A Ghostly Dare

by Zoey Kane

  Back to bed, she turned off her phone’s light.

  “Goodnight,” said the raven voice in the dark.

  “Goodnight,” they both answered and settled back into sleep.

  Zoey dreamed of being chased by evil. She was running through water, which was frustratingly hard to do, so she flew out of the pool and ended up at school. To her horror, she realized that she was walking the halls in her panties and bra. This was most disturbing, until she felt her teeth coming loose. She was just about to light a cigarette in church when…

  A faint, annoying light woke Zoey. “What are you doing, Claire?” she said groggily. “Your puzzle video game can wait until morning.”

  “I’m having trouble sleeping.” Claire sighed. “I just wanted to see what time it is. I may not be able to call out or receive calls, but at least I can still get the time. Two-thirty.”

  “Do you hear that? Listen.” Zoey sat back up in bed.

  “What?” Claire sat up too.

  It was the faint sound of piano playing. “Somebody is playing the piano…” Zoey said, “…and rather well. Do you want to go see?”

  “Oh, all right. Why not?!” Claire lifted a finger in pause. “BUT we go arm in arm. I want to know every second where you are, Mom. I don’t want to turn around and find you disappeared. Promise?”

  “Yes. Yes, we can and should do that.” Zoey unbundled her blanket burrito again. “We are going to tiptoe. Don’t put on your shoes. I don’t want to be seen. No flashlights.”

  “Fine!” Claire said, and also got out of bed. “We shall face every dark corner without fear.” Her voice told another story.

  ELEVEN

  (Dear reader: For a fuller experience of this scene, take a moment to listen to a piano solo called Schubert-Liszt Serenade. You can listen to it by clicking here.)

  The shadowy figure of a man sat at the piano, playing. The Kanes crept from the dining room, moving closer to the music area, being careful to use hand signals to communicate. It didn’t look like Uncle Spike or Gavier. No, this man was a stranger. A stranger playing a beautifully tragic classical serenade.

  He played with a storm of passion, his fingers pressing the keys to his will. His dark wavy hair fell forward with the strike of heavier chords, eyes shut with the emotion of a kiss. The piano was the instrument of his love. As such, his music pulled on the hearts of the duo, haunting their spirits.

  Zoey motioned to sneak a little closer, over to some chairs. As Claire sat, something creaked, and she cringed. The shadow turned on his bench. A cloud moved, allowing the bright moonlight to pool through a nearby window. It bathed the vision of a handsome young man dressed in a black suit with a matching tie. He was transparent.

  Looking at the Kanes, he asked, “What do you want?”

  Her brown eyes big, Claire said, “You play beautifully, Robert. Is that your name? Robert?”

  “I’m Robert,” he replied. “Not that it matters. Mavis… She’s all that matters.”

  The ladies looked at each other with some sadness.

  “Have you seen her?” Robert leaned forward in his seat, desperation in his shimmering sad eyes. “I need to find her.”

  “Mavis wants us to find you…” Claire said, “…and yet here you are, in the same house.”

  “She can’t see me. I play for her to hear me.” Robert spoke from a tortured heart. “If I play loudly enough, she will hear and know that I am here, waiting. She will come down to me. I love her.” Then he stood suddenly, looking off to the side in terror. Robert grabbed his chest and disappeared mid-fall.

  “Oh, my gosh, Mom. Mavis wasn’t jilted at the altar. Robert was murdered! I could just cry.” That shocked, tears welled in Claire’s eyes.

  “That’s something that happened decades ago, sweetie.” Zoey moved her chair closer and patted her daughter on the back.

  “Yeah, but he still lives on, in another dimension, tortured for decades.” Tears streamed down Claire’s cheeks.

  Zoey’s eyes moistened. “It seems we have a couple of things going on in this house. Evil and tragedy. Let’s go on back to bed.”

  They started heading back. “You think we will actually get back to sleep, Mom?”

  “I don’t know. I keep thinking about that piece he was playing. It was so… beautiful… haunting.”

  “It was Schubert-Liszt Serenade,” Claire said. “Horowitz plays it much like Robert.”

