Ruth and Alice exchanged glances.
“What is it?”
Ruth closed the cookie tin. “There isn’t supposed to be, but it was well-known around town that the grandfather of the young man who owns it now—what’s his name?” she said to Alice.
“Roan,” I chimed.
“Roan, yes. It was well-known his grandfather dabbled in things.”
Ew. I didn’t like the sound of that. “What sort of things did he dabble in?”
“Magic mirrors, people rumored,” Alice said. “They said he could see the future.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “But I’m asking if a spirit haunts it.”
The women exchanged another look.
“Will you two stop shooting looks.”
Alice grimaced. “Sorry. Old habit. Ruth and I have known each other so long we don’t have to ask the other what we’re thinking. We know.”
Must be nice to have friends like that.
Ruth smoothed her hands down her skirt. “Some folks say one night they heard horrible screaming. Terrible, like people were dying. But when the cops investigated, no one was home. They even searched the place. But the next day—”
“Old Man Storm’s hair was completely white,” Alice finished.
“White?”
“He’d had the most beautiful auburn hair before that. But it was white as if all the color had been pulled right out of his head.”
My gaze darted from one to the other. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope. And ever since, the family’s been real hush-hush. All the rumors about Mr. Storm stopped, but the family has never sold. They keep the place to themselves.”
I zipped up my jacket. The story creeped me out, set a chill in my bones. “Okay, the whole white-hair thing is a little weird if it’s true, but the fact that they’ve never sold isn’t a big deal to me. I mean, lots of folks keep businesses in the family. I don’t see a real smoking gun there.”
They exchanged another look.
“Darn it, if you two are going to keep doing that, I’ll just do the whole Slick thing by myself.”
“No,” Alice said. “We need you. How else are we going to catch ghosts?”
My stomach clenched. “We didn’t catch a ghost. It was all show.”
“But that’s not what the masses think,” Ruth said. “We’re minor celebrities. We can catch ghosts. We might get a television show out of it.”
I smacked my forehead. “I’m here to catch one ghost—one.”
“We can help you.”
I opened my mouth. Shut it. “I’ll think about it. Anyway, what is it you’re keeping from me about the bed-and-breakfast?”
“Well,” Alice said, lowering her voice. I didn’t know why. It was only the three of us in the room. “Rumor has it they keep the place in the family because there’s a terrible monster locked up in the basement.”
“Hmpf.”
Ruth stared at me. “You already know this.”
