and yellow roses—was now dull and peeling. It gave off the sinister effect of dead flowers climbing the walls. A series of squeaks sounded from above and Haddie moved closer to her mother’s side. Surely ghosts reside here, she thought, or at least, that was the overall effect of the house where time had apparently stood still for over a decade. I’ve moved my daughter into what appears to be the quintessential haunted house, she realized with an internal grimace.
Her childhood friend Kandace had been here once. To think of that felt surreal. What was her reaction when she’d first stepped into this foyer? Had she thought it elegant? Probably not. Kandace had been used to homes far more opulent than this one.
“People died here, Mommy?” Haddie asked, bringing Scarlett from her wandering thoughts.
Scarlett’s gaze flew to her daughter. She must have heard her talking to Merrilee. Damn. She paused for a moment. “Not in the house, baby. But yes, there was a fire in a building out back. The students and the staff living here at the time were in that building and they didn’t get out.”
Haddie’s forehead screwed up uncertainly. She glanced at Scarlett as though she was only telling her a partial truth. Scarlett opened her mouth to offer some reassuring words when Haddie spoke first.
“What’s that smell?” Haddie wrinkled her pert little nose. Apparently, her daughter had moved on from the fire . . . and the deaths. Scarlett was only too happy to change the subject, even if the new topic was unpleasant as well.
“I don’t know,” Scarlett said, though she’d noticed it too. “Something might have died in the walls a long time ago. We’ll have to get an exterminator out here.” Or maybe it was just the mildew-ridden carpet she spotted through the open door of the room to their right. She set down their suitcases and went down on one knee in front of her little girl, looking into her wide green eyes and giving Haddie her most cheerful smile. “We’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do around here, but I promise you this is going to feel like home before we know it, okay?” She held up her hand, curling all her fingers inward, except her pinkie. “Pinkie promise.”
The glint of a smile lit Haddie’s face. A pinkie swear was like gospel to Haddie. She raised her own hand, linking her pinkie with her mother’s and shaking.
**********
An explosion of dust burst before Scarlett’s face and she sputtered, flapping her hand around in an effort to dispel it. “God, this place is a mess,” she muttered. Still, there was life left in the old girl and she’d found it in an attic suite of rooms, rich with exposed beams and what she assumed were original hardwood floors that would be gorgeous once they were re-sanded and stained. There was only one window in the bedroom she’d designated her own, but it had a lovely view of the gazebo and towering conifers behind the yard, and featured a beautiful stained-glass transom window that made rainbow-colored light flood the space.
Haddie’s new room was much smaller, but spic and span now that she’d spent the morning cleaning it, and the shared bathroom—though rusty and under about seven layers of grime—was in working order.
They’d found the livable space after wandering what felt like an endless labyrinth of hallways and corridors, some doors still locked from within. Scarlett had mentally added a locksmith to her list of professionals to call, eyeing the antique glass doorknobs that featured large keyholes. When she’d bent and squinted one eye, pressing the other to the small opening, she’d discovered that a keyhole cover concealed her view.
The door to the attic stairs had stood wide open, that rainbow light shimmering on the walls, and drawing them toward its source. It had felt right the moment they’d entered.
Temporarily, she’d set them both up in what would be her bedroom and then started cleaning as soon as they’d woken up and disentangled themselves from the sleeping bags and blankets they’d snuggled under to camp on the floor. There were repairs over repairs to make, walls to repaint, fixtures to replace, furniture to buy, but for now . . . it was livable and that’s all they needed to get the more major work underway. Which was a boon because before they’d arrived, she hadn’t been sure the place was habitable, or whether they’d have to rent somewhere nearby as the remodeling work