More Than a Feeling

by Cate Dean

  “I—miss them so much.”

  Claire pulled her in, rubbed her back as she shook. Her choked sobs finally broke free, and she held on to Claire. When the tears eased, she lifted her head—and choked again, in laughter this time. Claire turned around to find Daniel and Emily in the doorway.

  Annie caught her breath, wiping her eyes. “Come in. I’m already far past embarrassment at this point.”

  Emily glided to her, one hand hovering near her cheek. “Your loss is new. There is no reason to feel ashamed of your grief.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You are here for Juliet.”

  “Yeah, but we’re trapped here by whoever killed her, without anything we need to help stop the murder.”

  Emily stood, her hands clasped at her waist. “Daniel told me why you are here, and I believe I can assist. Everything that was in the mansion when Juliet and Daniel died remains, including a rather extensive collection of oddities that belonged to our aunt. She was a great believer in the spiritual.”

  Claire stood, hope pushing up through the helpless anger. “By any chance, did she collect crystals?”

  Emily smiled. “We could have opened a business with the number of crystals she hoarded. Come, I will show you.”

  She glided out of the sitting room, and Claire reached for Annie’s hand.

  “That’s good news, isn’t it?”

  Claire nodded, following after the ghosts. “If she has the kind of collection I hope she has, we may have a chance, Annie.”

  *

  Annie felt tired after her outburst, but clearheaded, and ready to help. Emily led them through the huge mansion, to a narrow staircase leading up.

  “The attic,” Emily said. “When Juliet inherited Aunt Lara’s collection, she kept it up here, rather than risk ridicule from her friends. Aunt Lara was a bit eccentric. I have never been there, so I cannot follow you, but Daniel knows where it is kept.”

  He kissed Emily’s cheek, then led the way up the stairs. “I always thought of her collection as a box of useless rocks, but now,” he opened the door and waved at a kerosene lamp. A flame lit the wick, and the lamp floated over to his hand. “Now, I believe Juliet’s aunt may very well be our salvation.”

  Flickering light danced off piles of old furniture, a dress dummy wearing the ugliest gown Annie had ever laid eyes on, and boxes. Hundreds of boxes.

  “I hope you know where this box of rocks is, or we could be here for the next century.”

  He smiled at Annie. “Most of my things were packed up after my death, and nothing has been touched since that time. Juliet had her own space up here, and she would have stored Lara’s collection with the rest of her belongings.” He moved around a shredded sofa, smiling down at it. “My dog, Cooper, managed to sneak into the house. He thoroughly enjoyed the front room sofa before he was discovered. I never heard the end of it.” His smile faded. “Juliet’s things are just back here, on the shelf.”

  Annie let Claire go first, since she would know what she was looking for. When she joined them, Claire already had a deep wooden box open, and was sorting through what looked like hundreds of crystals.

  “I only need one type,” Claire muttered. “I think I can break the cycle with it, and plenty of luck...ah.” She held up a huge hunk of shiny black rock, along with other, smaller rocks. “Daniel, do you know if Lara left any jewelry to Juliet?”

  “It would be here as well. Lara had what Juliet called garish taste. Here.” He pulled a second box off the shelf and opened it. “If you are looking for a piece of jewelry with that stone, I know Lara had a ring. She wore it every time we met. I expected her to be buried with it, but she bequeathed it to Juliet. It should be in here.”

  He pulled out a silver ring, with an oval of the same stone, surrounded by smaller black stones.

  “Thank you.” Claire took it, slipping it on her right index finger. “This will work, as will all of these.”

  “That’s all you need?” Annie frowned at the small pile of rocks. “Those look like something their gardener dug out of the flower beds.”

  “This is black obsidian, Annie. More than I had in my shop. If we only find this one stone, it will be enough.” She looked up at Daniel. “I do need salt if you have it. As much salt as you can find.” Daniel nodded, set the kerosene lamp on the shelf, and headed for the door. “Daniel—don’t touch it. Just let us know where it is.”

