As she closed the door, Jessica was just coming up the stairs carrying a bottle of soda and a bag of rice cakes. She didn’t look happy to see her.

“I take it you’re avoiding the shoot or whatever you call it,” Daphne said.

Jessica nodded. “If they leave me be, I’ll do the same.”

“I wonder if I could ask a favor of you.”

Jessica’s lips compressed into a tight line.

“Alice would like it if you could read her a story. She’s really taken to you. So has Jason.”

The tension in Jessica’s face slackened until she was almost smiling. “I’ll be happy to. Let me just put this in my room.”

She took no more than two steps down the hall when the sound of a slamming door reverberated down the walls and floor. They both jumped.

“What was that?” Daphne asked, her hand over her heart.

Jessica ran down the hall to the Blue Room. She gripped the doorknob, slowly turned it and opened the door. When she pulled her hand away, she flicked it up and down.

“Wow that’s cold,” she said.

The door to the Yellow Room opened and Eddie walked into the hall. “Was that you?” he asked.

“I was down there with Daphne. I left the door open when I went downstairs. Do you feel any kind of breeze?”

They swept their open palms around the area by the door and window at the end of the hall. “Just a dribble of air coming through the old frame,” Eddie said, nodding at the window. “Not enough to slam a door.”

Daphne watched them discuss what had happened as if it were an everyday thing. What kind of people didn’t bat an eye at the unknown? What had they seen in their young lives to harden them so?

“Daphne.”

The fragile, child-like voice sounded as if someone had come right up to her ear. She shrieked, swatting at her ear.

“What happened?” Jessica asked.

Daphne felt the blood rush away from her extremities. Her teeth began to chatter.

“Some…some…someone said my name.”

“Could it have been someone downstairs?”

She shook her head violently. “They whispered it right in my ear.”

Eddie stared at a spot just over her shoulder. She was too afraid to ask what he saw.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jessica said. “Would you be scared if I whispered in your ear?”

She tried to calm her racing heart.

“No.”

“That’s right. Because either way, there’s nothing threatening about it. The only difference is, you can see me. The one person here who can see both is Eddie, and if he’s not worried, you shouldn’t be either. Why don’t we read to the kids together? It’ll help take your mind off it. The first time can be a bit of a shock, I know.”

Eddie gave a slow shake of his head, but it wasn’t directed at Daphne or Jessica. Daphne quickly walked to the kids’ room and was met by Jessica. It was amazing how helpful she was being, despite being so angry with her just hours before.

“That’s because we’re here to help, not make a mockery of things,” Eddie said.

When Daphne gave a startled gasp, Jessica put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, “He’s good at reading your thoughts too. And he’s right. After we put the kids to sleep, I have a proposal for you. Maybe you can help make things right.”

Nina D’Arcangela watched Paul, Mitch and Rusty as their frustration grew. Every time they attempted to start Paul’s introduction, something would go wrong. From the camera, to the lights, to a loss of audio, and now this: one of the legs of the tripod losing its ability to lock in place.

If they could get everything working, they were going to have a hell of a story to show the world. She could feel the pressure in the room building. To her, it was like being wedged in a crowded subway car.

They were here, of that there was no doubt. She’d never encountered a location so full of undead life.

Sorry to say, that little bitch Jessica was doing her job, whether she wanted to or not. When Nina had first come to the island, she’d sensed a raw energy rippling throughout it, but it was unfocused, a memory of a spark of light.

Not so now. That energy was building by the minute. It was manipulating objects in the material world, growing bolder.

Paul said, “Maybe we should just break everything down and start fresh tomorrow.”

Mitch’s hair had become unruly from running his fingers through it in frustration. “Just give us five more minutes to get our shit together.”

Rusty pulled a roll of duct tape from his pocket and placed the tripod on its side. Once he had the faulty leg at the right height, he taped over the joint. He then did the same to the other locked joints, just in case. “Duct tape, man’s best friend,” he said with a timid smile. Righting the tripod, he secured the camera to its base.

Mitch clapped his hands. “Barring the ceiling collapsing, let’s try it yet again.”

Nina pulled Paul aside. “If you hear any strange noises, you should stop and point it out to the camera.”

“Will I hear strange noises?”

“You might. The spirits are getting stronger. You mustn’t be afraid. If you want to separate yourself from all of the others, you can’t show fear.”

Paul’s Adam’s apple bobbed with a dry swallow. She could see his resolve was weak. She had to build him up somehow.

“There’s nothing they can do to you, Paul, especially with me around.” She smoothed his shirt, her hands lingering on his chest, letting him feel the warmth of her palms despite the near freezing temperature in the house. His muscles relaxed at her touch. She sensed his budding arousal.

Good. Lust could make a man move mountains.

Leaning close, she whispered in his ear, “I know you won’t let us down.” Her lips brushed against the outer folds of his ear as she pulled away.

His cheeks bloomed a bright, rose red.

Mitch and Rusty stood opposite them with their cameras poised.

“You ready?” Mitch asked.

Paul gave a quick nod and a thumbs-up.

Mitch’s fingers counted down to one. Looking serious, Paul said, “Hello, and welcome to Ormsby House, the site of the most gruesome murders in South Carolina’s history. It was an event so shocking, its details have been intentionally shrouded in mystery for decades. With complete access to the old Colonial house, the lone structure on the aptly named Ormsby Island in the Charleston Harbor, we will definitively prove that there is life after death. I’m joined by renowned psychic-medium, Ni—”

His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Paul’s eyes flashed wide in panic as he staggered against the fireplace.

Rusty nearly threw his camera down and rushed to his aid. “I think he’s choking!”

Nina grabbed Paul’s arm, following him as he sank to the floor, gasping for air.

Her heart froze when she saw the pulsing indentations in the flesh of his neck, the sign of an invisible hand choking him. While Rusty scooped his fingers into Paul’s mouth, searching for something, anything that could be blocking his airway, Nina roared a mental command, “Take your hands off him! So help me, I’ll banish you to a darkness that will consume your soul for eternity!”

Paul suddenly drew in a ragged lungful of air, sounding like a broken foghorn.

The andiron stand on the other side of the fireplace toppled over with a resounding crash. Footsteps pounded above them as everyone was jolted by the brief cacophony.

“Are you okay?” Rusty asked Paul, helping him into a comfortable sitting position.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Paul replied shakily.

Nina looked to Mitch, who hadn’t moved from behind his camera. He flashed her an okay sign, nodding at the camera.

That’s a hell of a start, Nina thought, already wondering how many seasons they could sign on for when they made their pitch.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Rusty was grateful that he was bunking with Mitch in the same room. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that the whole incident earlier with Paul downstairs had scared the crap out of him. He’d pulled Paul aside and looked him dead in the eye when he asked if he’d been putting them on for the sake of the show. Paul vehemently denied any play-acting, and had the red marks around his neck to prove it.