What is it you want Mike and me to do?”

“I am not really sure, to be honest. Just do your stuff. No offense, Becker, I’m glad you’re here, but I had such a strong compulsion to get Mike to Sugar Hill that I really didn’t think it through. I thought because you guys work in the paranormal field, you would know more than us.”

“We don’t usually work with time travelers,” Mike snapped.

Dolly Jane didn’t give him an inch. If she hadn’t spoken up when she did, I was pretty sure Reed would have booted Mike out right then and there. “Whatever you know how to do, you better do it soon or it won’t matter. Champion, the guy who shot Jessica, came back to Sugar Hill right before I left. The family spirit—you know who I’m talking about, Aunt Avery—is driving him crazy, and he’s convinced that Dominick is the source of all his trouble. He’s going to try to kill him again.”

Becker glanced at Mike. The older investigator sat in the chair beside him and clapped his hands as if to signal his surrender. “We’ll start with the digital thermometer to monitor fluctuations in temperature, which might occur if there is a portal opening. At least that’s the common belief. We’ll also break out the parabolic dish. Did you hear any strange sounds before the door opened?”

“Yes, kind of like a boom. It shook the chandelier,” Reed said quickly.

“We’ll monitor the noise levels too. But if we’re to recreate this event, we need to pick the right time and place. Obviously, the ballroom is a hotspot.”

“Both events happened right around seven o’clock, as near as we can tell,” I offered.

Mike glanced at Becker. “That gives us a couple hours to set up equipment. I’d also like to monitor that place in the garden, the first place she went through. Is the house going to be empty? I mean, besides us? If we could cut down on the number of people here, that would be helpful.”

“I can make that happen,” Reed offered.

“I need to know how this works,” Mike said. “Can you explain it to me so I can get some idea of what to prepare for?”

Dolly Jane stepped closer, her arms still folded. “It is hard to explain to someone like you.”

“You mean a non-Dufresne?”

“No, I mean a nonbeliever.” She pursed her lips at him to show her disapproval. Oh, the irony. The ghost hunter who didn’t really believe in ghosts. “It’s like meditating, only you don’t empty your mind. You fill it with what you want to see. I’d never opened a portal before last night, so I’m not an expert or anything. But that’s my limited experience. One more thing, though, Aunt Avery.”

“What’s that?”

“All this is useless unless Jessica wants to come back. I’m not strong enough to drag her with me when the portal opens again. And in the condition she’s in, I wouldn’t advise it, so there’s that.”

“We’ll have to compel her to return. I can do it.”

Reed found his voice and said, “No.”

“Yes, Reed. Dolly Jane is right. She can’t do it by herself.”

“Have you forgotten about your leg, Avery?”

I had, actually. “Dolly Jane said things changed for her when she stepped through the portal. She wasn’t herself but this Madlen person. That’s probably what will happen to me. I am sure I will be fine. I’ll reason with Jessica. She will listen to me. I know she will.”

“What if you’re not okay, Aunt Avery, and I’m stuck with you and Jessica?”

And then suddenly it dawned on me. I knew why Mike was here. And from the look on his face, he knew too. Without hesitation, he said, “I’ll go. If you can get me there, I’ll bring Jessica back.”

“I’ll go call and check on Danforth. Having him here might help us,” Reed said as he excused himself. His face was flushed pink, and I could see that I’d lost his support, at least for the moment. Dolly Jane dogged his heels, and I was left alone with the two paranormal investigators. Nope. Make that one. Becker had left, apparently eager to get started setting up.

Mike didn’t look me in the eye at first, but when he did, I could see they were wet with tears. He didn’t bother hiding them. He said softly, “I don’t like this house, Avery, but Jessica did. Even after she found the bodies. She always liked this place and you. She liked you a lot.”

“I liked her too. That’s why I’m not giving up.” We sat in silence for another minute.

“Thanks for that. I better go help Becker get everything together. He’s brilliant with software but not so great with camera angles.”

He stepped into the house, and I was left alone on the patio. I listened but heard nothing except the sound of the tree creaking.

“Handsome Cheever, if you can hear me, please watch over us. I need your help! Help me keep everyone safe!” I whispered. I did not hear Handsome’s voice…not that I expected to, but the silence still made me sad.

I fumbled with the wheelchair brake, turned the chair around and went back inside.

Chapter Sixteen – Lucas

“Arnold Lee, remember, you can’t tell your mother about any of this. Nothing about Jessica, or last night at all. Promise me.” I glanced up as I saw Alice Marie’s shiny car pull into the grocery store parking lot. She wasn’t all smiles, but then again neither was I. I didn’t want to let him go back, but my attorney said I had no choice, not until we got everything done legally. But one day soon, he’d get to stay with me. He wouldn’t have to endure her fear and judgmental attitude every day. And maybe she’d learn what I had—Arnold Lee was different, but God made him that way for a reason. I knew that for certain now. I’d seen him yesterday drawing with all his might, determined to save his friend.

Even now he was humming. Just like my Dad. Always humming a tune. I knew that one. I’d heard Dad sing it so many times.

Ooh, what a little
Moonlight can do.
Wait awhile,
Till a little moonbeam
Comes peepin’ through.

With tears in my eyes, I hugged my son. “Son, you’ve got the phone I gave you, right?”

“Yes, sir, right here in my pocket. But I didn’t bring my hat. I don’t want her to take it away from me.”

“It’s only for two days, and your hat will be right where you left it when you come home, I promise.”

“Daddy…” He hugged me hard as Alice Marie honked the horn.

“If you need me, you call me. I love you, son. Don’t forget that.”

I raised a hand to Alice Marie, who gave me a disapproving look. Arnold Lee said, “I made this for you. Daddy, you have to buy some boots, the kind Grandpa used to wear. You have to take the salt to the house. For Jessie. She’s in a bad place.”

