October Ghosts (A Southern Romance Monthly) (14 page)

Chloe shrugged as she tried not to speed to the Barrett House. "Well if he trusts her like you say he does, maybe she thinks he'll keep his mouth shut?"

Sarah made a rude noise. "I've so had it with her. She's made my life a living hell for three years. And she's tried to control Matt every step of the way. I mean, do you know about the California deal?"
 

Ah. Chloe nodded slowly. "I don't know a lot about it. Margo told Kevin about it, but apparently she hasn't told Matt."
 

"She hasn't?" Sarah shifted in the passenger seat to face Chloe. "Then that's it. That's why there's been no movement on it and why they're filming this episode here instead of on the west coast."
 

"I'm not following." But she realized she was following too close behind a truck and slowed the car down. Maybe another ten minutes, though she wasn't really sure why she
felt
they needed to be in the Barrett House…they just did.
 

The door…
the door!

"I hired a few PI's to follow Margo as well and keep track of her activities. I knew about the meetings with the guys in California. A few TV reality show directors that really like
Ghost Hunt
. And the rumors started beginning of this year that they might relocate. Only sometime in February Matt posted on his Facebook page that it wasn't true, that he had no intention of moving the show west. Then poof—no more talks. See, I thought Matt made that post because he and Margo had a falling out or maybe the terms weren't good enough for him. It never dawned on me that Margo hadn't told him."
 

"Well yeah, now that part makes sense. And Kevin and I were pretty sure that if Matt wasn't part of the deal, there was no deal since he's the main attraction on the show." Chloe chewed on her lip just as she'd seen Matt do in her kitchen. Anxiety pressed down on her shoulders. She didn't want to believe Margo would hurt Matt. But accidents happen. And Margo had proven to be dangerous. With the possibility of a TV deal on the table, hinging on the choice of a single member of the crew, it was motive. "Sarah…you don't think that maybe Margo's actually thought all this through? I mean, framing you, letting everyone know you were in town, and now with Matt missing—"
 

Sarah groaned. "It ups the price of the show and its value. If something happens to Matt—I really don't want to think about that."
 

"Me either." Chloe passed a car in the four lane and floured it past the Old Mill. The house was just a mile or two up the road. "You really still care about him, don't you?"

"You've met him." Sarah glanced at her. "It's hard not too."
 

When they pulled up to the house, the camera crews as wall as news vans were two rows deep in front. Chloe cursed under breath when she got out of the car and spotted Margo talking to a whole bunch of reporters, all cameras on her. "Well she's making the most of this, isn't she?"
 

"Fifteen minutes." Sarah put her hand on Chloe's shoulder. "I suggest we get into the house and you try and sense what happened to Matt again, okay? Did you bring your cards?"
 

"Yeah I did."
 

The two of them wound their way around the outside of the crowd. Margo and the microphones were in front of the door, making it impossible to go directly in. And Chloe wasn't sure if the back door she'd seen in the kitchen was unlocked.
 

"Hey! It's Chloe Stohl!"
 

"She's the psychic you're using, isn't she?"

"Hey Chloe—come give us a statement!"
 

"Are you here to see if you can find Matt Hunt?"
 

Oh. Good.
God
.
 

Chloe stood frozen in place as all the lenses of all those cameras swung away from Margo and focused on her. Her eyes widened even further when Margo brought them all back to her by yelling out, "Yes! We're going to test our psychic to see if she can find our missing host."
 

The cameras parted, leaving a path between Chloe and Margo. Margo put her hands on her hips. Chloe made a face. Was this bitch serious?
 

Chloe turned to grab Sarah—but the blond was gone. It was just her there.
 

"Chloe? You okay?"
 

"Yeah say something!"
 

Say something? She wanted to say Margo hurt Matt and hid him somewhere, but without proof that was just going to sound lame. And pretty third grade. So instead she took in a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and clasped her hands in front of her. "Ladies and gentlemen, Matt Hunt is missing, and has probably been missing since early this morning. I will find him." With that last sentence, she locked her gaze with Margo's.
 

