“We should be more worried about us. We’re heading into a dark cavern.”
Roan smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m here to protect you.”
He disappeared up the steps and I followed. The stairs bowed as I climbed up them, setting me on edge. To borrow a phrase from Zelda, I liked my stairs like I liked my men—sturdy.
“Would you look at that,” Roan said when he reached the top.
“What?” But when my head cleared the floor, I understood exactly what he meant. The attic was out of a horror movie. Cloths draped body mannequins that would have been used to model dresses a couple of centuries ago. Old furniture covered with cobwebs littered the floor, and boxes upon boxes were pushed against the walls.
I was just waiting for one of the mannequins to start moving toward us.
“Maybe Zelda’s up here,” he said over his shoulder. “It would help if she decided to show herself. She could tell us who killed her.”
“Maybe we should have a séance,” I joked.
He stopped and beamed the light on me. “Good idea. Think anyone will go for it?”
“No. I think we’re all done with that.” I moved to the other side of the room, looking for flickering lights and wires. “But someone killed her. One of the four people downstairs is dangerous.”
“I’m not gonna argue with that.” Roan suddenly came up beside me. “That’s why we need to stick together. No matter what.”
“Agreed. Did you see anything on the other side of the room?”
“Nothing. But it may be hiding under one of these cloths. Zelda was strange. If you’re going to go to the extreme to bar up your house, you might as well make sure that you’ve hidden the cell phone scrambler as best you can.”
As we yanked sheets off furniture, dust clouded the air, choking me. It stung my eyes, and I wiped the water away.
“Well now, Blissful Breneaux, have you seen your father?”
Lucky Strike’s voice came from a corner of the room.
“Great,” Roan said sarcastically, “we have a visitor.”
Lucky glowed faintly as he sailed over to me. “Well?”
“I saw my dad, but he didn’t give me your soul, no. Also, I didn’t have a means of trapping him.”
Lucky tsked. “I should have given you the means when I last saw you.” He floated to my face and widened his eyes. “It would be my ghost gift to you—the ability to hold a ghost one time and one time only.”
This wasn’t the time. Considering the circumstances, my dad was the last person that I had to think about. “Look, Lucky—”
“He’s nearby.” Lucky sniffed the air and trailed forward like a bloodhound on the scent. “I can sense him. He wants to talk to you. I know it. All you have to do is hold him.” He spun to face me. “I’ll find you. I’ll know when you have him. What do you say, Blissful? Want the ghost gift?”
What was the worst that could happen? Maybe it was best not to ask that. “Sure. I won’t get another one.”
“No.”
Well, I had to do what I had to do. “Okay.”
Lucky smiled but it was more sneer-like than anything. He lifted a finger, and that’s when Roan’s hand shot out and snatched mine away.
“How do we know that we can trust you? That you’ll give her what you say and not something else?”
Lucky cackled. “All I want is what’s mine. I’m not going to hurt Blissful.”
I placed a hand gently on Roan’s arm. “It’s okay.”
Roan shook his head. “When you’re done with that, maybe you can help us locate a box with wires sticking out of it.”
