Sarah Painter - The Secrets Of Ghosts

‘Oh, well. Something will turn up.’

‘What will you do?’

Max shrugged. ‘I have no idea. That’s half the fun, though.’

‘Funny kind of holiday.’

A strange expression crossed his face. At the door, he stopped and turned around. ‘What are you doing in here, anyway? Don’t tell me he owed you money too?’

Katie wasn’t about to explain that she’d seen Mr Cole in her dreams last night and then a magpie had asked her to find his watch. ‘Just checking that the room’s ready,’ Katie said, not able to meet his eyes. She’d always had a policy of being as honest as possible, partly because she was completely useless at lying. She felt a blush begin on her neck, travelling up towards her cheeks.

‘Right.’ Max was looking at her intently, as if he knew full well that she wasn’t telling the truth. Which he probably did.

He took a step towards her. ‘Did you know Oliver? Mr Cole?’

‘I didn’t even know his name was Oliver,’ Katie said, glad to be back on honest ground.

‘You were at the wedding. Did you see him give anybody anything?’

‘Like what?’

Max was still staring at her in an unnervingly calculating manner. Then his face cleared and he gave her a charming smile. ‘Never mind. Don’t worry about it.’

‘I won’t,’ Katie said, irritated. The voile was moving again. Then the mustard velvet twitched. It billowed outwards as if there was something behind it, a figure hiding. Which was daft. Her eyes were playing tricks. Perhaps her blood sugar was low or something.

‘Okay, then,’ Max said. ‘See you around.’

He left the room but Katie was distracted by the change in temperature. The room had been cool but now it was freezing cold, the skin on her arms goose-pimpling. She walked to the window but there was no breeze. The fabric of the curtain was moulding, funnelling into a solid column. There was definitely somebody hiding inside. Somebody moving.

‘Hello?’ Katie forced herself to speak, her voice coming out reedy and thin. Her insides went liquid with fear, but she stamped down on the urge to run. She certainly didn’t mean to scream, but the curtains had billowed inwards, all towering thick cloth, which had suddenly seemed full of malicious intent.

Now, with Max back in the room and saying, ‘What?’ they were lying flat. Playing dead. She backed away from the window.

‘I think there’s someone in here, but I can’t see them.’

Max didn’t laugh, as she expected. He stepped up to the curtains and, before Katie could stop him, pulled them away from the window. Then he checked the bathroom, inside the wardrobe and under the bed. ‘You’re just a bit freaked out. After finding Cole like that.’

‘No.’ Katie shook her head. ‘Look at the curtains.’ The floor-length curtains had gone lumpy again, in the shape of a column or a person. She blinked and they fell slack.

‘Did you see that?’ Katie moved closer to Max. She looked around the room. ‘Where’d they go?’

‘Just some air or something,’ Max said. ‘I’ll close the window.’ He stepped forwards but Katie grabbed his arm.

‘Don’t!’ Katie sounded properly panicked. ‘Stop mucking about,’ she said to the curtains. ‘It’s not funny.’

‘It’s okay,’ Max said soothingly. ‘There’s nobody here.’

‘I think there is. And it’s really cold.’ She was shivering and now her teeth clattered together. She felt Max’s arm go around her shoulder and she wanted to lean into his warmth. But he was a stranger and a thief, so she stepped away.

‘Let’s go outside,’ Max said. ‘You’ll feel better in the sunshine. Warm up a bit.’

‘Something’s wrong,’ Katie said quietly. She turned her head, sniffed the air. ‘Can you smell burning? And—’ She broke off. Shook her head.

‘There’s nothing in here,’ he began. Then a chair tipped over. ‘Fuck!’ He swore in surprise and moved to the door, Katie already a step ahead of him.

Max pushed Katie into the corridor and slammed the door shut behind them.

‘Oh, my God,’ Katie said. She took a ragged breath and leaned against the wall.

‘That was odd,’ Max said. His voice was level but he looked pale and his eyes were wide. ‘Shall we go out for that sunshine now?’

Outside the air tasted good and the afternoon sunshine warmed the skin on Katie’s face and arms, chasing away the chill. They walked around to the front of the hotel and down stone steps to the lower lawn.

Katie flopped down on the grass near to an enormous rectangular pond, the surface choked with lily pads.

Max sat carefully next to her. ‘You okay?’

‘Not really,’ Katie said, but she smiled, to reassure him.

‘Do you know anyone who would do this? To frighten you?’

Katie shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. I’m pretty popular.’ She stopped, realising how arrogant that sounded. ‘I mean. My aunt, Gwen, is something of a local celebrity. People either like her or they want something from her and I’m just kind of known by association. But people are nice to me.’

‘You haven’t fallen out with anyone? No big arguments?’

‘Not my kind of thing.’

‘Did you steal someone’s boyfriend? Something like that?’

Katie snorted. ‘No.’

Max looked as if he were trying to work out an algebraic equation. ‘Anyone you know likely to play a joke like that? For fun?’

‘That wasn’t a joke.’

He shrugged. ‘Maybe we’ve got heatstroke. Or we’re drunk.’

‘I haven’t been drinking,’ Katie said. ‘Have you?’

‘Not that I remember.’

Katie stood up, brushing grass off her skirt. ‘I’m going to look for a watch.’

‘What?’ Max shaded his eyes and looked up at Katie.

She shrugged, looking embarrassed. ‘Mr Cole’s watch. I just need to find it. I’m going to check Lost Property.’

‘Hang on,’ he said, getting up. ‘How do you know about the watch? Did he give it to you? I wouldn’t put it past the old letch—’

Katie’s eyes widened slightly. ‘What do you know about his watch?’

Max put his hands on his hips and they stared at each other in silence for a moment or two. Max broke first. ‘I need to find it.’

‘Well, so do I,’ Katie said. She turned and walked towards the hotel.

‘It belongs to me. I won it,’ Max said. He followed her across the grass.

‘I don’t know anything about that,’ Katie said.

‘What’s your claim to it?’ Max said.

Katie didn’t answer.

‘If you find it, you need to give it to me. It’s mine.’

This wasn’t good. Was Mr Cole’s spirit asking her to get his watch off Max, because that seemed dangerous. Max seemed like the kind of person who wasn’t going to give up in a hurry. Unless Mr Cole’s spirit really did feel bad about not paying his gambling debt. Maybe he did want Katie to find the watch and hand it over to Max. If only the magpie had been a bit clearer. That was so often the problem with magic. It was so bloody cryptic.

Inside the hotel felt blessedly cool after the scorching garden. Anna was behind the reception desk, fanning herself with a brochure.

‘Hello,’ Max said, bypassing Katie and smiling at Anna. ‘I’ve lost something and I was hoping you could help me?’

‘Of course,’ Anna said, putting the brochure down.

‘I’ve lost a handkerchief,’ Max said, leaning on the desk and gazing into Anna’s eyes. He smiled a little. ‘It’s not worth anything, but it’s of sentimental value.’

‘You could look in Lost Property,’ Anna said, dimpling back at him. ‘I could show you—’

‘A handkerchief,’ Katie said. ‘Really?’

‘Katie was just on her way there. I’ll tag along,’ Max said. ‘But thank you. Everyone has been so helpful.’