Chapter Three

After Jane's confession, Edward watched as she disappeared, using ample energy to hide from him. The hair along his arms stood, a shiver crawling down his spine. Jane wouldn't come out of hiding until she was ready. The question was would she follow Edward or remain with her brother?

Edward never understood why she attached herself to him on that dark road after the accident.

"Mr. Masen," Alec said through the thick door. "Is that you?"

Edward's instinct to go after Jane pulled at him, but it would have to wait until later. "Yes, Mr. Williams, it's safe for now." He had grabbed an EMF detector earlier in case the dead wife tried to make another appearance once the couple came out of hiding.

After another look around the bedroom and down the hall, it was safe to say the spirit had used most of her energy to conjure such destruction. It would take a while before she could do more, but not long.

The couple in the closet argued on whether they could trust that it was Edward and open the door. He didn't blame them for being cautious, considering the amount of damage around him. Time, however, was not on their side. It was imperative that they leave the house, at least for his initial assessment.

Though he worried the activity would cease if the spirit attached itself to one of the inhabitants. It was a possibility he'd have to risk. He needed money, but not at the expense of someone's life or well-being.

"I think the spirit wore itself out," Edward said aloud. He looked at James and Shelly, both equally intrigued by their new client.

Jane had been with Edward since the day his uncle revived him on the side of a midnight road. James and Shelly attached themselves shortly after at the hospital, where they had died. Edward heard the clicks of three deadbolts, drawing his attention to the closet doors.

Mr. Williams poked his head out, looking relieved to find Edward alone in the bedroom. The problem was that he was never truly alone.

"Is it safe?" Mr. Williams asked.

Edward offered him a small nod. "For now, it's best to have a talk with you and your wife, and then have you leave." He pulled out a notepad and a pen since powerful spirits had a habit of toying with his smartphone during his investigations. "Come on out, Mrs. Williams. The faster we talk the sooner you get to leave."

The woman walked out of the closet in angry strides, slowly turning in the middle of the once magazine-worthy bedroom. A disheveled, gaunt face with dull eyes turned toward him, desperation roughened her voice. "No one will believe us. What are we supposed to say happened here?"

"You can't exactly tell your insurance company that a ghost did all this." Edward shrugged. "What we need right now are answers. Answers as to why this is happening to you."

Alec hugged his wife, whispering in her ear until she relaxed.

Edward watched the couple carefully and realized their feelings for each other were genuine. If that was the case, why was his late wife haunting them? According to Alec, during their first phone call, she passed about five years earlier. What had caused her to act out after so long?

After introductions, they straightened a few pieces of furniture to sit and talk, after he had them pack an overnight bag. Very little had survived the destruction.

The chipped teacup in Tanya's hand shook with every sip of herbal tea she took. She was far from the picture-perfect woman she had been the year before. According to the latest entertainment articles, when Tanya and Alec had married, she decided to stay home and focus on raising a family.

"I asked your husband earlier if he had lost anyone, and he said other than his late wife," Edward started, flipping a page to find the name. "His late wife, Irina, and his grandparents that passed years ago, he's had no recent losses in his life. Have you lost anyone recently?"

Tanya shook her head, staring blankly straight ahead. "My parents died when I was a child and my aunt watched over me. She died years ago as well, though." Her eyes, once a vibrant blue, filled up with tears. "Other than Alec, I have no family."

"Oh boo-hoo," a voice hissed in Edward's ear as the spirit flickered nearby. He did his best not to react to her presence. As Alec's late wife told him her version of her once perfect marriage to him, she sounded spiteful and snobby. "She even looks like me," she stated in a nonsense tone, sounding bored.

Edward watched as the spirit circled Alec and Tanya, at first indistinct, somewhat shadowy. She took shape after another minute, her full, ruby lips thinned, as she listened to Alec's current wife explain where most of the action occurred, the master suite.

"You mentioned on the phone that you've had some renovations done." Edward looked at his notes to confirm.

"Yes, shortly after moving in, we ripped out all the flooring. I hated the kitchen, tore down a few walls for a more open feel and look. The same for the master bedroom, we knocked down a wall from another bedroom for more space." Tanya's eyes widened. "The work triggered the spiritual activity, didn't it? I read that somewhere."

"It might be coincidental that the first incident happened shortly after work started, but there's also a chance you've had other occurrences before that. You simply chose to believe it was nothing, or just brushed it off."

It wouldn't be the first time a client did that, or the last.

"That could be true," Alec said. "It wasn't even the second night here that I swore I left my keys on the table near the entrance. I went crazy looking for them and found them in the fridge. I'd never done that before."

"Liar, liar, maybe I should light his pants on fire." Edward turned his glare to the ghost dressed in a stylish dress, sitting on the armrest beside her husband. "Don't look at me like that, it's my house. Ask him, I bet she won't like that he was supposed to buy this house for me when we were married."

"Edward," Alec said, gaining his attention again. "Are you getting something?" He pointed at the headphones Edward wore.

Edward learned years before not to tell anyone how connected he was to spirits. He gave his clients a vague impression that he was sensitive to ghosts and stated that the equipment he used allowed him to pick up things clearer than most.

"I'm getting something from a woman." Edward fiddled with the digital recorder. It was all an act. "But it's not on the recording."

Alec and Tanya looked defeated.

"I have a couple more questions, then you two can leave. She said something about the house. Was this the only time you considered buying this house?"

