regarded her with a trace of belligerence. Boone peered up at her silently. The girl took her measure while resting a reassuring hand on her brother’s arm. Lucky trotted forward, stubby tail wagging. Gratefully, Teri scratched him behind the ear.
“Thanks for keeping Lucky out of trouble while I was talking to your mothers. I’m a friend of R.J.’s. I told him I’d watch Lucky, but I got to talking and forgot about him.”
“That’s okay. Lucky likes us,” Nola told her.
“I’m not surprised. Hanging with you guys would be a lot more fun than a group of boring adults. So you’re looking for secret passages, huh? I bet a spooky old house like this one has all sorts of secrets.”
The three children exchanged glances. As the oldest, Ian was obviously the spokesman.
“Heartskeep has lots of secrets,” he agreed. “There used to be secret passages upstairs, but someone tore them down.”
“Bummer. I’d love to find a secret room or see a ghost or two.”
“You believe in ghosts?” Nola asked skeptically.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I’ve never seen one, but I think just about anything is possible, don’t you?”
Ian eyed her suspiciously. “My mother says there’s no such thing.”
“She could be right. I like to keep an open mind.”
“I’ve seen one,” he announced boldly.
The children stared intently, waiting for her reaction.
“Was it scary?” she asked.
Lucky nudged her hand. Teri went back to petting him.
“I wasn’t scared.”
“Were too,” Boone argued. Then he glanced at Teri and drew back, as if afraid he’d said something wrong.
Her heart hurt for the fearful child. This could be Corey in a few years if she wasn’t successful in getting him away. Nola patted Boone’s arm reassuringly in a motherly fashion that made Teri ache for her as well.
“I was not!” Ian bragged unfazed.
“Did I hear you say you saw the ghost the night the missing woman disappeared?” Teri interjected quickly.
Ian fell silent. His glance at Nola seemed to be asking her opinion.
“Ian says he did,” Nola responded primly.
“I did!” he insisted hotly. “He was out back, near the fountain. That’s where they found her cell phone, you know. It was all crushed and everything.”
“Ian thinks the ghost took her,” Nola put in, “but I told him ghosts don’t hurt people.”
Ian rounded on her. “How do you know?”
Teri stepped into the breach, fighting a wave of mingled fear and excitement.
“What did the ghost look like?”
The children fell silent. She’d let her tension come through and scared them. She had to go slower, win their trust.
“There are scientists who study ghosts, you know.”
Three sets of eyes regarded her mutely.
“They have trouble because most adults never see one.”
“I see him all the time,” Ian bragged.
Nola pursed her lips but didn’t argue.
“Will you tell me about him?” Teri asked.
Uncertainly, he looked at the others.
This was important. Teri knew Ian had seen something. Unfortunately, Betty Drexler chose that moment to appear in the doorway across from them.
“Mrs. Norwhich said lunch will be ready in about five minutes. The children need to go and wash their hands.”
Teri tamped down her impatience as the children were ushered out to wash their hands. There was nothing she could do but go along to the kitchen with everyone else a few minutes later.
The women were still uneasy around her as they settled at the large table in front of yet another huge fireplace. Teri understood their mistrust all too well. They all had a good reason for caution, but it made things hard. She’d already discovered that none of them wanted to talk to her. They especially didn’t want to answer any questions.
Two of the women were sporting obvious injuries. Ian’s mother appeared to have the most physical damage. Her right arm was in a cast and a sling, and bruises mottled her face. Teri suspected there were more bruises hidden by her clothing.
She fought the burning rage and bitter helplessness that churned in her stomach when she looked at these women. Life was so unfair. But as the last person entered the dining room, she looked around with a sinking feeling.
“Where’s Corey? I thought R.J. said only Valerie disappeared.”
The women exchanged uneasy glances. It was the taciturn and rather eerie-looking Mrs. Norwhich who answered as she carried over a tureen of soup and placed it on the table.
“Wyatt had him placed in foster care yesterday.”
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