Free A Haunting at Hensley Hall (A Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mystery) by Merabeth James

to know and then some, if she still has her wits about her. Though I never did think she was holding on to much in that department, if you ask me.”
    “Thank you for the information, Mrs. Shotz. We won’t take up any more of your valuable time,” Charlie told her wryly.
    Her sarcasm was wasted on Mrs. Shotz. “Thank you for your lovely donation. I have just the place for them,” she said with her thin-lipped smile, and both sisters were very sure she had!

    ***
    Both sisters were thoughtful on the drive back. To say that their house had a ‘bad luck’ history was an understatement and a half! No wonder the spirits that haunted it were restless!
    “Maybe the ‘weird duck’ twin was responsible for the murders,” Meg said, studying her sister’s reaction.
    “You mean the butterfly collector and the former occupant of the bedroom I’m supposed to sleep in? Who knows? Maybe, he was, but it wouldn’t be the first time the cops got it wrong. We just don’t know enough,” Charlie told her.
    “A trip to the nanny should tell us a lot more. Whatever is in that house needs us. It’s up to us to find out what that is and help if we can. This Nell Arnold, .if she’s still lucid, sounds like a pretty good place to start,” Meg replied.
    “Or the police. It’s a closed case now, but they’ll still have all the investigative evidence. But will they let us take a look?” Charlie asked with one raised brow, a trick her sister envied and never mastered.
    “Bat your eyes at them. You were doing a great job of fluttering those long lashes at Moe just before we left,” Meg told her sister. Seeing her blush…something Charlie rarely did…triggered a bout of laughter, until Charlie pulled off the road and faced her. “I wasn’t batting anything, but, if you keep laughing like a lunatic, I may consider batting you!”
    But that only made Meg laugh harder. When she had finally wound to a stop, Charlie sighed and said, “Let’s take the rest of the day off. Clearly, we’re starting to get a little punchy…bad choice of words…a little hysterical and I suggest we spend the rest of the day shopping. Something I know you like to do.”
    “We need sheets, blankets, towels, dishes, pots and pans…”
    Charlie let Meg rattle on, as she pulled back on the road and headed to the closest thing to a mall in Merritsville. Several hours later and well past dark, they headed back to the motel. Pulling in front of their room, Charlie leaned back and sighed, “We’re going to leave everything in the back. We’re both too pooped to be unloading all that. I don’t care if every sheet and towel thief in Merritsville shows up here tonight.”
    “And the pots and pans thief”
    “Right! How could I forget them? Tomorrow, we’ll stock the fridge, finish cleaning the bedrooms and baths, then come back here for Freddie. If we can pry him away from Hannah. I think she’d like to keep him. “
    “As though that will ever happen! Just think. Tomorrow we can spend our first night in our new home…all three of us together. Won’t that be great?”
    Charlie sighed, which was getting to be a habit with her and not a good one, she thought. “I sure hope so,” she managed to reply.

    ***
    The next day was Sunday and the place deserted when they pulled up in front of the house. Already, it looked so different! With much of the ivy pulled away, it seemed kind of naked, Meg thought, smaller and vulnerable, like an old woman caught in just her bloomers. “Okay, first day, and night, in our new home. Feels like we ought to have someone carry us both over the threshold, don’t you think? Someone like Moe?”
    “You just won’t quit, will you?” Charlie asked with exaggerated patience. “Might as well drive around to the back door. It will be a lot easier to unload everything from there.”
    “We can do that later. I want to open the front door first and walk in like we own this place!” Meg said with a huge smile. “Imagine us,