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Trey shifted—a subtle move that put him between Sonya and the door. When he opened it, both dogs made warning sounds in their throats.
But inside, nothing moved.
“Feels colder.”
To Sonya’s dismay, he released her hand and walked inside. Skirting draped furniture, he checked the windows.
“Nothing open, but it’s definitely a cold spot. Easily ten degrees under the hallway.”
“We walked through all of this the first day, and I went through with Cleo. It wasn’t like this.”
“Nope. It is now.”
Steeling herself, Sonya started to step inside. The door slammed in her face.
And the dogs went wild.
As they barked, and Mookie leaped at the door, she grabbed the knob, turning, tugging when it refused to move. Giving up, she pounded on the door, shouting for Trey.
Inside, Trey stood as the temperature dropped enough for him tosee his breath. Around him, the drapes over the furniture fluttered and snapped.
Under its white sheeting, the bed began to shake, then hammer against the floor. The drawers on the covered bureau flew open, slammed shut as wind roared down the chimney.
His hands wanted to ball into fists to fight what he couldn’t see. Instead, he tucked them into the pockets of his black trousers.
“Is this all you’ve got? A bunch of noise and cold air? Even dead you’re still a half-assed witch.”
On a shriek, the pale gold damask wallpaper split open like wounds. It bled.
“Right. I could do this all day, but the lady’s waiting.”
He walked to the door, paused to look back. “This isn’t your house. It never was your house, it’s never going to be your house. You want this room, you’ve got it. For now.”
As he put his hand on the knob, the air stilled and warmed. The walls healed.
When he opened the door, he found his arms full of Sonya, and a pair of dogs leaping and licking.
“Are you all right?” Sonya ran her hands over his face, his shoulders. “The door wouldn’t open. It slammed shut and wouldn’t open. I couldn’t hear anything.”
“You couldn’t hear anything?”
“I mean, yes. The dogs were barking and jumping at the door. I pounded on it, called you, but you didn’t answer.”
“I didn’t hear any of that.” After a last look inside, he shut the door. “That’s interesting.”
“Interesting?Interesting?I have to sit down.”
She did, on the floor in the hallway. Yoda scrambled into her lap and Mookie leaned on her shoulder.
Trey hunkered down so they were at eye level. “Let’s go on down. And it’s probably best to stay out of that room until we figure it out.”
“Oh, you think? Staying out of the evil, scary room? There’s an idea.”
“The room’s not evil, Sonya.”
“Right.” She pressed her hands to her face. “Full panic. I don’tknow if I’ve ever hit full panic mode before, but now I’ll know what to expect if I ever do again.”
Dropping her hands, she reached for his again. “I didn’t know what was happening in there, to you. What happened in there?”
