“Haley, is there a room upstairs behind the closet?” Taran asked when the crackling stopped.
“Yes. It’s where he left my body. It’s actually pretty comfy.”
“How so?” Eilonwy asked.
“I don’t know, it just feels restful and comfortable when I’m in there. It’s probably why I can’t tell how much time has passed from day to day.”
Taran and Eilonwy exchanged a look, one that said they both had ideas.
“What do you want us to do?” Taran asked.
“Could you please find Carey? Without becoming one of his victims.”
Eilonwy nodded. “We can do that, but I want to speak to Taran about this outside, privately.”
The siblings stood on the sidewalk near the side exit and looked down the street toward Valentine’s bookstore.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
“I want to help her, without involving authorities if we can, but I’m worried she might be lying.”
“Because this has been too easy?”
“Yes. That mirror bothers me, and I want to know what’s up with that hidden room. We have to be careful that she’s not some kind of lure.”
“For a demon?”
“Or something else. I’ve heard of vampires using ghosts to beckon would-be paranormal investigators into their lairs.”
“Do you think she’s trying to take one of us so she can get revenge herself?”
“It’s a possibility, and I like to cover all the possibilities.”
“Could he actually be a vampire?”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“I say we look in the room and see if we can find out more about him and her.”
“That’s a good plan. I want to check that mirror, too. We might be able to use it to see inside the bookstore.”
Eilonwy brought the radio upstairs for Haley to use.
Taran examined the back of the closet, running his fingers along the edges. “This is one piece of wood, about an inch thick. Do you know how this opens?”
“No, I’ve never had to, I just drift through,” Haley said through the static.
“What’s on the other side?” Taran asked.
“A bed, a bunch of his books, some of my things, mostly stuff he gave me, my body, and jars.”
“Jars?” Eilonwy asked.
“Of my blood. He bled me when I was dying.”
“Haley, I don’t want to be insensitive, but how did he kill you?” Taran asked.
The radio crackled for a long moment.
