The Hall of Shadows

by M. L. Bullock

  I could feel Alex’s eyes on me. He knew the answer, so why was he so surprised? Right, because it was easier for him to think I was crazy than to believe that I was somehow connected to the past. Strange to think that before moving to Morgan’s Rock, I never thought much about these sorts of things. I was never a ghost hunter, never a paranormalist, not in any real sense. I never went in for horoscopes and such. My world was a much bigger place now. Much bigger. But I had no patience with Alex. If he didn’t want to believe that I was connected to Joanna Storm, I wasn’t going to waste my time convincing him.

  “What’s that?” He shined his light on the wall. How had I missed that? “Are those symbols? Words?”

  “Yes, I think so.” I dug out my phone and took pictures of the symbols. “I’ve seen these before.”

  “What? Where?”

  “Loretta Bradley, you remember her. She’s the librarian here in Rockville. She found a book by Vivian Kemal. These symbols are in that book.”

  Alex sounded unsure. “You have the book? What kind of book is it?”

  “The creepy kind. It’s about blood magic, but to be honest with you, I think the real meat of the book is that Vivian’s secrets are encoded; these are the symbols she uses. They look Egyptian but not quite. I’ve studied them, trust me.”

  “Maybe this is a key because that looks like letters.” His flashlight flickered, and he tapped on it. We’d only walked ten feet into the secret room, but I was anxious to push past this temporary barrier. “On second thought, this could be something else altogether.” His fingers brushed across an odd icon, a triangle with a flame at the top. His observation sent chills all over my body.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Well, not to buy into this craziness,” he said as if he really didn’t want to tell me, “but maybe this is a warning. Maybe we aren’t meant to get in here. You said these look Egyptian. Could be this is a curse, some kind of protective spell. And if Vivian Kemal is the one who put it here, then we probably shouldn’t take it lightly.”

  I took another picture. “So you do believe in all this.”

  “I think you should show me that book. Let an extra pair of eyes take a look at it.”

  I felt so anxious, desperate. I wanted nothing more than to knock that wall down. Right now, this minute. What if Joanna was in there? Suddenly, I felt an icy hand on my neck, but it was only a brushing of fingers, fingers that weren’t there.

  “Did you just touch me, Alex?”

  “What?” he asked as he walked toward me.

  “Did you touch my neck?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Someone just touched my neck.”

  “I think we should take a break. I need something to drink, and you’re covered in dust.”

  “But Joanna…”

  “If you’re right, Megan, if Joanna Storm is walled up in there, then she’s not going anywhere. I know that sounds harsh, but barreling through the wall without thinking about the consequences could be dangerous. What if Vivian has this booby-trapped?”

  That was a reasonable question. Although Joanna and Vivian had made up, I still didn’t trust her. I would never trust her. Not like Joanna did. “Okay, but I’m not giving up on this. This wall is coming down.”

  I pretended that I didn’t hear faint knocking on the wall beside me. Alex said nothing about it, so I kept my mouth shut. “Let’s go, then.”

  We hurried up the stairs and through the pantry. I’d have to clean this mess up later. Maybe Alex would help me. “You know, if you want to do this right, we can hire someone to come in and knock that wall down. I think it’s best that we don’t proceed half-cocked. What if we tear down…”

  “I’m taking a break just to get a drink and show you the book. I’m not giving up on that wall, Alex. It’s coming down with or without you.”

  We walked into the kitchen, and I reached for the water pitcher.

  “You’ll have a devil of a time getting through that second barrier.” He shook his head as I poured us both a glass of water. “Hammers and crowbars might get the job done, but someone has run an electrical line above it all. It’s not going to be as easy as you might think.”

  I sipped my water but kept my eye on him. So like Alex to discourage me. Did I need to remind him I was only here at Morgan’s Rock at his behest? He arranged all this. What did he think was going to happen when he dropped an author like me into a three-story time capsule?

  “I’m not waiting. I’m knocking that wall down.”

