“I don’t own a mobile,” Michel replied.
Gil and I both stared at him as if he’d just spoken Martian. “Say what, now?”
“I find them distracting.”
I was so tired and fed up with being stymied at every turn that I lost my temper. “You know what else is distracting? Needing to make an emergency call when your landline is dead!”
“M. J.,” Gil said, “ease up, okay?”
I took a steadying breath and apologized to Michel. “It’s fine,” he assured me. “Usually I’m in the company of people who have their mobiles with them at all times, so it’s not been an issue until tonight.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to think this through. “Is there someone we can wake up in the castle to borrow their cell phone? Like one of the other models, maybe?”
Gil and Michel shook their heads at the same time. “Everyone went into town for dinner and drinks,” Gil said. “There’s no one here besides us fools. Or maybe one of the other guests.”
I knew of only two other guests at the castle: that horrible man and his frightened mousy wife in the room next to mine. I hated to think of waking them up, because I was positive the jerk would only take the disturbance out on his wife. “So we’re stuck,” I said miserably.
“It would seem so,” Michel replied. “Unless Mr. Crunn knows of another way out of the castle, and there’s sure to be one. Places like this always have a hidden door leading to the outside.”
I pointed across the courtyard. “There’s one right there,” I said. “But I wouldn’t go through it for all the tea in China.”
Gil eyed me oddly. “What are you, a hundred?”
“It’s a common expression!”
“Yes. For people born during the Roosevelt years. . . the first Roosevelt.”
I glowered at Gilley. “Bite me.”
“Now, that’s more contemporary.”
I muttered something else a bit more contemporary and not so much to Gilley’s liking before turning on my heel and marching away to head back inside to ask Arthur if there was another way out of the castle, but then I realized that being out of the castle wasn’t likely to do anyone any good. The town was several miles away and I didn’t particularly want to venture off across the moors in the dark. No, we’d be stuck here, so I should probably quit stalling and get busy trying to find Gopher and the others.
Gil caught up to me and tugged on my sweatshirt. (Like how I’ve already claimed it as mine?) “Hold on, M. J. Give this back.”
“Nope,” I said, tugging free of his grip and picking up my pace to a trot.
Gil wasn’t about to give up that easily; he picked his pace up too. “You promised to give it to me when we got back.”
“But you didn’t go anywhere. When you go somewhere and come back, I’ll hand it over.”
He tugged on my sleeve again. “Be serious!”
“I am being serious, Gil. I need this sweatshirt to go after Gopher and the others in the south wing. Now stop pulling on it, would you?”
“M. J.!” Gil screeched. “I can’t be here without my sweatshirt!”
“Of course you can. Between John and me, we’ve got at least eight spikes. That should be more than enough to keep you safe while I go look for the crew.”
“If it’s enough to keep me safe, then it’s enough to keep you safe.”
I didn’t answer him because the fact of the matter was that even ten spikes hadn’t been enough the last time. Of course, we hadn’t had all of them exposed at the time the Widow and that big black shadow had come chasing after us, but still, I knew I’d have a much better chance of surviving another visit to the south wing only if I wore the sweatshirt. At the very least I had a decent shot at making it to my phone to call for help.
Gil continued to tug on my arm the whole rest of the way back into the castle. John and Arthur were still standing where I’d left them, and by the looks on their faces I could tell they’d been discussing something grave. “Did he call the police?” John asked me when we entered.
I shook my head. “Gil loaned his cell out to the model who went along on the ghost hunt, and Michel doesn’t own a cell.”
“What are they doing back here, then?” John asked.
“The drawbridge is up.”
Arthur’s jaw fell open. “What? But that’s not right! It should be down!”
“Well, someone put it up and messed with the wires on the mechanism that raises and lowers it. We’re stuck here unless you know of another way out of the castle so that one of us can go for help.”
Arthur stared at me blankly as if he was having trouble taking in my words. At last he said, “Well, there is the door to the side of the keep that hides the tunnel that goes across the moat.”
I shook my head vigorously. “No way. That’s where the Widow ambushed us this morning.”
Arthur’s lips pressed together. “There is another exit,” he said. “But it’s on the far side of the castle. In the south wing.”
My shoulders sagged. “Of course it is.”
“How far is the police station from here?” John asked.
“Several kilometers,” Arthur said. “At least two hours’ walk.”
“In the dark and across the moors, right?”
Arthur nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“Is there anyone who lives close by who might be of help?”
Arthur wrung his hands together. “The dowager owns most of the surrounding land. I’m afraid there’s no one nearby for at least three kilometers or so, and even they would be difficult to locate in the dark.”
I sighed. “Okay, then that does it. We stay put until the modeling troupe comes back and hopefully someone in their party will be bright enough to alert the authorities once they realize they can’t get inside.”
“André or Jaqui will certainly attempt to call,” Michel said.
My mind was going in a thousand directions and for a moment I blanked on the names. “Who?”
