The ghost peered into the pan, surveying the pile of blackened meat swimming in grease. Then he drifted away, shaking his head in silent disapproval.
“You too?” she cried at his back. “The ash is just seasoning. Condemned by a man without taste buds,” she muttered under her breath.
I shoved my feet into my boots and called over my shoulder as I headed for the door. “Face it. You can’t even win over the dead with your cooking, Spells.”
She just grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a curse and stomped up the stairs.
By the time I got back, the wind had picked up again, blowing sheets of snow against the windows. Valerie met me in the lobby, dust clinging to her sweatshirt, hair escaping its knot in soft curls.
She gestured to the pizza box in my hands. “I’m in desperate need of carbs.”
We dropped it on the long banquet table and tore into a few slices while she filled me in. She’d searched our rooms, under the beds, in the drawers, even the vents. No ring.
The ghost trailed us while we searched the banquet hall, hovering near Valerie like a loyal bulldog who couldn’t quite smell the bone. Valerie crouched near the wall panels while I checked under the buffet table, running my flashlight along the baseboards.
“Anything?” I asked.
“Unless he planned to propose behind a radiator, no.” She straightened, stretching her arms her over head, her belly button peeking beneath the sweatshirt. “You?”
“Just a family of dust bunnies you might be interested in adopting.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No thanks. Let me know if you find any cats.”
Daniel floated behind me, his expression drawn with the kind of hope that made my chest ache. “We’ll find it,” I told him quietly.
A few hours later, we ended up back in the lobby. Valerie leaned against the reception counter, rubbing her temples.
“Okay,” she said finally. “We’ve checked everywhere. I even removed the furniture cushions. Found some spare change, but that’s it.” Her shoulders slumped as she tapped a finger on the reception desk bell. A hollow ding filled the air. “Maybe you’re right—maybe someone picked it up. If someone found the ring back then…”
Her voice trailed off.
“What?” I asked.
She straightened, her eyes squinting toward the far wall behind the desk. A small brass plaque gleamed, half-tarnished, nearly invisible against the dark paneling. It read: EMPLOYEES ONLY.
“They would have turned it in, Grant. Lost and found.”
Valerie opened the door, revealing a cramped storage room. Shelves sagged beneath decades of forgotten supplies. A single bulb flickered overhead.
Against the back wall, nearly hidden by a mop and bucket, sat a squat steel safe.
“You've got to be kidding me,” I said.
Valerie dropped next to the safe and smacked her palm against the metal surface. Her excitement was palpable. “Let's call Edith. We need to crack this thing open.”
Chapter 24
Grant
Edith showed up halfan hour later, bundled in a thick green jacket and boots. She kicked the snow from the treads, her eyes going wide when she spotted Daniel floating by the Christmas tree in the lobby.
“At least he’s not throwing the glass ornaments, this time,” she said, walking toward the reception desk. Daniel bowed to her as she walked past, but she just sniffed the air, unbothered and unwilling to forgive the ghost. “Some of those were very expensive antiques, young man.”
She pulled a jangling key ring out of her coat pocket, and we followed her into the storage room.
“I’m impressed you got the Presence to calm down. We’ve had to bring in an outside cleaning crew in the past.”
Valerie scratched the back of her neck, wincing lightly. “I think I just rambled him into submission—by mentioning my Christmas shopping. It’s much cooler on TV.”
