I stopped, sucked in a breath.
Roan’s fingers curled into my shoulder. “What is it?”
“She’s here. Somewhere.”
“How can you tell?”
“I can feel the outer reaches of Jinkins. It’s like he’s just out of my sight. Like we’re both in water and I can almost touch him with my fingers but he keeps slipping just beyond me.”
“Can you tell where?”
I shook my head. “No. The feeling isn’t that strong.” We reached the basement door. “Here’s the basement.”
Roan shielded me from entering. “Let me go first.”
If he wanted to be a big strong man, I would certainly let him. He turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. He took one step. I heard a muffled sound and then watched Roan fall. I gasped and whipped the flashlight to the right.
I had just enough time to see Fannie Sullivan’s twisted face right before something very hard hit me on the head and the world went black.
TWENTY-THREE
Iawoke with an angry throb on top of my head. “Oh God. That really hurts.”
I blinked and slowly grabbed my bearings. My hands were wrapped behind me. I dug my fingers into the floor. Sand sifted between them.
The cellar. That’s right. We were downstairs. Where was Roan?
A flashlight clicked on. The dim figure of Fannie Sullivan clomped by. She struck a match. Light flared to life, and the old woman proceeded to ignite the wicks of several candles scattered along wall shelves.
Roan moaned beside me. Thank goodness he was alive. How the heck could an old woman hit so hard?
“It’s the taxidermy, you see. It keeps my strength up. I’m not as frail as I look. The whiskey helps with that, too.”
I opened my mouth to argue that liquor did not a strong body make, but decided against it for reasons of self-preservation.
“We need to make sure Roan isn’t hurt.”
“That man?” She laughed. “He’ll be fine.” Something evil sparked in her eyes. Could’ve been the jaunting shadows, but I didn’t think so.
“There are others here. You’ll be found.”
Fannie shook her head. Wisps of white hair floated around her face, making her look as ghostly as, well, a ghost. “I don’t think so. They didn’t hear either of you when you fell. You’re mine to keep. If you hadn’t been so nosy, you wouldn’t be down here anyway. You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Right, blame the victim, lady. Don’t you follow social media? Blaming the victim is not okay.”
Fannie ignored me. Roan moaned again. I nudged my shoulder against him.
“Roan,” I whispered.
“He can’t hear you,” Fannie said in a singsong voice.
“What are you talking about?”
I scanned the room trying to figure out a strategy, a way to break free from the cord around my wrists. Doggone it, that woman wasn’t lying. She was stronger than she appeared.
“The spirit is keeping him asleep. That’s also why no one realizes you’re in trouble.”
I hitched a brow. “Let me guess, because of Jinkins Hudson. That’s why.”
