Wildly, Boldly (Return to Culloden Moor #4)

Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

#AlaskaLife #GhostHunting #GhostTour #HistoricSkagway

T he sun had just set when Sophie joined the small group gathered outside Kirkham Lodge. Professor Manning clutched his ever-present notebook, while the Parkers huddled together looking both excited and nervous. The Michaels family’s teenagers, Taylor and Mia, tried to appear bored but couldn’t quite hide their interest.

“Everyone ready for some ghost stories?” Lidia Cruz, their guide for the evening, grinned at the group. Her dark hair was pulled back in a practical braid, and she wore a period costume that somehow looked natural rather than costumey.

Sophie glanced around, surprised to spot Wyatt lingering at the edge of the group. He caught her eye and shrugged. “Someone has to make sure you don’t get into trouble.”

“That’s what they all say,” Lidia winked. “Now, follow me into historic Skagway, where every street corner holds a story, and not all of them end well...”

They moved through the twilight streets, Lidia’s voice carrying clearly as she pointed out historic buildings and shared tales of Skagway’s colorful past. Sophie found herself hanging back near Wyatt, recording for her followers and absorbing the atmosphere.

“This building,” Lidia said, stopping near an old saloon, “was once owned by Jefferson ‘Soapy’ Smith, the most notorious con man in Skagway’s history. They say his ghost still haunts these streets, looking for his next mark.”

“Probably looking for his gold,” Professor Manning muttered, scribbling notes.

“Actually,” Lidia’s eyes gleamed, “some say he never cared about the gold at all. He was searching for something else entirely...”

She launched into a tale of lost love and betrayal that had even Taylor putting down her phone to listen. Sophie noticed how Lidia wove historical facts into her ghost stories, making them feel more authentic.

“The old courthouse,” Lidia continued as they walked, “has its own guardian spirit. A judge who felt so strongly about justice that death itself couldn’t stop him from watching over his courtroom.”

“Has anyone seen him?” Mia asked eagerly.

“Oh yes. Just last winter, our city clerk was working late and heard the distinct sound of a gavel...” Lidia paused for effect. “In a courtroom that hadn’t been used in decades.”

Sophie felt Wyatt shift beside her. “Something wrong, Ranger Grump?”

“I knew that clerk,” he said quietly. “She also claimed to see Bigfoot in her garden.”

“Maybe Bigfoot needed legal advice.”

His surprised laugh made her smile. She’d been keeping count of those laughs, treasuring each one like a small victory.

They continued through town, past historic homes and shops, each with its own story. Lidia was a masterful storyteller, but Sophie found herself more interested in the way Wyatt would occasionally lean close to add historical context or correct a detail.

“And here,” Lidia said, stopping at a crossroads, “is where they say the lights dance differently.”

Sophie perked up. “What do you mean?”

“During the aurora, this spot sometimes shows...echoes. Glimpses of people who aren’t there. Music from empty buildings. Some say it’s where the veil between worlds is thinnest.”

Professor Manning snorted. “Nonsense. The aurora is simply charged particles in the atmosphere?—”

“Then how do you explain what happened last winter?” Lidia challenged. “When three separate people reported seeing the same thing: a woman in a gold rush era dress, walking through solid walls?”

“Mass hysteria,” the professor declared.

“Actually,” Wyatt said suddenly, “I saw her too.”

Everyone turned to stare at him. Sophie’s breath hitched.

“You did?”

He nodded slowly. “I was on patrol. Thought it was kids messing around at first, but...” He trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

“But?” Sophie prompted.

“But when I followed her footprints in the snow, they just...stopped. In the middle of the street. No other tracks around.”

A chill ran down Sophie’s spine that had nothing to do with the evening air.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.” But he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Sometimes,” Lidia said softly, “the most logical explanation is that we don’t understand everything about this place. About what the lights reveal, or what the land remembers.”

They continued the tour, but Sophie barely heard the rest of the stories. She kept thinking about Wyatt’s revelation, about Greta’s warnings, about Elizabeth Pearson’s journal.

Near the end of the tour, the group paused to take photos of the harbor in the gathering darkness. Sophie hung back with Wyatt.

“Did you really see her?” she asked quietly. “The woman in the old dress?”

He was silent for so long she thought he wouldn’t answer. Finally, he said, “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I saw...something.” He looked out over the dark water. “Something I couldn’t explain. But that doesn’t mean?—”

“That doesn’t mean it was supernatural,” she finished. “I know. But maybe...” She hesitated. “Maybe not being able to explain something doesn’t make it less real.”

He turned to look at her then, really look at her, and something in his expression made her breath catch.

“Maybe not,” he said softly.

The moment stretched between them, full of possibilities neither was ready to voice. Finally, Wyatt cleared his throat.

“We should catch up with the group.”

“Right.” Sophie fell into step beside him. “Though I notice you’re not rushing to debunk all the stories anymore.”

“Don’t push it.”

But he smiled as he said it, and when his hand found the small of her back to guide her through the dark streets, neither of them mentioned it.

Back at the lodge, the group dispersed, chattering excitedly about their favorite stories. Sophie lingered on the porch, looking up at the clear night sky.

“The lights should be strong tonight,” Wyatt said, following her gaze. “Do you want company while you wait for the lights?”

“Always.”

And if they sat a little closer than strictly necessary, watching the stars emerge above the mountains, well...some mysteries were better left unexplained.

For now, anyway.