“Arnold Lee, we can’t talk about this right now, remember?” I glanced nervously at Alice Marie’s car.

“Daddy, please. You have to believe me. You can wear the hat too. Take the salt to the big house and spread it around or there will be trouble.”

He left the folded paper on the seat behind him, got out and walked to his mother’s car. She had her new friend with her, that preacher from the Bay Shore Baptist Church. I gave him a warning look and waved at Arnold Lee as they drove away.

God, I hate this. Why does she have to treat him like this?

I closed my eyes, a sad attempt at keeping the tears from falling. Who knew fatherhood would break your heart so much? My hand touched the drawing on the seat, and I reached for it as I flicked away the moisture seeping from my eyes. Arnold Lee had folded it like an accordion, his favorite way to fold long pictures. As the picture became clearer, I felt a sense of peace. What a strange thing. It was my father and me, both holding bags of salt over our shoulders, both wearing boots to keep the mud and salt off our feet. Waving at us from a black car was Arnold Lee, and in the front seat were two people who were obviously his mother and the preacher. How did he know the preacher would be there? I was sure he didn’t.

I studied the picture some more, and my eyes went to the large house he’d drawn in white crayon. In one of the windows was a person with large sad eyes like Jessica Chesterfield’s. On the window were black bars wrapped with snakes. Arnold Lee had drawn a cartoon text box that said, “Help me!” It was dark in this picture, and there was a big bright moon at the top with a sad face in it. There were also some trees, like the trees in the backyard garden, and hidden among them was a woman in a chair. A wheelchair! That must be Avery. She also had a cartoon text cloud issuing from her open mouth: “Help me!”

Are they both in trouble?

Suddenly, I heard a song, just like someone had flipped on a radio. But the radio was off, and there was no one close to me in this parking lot. I rolled down the window just to check, but there wasn’t any music to be heard. Was I losing my mind? Once in a while, I did hear the odd tune, but not regularly like my father or my son did. I looked at the picture again. Yes, there he was. My father, holding his bag of salt and smiling at me.

And I knew he really was with me and wanted me to do this. I had no other choice. I wept for real now. When I was done, I said, “Okay, Dad. You win. I’m going, but you have to go with me.”

I put my seat belt back on, rolled the picture back up accordion style and put the car in drive. I didn’t bother to turn the radio on. There was already a song playing in my head. And she was singing loud too.

You’ll get bored.
You can’t resist him.
And all you’ll say
When you have kissed him is,
Ooh, what a little
Moonlight can do.

Ooh, what a little
Moonlight can do.
Ooh, what a little moonlight
Can do to you.

“What a little moonlight can do,” I sang along with her. I knew without a doubt that I would hear her clearly now. Now that I wanted to. I didn’t have to please Alice Marie anymore. I didn’t have to pretend. I could be myself. Dad was gone, and Arnold Lee needed me to be who I was supposed to be. Whatever or whoever that was. As I turned the car onto Jackson, I felt peace. Peace like I hadn’t felt in a long time.

And I sang with all my might.

Chapter Seventeen – Avery

By the time we got started, there were cameras, cords and more cords all over the bottom floor of the house, even in rooms where nothing paranormal had happened…at least not recently. The door that led from the ballroom to the patio garden was open, and there were cords leading out there too. Well, one thing was for sure, Mike and Becker were prepared for whatever was going to happen.

“Almost seven o’clock, Avery. Let me show you what we’ve got.” Mike ran through the equipment, explaining how everything worked. “Becker, what’s up with this K2? It’s dead. We need fresh batteries.”

Becker stalked over to take a look. “Shoot. I swear I just put batteries in it. This one is crapping out too. You know, that could be a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, kind of interested.

Becker continued, “It might mean that an entity is drawing energy from the batteries.”

Mike elbowed him and said, “But it might also mean we got a bad batch of batteries.”

While all that was impressive, I was having a hard time focusing. Reed had left a few hours ago and hadn’t returned. He wasn’t answering my phone calls either. That wasn’t unusual when he was working on a case; he wasn’t, as far as I knew, but he was anxious to help Lucas with his custody case. Maybe that was it.

As if he knew I was thinking about him, Reed walked into the ballroom wearing his movie-star smile. Apparently, all was forgiven now. Despite my nerves and the horrible situation, I couldn’t help but smile back. I loved him so much. Behind him was Danforth and also Pepper’s son, Alexander James, and my fellow matrone, Summer.

“Summer? Reed! How did you manage this?” I practically cried at seeing them all. Summer and I didn’t even get a chance to hug before Dolly Jane screamed for joy and ran to her.

“Aunt Summer!” She was in her arms, and Summer held on to her like she might never let her go. I had no idea those two were so connected. I felt like a heel now for being jealous before.

“Danforth, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Avery. Just eager to get this over with. You remember Alexander James?”

“How have you been, Alexander? We all miss Pepper so much.”

“Yes, she was one of a kind.” He didn’t say much else, and I didn’t push him. He didn’t really know me from Adam’s house cat, as my grandmother Vertie used to say. She was full of funny witticisms like that. How I missed her tonight. What would she think about all this? I had a feeling she wouldn’t like it much, but at least she’d be glad that the Lovely Man had been defeated.

In the past, … the Lovely Man is still in power. He is still tending his Lovely Garden.

I shook off Danforth’s words as he greeted Summer politely. He treated her with respect, which was good, but I wasn’t worried about Summer. She could handle herself in every situation.

“I’m only here for a few nights. After that, I’m headed back to Georgia, so don’t get used to me.” Dolly Jane pouted beside her as Summer leaned down to hug me. “You be careful, Avery,” she whispered. “Please be careful.”

“I knew you couldn’t stay away,” I said as I grinned up at her.