“André and Jaqui Lefebvre,” he replied.
“Ah, yeah,” I said, remembering that even if André didn’t think of it, his wife was certainly a shrewd customer. No woman spies on her husband like she’d done earlier without having at least a few solid brain cells.
“But what about Kim and the others?” John said, pulling us back to the urgent matter at hand.
I eyed him knowingly. I’d been certain that even though he and Kim had split up, John still carried a flame for her. “I’ll go look for them now,” I said before reaching into my pocket to pull out my room key. Handing it to John, I said, “Grab the spikes in my room and the ones from your tool belt and stay close to Gilley, Michel, and Arthur until I get back. Protect them just in case the Widow comes into this section of the castle.”
John looked like he wanted to argue with me about the plan, so I turned away and faced Crunn. “Arthur, has the Grim Widow ever come into this section of the castle?”
He shook his head vigorously. “I’d never work here if she did.”
“So she sticks to the south wing exclusively?”
“Yes, that and. . .” Arthur seemed to catch himself.
“And? And what?”
“The moat. She’s often seen at night swimming in the moat.”
I had firsthand experience with that particular fact. “Okay, then, while I’m gone, see if you can think of another way to alert the authorities and get an electrician to make an emergency castle visit. Even if you have to wake up another one of the guests, do it. If a fire broke out, we’d all be in serious trouble.”
Crunn blanched. “I hadn’t considered that. Let me check the registry.” And off he went to do that.
When I turned back to Gil, Michel, and John, they al
l wore identical expressions of doubt on their faces. “I should go with you,” John said.
“No.” I knew John meant well, and I was pretty touched that after his major scare earlier he’d still volunteer to come with me, but in dicey situations, he was unpredictable, and if he went running off in a panic again, I didn’t know whether I could save him—especially if I managed to find Gopher and the girls and had them to worry about too.
“I’d like to volunteer,” Michel said next.
“Thank you, Michel, but the answer is also no. The only person I’d be willing to take along on this hunt is currently lying in a hospital bed.”
“M. J.,” Gil said, but I cut him off.
“I’ll be fine, Gilley. Stick with John and Michel and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, I turned to the stairs, but thought of something as I was on my way up. Turning back, I said, “John, can you let me into your room? I want to grab a couple of flashlights and maybe one of the night-vision cameras.”
“Gopher took all the cameras with him, M. J.”
“Crap,” I muttered. “I have a feeling I’m really gonna need one of those.”
“He didn’t take all of them,” Gilley said. “One needed some repairs and I’ve got it in my room. I’ll trade you it for my sweatshirt.”
“Gil,” I said wearily.
“I read up on this Grim Widow,” Gil protested. “She really likes to go after hot young guys! I’m a prime target!”
I leveled my eyes at Gilley with barely concealed skepticism.
Gil glared right back at me, as if daring me to contradict him.
“I’ll give you most of the spikes,” John said to Gilley, coming to join me on the stairs. “And don’t you have some spare magnets in your gear, Gil? I mean, I could’ve sworn I saw you pick up at least a dozen packs when we were in Germany from that tourist shop.”
Gilley had a dozen packs of spare magnets? This was news to me. And when I saw his face flush with guilt, I knew it was true. I returned Gilley’s glare, and then some. “While I’m gone, you can make yourself a spare sweatshirt or a pair of magnetic pj’s for all I care. But for the time being, Gilley Gillespie, I’m keeping this sweatshirt and you are giving me that night-vision camera!”
Gil scowled but followed after us without protest as we headed up the stairs. When we got to John’s room, he doled out two flashlights and the least reliable electrostatic meter we had (likely why Gopher had left it behind), and put fresh batteries in the night-vision camera that Gilley retrieved from his room. I noticed that Gil also brought along several packs of flat magnets, one of his sweatshirts, and a glue gun. He’d be busy while I was looking for the crew.
John took six spikes and stuffed them into a tool belt, giving the rest to Gilley. “I’ll walk you as far as the door to the south wing,” he explained.
When Gilley protested that that would leave him with only four, John pointed to Gil’s stash of extra magnets and walked out without another word. I followed right behind him before Gil could start whining again.
“You nervous?” John asked when we’d walked for a bit.
“Terrified.”
“Seriously, M. J., I think I should go with you. I mean, I could stick really close to you so that the sweatshirt might be enough to shield both of us.”
Again the image of John flying down the hallway away from the black shadow demon played through my mind. “Sorry, buddy,” I told him. “But I’m gonna need you to stay close to Gilley and make sure he doesn’t lose it tonight.”
Briefly, relief flashed across John’s face, and I didn’t blame him. Then he seemed to think of something. “Hey, wait here!” he said before dashing back the way we’d come. I had waited for him for all of three or four minutes when he came running back with a smug look on his face. After he handed me one of two headsets, I knew why.
“I almost forgot we still had these,” he said, a little out of breath.
