Chapter 39

^PRESENT DAY^

LYNN

I wake up, feeling Dan’s body curled around mine. His right hand is gently cradling my breast under my shirt. I reach for my phone to check the time. It’s already two in the afternoon.

“Baby, we really need to get up,” I say.

He grunts in response, squeezing my breast and pressing his crotch against my ass. “Not yet,” he murmurs into my ear.

I reach back and feel that he’s hard. “Alright,” I moan softly. I shift my panties to the side, allowing him to enter me from behind.

My eyes roll back in pleasure. He moves slowly, staying deep inside me.

~God, he feels so good.~

He continues his slow rhythm as we lie on our sides. He pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me. After a few minutes, I can tell he’s close. I hear a low moan as he climaxes inside me.

We stay entwined for a few more minutes before I get up to shower. Dan follows me into the shower moments later.

After we’re clean and dressed, we head back to the dining room. Dan starts a fresh pot of coffee, and Zoey is still asleep on the couch.

I stand at the table, looking over the files we’d been studying the night before. Then, something catches my eye—an envelope with Dan’s name on it.

“Didn’t we go through all the files last night?” I ask.

“Yeah, why?”

“Was this here last night?” I ask, pointing at the envelope with Dan’s name on it. Dan walks over and looks at it.

“No, this wasn’t here when we went to bed,” he says, picking it up.

Zoey stirs awake and stumbles into the dining room, adjusting her top.

“What’s that?” she asks.

“I’m not sure,” Dan replies, opening the envelope. He pulls out several sheets of paper and starts to read.

***

~Dear Detective Adams,~

~If you’re reading this, it means you received my note from Fesser Publications about the storage locker full of files. I assume you’ve read everything I left for you. You’re probably wondering how I know you. The truth is, I don’t.~

~Once a month, I would leave the house to get a coffee in town. I would often run into your father at the coffee shop. We started meeting up every month just to chat.~

~He was so happy to be married to your mother and was excited to start a family. He knew if he had children, they would likely follow in his footsteps in law enforcement.~

~After my chats with Justice, I would visit the local bookstore to add to my library.~

~I came to realize that the house and all the spirits that reside here are more powerful than I initially thought. This house holds a lot of power.~

~It was only later in life that I discovered the truth about Linda, Frank, and Maggie Stallworth.~

~They were murdered because they were about to reveal the truth about the history of the house. The large oak tree has been a constant issue for years.~

~People have tried to hire companies to cut down that tree. But the power of the house wouldn’t allow anyone to touch it.~

~Clayton Tucker is a very powerful ghost. He can transform into anything living. He can be whatever you want him to be.~

~I’ve learned to coexist with Clayton over the years. I played his game and treated him kindly.~

~I hope Chelsea hasn’t gotten too involved with him. He can manipulate anyone into doing his bidding.~

~During my last few years alive, I discovered a terrible truth. Clayton killed my Christopher out of jealousy. Clayton was in love with me and wanted to be like Christopher.~

~So, please, be very careful with Clayton. He may have transformed into someone Chelsea admires.~

~Now, let me tell you about Detrick, my groundskeeper. He is real and not to be trusted.~

~I knew something was off when I would wake up every morning to find a fresh pot of coffee on the stove. He would come into my house and make it before I woke up.~

~I also discovered later that he was responsible for the murders at the Pembroke Country Club. He also killed the only witness who could have put him away for a long time.~

~For some reason, I believe the house had something to do with the courthouse burning down and Detrick showing up at my door. I also think Clayton and Detrick have been in cahoots from the start.~

~Dan, I need you to find Willie Stiles, if he’s still alive, and tell him how sorry I am for what I did to him. Everything he’s done was for my protection.~

~Fifty years have passed, and there hasn’t been a day I haven’t thought about him.~

~You’re probably wondering why I left the house to Chelsea if it’s haunted.~

~By the time I realized everything, I was too old to do anything about it. Chelsea is strong, she doesn’t know it yet, but she is.~

~With your help and the help of her friends, she should be able to overcome the demons of the past. She has to destroy the house and everything in it.~

~She needs to be careful with Clayton and Detrick. They will do whatever it takes to keep the house alive.~

~I hope and pray that Chelsea isn’t too entangled with Clayton. Once you get her off the property, her senses should return.~

~Thank you, Dan, and Godspeed.~

***

Dan places the letter on the table and sits down. The room falls silent, and we all just stare at each other.

“I told you that house is haunted,” Zoey finally says.

“So, let me get this straight. Clayton is pretending to be Chris Miller, Dorothy’s deceased fiancé, and using Chelsea’s book character as his disguise?” I ask.

Dan nods.

“Holy shit, that’s messed up,” I say, running my hands through my hair. “We need to get in there and get her out. Now!”

“Hold on, babe. We can’t just barge in and say, ‘Hey, Chelsea, your house is haunted, you need to leave.’ We need a plan.”

“Yeah, we need a plan,” Zoey agrees.

“Okay, sorry. What’s our next move?” I ask.

“Dorothy’s information is going to be a game-changer. She’s given us all the details we need,” Dan says, waving the letter in the air.

“Since Clayton’s a ghost, he’ll sense us the moment we step foot on the property. He’ll probably rope in Detrick to help him.

“So, here’s the plan—I’ll sneak in through the back, where the hospital is, and distract Clayton and Detrick. Meanwhile, you and Zoey can get into the house and rescue Chelsea.”

“But what if the house has a hold on her, both physically and mentally? What if she resists, refusing to leave?” Zoey asks.

“You’re right. She’ll probably fight me every step of the way off the property,” I say, drumming my fingers on the table.

“Chloroform!” Zoey suddenly exclaims.

“And where exactly are you planning to get chloroform? You think you can just stroll into a pharmacy and ask, ‘Hey, where do you guys keep the chloroform’?”

I settle into a chair and grab Dan’s laptop. “The internet has everything we need,” I say, grinning.

“When are we doing this?” Zoey asks.

“We’ll have to do it tomorrow morning. With Clayton, I need to be able to see what’s coming,” Dan says.

***

Later that night, Zoey and I head to the local hardware store to gather the ingredients for our homemade chloroform.

Dan goes to visit his father, to fill him in on the oak tree and the house situation. He also wants to borrow a few items from his father’s gun locker.

We all meet back at Dan’s place. I step out of my car. Zoey follows, holding the bags at arm’s length.

“What are you doing?” I ask. “It’s not a bomb.”

“I don’t know that. What if I drop them and we both pass out? What if we never wake up?” Zoey says, her face serious.

“Relax. Just carry them normally. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Zoey slowly lowers her arms and starts to tiptoe into Dan’s house.

Once I finish mixing the chemicals, I pour the concoction into a travel-size spray bottle.

“How do we know if it’s going to work?” Zoey asks.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you come here and let me test it on you,” I say, laughing.

“Not a chance, you lunatic.”

“Well, I’m crazy enough to try and pull this off.”

Dan arrives home about an hour later, lugging a black duffle bag with a shotgun sticking out. In his other hand is a white plastic bag that reads, Thank you.

“I know what you’ve got. Chinese food,” I say, my excitement bubbling over. I jump up, grab his face, and plant a long, slow kiss on his lips, then I let him go.

“Wow, what was that for?” he asks.

“Nothing, just felt like it.”

We all pull up a chair and sit down at the table. We dig into the food straight from the boxes, sampling each dish that Dan brought home.

After dinner, we spend hours going over the plan, repeating it until everyone knows their part in the rescue mission by heart.

Once everything is set and the plan is etched into my mind, we all agree to call it a night and prepare for the day ahead.