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Without looking at the window or back at the door, she jumped into bed.

This time she pulled the covers over her head and lay there shivering in the dark.

What was it she had seen outside on the stairs?

It had looked like the figure of a ghostly woman.

12

The Morning After

When Kelly woke the next morning, the alarm that she thought she’d set this time not going off at all, leaving her to sleep in until nearly eight o’clock, she felt a little groggy and overtired.

The events of the night took a moment to come back to her, as though she were unsure whether they’d actually happened at all.

The window was closed, and when she got up to open it, a cool autumn breeze drifted in. The sun was already peeking above the hills. The garden, the fields, and the hills beyond were all beginning to slowly turn golden as the leaves on the trees changed colour and the summer green faded out of the land.

And when Kelly turned to look at the door, it was still closed.

Upon inspection, it was still locked.

She approached it a little nervously and unlocked it, giving it a jiggle, but there seemed to be no evidence whatsoever of the creaking and shaking from the night before. In fact, the door fitted snuggly into its frame now.

When she opened and closed it a couple of times, there weren’t any creaks at all, so she carefully inspected the carpet outside for any signs of footprints or scuff marks. However, it looked as though someone had already been along with a vacuum cleaner.

She headed downstairs, but when she entered the dining room, she noticed something of a kerfuffle, with the other customers far more animated than they had been the morning before.

In fact, as she found a table, as usual reserved for Room Number 13 like all the others, she saw a middle-aged couple standing in front of the table reserved either for wedding guests or for the local ghost, posing for a photograph which Miranda was taking for them.

When Kelly noticed Martin standing nearby, polishing a glass with a tea towel, she waved him over.

‘What’s going on?’ she said.

‘Haven’t you heard?’ he replied. ‘Howling Gail was a little lively during the night. Several of the guests heard her wailing in the hall, knocking on some of the doors, even opening some of the windows just to be a little mischievous.’ He stared at her with a knowing look in his eyes. ‘You didn’t notice anything, did you?’

Kelly just smiled. ‘I was exhausted yesterday, not to mention a little tipsy after drinking with Lars and Ambrose. I slept like a complete baby.’

‘Is that so?’ Martin said, lifting one manicured eyebrow into an arch. ‘A couple of the guests were sure they heard shrieking coming from your room.’

Kelly shrugged again. ‘Perhaps I had a nightmare,’ she said. ‘I don’t remember waking at all.’

‘Well,’ Martin said, ‘that’s too bad. It’s not every night that we have a visit from our resident ghost. Most of the time, she keeps quiet and to herself.’

Wondering whether or not they were engaging in a little gentle sparring over whether there was actually any real paranormal activity at the inn, Kelly simply smiled and said, ‘Perhaps tonight I’ll stay up and wait.’

Before Martin could reply, he was called away by another customer.

For the remainder of breakfast time, Martin was busy serving, clearing tables, or helping out with customers’ questions, so Kelly didn’t get another chance to speak to him. After breakfast, she decided it was time to do a little investigating.

After all, Briar Speckles and its litany of maybe-ghosts was beginning to get on her nerves just a little bit.

And nothing would make her happier than to dispel a few of these so-called myths.

13

A Myth-busting Mission

The first place she headed to—because it was closest—was the Bottomless Well.