Free The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw by Suzy Turner Page B

of the two girls and the ghost. Not that they could see the ghost, of course.
    Swallowing loudly, Emma stepped up onto the step, followed by Joe, and walked into the darkness that beckoned.
    As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, the door closed of its own accord behind them, making her heart feel like it was about to hop out of her chest.
    'Sis? Lana? Where are you?' she said outstretching her arms and finding her sister directly in front of her. 'What are you doing?' she whispered.
    'Just waiting for my eyes to adjust,' she whispered back, 'Joe can you see in the dark?'
    'It's just an old disused room. There's nothing in here at all,' he said, 'But there's a door... follow my voice,' he said as the girls did just that, until eventually they came upon the door he'd mentioned. Holding Emma's hand tightly, Lana found the doorknob and turned, pushing it open slowly. They stepped forward into a room with a large window, daylight so bright that they had to shield their eyes for a moment until they re-adjusted once again.
    Sparsely furnished, a rather elegant faded yellow chaise-longue stood just beneath a large bay window, covered in a thick layering of dust, giving the impression that the last time it had been used was decades ago. Standing to its side was a short little round table, gathering just the same amount of dust, although a tall champagne glass stood on top of it. Lana stepped forward and picked the glass up, gently blowing much of the dust away, leaving a semi-clean circle on the wooden table.
    Emma began to cough loudly as little particles of dust entered her air stream.
    'Oops,' said Lana as she patted her sister on the back. 'Look, there's another door,' she said, almost instantly forgetting about Emma's coughing fit as she walked across the room.
    Opening the door, they were faced with a grand hallway, its centrepiece, a dramatic wrought iron spiral staircase, the bannister from which was also caked in dust.
    'Please don't touch the dust again, Sis,' wheezed Emma as she followed behind Lana and Joe as they cautiously began to climb the stairs, not wanting to be left behind.
    Reaching the top, there were several doors off to each side, and a double door directly in front of them.
    Lana looked across at Emma and smiled before she put both her hands on the two doorknobs and pushed them open dramatically, expecting something impressive beyond them. But there was nothing except a large empty room, bar an old oak wardrobe that looked like it was falling apart.
    Stepping inside the room, the three of them wandered around, looking out the window, with its own little balcony overlooking a tiny courtyard below.
    Joe disappeared momentarily.
    Turning, Lana looked disappointed, 'So this is it? Not really what I was expecting.'
    'But what were you expecting, Lana? It's not like we knew this place even existed.'
    Shrugging her shoulders, Lana pouted, 'I don't know. I guess I was hoping to find the answers, you know?'
    'Well, perhaps the answers lie with Declan. We should just ask him about it.'
    'I guess you're right.'
    'I just checked the rest of the building and I can see nothing but dusty rooms that haven't seen the light of day for years,' said Joe.
    'Well, I guess that's it, then. Thanks for bringing us though, Joe,' Lana said with a sad smile.
    Standing beside the window, Emma turned abruptly towards them, 'Did you hear that?' she whispered.
    'Hear what?' Lana replied as she rushed to her side.
    'Listen... someone is... singing.'
    The three of them stood silently, straining their necks out to hear.
    Her eyes wide with excitement, Lana turned to Emma and grinned before she followed the sound, moving across the room until eventually she stood in front of the rickety old wardrobe. Emma followed, her eyebrows knitted together, with Joe standing firmly behind them.
    Lana carefully pulled open the wardrobe door, expecting to find a woman hiding in there, but instead, she was greeted with a whole other room. Emma and Joe