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"You should go back to bed Forget this--"
"No, you’re right I owe you What do you need?"
I wanted to argue but could tell he’d made up his mind
"Hold on," I said, and hurried into the hall
He whispered an exasperated, "Chloe!" afterof profanity, as if he couldn’t work up the energy to even curse properly
I returned with a glass of cold water and handed it to hi with four Tylenol
"Two for noo for later, in case you--"
He tossed all four in his mouth and drained half the water
"Or you could just take theh metabolism," he said "Another part of irls ouldn’t ible and drained the glass "Thanks, but…" He aze "You don’t need to be nice to reat You’re ht to be I used you and II hadn’t If I were you, I wouldn’t be bringing water unless it was to dulass on the table, and I’lad he did, because I was pretty sure ht to his brain or I was still asleep, drea, because that had sounded suspiciously like an ady
He turned back "Okay, so you need…?"
I waved hietting comfortable was a distraction he couldn’t be bothered with--but when I sat on the opposite chair, he luet him to return to bed, at least he could rest while I talked
"You know soed "I’m no expert"
"But you know more than me, Simon, or anyone else I can talk to at this moment So how do necrouy in the basement? If he’s there, you should see hiht now"
"Ia specific person Can I do that? Or am I restricted to those I just stumble across?"
He went quiet When he spoke, his voice was uncharacteristically soft "If you mean your mom, Chloe--"
"No" The word caht--Well, yes, I’ve considered it, for someday maybe, of course I’d like to, love to--" I heardand took a deep breath "This is connected to our situation"
"You uess J-just to be sure But that’s not it Forget why I want to know"
He leaned back into the sofa pillows "If I knehy, I could answer a lot easier"
Maybe, but I wasn’t telling hih facts to confidently lay out my theory
"If I can contact a specific person, hoould I do it?"
"You can, but it’s not easy and it’s not guaranteed at your age Like Simon and his spells, you’re at the… apprenticeship level"
"Where I can do things by accident, like raising the dead"
"Well, no" He absently scratched his ar the silence "Fro to do, and it needs this co "ILike I said, I’m not an expert"
"Back to how, then How do I call up a specific ghost?"
He slouched, head resting on the sofa back, staring at the ceiling before nodding, as if to hiht, there are tays You could use a personal effect"
"Like with a tracking dog"
A suess so Or like one of those psychics you see in ed to the person"
"And the second way?" I tried not to sho uessed it
"You need to be at the grave"
My heart harave Presu that’s where the body is buried It’s the body that’s irave site"
He waved offback "Yeah, the body The ultihost in the baseed et their story"
"He o into the crawl space So I could get close enough to the bodies to contact those ghosts"
Derek reached back to scratch between his shoulders "Why?"
"Fro they can tell er than Lyle House has been a group ho, why not just tell you himself?"
"I don’t know He said " I strained to re he couldn’t make contact with the important to tell you?"
Good questions This hy I’d gone to Derek Because he’d challenge my assumptions, shohere the holes were and what I had to learn before ju to any conclusions
"I don’t know," I said finally "However they got there, I’m pretty sure they didn’t die of natural causes You’re probably right, and it’s co track of time Or maybe he wants me to solve their murder" I stood "But, whatever he wantsto listen Or at least try"
"Hold up"
He lifted a hand, and I braced for erous, too, after we’d been caught down there earlier And, don’t forget, last tihosts, I’d returned theain, and I’d better not call him for reburial duty
He pushed to his feet "We should take a flashlight I’ll grab that You get our shoes"
Thirty-four