“Now that the cat is out of the bag about my leaving New Hampshire, I don’t suppose it will hurt anything to let you in on this secret.”
“Secret?” Ten and Ronan asked at the same time.
“What I’m about to tell you isn’t widely known. The old-timers in town might remember, but not the kids who’d gone to this school in the eighties and nineties who are now parents themselves.” Preston took a deep breath. “After Marie was murdered, there were a lot of discussions over what to do with the classroom. Some people wanted to retile the floor and leave the room be. Others wanted to turn it into a reading room with beanbag chairs and old cast-iron bathtubs for the kids to read in. The majority of people wanted the room to be abandoned. Some were superstitious, others used religion as an excuse, unexorcised demons and whatnot. So that’s what happened. Over the summer, a construction crew was brought in. They removed the classroom door and jamb and then bricked it up. They did the same with the windows, which is why the edifice of the building has fewer windows on the ground level. As far as I know, the room has been sealed off ever since.”
“Shit,” Ronan muttered. “That must be what Everly was talking about when she said that Marie was trapped.”
“I agree. And other than grabbing a sledgehammer and knocking our way through the wall, is there any other way into the classroom?” Ten asked. “I seem to remember there being another door in the classroom we used to talk to Everly. I’m guessing it led to the room next door.”
“That’s right. Each room has a door adjoining the one next door.”
“Okay, simple, then. We just walk through that door into Marie’s old classroom.”
“It’s not that simple,” Max said.
“Of course not.” Ronan sighed. “What’s the obstacle this time? A hungry three-headed dog?”
Max barked a quick laugh. “No three-headed dog, or if there is, no one told me about it. From what I understand, there’s a corridor of sorts behind the adjoining door and a wooden frame covered in drywall, which keeps the old room closed off. There’s supposed to be a way into the classroom, but I’ve never been back there before.”
“We’ll use our phone flashlights, and hopefully, Ten and Everly’s gifts can guide us from there.” Ronan turned to Ten, who was nodding.
“I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but are you sure this is the sort of place for your daughter? I mean, she’s sweet and very kind, not to mention at an impressionable age. Should she be exposed to a murder room?” Preston sounded nervous as he spoke.
“Everly’s been able to see spirits since she was an infant. I’ve taught her from an early age how to deal with the things she sees and hears and not to mention how to handle unsavory spirits who appear to her. Would I rather take my daughter to Disney World to ride the teacups? Sure, but that’s not in the cards right now. She’s formed a deep connection with the three child spirits and wants to see this through to the end. Knowing Marie is trapped in that room would torture her mind and her soul.”
“Your daughter is an exceptional young lady,” Max said.
“Most of the time.” Ronan laughed. “Not so much when she doesn’t want to go to bed or clean up after herself.”
“I’m free tomorrow morning if you want to meet me at the school around nine or so. I assume you’ll be bringing Jude and Fitz?”
Ronan looked to Ten, who nodded his agreement. “Nine works for us. I’ll check with the others. I’m sure they’ll want to come along. It will give us all a real-world view of the crime scene.”
“Do you really think you can solve this murder fifty-plus years after the fact?” Max asked.
“We’re going to give it our best shot. Ten and Everly give us an ace in the hole that the original detectives didn’t have back in ’68.” Ronan sounded completely confident in their abilities.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how you all work. I’m a huge true crime buff.” Max sounded excited at the prospect of being involved with a cold case.
“You might not be once we get to the bottom of this case.” Ten hated to burst the man’s bubble, but it was one thing to watch sanitized true crime documentaries on television. It was another thing altogether to stand in the spot where someone lost their life. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning, Max.”
“Bye, guys.” Preston ended the call.
“Well, what do you think?” Ronan asked.
“I’m a little worried about Marie, to be honest. If she has been trapped in that room for fifty-six years, her mental health might not be as stable as it might otherwise be.”
“Jesus, she’d be like a caged tiger after all these years.” Ronan shook his head.
“I’m going to reach out to Bertha and see if she can lend a hand.”
“I’m already here, Tenny! Hi, Ronan!” Bertha materialized in front of the fireplace. “I’m going to check in with Everly. I think she’s struggling with the idea that she didn’t crack the case this morning.”
“I tried explaining to her that murder cases don’t work that way, but I don’t think I got through to her.” Ronan shook his head, looking defeated himself.
Bertha raised a quizzical eyebrow. “You’re a grizzled cold case detective, Handsome. Everly is a six-year-old psychic. So far, her gift has given her all the answers she ever needed and some she didn’t ask for. She’s struggling not only with seeing child spirits but being unable to help them like she’s done with the other spirits she’s encountered so far. I’m gonna tell her about Corny and how I didn’t know what he was up to while we were married. Dirty rotten scoundrel.”
Ronan barked a quick laugh. “Okay, so let me get this straight. Everly’s detective father can’t soothe her with stories of cases I haven’t been able to solve over the years, but her psychic grandmothercanwith stories of her cheating, con man, ex-husband?”