  He raised one eyebrow, but nodded before he disappeared. Literally.

  Annie shook her head. “Salt, and black rocks. You had piles of supplies in that bag.”

  “I know.” Claire leaned against the shelf and looked at Annie. “I wanted to cover every contingency. I will bring the box with us, but Lara knew her way around crystals. This ring was worn as a protective shield.” She touched the oval, so long it covered the joint of her finger. “I have a feeling Aunt Lara wasn’t as crazy as she seemed.”

  Annie’s eyes widened as the answer struck her. “You think she saw ghosts.”

  “A fact she would have kept to herself.” Claire closed the box in her hands and pushed off the shelf. “Let’s get downstairs. We need to create a control zone before sunset. I’m just hoping we have that long.”

  NINE

  Claire led the way down the stairs, her fingers brushing the obsidian oval of the ring she wore. She felt safer, knowing it was there. The other pieces in her jacket pocket added to that feeling, and hopefully, would help pull Juliet out of her nightmare. She had to consult Meredith’s grimoire.

  Annie’s voice brought her back to the present. “Any idea when we’ll be able to work in the library?”

  “Daniel told me it gets the afternoon sun, which should protect us, but it doesn’t give us much time. As soon as it starts getting dark, we’ll lose any advantage.”

  “This murdering asshat won’t show up again while we’re there?”

  Claire raised one eyebrow, fighting a smile. “The asshat is hopefully still recovering from our last encounter. She draws strength from darkness. It is when she killed, and I’m guessing when she died.”

  “How do you know so much about this?”

  Claire held up the grimoire. “Daniel and I did some light reading while you were asleep last night. Meredith was a little obsessed about ghosts, and I found an incredible amount of information, far more than what you read. Daniel was able to help narrow down what was accurate, and what was hearsay.”

  “I hope he’s right about this, because we’re betting our lives on it.”

  “I trusted Meredith with everything.” Almost everything. There were secrets Claire could never give away, no matter how much she trusted someone. “And we need to trust Daniel now. He has much at stake, so I can’t see him leading us in the wrong direction.”

  The first thing Claire did when they reached the ground floor was check all the doors. Still locked—a fact that left her more than a bit unsettled. That meant the spirit’s power over objects, like the door locks, held even when she was not present.

  They found the kitchen, after several wrong turns. The floor plan of the mansion wasn’t conducive to easy navigation. Claire would have to become more familiar with it before tonight.

  They separated, and started searching the huge kitchen for salt.

  “Yes!” Annie appeared in the doorway of the butler’s pantry, holding a ten pound bag of salt. “The cupboard door was wide open, with this inside. I’m guessing that’s courtesy of Daniel.”

  “Good. Now we need to find other containers, make it portable.”

  Claire opened drawers, and pulled out a supply of storage bags. She set them on the table and they started transferring the salt into bags.

  After a long silence, Annie spoke. “Do you think—” She glanced up at Claire, then down at the table, but not quickly enough for Claire to miss the fear in her eyes. “Can we actually defeat this asshat?”

  “I believe so.”

  “But we’re still locked in—”

  “Annie.” Sh
e reached across the scarred kitchen table and took Annie’s hand. “I didn’t want to say anything—”

  “Thanks for thinking of me, but I’d really rather know the hard truth up front. You don’t need to protect me, Claire.”

  “I know, but this time, I want you to stand behind me. We are dealing with a spirit who has been growing stronger for two hundred years. I seriously underestimated her already, and I will not do so again.” She let go of Annie’s hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.”

  “Well, I’m not. My life needed shaking up, and this sure did that. Now—I’m going to finish making salt bombs, and then we’re going to get ready to kick some ghost ass. You with me?”

  Claire couldn’t help herself; she burst out laughing.

  “Yes, Annie. I’m with you.”

  *

  The short amount of time Claire allowed for them to prepare flew by, too fast for Annie. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that they’d be fighting a ghost. One that was able to keep them locked up tight in a mansion, and not even be here.

