I stared at the card, unable to speak. Was this a trick? How had Zelda known about my dad?
“Blissful, are you gonna go?” Alice asked.
I pressed the card to my chest. “Looks like I don’t have any other choice.”
Not if I wanted to find Dad, I didn’t. Well, well, séance here we come.
Chapter 4
“So what are we doing here again?” Roan asked.
It was the night before Christmas Eve. So it was Christmas Eve Eve, and we stood in the foyer of a grand mansion. The place was all dark wood and shrubbery, mostly ferns. It smelled of pine, and the gas lamp sconces gave it an eerie glow.
I intended to answer Roan’s question about what we were doing by saying,We’re here to speak to my deceased father,but instead found myself questioning why we had arrived, too.
Zelda Zimmerman’s house was decorated to the hilt in Christmas decor. Unlike the rest of Haunted Hollow, which put ghosts in their decorations, Zelda sprinkled elves in all her live boughs and wreaths. It looked as if the male Elf on the Shelf and the female one had popped out about a thousand babies.
Yes, it was that bad.
Roan elbowed me. “Earth to Blissful.”
“Yes?”
“What are we doing here?”
Okay, so I hadn’t told Roan every little detail about Ricky Ricardo and the card. All I’d told him was that we’d been invited to a séance. He hadn’t even liked the idea of coming to that, but it was what it was.
I was about to answer when Ricky Ricardo (who had answered the door wearing a winter white suit and tie) returned, followed by a woman draped in green velvet from head to foot.
She had short, wavy white hair and delicate features that suggested she had been a great beauty in her youth. Her fingers were drenched in rings with stones of dark amethyst. She extended a hand to me.
“Zelda Zimmerman. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.” Her voice was gravelly and luscious, like she’d smoked most of her life but had given up several years ago.
“Blissful Breneaux, and this is my fiancé, Roan Storm.”
Her gaze flickered to Roan, and Zelda extended a hand for him to kiss. “Pleasure to meet you,” she purred.
I was surprised that she didn’t lick her chops.
Roan’s neck reddened. He slapped a second hand over the one she offered and shook it. Good fiancé! “Thank you for having us.”
Zelda dismissed Ricky with a wave. “I see you’ve met Luis, my house-slash-pool boy.”
“We have.” His name wasn’t Ricky, but I wasn’t too terribly far off. “He’s been very kind.”
Zelda gave Luis a look that suggested he was more than just her houseboy. Then she dismissed him. “You may show Mr. Storm around, Luis. Please introduce him to our other guests. I would like to speak to Blissful alone.”
Roan shot me a concerned look. I simply smiled, silently telling him that all would be fine.
“Please come with me,” Luis said. “There are plenty of other guests here for you to meet.”
“See you soon.” Roan squeezed my arm. “Mrs. Zimmerman.”
“Charming,” Zelda said when Roan and Luis had disappeared down the hall. I peeked over and saw an open doorway. Inside, Christmas music played and people milled about, eating hors d’oeuvres.
My stomach growled.
Zelda led me in the opposite direction of the party, into her parlor where more elves were stationed.
