Restless Spirits

“There’s something inside.” Excitement chased away melancholy. Finally, the mystery of the white lady would be revealed. Demi rushed over and knelt beside her, removing the brick. Inside the recess, she found a faded yellow cloth. Her stomach knotted as she reached inside and pulled the lump out. She unwrapped the bundle and found a beautiful oval-shaped silver locket with floral designs carved on the shell. Her hands shook as she opened it up and found a picture of Bronwyn and a dashing man with a wicked smile, beard, and a naval uniform.

“This is you and William.” Demi trailed her hand over the cool locket.

Bronwyn nodded, and she smiled. Her aura seemed to lighten as she stood. Her corporeal form began to fade away, and Demi knew she’d helped her move on. The scent of roses filled the area, and tears ran down her cheeks. She held her waist and cried for her father and Bronwyn.

“Demi, what the hell are you doing out here?”

She jumped and turned to see Pierce walking toward her. His anger morphed to worry. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“The ghost, her name was Bronwyn, and she lost her fiancé to the sea. She’s been stuck here all this time because of this.” She held out the locket.

“What? How do you know that?”

“She showed me. It was amazing, Pierce.”

“Wait. You followed a ghost out here, in the middle of the night?”

She bit her lower lip and nodded.

“Are you out of your mind?” His voice rose.

“Calm down. I’m fine.” She rested a hand on his shoulder, stilling his agitated movements.

“You could’ve been seriously injured,” Pierce said.

“She wouldn’t do that,” Demi said.

“You don’t know that,” Pierce growled.

“I did. It was a gut feeling.” She shook her head. “I can’t really explain it. Either way she’s gone now. Can’t you tel

l?”

“No. And I don’t like how fast you got attached to her.” He sighed. “Do you know how terrified I was when I woke up and found you gone? I thought she possessed you and had you off doing God knows what.”

“Possession is actually very rare.”

“Uh-huh, that’s what the small percent who end up possessed tell themselves.” Pierce rolled his eyes.

“We’ll contain the energy in the locket to make sure she’s at peace, and then we’ll be 100 percent sure it’s over. I’ve seen it with a lot of haunted-items collectors. They encase the object in certain materials to keep the energy in check and the haunting spirit at peace.”

He ground his teeth. “Tell me what we need to do.”

Chapter Six

Pierce held the necklace swaddled in cloth out in front of him like a snake ready to turn and sink its fangs in. What began as a fun trip had taken a dark turn when they found more than they expected. Demi thought she’d helped the ghost. He wasn’t so sure. The feeling of eyes watching him persisted even now. His hair stood up on the back of his neck, and he fought the urge to look around. When they’d reviewed the footage the next morning, he’d been stunned. The apparition appeared as clear as day. The EVPs were equally incredible. They could hear the words “Bronwyn Brown” as clear as day. Research confirmed Demi’s theory. They needed to bind the locket’s energy and seal it tight or destroy it. A long talk with management had brought them to this moment. They were meeting with a local priest who’d bind the energy with a powerful blessing, and then the locket would be placed beneath a glass dome, where it’d be displayed in the hotel, an homage to the woman with so many unrealized dreams.

“It’s not going to bite you,” Demi said. The teasing lilt to her words made him frown.

“I’m not so sure.”

“Why won’t you let this go?” She sighed.

“Because it was too cut-and-dried. I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that’s how they lull you into a false sense of security.”

“Oh, come on.” She threw her hands up in the air.

“This isn’t like the show, Demi. We’re in way over our heads.”