Part 16 (1/2)

The three of them huddled together looking at the video that had attracted so much attention. Sadie cringed seeing herself being flung to the floor, then dragged backward with her legs in the air and an obvious wet mark on her jeans as she screamed in pure terror with her mouth exposing fillings on her back molars. The entire video was less than five minutes.

”It's no better watching it a second time. It looks like a bad scene from a B horror movie,” Sadie grumbled.

”A lot of people in the comments are suggesting it's just a publicity stunt,” Maeva harrumphed.

Sadie's eyebrows shot up and she looked at her friend.

”Well, that's not such a bad idea. I don't mind being a.s.sociated with a comical commercial for Psychics 'R' Us. Maybe that's exactly how we should play this thing.” To Rosemary she added, ”Maybe you can just put in the credits at the end thanking me for my acting services for Madam Maeva's?”

”That's a horrible idea,” Maeva grumped. ”It'll make my company a laughingstock!”

”I think it's better if we just let the haters believe it's a stunt and let those who want to believe in the possibilities of an afterlife think of Madam Maeva's as a way to reach out to those beyond,” Rosemary said simply.

”Except for one thing,” Sadie said. ”My name and company have been mentioned in the comments. People who think it's a stunt will laugh it off and not use Madam Maeva's Cafe. No big loss because those kinds of people wouldn't have searched for a psychic anyway. Those who think it's the real deal will be burning up Madam Maeva's phone lines trying to book appointments to get visits with their dearly departed, right?”

Rosemary nodded. ”We're booked solid with readings for the next month.”

”That's great for Madam Maeva's. But . . .” Sadie looked from Rosemary to Maeva. ”There's no upside for me. n.o.body's sitting around thinking that since their dearly departed committed suicide and they need someone to mop it up they might as well call the crazy Scene-2-Clean girl who peed her pants at a seance!”

”I thought that was just a shadow,” Maeva said.

”Sure. A shadow,” Rosemary agreed. ”But there's no shame in being terrified. It was a scary situation!”

”That's right,” Maeva said. ”When the writing said 'Bring Sadie' we thought it was because there was a special message for you. We didn't think you were in any danger, or we would never have suggested you come.”

Sadie rubbed her temples in a circular motion, trying to ward off a tension headache.

”Okay, I don't want to talk about the weird vortex of doom inside that house that wants to kill me,” Sadie muttered.

”But we really should talk about it,” Maeva said seriously. ”Whatever darkness is there needs to be dealt with.”

”I agree. You go ahead and deal with it. I'm choosing to take a different route. I'm going to ignore the whole thing. Unfortunately, my problems are bigger than a stupid video and a haunted house. I've got a serial killer leaving me pointer fingers, and a ghost at the hotel says the murderer won't stop until I'm one of his victims.”

”You never said anything about that.” Maeva offered her friend a frightened look.

”It's a pretty new development,” Sadie admitted. ”Three ghosts at that hotel but only two bodies were found by the police. I dealt with the two, but this girl named Marlene seemed to only exist to warn me.”

”Marlene!” Rosemary Thingvold exclaimed. ”Was she wearing a brown uniform with her name embroidered on it?”

”Yes!” Sadie nodded excitedly. ”How do you know her?”

”This is more serious than I thought,” Maeva said, shaking her head slowly. To Rosemary she added, ”We need to show her.”

”Show me what?” A feeling of dread filled Sadie's stomach next to the bagel and scone she wolfed down earlier.

Rosemary tapped on the keyboard of her laptop and began playing the video again. When the movie was near the end, she paused the footage and began showing it frame by frame before pausing and zooming in on one particular shot.

The closet appeared as a deep swirling ma.s.s of blackened smoke. In the center were two red slits of eyes; and impossibly long, smoky appendages stretched from the closet and across the floor, holding Sadie's shoulders and dragging her.

Sadie shuddered. ”Good thing you had your wand,” she told Rosemary.

”I think my wand may have helped, but I have a feeling you were saved by someone else.”

”Show her the next part,” Maeva instructed.

Rosemary clicked and the video began to play, and then she paused it again.

”Can you see it?” she asked Sadie.

Sadie looked in at the horrible ma.s.s of smoke and eyes and could vaguely make out something else in the background.

”Get closer,” Maeva instructed.

Rosemary clicked a few times and soon the screen was zoomed in on the heinous closet.

Sadie gasped.

Centered in the smoky vortex was the same ghostly figure of a young woman dressed in a brown uniform, with MARLENE st.i.tched on the blouse.

Chapter 12.

The female apparition of Marlene had her arms locked around the darkened sphere with the red eyes. In the blink of an eye and coinciding with the flash of Rosemary's wand, Marlene appeared to envelope the monster and then both were gone as the video faded to black.

”Wow,” Sadie murmured. ”That's her. That's Marlene from the hotel.” She looked from Maeva to Rosemary. ”I don't get it.”

”We need more information on the history of that house,” Maeva said firmly.

”And you, personally, need a serious smudging,” Rosemary added.

Sadie straightened in her chair. ”You are so not coming anywhere near me with your burning herbs. I prefer to keep my eyebrows.”

Maeva was busy texting on her phone.

”How's...o...b..rt?” Sadie asked. ”Do you have to go?”

”I've got another hour until his next feeding so I texted Gayla and asked her to meet with us.”

”I don't know if that's such a good idea,” Sadie said. ”I met with her last night and she seemed overwhelmed by the video and all the attention it was drawing to the house.”

Maeva's phone chirped and she glanced down.

”She's agreed. We're to come to her condo on Lakeside as soon as we can.”

The trio dipped out into the rain and formed a three-car convoy onto the I-5, then exited at Montlake. Within fifteen minutes they were searching for parking on the side streets around the waterfront building. Once their vehicles were all squeezed and tucked into designated spots, the three met out front.

Sadie let out a low whistle as she scanned the water view. ”What do you think? A million for this place?”