Deep breath. Calm down, step back, think about what happened, VL.”
Easier said than done, because when she thought about what happened, how suddenly a light burst over the stage and how when the light went out there were words—a warning!—seeming to float in midair, shivering like ghostly words…she wanted to freak out all over again.
Cold sweat still trickled down her spine. That was the creepiest, most unsettling thing she’d ever experienced—other than when thirteen-year-old Tad Hunter had backed her into a corner and tried to shove his hand up her shirt when she was ten.
Nothing like that had happened during any of the other visits.
But she’d never been inside alone, either. Had the ghost—or whatever it was—simply waited for her (or someone) to be in there alone?
Vivien sighed and turned off the ignition with a frustrated snap. If she was going to reopen the theater and make it a success, she had to actually go inside the freaking building.
After all, as of today, she was on the hook for a six-figure loan. Her stomach wobbled a little at the thought. She had savings, and had kept a good number of her actor clients, but still…
Vivien was determined, but she wasn’t a fool—so she dug out the can of pepper spray she used to carry when she took the subway but didn’t think she’d need in Wicks Hollow, and primed it for use.
After all, GO OR DIE was a clear threat, wasn’t it?
A shiver skittered over her shoulders. Maybe she should call Helga.
But it wasn’t even noon; she’d only just got the keys herself. No one else had been in the theater at the time—she was sure of it.
She hadn’t sensed anyone, hadn’t heard anyone, and there weren’t any cars around. The building, located on a dead-end road with a cul-de-sac, had its own parking lot—which was bordered on three sides by a butt-ugly chain-link fence. Beyond that were trees and bushes lining the perimeter, offering some privacy for the residences that abutted the stage’s property, and above was the bluff with the row of homes, including the Brady Bunch house and its to-die-for view.
If someone had been inside the theater, they would have had to have walked or come from one of the few houses nearby—climbing over the fence.
Still holding the pepper spray, Vivien got out of her car. It was a sunny day, and even from several miles away, the breeze from Lake Michigan stirred the air. She considered whether she wanted to lock the door of her Accord—if she didn’t, it would be easier to dive into if she had to leave in a hurry; but that would also leave the vehicle open and unsecured, which made her nervous as well.
She locked the car.
Then, holding the spray canister in one hand and her phone in the other, she decided to walk around the outside of the building to see if there was any sign of disturbance. Maybe someone had broken in and painted graffiti on the wall.
Besides the south-facing front doors that led into the lobby where the ticket windows and a small refreshment counter were located, there was an entrance on the west side for the cast and crew and a huge, roll-up door next to it in order to accommodate the delivery of large set pieces or props. There was also an emergency exit on the east side, and two more doors in the rear.
The west side and back of the building were shady from the thick growth of trees on the other side of the fence, but there were no vehicles or bicycles parked back there. Nor did Vivien see any indication of recent tire tracks—although it had rained lightly last night, so if there had been any, they’d probably be gone.
She wasn’t a detective by any stretch, but she felt better after having walked around the entire perimeter and finding nothing to indicate someone was lurking about inside.
At the same time, however, that left her with the knowledge that if no one had been inside…then…
Well.
Yeah, sure, theater people were wildly suspicious and believed the strangest things…
And yes, she conversed with her own dead sister on a regular basis, but…
No, she wasn’t going to go down that path yet.
First, she was walking right back inside. Yes, she was. As soon as she calmed down a little more.
This time, though, she was going to enter through the side door. A less obvious way…just in case someone or something was lurking.