Chapter 8
Faith pulled to a stop in front of her beloved spa.
From the outside, it looked exactly as it always did.
The glass doors had the pretty etched logo, and the flowerpots to each side were in full bloom.
If she hadn’t been there the day before, she’d have found it hard to believe there had been a fire.
“Look. Harlow and Cash are here,” Abby said as she climbed out of the vehicle.
“I always used to want to be a ghost hunter,” Noel said.
“Oh, no. Not me. Not after that ghost issue we had last year,” Yvette said, referring to the spirit who’d been accidentally unleashed from a book in her bookstore and then terrorized the town until the sisters managed to banish her back into the book.
“Me neither anymore! I was curious since the inn had a nice ghost, but after I was possessed by that evil wench Clara, I’m totally out. I’m not interested in meeting anyone, spirit or otherwise, that is intent on destroying me, my loved ones, or Keating Hollow,” Noel said.
“Let’s just hope there isn’t an evil being trying to burn down my spa,” Faith said, happy to leave the ghost hunting to Harlow and Cash. She’d never been an adrenaline junkie. Her speed was meditation and helping her clients relax.
They met Harlow and Cash at the front door.
“Thanks for coming out so quickly,” Faith said, giving Harlow a quick hug. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem at all,” Harlow said.
Cash took his turn hugging Faith and said, “Tell us again what happened yesterday?”
Faith briefly filled them in and ended with, “Besides the electrical fire, which seems likely to be a frayed wire, the two things I’m most worried about are that the emergency doors wouldn’t open despite being unlocked and obviously the jasmine vines that attacked Hunter.
The investigators last night indicated that they didn’t detect any spell or curse, so I’m at a loss as to how this happened. ”
Harlow nodded. Her golden-brown hair was tied back into a thick braid, and she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt along with a belt that seemed to contain ghost-hunting gadgets. “All right. Cash and I will definitely check things out. Who else was here that day?”
“My husband, Hunter, obviously, our daughter Zoey, her two cousins, and my receptionist, Lena,” Faith said.
“And has anything like this happened here before?” Cash asked. The man was tall with deep, searching eyes.
“Last year,” Yvette said. “Sort of. When all that stuff went down with all of our businesses.”
Cash nodded.
Harlow frowned. “That doesn’t seem related since nothing else has happened around town this time. At least not that we’re aware of.”
Faith had to agree. The year before, all of the family’s businesses had issues. So far, this incident seemed to be contained to the spa. “So what do we do? Wait out here?”
“We’ll take a walk through the building,” Harlow said. “See if we sense anything. Then we’ll bring you in. Since you’re the one most connected to the spa, if there’s any spirit that’s been lurking, you’re the one that would be the most likely to draw them out.”
“I don’t like the idea of Faith going in there without us,” Yvette said, wringing her hands.
Faith eyed her sister and saw for the first time that she likely had developed a bit of a ghost phobia since all the trouble last year. She reached out and squeezed one of Yvette’s hands. Her sister squeezed back.
“I understand the nerves,” Harlow said, addressing Yvette with care. “When things go completely haywire, it’s hard to know what’s coming next. But Cash and I will be with her every step of the way. I promise you that we’ll do everything in our power to keep her safe.”
“Harlow and Cash know what they’re doing, sis,” Faith said, trying to reassure her. “I feel comfortable with them.”
“And we’ll be right out here if any spirit tries to get messy,” Noel said.
Abby agreed, and Yvette reluctantly nodded.
“Okay, good,” Faith said, ready to get the show on the road. “We’ll be right here.”
Harlow and Cash disappeared into the spa.
Nerves took over, and Faith started to pace the parking lot. It wasn’t that she was afraid for their safety, it was more of a general uneasiness about the unknown. Her anxiety was high, and the only way she knew to deal with it was to move.
Abby fell into step beside her. “What are Hunter and the girls doing today?”
Faith gave her a grateful smile, knowing that she was just trying to keep her distracted so that her mind didn’t drive her insane.
“They went to the park, and then Hunter is taking them out to lunch. He wanted to get to work on the spa today, ripping out the damage so they can start fixing things, but I told him not until we were sure the place isn’t cursed. ”
“Good plan. You guys want to come over tonight? We can have game night and let the kids watch a movie or something.”
Faith knew she should say yes. A distraction wasn’t a bad idea, but she really just wanted to go home and spend some quiet time with her family.