“All right, five minutes until seven o’clock. So how does this work?” Becker unrolled yet another cord and froze in his tracks when he saw Summer. All the color went out of his face, but he quickly regained his composure. “Oh, hey, Summer. Good to see you.” He reached out his hand, and she accepted it.

“You too, Jeffrey.” And that was that. Yeah, he was still interested in her, no secret there. But unfortunately for him, the feeling was not mutual.

I cleared my throat. How to begin this? “Thank you all for being here. Danforth, thank you for coming back. As you know, the impossible has happened here in our family home. Sugar Hill isn’t just our home; apparently, it’s become some kind of portal, a doorway to the past, one that Jessica Chesterfield has walked through. We are a strange bunch, we Dufresnes—while that strangeness is our burden to bear, we can’t ask that of our friends. Our brave Dolly Jane made contact with Jessica yesterday, but Jessica has been injured and is not quite herself. And that’s why you all are here. We need your help to make this happen. Mike wants to go with Dolly Jane if that’s possible. With his help, Dolly Jane will lead Jessica back home.”

“No offense, but I think it should be a Dufresne,” Summer said with a frown.

“I would hate to see another soul get lost,” Danforth murmured, but Mike wasn’t having any of it.

“We don’t have time to rehash all this. No disrespect to any of you Dufresnes, but Jessica is a part of our family. Becker’s and mine. We’re not going to leave without her.”

Dolly Jane’s watch alarm began to go off. “Seven o’clock, y’all. It’s now or never.” She rolled her neck around and extended her arms in front of her as if she were stretching for a marathon. “Come on, Mike.” He handed his camera to Becker and stepped next to the girl. “Hold my hand and don’t talk,” she instructed him.

He didn’t answer her but bowed his head like he was about to pray. Maybe he was, and I sure wouldn’t object. Just like yesterday, Dolly Jane led our gathering. “I’m looking for the door. If you could look too, all of you, that would be great. Think about the door.”

The room became eerily quiet for a few seconds…until Becker dropped his device and it broke into pieces on the ground. He scrambled to pick them up, but Summer reached down, took his hand and whispered, “Leave it, Beck.” He did, and soon we were gathered together, all of us thinking about a door. It seemed to go on forever, but nothing happened. Not like yesterday.

“You sure your watch is right?” Mike asked as he checked his.

“It’s an Apple Watch, so yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s right.” Dolly Jane frowned at him as if he were stupid, like most teenagers thought of all adults. “You know, I can feel it. There’s an opening somewhere in this house, but I don’t think it’s in here. Not tonight. Maybe we should look around. Look carefully, though; it might not be obvious. It’s just a shimmer of the air, like an invisible mirror.”

“Maybe,” I said. Then I had an idea. “Reed and I will check the garden. Danforth, you and Alexander check the bottom floor. Summer…”

“I’m sticking with Dolly Jane.”

“Okay,” I said as I wheeled toward the door with Reed beside me. God, this was terrible. What went wrong? I guess we were fools to believe that this sort of thing, time travel, could be predictable. The sun crept down and cast strange shadows in the yard. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I spotted Lucas Cheever walking around the porch with a bag of salt on his shoulder.

“Lucas! What are you doing? Never mind. I know what you’re doing, but I had no idea you were coming.”

“I’m only doing what I have to. Dad wants me to do this, if that makes any sense, Dad and Arnold Lee.” I gasped in surprise but felt encouraged. Someone had heard me earlier. Thank you! “I have to do this, Avery. You need me to do this.”

“You do what you have to, Lucas. Thank you for the help.”

“The sooner you get this done, the better. He gets stronger with the rising moon.”

“Okay,” I answered, knowing exactly what he meant. Reed and I watched him disappear into the woodsy area to the right of the patio. I could hear his footsteps for a few seconds and not much else.

No birds, no squirrels. Nothing at all. Everything was dead silent.

As we searched for evidence of a portal, I thought of a possibility. There was no way we could cover the entire property, and there were innumerable potential paranormal hot spots at Sugar Hill. So much tragedy and death. Is there any wonder? “Hey, what about the attic?” I called to Reed.

“Great idea. I’m not seeing anything out here. Jessica was kind of obsessed with the attic. It’s a possibility. Let’s go tell the others.”

We went back inside the ballroom just in time to see Dolly Jane and Mike vanish in front of our eyes. Summer was lying on the ground now, her long hair covering her face.

“Reed!” I screamed as I raced to my fallen cousin as quickly as I could make the chair go. No need to look any further—we had found the portal. But at what cost?

Chapter Eighteen – Mike

My eyes felt like someone had sealed them with wax. I rubbed them furiously to regain my bearings. My stomach lurched, reminding me of being in an elevator that had caught short. I felt a hand in mine and heard a woman’s voice whispering in my ear. No, that was Dolly Jane!

“It’s only temporary, Mike. We aren’t the same, but you can’t freak out. It’s not permanent.”

“Dolly Jane?” I tried to say, but the words would not form in my mouth. I looked down at my hands, and they were brown and gnarled.

How old am I? Who am I? Why can’t I talk?

“Keep it together. I know, I know. You’re Dominick’s old servant, Lemuel. He can’t talk, but I promise it’s not permanent. Let’s get Jessica and get out of here.” The strange woman with Dolly Jane’s voice held both my hands. She was small with dark eyes and curly hair that poofed around her face like a halo. “Mike, are you listening to me?” I just nodded since I couldn’t respond to her verbally.

We were in the stuffy attic. The place was littered with trunks and crates, but this was clearly the attic of Sugar Hill. Sweat poured from my brow, and I rubbed it with my sleeve. I had so many questions but could ask none of them. I clung to Dolly Jane’s hand as we made our way to the door.

