17
It occurred to Bella once she was back inside the inn that she had no idea where Jasper was spending the night. She assumed he was in a room somewhere not far from her own, but which room, she had no idea. It was far too late to bang on doors, and rather than wake the entire house, Bella slunk back to her room, hushing Bear as she snuck him in with her.
Her poor dog was agitated and eager to be back outside, but Bella silenced him, inviting him onto the rented bed despite the mud and hay stuck to his fur. Together, they curled up on the old mattress, and it wasn't until she was safely tucked under covers, did she realize she was shaking.
Bella didn't believe in ghosts. Her mind was a rational place, where logic and order ruled. She had no reason to believe in ghosts because she'd never seen evidence of one.
But no matter how hard her mind insisted on what it saw, her body continued to shake, terror flooding her limbs.
She sought sleep, but none came, and by the time the sun was breaking the horizon, Bella was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of things.
She snuck Bear back outside before the innkeeper could catch him inside. This time, when Bella returned to the stables, she carried with her a heavy iron fire poker she'd taken from her room.
The stables were quiet as she and Bear entered them. Her eyes scanned the dark shadows, but aside from the farrier nippers on the ground where she'd dropped them, there was no sign of anything having happened the previous night.
Bella picked up the nippers and returned them to the wall where she'd grabbed them from. She sniffed the air, but even the scent of decay had vanished. Her nose filled with the smell of horses and hay.
Sighing, she turned to head back to the inn when her boots caught on something in the hay.
Bella frowned and bent down, digging through the debris on the floor until her fingers caught on cold metal. She brought the object up toward her face as she stepped toward the open door, seeking light.
Her heart dropped when she looked at the object she'd found.
It was an old pocket watch, with a battered and scratched cover. She recognized it immediately and flipped it over, knowing already what she would find on the back.
My whole heart, forever.
-B
Edward had been here. Since Bella had given him this pocket watch as a wedding present, he'd never been without it. Edward had been here, and she'd missed him.
Her body was shaking, with a mix of fear and frustration. Where was her husband? Why couldn't she find him?
…
Jasper wasn't sure what he expected to find when he checked on Mistress Masen the next morning. She'd been so distraught the night before, so vacant. He'd never seen her so hopeless, and it had frightened him. He didn't know what to do to re-instill hope in someone, especially someone as formidable as the coffin maker's wife.
There was no answer when he knocked on her door, and Jasper supposed perhaps she was still sleeping. Not wanting to disturb her, he left her room and made his way toward the front rooms where he'd eaten the night before.
To his great surprise, Mistress Masen was pacing in front of a fireplace, her head bowed as her hands passed something back and forth between her palms. She was muttering under her breath, seeming oblivious to the world around her.
"What's wrong with her?" the innkeeper asked Jasper when he made eye contact with the man.
Jasper shook his head and didn't respond. He wasn't someone to share personal information with strangers, especially when it wasn't even his story to tell.
Instead, he made his way toward Mistress Masen, wary of the state she was in.
"Mistress?" he asked, his voice soft and hesitant.
She looked up, and for a moment, there was something feral and terrifying in her eyes. "Jasper!" she gasped, reaching out to him. Her small fingers wrapped around his bicep and squeezed, much firmer than he would have thought possible. "Jasper, he was here. Edward was here."
Jasper swallowed hard. "Yes, mistress, you said that boy told you so yest—"
"No, Jasper," she said, shaking her head. "No, he was here."
She thrust something out and Jasper caught it, surprised. His hands pulled away from his chest, clutching an old, tattered silver pocket watch.
He looked up at the coffin maker's wife, confused.
"This is his," she said, reaching out to tap the glass. "Last night, when I was in the stables, I saw a woman. She might have been the missing body from that grave back in the village, and when I went back this morning, I found this in the hay," she stressed, her fingers curling around the watch in his hand. "He was here."
Jasper's head was spinning. He didn't know where to start with her story. She'd been in the stables? She'd seen the Dead Witch?
Jasper let her take the watch from his palm, and while she was gazing down at it, he stepped back from her and crossed himself, terrified at the idea that the Dead Witch could be walking around anywhere nearby.
"Mistress, I…" He was at a loss for words.
It seemed to not matter though, because Bella reached down to the floor, grabbing her satchel. She looked up at him, hope and determination burning in her eyes.
"Come on, Jasper. We're going to go hunt the dead."