He shook his head. “I can’t let them go up before us. We’re saving that for tomorrow.”

“You brought them here to help us.”

“As evidenced by everything around us, they’ve done exactly what we needed them to do. They don’t want to be in the documentary, they don’t get access to the attic.”

Daphne huffed. “So you think calling it a documentary gives it some gravitas? What’s gotten into you? I know you have the key. Just give it to me so someone with an ounce of sense can find some answers.”

Tobe folded his arms. “No.”

“That wasn’t a yes or no request. I have as much right to the key as you do. Give it to me.”

She stomped over to where he stood, her forehead inches from his cleft chin. Tobe remained still as a statue.

“Where is it? Your jacket or pants pocket?”

When he didn’t respond, she reached into one of the side pockets of his suit jacket.

The stinging slap against her cheek whipped her head sideways. Her hand reflexively went to her burning face.

“I told you no,” Tobe said, barely above a whisper.

Daphne had no words. He’d never so much as hinted at touching her in anger before. She now understood what stunned speechless meant.

He left her as if nothing had happened. She heard the library door open and close. Acidic tears streaked down her face as she ran upstairs, hatred for her husband squeezing her heart so hard it was difficult to breathe.

Alice asked Jessica if she could have a glass of water.

“Sure, sweetie. I’ll be right next door in the bathroom.”

When she left the room, Alice bounded into her brother’s bed. He shot her a strange look. “They’re right, the bad man is here,” he said.

“What do we do?”

“I don’t know. The Last Kids will help us when the time comes.”

Alice sighed, wiping a tear away before it could fall. “I’m afraid.”

He held her hand. “We’re supposed to be. Alexander can hurt us.”

“But do you really think he is—”

“I brought two glasses of water just in case,” Jessica said, returning to the room. “You two cuddling up to stay warm? I don’t blame you.”

Alice wordlessly went back to her bed, accepting the drink and finding it hard to swallow.

“Trouble in paradise?” Nina mocked when Tobe rejoined the group.

“Just a case of second thoughts. Nothing to worry about. So, have you decided to start again?”

Mitch slapped his hands on his knees and rose from his chair. The bruised puffiness around his eye was getting worse by the minute. “I doubt we can top what we got earlier, but there’s no reason to stop now.”

Rusty kicked an empty camera bag across the floor. “No reason to stop? How about we cut it out before someone gets really hurt, or even killed.”

Nina waved his concerns off with a dismissive flick of her hand. “No one in history has ever been killed by a ghost, not even that whole Bell Witch fable. Unless, of course, you get so scared you have a heart attack.” Her lips curled with a devious smile.

“When half the objects in a house are being thrown around, anything’s possible,” Rusty said. He turned to Tobe. “Your wife and children are in the house now. Don’t you care even the slightest about them?”

Tobe felt a wellspring of anger explode in his chest. He had to fight the urge to take Rusty by the throat and throttle him for all he was worth.

Instead, he kept his cool. “They’re quite safe with Jessica and Eddie upstairs.”

“More than safe,” Nina chimed. “Don’t let Eddie’s aw shucks face fool you. There’s no one on this planet that can do what he can.”

“Then why don’t we ask him to make this stop?” Rusty said.

“That’s not the point of this whole project, is it?” Mitch said. “If it stops, we have an incomplete film.”

“We have more than enough to shock the hell out of anyone that sees this.”

Tobe said, “Mitch is right, what we have is a fantastic start, but just think what else can come of this? And there’s no reason why it can’t be revisited again and again. We’ll have a parade of debunkers and amateur ghost hunters paying to experience it for themselves.”

Putting his hand in his pants pocket, he felt the key that Daphne had asked for. I don’t want her to ruin our big reveal. I should hide it. God knows what’s in that attic. It’ll make a great scene, regardless. Attics and basements scared the piss out of people. If Jessica and Eddie don’t want to take part, they can’t go there.

While Rusty continued to debate with Mitch and Nina, he casually walked to the inlaid bookshelves and placed the key on the topmost shelf, pushing it back against the wall.

His fingertips still tingled from slapping his wife. He’d been just as surprised by it as she had, though his anger at her need to destroy their plans and future prevented him from expressing it. It was best he slept in one of the vacant rooms tonight. No apology would be enough. At least not yet.

“Fuck you, Mitch. I didn’t sign on for this,” Rusty blurted.

“Actually, buddy, you did,” Mitch said.

Tobe noticed how Paul had stayed out of the heated conversation. He sat staring at the flames. He never had been one for confrontation. Do I have to worry about him going turncoat too?

Mitch put a beefy, reassuring hand on Rusty’s shoulder. “I see your point. We had no way of knowing it would be this wild. But we’re all here and there’s nowhere to go. So please, just help us. I don’t expect you to agree with what we’re doing or like it. All I ask is that you be the professional I’ve always known you to be. This will be over before you know it and your kids will have their college paid for.”

Rusty let out a long sigh, visibly collapsing within himself. Mitch was right. Even cocksure Tobe couldn’t have said it any better.

Rusty strode to the other side of the room, grabbed his camera and stormed out of the library.

Nina rose from her chair and said, “Problem solved.” She ran her fingers through Paul’s hair. “Come on Paul, Yule log time is over.”

He turned to her, the dancing firelight making it look as if the flames of hell had been stoked within his skull. Nina walked him out of the library, whispering something into his ear.

Mitch smiled at Tobe. “Ready for round two?”

Jason and Alice were just about asleep when Daphne poked her head through the doorway. “Do you mind sitting with them for another five minutes?”

Jessica, who had been sitting at the end of Alice’s bed, said, “Take your time.” Daphne’s eyes were red and watery. She’d definitely been crying. Her pale skin had lost even more of its color. What happened to her?

“Thank you. I’ll be right back.” She gently closed the door.

Jessica turned to Eddie. “Something didn’t go well.”

“Nothing’s going well.” He watched Jason turn to his side, hunkering deeper under the covers. He leaned forward and whispered, “All of the EBs are in the house right now. I’m guessing there are well over a hundred.”

Jessica rubbed her arms. “That must be why I can’t get the hair on my arms to go down. I thought it might be because we’re living in a freezer.”

Eddie nodded, his face dark, somber. “They’re all here, on this floor, but they’re staying out of this room. When Daphne opened the door, she was swallowed up by them. I actually had a hard time seeing her through their bodies.”

“Has that ever happened before—the dead superimposing over the living?”

“No. Then again, I’m with you. A day with Jessica Backman always brings surprises.” He made a feeble attempt at a grin. “We have to get to that attic. The EBs aren’t saying anything, but I’m getting an overwhelming urge to go up there.”

Jessica stared at the closed door, wondering what it would feel like when she walked through, knowing she was wading through masses of the dead.

She said, “When Daphne comes back, key or no key, we’re going.”