  “I think we’ve got more pressing matters to consider, Megan. What about the event? And Lori will be here tomorrow to talk about the housekeeper position; I bet you forgot about that. We need to think through all this. Again, I don’t mean to sound heartless, but what if you open it up and she’s not there? There’s no way the world won’t be watching. Once the word gets out that the search for Joanna is going on right here at Morgan’s Rock, you won’t be able to hide it.”

  “Not if we do it ourselves, Alex!”

  “Just hear me out. Let’s look at the bigger picture. Remember that thing where that reporter, I can’t remember his name, Hispanic guy, he thought for sure he’d found Jimmy Hoffa.”

  “Al Capone, you mean. Geraldo Rivera went looking for Al Capone’s vault of stolen money. I know where you’re going with this. I’m not looking for treasure. There might be a woman’s body down there. Doesn’t she deserve to be found?”

  “How do you know that? Be honest with me, Megan, and none of that mumbo jumbo about past lives and reincarnation.”

  “Mumbo jumbo? That’s what you’re calling this? I’m still seeing Joanna Storm, Alex. And whether you believe it or not, I went back. I was Joanna!” I slapped the counter as if that would push the tears back from my eyes. And I want nothing more than to go back again! “For months. Time doesn’t move like we believe it moves. You can travel to other times and places.”

  “Megan, you can’t go around saying stuff like this. Just hear me out. You experienced missing time. That happens. That I can believe because it’s happened to other people. But you’ve got to keep it together. Don’t do this now. Not when we’ve got so much to lose. What happens when you open that wall and there’s nothing there? Everybody calls you unstable, and there goes the book contract, the movie deal. Or worse yet, what if she is there? No more mystery, and no more market for this story. No one is going to care anymore.”

  I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “What about Joanna? What if she’s down there?”

  “It’s hardly like Joanna Storm is walled up alive in that room. And surely not by Vivian Kemal’s hand. Vivian died before Joanna’s disappearance…unless you want me to believe that Vivian’s ghost did it.”

  I hadn’t considered the timeline, but I wasn’t so eager to write off that possibility. Even if it seemed like an unlikely one.

  Before Alex could gear up for a fight, there was a tapping at the kitchen door. I poked my head around the bar, surprised to see Loretta Bradley standing there. And she wasn’t alone.

  Micah Todd was with her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Hey, Loretta, Micah. What brings you two by?” I welcomed the pair into my kitchen as Alex eyed them with his usual suspiciousness.

  “Well, I won’t lie. We weren’t in the neighborhood, but I had to see what you’d come up with in that book. Have you made any progress? Oh, hello there. I’m Loretta.”

  Alex remembered his manners and rose from the barstool and extended his hand. I was happy to see a charming smile on his face. Yeah, he could be a charmer when he wanted to be. “Alex. Nice to meet you, Loretta.”

  “This is my friend, Micah. He’s a fellow researcher and writes for our local paper. I hope it was okay to bring him along. He’s found some more pictures, too.”

  I smiled at that news. “Really? More photos of Paden?” I ignored Alex’s scowl and accepted the envelope from Micah.

  “I’m not sure, but they were from the same box. Was
n’t much else in there except some old programs. Hi, I’m Micah.” He extended his hand to Alex, and the four of us chatted for a few minutes, but my anticipation was growing by the second. I opened the envelope and dumped the photos on the counter. My breath caught as I turned the first one over. It was Joanna Storm herself, wearing a golden headdress and a matching gown. Although the photo was black and white, I knew that dress. I knew it was gold. This was the studio’s attempt at putting Joanna’s Golden Gamma moniker to work for them. They’d supplied the dress and the photographer. In the end, Joanna had rejected all these photos.

  They were far more risqué than I could have guessed they would be. I had no idea that photographer was intentionally exploiting me. These weren’t supposed to see the light of day. That had been the agreement. I had insisted on it when they came to me with this idea, but here they were.

  “Megan?”

  Loretta touched my arm lightly and brought me back to reality. What was I doing? I smiled at her. “Wasn’t she lovely? I can’t believe someone like Joanna could just disappear.”

