Page 4 of The Shade of Things
I frowned, teasing out a thought. “Oh! That’s it. Come on.”
Grabbing his sleeve, I tugged him back up the stairs and into the entrance hall. “Look. The floor is dust-free.”
Eli frowned. “So?”
“That means it’s been walked on. Damien has been here, which explains the blackout curtains. Hopefully Ian is with him.”
“Then where are they now?”
“If I’m right?” I led him outside, turning to examine the rotting door barely holding on to the frame.
Eli prodded me impatiently. “If you’re right, what?”
After a moment, a front door zoomed out toward us like a 3D stereogram. The solid modern structure clicked into the frame, almost slyly, as if saying Little old me? I was here all the time. Even so its reveal didn’t give me the rush of watching a stage magician’s showy flourish. It was more a quiet delight that I had access to secrets. Like finding an old book in an archive that you needed or digging up a piece of information at just the right time.
Eli gasped.
“They’re still here.” Grinning, I pushed on the handle running vertically along the right side and swung the door open.
