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The ghost remained silent, his gaze never wavering, the tension in the air growing heavier with each passing moment.
“Answer me!” Fiona cried out, her frustration mounting.
“Careful, Fiona,” Max warned, sensing the danger emanating from the spirit. “We can’t underestimate him.”
“Tell me why you roam this house. Are you Charles Harrington?” Fiona asked.
Layla felt her heart leap into her throat as her friend point blank asked the ghost if he was the one they thought he was.
“I am.” Charles grinned an evil grin. “I see my legacy has lived on!”
“You mean all those women you lured for your wife to kill? Mildred and Lillian are two I know about. How many others?”
The ghost laughed. “How many? Does it truly matter how many I’ve helped kill? My wife is the one with blood on her hands, and she hanged for her crimes.”
“And you? How did you die?” Fiona asked.
Layla squeezed Fiona’s hand. Normally her friend wouldn’t be so bold as to question ghosts the way she was. Especially not malevolent ones.
Fiona squeezed back, but she wasn’t backing down. It was obvious from the way she held her shoulders she wasn’t going to give up until she learned all she could.
They heard a haunted laugh, and Fiona shook her head. “He’s gone now. He’s not telling us anything more today. But maybe Lillian will.”
“I think we should go,” Max said. “Something feels very off. Not that this place doesn’t always feel off, but there’s more than usual going on here.”
“Max is right,” Layla agreed, her own fear threatening to overwhelm her. “This isn’t just a restless spirit—he’s powerful...and evil.”
“Then we need to find a way to banish him,” Jake said, determination filling his voice. “For all the souls he’s tormented, and for our own safety.”
“Agreed,” Bella whispered, her eyes locked on the ghostly figure. “We’ll put an end to this horror, once and for all.”
With their resolve strengthened by the knowledge of the gravity of their task, the group prepared to face the unseen danger head-on, determined to bring peace to the haunted house and the spirits that remained trapped within its walls.
Together, they moved toward the front door, and once they were all on the lawn together, the house once again looked as if it had burned just the day before. And it had, but that’s not what they saw and felt when they were inside the place.
“We’re going out to supper,” Max announced. “Any Tex Mex place in Popsville. I would say anywhere, but my sweet bride may have my head for not getting her tacos.”
Jake laughed, looking toward his house for a second. “I’m in,” he finally replied, thrilling Layla. She wanted to get to know him better than just clinging to him for support as they faced ghosts. She wanted to know what made him tick.
“I’ll drive my own truck, so I can make my own way home and no one has to drive me,” Jake said. He looked at Layla. “You with me?”
Layla nodded, grinning at him. It had been a long time since she’d had a real relationship with a man, and it was high time for it to happen. Men didn’t tend to like women who openly admitted they could see the future. It tended to freak them out a tad bit.
She climbed into Jake’s passenger seat and settled in beside him. “Did we decide which restaurant?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’ll follow Max. No big deal there.”
They drove to a place that was almost out of town, and Layla was relatively certain they’d chosen the place for its quieter atmosphere than the places in town. “When are you going to ask me out?” Layla finally asked, feeling daring.
He chuckled. “I thought I just did. I asked you to ride with me, and I’m planning to pay for your meal. That means I asked you out, right?”
“I want a date night soon with just the two of us.”
“When is your next day off?” he asked.
She sighed. “I don’t get many evenings off, but I am available most days.”
He nodded. “Sounds good. I’m seventy-two hours on and seventy-two hours off. I start a three-day shift in the morning, so let’s say Thursday? Where do you live?”