"Excuse me…pardon me." The crowd parted and Dr. Coleman stepped into view. He approached Chloe and stood in front of her, not completely blocking the camera views, but blocking Margo. "Chloe, I believe in you, and I'll do whatever I can to help. The rest of ya'll," he turned and held out his hands. "We need you to step back a few yards. Some of Sheriff Harhmon's men are here and will be putting up a barricade to ensure no one gets in the way."
 

She had no idea what was going on, but in the middle of the shuffle of cameras and complaints, the Doc took her arm and gently moved her past Margo and into the front of the house to the parlor. When Margo followed, the doc stepped in front of her and the cameraman behind her and said, "This is a private conversation and I haven't signed a waver." He shooed the two of them out as Chloe stood to the side.

Once they were back out the door he ushered her into the dining room. All the chairs but one were missing again.
 

And sitting in that chair in the far corner, out of sight of the windows and cameras, was Matt.
 

He stood when he saw her and the two of them nearly ran into each other's arm. He smelled of sweat and soap and was covered in dirt from head to toe. He was bleeding from his head—but he was alive. He was alive!
 

"Chloe, we don't have a lot of time," Doc Coleman said.
 

"We got maybe five before Margo tries to bust in here," Phil said.
 

Phil? She let go of Matt but kept her hand in his. "Phil—what's going on? Sarah was—"
 

"She's here. And she's helping us." He held his hand out. "We just let the Sheriff in on what's happening. But you were right—Matt was behind the door. Mr. Harrison actually knew about the hidden shoot."
 

"Mr. Harrison—the curator?" She blinked. "Shoot?"
 

Phil laughed. "Yeah… he's the grandfather of a baby girl, but he was also excited to do the show. So he came up here about the time Sarah called and said to check the door by the fireplace. Well, Mr. Harrison knew that behind one of the doors was a shoot that emptied out into a secret room in the basement. That room used to be part of the laundry storage room—"
 

"And that's when he found me," Matt finished.
 

Chloe looked up at him. "You were in the laundry room?"
 

"Well it was a laundry room, according to Mr. Harrison. Then one of the house owners put locks on the door in the basement and used the room for bad kids. Just tossed them down the shoot. But the Historical Society had the doorway boarded up, but kept the door."
 

"He was unconscious when we found him." Doc Coleman clasped his hands behind him. "Phil called me in a panic because of liability and insurance. I got here right before you did and checked him out. We've been in here hiding ever since. Luckily Phil's kept Margo out of the house."
 

Chloe heard them, but the moment the doc said he'd been unconscious, she turned back to Matt. "Are you all right? Should you be in a hospital?"
 

"I'm fine—"
 

"He needs a thorough examination," Doc Coleman said. "But Matt's got something he wants to do. And he wants you to help us."
 

Chloe put her other hand on her chest. "Me? Does it have something to do with why you haven't told anyone Matt's okay?"
 

"Yes. It's part of what I discussed with the Sheriff. So he's helped us set up a few things as fast as he could."
   

"So…what happened? Did she push you down there? Why were you here?"
 

"She sent me a message to meet her here this morning, but when I got here I found her phone by that door. When I bent to check it out, she attacked. I don't think she really counted on me having a flashlight, or recognizing her laugh. But I didn't expect her to try and bludgeon me with a two-by-four down a laundry shoot."
 

"So can't the Sheriff just go arrest her in front of all those cameras on your word?" Chloe searched her face. She didn't understand what all the delaying was about.
 

"We could, but I want this, Chloe. I
want
this…for and for Sarah."
 

His expression was so sad, and so forlorn. She put her hand to his cheek. "So about Sarah…" Chloe began and looked at Matt again. She brushed a strand of his hair from his face. He was so dirty and it looked like someone had tried to wipe the dried blood from his face. All she could think about was taking him back into her shower and washing it all off.
 

