Every House Is Haunted Read Online Free PDF Page A

head.
    “Have you ever played with tarot cards?”
    “You don’t
play
with tarot cards.”
    “I’ve never seen anyone shift like this before,” Leah said in a low, awe-filled voice. She raised one of her hands toward Soelle, fingers wavering slowly back and forth. “I’m surprised she’s even visible.”
    “
Leah
,” Waldo said curtly. He turned back to Soelle. “Have you ever
used
tarot cards before?”
    “Yes.”
    “A girl died,” I mentioned.
    “I didn’t kill her! She ran in front of a bus.”
    Waldo held up a calming hand. “It’s okay. We’re not here about that.”
    “Then why are you here?” Soelle snapped.
    “We just have one more question.” Waldo cleared his throat. “Have you ever played . . . Have you ever used a Ouija board?”
    “No,” she said emphatically.
    Waldo let out a deep breath. He wiped his brow and looked over his shoulder at his partner. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. “Thank God for small favours,” she said.
    Waldo stood up and led me into the kitchen.
    “May I call you Tobias?”
    I nodded.
    “Tobias, your sister is . . .”
    “Please don’t say special.”
    “I was going to say dangerous.”
    “That’s awfully . . . frank.”
    Waldo frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know any other way to be.”
    “It’s okay,” I told him. “It’s just unexpected. I’ve become sort of used to—”
    “Covering up for your sister?” Waldo finished. “Making excuses for her? We know, Tobias. We know all about it.”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “Soelle is having an adverse effect on reality. She’s out of phase. She’s not supposed to be here. I’m sure you’ve noticed some unusual phenomena while in her presence. People and animals acting strangely, unusual weather, apports . . .”
    “Apports?”
    “Objects that appear seemingly out of thin air.”
    “What kinds of objects?”
    Waldo gestured vaguely.
    “Like playing cards?” I suggested.
    “Sure,” Waldo said. “Small objects usually.”
    “Soelle’s been finding playing cards—aces, specifically—around town. She’s become intent on finding them.”
    “Aces?” Leah said, coming up behind us.
    “Yes,” I said. “She found one under a bridge. Another in a tree—a tree that she was levitating over at the time.”
    “Levitation.” Leah’s gaze drifted away for a moment, then came back in force, boring into me. “Has she found them all?”
    “No. She’s found three of them so far.”
    Leah turned to Waldo and said, “We need to move quickly.”
    Waldo cleared his throat and turned to face me.
    “Tobias, we have a man in our employ. A psychic. He has the ability to the see future in his dreams. He lives in one of our most remote stations, in Lhasa. That’s in Tibet. The Roof of the World, they call it. We have him there because the high elevation causes people to dream in extremely vivid detail. It makes his ability that much more potent.”
    “What does this have to do with Soelle?”
    “This man,” Waldo said, “he’s been dreaming of her. In those dreams, Soelle destroys the planet.”
    “She’s not supposed to be here,” Leah muttered.
    “Where is she supposed to be?” I said. “Tibet?”
    Waldo shook his head. “It’s not important. All you need to know is that she can’t stay here.” He reached out and gave my shoulder a firm but comforting squeeze.
    “Tobias, your sister needs to come with us.”

    Soelle didn’t put up a fight. In fact, she wanted to go.
    “I have to widen my search,” she said. “You understand.”
    “Sure,” I said. You could have filled a barn with all the things I didn’t understand at this point.
    I offered to help pack her stuff, but Leah said it wasn’t necessary.
    “We’ll get her new clothes,” she assured me. “We’ll take care of her.”
    Waldo shook my hand and thanked me. I didn’t know for what, but I said “You’re welcome” anyway. Then they stepped outside to let me say good-bye