the corner of his mouth curved.
‘One night in 1919, Oct 31st to be exact...’
‘Halloween?’ Ava’s brows rose mockingly, ‘not very original.’
‘The 31st Oct 1919,’ Kelley continued, ‘was the worst storm on record. Houses were destroyed, part of the island was flooded, and lightning struck this very cliff causing part of the cliff edge to break away and crash into the sea below. The storm raged all night and when it finally calmed with the dawn, all the parents of the children at the Lynch school, knowing that the cliff had been struck by lightning, rushed to the house to find their children.’
‘And?’ Ava asked expectantly.
‘And nothing, they were all gone,’ Kelley replied.
‘Define all gone?’
‘Disappeared without a trace, meals were left untouched, beds unslept in. Toys left scattered on the floor. Luella, her husband and all the children had vanished. There were no bodies, no blood, nothing.’
‘Is that it?’ Ava frowned, a bit disappointed, ‘they all just vanished? Where does the supposed ghost come into it then?’
‘There was talk of hidden passageways and rooms beneath the house. They say Luella snapped during the storm and dragged the children down into the hidden rooms, murdering them all as she had her brother. Unable to face what she’d done, she locked the concealed doorways and died down there amongst the corpses of the children she’d killed.’
‘Okay,’ Ava shook her head, raising her hand. ‘First, there is not a shred of evidence that anyone was murdered,’ she began to tick off her fingers. ‘Second there were no bodies; third I’m guessing the distraught parents searched the house from top to bottom?’
Kelley nodded as he conceded the point.
‘Did they ever find these so-called hidden rooms?’
‘No.’
‘Exactly,’ she replied. ‘I’ll admit it’s a bit weird, but you said yourself the island flooded, and part of the cliff collapsed. It’s just as plausible that they were trying to reach somewhere safer and were swept out to sea and drowned.’
‘There are other things,’ he continued, ‘over the years.’
‘Such as?’ her brows lifted in challenge.
‘Strange things in the house; flickering lights in the high windows.’
‘The reflection of the moon on the windowpanes,’ Ava countered.
‘Weird noises.’
‘All old houses have weird noises,’ Ava laughed. ‘Seriously Kelley, the house is not haunted, I guarantee it.’
‘Okay then, back in the eighties, three kids broke into the house on a dare. Todd Hinton, Declan Tilman and Julia Mays, but only Julia walked back out again. Todd was found at the bottom of the staircase, just below the second-floor balcony and Declan threw himself from the Clifftop.’
‘That’s sad,’ Ava shook her head. ‘How old were they?’
‘Eighteen.’
‘An accident and a suicide, so young,’ she shook her head. ‘Such a waste of life.’
‘That isn’t what really happened. Julia was nearly incomprehensible by the time they found her the next morning. She’d spent all night in the house alone and whatever it was she saw drove her mad. She was never the same again; she’s been in and out of mental institutions ever since.’
‘I still think it’s all urban myths and rumors,’ Ava shook her head. ‘You grew up on the island so it’s different for you, but I don’t believe in ghosts.’
‘Think what you like,’ Kelley shook his head, ‘but everyone on the island knows. Luella Lynch still walks those rooms, as the ghosts of the children she murdered hide from her.’
‘Seriously?’ Ava stared at him, ‘that’s not even a good story. There are so many holes in it I could use it to strain soup.’
‘Why would you strain soup?’
‘Never mind,’ she sighed.
‘All I’m saying is there’s no way you’d get me in that house,’ he held up his hands. ‘Now,’ he pushed away from the truck, ‘that coffee has gone straight through me. Where’s the restroom?’
‘In the house.’
Kelley stared at her blankly.
‘There won’t be any temporary restrooms on the site until the building crews arrive, so I’m afraid you’ll have to rough it and pee behind a tree.’
‘Are you serious?’ he blinked.
‘Welcome to the joys of outdoor living,’ she grinned.
He walked away muttering something Ava didn’t quite catch. Smiling to herself she rinsed out the cup she’d handed Kelley and made herself a coffee. She turned to gaze out across the sparkling ocean, breathing a sign of contentment. She had just raised the little tin cup to her lips and taken a slow contemplative sip when she heard Bailey barking loudly.
Turning around sharply, her gaze swept over the little makeshift campsite and then over to the house. Unable to see her dog, she placed the cup down