Page 47 of Crazy Spooky Love
“Wait, let’s listen. They must know we’re here, which means they probably shut us in deliberately. Babs is hardly inconspicuous, is she? Let me go and see what I can suss out.”
I inch up the steps in an exaggerated way and lay my ear to the door. It doesn’t help me that I can hear Isaac’s and Lloyd’s raised voices over the top of the hushed female ones. Bloody Isaac! If he’d just pop back to this side of the door, we could probably get everything sorted out a damn sight faster.
“Why didn’t you stop them, you stupid old fool?” I think that was Isaac.
“Perhaps because I’ve been dead for over forty years?”
“Well, you could have tried to frighten them, distracted them, anything but let them lock the door,” Isaac roars. “Admit it. You were perfectly happy to see those children locked down there.”
I bridle a little at the wordchildren.We’re the best hope he’s got of sorting this out; would it kill him to afford us a little more respect? But then I suppose hewasborn in 1887, so maybe I’ll let that one slide.
“Well, you should have made sure Miss Bittersweet and her cohorts closed the door behind them if they didn’t want people to know where they were,” Lloyd sulks.
“I damn well would have if I’d have thought for one moment that someone would come and lock them in. When did they get here?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Like hell you didn’t.”
“It’s true, actually, Isaac.”
“Lloyd and Isaac are arguing, and Douglas has just joined them,” I say for Marina and Artie’s benefit.
“Lloyd was watching that billiards game on the television with me,” Douglas says. “Someone scored the most possible points from what I can gather. Quite tense, actually.”
I wince and decide it’s best not to mention to Marina that she’s just missed a maximum break.
“Well?” hisses Marina. “Who is it?”
I sigh with frustration. “I can’t hear them over the argument about whose fault it is that we’re locked in. Oh, hang on…”
I step away from the door as Isaac finally materializes throughit.
“You took your time,” I grumble under my breath. “Who’s out there?”
“Bloody twins, they should be ashamed of themselves.” He shakes his head in disgust.
“Isaac, please. I don’t have time to talk about Lloyd and Douglas right now. Who locked us in?”
“I’m not talking about my brothers,” he says. “Those girls locked you in.”
Chapter
Thirteen
Girls? For a second I’m confused, and then the mist clears. Nikki and Vikki have locked us in the cellar.
“Leo’s out there?” I’m genuinely shocked and more than a little bit hurt. Despite Gran’s stunt with the armor, I thought we had more respect for each other than this.
Isaac frowns. “I didn’t see anyone else but those women. I don’t think the one with the hair is here.”
Marina, on hearing my words, barges up the steps and bangs hard on the door. “I’ll kill you for this, Leo Dark. Open this frigging door this minute, and then you better hope you can outrun me!”
“I’m not sure he’s here, Marina,” I say quietly. “Isaac seems to think it’s just the twins.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She hammers her fists against the thick old door, furious. “I’m seriously losing my temper in here! You two aresodead when you open this door.”
To be absolutely honest, I don’t think she’s helping our cause. If I were one of the twins, I wouldn’t let her out for fear of what she’d do tome.