  “You doing some construction?” Micah peeked his head around the counter toward the open pantry.

  “Nothing official. Just a few minor repairs,” Alex answered for me and promptly closed the door. “Nothing we would need a permit for, that’s for sure.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting that.”

  “Actually, I found something. We found something, a hidden wall just beyond the pantry.”

  “Megan,” Alex warned me, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen to him. Seeing Joanna in this photo along with the others made me even more determined to open that second wall.

  “I think we should show Loretta and Micah. They are both knowledgeable about the subject, and they might have some clue about those symbols,” I answered him as I stuffed the photos back in the envelope.

  “I think that’s a bad idea.”

  “I don’t care what you think.”

  “If that’s the case, I’ll let you get on with it. Don’t forget the housekeeper is coming tomorrow. She’ll be here in the morning. And I’ll send the party guest list to you. The date is set, so please try not to destroy the place before then. I’ll see myself out.”

  I didn’t try to stop him. Loretta whispered as the door closed, “Was it something we said?”

  “No, it’s something I did. I wasn’t kidding when I said I found a wall. Want to see it?”

  “Sure,” they answered with clear excitement. I locked the door and watched Alex drive away before reaching for the flashlight and leading them through the pantry and down the stairs.

  “This is incredible,” Loretta whispered as she hovered in front of the wall. She pointed at the top symbol. “I know this. This is from the book, right?”

  “Yes, I think so. I’ve taken some photos but haven’t done a side-by-side comparison so far. What do you think, Micah? Have you seen anything like it?”

  “No, but my house was built in 1986. I’ve never been in a house this old. Probably lots of hidden spaces here. This seems odd, though. Who would take the trouble of building some stairs and then putting up a wall four feet from it? There’s nothing else down here. There’s got to be something on the other side of it. Any ideas what that might be?”

  I wiped dust from my lips and nodded slowly. “I think so. Maybe. Like you said, why else would they put a wall up here? It hardly seems worth it unless this wall is hiding another room. Don’t you think?”

  “I do think. Absolutely.”

  “Right, but we have to preserve this, Megan. This arrangement has meaning. It’s not merely graffiti. Look, beneath the symbols are some letters. I think that’s Greek. This is a crux. That’s for spell-casting. This is a spell, Megan.” She took a step back and bumped against me. I thought for a minute she might run up the stairs.

  “I thought it might be. That book, the one Vivian wrote, suggests such things but doesn’t say anything clearly. You couldn’t just read it and learn how to cast a spell. She encoded that book with these symbols. Maybe you and Alex are right. We do need to preserve this symbology before I take the wall down. But the idea that…”

  Some small animal squeaked in a dark corner, and Loretta’s eyes widened as she stepped on the bottom step of the stairs. I’d forgotten how superstitious she could be. But clearly not too superstitious…after all, she’d given me Vivian Kemal’s book.

  “I would certainly proceed with caution. There’s something back there, but what is anyone’s guess,” Micah said as he slapped the wood and listened with his ear close to it. “Definite chamber, though. Maybe I can pull up some plans and take a peek under her skirt. No telling what’s buried under this old place.”

  Nomi…

  “Megan, you promised me a tour. How about it?”

  Neither one of them heard the whisper. If they had, surely they would have said something.

  “Sure, Micah. I’ll give you the full tour.”

  “I heard this place has an elevator. Is that true?” Loretta called behind her as she climbed the steps quicker than any cat.

  “It did, but like this room it’s been closed off. It was a fine old elevator too, with a cast-iron door and a carpeted floor. I can show you where it used to be.”

  As I closed the door to the pantry, I heard the whisper again, but there was no time to explore now.

  Strangely enough, I was dying for a cigarette. I knew it was the past calling to me. That would have to wait, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long.

  Not long at all.

