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“Why do you think, in this big empty room, there’s a bookcase over here?”
“I have no idea. Maybe it was too big to move, so they left it. You could store paint cans and stuff on it.”
“I think something’s behind it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you psychic now?”
“No, smart-ass, I just think that something’s behind it. I don’t know why.”
She tries to move it, but it won’t budge, so I walk over to help. “You push that end, and I’ll pull.”
“Deal.” With some elbow grease and a little grunting, we manage to move the case out of the way, and sure enough, there’s a door. “Looks like you were right.”
June doesn’t look entirely happy about that, so I do the honors of opening the door, unable to see much beyond the doorway because it’s pitch-black inside the space.
“There might be a light,” I mutter and feel along the inside wall. “Yep, there’s the switch.”
The room lights up, and June and I just stand here, stunned.
“Is that amausoleum?” she demands.
“Looks that way.” I step inside first, completely enthralled by the plaques that mark each of the crypts. “But they’re small. No way a casket would fit in there.”
“I think they’re cremated,” June says, looking around. “This is a place to bury cremated remains. I’ve seen these aboveground in plenty of cemeteries. I wish there was something about this in the paperwork so I knew what in the hell is going on. Apollo, there are people buriedin my house.”
“Well, to be fair, people were buried in churches all the time.”
“Yeah, inEurope.”
“Obviously, it happens here, too, because here we are. Technically, they’re not in your house since we’re under your side yard right now. I bet that’s why they never added on to the building over here.”
“What am I supposed to do with these people?” Her voice is shrill with panic as she asks me a question I don’t have an answer for.
“I work with electricity,” I remind her. “I’m not a coroner or a city official.”
“Look, I’m fine with the dead people in the backyard. I was expecting that. But this is too much. I don’t like itat all.”
“Okay. I get that. I think you need to call the city and find out what to do. I’m sure this can be relocated to the city cemetery, but there might be a lot of red tape to make it happen.”
“If they won’t let that happen, I can’t live here.”
“June, the graves out the back door are closer. What’s the difference?”
“I don’t know.” She throws up her hands and walks in a circle. “It’s just creepier. If there are ghosts outside, they’reoutside.These people could be roaming around the whole house.”
“I don’t believe in that.”
“You’ve smelled Rose at the lighthouse.”
“Right. She’s haunting the lighthouse, not where she’s buried. These people have better things to do than scare the bejesus out of you in the chapel.”
She narrows her eyes at me menacingly, and I want to kiss her senseless, but knowing her, she wouldn’t let me do that among the dead people around us.
“Are you mocking me?”
“No, ma’am. I wouldn’t dream of it, mostly because I plan on romancing you later. Let’s close this back up, and you can make some calls tomorrow.”
I lead her out of the mausoleum and close the door, and June lets out a sigh of relief.
