Ghost of a Promise (6 page)

She set the bowl down hard enough to slosh batter over the side.
“
Perfect hair. Perfect body. Perfect image. Flittering around from one place to the next without setting down roots.
”

Which was why he was having such a hard time trying to decide whether to re-sign the contract for next season. He fisted his hand around the mug. An aching pang hit his throat as he glanced down at his coffee.

She resumed her mixing with jerked, forced movements. If her expression was any indication, she was sorry she said anything. Sorry she judged him. In Jackson
’
s opinion, she hadn
’
t judged him so much as called him out. No one, not even Sammy, had ever done that.

“
You like my body, then, luv?
”
He ignored everything else she’d said in the hopes of keeping their bickering superficial.

“
There you go with the flirting again. I
’
ll bet you have a woman in every city you
’
ve been to. Women just fall at your feet, swooning.
”

No one serious. Never serious, because he wasn
’
t able to offer them more than a couple of weeks. And never with anyone tied to the crew or their cases.

“
Swooning, eh?
”
He focused on the fluff. She didn
’
t so much as crack a smile.
“
You don
’
t like flirting? Don
’
t like it when someone finds you attractive?
”

Her lack of response was answer enough. The contents inside the bowl were well and truly mixed, but she kept at it.

“
What are you making?
”

“
Pancakes.
”

“
You don
’
t have to cook for us. The show gives us a budget.
”

“
I thought you
’
d be sick of eating out all the time. Besides, I told you, cooking relaxes me.
”

It took great effort not to laugh.
“
You don
’
t look relaxed.
”
He leaned over and peered into the bowl.
“
I think you
’
ve whipped it into submission.
”

Ah ha. Success. She smiled, transforming her face into something truly miraculous. She turned and poured measured amounts of the batter into a large electric skillet.

“
You never answered my question.
”
He took another sip of coffee.

“
What question was that?
”

“
Do you like my body?
”

She looked at him over her shoulder, so he puffed out his chest and tilted his chin cheekily.

Her laugh was music in the room.
“
You know you
’
re good-looking, Jackson. You don
’
t need me to tell you.
”

He did, actually. Because, for some reason, it mattered that she found him appealing, that this thing wasn
’
t just one-sided.

“
Why don
’
t you feel flattered when someone finds you attractive?
”

With her back still to him, he couldn
’
t see her face, but she shrugged.
“
I usually do, though, it
’
s been quite some time since someone
’
s noticed. What can I say? You seem to bring out the worst in me.
”

If that was her worst, he
’
d take it. Furthermore, if he was getting under her skin, too, then there was something to this
…
chemistry, after all. He smiled. He
’
d barely passed chemistry in school, but life lessons proved more educational.

She set a plate in front of him with two pancakes topped with sliced strawberries and blueberries.

Jackson couldn
’
t remember the last time he
’
d had a home-cooked meal, even if it was just pancakes. He reached for the maple syrup and dug in.
“
Yum.
”

She set the rest of the batch on a warming plate and started another just as Sammy strolled in. She handed Sammy a plate and poured her a cup of coffee.

Sammy saddled up on a stool next to him and sniffed.
“
Can we take her on the road with us?
”

Ava laughed and leaned against the counter with her coffee cradled in her hands.
“
What would the ghosts do without me?
”

“
Speaking of ghosts, did anything happen last night?
”
Sammy took a huge bite.
“
Sooo good, Ava. What
’
s in here?
”

This brought another smile.
“
A trace of nutmeg. Nothing happened last night on my end. Oh, wait. My teacup was on the counter again this morning.
”

Sammy perked.
“
Sweet. I
’
ll have Amir or Terrance check the feed to see if we got anything. What about you, Jacks?
”

He hated when she called him that and she knew it.
“
Quiet night for me too.”

The rest of the crew started waking and following the scent of food. As each member came into the kitchen, Ava handed over a plate. Their cameraman, Earl, took the last stool, while the others stood, plate in hand instead of sitting around the small corner table. Each moaned in pleasure. He finished his second cup of coffee. She made darn good coffee too.

Paul came in a while later, but he shook his head when Ava offered him a plate.
“
I
’
m allergic to strawberries.
”

“
Oh.
”
She turned and made up a new plate, no questions asked, minus the strawberries, and handed it to him.

“
You didn
’
t have to do that.
”
Paul
’
s hospitable comment irked his nerves.

Jackson cleared his throat. Too loudly.
“
We should be off soon.
”
He turned to Paul.
“
We need to get into town to film.
”

Paul made quick work of the pancakes and thanked Ava, which she returned with an enormous smile. Jackson couldn
’
t remember ever being jealous before, but the green monster rose inside. Which was ridiculous. Everyone knew Paul had a thing for Kerry. Well, everyone but Kerry knew. Paul was no threat to whatever thing Jackson wanted to start with Ava.

“
Let
’
s go,
”
he ordered rather harshly, not liking this thought train.

Paul was a fellow crew member and a dear friend. After these four weeks, Jackson would never see Ava Trumble again. He
’d do well to remember both.

