Free Lost in Shadow (A Shadow Walkers Ghost Novel) by Cynthia Luhrs

every day until you come home. Emily—a stray dog is one thing, a stray man is a whole ‘nother ballgame, sweetie.” Emily kissed Kat goodbye and watched as she was wheeled away.

Chapter 7

    Meandering along the Royal Mile, Emily saw a shop advertising hand-woven apparel. Browsing the racks, she found a fantastic royal purple, turquoise, pink, and green shawl Kat would love. Next on her list was whisky for Fred. “May I help you, Miss?” The shopkeeper was an older gentleman who looked like he enjoyed a few nips himself.
    “Please, I would like to send a few bottles of whisky back to a friend in the States.” Emily perused the spirits. She enjoyed a drink, but didn’t have a clue how to tell good from okay booze.
    “Ah, a Yank. Where are ye from, lassie?”
    Sighing, Emily smiled at the shopkeeper…that accent was divine. “Charleston, South Carolina. My friend’s husband loves whisky, and I don’t have a clue how to pick something he’d enjoy. Could you recommend one of your favorites?”
    Taking her up and down the aisles, he told her about the various bottles. Emily stopped in her tracks, eyes drawn to a bottle with a castle on the label.
    Ravensmore.
    “Lass, ye have excellent taste. Ravensmore whisky dates back to the 1600s. The tale is the baron of the castle brewed the spirits in secret to keep up his lands. He was reported to the custom’s officers and sentenced to die for smuggling; however, the baron was murdered in his cell the night before his execution. A later heir took the illegal operation legit, and for the past century anyone can legally buy the stuff.” He finished his tale, holding out two bottles to her.
    Talk about déjà vu … the hair on the back of her neck stood up as a chill slid down her spine.
    “What a fantastic story, how amazing the same whisky is still being produced after all these hundreds of years. My friend will love it. Could you ship the bottles for me?” Paying for the lovely amber-colored liquid, Emily headed out to finish buying gifts.
    The shops were open late to celebrate Halloween weekend, many people starting early, running around in costumes having a raucous good time. Emily smiled at them as she wandered the streets, window-shopping, eventually making her way to Edinburgh Castle for the midnight haunted Halloween tour. It wouldn’t be as fun without Kat, but she needed to find Colin, help him. Shaking her head, Emily entered Edinburgh Castle as the tour was starting.
    “…there are two solitary and eight large cells for keeping prisoners. Ye’ll also see a pit where lions were kept and unruly tourists fed to them.” The guide paused, waiting for the laughter of the group.
    “’Tis also rumored there are secret escape tunnels though no one ever escaped from the castle. Enjoy the extra time to wander about as ye like…but beware.”
    Grabbing a lukewarm Pepsi from the café, she headed down to the dungeons. Wanting to spend some time there, imagining what it must have been like.
    While Emily looked over every square inch of the dungeon, the last of her group moved on. They had heard of someone seeing a ghost up near the chapel and ran to find out what was going on. Alone, she moved back to the last cell in the dungeon. Hearing a rustling noise and grimacing to think it might be a rat, she cautiously watched where she stepped. She loved animals, but rats freaked her out.
    “Hello, is anyone there? I can hear you. The guide is on his way, I’m not alone.”
    There were voices coming from the cell on her left, what she heard turned her blood to ice.
    Colin.
    “Fucking strutting peacock, ye can’t even fight me like a man. Ye come at me to kill me when I’m chained to a bloody wall? I. Curse. Ye. I. Curse. Abigail. May ye both rot in hell with nary a day of peace for the rest of your miserable lives. Well, go on then, do it.”
    “No! Stop! Don’t touch him!” Without thinking Emily threw her drink to the ground, shoving the man aside as he was