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She began to blink, then stared at him blankly, not even aware of the way he held her

"Darcy!"

"Yes!"

He was shaking "Darcy, are you all right?"

"Fine, I’m fine!"

His eyes had been filled with anxiety and fear They see, set her down, and strode from the rooain of a scraping sound against the outer wall

Chapter 13

13

P enny and Clint were staring at her, Darcy realized, as Matt Stone left the roo her out of a state of trance quickly and completely, but that time, she had felt a little disoriented, the more so because it see down at her like a raging bull The force of his ehout her, then a rise of anger She didn’t knohat had happened, but itthat clearly de beyond their knoorld Matt simply didn’t want that to be the truth, and so he continued to deny it, no matter what he saw or heard

Darcy looked to Ada any attention to her Ada out the balcony doors

"Darcy?" Clint said hesitantly "Good God, Darcy! Do you feel faint, ill? Should we call a doctor? Do you need so?"

"I’m fine," she assured him "I’er, Adaets me out of a trance And once I’ at her, but then nodded slowly "What…what happened?" He asked

"I don’t know," she told hi?"

"I’?" she asked anxiously

"I…don’t think we learned anything ht," Penny said She added softly, "Very scary You’re…not scared now?"

Darcy shook her head "I’m sorry II was listening to Ada into Matt’s eyes"

She was surprised by the look of anger that flashed across Clint’s face then, and she thought it was for her But it wasn’t "I’m sorry that Matt can be such a jerk," he said "But, hey, that’s his proble her a hand She accepted it, rising "I think we should get out of here How about it?"

"Go out? The two of us?" she said She really didn’t re, and yet she was still a little slow as sheHypnotism was very different Sometimes, she knew snatches of what happened, as if she had been a distant observer Sometimes, as on this occasion, she had no recollection at all of anything that had gone on

He smiled "Not a date--you’d turn o out You, me, Adam, Penny, Carter, if we can find him Clara, if she’s around, even old Saet out of this house for a while"

Ada a frown of deep introspection

"Adam?" Darcy said

"Yes, what?" he said, as if startled by being drawn froo out?" Darcy said

"Out where?" Adam asked

"Anywhere away from the house Heck, even the Wayside Inn," Clint said

"It’ll be fun," Penny said, but didn’t sound entirely certain

Adam smiled "Sure"

"I’ll see who I can round up We’ll meet downstairs in ten minutes?"

"Sounds like a plan," Adam said

Penny and Clint turned to leave theone, Darcy walked to the door, closed it, and turned to Adarimaced "We’re close"

"Is it Arabella?"

"I don’t think so," he said slowly

Darcy frowned "Then…?"

"I don’t know But I agree hat you’ve been feeling, that we’re very close, that the ghost is afraid, so afraid that she can’t quite tell us what she is so desperate to say We have to figure it out"

"But it see a wall at the saoing to be thrown out of here any minute now"

Adam waved a hand in the air "Matt would never force you to leave"

"You haven’t seen the way he looks at host--scared sheriff," Ada

"Neitherwith s don’t have tothis all go too easily They’re gone now You should hypnotize reater intensity--"

"Darcy, no Whether you want to admit it or not, there’s too much stress in e do to repeat it with that kind of frequency And I’ain Spirits seeht idea Let’s get out, do so?"

She grinned She was in jeans and a tank top "For the Wayside Inn? No, I think I’h"

He offered her his arm and started for the door

"Ada out on the balcony?"

"Oh…nothing Looking around"

"Why?"

"I thought I heard so out there, while you were under But when I went out, there was nothing, no one Must have been birds, or a squirrel or so Heck, maybe the old place even has a rat population"