Free Second To Nun (A Giulia Driscoll Mystery Book 2) by Alice Loweecey

for the séance on Sunday. Mac’s always adding something new.”
    Roy leaned closer to Giulia. “We found a Ouija board in an antique shop back home. Haven’t had the guts to try it yet. Are you game?”
    Giulia said, “I’ve never tried one either.”
    “Let’s do it,” CeCe said, bouncing up and down on the hard cushion. “I’ve seen Paranormal Activity and The Exorcist , but movies aren’t real life. We’re on vacation. Let’s live a little.”
    “Besides, what are you going to do all alone in that big bed without your husband?” Roy gave her an exaggerated wink.
    CeCe aimed a slap at him. “He’s a pig; just ignore him.”
    “You love it,” Roy said. “Come on. It’s dark out. I’ll borrow some candles from Mac and we’ll do this right.”
    Giulia followed CeCe up to the Starfish room on the third floor.
    “We always have this room,” CeCe said, opening their wardrobe. “I fell in love with the clawfoot bathtub our first year. Here’s the board. Go ahead; look at how huge the tub is.”
    “Wow,” Giulia said. “You could fit two people in that.”
    “You sure can.” CeCe set the tattered-edged board on the starfish-shaped throw rug. “It’s a good thing this rug isn’t a pentagram or anything. Me and Roy and a demon would definitely not fit in that tub.”
    Giulia opened her mouth to lecture on the actual meaning of the pentagram, but shut it immediately. Undercover, undercover, undercover. Instead she said, “Don’t these wardrobes make you think of Narnia?”
    CeCe squeaked. “I say that every year! We ought to suggest that to Mac.”
    Roy opened the door carrying three shallow bowls and three tall candles. CeCe pounced. “Giulia says the wardrobes make her think of Narnia too. We should tell Mac to put fur coats in the wardrobes and open the first week of December for a Narnia winter getaway. They’d have to be faux fur, could you imagine the cost? What do you think, honey?”
    Roy set one candle on the nightstand and two on the floor at the inner angles of two furry starfish arms. “You know I can’t stand those books, doll.”
    “Yeah, but what do you think of the vacation idea?”
    He struck a match and lit one candle. “I guess, if you could find enough adults willing to pay these prices to play kids’ dress up for four or five days.” As the wick burned, he said, “How are we going to make these stand up?”
    Giulia came over next to him. “Like this.” She picked up the candle and tilted it over the center of its bowl until several drops of wax had fallen. Then she pushed the base of the candle into the wax.
    “Son of a gun.” Roy nodded at Giulia. “Clever. You two set up the board?”
    CeCe took a battered planchette out of a brown paper bag with “Blasts from the Past” stenciled on it. “We weren’t sitting up here comparing nail polish. Too bad the glass in the center is cracked.”
    “Maybe we’ll contact the spirit of a glassblower.” Roy created wax bases for the other two candles. “Okay, lights out.”
    CeCe flipped the wall switch, made an annoyed noise, and walked around Giulia and Roy to turn off the bathroom light.
    Giulia sat cross-legged facing CeCe. The candles combined with the canopied bed and antique furniture created a slumber party atmosphere.
    Giulia kept her imagination on a tight leash. Too many Hammer films and Asian horror movies.
    “Just a second.” She took her cell phone from her pocket. “I don’t want this ringing at the wrong time.”
    Roy and CeCe took out theirs. “Good point.”
    Giulia turned off her ringer and using small, quick movements turned on the voice memo function before she returned the phone to her pocket. At this point, everyone was a suspect. Especially complete strangers who just happened to invite her to their room for a Ouija board experiment on her first night in a haunted B&B.
    CeCe giggled. “I’ve always wanted to try one of these, but my pastor would’ve beat my butt so bad. Mama