Gus primed his mouth and threw up his hands. “You think I don’t know that? I swear the temp dropped fifty degrees while I was up there, man. Then I felt this weird tingling sensation on my back like something touched me.” He shivered. “Fucking freaked me out!”
“Mierda,” Gus muttered as he crossed himself several times then kissed the golden cross hanging from his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to force everything from the last several minutes from his memory. “And then that freaking moan...” He shivered and glared at Jack. “I don’t know if I can handle this job, man. I didn’t sign up to deal with no ghost.”
Jack stared back at him, his mouth agape and his eyes narrowed. “You’ve worked in haunted houses all your life. What’s so different about this one?”
Gus pointed toward the ceiling again. “That is what’s so damned different, Jack. This one is fucking real.”
Charli shivered and paced away from the men, gooseflesh popping out all over her body. “It’s really real...Amelia’s real,” she repeated, still not believing. Her gaze shot around the hallway searching forfurther evidence of the ghost, terrified that she would find something.
Jack came up behind her, his hands dropping to her shoulders. “She is.”
Charli’s eyes narrowed, a suspicion niggling in her chest. “Have you heard her before?”
He shook his head slowly.
“Have you seen her?” she questioned.
He was quiet for a moment, as if considering his words. He stared at the staircase. “No, but Dottie told me about her sightings. Like I told Annette and Amy, I’ve seen the lantern in the Widow’s Walk once. That’s practically famous around here.”
“Where?”
His eyes snapped back to her. “What?”
“Where in this house had Aunt Dottie seen her?” Charli clarified.
Jack pointed toward the Widow’s Walk. “Up there most of the time. Dottie said she was always watching the southern horizon.”
Charli huffed a rough laugh and rubbed her arms. “This is crazy. I don’t even believe in ghosts.” She glanced around again, practically challenging Amelia to present herself.
“Hell yeah, this is crazy,” Gus agreed, his head bobbing as he crossed himself again.
Jack shrugged impatiently. “It’s not any crazier than any other ghost story on this island. Except...” he paused for a moment.
“Except?” Charli asked, urging him to continue, to say anything that would help all of this make sense.
Jack glanced at Gus then gazed into Charli’s eyes, his look intense. “Except this ghost story is true.” He shrugged lightly. “Amelia’s not violent or angry. She’s just sad.” He released a rough breath and stared at the floor. “I can’t explain it, but I feel like there’s something we have to do here, just like Dottie said. But I have no idea what it is other than to restore this place. So that’s what we need to focus on—not chasing ghosts.”
Charli snorted and grimaced, sticking close to the two men, still nervous that a vengeful phantom would pop out at them at any moment.
“God, this is insane,” she repeated, fighting the urge to tear out of the house.
“It’s just new, that’s all,” Jack urged. He reached down and grabbed her hand. “Come on,” he said as he turned toward the stairs. “I think we’re done with the inspection for today. Let’s grab some dinner and pick up a nice bottle of tequila. That’ll make you feel like a new person.”
Charli choked on a hysterical laugh. “Food and booze are supposed to make me feel better?” she asked as all three hurried down to the first floor.
“Booze will definitely make me feel better,” Gus chimed in as he rushed down in front of them.
Jack glanced at Charli over his shoulder. “Food and tequilaalwaysmake things better,” he explained with a wicked grin and a wink.
“God damn,” Gus repeated as he shuddered, glaring up the stairs. “That scared the shit out of me, man.”
Jack chuckled. “Then you need to brace yourself.” He slapped Gus on the back. “I have a feeling that was only the tip of the iceberg.”
Charli’s eyes widened, and she considered his words. “What do you mean by that?”
Jack gave her a soft smile. “It’s nothing to be anxious about, just that I think we’ll be hearing Amelia from time to time. I don’t think it’ll stop until she’s at peace.”
Charli huffed and shot Jack an exasperated expression. “And when the hell will that be? What is it exactly that we’re supposed to do?”