She put her ear to the door and listened with her eyes closed. We heard nothing, not a sound except the creaking of the house and the occasional scurrying of tiny rodent feet. “Stay close to me. Let’s try to stay together, Mike. As far as I know, the only people in the house besides Jessica and us are Dominick and Devon. Maybe the doctor and maybe Champion. The last time, I was only here a few minutes. We’ve got to move fast but quietly.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move behind me. I turned around, certain that someone else was in the attic with us, but saw no one. Not a damn thing. The sun would set soon and blanket this massive room in darkness. There were no streetlights in this time period, no handy light switches. I had a sudden and overwhelming fear of being in the dark here. That wasn’t good for a paranormal investigator. There it was again! I could have sworn I saw a man—a tall man with dark hair—step into the closed wardrobe, as clear as the daylight we were quickly losing. I tugged at Dolly Jane’s sleeve, but she didn’t seem to notice and already had her hand on the doorknob. The door opened with a tiny squeak, and I stepped onto the narrow staircase behind her, eager to leave the creepy attic behind.

As we cleared the stairs, I held my breath. The place was huge but not as cluttered as it was in modern times. There were only a few oil paintings hanging on the walls, and none of the weird statues the modern Dufresne family loved so much. But still, there was a heaviness here and the familiar feeling that someone or something was watching every step I took.

I heard the rustling of clothes behind me, but of course, there was no one. No one at all. If only I could speak.

The second-floor hallway stretched out in front of us, and there was a pile of linens outside one of the doors. That had to be Jessica’s room! Let’s see, that was five, no, six doors down. We could do this. Dolly Jane reached for my hand again; the air felt cold suddenly, and she turned her head slightly as if she heard a sound that caught her attention. I didn’t hear anything, but I didn’t move a muscle. As I stood there, a strange wind blew across my neck.

Oh God, someone is behind me!

And then we were moving again. Dolly Jane was practically dragging me down the hall, but we didn’t go to Jessica’s room. Instead, we turned down a short hallway to a small room. The walls were painted dark green, and the cedar furniture created a pleasant scent. A boy was hiding in the corner. I could hear him crying, the kind of crying that had been going on a long time because he was gasping too. My little brother used to do that. He’d work himself up so much that he’d nearly pass out.

What are we doing, Dolly Jane? We have to go to Jessica!

Before I knew what was happening, she ran to the child and knelt in front of him. Without a word, he leaped into her arms and put his skinny arms around her neck. The child had shaggy blond hair, and his pale face was red from crying. He wore short pants and a dirty white shirt with brown boots.

“Hush now. It’s okay.” Dolly Jane held him as she stood up. I furiously gestured to the doorway. “I know. Just give me a second.” She said softly to the boy, “Devon, what are you doing hiding up here?”

“I came to look for you. Where were you, Madlen? You said you would not leave me. You said you would take me to my mother. Please, take me to my mother.”

“I…I don’t know if I can.” Dolly Jane’s lip quivered. What was she proposing we do for this kid? We couldn’t bring him with us. He cried a few more seconds, but she got him quiet. “Why were you hiding in this room, Devon? Please tell me.”

“I wanted to find a toy. The man told me there were toys in here, but there aren’t any toys, just the lady crying. I think she’s hurt. I want to go home, Madlen.”

“What man? Uncle Dominick?” The boy wouldn’t answer but shook his head no.

I knew it. There is someone up here. And then I heard Jessica crying for help.

“Help me, Dominick!” Her voice broke off, and I left Dolly Jane and the boy behind, uncaring whether anyone saw me at all. Jessica was lying face down on the floor halfway to the door. She’d obviously tried to crawl out of the bed because her stained sheets were wadded up and wrapped around her feet.

“Oh God, Jessica!” I yelled, but no words came out of my mouth. I ran to her and squatted down beside her. What cruel irony! Here I was, finally reunited with her, and I couldn’t speak a word. I patted her hand to let her know someone was there.

She opened her eyes and saw me, and her chapped lips trembled as she clutched my hand. “Help me. We have to stop him,” she whispered.

Then Dolly Jane was behind me in a swirl of dark blue fabric, the boy still in her arms. “Sit here, Devon. No, I need you to sit so I can help Jess…Ophelia.” She freed herself from the boy’s arms and hurried to my side. “Jessica, remember me? I’m Dolly Jane. I brought your friend, Mike. Mike is here. He’s come to help me bring you home.”

“Mike?” she said with a curious smile on her face. Oh God, please don’t die. She was looking at me but had that familiar faraway look in her eyes.

“We have to go back, Jess. Please, don’t fight us.”

“Dominick…” She waved her hand at us. I shook my head. I wasn’t taking no for an answer. She wasn’t going to stay here and die. Not with me here. “Please, don’t make me go. I have to stay.”

Then the air turned icy cold, so cold I could have sworn I saw my breath. “It’s happening, Mike. Hold on to her. Don’t let her go.” Dolly Jane backed away and picked up Devon. “I can’t leave yet. There’s something I have to do.”

Wait! Where are you going? You can’t stay here. I’m not sure what to do!

“Hold on to her. Don’t let her go.” I wrapped my arms around Jessica and watched as Dolly Jane clutched the child, bowed her head and stepped back into the hallway. And then the whole world began to melt away.

Chapter Nineteen – Dolly Jane

I knew from the beginning that I would not be able to go back with them. Not at the same time as Jessica and Mike. Aunt Summer knew that too and had tried to stop me. I’d only given her a little shove. I hoped she was okay and would forgive me for handling her like that.

Two go in, two come out. Yeah, that was the rule. Danforth knew it too and pleaded with me not to go. “It’s not worth losing you, Dolly Jane. You’re too valuable to us.” What a joke! I wasn’t valuable to anyone, not in any real way. Danforth thought I was “valuable” because someday he hoped I would be the matrone. “A powerful matrone in every sense of the word.” Whatever that meant.

