11. Hattie

HATTIE

N o sooner do the lights go out in the haunted rotunda than a bloodcurdling scream echoes from above us. And it all but makes my heart jump into my throat.

"What the—" I start, but I'm cut off by the sound of hooves pounding on the floor right here in Willoughby Hall.

A purple glow emanates to our right, growing brighter until we see it's a headless horseman as he rides right between us with his cape billowing out behind him as he charges through the rotunda. He holds a glowing jack-o'-lantern in his hand with a wicked face carved into it and the sight of it has the three of us screaming our own heads off.

Rookie barks his head off as well, while Cricket arches her back and hisses at the headless menace.

The lights flicker back on, and the horseman vanishes into thin air.

"Oh, my sweet goblin goodness, did you see that?" I gasp, looking at Clarabelle and Peggy, who are both as pale as ghosts.

"This place is trying to kill me," Peggy mutters, fanning herself with her hand. "There had better be strong liquor and even stronger men ready to entertain me as soon as we get to wherever it is we're going in this haunted hovel."

We hurry out of the rotunda and into the mansion proper, where the lights continue to flicker ominously. The hallways are lined with more creepy portraits that look like they could come to life at any moment. The whole place has a spooky, abandoned feel to it as if we were the first people to walk these halls in centuries. And I'm guessing it cost Fitz a mint to make it look that way, too.

Winnie appears out of nowhere, dressed as a zombified French maid. Her makeup is so realistic that I almost don't recognize her. She's got the whole dead flesh look down pat, and her eyes are ringed with dark circles that make her look both tired and terrifying—yet gorgeous as can be.

"Hey, ladies!" Winnie is quick to greet us as she pulls me into a hug. "So what do you think?" She waves a hand out at the morbid madness.

"It looks perfectly haunted." Peggy offers a tight smile as she says it. And I can almost forgive the heart attack they nearly caused as soon as we walked through the door because face it, the lighting in this place knocks fifteen years off my face. She winks my way. And you can tell her I said so.

I shed a quick laugh. "Winnie, I think the consensus is we love it."

Clarabelle offers an aggressive nod. "Especially that headless horseman. He looked so real!"

I nod as well. "Fitz's holograms are really doing their job," I say, still trying to catch my breath.

Winnie squints at Clarabelle. "What headless horseman?" she asks, looking genuinely confused.

Before we can answer, the lights flicker again, and another scream echoes through the halls. And as if on cue, Clarabelle, Peggy, and I belt out a scream ourselves as if we are ready to jump right out of our skin.

"You mean you didn't program that headless good time?" I ask as every last bit of me gets ready to bolt for the exit.

"No, I swear." Winnie shakes her head, looking stymied by the fact. "Fitz didn't say anything about a headless horseman."

"Great," I mutter. "Now we've got real ghosts to deal with. Speaking of supernatural pests, Peyton asked if we could host the Halloween Gala here at Willoughby Hall. There's a plumbing leak taking out our ballroom at present."

"You mean Halloween Hollow," she corrects while doing a little curtsy. Okay, so I'm teasing about that whole headless thing, but what's Halloween without pulling a few tricks on your friends and family?

Knew it.

"And you bet I'm going to say yes to hosting the country club," Winnie goes on. "The more the word gets out about how fabulous the hall is, the more bookings we'll have."

"How's the B&B going?" Peggy asks, just as a couple of older gentlemen pass us by dressed as if they stepped out of a rather dapper silent movie with their dark wool suits, bowler hats, and pocket watches hanging from gold chains. "Well, hubba-hubba ." Peggy starts to follow them and Clarabelle reels her back.

"The B&B was off to a great start," Winnie says with a sigh. "But I'm afraid our Halloween shenanigans may have scared some of our guests off. I'm hoping bookings will pick up again for the holidays. I'm going to make sure that the holidays at Willoughby Hall are unforgettable—or at the least, they're not a nightmare."

"If they're anything like they were last year, they will be amazing," I muse. "Come to think of it, weren't there headless holograms running around then, too?" She gives an impish grin and I laugh. "I'm sensing a theme. And I'm also sensing why your guests would be put off. Maybe try less headless people and more pancakes?"

"Sounds like a winner in my book," Clarabelle pats her belly as she says it and Rookie gives a quick bark of agreement.

"So are you here to check out the state of the ballroom?" Winnie glances past us. "I can take you there now. You're going to love what we've done to the place. But if it's too creepy for the country club, I'll be happy to switch things up."

"No, actually. It's not that." I cringe a little. "I'm here to check out Venetta Brandt." I flash my phone at my sister and show her the plethora of selfies from my one and only suspect.

Winnie frowns at the screen for a moment. "I know exactly where she is. Follow me—if you dare."

We do just that as the chandeliers give a mean flicker and another chorus of screams goes off in the distance.

"Here's hoping there's nothing spooky about this meet-and-greet with Little Miss Priss," Clarabelle says.

"Hear, hear," I say. "But seeing that Venetta's goal in life is to scare me away, I have a sneaking suspicion it will be scarier than I could ever imagine."

And then as if to prove my point, the lights flicker again before cutting out and plunging us in total darkness once again.