Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
D arrow crept through the lodge’s back hallway, fighting to keep the grin off his face. When Sophie had announced at breakfast that she wanted to do a nighttime investigation as soon as it got dark in the lodge’s main room, his mind had immediately started spinning with possibilities. Nukak had been telling her about odd experiences he’d had in the building—creaking floors, strange whispers, unexplained shadows—and she’d been eager to document them for her followers. Whitney had given permission, of course—she could rarely say no to anyone’s reasonable request—and that had given Darrow all day to plan.
It had been a busy day at the lodge. With Wyatt tied up handling a bear situation near one of the popular hiking trails, Sophie had thrown herself into lodge activities. She’d joined the morning fishing expedition (though she’d spent more time filming than catching fish), played horseshoes with some of the guests in the afternoon, and even managed to talk a few of them into being interviewed about their “paranormal experiences” in Alaska.
“Is everythin’ set then?” he whispered toward the kitchen door.
Quinn’s voice came back quietly from near the breaker box. “Johnny’s up in the loft with the flashlight, just like you said. And Connor’s finally asleep, so we won’t have any unexpected interruptions.”
“Perfect,” Darrow murmured, checking his phone where he’d pulled up the sound effects app. “Now mind ye wait for my signal.”
The front door opened, and Sophie’s voice drifted in. “I really appreciate you helping me set up the equipment.”
“Someone has to make sure you don’t electrocute yourself.” That was Wyatt, trying and failing to sound put-upon.
The ranger had been hovering around Sophie since he’d arrived, despite claiming exhaustion from his long day.
“I’ve been doing this for years,” Sophie was saying as she set up her camera. “I have a whole process.”
“A process for chasing things that don’t exist?”
“Says the man who spent yesterday listening to Thane’s ghost stories.”
“That’s different. Those stories are part of local history.”
“Uh-huh.” Sophie’s tone was playfully skeptical.
Right on cue, a strange whistling sound echoed through the lodge—Johnny was up in the loft swirling an old wrapping paper tube through the air and blowing through it, creating an eerie wind-like moan that even Darrow had to admit was impressively spooky.
Sophie’s head snapped up. “Did you hear that?”
“It’s just the wind through the trees,” Wyatt said, but he’d moved closer to her. “The weather’s picking up?—”
The lights flickered, and somewhere upstairs, floorboards creaked with carefully timed steps.
Sophie frowned at her EMF meter, tapping it with her finger. “That’s weird—it’s not registering anything. It should be going crazy with readings like this...”
Darrow pressed play on his phone, and the faint sound of a music box tinkled through the hidden speaker he’d placed earlier. Whitney’s old music box had just the right eerie quality for this.
Sophie went completely still. “Wait—do you hear that?” She fumbled for her digital recorder, eyes wide. “Music box melodies are one of the most commonly reported paranormal phenomena. They’re often associated with children’s spirits, or—” She broke off, listening intently. “This one sounds so clear. Almost like...” She frowned at her equipment again. “But I’m not getting any readings at all. Something’s not right here.”
The temperature dropped slightly—thanks to the central air system—and Sophie shivered. Without hesitation, Wyatt shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Time for the grand finale.
Johnny swept his flashlight across the upper windows in a pattern that could almost be the aurora borealis in miniature, and the main lights went out completely.
Sophie stepped back into Wyatt, who’s hands came up to steady her.
“It’s just a power outage,” Wyatt said, but his hands stayed where they were.
“Then explain why none of my equipment is picking up these manifestations.” Sophie’s voice was frustrated. “The temperature drop, the sounds, the lights?—”
The music box melody crescendoed, then cut off abruptly. In the sudden silence, even Darrow held his breath.
That’s when Whitney’s voice came from the stairs, making them all jump. “Darrow O’Reilly, what exactly do you think you’re doing? Quinn, come out from behind that breaker box!”
The main lights blazed back on, revealing Whitney’s knowing expression and Johnny’s guilty face peering down from the loft.
“Ah now, would ye be believin’ me if I said I was just testin’ the lodge’s ambiance?” Darrow tried, letting his brogue thicken with mischief.
“No.” But there was amusement in Whitney’s eyes. “Sophie, I’m so sorry. My husband sometimes forgets he’s supposed to be human now.”
Sophie stared at them all for a moment, then burst out laughing. “That’s why nothing was registering! You guys really had me going. The timing, the effects—can I interview you about how you set it up? My followers would love a behind-the-scenes look at debunking false haunting claims.”
“That’s what you’re focused on?” Wyatt demanded. “The technical details?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, the temperature drop with the music box? That was clever.”
While Sophie and Wyatt continued their back-and-forth about haunted lodges and scientific explanations, Darrow drew Whitney closer, nodding toward the pair.
“‘Tis a fine sight, so it is,” he said softly. “Watchin’ them dance around each other like that.”
Whitney leaned into him, keeping her voice low. “At least he’s not running away when she talks about ghosts anymore. Progress.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Though I suppose you have an unfair advantage in ghost-hunting discussions.”
Across the room, Wyatt was saying, “I suppose there are worse ways to spend an evening than being part of a ghost hoax.”
“See?” Sophie bumped his shoulder with hers. “You’re learning.”
“Come on, you lot,” Whitney said, herding Johnny down from the loft. “Time for bed. Sophie, I’m so sorry about this one’s antics.” She jerked a thumb at Darrow. “And dragging Johnny and Quinn into it too.” She shook her head.
“Are you kidding? This was great! Though...” Sophie’s eyes gleamed. “You know what would make it better? If we set this up for some of the other guests...”
“No,” Wyatt said firmly.
“And why not?” Darrow stage-whispered to Sophie.
As everyone headed off, Darrow caught Whitney’s hand. “Ye’re not really cross with me now, are ye?”
She smiled. “I wasn’t exactly surprised to find you up to something when I heard voices down here.” Her expression softened. “Though I did notice Wyatt’s still standing awfully close to her, and he hasn’t asked for his jacket back.”
“Aye, I noticed too.” He watched their ranger trying not to watch Sophie as she packed up her equipment. “Our boy’s got it bad, so he does.”
“Almost as bad as you with your matchmaking schemes.”
Darrow pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple, his hand settling on her stomach. “I just like seein’ people as happy as we are, that’s all.”
“Mmm.” She leaned into him. “Just no more ghost pranks this week.”
“What about next week then?”
Her laugh echoed through the now-quiet lodge. Above them, the real northern lights began their dance across the sky, no special effects required.