I seemed to be the only Dufresne ready to admit the truth—for all our money and good looks, when you got down to it, we were just a dynasty of witches. Not the kind that showed up on your doorstep on Halloween night. And not the kind that mixed potions and ran call centers for fortune-telling. Hoodoo magic ran through our veins, and no matter how modern or affluent we were, Dufresnes always used that power for our benefit and the benefit of those we loved. Most of us, anyway. There were outliers like Vertie, who did her best to distance herself and her granddaughter Avery, but what good had that done?

And they had banished the Lovely Man, but that didn’t mean our blood had become any less infused with that magic either. Through some unhappy coincidence, I was the culmination of those generations, and I knew things other Dufresnes didn’t. I didn’t know how I knew them, and I’d given up trying to figure it out a long time ago.

But valuable? Not really. Just ask my mom; she had no trouble leaving me behind for alcohol. But this Jessica chick…I couldn’t leave her behind. And I couldn’t abandon Devon either. But what should I do now? I had to admit that I was flying by the seat of my pants here. As usual, I was making it up as I went along. Holding the child close, I paused to take a breath. I had to find a safe place for Devon, and then I would find another portal. It would be awhile before I could open another one.

“Where do we go, Devon?” I whispered as I raced down the stairs with him. My dress felt heavier by the second, the air felt sticky, and my legs felt like two noodles. I need to rest. This isn’t good! The little boy offered no suggestions, but at least he wasn’t crying anymore.

The bottom floor of the house looked like a tornado had blown through it. The foyer table was overturned and broken, as were the potted plants and the kerosene lamp. Where was everyone? Obviously, the brothers had fought, but where could they have gone?

Stepping out on the porch, I searched for Dominick and Champion but saw no one. It was like the place was deserted. Except it wasn’t. They were yelling. I could hear them yelling somewhere in the back, in the garden. I heard Champion’s voice ringing loud and clear through the dusky air.

Ten…nine…eight… Oh no! Jessica was right. Dominick and Champion were determined to kill one another, but how would all this end for the boy? Devon began to moan pitifully.

Seven…six…five…

“Devon. I am sorry.” The child was probably hungry, and he needed a bath and some rest. The helplessness I felt caused my eyes to burn with tears. What would I do now? I couldn’t take Devon to the garden to witness the murder of his father—or his uncle. And what if we got caught in the crossfire? I want to live! I have a life in my own time! I couldn’t be this far from the attic.

Yes! The attic! I have to get back to the attic. The veil will be thin there at this hour. If I rest a few minutes, I’ll be strong enough.

I would have to locate someone, a servant or a friend, someone to take Devon away from Sugar Hill. I covered his ears in preparation for the gunfire and walked quickly back the way I came. I could have walked up the road and tried to find someone, but it would have taken me too long to get back to the attic. When I circled back to the front door, I was surprised to see a small carriage and a huge black horse and one angry-looking Doctor Montrose. The horse snorted when it saw us. Animals didn’t particularly like me.

“Ah, the witch of Belle Fontaine. What are you up to now?”

Three…two… And then we all flinched at the sound of gunfire. Devon seized my neck tightly, and I felt a rush of fear.

“You’re right, Doctor Montrose. That’s exactly what I am! You can’t help me or Mrs. Dufresne. The only one you can help is this boy. Take him away from here.”

“Who has been shot? What is going on here?” He rubbed his oily-looking mustache and frowned at me as he tried to climb out of his carriage. I raced to block him. Prying Devon’s hands loose, I handed him the boy.

“I don’t know, but you were right, Doctor. This place is cursed. Save the boy. Take him away from here before it’s too late.”

“I have to see Mrs. Dufresne. I can’t leave her in your care. I know all about what you did to the other Mrs. Dufresne.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was willing to play along if it helped me solve this problem. “Take the child and leave or it will be worse for you.”

He accepted the squirming boy and eased back into his seat. I thought he would speak again, but there was no time for further argument. I had to get back to the attic quickly. “Do as I say, Doctor Montrose, or I will use my skills on you.”

He made the sign of the cross, reached for the reins and hurried his carriage down the driveway. Devon cried for me and waved his hands, but I dared not linger.

As I stepped into the house, I sensed the change. The place felt electric. I hurried past the spilled kerosene and the soil and ran up the stairs; my legs felt like they had weights attached to them now. As I cleared the top step, I felt unbalanced, so dizzy that I almost toppled back. 

And then I would be dead. I would die here in this time. I would die and be lost forever. My vision blurred…the effects of the time travel, surely.

You cannot die, Dolly Jane.

Arms encircled me, invisible arms, and suddenly I was back on my feet. A loud buzzing filled my ears. Time was running out.

Run, Dolly Jane!

With no time to think, I clawed my way down the hall and up the narrow staircase that led to the attic. I was crying now. I couldn’t think clearly, and the buzzing was growing louder. The door did not want to open…or my hand wouldn’t work; I couldn’t figure out which. I pushed against one more time with the last of my strength.

Again, I thought I would collapse. So tired…I’m so tired…I can’t die here.

I could feel the air move just a few inches away, but I couldn’t walk. I fell to my knees and reached out with my hand. Yes, there it was. The shimmering. The doorway. The thinning.

But now I had no strength. Danforth had been right. So had Summer. But at least Jessica…oh, I am so tired.

And then those invisible arms were around me again. Holding me, lifting me.

Let me help you, sweet Dolly Jane. We will go together.

Epilogue – Dolly Jane

It was misting rain, and the moisture washed Sugar Hill in a sad gray hue. It did feel sad here. Sad and broken. Everything was gray, the sky, the water, even the small boat I lay in. Who would paint a boat gray? This wasn’t a battleship, just a wooden boat for a tiny pond. My dress felt damp, but at least my hair was pulled up in a ponytail; however, if I stayed out here too long, I would be drenched through. Sitting up carefully so I didn’t flip the boat over, I reached for the oars and began rowing toward the tiny gazebo in the center of the pond. The many times I’d visited the family home, I had never ventured out here, even though I had searched every other nook and cranny of Sugar Hill. And now I had another chance.