I put the headset on. “Do they work?” I seemed to recall the last time we used these had been in Ireland, and they’d been pretty beaten up on the bust we’d used them for.
John put his on too and clicked the power button. “Can you hear me now?”
I smiled. “Loud and clear, buddy. Okay, this is good.”
“Gil also said he should be able to get a view through your camera feed, M. J. He’s pulling up the link on his computer right now, so you can switch that on anytime and we’ll know where you are and how to find you when. . . I mean if you get into trouble.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
John’s eyes dropped to the floor. “Sorry.”
“It’s cool. But if I do get into trouble, the last thing I need is for you guys to come running to my rescue and be picked off one at a time by the Widow. You gotta promise me that the three of you will sit tight. I’ll figure out how to keep myself safe, okay?”
“What if she pulls you into the moat like she did Heath?” John asked.
I barely held back a shudder. “She won’t,” I promised, not quite believing I could stop her, but determined to try. “As long as I stick to the south wing, she won’t have a chance to get me into the moat.”
“Just don’t pull down any of those sconces,” John warned, stopping as we reached the door to the south wing.
“Noted.” I took a big breath and stood in front of the door for a minute, gathering my courage. I reached for the handle and hesitated. “John, you’d better get back to the main hall. Arthur only said he’d never seen her come past the south wing—he didn’t say that she couldn’t.”
John gulped. “Good point. Be careful, M. J., okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
John turned then and jogged away. I waited until he was out of sight, then counted to ten and turned back to face the music.
“M. J.? This is Gilley. You copy? Over.”
I think I jumped about a foot as Gil’s voice echoed loudly into my ear. Once I’d calmed myself down, I whispered, “I’m here, guy.”
“You forgot to say ‘over,’ over.”
I ground my teeth together. “I’m over your overs, Gil. Now shut it for a minute, would you?”
“But I can’t see anything! Did you switch on the camera?”
I looked down at my right hand. The little red button was unlit. After flipping on the camera’s power, I raised it and turned the lens to my face. “Can you see me?”
“Yeah. Good. It’s working. Okay, continue with the hunt!” he said, like he was my director or something.
I resisted the urge to turn off the headset and reached for the door handle. Very slowly I pulled it open a crack and peeked through. The hallway was ominously dark and none of the overhead lights were on. How’d I know this wouldn’t be easy?
Lifting the camera, I turned the lens toward the opening and looked at the screen. The hallway appeared to be empty.
“What’re you waiting for?” Gil asked me, his voice slightly bored.
“Will you shut up?” I snapped quietly. He was throwing off my concentration and irritating me no end.
“I just asked you a simple question,” he said. “Over.”
I closed the door and stepped away several feet from it. Putting my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound of my voice, I said, “Gilley Morehouse Gillespie, you hand this headset over to John right now!”
“God, M. J., are you PMSing tonight or what? Over.”
“Now, Gil, or I’m gonna quit the hunt and come back there to throttle you!”
I heard the sound of plastic squeaking and then I heard John’s voice. “Hey, M. J., you okay?”
I let out a little of the hot air welling inside of me. “Do me a favor and stay on with me, okay, John? Don’t le
t Gilley have the headset back.”
“You got it.”
Taking another deep breath, I turned and trotted back to the door and reached for the handle. Pausing to grip it tightly, I counted to ten, lifted the camera, and opened the door wide.
The most hideous face met the lens of the camera as the Grim Widow jumped out right at me and hissed like a snake.
In my ear I could hear the sound of Gilley screaming and even John shouted out fearfully, but no one screamed as loudly as I did.
I jumped back and slammed the door, then turned tail and ran for all I was worth. I didn’t stop until I’d reached the stairs leading down to the main hall. Below me in the center of the room were Gilley, John, Michel, and Arthur, all huddled close together and staring around with big frightened eyes. I knew my own expression likely mirrored theirs. “You’re alive!” Gil exclaimed when he saw me.
I was breathing hard as I descended the stairs, looking over my shoulder as I went. When I reached the group, Gilley flung himself at me. “Oh, thank God!”
“I’m fine,” I told him. “Severely freaked-out, but otherwise unharmed.”
Gil continued to hug me. In fact, he even tightened his grip. “Gil,” I said. “Let go.”
But he wouldn’t, and I suddenly realized he was less concerned about me and more interested in sharing the energy of the magnets surrounding me. It took me nearly a minute to pry him off me. “Did she hurt you?” Arthur asked once I’d managed to shove Gil away.
I shook my head. “No. She just hissed and I bolted.”
“Did she come after you?” John asked, staring nervously toward the stairs.
“No,” I repeated. “At least I don’t think so. Arthur appears to be right. She sticks to the south wing.”
“This section of the castle was exorcised by a priest in the early 1700s,” Arthur told us. “That seemed to keep her confined to the south side of the castle.”
“Why didn’t the priest take care of the whole castle while he was at it?” I asked. It seemed stupid to leave any part of the castle to that horrible spook.