Page 89 of Beyond the Grave
McIlroy eyed Seth and lifted one shoulder. "I mean he's lying in my bed. Black haired fellow, longishet cetera. He's real still and there's blood everywhere."
"Blood!" I shoved open the door, pushing Seth aside. "Lincoln has been captured," I told him.
"Are you sure?"
I grabbed his jacket at his chest and scrunched it in my fist. "I have to go in and get him out. Come Mr. McIlroy. I'll need your help."
"I'm going too," Seth said.
"Don't get caught," Gus said from the driver's seat. "I can't carry all of you outandkeep the horses quiet."
I wasn't as deft as Lincoln in getting over the fence, but I managed it without tearing my clothing. Thank goodness I'd worn boys' clothes instead of skirts. That was my last clear thought that wasn't about Lincoln as I raced across the lawn with Seth on my left and McIlroy's spirit on my right.
Chapter 15
Ididn't knowhow Lincoln had got inside. Broken a window? Picked a lock? He hadn't deemed it necessary to divulge such particulars to us before we set out. It meant that Seth and I now stood outside the front door, wondering what to do next.
"Perhaps one of the upper floor windows is open," he said, tilting his head back.
"How do you propose to get up there? Fly?"
Seth swore. I sighed.
"I can fly." To prove his point, McIlroy's spirit did a flip in the air then he cackled with glee.
He gave me an idea. "How did you get in before?"
"Through the keyhole."
"Listen to me carefully, Mr. McIlroy. Do you know where your physical body is now?"
"The basement, most likely. That's where they take the bodies until someone from the mortuary comes. Do you know when I died? I can't seem to recall much about my final days."
"We were here around midday, so some time after that."
"What's he saying?" Seth asked, warily.
"That his body is in the basement. Mr. McIlroy, I need you to go back inside, find your way to the basement, and re-enter your body."
"Re-enter?" McIlroy screwed up his face like a child served a dish full of beans.
"Just lie on it and allow your spirit to sink through. Then…get up and walk." It was the best explanation I could give. None of the other spirits I'd raised had any trouble working it out, so hopefully McIlroy wouldn't either. "Come and unlock this door for us. Be as quiet as you can."
"Is he gone?" Seth asked, glancing around.
McIlroy saluted Seth then his mist slipped through the keyhole.
I blew out a measured breath. "Yes."
We waited for an interminably long time, or so it seemed. Despite the darkness, the night wasn't quiet. The distant rattle of wheels and clip-clop of hooves provided a familiar and comforting backdrop to the unfamiliar and eerie wails coming from inside the asylum. My skin prickled and a shiver rippled down my spine. I sidled closer to Seth.
He put his arm around me. "This place gives me the jitters too."
The sound of thumping had us both bristling. I shushed Seth when he began to speak and listened. There it was again, followed by a low, male voice. Finally the lock clicked and the door opened a crack. The cadaverous face of McIlroy emerged through the dimness.
"This is a jolly lark," he said, chuckling. "Come in, come in."
"Was that you thumping?" I asked as he closed the door behind us and we were swallowed up by the darkness.
