Page 65 of Middle of the Night

1:56 p.m.

The sound of Ragesh’s braying laugh is so loud it spooks a nearby flock of birds. They take flight in a flurry of startled cries and flapping wings, soaring over the falls. By the time they’ve passed, so, too, has Ragesh’s laughter.

“I hate to break it to you, but ghosts don’t exist,” he tells Billy.

“Yeah, they do,” Billy says with such conviction that even Ethan feels embarrassed for him, which then prompts feelings of guilt. Billy’s his best friend. He should have his back. But Ragesh is right: Ghosts don’t exist. Besides, Billy didn’t have Ethan’s back when they were all gathered on opposite sides of the road. The slight still stings even now that they’re next to the falls, clustered close together on the outcropping in a way that makes Ethan claustrophobic.

“Can we just go?” he says, the words so meek he wonders if anyone has heard them. Ethan doubts it, because now Ragesh is talking.

“Prove it,” he says.

“I can’t,” Billy replies. “I haven’t seen one yet.”

“But you want to, right?” A cruel glint flashes in Ragesh’s eyes. “I know a place where that could happen.”

Ashley cocks her head to give him a look. “You just told him ghosts don’t exist. Make up your mind.”

“Maybe Billy can help with that,” Ragesh says. “Maybe where we’re going will turn me into a believer. Come with me…if you dare.”

He walks away, heading back into the trees without another word, as if he knows the others will follow. Which they do. Billy and Russ eagerly, Ashley slowly while emitting a sigh. Ethan again brings up the rear, grudgingly trailing behind them as they descend through the forest. He doesn’t understand why they’re moving deeper onto the property instead of turning around and going home. Nor does he understand why they’re even here. Why did Billy bring them to this place? Is it really to look for ghosts?

Last but certainly not least in his thoughts is this: What will happen if they get caught? Ethan assumes it won’t be good. But that’s nothing compared to how his parents will react when they find out he’s disobeyed them, which they surely will if they’re caught. And his mother is upset enough over losing her job.

When they reach flat land and a gravel path meandering over the grounds, Ragesh turns left. “It’s just up ahead,” he says.

Sure enough, a structure sits around the bend. It’s backed against the trees and flanked by a pair of giant willows, so it’s hard for Ethan to see what it is as they approach. Only when they’re directly in front of the structure does it become clear.

A mausoleum.

Built of marble and granite, it sits wide and squat in the dappled shadows of the willow trees. The front is adorned by two columns, around which climb tendrils of ivy. That and the drooping leaves of the willows brushing the peaked roof give the impression that the whole place is quickly being overtaken by nature.

Instead of a solid door, a simple wrought iron gate secured by a rusted latch covers the mausoleum’s entrance. Ethan looks past thegate and into the mausoleum itself. It’s dark inside. A discomfiting blackness that reminds him of a cave, inside of which waits something terrible. In this case, though, he already knows what that something is.

Dead people.

“It’s so cool,” Billy says, even though that’s the last word Ethan would use to describe it. Mysterious? Yes. Creepy? Definitely. Scary enough to make him want to turn around and go the other way? Absolutely.

Billy, though, takes a step closer to the mausoleum. “Who’s buried there?”

“Beats me,” Ragesh says. “Why don’t you go look?”

To Ethan’s surprise, Billy does, shuffling to the iron gate and peering between the bars. “I can’t tell. It’s too dark to see.”

“Ask your ghost friends,” Ragesh says.

“They’re not my friends,” Billy says, adding, “Yet.”

Ethan again feels a twinge of embarrassment for his friend. Billy’s so sincere and so fully believes what he’s saying that he can’t see how everyone else thinks it’s ridiculous. Especially Ragesh, who joins Billy at the gate. He lifts the latch, which emits a rusty creak as it rises from its cradle. Another creak comes when Ragesh yanks the gate open. Holding it ajar, he looks at Billy and says, “Maybe you should go inside.”

“No,” Ashley says. “Billy, don’t do it.”

“It won’t be for long,” Ragesh says, needling. “Just for a second.”

Ashley crosses her arms and glares at him. “Why don’tyouget inside?”

“Because I’m not the one eager to make friends with a ghost.”

“I’ll do it.” Billy flicks his gaze toward Ethan. “If he goes with me.”

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