Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Unknown (22 page)

Lyssa moved to the bottom of the stairs and held out a hand. “Would you like to go together?” she said.

Miranda took Lyssa’s hand.

“Can I have my favorite cup?” she asked.

“Why not?” Lyssa replied. The two walked toward the kitchen. “You’ll have to show me which one it is.”

“That’s easy,” Miranda said. “It has a picture of me on it. It was a present for Grandma Helen. But it’s ours now because she died. She’s in the spare bedroom now.”

Lyssa stopped walking.
“What?”

Miranda stopped too. She gazed up at Lyssa. In the dim light, her blue eyes looked like two shiny buttons.

“Grandma Helen is in the spare bedroom,” Miranda repeated. “I saw her. Before I came down.” Lyssa froze. Her mouth dropped open.

Miranda gave Lyssa a push to get her moving again. “Don’t stop here. I’m thirsty,” she said. “Come on.”

“Hello, Miranda.” Lyssa heard Grant’s voice. “What are you doing up?”

“She got up for a drink of water,” Lyssa replied. “She says Grandma Helen is in the upstairs spare bedroom.”

Miranda let go of Lyssa’s hand. “Don’t
do
that,” she cried, stamping her foot. “Mommy always does that, and I hate it. I can talk for myself! I was saving the most important part for last. Now I might not tell you at all.”

Lyssa felt a chill sweep over her. Did she just make a big mistake? Did she ruin the team’s best chance to find out what Grandma Helen wanted?

“You’re right. I hate that too,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Miranda refused to look at Lyssa.

“What were you going to tell me?” Lyssa asked.

Miranda remained silent.

“Does it have something to do with Grandma Helen?” Lyssa whispered.

Miranda lifted her eyes to meet Lyssa’s gaze but said nothing.

“Are we still friends?” Lyssa asked again.

Miranda nodded.

“Good. I’m so glad,” Lyssa said.

Miranda twisted a lock of hair around her finger. Then finally she said: “Grandma Helen wants it. She told me she won’t go away until she finds it. Can I have my drink of water now?”

The rest of the night was quiet. Grant decided to pack up the equipment at dawn. Then he and Jason sent the team home to get some sleep.

The plan: to meet back at the TAPS office at 14:00 hours—two o’clock.

“Okay,” Grant said when everyone gathered again. “Are you ready to go over the evidence?”

The team members sat around the oval table in the conference room, once a big bedroom, at the back of the house.

“Can we start with the audio from Miranda’s room?” Lyssa asked.

“Sure,” Jen said with a smile. “I think we’re all eager to find out what happened in Miranda’s room right before she came downstairs.”

Jen clicked on the digital recorder in front of her on the table. “Okay. Here we go.”

At first, there was no sound at all. Then Lyssa could hear little things. Sounds that probably meant Miranda was rolling over in bed. Maybe even sitting up.

Then, all of a sudden, they heard Miranda’s soft whisper.

“Grandma, is that you?”

“We can hear so clearly,” Lyssa murmured. “Downstairs, I couldn’t hear a sound.”

“The equipment is super-sensitive,” Jen said.

“Why can’t you talk to me, like you did the first time?”
Miranda’s voice, a little louder on the tape.
“Why can’t you tell me what you want?”

And then… a second voice. It seemed to creep in, like fog, like smoke.

A whisper barely loud enough to be heard. Lyssa leaned closer. She held her breath.

This is real. I’m not imagining it,
she thought.
I am listening to the voice of a ghost!

“What?”
said Miranda’s voice.
“I can’t understand you, Grandma Helen. Say it again. Say it louder this time.”

Again came the ghostly whisper. So soft… as if from far away.

“What’s she saying?” Lyssa cried in frustration. “I can’t make it out.”

That’s when she heard it clearly.

“… Find it!”
whispered the ghost.

“Did everyone else hear that?” Lyssa asked. Her voice trembled. She glanced around the room, searching the faces of the others. Everybody nodded.

“Play it again, please, Jen,” Jason said.

“Will do.” Jen nodded.

“Why can’t you talk to me, like you did the first time?”
came Miranda’s voice again.
“Why won’t you tell me what you want?”

“Find it. Find it. Find it.”

The ghostly whisper seemed to fill the whole room.

At a nod from Jason, Jen turned off the sound.

“Whoa!” Lyssa exclaimed. “That totally gave me goose bumps! That
has
to be Grandma Helen, right?”

She turned to Grant. “
Find it?
Does that mean Grandma Helen lost something? What? How will we know?”

“We’ll ask her,” Grant replied. “But I think we’ll need a little extra help.”

“Good idea. I was just about to go there,” Jason said.

“I wish you’d let the rest of us know what you mean,” Mark said.

“I’m thinking of calling in Bethany Lane,” Jason said. “She’s been very helpful in other cases like this.”

“Good call,” Grant replied.

“Who’s Bethany Lane?” Jen asked.

“She’s a sensitive,” Grant explained. “Someone who reaches out to spirits. We’ve worked with her before, and she helped us get some valuable evidence. She would be perfect for this case.”

