Meredith turned to the door.
“But before she leaves, Mrs. Wilkes is going to lock us in for the night. She will return at precisely three a.m. to free us.” Xavier shot her a dramatic look. “Are you ready, Mrs. Wilkes?”
She raised a key. “I am.”
“Then do it. Lock us inside with a spirit so terrifying that Blissful here is traumatized.”
Truck swung the camera to me. I grimaced as if I were terrified. Not sure it worked.
Mrs. Wilkes exited, and Xavier turned to the cameras. “Everyone, flashlights ready?”
I’d turned on a headlamp I’d been given.
Xavier sized all of us up and looked at Slick. “It’s lights out.”
Slick flipped off all the lights, leaving us cast in darkness.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want you to try this at home. This is not for the faint of heart. But if you do try it, make sure you’ve got your EVP—electronic voice phenomenon—recorder ready.”
He raised his wrist. Strapped to it was a very expensive-looking watch. “I’ve got mine here and ready to go. What we’ll do is walk around the house and attempt to speak to the spirit.”
He paused. “If anyone is here, if the spirit that haunted this place earlier is here, speak to us. Can you give us a sign that you understand?”
A rap sounded on the wall. Xavier, bug-eyed and bushy-tailed, whirled toward the camera. “Did you hear that?”
Slick walked forward. “Definite spirit sign. The EMF is off the charts.”
“Wow.” Xavier turned to me. “Blissful, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Listen, Xavier, I was wondering…when we’re done, can I take a look at that e-mail? The one from Anita?”
Yeah, I knew it wasn’t a great time to ask, but they could edit it out. I mean, these guys were professional. At least that’s what they’d been telling me.
He gripped my shoulder. “Absolutely.” Then he turned to us. “I think it’s time we split up.”
“Great,” I said. I was dying to get away from these guys and do my own investigating. Other spirits might appear. Fingers crossed.
“You’re with me,” Xavier said.
My hopes sank. But I had to look on the bright side. Maybe I’d find out more about his relationship with Anita, the bimbo who stole my job.
Sorry. That is not nice to call someone a bimbo.
How about bimbette?
Better.
I followed Xavier through the darkened restaurant. The building had originally been a house. The dining room was the parlor/dining area of the home.
He spoke into the camera in his hand. “Blissful and I have moved into another part of the house. It’s just us. Alone. With the ghost. I’m keeping my feelings in check, but it’s hard. The fear in this place is thick.”
I rolled my eyes.What a ham.
Wooden floorboards creaked beneath my feet. If I hadn’t been afraid of ghosts, I might’ve been spooked.
“Psst.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Susan stood in the corner. “Psst. Can you see me?”