It was so hard to believe I had been gone for three years. Three whole years since Lucas found me in the garden that night, the night we brought Jessica Chesterfield back. It felt like a lifetime ago. The night I returned, I was immediately whisked away, but I had been glad to be with Aunt Summer. Now that time was over. Things were “in flux,” as Uncle Eric liked to say.

I faced some serious decisions now, some that I hadn’t expected before I came here. Mom had returned to rehab, but I had no illusions about her. Once her court-mandated time was up, she’d be back in the bars, but I made sure my father wouldn’t return. It was easy to hire a few men to remind him that he was no longer welcome in Belle Fontaine. Ever again. Yep, that was easy as pie. Mom had her faults, but no one deserved to be beaten like that. And now she wouldn’t anymore. I had made sure of it.

I eased the boat to the shore and dragged it up to keep it from sailing away. I slid the oars into the bottom of the boat and brushed off my dirty hands. The sun appeared overhead and melted the mist away…but on the shore, just a hundred feet away, it was raining. How odd. Then again, things were always odd here at Sugar Hill. I closed my eyes and basked in the sunshine for a moment. Then his voice startled me.

Hello, Dolly Jane…

My eyes flew open, and I instantly spotted him inside the gazebo. Not fully him but his shadow. “Why are you here? Are you letting people see you, Ambrose?”

I only want to be seen by you, my lovely flower. No one has seen me. And I have waited just as you asked me to.

“If they see you, you won’t be able to stay. You do know that, don’t you? They will force me to send you back, and I will do it. I would never betray Avery or Summer.”

I know this…but I only want to see you. I had to see you. Only you, now and forever. I am lonely without you.

As he spoke, he became clearer to me. “Ambrose,” I whispered as he smiled. And yes, my speaking his name did make him stronger, clearer, just as Vertie’s journals revealed. What would Aunt Summer think about my being here with him? She was happy with her dashing military husband, Eric Richards. I felt a twinge of jealousy but refused to dwell on it. Ambrose shimmered slightly. He was not a shadow anymore; I discerned his outline now. I walked into the gazebo and sat on the center bench, unable to take my eyes off him.

I wondered if Ambrose knew I was studying him. I still had the power to send him back, but that power was fading. I hadn’t made up my mind yet what I would do. I never intended to bring him back, but it had happened and now Ambrose was mine. If I chose to keep him. And he had power of his own; he had demonstrated that, hadn’t he?

He could drive a man mad! What would he do to me?

I would never harm you, Dolly Jane. I only want to love you, serve you.

I leaped off the bench in surprise. “You cannot read my mind. Do not do that! My mind is my own, Ambrose.”

With a sad smile, he nodded his head and shimmered slightly. Ah, my anger weakens him. Good to know. I know that now, Ambrose. Your selfish reaching has taught me something about you. He nodded again, but his dark eyes were fast on me. He became even clearer. I could see all of him now. His black pants, his half-open white shirt, his flowing dark hair and red lips. He was lovely; yes, he was truly the Lovely Man.

“If I let you stay, you have to remain here, in the gazebo. You have to stay where you abandoned Susanna. You cannot come to Sugar Hill.”

I only want to be with you, Dolly Jane. Susanna is gone, but I am here. Love me. Let me love you.

A soft, warm breeze carried his words to me, and he flashed an elegant smile. The wind picked up a few loose tendrils, which slapped my cheeks. The breeze tugged on my dress too, in a slow, seductive way. I felt my face warm, but luckily for me, my mind always spoke louder than my heart or anything else. At least until now.

“I know what you’ve done, Ambrose. I know how you betrayed the others. As soon as another girl was born, you abandoned the matrone. You should know now that I will not have children. You must know I cannot. My body will not allow it.” It was a hard truth but one I had come to terms with a long time ago. The disease that had crippled me as a child took that hope from me.

Love you, Dolly Jane. Only you…just as you are.

He faded now, as if my doubting his intentions hurt him. Perhaps it did. And perhaps he only wanted me to believe that it did. He could be a trickster at times. I’d seen all of Grandmother Margaret’s videos, even though no one knew it, and I read all of Vertie’s journals like they were scientific studies. I had spent my young life studying the Lovely Man. People talked so freely about him in front of me when I was young. As if a cripple would never catch his eye.

Why keep it from Dolly Jane? He will never come for her.

But he had come when I was young; I was only ten the first time I saw him. It was here at the first family picnic I ever attended. I’d ventured into the Mirror Room on my horrible crutches and saw his handsome face looking back at me from one of the mirrors. I was not afraid of him.

And then he was gone, banished by the Dufresnes, but I brought him back. I hadn’t intended to, but I alone—the most powerful Dufresne yet—had achieved that. I had crossed time, twice. But I could never do it again. If I did, it would be for the last time; at least that is what I suspected. How many times could one person cheat death?

Yes, I knew all about pretty, pretty Ambrose. “You know you are dead, don’t you?” I asked as I took my seat again. I crossed my legs and let my hands rest in my lap.

No. Not dead because you are here. I am alive. Touch me, my sweet Dolly Jane. You are all I’ve ever wanted.

He held his hand out to me, but I did not reach for it. I was still undecided.

“Avery says she will live at Thorn Hill forever, and Summer has renounced you and Sugar Hill for her mortal husband.” He did not wince but withdrew his hand now. “Avery will eventually make me matrone. It is the logical conclusion.” 

Ambrose said nothing, and I read only longing in his eyes.

“You must never harm Avery, nor are you to approach her for anything. And you must not let Summer see you, or it will be the end of you. She is strong too.”

Yes, Dolly Jane. Let me love you. Please. I am so hungry for you.

“I know, but we must talk. Listen to me, Ambrose.”

