Witching Hour (3 page)

He pointed at a dark mound near the window. “Is that Dave?”

Avery darted forward, reaching for Dave when his body shuddered and flew backwards, impacting the far wall with a resounding thud. He slid down the wall, eyes blinking as he obviously tried to shake off the blow. Cal ran over to him, palming his shoulder when an eerie laugh resonated through the room. A pale glow brightened the darkness atop an old table before exploding into a flash of white light.

Cal covered his eyes against the harsh glare, squinting in an attempt to focus on the room. A large figure loomed closer, the outline of a woman clearly visible amidst the glow. Long tattered hair flowed around an oval face with eyes a distinctive shade of green. Cal stared at the apparition, instinctively switching on his video camera as the spirit hovered in the middle of the room, its lips cracking into an evil grin. Cal stood, but Avery snagged his wrist, preventing him from moving. He glared at his brother as he tried to pull free when an ear-piercing screech shook the wall.

“Holy shit!” Cal covered one ear, still rolling on the footage as he turned back to the ghost.

The light flashed again then faded into nothing more than a solitary beam. Spots from the abrupt flare dotted his vision, finally clearing enough he could make out a lone figure standing where the ghost had been only moments before.

Cal shook his head, helping Avery to his feet as he managed to focus on the object. “Dave? Damn, are you okay?”

Dave stared at him, his eyes fixed blankly on the far wall before he turned and walked over to the window.

Cal took a few cautious steps forward, scanning the room again, praying he didn’t fall flat on his face as the surroundings flip-flopped a couple of times. “Dave. I asked if you were okay.”

Avery pulled him to a stop when they reached the center, standing where the apparition had vanished. His jaw was clenched tight as he squinted at the other man.

He shook his head at Cal. “I don’t think that’s Dave.”

Cal frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? I can see him.”

“Trust me. That’s not him. Or maybe a better explanation would be…it’s not
just
him.”

Cal looked back at Dave, noting the way his body twitched. His hands were fisted at his side as he stared out the window. A tremor worked through the man’s torso before the tension appeared to ease.

Cal gave Avery a quick glance before taking one more step. “Dave?”

The man turned, his eyes flickering a dull shade of red before fading into gray. His lips curled into a smug smile. “I told you this was our big break, Cal.”

His voice resonated, the eerie echo sending shivers along Cal’s spine.

Cal nodded. “You called it. Now why don’t you come over here and we can go over the evidence I collected?”

Dave laughed, the tone disturbingly similar to the one that had sounded before. “I have all the evidence I need.”

He reached behind him, the motion followed by a metallic rattling noise. Cal darted ahead, only to bounce back, landing hard on his ass. Pain flared through his body, blurring the surroundings. Avery’s voice washed in and out of pitch as Cal shook off the haze, finally blinking the room back into focus. His breath left him on a gasp as he watched Dave swing open the window, climbing onto the ledge. He leaned out, gazing at the ground as he hummed just loud enough the tune floated along the air like a cold breeze. The melody was haunting and strangely alluring.

Cal pushed to his feet, tumbling against the wall as he took a staggered step forward. The floor felt uneven as if the entire house had been knocked off its foundation. He pushed the sudden roll of nausea away, bracing his weight as Dave stepped onto the frame.

“Damn it, Dave, what the hell are you doing? Get down!”

Dave straightened, his head on the outside of the window. He gave Cal one last smile, his face morphing into the apparition he’d seen earlier. The woman grinned, her hair blowing wildly about her face as she rose above Dave, watching as he teetered forward, disappearing into the darkness.

“No!” Cal dashed forward, somehow making it to the window this time as the spirit faded, vanishing as he reached the opening.

He stared at the ground, barely registering Avery’s voice in the background as the man called for help. But Cal didn’t need a doctor to know it was too late. He just didn’t know if Dave’s soul had died with him.

Chapter Two

“God damn, son of a bitch. Nigel would have to pick tonight…of all nights…to stand me up. Just fucking fantastic.”