  Chapter Fifteen

  April 1932

  “Make up your mind, Joanna dear. You’re holding up Emma, and I’m sure she has plenty to do,” Danny scolded me as if I were a child. He folded the newspaper and tossed it on the table between us. I thought sitting outside in the sunshine would strengthen me; I had not planned on being browbeaten by my manager. I wished he would just speak his mind. He had bad news for me, I could see it all over his handsome face, but as of yet he had not been willing to share it. Dan had become a cold fish since his awkward attempts at kissing me in the dressing room in Los Angeles.

  “Then you decide, Dan. As I said, I am not hungry,” I complained in a surprisingly hollow voice. Was I really this sick, or was I merely sick of Dan Petit? It was becoming hard to tell the difference.

  Why are you so ungrateful, Joanna? He got you home, didn’t he? And where is Paden now when you need him? Off on another trip; he left you alone. All alone again.

  “Miss Storm and I will have the soup, please. Make sure hers has plenty of pepper,” he instructed. “Pepper is good for the blood.”

  “No pepper, Emma.” Small victories. Imagine arguing over the menu like two children. I sighed at my current state of affairs. “Please bring me the mail as soon as it arrives.” Dan flinched as if I’d struck him. That struck a nerve. Good. It was good for Danny to remember that I was still the lady of the house here at Morgan’s Rock; I was not his to order around. Yes, he had been there for me in my time of need, but he wasn’t going to treat me like I was his property. I was surprised that he didn’t argue with me as I rather hoped he would, but then again, Danny wasn’t one to reach for the small victories.

  He always went for the large ones. The golden rings.

  “Perhaps I will receive a letter from Paden today. He promised to write before he returned. I think it would be nice to have a welcome home party. I could use a distraction.”

  “Whatever you like, Jo.” Danny picked up his paper again and didn’t say another word. Strange how he never spoke Paden’s name. He never talked to him, not even when they were in the same room. Nor did he wish to talk about Paden even when I very much wanted to.

  Ah, Paden. Come home, my love. Surely this business of yours can’t keep you away forever. You know that I need you.

  I closed my eyes and daydreamed about the last time he was home with me. My bliss did not last long, for Vivian stepped onto the terrace humming away, her pretty yet pale face in a
dusty book. She spoke to me as a formality, but I pretended to be asleep. She didn’t seem to mind.

  The world had finally stopped whispering about my disappearance at the Fields of Green premiere. I breathed a sigh of relief at first, but not for long. When you were Hollywood’s Golden Gamma, people had to whisper about you. When you weren’t being whispered about, you were in trouble. And according to the papers, I might be in trouble. Danny assured me that the headlines were just that, headlines meant to shock readers, keep them turning the page, keep them buying the next rag, but there was absolutely no truth or substance to any of the stories. According to the Los Angeles Times, I was facing financial trouble over a contract dispute with Danny. Not true. The New Yorker wrote an awful piece about an affair with my co-star, Trent, which also had absolutely no truth to it. The poor man was newly wed; he didn’t need this kind of speculation. There were other wild stories about my whereabouts, but no one had guessed the awful truth. And then came my fainting spell in the clock tower shortly after my return to Morgan’s Rock last month. Only a handful of people knew what really happened at the premiere and in the clock tower—Danny, Vivian and Paden. And each of those had a vested interest in keeping my secret, but for how long?

  What happened now? I had no idea. Doctors couldn’t even agree on my condition. Dr. Collier suggested I take some time off, while the esteemed Dr. Taylor wanted to sign me up for electrical treatments to tame my brain fluctuations. His words, not mine.

  “You’re just tired, Miss Storm. I suspect you have been burning the candle at both ends for a very long time. You need rest.” That was Collier’s advice, boozy old man. I’d been tired before, many times before, and this wasn’t what I experienced. Without the proper diagnosis and the correct medicine, how would I keep my shaking fits under control? The few incidents since returning to Morgan’s Rock thankfully didn’t last long and weren’t as severe as the one in Los Angeles. But the fear of it kept me a prisoner here. At least for now. I dreaded the terrible day when I shook into a frenzy and fell on the ground during an interview. Or what if a director like David Scabaldi found me in my trailer gasping for air and unable to speak, move or perform? No doubt the photographers would be at the ready. I could almost read the headlines.