Tanya's eyebrows shot up, her gaze turning to her husband. "What is he talking about?" Alec had gone pale, his eyes clenching tight. "Tell me we didn't move into the same house Irina wanted?"

Edward had to ask. "You knew her?" If Alec and Tanya had an affair, it would explain why his ex-wife seemed to loathe her.

"No, I met Alec a few years after she died."

Edward looked at Alec. "How did your ex-wife pass?"

"Overdose. I had no idea Irina was even using drugs until I saw massive withdrawals from our bank and credit cards. I tried to get her help, cut her off financially, even suggested buying a new house after she finished rehab, to start over."

"Liar!" Irina screamed, her hand swiping at Alec with ragged nails.

Alec hissed, flinching away from the armrest. His palm touched the side of his face, asking if he had anything there.

Edward was surprised to find a few scratches there. Irina was strong, which was not a good thing.

"I'm afraid your late wife is not happy that you chose this house," Edward said, closing his notebook. He had enough information, but then, there were still unanswered questions about Jane. "She's insisting you're a liar and that your new wife looks like her."

Tanya didn't look like her to Edward, but spirits weren't always the most reasonable.

"Other than her hair color, no," Alec said, rising to his feet. "The house wasn't on the market when Irina and I were considering a new home, but we had seen it, and she'd wanted it. I made an offer the previous owners couldn't refuse. Irina died before it closed escrow, shortly after her stint in rehab. I let it go. Look, Mr. Masen, I loved Irina, but that wasn't enough for her."

Alec turned back to Tanya on a chair, kneeling in front of her and capturing her hands. She seemed wary, hurt by what she learned that night.

"I swear when we walked by the house that day and you said it was perfect, I hadn't even remembered it was the same one. I tried so hard to put all that behind me, you know that. You were so happy when they accepted the offer, and by then, I knew it was the same house, but I couldn't break your heart."

"Okay," Tanya whispered, curling her hands around her husband's. "Can we just go?" A few tears started to fall from her eyes. "I don't care about the house anymore. I know what she did to you, Alec, how much she hurt you and your family."

"There's more?"

Alec nodded as he helped his wife up to her feet. "The police believe Irina was behind my sister's disappearance."

James and Shelly had remained nearby, within Edward's peripheral vision. They turned to each other and then to Edward, slowly disappearing. They were going to try looking for Jane.

"Was your sister Jane?" Edward picked up the recorder and stood up, too.

Alec nodded, pulling out his wallet to hand over a picture. "She was my twin sister. Irina grew up next door, and the three of us were inseparable. Jane and Irina went everywhere together, even a spring break I couldn't get off to join them."

He looked at his wife, anguish in his dull eyes. "I think something happened there because Jane was never the same after coming back from that trip. She disappeared shortly after we graduated about ten years ago. Police treated her case as a runaway, but we never saw her again. There were a few scattered tips called in of her popping up all over the country, but eventually, they stopped, too."

"Is Jane here?" Tanya asked.

Edward wasn't ready to answer that kind of question. "I'm not sure."

Alec looked angry, holding his arms out on each side of his body. "As if everything you've done wasn't enough, now you have to haunt me and my wife. We did nothing to hurt you, Irina. This is our house, not yours!"

The change in Irina was nearly instantaneous; she'd gone from a beautiful, spiteful spirit, to one that resembled something from a horror movie. A gaunt face, sunken eyes, so thin, she looked like nothing but skin and bones. Her clothes hung limply on her body, the designer label gone. A scream tore through her, chilling Edward bone deep.

The room dropped in temperature by at least ten degrees, the lighting fixture overhead popped two lightbulbs sending sparks toward them. Tanya screamed as Alec used his body to protect her.

"Time to go, she's not happy. Let me walk you out." Edward followed the couple out the door and onto the driveway after getting the access codes to the alarm system. "I'll return in an hour, I need to grab a few more things at home, and pick up a few friends to help." He looked over his shoulder, not surprised to find that Irina couldn't follow him. She only had power while in the house. "Is there anything in the house that could be tied to her?"

It took Alec a moment to think. "The red painting in the hallway was hers. It was the only thing I kept, since it's valuable."

"I'll have to burn it."

Alec winced but nodded.

"I'll check in with you two in the morning."

.

.

.

After spending hours with Detective Biers, the real reason behind the questioning became apparent. They wanted a "medium" to work on more difficult cases. To check Bella's credibility and ability, they used Biers, a man positive his sister was haunting him.

She confirmed it.

The consulting fee would at least pad her bank accounts. It would make things easier whenever she had to report something, too. There was always a body somewhere, needing someone to find it.

Bella took a moment to check the navigation app on her phone as she drove. It wasn't leading her to where she wanted to go. Exhaustion had her pulling to the right too much, but she corrected herself in time. She was lucky there didn't seem to be a lot of traffic. Not one car had passed her in the last ten minutes.

She was housesitting for a friend of a friend; it hardly helped that she was late. The couple had said they'd leave instructions and the keys with their neighbors, The Williams, the ones who recommended her.

Her phone brightened for a moment, but she almost dropped it when a colorless face seemed to jump out of the screen before it went completely black. She cursed and tossed it on the passenger seat, returning her attention to the road. She hoped something hadn't attached to her while she was at the station.

It's too late, something whispered in her thoughts. A pair of headlights came barreling toward her.