Jordan Harper tossed her phone on the seat, sneering at the text message illuminating the darkness. She’d been waiting for the man for well over an hour. Figures he’d keep her guessing until damn near midnight before finally answering her. And turn her down, none-the-less. She glanced at her phone. The words glared at her, mocking the fact she was finally sitting in the driveway of one of the most notorious houses still standing in Salem. And the one house she’d been waiting a decade to investigate.

The rising moon reflected off the glass along the upper levels, the old windows looking like eyes in the darkness. She swallowed hard, nearly gagging on the large lump in her throat. After all her brave talk—the endless research and the years of planning—she still couldn’t believe she was here. The Winslow farm. The site of over a dozen unsolved murders and suicides. The place she’d never been strong enough to visit—until now.

Pain ricocheted through her stomach, and she had to consciously clench her jaw to keep herself from retching. Damn, all this time and it still felt as raw as the day it’d happened. Still as empty. Or maybe it was just her that was empty. Since Dave’s death, she’d spent every waking moment immersed in all things paranormal, doing everything she could to learn the tricks of the trade. At twenty, she hadn’t put much stock in ghost hunting, dismissing it as her big brother’s current, silly, “get-rich” scheme. Then Cal had called, and life had just stopped.

Jordan put a hand to her chest as her breath caught from the mere thought of the man. Though he’d been Dave’s best friend since before she could remember, she’d never realized how crazy she’d been about him until he’d vanished from her life as if Dave’s death had erected a barrier Cal couldn’t climb over. He’d looked like a ghost himself at the funeral, his face nothing more than a mirror of the man inside. He’d been quiet and distant, avoiding eye contact whenever she’d chanced a glance his way. She’d cornered him late that night, demanding to know what had really happened. How her brother had seemingly
fallen
out of a locked attic window. He’d mumbled something about being cursed before pinning her to the wall and slapping on a soul-searing kiss. She’d still been trying to catch her breath when he’d whispered, “I’m sorry,” and left.

Ran, actually. And that’s the last she’d seen of him. She’d tried calling, but one of his brothers had always answered, covering for him. Or maybe they’d been just as confused as her. Avery had invited her to the family house more than once when Cal had been visiting, but she’d never had the nerve to go. Not with her emotions still in a turmoil, alternating between wanting to beat Cal senseless and beg him to fuck her against the wall. It’d taken him moving halfway around the world for her to realize she’d been in love with him for years. She just hadn’t had the guts to admit it or see it for what it really was. Not to mention that there was one nagging underlying problem—other than that stolen kiss, she had no idea if the man even liked her.

Anger bubbled to the surface, and she slammed her hand on the steering wheel, shoving the door open as she climbed out, breathing in the late autumn air. The scent of a distant bonfire lingered in the breeze, along with just a hint of winter. She wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering against the cool night as she reached in and snagged her sweater from the far seat. The word Berkley stared back at her, a stark reminder of the life she’d left behind. Given up.

She looked at the house again. Just standing there was worth every sacrifice, especially if she finally got the closure she needed, let alone some answers. Though both Cal and Avery had insisted her brother had fallen out the window when the old lock gave beneath his weight, she had a nagging feeling they were leaving out important details. The kind that would have gotten them both a seventy-two-hour stay at the local mental facility. Though ghost hunting was more acceptable now, it’d been the stuff of ridicule a decade ago…and the missing link she’d been searching for.

Jordan stared at the old house, trying to picture it as it’d been that night. A full moon had gleamed overhead as the men had headed inside. Cal had mentioned something about seeing movement in the attic window, and that’s why they’d ventured there so early in the investigation. They’d wanted to ensure the building was empty. Then Dave had leaned against the windowpane while gazing outside only to fall to his death moments later.

“Fell my ass.” While she didn’t suspect either Avery or Cal had been involved in the incident, she knew it was more than bad luck. Something had pushed her brother, and it was time she found out what that
thing
was.