I listen, dearest. I wait for you and listen.

“Why did you leave Susanna here? She loved you, I think, until you betrayed her. Why? I must know.” And then he vanished, but he wasn’t gone. No. Not at all. I felt the wind blow.

Susanna is gone. She is no more.

“I know, but why did you do it? You destroyed her. I must know why. If you don’t tell me, I will leave, Ambrose.”

And then his outline reappeared. I hurt for Susanna. I loved Susanna. She failed the test.

“When you love someone, you do not test them. You trust them.”

I love you, Dolly Jane.

“You love when it serves you, Ambrose.”

And then he was in front of me, on his knees. I could see his face before me. His red lips trembled as he watched me. His vivid brown eyes searched mine as his hand cupped my cheek and his thumb grazed my bottom lip. Oh, this would cost him. He was using so much energy. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he enjoyed the sensation of touching me. Yes, he enjoyed it. I could feel his desire. He wanted me to experience what he experienced.

I serve you, Dolly Jane. Always. I have waited for you, my flower. The last flower of my lovely garden.

Even though I knew what he meant, that he was referring to the small cemetery behind Thorn Hill, his collection of Dufresne women, I found that I could not resist him. I had never been kissed. I had never done anything romantic, in fact. I was too sensible for that, but now…now I could not think clearly. I knew I should object, but as he drew near, I did not.

Love you, Dolly Jane.

His husky voice was in my ear, and then his lips were on mine. Warm, living lips. What if it was true? Jessica had crossed time to find the man she loved, although she had not been allowed to stay there. What if I was meant to be with Ambrose? Yes, I wanted him. I wanted him for my own.

I felt his hand in my hair as our lips touched, lightly at first. I could smell sunshine and rain on his skin. And then without fear, I kissed him fervently. This was no ghost but a man, a living man with warm flesh, a man I desired. And so I gave into that desire without regret, without withholding anything.

Dolly Jane… he whispered in my ear.

“Ambrose…” I dared to speak his name again. I felt him breathing, yes, he was breathing! And then we kissed again, and all my worries fell away. I could only think of him.

When I woke later, I was alone. My dress was on the ground next to me; I reached for it and quickly pulled it on. My hair was unbound and had leaves in it, but that was not my concern now.

The boat!

I raced out of the gazebo expecting to see the boat gone, but it was not. I leaned against the doorframe and breathed a sigh of relief. I was not a good swimmer, and the thought of swimming across the pond made me nervous.

“Ambrose, why did you leave?”

I am still here, but I am not strong. I love you, Dolly Jane.

“Will you be strong again?”

Yes, you make me strong. Wait a little while, and I will show you how strong I am.

His flirtatious voice echoed around me. My body warmed with desire again, but I refused to be a slave to it. There would be time later to think about all that had happened, but I dared not do so in his presence. I needed to think without worrying that he would hear me. 

“I cannot stay. I have to go back. Avery is waiting, and I must give her my decision.” I combed the leaves from my hair with my hands, quickly tilted my head and pulled my hair into a ponytail again. Hopefully, nobody would be the wiser. For the briefest moment, I felt a twinge of guilt.

Do not leave me. I am lonely without you.

“I must go now, but I will come back.”

When, beloved? When? I sensed his frustration.

“Soon,” I said as I closed my eyes. “You must stay here, Ambrose. Do not follow me. Stay here in the gazebo, and I will come to you.”

No. Do not leave me here. You cannot leave me now. I am yours, and you are mine.

“You will stay here. I command it.” As if to testify to my words, I pictured a wall around the tiny island. “You must stay and not cross the wall.”

NO! That is not fair, Dolly Jane. I must be with you.

“You must stay. If you truly love me, as you say you do, you will stay.” I climbed into the boat and began to row away. With all my heart I wanted to stay with him. But I could not linger because I would weaken and he would grow stronger. I would have to be careful. I could not allow him to escape, not if I wanted to keep him safe and keep the family safe.

Return to me, Dolly Jane. Do not leave me here. I saw him briefly, weeping, his open white shirt fluttering in the breeze, and then he disappeared.

“Soon, Ambrose. Soon,” I said one more time before I began to row in earnest. By the time I reached the shore, I could not hear him crying anymore.

The world was as silent as the grave.

And Ambrose was all mine.

Connect with M.L. Bullock on Facebook. To receive updates on her latest releases, visit her website at M.L. Bullock and subscribe to her mailing list. You can also contact her at authormlbullock@gmail.com.

About the Author

Author of the best-selling Seven Sisters series and the Desert Queen series, M.L. Bullock has been storytelling since she was a child. A student of archaeology, she loves weaving stories that feature her favorite historical characters—including Nefertiti. She currently lives on the Gulf Coast with her family but travels frequently to explore the southern states she loves so much.

Read more from M.L. Bullock

The Nike Chronicles

Blue Water

Blue Wake

Blue Tide

The Seven Sisters Series

Seven Sisters

Moonlight Falls on Seven Sisters

Shadows Stir at Seven Sisters

The Stars that Fell

The Stars We Walked Upon

The Sun Rises Over Seven Sisters

Christmas at Seven Sisters (bonus short stories)

The Idlewood Series

The Ghosts of Idlewood

Dreams of Idlewood

The Whispering Saint

The Haunted Child

Return to Seven Sisters

(A Seven Sisters Sequel Series)