Chapter Six

Amir and Terrance seemed to be in their own zone, trying to debunk the various claims in the house. Ava was once again impressed by the care they took with her home. It was truly fascinating watching them work, almost like they went into an investigation trying to disprove a haunting rather than getting proof of one. The ideas and theories they came up with to explain away some of the incidents were downright brilliant.

A door slammed upstairs, causing Terrance to jump. His radio crackled to life.

“
That was us testing the bedroom door,
”
Kerry
’
s voice emerged from the walkie.
“
You
’
ll hear it often. Just ignore it.
”

Finished on the first floor, they went upstairs to check on Sammy and Kerry. According to Sammy, they tried the windows open and closed and tried the suction effect by opening and closing doors. Nothing caused the doors to shut without assistance. Neither did walking by them, jumping, or cranking the heat to get a draft from the vents.

“
They
’
re solid wood,
”
she said.
“
Original to the house.
”

While Tom was upstairs with the camera, they reenacted a few of the door experiments and then moved into the central hall. They did several more experiments, trying to get the paintings to move, but they proved unsuccessful.

The team decided to break up after that. Kerry and Amir went downstairs into the dining room to play back tapes of the teacup moving overnight, while Terrance and Sammy did an EMF sweep.

Ava decided to follow Terrance and Sammy. Once they
’
d gathered a small yellow box from the dining room, she asked,
“
What
’
s an EMF?
”

“
Electro Magnetic Field,
”
Sammy said.

They walked into the living room, where Terrance started walking around the room holding the yellow box.

“
Everything emits electromagnetic waves,
”
Sammy continued on.
“
Appliances and electronics give the high readings. When ghosts are present, the readings fluctuate, so we have to get a base reading on each room so we know if something is present later on.
”

“
One-point-five in here,
”
Terrance said.

“
Which is pretty basic,
”
Sammy responded for Ava
’
s benefit.
“
Especially with the TV and stereo.
”

The library was a one-point-five also because of the computer, and the kitchen a two because of the outlets and appliances. When they walked into the parlor, Terrance came up short.

“
What the
…”
He looked at her with wide eyes.
“
You were right here with me. We left those open.
”

The drapes were now closed. In honesty, that hadn
’
t happened since Aunt Lois died, but this wasn
’
t unusual either.

Terrance grabbed his walkie, still staring at the window.
“
Kerry, Amir, did you guys come in the parlor at all?
”

“
Nope,
”
said from Amir through the speaker.

“
Look through the video in the parlor from an hour ago up till now.
”
He paused.
“
The drapes are closed, man.
”

Ava opened the drapes while Terrance got a base reading of one for the parlor. They moved to the second floor where the readings fluctuated between point-five and one-point-five, depending on the room. Upstairs in her suite the reading was a steady two.

When they returned to the dining room, Kerry
’
s green eyes widened.
“
You guys have
got
to see this.”

They sat in front of the screens as Amir readied the spot.
“
This is time-stamped at one-fifty-three a.m.
”

The still screen showed her dim kitchen. After a few seconds, the tape jumped, then went to white static.
“
Is something wrong with the camera?
”

“
No.” Amir shook his head. “Kerry and I checked it out. Watch this.
”

The shot of her kitchen returned, this time with the cabinet above the coffeepot partially open and her favorite teacup sitting where she found it upon waking.

“
Crazy, right?
”
Enthusiasm laced Kerry’s tone.

“
But there
’
s nothing there,
”
Ava argued.

“
That
’
s just it, there is,
”
Kerry exclaimed.
“
Sometimes when a ghost is present, cameras and equipment act up. The theory is they draw power from electronics to manifest. I think that
’
s what happened.
”

“
To rule out human interference,
”
Amir cut in,
“
I checked the other cameras dated for that time. You never came downstairs, so you
’
re not a sleepwalker, in case you were wondering, and our bedroom doors didn
’
t budge. None of us left our rooms.
”

“
Great. My spirits are shy. Perhaps they think they
’
re not photogenic.
”

Amir laughed and leaned back.
“
You
’
ve got some place here, Ava.
”

Yeah, and if the spirits didn
’
t cooperate soon, it wouldn
’
t be her place for long. A sliver of relief slid through her, knowing the crew was catching stuff, though.

“
Now, the parlor is interesting,
”
Amir went on.

They watched through the still camera in the parlor. About three seconds into the film, the drapes closed with a decisive snap. No one was in there.

Sammy shivered.
“
This is awesome. We haven
’
t even really begun to investigate and we
’
re getting activity.
”

…

Jackson turned to Paul in the library, where they’d found nothing useful. “
Why don
’
t we knock out the interviews and head back.
”

Paul closed the ledger. “
Agreed. I think what we really need to do is research the Kerricks. I can do that back in New York.
”

Paul
’
s flight was at five, which meant they needed to get going. They headed for Ava
’
s mom
’
s craft store across the street.

