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Karl got a confused look on his face and leaned down—way down—to talk to Bella. At over six feet, with Bella just five feet nothing, it sometimes strained his neck to whisper to her. “Who is Roy?”
Bella smiled. “He’s this really nice ghost who likes to play pranks on Fiona. He pretty much goes with her wherever she goes these days. He was an electrician in this town, and ended up in her bookstore by traveling through a book.”
“Ahh,” Karl said, still a little confused. He knew Fiona had ghost friends, but it still seemed strange to him.
Fiona shrugged. “Roy! Max wants you to babysit me!”
Max suddenly smiled. “Good, you’re here. We’re all leaving, and I just don’t want her alone tonight. Clarissa said she’d help us with the kidnappings, but instead, she tried to lock us in the haunted mansion.”
Fiona crossed her arms over her chest. “I know you said not to trust her. I made a mistake that almost killed me and my friends. All right?”
Max shook his head. “Don’t argue with the ghost, dear.” He kissed Fiona softly. “All right. Let’s go.” He mentally counted. “We’ll all fit in my truck, if three don’t mind the backseat together.”
Bella shrugged. “I’m the smallest. I’ll sit in the middle.”
Karl laughed. “Of you could ride on my lap!”
“Not with the sheriff in the truck, she can’t,” Max said, as they all headed outside.
The ride to the abandoned house was short, and they all piled out, going to the house and looking around to see if they could find anything that would help them with locating Rebecca.
The five of them covered the area quickly. It was a tiny house that had been one bedroom and just a main area for the kitchen and dining. Bella closed her eyes and concentrated all the power she could draw from the moon. It was only a quarter moon, so the powers weren’t as strong as they could be.
When she opened her eyes, she simply knew to go into the kitchen. She opened the old cast iron stove that Rebecca had used for cooking, and in the stove was a journal. She pulled it out, and opened it to the first page.
November 7th, 1873
I had supper with Charles and my sister last night. Clarissa just lost her third baby, and my heart grieves for her. I know she loves Charles with all her being, but she wants a baby badly. I hate that she can’t seem to keep a baby within her.
Clarissa and I have always been closer than most sisters. Being identical twins is part of it, but we’ve always been able to sense when the other one needs us. I was home, and I felt her reaching out to me, begging me to come see her. And that’s how I ended up eating supper with her and Charles.
She tries to put on a brave face for her husband, but he knows how badly she’s hurting. I just wish I had an answer for her grief. This is hurting her a great deal more than when we lost our parents. I pray that she feels better soon, and that she manages to get over this grief and perhaps her next pregnancy won’t end the way all the others have.
Bella almost felt guilty reading the other woman’s innermost thoughts, but she couldn’t let herself feel that way. She had information about Rebecca now, and they’d been searching for the woman for months.
Bella held up the journal in triumph. “I think we found the reason we’re here.”
When the others moved toward her, she held out the journal. “Rebecca’s journal. I’ve only read the first page, but it talks about Clarissa having miscarriages. I think this is the information we’re after.”
Layla shook her head. “Why do I feel badly for a ghost who tried to trap us all an hour ago?”
“Because you’re kindhearted,” Bella responded, hugging her friend. “I’m going to take this home with me and I’ll pass on the information I find.” She shook her head. “I wish I could just use a copier so we could all have a copy, but the writing is too faded to do so.”
Max nodded. “All right. Let’s get home. We have to try this new queso Fiona made. Give me a minute to call her so she can order the pizzas.”
Soon, they were back at Fiona and Max’s home, and Fiona seemed overjoyed by the news they’d found the diary. “That’s going to help us so much!”
“I haven’t read it all, but what I have read makes me feel sorrow for Clarissa,” Bella said, telling Fiona what she’d already told the others. “I’d be a mess too!”
“There’s more to it,” Fiona said. “Let us know what you find. I have a feeling this banishment will be a lot harder than it was with Charles.”
Bella nodded, reaching for Karl’s hand. “I’ll take point on this one.”
Karl smiled. “And I’ll help.”
Bella and Karl spent the next few days poring over the journal, piecing together the tragic story of Rebecca and her family. It was a tale of loss and heartache that had spanned generations. But they knew that the key to banishing Clarissa’s spirit lay somewhere within those pages.
Finally, they found what they had been looking for—a passage that spoke of a secret room beneath the old mansion. It was a room that had been sealed off for years, and no one knew what lay inside. But Rebecca had left a clue, and Bella and Karl knew it was their only chance to put her spirit to rest.
