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"What happened to him?" Shan asked
"Nobody knows He simply vanished one day People say he disappeared on the day Aleister Crowley died, but I suspect they’ve eht about that The e must’ve had heirs "Since then, what’s become of the property?"
"No relatives were found, so I hear The land was auctioned, and it’s been bought and sold half a dozen times since People can’t seem to live there The last owner tried to renovate, turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, but eventually she went back to Ireland in tears Nobody from toill step foot inside the place, not to clean or keep watch, not for love or money"
"That’s super creepy," Shan said
Belatedly, I realized he had been waiting for soratified by Shan’s reaction I didn’t knohat to make of his account, but local lore wouldn’t stopabout Booke
"I suppose the owner’s trying a turnkey business to recoup her invest, probably so he could report his findings at the pub later
"Who could blame her?" I murmured with a friendly s her dream of a bed-and-breakfast"
"No, indeed," the driver agreed
Shannon and Ihiot a chance to explore the city at all I didn’t think that was too likely, given h tohich was probably chars--and out the other side, where the tighter streets gave way to country roads Shannon watched the scenery with a perrown up in Kilmer, which meant she had never been anywhere Chance had takena particularly difficult case, but that meant I saw echoes of him here He haunted me
The driver’s store of small talk dwindled the further ent from the city limits, and as we turned toward the countryside, he focused on driving No reeing to convey us out to the ghost cottage I didn’t ave , I knew about Ian Booke It wasn’t e or appearance; at this point, I could only be sure that he was lish And he lived in a place the locals called the ghost cottage
Which they believe to be vacant
After half an hour in the car, the driver turned down a rocky, rutted lane, overgroith tall grass Seeing the route, I understood why he’d questioned our destination; it didn’t look like anyone had passed this way in a long ti, the terrain becaained claws, and the ripple of the wind through the leaves seemed ominous
"A tad ramshackle" is quite the understatement
Shan slipped her hand into ripped tightly as Butch whined This little dog had saved my bacon more than onceand if he sensed trouble, then it was definitely on the way But then, I had known asour phone call; he wasn’t the sort of man who cried wolf Whatever his personal problems, he’d never shared them before, never asked for help
The road was barely passable for a nore ditches on either side; it would be impossible to pass if another car met us head-on The possibility of a collision sent a chill through ripped the steering wheel as the driver peered into the darkness, hts The shadows didn’t feel like they came from a normal sunset--no, it was ht at bay Ahead lay a weathered stone bridge, worn from years of exposure to wind and rain; it didn’t look as if anybody maintained it
Abruptly, the driver stopped the car "This is as far as I’ll take you If you peer hard, you can see the cottage from here"
Yes, there it is
As he’d said, I glimpsed our destination, nestled ae I didn’t protest His tone made it clear it would be a waste of breath So I tipped him and slid out of the vehicle My belly roiled, an echo of the upset from the train The house did have a haunted, run-down air, justifying the stories that circulated about the place Before we’d moved offthe car in a slow five-point turn, being careful not to back into the ditch I could pretend that hy he hadn’t wanted to coet stuck--but that wasn’t the reason
Shannon’s face was pale in the half-light, still unpainted from our hurried departure, and her cosmetic-free countenance offered stark contrast to the punky streaks in her black hair "Shall we?" I asked her
She squared her shoulders "This idea seems worse all the time But yeah, obviously When have I ever let portents of dooe me?"
That time, my smile was real "I knew you wouldn’t let me down"
"Hey, you went to hell and back for e" In her tone, I heard awareness of what that rescue had cost uilty, but a dark, uber-creepy road at night wasn’t the place for a heart-to-heart