  Claire had her lay a line of salt across every doorway and on every windowsill in the library, and the rooms surrounding it, in case the ghost managed to escape the library. Annie also put down a thick line in strategic spots along the corridors. They’d have to open a way for Daniel and Emily, if Claire even wanted them here when the murder happened. Two more emotional ghosts might be too many to handle.

  She sat on the convenient chair next to the end of the corridor, her knees threatening to give out as the enormity of what they were about to do crashed in on her.

  “Oh, God,” she whispered.

  “Annie.” Daniel’s deep voice filtered down the corridor. He stood on the opposite side of the line of salt, and even from halfway down the corridor, she could feel his barely suppressed anger. “Is this to prevent me from reaching Juliet?”

  “No.” She didn’t think so. “It’s for the asshat we’re going to have to face tonight.”

  “Ass what?” He raised his eyebrows, clearly amused.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard the expression before. Haven’t you been hanging around for the last two hundred years?”

  “In the wrong places, apparently. May I please—”

  “No.” Claire’s voice made Annie jump. “I can’t have you here, Daniel.”

  Fury poured off him. “You liar—” He moved forward, and slammed into an invisible barrier, hissing in pain. “You promised I would be able to save her—”

  “I told you I would try to break her free of her murderer. I never promised that you would be part of it.”

  “Claire.” Shock at the flat, uncaring tone in her voice had Annie staring at her. Why was she lying? “What—”

  “Come into the library, Annie. That’s more than enough salt to protect us for now.”

  Daniel cursed at them as they stepped inside, his shouts echoing through the mansion.

  “What the hell?” Annie jerked away when Claire tried to touch her. “Why are you turning on him like that? I was there when you promised to help, and you told him that you needed his help to stop her murder.”

  “I did.” Claire sounded exhausted now, and a closer look revealed fear in her silver blue eyes. “And I will allow him to join us, if he can explain this.”

  She held out a folded piece of heavy paper, scented with lavender. It must be one of Juliet’s notes. There had been a pile in her desk, all of them now sitting on the library desk.

  Annie took it, half afraid to read what was inside. She opened the note, and found only two sentences in neat, beautiful handwriting.

  Oh, Emily, I wish you were here, as I have no one else to turn to. Daniel is so angry with me, since I told him we can never marry, and I am frightened that he may harm me.

  “Damn. She called off the engagement?”

  “Look at the date.”

  Annie missed it the first time through—it was printed up in the left corner, so small, but absolutely condemning.

  October 30, 1815.

  “Daniel told us he died that day—”

  “There is no proof, Annie. He was found the day after Halloween, and there was no way to tell how long he had been dead. He could have killed Juliet in a rage, and died himself not long after.”

  “How’s he supposed to prove himself to you? And besides, you told me you thought the killer was a woman.”

  “I could have been wrong, about all of this. Who has been with us all this time, Annie, since we have been locked inside the mansion?”

  Annie lowered herself to one of the big wing chairs, not wanting to believe the evidence Claire was laying out.

  “Daniel,” she whispered. “But he seemed to heartbroken, and so desperate to get here, to free Juliet—”

  “Heartbroken, or guilty? I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Claire sat on the footstool in front of the chair. “But there is one way to find out. The only problem is that it will take energy I need for tonight.”

  “And if Daniel is the killer, you won’t really need it.”

  “A dilemma. If he’s innocent, I may not have the strength to face the real killer. If he isn’t, I won’t need it, because we can trap him here before the murder. But I won’t find the truth if I don’t—”

  “Expend it. Can I help?” Claire stared at her. “You said I had power. Can you use it for this—whatever it is that will clear Daniel or mark him as the killer?”

  “Annie, I don’t—damn it,” she whispered, lowering her head. “Yes. Your help will make all the difference.”

  “Okay.” She stood, and pressed her hands against her thighs to keep them from shaking. “Tell me what to do.”

