The Spite House(18)

The ghost hunters stared at Eunice a moment, again unsure if she actually wanted them to answer, then jumped when they heard a knock behind them. They turned to see Dana in the doorway.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Dana said, “but your one o’clock is already here, Mrs. Houghton. Just wanted to be sure you knew.”

“Oh. Good on them getting here so early,” Eunice said. “Thank you, Dana. We’re done here anyway.”

She motioned for the interviewees to follow Dana out of the room. They hesitated, and she could tell they wanted her to finish her story. She told them, “Thank you for listening. I appreciate your courtesy. If we’re interested, you’ll hear from us. Have a pleasant rest of your day.”

“Right this way, please,” Dana said. Then the four of them stood and followed Dana, shuffling out in silence as though they had just received terrible news and were still processing it. After they were gone, Lafonda approached and said, “How are you feeling?”

“Not bad. My blood was up for a moment.”

“I saw.”

“You could read my watch from way over there?”

“I could read your face.”

“Oh? What’s it saying now?”

“‘Damn Lafonda and her perceptiveness. I know that’s a big part of why I hired her, but I kind of hate how good she is.’”

Eunice laughed, then said, “Would you mind helping Dana with our next group. I believe it’s the father with his two girls.”

“Oh, right.”

“You’re sure you’re okay with keeping the girls occupied? It shouldn’t take very long, but I can ask Dana to trade places with you, if you like.”

“No, no,” Lafonda said. “She’s probably already mad I let you go so long with this last one. Anyway, I already wear a hundred other hats in this house. I don’t think a little babysitting will kill me.”

“As always, I appreciate your efforts, Miss Lafonda.”

“And as always, I appreciate my healthy salary, Miss Eunice.”

They shared a small, quiet laugh, Eunice knowing better than anyone how her family home’s acoustics could carry a sound even all the way down the stairs and up to the front door. She didn’t want Dana to hear the two of them joking any more than Lafonda wanted that. It was liable to put Dana in a mood and they would have to meet after this last interview to discuss next steps. Eunice did not want to spend any time this afternoon listening to Dana sigh, suck her teeth, and answer any request for her opinion with, “It’s really your decision, Eunice.”

Before she left, Lafonda said, “I’m changing the routine this evening. Just warning you now—”

“Don’t you dare,” Eunice said.

“—so I don’t have to hear you complain later. Well, not as much.”

“I want to hit the bag. I’ve been looking forward to it. I need to hit the bag.”

“You need to relax.”

“That does help me relax.”

“Not as much as the yoga. We have stats on that, you know. The lady who pays me runs a whole big company built around that kind of thing.”

Eunice frowned. “We’ll talk about this later, but I’m boxing tonight.”

Lafonda waved as she exited the office. Eunice went behind her desk, put on her glasses, and woke up her laptop—docked to large dual monitors—to check her notes for the next interview. She worked almost as hard on remaining computer literate these days as she did on remaining as fit as feasible, in no small part because of situations like this. She’d forgotten the name of the person she was to meet with. There it was on the screen, though, in her business notes app. Eric Ross. Beneath his name, a few things about him she’d documented while quietly listening in on his prescreening call with Dana.

2 daughters—did not volunteer names.



From “northeast area.” When pressed, claimed from “near Philadelphia.” No accent?



Why is he living out of motels with his girls? He did not say. Messaged Dana not to ask. Don’t want to scare him off.



Sounds sincere. Clearly hiding something. Might be running from something. Fugitive? Will have Dana check background to be sure it’s nothing serious. Otherwise, this could make him more likely to stay. Could be an ideal candidate. Should have thought of someone like this before.



Question: Should I tell him what happened to Jane and Max? Leaning toward yes, for the sake of his girls. We’ll see how I feel in the moment.



She reread the last lines a few more times, determining how she felt now that the moment was here.





CHAPTER 7



Eric



It surprised him that there was no gate or guard in place to keep out trespassers. He followed the directions Dana gave him yesterday after retracing his path back from the site of the spite house to the sign that welcomed people to Degener. From there he headed north, toward the even more scenic and less densely populated part of town. After passing a couple of ranches, the road rounded into a large hollow where a monstrous mansion stood in the middle of several lush acres.

“Wow, it’s like a castle,” Stacy said. Eric jumped a little at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t realized she had woken up.