Witching Hour (8 page)

He eased off the chair, moving in behind her. “I’m sorry. You’re right. You had every reason to proceed. And I know Avery and Blake would have done the same damn thing if they’d ever been granted permission to return. But it seems they don’t possess half the charm or persistence you do. All of their subsequent requests were denied. So please continue.”

She gave him a tentative smile as she spun, leaning her back against the wall. She was so close, so fucking beautiful, he had to clench his hands to keep from palming them on the wall as he claimed her mouth with his.

“Unfortunately, this is where it starts to get murky. I remember seeing something dart past the upstairs window and going inside, but the place was deserted.”

Her words cooled the arousal coursing through his body. “Something darted past the window? Which one?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. It was on the upper floor.”

“Was it the attic?”

“You can’t see the attic windows from where I parked. So no.”

Some of the tension eased from his muscles. Her description sounded too similar to the start of their expedition that night, and he had a bad feeling it wasn’t simply a coincidence. “All right. You go inside, check out the first floor, and then what?”

“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I went upstairs. I wouldn’t go all the way there and not survey the entire house.”

“You mean not investigate the attic where Dave fell.”

Her chin quivered before she visibly clenched her jaw. “Would you have been satisfied with secondhand knowledge if it’d been one of your brothers?”

“We both know I wouldn’t have.” He reached out and trailed his fingers along her cheek. “I understand why you needed to go there. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He gave her a small half smile as he dropped his hand back to his side. “Do you remember going to the attic or what happened inside?”

She opened her mouth then closed it, her eyes darting around as if she was trying to remember. “Shadows. Some kind of shriek. Maybe a flash of light.” She palmed her head. “Just clips. Nothing solid.”

He cupped her chin. “Easy, sweetheart. Don’t try to push it too hard, too soon. I saw a digital recorder in that bag from the station. Did you have it running the entire time?”

Her eyes widened. “Shit! Why didn’t I think of that? Of course, I had it running. That’s basic investigating.”

She pushed past him, dumping the contents of the bag on the bed as she eased onto it. He watched her sort through the supplies.

She frowned as she held up a key. “Damn, I was supposed to return this before the management company opened this morning. And I’m betting I didn’t lock it up again, either.”

Cal motioned to her, catching the key when she tossed it at him and stuffing it in one of his pockets. “We’ll make sure we get it back to them.”

She sighed, scrounging through the pile again until her mouth lifted into a wide grin as she held up the small device. She waved him over, and he had to remind himself not to pounce on her.

She pressed the button, frowning when nothing happened. “I probably left it running all night and drained the batteries.”

She rummaged through the pile again, smiling as she changed them out. She hit the button again, the sudden burst of static making her jump. She laughed, holding it up as she increased the volume. Her voice echoed through the room as the unit replayed her visit in the house, the sound of her footsteps a constant backdrop. Low voices mixed with the other noises, most of the words impossible to decipher without the aid of a computer.

Cal motioned her to stop the recording. “Replay that last bit. I swear I heard someone whisper a name.”

She did as he asked, inhaling when a single name wavered amidst the white noise. She looked up at him. “Mary?”

He nodded. “And I know that’s not the first time I’ve heard that name. It was on the tape back near the beginning, not to mention being present on my recorder from that night.”

Jordan didn’t say anything as she hit the play button again, listening to her voice talk over the machine when she said a phrase in Latin. She didn’t wait for Cal to stop the recorder, replaying the line again and again until she’d gotten every word.

“
Ab igne novo ordine, resurgent.”
She looked up at him. “Do you know what it means?”

“My Latin’s a bit rusty, but I think it says something along the lines of ‘something new rising from fire’. Do you remember what you were looking at? There’s nothing in the background noise to indicate what it was, and all you’ve said so far on the recording is the name Winslow.”

Jordan frowned as she shook her head. “Still fuzzy. Maybe it was a picture?”

“Maybe. Keep going.”

She resumed the recording, hissing out a breath when she heard herself describe an upside down pentagram. “That’s never good.”