Upon walking in, the place smelled like glue and yarn. Shelves were crammed with crafting supplies, and in the center of the room several women of varying ages were seated in a circle, crocheting. He knew immediately which one was Ava
’
s mum by the auburn hair, cut much shorter than her daughter
’
s, and by her willowy frame. The woman stood and Jackson grinned. Ava must
’
ve gotten her height from her dad. And her eyes.

“
I
’
m Jackson Granger, from the TV show,
Phantoms
.”
He held out his hand. When she took it, he pressed a kiss on the top of her hand and bowed.

Her eyes widened as she laughed. Ava definitely got the laugh from her mum. Glorious sound, indeed.
“
I
’
m Marjorie Trumble. I own the store. You must be the people my daughter called to
…
investigate the mansion?
”

“
Yes.
”
He gestured to Paul.
“
This is Paul.
”

“
Nice to meet you. What can I do for you?
”

“
Well, we
’
d like an interview, if you don
’
t mind.
”
He looked around. The rest of the women were looking at them.
“
All of you, actually. Is that all right?
”

Marjorie patted her hair.
“
Um
…
sure.
”

He waved two fingers at Earl, indicating the okay to head over near the circle. Paul came up beside him and stood with his arms crossed, letting him take the lead.

“
So, ladies. Any of you watch the show?
”

A few went back to their knitting. However, everyone shook their heads. No one? Two of the women were in their seventies, a couple in their fifties and one girl was about twenty.
“
Not even you?
”

The young woman shrugged, causing her brown hair to fall over her shoulders. She had an impressive-sized nose ring and charcoal lining her eyes. Her lips were painted a deep blood red.
“
I watched one or two episodes. Scared me too much to keep watching.
”

He grinned. Goth girl scared by a paranormal investigation show. A Goth girl who knitted.
“
Right, then. Understood.
”
He glanced around the circle, amazed the women were unimpressed and unaffected by his celebrity or the cameras. This was a first.

One of the eldest women spoke without glancing up from her crochet hook.
“
Lois Trumble was a dear friend of mine for more than sixty years. I spent one hour in that house in all that time. The house is haunted.
”

The collective whole nodded in agreement.

“
You can
’
t have that much grief and sadness in one place and not have ghosts,
”
another said.

This got them all going at once, deep in a discussion that didn
’
t involve him or Paul. He
’
d been doing the show for five years now. Over sixty cases and cities. Never, not once, had he interviewed people so clearly not interested in their five minutes of fame.

Something indiscernible settled in Jackson
’
s chest. For the first time in a long while, he felt
…
normal.

He pulled up a chair and sat.
“
So, is it the spirits that frighten you or the many deaths in the house? I mean, ghosts don
’
t kill people. There
’
s never been a reported case where a ghost has caused the death of a person.
”

One of the women, who looked to be in her fifties, rolled her eyes.
“
Not that they can prove, anyway. What would they put on the police report? Scared to death? Pushed down the stairs by spirit unknown?
”

The ladies laughed. Touché.

“
I, for one, will be happy when that house goes to the society,
”
another said.
“
Sorry, Marjorie.
”

Ava
’
s mum waved her off.
“
Oh, me too, Sally. Me too.
”

Jackson frowned.
“
Why is that?
”

Marjorie sighed and set down her hook, looking serious.
“
Mr. Granger, my daughter has had an
…
obsession with that house since she was a girl. Every woman in my husband
’
s family has. Something you won
’
t find in the history books, I
’
m sure. The women are drawn to it, like the house feeds off their youth and hope. Before long, they
’
re trapped. Can
’
t get out. Those that do marry are widowed or divorced soon after.
”
She sighed as tears welled.
“
I want better for my daughter. If the Historical Society takes it over, maybe the cycle will break.
”

He sat back, leveled. Not much surprised him anymore. He
’
d seen just about everything, heard just about everything. But this case, this town, was one shocking blow after another.

This wasn
’
t a lack of support for Ava, but deep-rooted concern. He
’
d seen possession cases. Houses so dark a person could get swallowed inside hate. The Trumble mansion didn
’
t give off that vibe. Anger, yes. Sadness, yes. Ava seemed like a woman who could take care of herself. What if what these women said was true? Would Ava wind up like her ancestors if she stayed?

For some reason, his chest ached at the thought of her never marrying. Never having kids. Spending her days and nights alone in a big, empty house. But she
’
d sought out
Phantoms
. She knew her family history and still wanted the mansion. So, he and his crew would do everything they could to help her keep it.

He rose. “
Well, ladies, this has been a genuine pleasure. Your insight has helped out a great deal. Thank you.
”

Marjorie met them at the door.
“
Mr. Granger
…”

“
Jackson, please.
”

She nodded.
“
Jackson. If you find something to help Ava
…”
She stopped and shook her head.
“
Please don
’
t tell her. The best thing she can do is walk away from that place. Her great-aunt even thought so by sending her on this wild goose chase.
”

He looked at this more subdued, shorter, older version of Ava and saw only concern. He wanted to hold her gaze and tell her there was nothing to worry about, that her daughter would be fine. Or maybe she was right and they shouldn
’
t find something. He wouldn
’
t show Ava the proof she needed. In other words, lie.