Page 86 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

I climb off of him to search for my boxers. This is why you don’t throw them around the room, Alex. I’m still hunting for them when I realize Jake is reaching for my nightstand drawer to put the lube away.

“No!” I screech, but it’s too late. He holds up the book I’ve been reading in secret, an amused expression on his face.

“Domming for Dummies? I guess I know where you’ve been getting your talking points,” he laughs, and I smirk up at him.

“It’s my job to be prepared. Now put that back!”

“Yes, sir.” I hear his breath catch when he sees the book that was lying under it. He doesn’t pick it up; he just stares at it. It’s a book about how to safely be intimate after assault. I should’ve hidden it better.

I run a hand through my hair, nervous. “Listen, please don’t be offended. I just want to make sure I don’t accidentally hurt you.”

He looks at me, expression unreadable. “It’s okay. It’s… thoughtful. I just hate that you have to do this for me.” He quickly puts Domming for Dummies back and shuts the drawer before pulling on his boxers. “When do you have time to read all this stuff?”

“When you’re working in the gardens,” I say with a shrug. “And I don’t mind learning more about this stuff. I need to know how to best take care of you.”

He lays back down on the bed, hair fanned around his head, looking every bit an angel.

“Come lay back down with me,” he says, holding his arms open for me to crawl into, which I do without fuss, ending up as the little spoon again.

Chapter forty-two

Warrants

Alex

“We need to order more feather dusters. Frankie just used the last one. Get more lint rollers as well, you can never have too many. Oh, and disinfectant spray. There’s a bug going around, I want to make sure no one gets sick here.” Brandon bobs his head as he makes a note to order more supplies.

“No problemo, little dude,” he says.

“Thanks!”

Just then the front door creaks open, and I look over to see an older guy walking in. Detective, judging by the suit and tie. The only thing that gives him away as a cop is the gun on his hip that I’m sure he thinks is hidden, and the constipated look on his face that’s going for threatening, but really just makes him look like he needs a snickers.

“Can I help you, officer?” I ask innocently, trying to look casual. In my head I’m running through a list of anything we might have done recently to invite suspicion.

“Hello, sir. I’m looking for the owner of this hotel.”

“I’m the manager, how can I help you?” I stick out a hand, and he shakes it. “Alex.”

“Detective Hollister. I’ve been working on a murder case involving this hotel. I have a witness, Ms. Kayla Danver, that has given evidence of multiple bodies being buried on this property. I have a warrant to exhume them.”

He hands me a piece of paper that I guess is a warrant. I’ve never actually seen one, so I have no idea if this thing is legit.

“If you’d like to read through it, it details the scope of our search. Right now we’re looking for remains buried on or around the warehouse located at the edge of the property,” he explains.

“By all means, if there are any bodies on this property, please dig them up and take them far away from here. We don’t need any more issues.” This is amazing news. Free body removal, meaning no chance of more ghosts popping up unexpectedly.

“Issues?”

I scratch my head, feigning confusion. “Huh?”

“You said you’ve had issues?” he asks, increasingly confused.

“No, I don’t think so… anyway, feel free to dig wherever you like.”

He gives me a nod. “Appreciate your cooperation. We’ll get an excavator out here, shouldn’t take more than a few days.”

“So, what’s gonna happen with Kayla? She’s been working here again since her release from jail, and honestly, she’s a pretty good employee. A little… odd, in a psycho way. But she works hard, so I can overlook it. Is she going back to jail?”