  “I know you’re smart,” her mother said, “but how did you know that?”

  “I took Music Appreciation in college. Anyway, that’s what you want to look for, Mom.”

  Zoey listened to that beautiful piano solo over and over in her mind while she waited for sleep to overcome her. She pondered over the way Robert played. It exuded a deep interpretation of love that isn’t experienced by couples today. “The term lover is washed away, corrupted,” she thought. “Absent from the intensity and meaning that, even as a dead man, Robert lives.”

  When the Kanes were woken up by Theona calling out, “Breakfast!” they lay there in thought. Claire slid off her beauty mask. “I had dreams of Robert and Mavis all night.”

  Zoey struck a match to light the candelabra. Milo was seen on his perch. He turned his head and said, “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” she said. “Have you any idea of what we’re supposed to do next, birdie?”

  No response.

  *

  A third day of storming beat on the house with rolls of thunder. Everyone was busy making plans as there wasn’t much time left to find the treasure. Even Theona got underway, after an early self-serve breakfast. No one wanted to travel in groups. There was dead-serious searching going on.

  “You know what I was thinking, Claire?” said her mom chewing some toast at the dining room table. “This old condemned beauty has three stories. Why would anyone want to continue to run up and down three flights of stairs?”

  “I don’t know, Mom. Speaking of which, when are we installing an elevator at Hillgate Manor?” She spoke of their home.

  Zoey was interrupted by seeing Darla walk by with BonBon. “Hi, you two,” she said. “Did either of you by chance hear any music last night?”

  Darla stopped and said, “Heavens no. Music? How would that happen?”

  “Sometimes in dreams, I suppose.” Zoey played it off. “Once, Claire dreamed she was rappelling down a cliff. When she woke up, her sheets were tied in knots and hanging out the window.”

  “I want to rappel. I want to do it now!” demanded BonBon.

  “I heard that,” said Porsha as she was walking by. “Darling, you are totally repelling, most of the time. Hi, Zoey. Hi, Claire.”

  “Come on, BonBon,” Darla said with offense. “We should go find Daddy.”

  “I don’t like Daddy.”

  The two of them continued on, Darla pulling BonBon.

  “What other cute stories do you have to tell about me, Mother?” said Claire, cutting into her cinnamon roll with a fork.

  “I’ll think of something.” Zoey sipped some orange juice. “In the meantime, there are questions that need to be answered, darling daughter. Mister Proctor, via Aloise, said Mavis never left the house. So there has to be a body around here somewhere.”

  “That’s if we can believe any of that,” Claire reasoned, taking a bite.

  “Oh, I completely believe. That wasn’t Aloise.” Zoey set down her glass in consideration. “I still think there was foul play. Remember how Mr. Proctor told us that her bed wasn’t slept in the night before she went missing.”

  “Yes. I agree.” Claire nodded. “That could be why Porsha senses evil.”

  “Then, there’s still supposed to be a treasure around here somewhere. We usually do well at treasure hunts. With further searching, I’m sure we can come across it.”

  “And yet, it’s not really our treasure to find,” Claire said, lifting her dark brows.

  “True, but if during these last three days it’s not found, then what a waste. The w
ill said five days only. Nothing more.” Zoey pressed a glistening pink fingernail against the table in emphasis. “That Mr. Werner lawyer who’d texted Mr. Proctor knows this. What’s more, according to Miss Valery Dabberline, the neighborhood busybody, the town may be sending a wrecking ball to this beauty in just four days. For that reason alone, we should look for the treasure.”

  Claire nodded with a great big smile. “If we find the treasure, then we can reveal it at the end, and split it up evenly.”

  “There’s just one last thing…” Zoey said, pursing her lips.

  “What? Mavis’s unrequited love?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, I feel so awful about that, Mom.” With some melancholy, Claire tucked some of her shiny brunette hair behind her ears. “But what can we do? Both ghosts roam the halls of this mansion, and yet they still can’t find each other after all these years.”

  “I think I have a call to make.”

  “A call?” Claire’s eyebrows moved together in confusion. “Oh, you mean on the old intercom.”