It had been a few days since she’d had some time with the triplets, and she figured Hunter would need the rest. Not to mention that Zoey was going to need time to process the trauma of watching her father get strangled by the jasmine.
“Thanks, but I think a low-key night at home with the family is probably for the best. Plus, Hunter was feeling better this morning, but I won’t be shocked if he’s dead on his feet when he gets home after chasing the triplets all day. ”
“It was worth a shot,” Abby said.
After about twenty minutes, Harlow and Cash emerged from the spa.
Faith hurried over to them. “Did you find anything?”
Harlow shook her head. “I could sense some vague spirit energy, but nothing concrete. That’s normal of almost everywhere though unless a building is brand new construction on land that hasn’t ever been developed.”
“Okay, does that mean there aren’t any spirits causing trouble then?” Faith asked, not sure if she should be relieved or not. On the one hand, she was happy there wasn’t an evil spirit hanging around. On the other, she still didn’t have any answers.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s get you in there and see if that triggers a spirit. Sometimes they only hang around when a certain person is there,” Harlow said.
“So that means that Lena, Hunter, or even one of the girls could have triggered a spirit?” Faith asked.
“Yes,” Cash chimed in. “But if none of them are experiencing anything unusual anywhere else, then it’s unlikely.”
“Unless it’s a new attachment,” Yvette said with a shudder.
“That’s true,” Harlow agreed. “But we have to start somewhere. Let’s just get you in there and see if we find a spirit lurking.”
“Okay,” Faith said, her skin prickling with nervous energy. She didn’t really want to go inside the spa. When she saw the charred wall in the light of the day, she knew that would make the events of the afternoon before feel too real.
But when Harlow headed for the door, she forced herself to follow.
The acrid scent of burned wire and wood assaulted Faith’s senses. Gone was the soothing spa scent that always calmed her, replaced by a scent that activated her fight or flight instinct. She hated it.
“Okay, we’re going to try to summon any spirits here, and then we’ll try out back where your husband was attacked,” Harlow said. “They are the two places that hold the most energy.”
“All right.” Faith took a deep breath, not at all sure of what to expect.
Cash and Harlow moved to stand near Faith. They clasped hands and then held their free ones out to Faith, the three of them forming a triangle.
Harlow closed her eyes and said, “Spirits of the realm. The three of us do not seek any harm, only knowledge from the afterlife. If you are here, we respectfully ask that you join us.”
Cash repeated the request.
Faith stared at the burned wall, feeling a little sick at what she’d almost lost.
A slight breeze fluttered through the reception area despite the fact that the door was shut and no windows had been opened.
"We feel you, spirit. Will you show yourself?" Harlow asked.
Faith’s heart raced. There was a spirit in her spa? And it was connected to her somehow?
There was a slight rumble under Faith’s feet. She jumped and let out a small cry of distress. “What was that?”
Just me, silly, a sweet feminine voice said.
“Can you show yourself?” Harlow asked, her tone more curious than anything else.
Sometimes. There was a flicker of light near the door that led to the back of the spa.
“When is that?” Harlow askes.
When the energy is pure.
“I see.” Harlow smiled at Faith. “You seem to have a spirit who spent their life practicing meditation or yoga.” She turned her attention toward the light. “Is that correct?”
Both. I miss it so. The spirit seemed to let out a sigh.
“What is your name?” Harlow asked.
Sunshine.
Harlow chuckled softly. “Hippy parents?”
Complete with the VW Bus and everything.
“Nice!” Cash said. “I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. But the vintage ones are so expensive now.”
Faith cleared her throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Sunshine. Are you here every day?”
Most days. When you’re here.
“Why me?” Did the spirit follow Faith around everywhere? Was it in her house? Did she watch her shower or, worse, when she and Hunter were intimate? The very thought of a spirit watching her every move made her feel more than a little violated.
Your energy is grounded.
Faith stared at Harlow in confusion. “What does that mean?”
“You’re the one most connected to the spa. Sunshine probably finds it easier to manifest here when your energy is present, based on your love of the spa and what it means to you.”
“So it’s the spa she’s interested in, and I’m just the vehicle to get her that?” Faith asked.
Harlow nodded.
That was something. It meant the spirit probably didn’t follow her home.
The light next to them flickered again.
“Can you show yourself, Sunshine?”