Snowbound with Ghost (Excerpt)

Chapter 1

Not that the house wasn't charming. It was a true log cabin, with warm wooden floors and a large stone fireplace. There was no fire burning, but a large stack of firewood sat next to the slate hearth. The sofa she was sitting on was plush and cozy and the Persian rug on the floor was silky soft. No expense had been spared in the decor, and all the furnishings and accessories, from the Native American-inspired fabric on the chairs to the handcrafted coffee table, were tasteful and unique.

She should know, she'd decorated the place herself.

It was a welcome commission, a nice change of pace from the Victorian houses and American foursquares she decorated for Banshee Creek's reality TV show, House Haunters. As the show's stager, Lily had furnished séance rooms, fortunetelling parlors, and, in one memorable instance, an exorcist's home library. She loved her job, and she was very good at it, but she had to admit that a run-of-the-mill decorating assignment was a refreshing change.

The cabin was perfect, except for one tiny little detail.

"Now hear me out," the deejay continued after the break. "What I'm suggesting is that the creatures are mistaking your truck, and all the other vehicles they attack—" He paused for dramatic effect. "For hot springs."

Skeptical silence greeted his statement.

"Hot springs?" The called seemed on the verge of laughter. "Now, you've lost it, dude. This happened right in town and the hot springs are to the west."

"Now, listen to me," the deejay urged. "The Japanese Snow Monkey is known for its fondness for hot springs. It's how they deal with the cold of their habitat. I think our Devil Monkeys are doing something similar; they're using our automobiles to warm up."

She groaned. Hot springs? Were these people out of their minds? And would they ever get to the traffic report? She had to get out of this place. The storm would be hitting soon, but something even worse would arrive before the storm.

Sebastian Franco.

And that was not a confrontation she was looking forward to. She wasn't a particularly brave person, and she'd always been more comfortable in the background, painting scenery and building props. She'd gotten better, small business was no place for wallflowers, but, still, she wanted to be far, far away when her ex-boyfriend arrived and saw what his family had done to his rustic retreat.

"So, this is my theory, guys," the deejay paused again. "The Devil Monkey attacks cars because it's trying to warm up. Now, you can all help me test that theory. Has anyone heard of a Devil Monkey attacking a cold car? Or a generator that's not running? You can let me know tomorrow, from three to six, here at PRoVE's Creature Feature at WPRV, America's Most Haunted Radio Station." The station's theme music swelled. "And remember our Christmas special tomorrow evening. It's like nothing you've ever heard before. And now a word from our sponsor, followed by the weather and traffic."

Lily leapt from the sofa. She might yet have a chance to get home. She grabbed her camera bag, put her Nikon D8000 inside and did a final check on the house. She checked the lamps in the bedroom, smoothed the Pendelton blanket on the bed and fluffed the pillows. The room felt a little impersonal, a bit like a hotel room, but she couldn't help that.

She'd considered bringing some photographs to the house, maybe pictures of Sebastian's acting career. After all, his last movie, Wrath of the Gods, was a box office hit and his villainous turn as Ares had been widely praised, so she'd had a plethora of articles and magazine covers to choose from. Heck, she'd even found a movie poster on eBay, featuring an armor-clad, muscled-up Sebastian striding over a mountain of fallen soldiers.

Her high school boyfriend had bulked up. Or maybe it was Photoshop?

But, in the end she'd decided against the wall decor. Sebastian hated pictures of himself, a curious antipathy for a Hollywood actor. Having a lot of inside info like that was the one upside to having your ex-boyfriend as a client. Well, Sebastian wasn't exactly her client. His family had hired her to do the remodel as a Christmas surprise, and, given that Sebastian's über-wealthy brother, Gabe, pretty much bankrolled House Haunters she couldn't say no.