“Why? What happened?”
“Well,” she murmured, “when I went into the abandoned cottage, everything was still there—furniture, dishes, bedding. Dust covered everything, but it was a thin layer.”
“So the place hadn’t been deserted for very long,” he concluded.
“Yes. That’s what I thought.”
“What has you so concerned?”
She rubbed her arms again. “Just a feeling I had while I was there, especially when I was in the bedroom. I felt like something evil had happened there. I also felt as though I’d been there before, but I don’t think that’s right.” She shivered noticeably and lifted her gaze to his. “And then before I left, I thought someone was in the house with me.”
“Was someone there?” he asked.
“No. I thought I heard footsteps, but it must have been my imagination.”
After her comment, something niggled at the back of his mind. “Strange you would say that. I’m wondering if this section of the forest isn’t cursed with a spell or something.”
Her eyes widened. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, because of your experience, and...” he cleared his dry throat, “because early this morning I thought I heard voices in this tower.”
She stepped closer to him. “What kind of voices?”
“It was more like one voice—a woman’s. When I first heard it, I thought she was crying for help.”
“Oh dear.” She wrung her hands, stepping closer. “Have you heard the voice since?”
“Not yet. I convinced myself I hadn’t heard a voice, and that the sound I heard was actually a bird.” He shook his head. “But truly, I believe it was a woman’s voice.”
“In this tower?”
“Yes.”
She released a chuckle. He could tell it wasn’t real. She probably did that to try and ease her nerves.
“I don’t think the woman’s voice would be coming from this tower. You are the only one here.”
He moved closer to her, hoping she wouldn’t withdraw. If he could just get close enough to grab her hand... “You don’t suppose ghosts are haunting the tower—or the forest—do you?”
“Ghosts?” Her voice quivered.
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
“N—no.”
“I do.” He took another hesitant step toward her. “I believe there are good ghosts, and they are called spirits. But then there are bad ghosts. They are the ones who haunt abandoned places like that cottage you found.”
“And like...this tower?”
He nodded. “Exactly.” He was almost within arm’s reach of her, but the chains around his wrists and ankles grew tighter as he strained to move farther. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to take another step.
“I don’t know, Ryder. It’s still hard to believe.”
“If only you would sit with me for a while, I’m sure you’d hear what I did, and then maybe you’d believe me.”
Her gaze shifted and moved around the room as she looked up at the ceiling, then over to the stairs. She continued the nervous gesture while wringing her hands together. He couldn’t rush her. If he talked calmly to her and didn’t get her upset with him, perhaps he could get her to stay long enough to talk some sense into her.
“Well, I...” she swallowed noisily, “I don’t need to be home for a few more hours. I suppose I could stay a little longer.”