She glanced back at her phone. She’d promised Nigel she wouldn’t investigate this place alone. But then he’d promised to show up. Surely one canceled out the other. And she might not get the chance to check the house out at night again. She’d had to bribe the property management office for permission to look around after dark, along with promising to drop the key off in their box before they opened the following morning. She couldn’t take the chance they’d turn down her next plea. Especially if they discovered she was here past midnight. They’d been adamant about her being long gone before the clock struck twelve.

“Damn.”

She snagged her bottom lip between her teeth, warring with the conflicting feelings when her phone jiggled to life. She stared at the screen, watching Nigel’s name glow in the darkness. Her anger resurfaced and she leaned in, grabbing the unit and a flashlight off the passenger seat. She hit ignore, switching the cell to vibrate as she stuffed it in her back pocket before flicking on the light and smiling at the beam that illuminated a circle of lawn. It’d taken her ten years to get here, and she wasn’t going to let a bout of uncertainty scare her away.

Gravel crunched beneath her boots as she opened the trunk and removed her waist pack, checking the supplies before cinching it around her hips. She ignored the slight tremor in her hands as she tugged her sweater down, taking a deep breath before heading for the front porch. She had about twenty minutes to scour the house before the clock rolled over, and she violated the terms of her agreement. But with the first frost of the year lingering in the late night air, she doubted anyone would be around to check. Not when the house had been vacant for nearly a century.

Jordan steeled her resolve, pausing just shy of the steps to get a better look at the old house. But despite the fact it’d been empty for decades, the exterior looked surprisingly sturdy. She skipped the light across the front, noting the hollow reflections in the glass when a blur of movement caught her attention. She panned upward, inhaling sharply when a lone figure darted across the upper level window, nothing but a ghosted silhouette vanishing into the shadows. Shivers crawled down her spine, the inklings of doubt scratching the edges of her conscience.

She pushed the unsettling feelings away, taking another deep breath as she bounded up the steps. The key felt heavy in her hand as she twisted it in the lock before wrapping her fingers around the tarnished brass knob. Cold bit into her skin as she twisted the handle and eased the door forward, her flashlight illuminating a small expanse of old wooden floor. The hinges groaned as the door slowed then stopped, a solitary creak echoing through the open space. A set of stairs sat off to the right, with rooms stretching into shadows on either side.

Jordan unclipped her digital recorder, checking the batteries one last time before pressing the button. The tiny light glowed against her palm as she tucked it into the pocket, ensuring the mike was clear. She patted the other supplies down again when a thump vibrated overhead, the distinctive sound of a chair scraping across the floor following the hollow noise. She forced herself to take a calming breath. This was just like any other hunt, and she needed to remember that.

The floor groaned as she padded her away around the lower floor, ensuring the rooms were empty before venturing back to the bottom of the stairs. A faint aroma drifted in the air. It was dry and woody, with hints of lemon and pine. But there was an underlying smoky essence that made her think of crackling fires like the one she’d smelled outside.

She glanced up the staircase, following the bobbing flashlight as she searched for any movement. Though she was positive she’d witnessed something dart across the windows, she wasn’t convinced it’d originated from her realm, despite the solid look to it.

More distant noises sounded above her as she climbed the stairs, her hand tracking her progression on the rail. The polished wood felt cold beneath her fingers, sending a rash of gooseflesh beading up her arm. She stopped when she reached the second story, scanning each end of the hallway. Shadows played along the walls, the distorted patches looking like long fingers stretching toward her. She took a step forward when a loud crash resonated from the opposite direction as if leading her toward it.

Jordan concentrated the light on the far door, a tumbling feeling racing through her gut. Even without opening it, she knew it led to the attic. She forced herself to swallow, knowing she’d never be truly free without seeing firsthand where Dave had died. Without satisfying the unspoken questions with her own investigation of the place. She moved down the hall, each step echoing in the still night. The handle turned easily within her grasp, granting her access to yet another set of stairs. The wooden steps creaked in protest as she made her way up, pausing just long enough at the top to open the final door. It swung free, revealing the room beyond. Moonlight gleamed through the far window, casting a dull glow throughout the room. A few pieces of furniture were stacked along one wall, thick layers of dust covering the dark wood.