Page 6 of Ghost Hunters 2

A little while later Dino got up and said, “Just give me a few minutes and he went back to the pantry. He knew the answer was in that room and he had to find it.

Jillian busied herself looking through the cabinets and trying to find the silverware for the large dinner they would have tonight.

A few minutes later, Dino popped his head into the kitchen door and grinned. “I think I found the answer.”

Jillian set some potholders back onto the counter and joined him. “What did you find?”

They both returned to the dining room.

Dino walked over to the hutch and pressed a button he’d discovered on the underside of the top. The hutch moved slightly back into the wall.

Jillian gasped and gushed at him, “Clever!”

Dino’s grin widened. “Come on, we may have to push it the rest of the way. No one has used this entrance for a long time. But don’t get stuck, ok?” he joked.

“Yes, Doctor,” she faked a German accent.

Dino rolled his eyes and quipped, “Clever.”

They laughed all over again.

Jillian joined him and they managed to push the hidden door open enough to slip inside the hidden stairwell.

“Oh wow,” Jillian said as she peeked down into the darkness. “It has been a while since anyone has been down there.”

The walls were covered in cobwebs. They could hear mice and other rodents scurrying away from the sound of their voices.

“Come on,” Dino urged. “We need to find some flashlights and have a look around.”

Jillian stepped back into the pantry. She brushed her hair and clothing free of the cobwebs and nodded. “Ok, I found a couple of flashlights in the kitchen just a few minutes ago. I may have to hunt down some batteries though.”

“While you do that, I’ll check on Grandpa. It isn’t like him to sleep so much during the day.”

Jillian went back to the kitchen, found the flashlights and was looking for fresh batteries.

Dino came back into the room. He seemed upset.

Jillian asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Matthew’s not in his room.”

“Is he out on the front porch?”

Dino shook his head. “No, I checked there too. I’ve checked the entire first floor and I can’t find him anywhere. It’s as if he disappeared completely.”

Jillian put the flashlight on the counter and rushed to the room where Matthew had been. She could see his empty bed. The covers were messed up as if he laid on them to rest but there were no real signs of a struggle anywhere else in the room. Even his cane was hanging at the end of the bed.

Dino came up behind her and asked, “Where else would he be?”

Jillian shrugged. “I don’t know but we have to find him. We’ll search every room if we have to. Did you check the bathroom?”

Dino nodded. “That was the first place I looked and it was empty.”

Jillian had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She thought about Claire. “Ok, you look on the first floor and I’ll look upstairs. I don’t know if he could have made it up the steps but I’ll look up there anyway.”

Dino pointed to the cane hanging on the bed rail. “I don’t think he would leave his cane behind if he was walking anywhere.”

“I know and that is what really worries me.” Jillian turned and hurried to the stairway leading to the second floor. She took the steps two at a time. She opened the first door and looked inside, calling Matthew’s name.