Very. Slowly.
 

"So," he said. "She and I talked briefly. It was…awkward. For me. Mostly. But I think she and I can work out a friendship…" He put a warm hand against her cheek. "As along as you're okay with it."
 

"I am if you are." She gave him a quick hug, very aware that everyone else was staring at them. "So…what did you want to do?"

CHAPTER TWENTY

Chloe lead the camera around the house, her cards in her hand. Every now and then she stopped and threw down three cards. Every reading was nonsensical because it was all theatrics.
 

It was what Matt wanted.
 

News crews and reporters waited outside the police barricade with Sheriff Harmon's men.
 

For the most part, Margo didn't say much. Just a comment here and there. Mr. Harrison narrated where he could, telling Chloe and the audience about the house when Chloe made a decision or a turn. It wasn't until she finally led them to the basement that Margo started becoming very verbal.
 

"Now why would you even think Matt was down there?"
 

Chloe was on her knees again, her three cards in front of her. "Because the cards say he's been this way." She picked them up and opened the door. It wasn't completely dark down there, but it wasn't sunshine either. "Anyone got a flashlight?"
 

"I do," Doc Coleman said and handed it to Chloe. "You want me to go down first?"
 

"No…it's okay. I just…I keep picking up darkness, pressure, loneliness, and a door…I'm pretty sure he's been down here." It was all she could do to keep her voice natural and serious and not crack up laughing. She was careful on the steps, having a flashback of what Matt told her Sarah—no Margo—had done to those steps.
 

Once they were all on the floor of the basement she purposefully went in the wrong direction and then paused.
 

"See? You're all confused. There's no way Matt would come down here."
 

"Maybe…" Chloe said. She threw down three cards again. Nonsense but hey, it looked good. She stood with her cards in her hand and looked at Mr. Harrison. "Albert…is there a cellar in this house?"

"Oh no ma'am. This is the lowest part of the house."
 

"Cellar?" Margo piped up. "Why a cellar?"
 

"Because," Chloe couldn't look at her and she was happy she didn't have to. "I sense another room. There's a coffin…no…" She held up the cards and closed her eyes. "It's like a coffin. It's small and it's dark. It's lonely. Very lonely…"
 

"Well," Mr. Harrison did a really good job sounding dubious but informative. "There is a room down here we called the punishment room. It's allegedly where one of the nannies used to lock the children when they were bad. But it's been sealed up for fifty years."
 

"Show me."
 

Everyone moved out of Mr. Harrison's way as he lead them around the stairs to the back of the basement. They were directly below the fireplace and the two doors.
 

"This is ridiculous. I think we need to get back upstairs and get serious about finding Matt." Margo's tone had shifted from one of wonder to one of irritation.
 

Phil, Doc Coleman and Mr. Harrison moved a shelf from the back wall and revealed a small door. Chloe gasped. Even though her reaction was genuine like most of the crew, she was shocked because she knew Matt had spent nearly thirteen hours in that small space!
 

Mr. Harrison pulled the latch.
 

"I don't think we have permission to go there," Margo said.
 

"Nonsense," Phil said. "Albert's the curator. He has all the permission he needs."
 

Chloe stood back and glanced at Phil behind Margo's back, even though she'd taken a few steps back herself—almost like she was going to bolt for the staircase. Phil winked.
 

Mr. Harrison opened the door and every flashlight in the room shined inside.
 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Matt had agonized over whether to play dead, or to simply just not be there. It was Chloe that helped him decide in the end. And to be honest with himself and the doc, if he had to spend another second locked in that little room, he'd go nuts and terrorize the village.
 

That and it was just more dramatic to have him not be there and capture Margo's reaction on camera. And luckily he had a front row seat. He and Phil were watching from the control van parked a little away from the house and the reporters. An ambulance was on standby, which he assured everyone he'd use once this was all over.