Part 94 (1/2)

The sound of voices in the lobby diverted attention.

”Mrs. Abrams leaving,” Claire explained, covering a yawn. ”She remembers a lovely seance where Professor Jackson contacted the ghost of the young man she'd seen standing in the window of room two as a girl and then more recently in the dining room, and the lobby, and the office, and back in the window of room two.”

Jacques winced as her voice picked up an edge toward the end of the list. ”I am sorry, cherie. I thought she see me only once.”

”You thought she saw you and you didn't tell me?”

”I did not think it important.”

”If I'd known, I could've prevented this whole incident from happening.”

”Oui, but then I would not have flesh.”

Claire decided to avoid that issue for a few moments longer and slid right on by without even pausing. ”Well, now she believes that you've gone happily to your final rest, pa.s.sed over into the light, so...” She managed energy enough to jab a finger at the ghost. ”... stay away from windows!”

”I will.”

”And if she happens to accidentally see you...”

”I tell you, immediatement.”

”Good.” Yawning, Claire sagged back into the sofa. ”The funny thing is, I'm not the first Keeper to mess with her head. There's a whole section of early memories that've been dramatically changed.”

”Mr. Smythe told me that she lived in the house next door her whole life,” Dean offered. ”He said it used to be Groseter's Rooming House and Mr. Abrams was a roomer who didn't move fast enough and got broadsided.” When Claire lifted her head to stare at him, he shrugged apologetically. ”That's what Mr. Smythe said. Anyway, she's always saying things aren't like they were when she was a girl. Maybe she was poking around and saw something she shouldn't.”

”You mean besides Jacques?”

Without an actual exhalation, Jacques' sigh lost emphasis, but he made up for it with the peripherals. Bending over the back of the sofa, he tucked a curl behind Claire's ear. ”I am sorry the old woman cause you problems, cherie, but I am a long time dead and I am not surprise someone sees me.”

”Not surprised.” She started to move into his touch and when she realized, jerked her head away.

He smiled. ”Oui.”

”I think...” Reaching up, she flicked the curl back where it had been. ”I think she probably wandered into the furnace room, maybe followed the Keeper down.”

”Her?” Dean asked, jerking a thumb toward room six.

”Probably Uncle whoever. During the months she was Keeper here, Mrs. Abrams was a teenager; too old to go poking around the neighbor's...” Another yawn cut off the last word. ”... bas.e.m.e.nt.”

'Time for bed, cherie.”

Dean jerked up onto his feet. ”Yeah, I, uh, should get down, um, downstairs.” Unable to say what he wanted to say, and not entirely sure what that was, he couldn't seem to put a coherent sentence together. ”It's, uh, been a long, you know, day.” Feeling the blood rise in his cheeks and wis.h.i.+ng that the floor would just open up and swallow him whole, he headed for the door.

”Dean, wait.”

With one foot in the office and one foot still in Claire's sitting room, he waited. Because she asked him to. He wondered if she knew how much he'd do for her if she asked him to.

To his surprise, he felt her hand in the small of his back, moving him out into the office. She followed and closed the door.

”After everything we've been through this last month, I thought you should know that Jacques and I aren't... that is, I'm not... I mean, we won't...”