and patchouli, with an undertone of cinnamon and woody amber, in the air. When she worked with Kalea, she noted a light, springtime fragrance surrounding her. This room, without doubt had recently been used as a hideout by a man. She sniffed again. Yes, she was certain. And whatever the aftershave was, it was very seductive, and . . . familiar.
She knew she had smelled it recently, but how recent, and on who? The men she had been in close contact with over the past few days paraded like a slide show through her mind. Nolan was dismissed since she had never met him. Then there was Blake—no, he was Old Spice. Philip Atkinson was always a possibility. Both he and Garrett were well-groomed and this scent definitely came from a high-end product. There was also Robert. She cringed. Not a chance. There was more of an old-gym-sock aroma about him, which also eliminated Duane—for the time being—since the only aroma coming off him the day Addie was close to him to detect a scent was the pong of soured gin.
She racked her brain, trying to remember where and who she had smelled the scent on previously. Maybe Marc or Simon would know. As soon as she could get cell reception she’d have to call Marc anyway. This room was something he’d have to see to believe. Perhaps he might even know what the brand of the aftershave was; then maybe she could figure out who in town wore it.
Addie opened the door a crack, listened for any sounds of someone returning to the room. Coast clear, she hustled to the small landing that veered off to the tunnel toward the bedroom access. She hesitated. It would be the quickest way to get cell reception but never having entered the bedroom from this side, she wasn’t sure if the latch would be obvious or not. It might take longer. Better safe than sorry.
One hand on the wall for balance, she scurried down toward the chamber room behind the fireplace. When her hand felt the ventilation shaft indentation, she paused at the sound of a soft sputtering sound emanating from the alcove beside her. She flashed her beam of light into the opening. It was a cool mist humidifier with a jerry-rigged nozzle attached to disperse the vapor precisely into the upper main hallway at the top of the stairs on the other side of the ventilation grate. She scanned the entire area with her flashlight. Mounted behind the humidifier on a stone ledge was a small special-effects light projector. She flashed her beam back up the stairs and back down to the shaft opening. This was also where the extension cord ended.
“Apparition my foot. Just wait until I tell Paige and Serena their ghosts are nothing more than a few well-placed humidifiers.”
She chuckled as she made her way to the bottom door, slid the wall lever to the side, and tiptoed into the stone chamber. She scanned the room with the flashlight beam, and her heart sank. It showed her what she’d forgotten. The police had taken the stepladder into evidence and without it, there was no way she could reach the peephole to check if anyone was in the library.
Fingers crossed, like the day before no one would be in there because they were all out back, and her unexpected appearance wouldn’t have the same effect a surprise visitor had on Charlotte. She whispered a little prayer and pressed the lever. When the door slid open, she knew her prayers had been ignored.
Chapter 32
“Hi,” Addie squeaked.
The look in Vera’s eyes reflected the same horror that had been on Charlotte’s dead face. Art, on the other hand, had an entirely different expression. She couldn’t read it, but she didn’t miss the sarcasm of his welcome.
“Addie, how nice it is to see you.”
She swallowed twice. “I suppose you’re here to plan the staging of the house?” A nervous laugh did nothing to shore up her bravery. His ominous tone and eyes foretold a very un-cordial meeting. She needed to stall until she could figure out what was going on. “As you can see,” she said, motioning to the hidden chamber entrance, “here’s a little something you might be able to use in your creation of a haunted house experience for perspective buyers.” She glanced from Vera’s drawn face to Art’s firm set jaw. “I can explain. You see, I was—”
“Never mind trying to come up with an excuse.” Art took a