“Definitely a sign of evil intent. Though to fully understand what kind of intent we need to know exactly it refers to.”

She nodded as more words echoed through the room. “Well, it sounds like I was planning on
borrowing
whatever it was.”

He chuckled. “Right. Borrowing.” He glanced at the other supplies scattered on the bed. “I don’t see anything in here that looks like it belongs to the Winslow family or has a drawing like you describe.”

“Maybe I decided against it? I don’t make a habit of stealing possessions from the houses I investigate.”

Cal thumbed a finger against his lips before slowly shaking his head. “I think this was different. Something that you thought was integral into understanding that house. I don’t see you simply changing your mind because you were worried about the moral complications…not when you could have returned it without anyone knowing. At least, I’ll assume you were going to return it.”

She slapped him across the shoulder. “Don’t be an ass. Of course, I would have returned it. I probably would have taken images…”

Her voice died off as her eyes went wide. She stuffed her hand in her pocket, retrieving her phone, only to curse as she flicked on the screen and searched through the photos. “Damn. I was hoping that maybe I’d taken some images then returned it, and that’s why it’s not here. But there’s nothing on here other than a few photos of the house I took while waiting in the car for Nigel to freaking call me.”

“May I?”

She smiled and handed the cell to him. He flipped through the dark images, a restless feeling creeping along his spine. God, the place was just as he remembered. Even the reflection of the moonlight off the windows seemed reminiscent of the night he’d been there. The moon had been full then, as well. He thumbed through a few more, his muscles tensing further with every shot until a photo of Jordan and some guy popped up. He raised an eyebrow, holding it out for her to see.

She rolled her eyes and reached for the phone, but he pulled it back. When she gave him one of her irritated looks, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you have telling photos in here you don’t want to see? Some of you in less clothes than you’re wearing now?”

Her laugh was genuine, the smile lighting up her entire face. “Hardly. That’s Nigel at our previous hunt a few weeks back. One he actually showed up for.”

“I take it he’s not the most reliable guy?”

“Let’s just say he’s been less so this past year. Once we started getting requests to investigate different sights, he let the popularity go to his head. He’s dating some underwear model, and it’s always a crapshoot whether he shows up or not. I just thought he’d back me on this one, seeing as it’s personal.”

There was no missing the hurt tone to her voice and Cal couldn’t stop from placing his hand over hers. She inhaled at the sudden contact, glancing down at where his skin touched hers.

He gave her fingers a squeeze. “Just tell me the bastard hurt you, and I’ll pay him a visit.”

“Still trying to get that answer out of me, aren’t you?”

He grinned. “I thought a more subtle approach might work, but you’re obviously on to me.”

She chuckled then sobered. “I just told you he has some gorgeous babe for a girlfriend. I think that answers it.” She sighed. “Besides, he was never my type. Too big on himself. But he’s a decent investigator when he shows up. And I needed the help, so…”

Cal nodded, relief he hadn’t been expecting easing the tension in his muscles. “Let’s finish the recording.”

She didn’t answer just clicked the button again. There were more ambient noises then the sound of a loud gong before the recording stopped. She frowned, giving the unit a shake. “Damn. And just when things were getting interesting. Looks like it was something else that drained the batteries.”

“The same something that likely chased you out of that house.” He pointed to the recorder. “What was that sound at the end?”

She replayed the section a few times when she gasped. “It’s a clock.”

“Excuse me?”

“A clock. I remember seeing a grandfather clock downstairs. That’s the sound of it chiming. It must have been midnight.”

“So your power gets drained at the stroke of twelve. That’s…curious.”

“There’s a reason they call it the witching hour.”

“The same reason you named your company that, I’ll assume.”

Her face sobered. “We both know paranormal activity is higher during those hours.”

“Which is probably why they have restricted the access to that place after midnight. They’re trying to prevent others from getting hurt.”

