Haunter 1: The Shadow of the Haunter

22. In the Moonlight

Needless to say Susan was still in the Manor when we got back, giggling and commenting on the last hour at the guesthouse. She insisted on serving our dinner, and I almost had to push her out the backdoor to get her to leave.

As soon as I was done eating, I went down to the basement to check on Kujo. I didn't know why. I just felt I needed to make sure he was okay.

"Do I still smell of sage?"

"Stink."

"You mean thing!" I protested, laughing.

Joseph was still there, and I lingered with them, telling them about the cleansing. Back to the first floor, I was surprised I wasn't tired, but wide awake and ready to spend the whole night up.

Amy and Trisha were still at the kitchen table, watching something on TV, and Amy flashed a little smile when I told them I didn't feel like going to bed at all.

"What have you done to me, Amy Taylor?" I asked.

"When you perform a cleansing like today, you sort of channel energy that comes to you through your crown chakra, which is tuned to energy from above. It's clean, it's healing, and it's like a fucking sugar rush."

"Will I ever sleep again?"

"Sure. It wears off."

Only it didn't seem in any hurry to wear off. So when my friends called it a night, I went on to the third floor with a tea and a couple of cupcakes, intending to update my journal before I forgot details I wanted to write down.

I had just started with the Haunters' arrival when my phone buzzed. Who could be texting me at midnight? Yeah, well, guess who.

"It's that you on the third floor?"

Jeez! And I complained about Susan's control freak supervision. I shook my head, feeling a mix of annoyed, flattered and curious.

"Thought you'd still be sleeping."

"Just woke up, ready to roll. Hey, Fran, we forgot about the papers. I wanted to work on some editing, but I can't do shit without your signature."

Ha. That was Haunter charming for you.

"Can't we do it tomorrow?"

"If I can't work, you have to take a night stroll to the lake with me."

What the fuck? "You afraid of getting lost? It's only 1k feet away."

"Humor me. Full moon. Bet it's an awesome view."

"It's late and it's cold!"

"You bitch like an old lady."

Shit! I didn't know how to keep refusing, mostly because I didn't want to. I knew there had to be a catch, but I wasn't sure I cared. A sigh escaped my lips as I typed, deploring my feeble backbone.

"Meet you out in five."

So I bundled up for the cold night, tiptoed all the way down the stairs and sneaked out the backdoor.

He waited for me in the middle of the garden, keeping his distance from the Manor. Back to his black outfit, he reminded me of something I'd heard in many a ghost-hunting video: a shadow darker than the darkness around. That was Brandon Price under the stars, before the full moon rose above the woods. Not exactly an appealing figure to approach on that freezing dark night. The only pro was that he'd replaced his baseball hat with a beanie, which would allow me to see about an inch more of his shadowy face.

To my surprise, he showed me two beers in one gloved hand and reached out to grab mine with the other. All my alerts went off. Not because I thought he was out to do me any harm, but because it was completely out of character from the map of him I was outlining in my head since I'd first spoken with him.