The Girl with the Uninvited Ghost: Pandemonium Cozy Mystery #1

Chapter 15

Mahogany, Evelina, Tony, Guy, and the blooming onion weaved through the lunch crowd to the stairs leading to the guest rooms.

"Mahogany and I will go up, and you stand guard," Evelina said, motioning for Tony.

"Are we sure about this?" Mahogany raised a skeptical eyebrow, a fine mist of nervous sweat beaded on her upper lip. "This is escalating way faster than I'm comfortable with."

"Oh, Mahogany," Evelina patted Mahogany's hand, "we'll be in and out before you know it."

"Then why does Tony need to stand guard?" Mahogany nodded toward Tony, who watched them intently.

Evelina shrugged. "It's just a precaution. We're covering our bases. Hedging out bets. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst."

"Gods." Mahogany threw her hands in the air. "If I agree to go up there with you, will you stop with the horrible clichés?"

"Absolutely," Evelina said with a wink. "Tony, I'm calling you now."

Tony nodded and set his cider and the half-eaten onion on a low shelf that ran along the wall, leaning against it with casual confidence. An old tintype photo gleamed behind a dusty glass frame hung above where they stood. A ghostly blond family dressed in hardcore Gothic attire stared with dead eyes into the camera. Mahogany rolled her shoulders, trying to dispel the sensation of being watched.

"I'll keep you on the line," Evelina said, pulling Tony's number up on her phone. "Tell us if Thad is heading back to his room."

"You got it," Tony answered his phone on the first ring. He nodded and furrowed his brow as if listening to an intriguing story from the other end.

A pang of jealousy fluttered through Mahogany's chest. When had Evelina and Tony exchanged phone numbers?

"You better get on that," Guy said before as he floated up the stairs. "She's way ahead of you."

Mahogany scowled after the apparition and followed him to the tavern's second floor.

"Which room is Thad staying in?" Mahogany asked in a hushed tone over her shoulder.

"Room Five," Evelina said, checking the key in her hand.

The worn wooden stairs creaked under their feet, making them both cringe. However, the din from the pub drowned out any evidence of their illegal ascent.

Mahogany, Evelina, and Guy reached the upstairs landing. Two hallways bisected their path—one running perpendicular to the stairs, the other continuing straight.

"Which way?" Evelina said, swiveling her head to peer down hallways.

A brass plaque mounted on the wall near the corner of the intersection caught Mahogany's eye.

"Over here," she said, motioning for Evelina to follow as she made her way down the hall to the left. The door to room five stood at another corner, with the passageway continuing around a corner where an additional room was located.

Evelina reached forward with the key. Her hand trembled so badly that she couldn't manage to place it in the lock.

"Here," Mahogany said, taking the key. She was surprised to find that her hands were steady even though her heart pounded. She slipped the key home and opened the door. What should have been a quaint room decorated in rustic Irish decor with tartan bedspread and matching pillows had been turned into a makeshift darkroom.

The heavy quilt had been pulled from the bed and draped over the single window, blotting out the bright summer sun. The scent of photographic chemicals tainted the air. Across the room, clotheslines zigzagged from wall to wall with black and white prints hanging suspended from wooden clothespins.