  “Precisely.” Zoey paused. “First, let’s go clean up the kitchen to give Theona a break.”

  The doorbell chimed its funeral toll, interrupting their plans. Everybody else was either in the kitchen or upstairs somewhere. The Kanes looked at each other, expecting the worst. The city council with clipboards and torches… or at the very least, the police.

  TWELVE

  Out on the front steps, under the porte cochère, stood two men, mildly wet and carrying duffel bags. They couldn’t be more different. One looked like a boring ol’ lawyer. The other, a Euro-rock star.

  “Hello, ladies,” the formal man introduced, reaching out a hand that peeked under the sleeve of his khaki overcoat.

  The Kanes each shook it out of manners, although highly suspicious. “Let me guess,” Zoey said with keen brown eyes. “You are the mayor,” she pointed to one, “and you are the demolition man?”

  The men laughed. “No, I’m Mr. Mitch Werner and this is Jeb Purdy, the new cook.” He pointed at the dark-haired guy in a man bun.

  “Werner,” Claire repeated, tearing her eyes away from Jeb, who had high cheekbones and excellent blue eyes.

  “Yes, I’m the attorney over Miss Mavis Mervel’s assets. Theona called to inform me of Mr. Proctor’s unexpected death. So, I have this handsome guy here as a replacement.”

  Claire couldn’t complain. Her eyes discreetly slid up and down his fit body clad in black leather. Not that he was her usual type, mind you. But there are just some universal elements of attractiveness that most all women can’t deny. And as the saying goes, Jeb had them in spades.

  Zoey, on the other hand, admired his smoky eyeliner, thinking about asking him the brand for her own sake. If he gladly offered up that info, then maybe she’d ask where he got his vest. She’d like a red one in her size. Instead, she blurted, “You two do know this place is haunted by evil and tragedy, don’t you?”

  “We agreed we like adventure,” answered the lawyer.

  “Is it true?” Jeb wanted to know, with a smile that lingered on Claire.

  “Oh, yes,” she answered. “We’ve heard wild laughter and screams, me being the source of one of those.”

  “Yes,” Zoey said, “and Mr. Proctor is still lying dead on his bed.”

  “Ah, yes. We’ll call the police on that when it’s time, and if we can’t get the call through because of weather, then we’ll drive to the police station. If we did that today, the police would tell us to leave because this is a condemned place. Uh, may we come in?”

  Zoey and Claire laughed. “Oh, sorry. Sure.” They moved aside and introduced themselves.

  “It’s not much warmer inside,” Claire apologized.

  The men stepped inside. Mr. Werner wrapped up chit chat in the foyer. Yes, he was rather plain—thin eyebrows, light eyelashes. “Since there’s a treasure hunt,” he said, “nobody will want to leave without it. It’s cold, and a body will keep a few days. We’ll be okay.”

  “You can warm up at the fireplace,” Zoey said. “Or go up to the second floor and pick an unused bedroom. You might run into Theona.”

  “I think we’ll get our rooms first. Then Jeb can get things started in the kitchen.”

  Jeb smiled big. “Right.”

  “Okay then, we’ll meet over by the fireplace in a while and tell lawyer jokes,” Mr. Werner kidded.

  Once the men were out of earshot, Claire asked her mother, “Do you know any lawyer jokes?”

  “No. Maybe we can make some up,” Zoey suggested.

  “I don’t know,” Claire smiled. “I remember the joke you made up about a blue-nosed raccoon at a red stoplight. I still don’t get it.”

  They walked toward the stairs together. Zoey’s eyes brightened with a sudden thought. “How about this one? What happens when a lawyer and a cook walk into a haunted mansion together?”

  “What?” Claire asked, touching the banister.

  “I don’t know,” her mother said, “but you can bet the lawyer is there for boo-coup money.”

  “This lawyer is definitely rich enough to bring his own cook… thankfully,” added Claire with a grin.

  “Okay, we should probably give up with the homemade jokes, sweetie.” Zoey clapped a hand on Claire’s shoulder. “Not good!”

  “Deal.” Claire was about to ascend the stairs, when her mother burst with another idea.

