Free Haunted by Tamara Thorne

on her skin or hair.
    "Are you all right now?" he asked.
    She nodded, letting go of him. "Just a little shaky. Let's go in."
    "Of course."
    Inside, as she threw the bolt, she stared back at the railing, brow furrowed. "The workmen removed the rust and repainted that railing. I can't believe they'd forget to tighten everything down. I'll have a word with Mr. Willard tomorrow."
    "These things happen," David said as they continued down the hall and entered the other wing. "It's an old house. More than likely, it's no one's fault, just a weak spot that they missed."
    "I'll ask him to check the entire terrace, no matter whose fault it is." Theo flicked on the lights and they mounted the stairs to the top floor.
    At the top of the steps, David was glad to see that the third floor wood and glasswork had been as carefully restored as the rest of the house, but, despite the light walls and ceilings, he still felt as claustrophobic up here as he had the first time he'd seen it. The ceilings were lower and the sloped dormer rooms had seemed cramped and tiny.
    "The ballroom ceiling extends into this floor through the center of the house, but there's an unfinished attic to the rear that may contain more furniture. We didn't explore it," Theo said. "There's no electricity."
    "I'll check it out soon, but right now, I want to go in here a moment," he said as they approached the room that overlooked the terrace, where he thought he'd seen something move.
    Theo gave him a tiny, close-lipped smile and nodded. Obviously she was still shaken, and the high color in her cheeks and sparkle in her eyes made her very beautiful.
    "You're sure you're all right?" he asked, his hand on a phallic door latch.
    "Fine." More of her thick dark hair had escaped its bindings and she pushed it away unconsciously. "Ghost hunters first," she told him.
    The door creaked open and, as he fished for the light switch just inside, he felt an unnatural coldness kiss the back of his hand. He paused, his hand on the switch, fascinated by the sensation as the cold areas wavered around his fingers. Like other cold spots he'd experienced, it reminded him of a kid's toy, a cool, oozing gel called Slime, with a weak electric current added to it. He almost told Theo, but decided to see if she sensed it for herself. He flicked the switch and walked in. She followed and the door closed softly behind them. Mr. Willard, or Eric, or whoever had worked on this room, hadn't done their usual faultless job. Tarps still lay on the floor and, though the walls had been washed, only the ceiling and one wall had been painted. A stepladder lay on its side and, near it, a can of paint had spilled all over one of the tarps. David bent and righted the can. The paint inside was dry.
    "Oh, my," Theo said. "I thought they were all done. I'm so sorry."
    He picked up the paint-saturated tarp that the can had laid on and Theo groaned as they saw that some of the paint had spilled onto the wood floor. "I'm so sorry," she said again.
    "The floor's already sealed, so there's no permanent damage done. With a little caution, the paint can be removed without harming the finish," David observed.
    "Well, the agency will make sure you're not charged for any repairs- -" Suddenly, her eyes widened and she yanked her hand back up and crossed her arms.
    "What's wrong?"
    "I thought something touched me. Something cold." She paused, then offered him a tiny smile. "It must have been a breeze."
    David tried to hide his delight as he stepped closer to her and reached into the area where her hand had been. He found the cold spot immediately. An instant later, it dissipated. He walked back to the light switch, but felt nothing. "It's a free floater," he said, smiling.
    "A what?"
    "I felt it when we first came in. It's a cold spot. You've heard of them?"
    "Yes," she said hesitantly. "Of course."
    "Some of them are stationery, some move around within a given space."
    Theo yelped and swatted at the back of her neck. "I felt it