The Stroke of Winter(75)

“Why electronics, though?” Tess asked. “I mean, I get the fact that it records everything, but I’m just wondering how and why. I mean, if we can’t hear it or see it, how does an electronic device pick it up?”

“Spirits can communicate through, and use, electricity,” Jane said. “You’ve certainly heard of lights going on and off, televisions doing the same.”

“Why, though?”

“It’s something to do with the frequency,” Jane said. “And their plane. Where they are.”

Tess didn’t quite understand it, but she supposed she didn’t need to. Her stomach was starting to knot up. This was really happening. She had seen plenty of ghost-hunting programs on television. Much of what she saw on those shows seemed staged and hokey. But some of it? Tess wasn’t sure what it was all about, but she knew it sent a chill up her spine. Now it was her haunted house they were investigating.

The idea of really being able to speak to the undead . . . If it were true, if they really could communicate with someone who had died, what did that say about the nature of the universe? Of life and death? Was it hopeful, being sure that when life ended, there wasn’t just a vast nothingness? Was it naive, thinking a person’s being, or spirit, could exist without a brain and a beating heart and a body? Was it foolish, buying into all this in the first place?

Tess didn’t know. But she did know she was dealing with something she didn’t understand and couldn’t possibly live with one more day. After the horrors she had experienced the night before, with the dogs tearing into thin air, she knew she had to do something. And this was the best option she had at the moment.

Wyatt got to his feet and surveyed all the equipment. “I see you have five headlamps,” he said. “I guess that means we’re all playing.”

“I volunteer to sit out and monitor the kitchen for suspicious activity,” Hunter offered. “Especially if you have a bottle of Scotch.”

“Nice try,” Grant said. “We need everyone. I can’t use all of these devices myself.”

“I guess there is strength in numbers,” Tess offered, shrugging. Her heart was beating hard in her chest.

All this banter was taking the tension out of the room. A look of amusement passed between Grant and Hunter, and Tess thought maybe that was the point. If they could joke enough before the group set out, nobody would be tense, nervous, or putting out bad vibes.

“I suppose we should start in the studio,” Tess said, grabbing a headlamp and sliding it onto her forehead.

“Not so fast,” Jane said. “Grant showed you all of his equipment and doodads. Now it’s time for mine.”

Jane reached into the macramé tote bag she was carrying and pulled out a box about the size of a shoebox. She opened it to reveal two thick bundles of what looked like dried herbs, each wrapped with white thread.

“Sage,” she said, handing a bundle to Tess. “One for you, one for me.”

Tess had heard about using sage in haunted places.

“It cleanses the house of any negative energy,” Jane said. “And smells good, too. We’ll light them after we finish here tonight, paying attention to doorways and thresholds.”

She turned to the group. “Huddle up,” she said, holding out her hands. The five of them formed a circle, hand in hand.

“I am speaking to the spirits who inhabit this house,” Jane said, her eyes closed. “Our intentions are pure; our hearts are open. We come to learn what you want to tell us, and to bring you a semblance of peace. We are here in love and respect. Please tell us what you want us to know.”

Tess felt a rush of electricity jolt through her. Wyatt squeezed her hand and nodded. He felt it, too.

Grant handed out the various devices. Wyatt took a voice and sound recorder. Each got an EMF meter and a camera. Grant took the FLIR. The whole group strapped on their headlamps and turned them on.

Jane flipped the lights off, and the headlamps filled the room with an eerie red glow.

“We have a lot of house to cover, so we should split up,” Grant said. “Obviously the studio is going to be the hot spot, but we’re not sure what else we’ll find in other parts of the house. This doesn’t have to be anything formal, with room assignments or anything. Let’s just start walking around, going where our instincts lead us. Turn on your devices.”

Tess took a deep breath. It was time to do this thing.





CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE



As she stood in the dark kitchen, Tess was glued to her EMF meter. She had half expected it to go crazy the moment it was turned on, but it was so still, she checked several times to see if it was on or off.

“Anybody getting anything?” Grant said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.

“All quiet,” Hunter said.

“Same,” Tess whispered.

They made their way, as a group, out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Then they split up, Grant pointing here and there as though he were a general on the battlefield giving orders to soldiers. They veered off into different rooms.

“Call out if you get any readings,” Grant said.

Tess had no doubt she would do more than just “call out.” Her heart was beating so hard she was sure the whole house could hear it.

Wyatt stayed with her, perhaps sensing her unease, or, perhaps, because of his own.