what he needed to do next.
Grace yelled, “Daddy!”
The man didn’t react, behaving like he didn’t notice she was there. She attempted to latch on to the end of his trousers, but Vivian grabbed her from behind, pulling her back.
“No!” Grace yelled. “Daddy, please. Don’t leave me, Daddy, stay here! Stay with us! Please!”
He floated toward the light. A moment later, he was gone. Grace sagged to her knees, and Vivian bent down, wrapping her arms around her sister.
“Why did he have to go, Viv?” Grace whimpered. “I thought he was going to be with us now. You said he’d be with us.”
“He will be, Grace,” Vivian replied. “He will be soon. I promise.”
“I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t like this place.”
Vivian extended a hand. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
The image of the girls faded, and the room disappeared. In a split second Addison found herself back at the cemetery, the belt buckle no longer in her hands. Luke hovered over her.
“What is it?” he asked. “What did you see?”
She steadied her breathing and turned, looking once more at the name on the headstone next to her. “I saw the night Cliff Clark died.”
CHAPTER 6
Luke placed a container of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy ice cream in front of Addison, along with a spoon, and sat across from her at the kitchen table.
“What’s this?” Addison asked.
“Ice cream.”
Addison peeled off the lid, digging out a hefty scoop. “Yes, but why?”
“Because it’s your favorite, and because you need it, and because chocolate fixes everything.”
She raised a brow. “Everything?”
“Okay, almost everything. You were quiet on the ride home. Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?”
Addison nodded. “The belt buckle must have belonged to the girls’ father, Cliff Clark. When I touched it, I found myself inside one of his memories. Well, not one of his memories exactly, a memory from the night he died.”
It wasn’t the first time touching an object had granted her access to a person’s past. She’d experienced it before, a few times as a child, and more recently at Grayson Manor. The experiences were always unpredictable, never the same—always leaving Addison with more questions than answers.
“How do you know Cliff Clark is Vivian and Grace’s father?” Luke asked.
“They were there, in my vision. Grace called him Daddy.”
“The two graves next to Cliff’s had the same surname: Clark. They’d been there a lot longer though. I’m guessing they’re his parents.”
“If the girls’ father and grandparents are buried at the local cemetery, there’s a good chance the manor is in the area too.”
Luke nodded then added, “If the girls are also dead, wouldn’t they be buried near their father?”
“Good question. Here’s another one. In my vision, I saw Cliff die. I literally watched his spirit body detach from his physical body. Seconds before he crossed over, Grace tried to get his attention. He didn’t seem to hear her. Why didn’t he? I mean, if they’re dead and he’s dead, why couldn’t they communicate with each other?”
Luke tapped a finger on the table, thinking. “He crossed over. They didn’t. He was free to move on, and they might be stuck here. Do you have any idea how he died?”
“He was attached to a machine in the hospital room. He was pale, his face an ashy white like he was sick, not just from dying, like he was afflicted or weak with a disease. When I saw him, he was already dead. He’d just passed away.”
There were too many questions and too few clues. She needed answers, needed to talk to someone who knew the Clarks’ history, someone old enough to tell her what happened to the girls. And she knew the perfect nosey neighbor to ask.
CHAPTER 7
Helen Bouvier coiled her fingers around the curved wood handle of her Birchwood cane and steadied herself. A couple minutes earlier, she’d jerked the
Grace yelled, “Daddy!”
The man didn’t react, behaving like he didn’t notice she was there. She attempted to latch on to the end of his trousers, but Vivian grabbed her from behind, pulling her back.
“No!” Grace yelled. “Daddy, please. Don’t leave me, Daddy, stay here! Stay with us! Please!”
He floated toward the light. A moment later, he was gone. Grace sagged to her knees, and Vivian bent down, wrapping her arms around her sister.
“Why did he have to go, Viv?” Grace whimpered. “I thought he was going to be with us now. You said he’d be with us.”
“He will be, Grace,” Vivian replied. “He will be soon. I promise.”
“I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t like this place.”
Vivian extended a hand. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
The image of the girls faded, and the room disappeared. In a split second Addison found herself back at the cemetery, the belt buckle no longer in her hands. Luke hovered over her.
“What is it?” he asked. “What did you see?”
She steadied her breathing and turned, looking once more at the name on the headstone next to her. “I saw the night Cliff Clark died.”
CHAPTER 6
Luke placed a container of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy ice cream in front of Addison, along with a spoon, and sat across from her at the kitchen table.
“What’s this?” Addison asked.
“Ice cream.”
Addison peeled off the lid, digging out a hefty scoop. “Yes, but why?”
“Because it’s your favorite, and because you need it, and because chocolate fixes everything.”
She raised a brow. “Everything?”
“Okay, almost everything. You were quiet on the ride home. Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?”
Addison nodded. “The belt buckle must have belonged to the girls’ father, Cliff Clark. When I touched it, I found myself inside one of his memories. Well, not one of his memories exactly, a memory from the night he died.”
It wasn’t the first time touching an object had granted her access to a person’s past. She’d experienced it before, a few times as a child, and more recently at Grayson Manor. The experiences were always unpredictable, never the same—always leaving Addison with more questions than answers.
“How do you know Cliff Clark is Vivian and Grace’s father?” Luke asked.
“They were there, in my vision. Grace called him Daddy.”
“The two graves next to Cliff’s had the same surname: Clark. They’d been there a lot longer though. I’m guessing they’re his parents.”
“If the girls’ father and grandparents are buried at the local cemetery, there’s a good chance the manor is in the area too.”
Luke nodded then added, “If the girls are also dead, wouldn’t they be buried near their father?”
“Good question. Here’s another one. In my vision, I saw Cliff die. I literally watched his spirit body detach from his physical body. Seconds before he crossed over, Grace tried to get his attention. He didn’t seem to hear her. Why didn’t he? I mean, if they’re dead and he’s dead, why couldn’t they communicate with each other?”
Luke tapped a finger on the table, thinking. “He crossed over. They didn’t. He was free to move on, and they might be stuck here. Do you have any idea how he died?”
“He was attached to a machine in the hospital room. He was pale, his face an ashy white like he was sick, not just from dying, like he was afflicted or weak with a disease. When I saw him, he was already dead. He’d just passed away.”
There were too many questions and too few clues. She needed answers, needed to talk to someone who knew the Clarks’ history, someone old enough to tell her what happened to the girls. And she knew the perfect nosey neighbor to ask.
CHAPTER 7
Helen Bouvier coiled her fingers around the curved wood handle of her Birchwood cane and steadied herself. A couple minutes earlier, she’d jerked the
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