“And that brings us back to my original question. I’ve told you all I know. Now it’s your turn.” She took a noticeable deep breath. “What really happened that night?”

Cal tensed his jaw. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Her expression faltered for a moment, the girl behind the facade peeking through. Cal reached out and stroked his fingers over hers again, ignoring the electrical charge the innocent contact sent sparking through him. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about how soft her skin was or how small her hand was compared to his. He knew she wouldn’t back down from the truth, even if the very thought of it scared her.

He gave her a small nod, pushing up to walk over to the window. He couldn’t think when he was that close to her, and he needed all his blood pooling in his brain, not his dick. He watched the distant sun sink toward the horizon, strands of orange and red stretching across the sky, staining the clouds a brilliant array of yellow and gold. Sunset had always been his favorite time of day, though he wasn’t really relishing it tonight.

“Cal?” Her voice sounded thin as if it’d taken all her strength just to say his name.

He plastered on a neutral expression as he glanced over at her. “Most of what I told you was true. Dave did fall out of that window.”

“But…”

He sighed, turning to lean on the wall as he speared his hand through his hair. “But he didn’t fall because the damn lock opened.” He took a deep breath, knowing she wasn’t going to react well to the next part. “He opened it and jumped.”

The color drained from Jordan’s face as she stared at him, mouth slightly open, eyes rounded in shock. It took her several heartbeats before she sneered and jumped off the bed, darting over to him and pounding her fists on his chest. He didn’t try to stop her, allowing her to dispense some of the pain he felt radiating off her before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush to his body. Muffled sobs sounded against his shirt as her hands fisted around the fabric. She molded against him, her small frame snuggled within his.

He muttered soothing words until she finally seemed to gather herself, the room quiet again. He stroked one hand down her hair, loving the soft feel of it against his fingers as he tried to remember why he’d left. Why he’d ever thought he’d get her out of his system.

She finally pushed against his chest, wiping at the tears dotting her cheek as she took a step back. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

She kicked at the floor. “Did he really jump?”

Cal sighed. “Craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” He reached forward and cupped her chin, making her look at him. “But I don’t think it was because he wanted to. There was something in that attic with us. A female spirit. A witch, if what I’ve read is true. I’ve never felt energy that strong before. She tossed Avery and me across the damn room when we tried to get to Dave. Then she hovered over him, disappearing just as he opened the window. I don’t even know how he did it. I’m sure it was locked. Avery thinks he was under some sort of possession, but…” He sighed again. “We were never able to prove anything. All our evidence was circumstantial at best. A few grainy shots on the video. An EVP or two. But nothing that would have dispelled any doubts. And back then, saying a ghost or a demon made him jump would have gotten us all locked up. So we thought it was better if everyone believed he’d fallen.”

She nodded, the fight seemingly cried out of her, when she gasped. “Oh my god. Does that mean that all those suicides, those murders, haven’t been what they appear?”

“I’d bet money on it, though I don’t know why. What this entity gets from having people die there. And trust me, I’ve spent a decade trying to figure it out. Hell, a large part of my thesis was based on the effects of possession by spirits. But even all my research and contacts through work haven’t unearthed a damn lead.”

“Is that why you went to Edinburgh? Why you got your PhD,
Doctor
Smith?”

He laughed. “It’s just Cal, sweetheart. No one calls me doctor except a few students who have propriety shoved up their ass. And yes. It was part of the reason I left.”

“Do I want to know the other?”

He clenched his jaw. Shit. Admitting to himself how he felt about her was one thing. Telling her was another. “I think you already know. It’s the same reason you think I’m a bastard.” He paused, drawing a finger along her jaw before pulling his hand back. “And you’d be right.”

Jordan stared at him, her teeth snagging her bottom lip between them before she nodded and turned away, making her way back to the bed. He watched as she gathered her belongings off the top, placing them on the small side table.

Regret burned hot in his gut as he cursed, moving over to take his place on the chair again. “You can have the other room with the bed. I’ll stay out here. Are you hungry, I could order some pizza?”