Jason stood up. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll go call her.”

“Do you really think she can reach Grandma Helen?” Lyssa asked.

Jason raised his hands. He had his fingers crossed on both of them.

A week later, Bethany Lane and Miranda were sitting side by side on Miranda’s bed. Lyssa stood with Jason, Grant, and Miranda’s parents in the doorway.

Lyssa saw why Grant thought Bethany was such a good choice. She was just about the same age as Grandma Helen. And it was clear that Miranda liked her right away.

Bethany had a good sense of humor. She was wearing a T-shirt with the letters
O I C U
on it. Even Miranda thought that was funny.

“Okay,” Bethany said. “Everybody understands what I’m about to do, right?” Bethany looked down at Miranda. “How about you, Miranda? Do you understand?”

“Of course I do,” Miranda answered in her direct way. “You’re going to try to talk to Grandma Helen.”

“That’s right. I am.” Bethany nodded. “And I’m going to try to help
her
talk to
you
. I’m going to start by making a noise with these two stones.”

She lifted a pair of shiny gray stones from her lap. They were egg shaped and fit inside her palms.

“The sound the stones make will change the energy in the room,” Bethany explained. “This makes it easier for some spirits to talk to us. I’m hoping they will help Grandma Helen.”

She glanced around the room. “If everybody is ready, I’ll begin.”

“We’re ready,” Miranda’s father said. “Go ahead.”

Bethany stretched her arms out in front of her. Then she made a quick move and banged the two stones together. She made it look as if she was clashing a pair of cymbals together.

Clack.
The stones connected with a sharp sound. Bethany struck the stones together twice more.
Clack. Clack.
After the third strike, she called out in a loud voice:

“I’m trying to reach the spirit of Helen Johnston. If you’re in this room, will you give us a sign?”

Lyssa shivered. The room suddenly felt cold. As if a strong breeze had blown in.

Temperature drop!

Bethany asked for a sign—and Helen gave her one. A temperature drop can mean a spirit has come near.

Lyssa shivered. Her skin tingled. Would this work? Were they really going to talk to Grandma Helen?

Was she in the room with them right now?

Lyssa turned to Miranda. She was sitting perfectly still at Bethany’s side. Her blue eyes darted around the room.

Lyssa knew she was looking for Grandma Helen.

“Thank you, Helen,” Bethany said. “We’re all very glad you decided to join us. I’m going to tell you the truth, Helen. We need your help. We know there’s something you want us to do. There is something you need before you can rest.”

Bethany paused. The room was silent. Lyssa could hear the wind outside the bedroom window. Bethany spoke again. “Can you tell us what it is, Helen? Can you help us help
you
?”

Without warning, Miranda uttered a groan. She turned her head quickly from side to side, as if searching for something.

Mrs. Johnston stepped toward her. “Miranda, baby…” she began.

“Mommy! Stop talking!” Miranda cried. “I don’t want to listen to you. I want to listen to Grandma Helen.”

Mrs. Johnston pressed her hands against her mouth. Her eyes were huge with fear. She took her husband’s hand and held on to it tightly.

Suddenly Miranda shot off the bed as though she had been pushed from behind.

“I’m going,” she cried. “I’m going.”

Miranda dashed out into the hall. She raced down the stairs. Lyssa and Bethany were right behind her. Miranda’s parents came next, with Jason and Grant last of all.

THWACK!

Miranda hit the swinging door between the dining room and kitchen with both hands. It crashed back against the kitchen counter. She kept right on going.

At the far end of the room, Miranda came to a stop in front of another door. Lyssa and Bethany stepped up behind her.

Miranda pointed to the door. Then she looked up at Lyssa and took her by the hand. Her fingers were ice cold.

“The basement. We have to go down there.”

Lyssa reached out and opened the door. In front of her stretched a steep flight of wooden stairs.

Miranda started forward. She moved so quickly, Lyssa almost tumbled into the stairwell.

Lyssa tightened her hold on Miranda’s hand. She made her stop on the top step.

“Wait a minute, Miranda,” she said. “I can’t see where I’m going.”

But Miranda pulled forward with surprising strength.
It’s almost as if she’s being pulled down there,
Lyssa thought with a chill of fear.

“There’s a light switch on the wall to your left,” Mrs. Johnston called from the kitchen.

With her free hand, Lyssa fumbled for the light switch.

Miranda tugged. “Come on, Lyssa,” she said.
“Come on.”
Lyssa’s fingers finally found the switch. She flipped it and the lights came on.

Miranda yanked so hard on her hand that Lyssa had to grab the banister to keep from falling. She let the little girl drag her down the stairs. Everyone else followed with their feet clattering against the wood. Halfway across the basement, Miranda stopped. She sagged against Lyssa’s legs as if she was all worn out.

“She’s gone,” Miranda whimpered. “Grandma Helen is gone.”

“Wait.” Grant came quickly down the stairs. He pointed to some cardboard boxes on the floor at Miranda’s feet. “What’s in those boxes?” he asked.