Spellbound

Chapter 3-1

3

Danica’s cousin Marie lifted one elegant black eyebrow. “You think the cabin is haunted?”

“I — ” Danica waved a hand, knowing she must sound even crazier than usual. But really, when you got right down to it, ghosts shouldn’t be that crazy a notion to anyone in their clan. After all, Angela saw them all the time, or at least she used to. There probably weren’t as many opportunities for hauntings in the newish subdivision where she lived now, rather than back in the former mining town where she’d grown up. Forging ahead, Danica went on, “I don’t know if it was a ghost I saw, or if the cabin’s actually haunted. I just know I saw…something.”

For a moment, Marie remained silent. They were sitting in her living room; from upstairs, Danica heard the faint whine of a Dremel tool grinding away and guessed that Marie’s husband Andre was working on one of his jewelry projects. When she did speak, the older woman sounded skeptical. “Our family has been using that cabin in one form or another for the past hundred and thirty years or so. As far as I know, no one has ever reported seeing any kind of spirit anywhere in or around the cabin, or experienced any kind of supernatural phenomena there at all.”

“So you’re saying I’m imagining things?”

“No, I am not saying that. I’m only saying that this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anything like this.”

Of course it’s the first time something like this has happened, Danica thought. Because God forbid there should be any corroborating evidence to prove that I haven’t finally lost my mind.

Seemingly unperturbed by Danica’s lack of response, Marie went on, “Are you sure it couldn’t have been a trespasser? I remember when I was a girl and went up there often, every once in a while we’d get people stumbling onto the property, not realizing it wasn’t part of the Forest Service lands.”

“That’s what I thought at first. But the man I saw disappeared by just sort of melting away…and there was also what he was wearing.”

“Which was?”

Danica had thought about the stranger’s clothes a good bit, attempting to brand every detail into her memory so she wouldn’t forget. “Like something out of Tombstone. It’s one of my dad’s favorite movies, so I’ve seen it a lot. One of those long black frock coats, and the kind of shirts they used to wear in the 1800s. You know, with the band collar.”

“I’m familiar with that, yes.” Marie’s mouth pursed slightly, and she added, “But I also know that we have a lot of historical re-enactors in this part of the world. Maybe he was off doing an encampment or something and got lost.”

“An encampment on a Thursday night?” Danica scoffed. “I mean, I guess it’s not outside the realm of possibility, but don’t they usually have those things over the weekend?”

“I would assume so, but I’d say it’s a more logical explanation than having a ghost suddenly turn up on the property.” A lift of her slender shoulders, and Marie leaned toward the coffee table so she could pick up her neglected glass of iced tea. “But if you really want an expert opinion, you should call Angela. She’s the one who knows all about ghosts. If there actually is some kind of spirit at the cabin, she should be able to call it forth and communicate with it.”

The thought had crossed Danica’s mind as well, but she’d decided that she should get some background from Marie before approaching Angela. After all, Marie was her cousin, and Danica had known her all her life. It was Danica’s older sister Mason who was friendly with Angela, since they were closer in age. If Danica had exchanged even a hundred words with Angela in the three years since the two clans had been reconciled, she would be surprised.

But it seemed as if there wasn’t much else Danica could do except talk to the McAllister prima. As Marie had said, Angela was the expert when it came to ghosts.

“Okay,” Danica said after a brief hesitation, hoping the reluctance in her tone wasn’t too obvious. “I’ll see what she has to say.”

And pray that she doesn’t drag the twins along if we end up having to take a field trip back to the cabin….