Page 36 of Love at First Fright

“I swear to God, if you hurt that animal, I will cut you,” I threatened.

Brad only laughed, throwing up his hands. “Fine. Keep your little familiar if it helps us sniff out some ghosts today.”

The cat’s tail twitched. Its pupils dilated, then contracted again.

I grabbed my rucksack and followed Brad downstairs, the cat padding behind me with silent footsteps.

Breakfast was a depressing affair.

Plain cornflakes. Milk that smelt vaguely off. We sat at opposite ends of the kitchen table, crunching in silence whilst the cat lapped at a saucer of water I’d put down.

When we’d both finished, I pushed my bowl away. “So, what’s the plan today, then? Time to whip out the Ouija board?”

Brad looked up, expression serious. “Not quite yet. We don’t have enough information.”

Right. Of course he’d take that suggestion literally.

Brad stood, collecting both our bowls and dumping them in the sink without washing them. Then he left the kitchen, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

I scratched the cat behind its ears whilst I waited. It purred, pressing into my palm.

Brad returned clutching two devices. He set them on the table with a triumphant thump.

“We’re going in hard with these two today.”

I leaned forward, squinting at the equipment.

The first looked like a small black speaker box, about the size of a brick, with dials and switches covering one side. A label had been stuck to the top in faded print: ECH000 Spirit Receiver.

The second was a handheld device with a screen, sleek and modern compared to the receiver. S-TRK 88 “SpecterTrack” Monitor was etched into the casing.

“The ECH000 picks up and amplifies spirit voices,” Brad explained, tapping the speaker box. “And the SpecterTrack gives us a temperature map of any unseen entities. Screen lights up in reds, blues, whatever, based on heat signatures.”

I picked up the monitor, turning it over in my hands. The screen flickered to life, displaying a blue-green gradient of the kitchen. Cold. Everything cold.

“Where does Gerald get all this crap?”

Brad shrugged. “He knows a guy.”

“Course he does.”

“Come on, then.” I set the monitor down, already bored and dreading eight more hours of pointlessly marching around this manor again.

“We’ll start with the library.” Brad collected the equipment, tucking the receiver under one arm. “Highest EMF recording yesterday. Hit red at one point.”

I blinked. “Did it?”

“Yeah. You missed it when you were pratting around in the attic with the guitar.”

Heat crept up my neck. “I wasn’t pratting around. I got locked in.”

Brad snorted, heading towards the door. “Can’t believe you got locked in the attic by a ghost on your first day. Proper rookie mistake, that.”

“It wasn’t—” I bit back the rest of the sentence. No point arguing with him.

The cat meowed, weaving between my ankles.

I scooped it up and followed Brad through the draughty corridors, back towards the east wing.