  “Wait!” she said. “If a priest, a lawyer and a cook go into a haunted mansion, what happens?”

  “I give.” Claire played along. “What?”

  “The evil ghosts and the lawyer get cast out, and the cook gets hired to grow a hump and ring a bell.”

  That brought a pity chuckle. “I’m thinking that’s the best you’ve got, Mom.”

  “Okaaaay. Let’s head to the third floor and speak into the Bell intercom. I’m dying to see if Mavis would answer.”

  “We could try it.” Claire shrugged. “Weirder things have happened to us.”

  “Also, maybe we could get a look at the dumbwaiter.”

  “I don’t think so. The cables are covered in cobwebs,” Claire said, feeling a chill between her shoulder blades.

  “Let’s have Jebby do it.” Zoey played on a phrase of an old ad on TV, where kids were having Mikey do something no one else wanted to do.

  “Maybe we can bother him about it later. He has a lot of work to do, setting up the kitchen. And that will give Theona a much-needed break. I’m guessing she wants to spend her time looking for the treasure.”

  “Good idea,” Zoey said. “Now let’s go make that call.”

  The Kanes hurried upstairs and rushed over to the loft, passing by others searching for treasure. This time, Claire opened the small cabinet door in the wall by its crystal doorknob. She lifted the receiver from its hook and passed it to her mother. They looked at each other with great expectations, hoping that the ghost of Mavis would indeed reply.

  Zoey took a deep breath, before speaking. “Hello, Mavis? Are you there?”

  Claire had her ear close to the receiver to listen in. There was nothing. “Tell her you know where Robert is. See if she will respond then.”

  “Mavis, this is Zoey Kane. You spoke to me the other day. You asked me to find him.” Claire nodded at her mother to continue. She did. “I found Robert. Can you hear me, Mavis?”

  There was still no response. Claire said, “Let me try.” Zoey passed over the receiver and Claire spoke into the mouthpiece. “Mavis. Mavis. Hello? Are you there? Why won’t you answer us? Can you hear us?”

  The mother and daughter looked at each other, confused. “Maybe we should try again later,” Zoey suggested. “Perhaps, she’s busy communicating with somebody else right now. Like Porsha.”

  Claire sighed in disappointment. “I was really excited to tell her. If we can’t solve the mystery of her disappearance and death, then I’d at least like for her to find peace in the afterlife.”

  “Me too, darling.” Zoey patted her dau
ghter on the back gently.

  Claire reluctantly set the receiver back on its hook. “What now?”

  “I think it’s time to peruse through Mavis’s diary. Perhaps it will give us some answers as to who killed her.”

  A creak in a floorboard made them turn to see Mr. Werner stepping into the loft. “Oh, I didn’t know anybody would be in here.” He turned to leave, and was gone.

  The Kanes decided to go back downstairs. They latched elbows as they walked. Zoey said, “Don’t forget we still have more time here. We’ll come back and try again, maybe a few times.”

  As they exited the loft, they caught sight of Mr. Werner just outside of the barred-off room. He seemed to be fixing some caution tape that had fallen. Upon seeing them again, Mr. Werner gave a bright smile and a wave. “Oh, by the way, ladies… how has your search been going?” He stepped away from the door and walked with them.

  “I wish I could say it’s going well,” Zoey said. “But we haven’t really found any clues whatsoever to her murder.”

  The lawyer nodded, pressing his thin lips together in thought. “Perhaps it didn’t happen here at the estate. Maybe it happened somewhere else.”

  Claire wasn’t too sure about that. “But her family said that she’s been such a recluse for her whole life. I don’t imagine she’d be going out much at all.”

  “Well, what did Mr. Proctor say?” he asked.

  Claire said, “That her bed hadn’t been slept in the last night they saw her.”

  “Is that all he said?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmmm,” he hummed. “What about Theona? Did she offer any kind of insight whatsoever?”

  This time Zoey answered. “No. She has no idea what could’ve happened. It’s all just such a mystery. Although, now that I think about it, Proctor did say something else.”

  “Oh.” Mr. Werner’s eyes widened. “What was that?”