freight elevator is.â
âWhy is that significant?â I asked.
âItâs the most haunted part of the building. Come, Iâll show you.â She glanced over her shoulder, then ducked beneath the rope.
âHow would you know that?â Doug asked as we followed.
âThatâs where we got the best EVPs when my paranormal group visited.â
âEVP?â I asked.
âElectronic voice phenomena. Unexplained voices picked up on a recorder.â
âYou ghost hunt?â Doug asked her.
âYes.â She glanced over. âAre you making fun of me?â
âNo, Iâm just surprised. Youâre New Magic.â
âIâm as interested in where we go when we die as the next person.â
Doug gave her a considering look as we walked along. âItâs a good place to ghost hunt. This building is haunted as hell.â
âYou feel it?â Era asked, her eyes widening.
âSome, but Iâm more aware of the dead buried beneath this placeâand there are a lot of them.â
âWhy?â I asked.
âA section of the property was once a potterâs field,â Era said. âYou know, where they buried people who died without identification or religious affiliation. There are also tales of mass graves from a cholera epidemic. It is believed that being buried without a name or the proper ceremony results in tormented souls that haunt the rest of us.â
We rounded a corner and came face to face with a closed door.
Doug tugged on the handle. âLocked.â
âLet me.â James stepped forward.
Era pressed a hand to his chest. âNo, youâll break it. Iâll get it.â
âYou can open locked doors?â Doug asked.
âI can throw you the length of this building with a punch of air. It takes far less to move a few tumblers.â She closed her eyes, and a moment later, a click sounded within the door.
James depressed the latch and pushed the door open.
Doug met my gaze, his brows lifting.
I shrugged. âSheâs an Element.â
We followed Era through the dimly lit corridors until we found the ballroom she mentioned with the freight elevator tucked in one corner. But even in the dim light, we could see that the elevator door stood open.
James stepped up to the opening, then threw out an arm to block my path. âThe carâs not here.â
I stared into the darkness. âThat isnât exactly safe.â
âYou donât think she came this way, do you?â Era asked.
In other words, had she stepped through the open door and fallen down the shaft?
âHow would she have gotten past the locked door?â I asked.
âThatâs not the only way to reach this room,â Era said.
âBut why would she come here?â I asked.
âShe may not be thinking for herself,â Doug said, his tone subdued.
âIâll check,â James said. Without warning, he jumped into the darkness. An instant later, a loud metallic clang echoed up from below.
âJames?â I called out.
âThe carâs here, on the bottom.â His voice echoed out of the darkness.
I leaned forward to try to gage how far down he was.
Doug grabbed my arm and jerked me awayâjust as the door slammed closed inches from my face.
I stumbled back, heart in my throat.
âAddie, are you okay?â Era asked.
âYeah.â I took a deep breath and looked up at Doug. âHow did you know the door was going to close?â
âIt, um, tried to take me first.â
âWhat?â
âSomething wanted me to push you into the elevator shaft.â Doug gave me a shrug.
I took a step away from him. âHow good are you at resisting?â
He gave me a flat stare, looking so much like Ian that I had to bite back a laugh.
âWhat?â Doug frowned. âUnlike the untalented, I canât be possessed. I must let them in.â
âThe necromancer