The Roses of Mobile

All the Summer Roses

Blooms Torn Asunder

A Garden of Thorns

The Gulf Coast Paranormal Series

The Ghosts of Kali Oka Road

The Ghosts of the Crescent Theater

A Haunting on Bloodgood Row

The Legend of the Ghost Queen

A Haunting at Dixie House

The Ghost Lights of Forrest Field

The Ghost of Gabrielle Bonet

The Ghost of Harrington Farm

The Creature on Crenshaw Road

Shabby Hearts Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

A Touch of Shabby

Shabbier by the Minute

Shabby by Night

The Sugar Hill Series

Wife of the Left Hand

Fire on the Ramparts

Blood by Candlelight

The Starlight Ball

His Lovely Garden

Ghosts of Summerleigh Series

The Belles of Desire, Mississippi

The Ghost of Jeopardy Belle

The Lady in White

Lost Camelot Series

Guinevere Forever

Guinevere Unconquered

The Desert Queen Series

The Tale of Nefret

The Falcon Rises

The Kingdom of Nefertiti

The Song of the Bee-Eater

Standalone books

Ghosts on a Plane

More from M.L. Bullock

From The Belles of Desire, Mississippi

The black and white photo had crumpled, brittle edges, but the faces were clear. Four girls looked back at me, three with smiles and one with a faraway look as if she were seeing past the moment—as if she could see me. I shivered at the silliness of that thought.

“Can you guess which one is me?” She smiled like the Cheshire cat, and I stared at her and then at the photo. Picking out Harper was easy. You could tell the girls were related, but none of them looked exactly alike. Unwilling to wait for my answer, she said, “That’s me, on the end.”

I smiled at her. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Oh, you’re such a liar, Jerica Poole, but thank you.” Thank goodness she didn’t call me Jeopardy again. But I wasn’t lying. Of course, she looked much older than this photo, but it was Harper nonetheless. She had a wide forehead and neat eyebrows that had a natural arch to them. In the photo, she wore a Peter Pan blouse, and her soft blond hair was bobbed and curled.

“And which sister is which?”

“Now, this pouty thing with the bee-stung lips is my sister Addison. She’s the only one of us who had brown eyes. She looked a lot like my father’s family. Addison was a sickly girl but sweet.” Addison had a cleft chin to go along with those full lips. She was certainly a pretty girl. “This ball of sunshine was my youngest sister, Loxley. Momma always braided her hair into two braids. She used to see ghosts all the time, right up until the day she moved away and married that boy from Mobile. Why can’t I think of his name?”

“What?” I laughed at that. “Loxley must have had an imaginary friend or two, I gather?”

“No, they weren’t imaginary friends; she saw ghosts just like you and I see cats or dogs. And this girl here, the one beside me, that’s my sister Jeopardy. She disappeared in 1942.” I was mesmerized by the girl with the wild blond hair. She looked so out of place, like a girl from another time had stepped into the frame. She wore a white sundress and had vulnerable-looking bare arms and that sad, faraway look in her eyes.

“She looks so tiny. She was the oldest, right?”

“Yeah, she was the oldest, but I was the tallest. I was the Ugly Duckling of the Belle family, taller than even Momma when I got older. Jeopardy was always a petite thing, with a wild streak a mile wide. Oh, how I wanted to be like Jeopardy.” Harper clutched the photo in her hand and closed her eyes as if she were remembering some half-forgotten moment. I didn’t want to interrupt her, but I was captivated by the photograph.

“Hardly an Ugly Duckling, Harper. And I’m taller than you. Tell me about your sisters. You said Jeopardy disappeared?”

“They are all gone now. I am the last Belle.” She opened her eyes and tucked the crocheted blanket around her legs. “Chilly this morning. I wanted to see you, Jerica, because I am going to die soon, and I’m afraid I have failed to bring my sister home. I made a promise a long time ago. I promised Jeopardy I would bring her home, but I couldn’t. I need your help. Please tell me you’ll help me. I can’t die knowing she’ll never make it home.”

Alarmed at her confession, I put my hand on her wrist to comfort her. “Hey, you aren’t going to die on my watch. Let me call your doctor. If you feel off in any kind of way, we need to get him here.”

“Don’t do that. I need you to believe me. I can’t explain how I know it, but I do—I am going to die soon, and I need your help. I can’t find Jeopardy, and she’s been gone so long. She can’t rest until we find her. Please help me.” For the first time in all the years I’d known her, Harper Hayes cried. I was so surprised that I couldn’t imagine refusing her. I couldn’t say no to her after she’d been so good to Marisol and me. She’d been there for me when I needed her most. I would have to return the favor.

“I’ll help you, Harper, but we have to call Dr. Odom. I’ll help you if you allow me to call him.”

She wiped her tears away and nodded in agreement. “That sounds like a fair trade. Hand me my handkerchief, please.”

I walked to her bedside table and retrieved one of the embroidered handkerchiefs from her neat stack. Handing it to her, I couldn’t help but hug her even though I suspected she didn’t enjoy hugs too much.

“I want you to have this picture, Jerica. I don’t want you to forget Jeopardy Belle, not like everyone else has. Even me—I forgot her for a while. I tried to find her, but then I got so busy with my own life. Find her, Jerica. Find her and bring her home.”

“I can’t accept this picture, Harper. These are your sisters, not mine.”

“No, I want you to have it. Just remember your promise. I’m going to hold you to it now, Jeopardy.”

I didn’t correct her but squeezed her hand and slipped the picture into my pocket before I walked out to call Dr. Odom. The whole thing was weird, but I couldn’t refuse Harper. She’d been there for me, and how hard could it be to find her sister?

She disappeared in 1942…

About The Belles of Desire, Mississippi

Jerica Poole had no idea how quickly life could change until hers is ripped apart at the seams. After a messy divorce and the tragic death of her daughter, she jumps at the chance to fulfill the last wish of her friend, Harper Belle Hayes. The troubled nurse makes the journey to Harper’s hometown of Desire, Mississippi, and immediately finds herself swept up in a 75-year-old mystery: what happened to Jeopardy Belle? When she begins exploring the Belles’ old homestead, Summerleigh, she discovers that some of the former tenants live on in ghostly form and would love nothing more than to add Jerica to their numbers. Small-town drama and a rich southern background add to the tension of this riveting, ghost-filled murder mystery.