  *

  Annie took a deep breath, then stepped out of the library.

  Daniel was pacing in front of the salt line. He spotted her, and his fury almost knocked her against the wall.

  “Do not keep me from Juliet! I will not—”

  “I’m coming to let you pass, but you have to promise not to hurt me, or Claire. She threatened to take you out if you so much as singe a hair on my head.”

  He calmed, the fury fading away as he nodded. “I agree. Now let me pass.”

  Annie moved forward, and used her foot to break the salt line. Daniel appeared next to her before she could blink.

  “God—”

  “I would know the reason for this betrayal.”

  “Follow me.”

  The last thing she wanted to do was turn her back on an angry ghost. An angry, solid ghost. But Claire had told her to act unconcerned, so she would act like her life depended on it.

  Daniel followed her—so close his wool coat brushed her fingers. If he still breathed, Annie would have felt it on her neck. By the time they reached the doorway to the library she was shaking.

  She stepped aside and let him enter first—then grabbed the bag of salt hidden behind a chair and spread it across the threshold.

  Daniel whirled, his dark blue eyes narrowed. “What is this? A trap?”

  “An interrogation.” Claire stepped into sight, carrying one of the fireplace tools. “This poker is iron, and I assure you, I will use it if you provoke me. Sit, Daniel. It is time we talked.”

  The desk chair sat in the middle of the floor, next to the dark stain, and almost surrounded by a thick ring of salt. Claire had left enough room for him to step through.

  “You threaten me, mean to trap me? What have I done to earn this mistrust?”

  “That is what we’re going to talk about. Now sit, or I will banish you from this mansion. For good.”

  He stared at her, his fists clenched, for endless seconds. Finally, he stepped inside the salt ring and sat in the chair. Claire pulled a salt shaker out of her pocket, twisted the cap off, and completed the circle. With her inside.

  “Claire—”

  “You will stay out of this, Annie.”

  “I was going to—”

  “Offer your power. I
know, and you have no idea how much I appreciate you for it. But I need to do this on my own.”

  Annie watched them face off inside the circle of salt, ghost and witch. She had never been so scared in her life.

  TEN

  “I found a note, from Juliet. One she wrote to her dead sister. The day before she died.”

  Daniel looked confused. Claire wasn’t certain whether to be happy about that or not.

  “Is that why I am here, surrounded by this foul salt? Because of a note?”

  “Juliet broke off your engagement.”

  Daniel closed his eyes, and such pain flashed across his face, it hurt to see. “My mother did not approve of the match, and made it known, publicly. Juliet was afraid that if she married me, I would lose everything.” He met Claire’s eye. “When I was attacked, I was on my way here to tell her that my mother had no control over me, or my finances, and even if she did, I would still happily marry. With Juliet at my side, I was a rich man, no matter how much money I possessed.”

  “If you loved her as you say, openly, why did she write this?”

  Claire held the note up so Daniel could read it.

  “Where did you find this?” His voice was deadly quiet, the rage in it leaving goosebumps on Claire’s arms.

  “In her secretary.”

  “This is not Juliet’s handwriting.”

  Claire stepped back. “I compared it—”

  “She did not write this. Do you have another sample?”

  “I—yes.” Claire pulled another folded note out of her pocket. “They are identical—”

  “They are close, but this is where the forger made their mistake. Juliet wrote her thoughts in notes, which everyone knew. What only Emily and I knew was that Juliet always signed those notes.”

  She looked at the second note. “I didn’t see a signature when I compared them, and I don’t see one now.”

  Daniel let out an impatient sound. “After the last word, in the second note. She always ended them with a hand drawn sprig of lavender. Sometimes she wove it into the lettering of the last word. Hold up the bloody paper—there, right there.” His finger stabbed at the paper. “Check all of her notes, and you will find the same. She did it on all her correspondence, whether it was notes to herself, or a letter to a friend. I found it charming, and clever. Her middle name was Lavender.”