right.” She looked around and then started tidying up. “I need to think of a plan first. Then I’ll go upstairs.”
“Hal is a very powerful ghost,” Ruby said.
“So you’re saying I should not go upstairs? Hal invaded my space. Why shouldn’t I invade his?”
“Because he could go all poltergeist on you. Do you have experience dealing with something like that?”
“I’ve read about it,” Sierra said.
“Great. So that’s it? You’ve only read about it?”
“No, that’s not all. I’ve also written about it.”
“Bully for you.”
“I found Hal’s last name.”
“It’s Bergerstock. I could have told you that,” Ruby said.
“Yes, but you didn’t.” Sierra opened her tablet. She was glad that the Wi-Fi was working. One of her distant cousins ahead of her on the inheritance ladder had gotten the house wired for the Internet and then only stayed a day after that. She hadn’t considered that when she’d checked her e-mail first thing that morning on her smartphone. She’d used her phone carrier rather than Wi-Fi to access the Internet in the house.
“What are you doing?” Ruby said.
“A search on the Internet,” Sierra said.
“Who is Mr. Google?”
“Google is a search engine.”
Ruby looked at the thin tablet. “There’s an engine in there?”
“No. It’s done via the computer. That’s what this is.” Sierra pointed to her tablet. “So is that.” She pointed to her laptop.
“And that?” Ruby pointed to Sierra’s smartphone.
“It’s a phone and a camera and a computer. Actually the tablet has a camera too. None of that is important. Stay focused here.”
“Usually that’s my line,” Ruby said.
“I’m not finding anything,” Sierra said.
“That’s not surprising. Capone and his gang liked keeping things quiet. They were good at keeping secrets. And paying off officials.”
Sierra already knew that from the preliminary research she’d done of that period in Chicago. “What about the bootleg tunnels? Have you gone in them?”
“Sure.”
“Since you died?”
“I don’t like it down there and I can only go in the part of the tunnel that is attached to this house.”
“How do you get into the tunnel?”
Ruby shook her head and looked around fearfully. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s forbidden.”
“By whom?”
“By Hal.”
“He’s not the boss of me,” Sierra said.
“He will be if we don’t get rid of him,” Ruby prophesied.
“Then help me. Give me more information. How many girls worked upstairs? What were their names? I can’t remember if you told me this already but did Hal live down here when he was alive? Did he have his family here?”
“He did not have his family here. The main floor was more of a lounge and an office area. Plus the kitchen. Oh and it was also a place for security. We had armed bodyguards around the clock. They used to play billiards in the basement.”
“There are only two bedrooms upstairs,” Sierra said.
“Four of us were assigned here. This was the upper tier. Only the very best—best clients and best prostitutes. One was known as ‘Belle of the Balls’ because she specialized in that part of a man’s anatomy.”
Sierra laughed so hard, she snorted, which made her laugh even more. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she said, “Sorry. Go on.”
“We worked in shifts. Twelve hours on, twelve hours off.”
“Where did you go when you were off duty?”
“I had a little apartment a few miles away. One of Hal’s drivers took me back and forth.”
Something about the way Ruby said that made Sierra look up at her. “What was the name of Hal’s driver?”
“I don’t remember,” the ghost said hurriedly.
Ruby was lying. Sierra wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. She was certain of it.
* * *
Sierra was lying. Ronan suspected that she hadn’t told the truth about creating the mess in her bedroom. Her bedroom wasn’t just messy, it
“Hal is a very powerful ghost,” Ruby said.
“So you’re saying I should not go upstairs? Hal invaded my space. Why shouldn’t I invade his?”
“Because he could go all poltergeist on you. Do you have experience dealing with something like that?”
“I’ve read about it,” Sierra said.
“Great. So that’s it? You’ve only read about it?”
“No, that’s not all. I’ve also written about it.”
“Bully for you.”
“I found Hal’s last name.”
“It’s Bergerstock. I could have told you that,” Ruby said.
“Yes, but you didn’t.” Sierra opened her tablet. She was glad that the Wi-Fi was working. One of her distant cousins ahead of her on the inheritance ladder had gotten the house wired for the Internet and then only stayed a day after that. She hadn’t considered that when she’d checked her e-mail first thing that morning on her smartphone. She’d used her phone carrier rather than Wi-Fi to access the Internet in the house.
“What are you doing?” Ruby said.
“A search on the Internet,” Sierra said.
“Who is Mr. Google?”
“Google is a search engine.”
Ruby looked at the thin tablet. “There’s an engine in there?”
“No. It’s done via the computer. That’s what this is.” Sierra pointed to her tablet. “So is that.” She pointed to her laptop.
“And that?” Ruby pointed to Sierra’s smartphone.
“It’s a phone and a camera and a computer. Actually the tablet has a camera too. None of that is important. Stay focused here.”
“Usually that’s my line,” Ruby said.
“I’m not finding anything,” Sierra said.
“That’s not surprising. Capone and his gang liked keeping things quiet. They were good at keeping secrets. And paying off officials.”
Sierra already knew that from the preliminary research she’d done of that period in Chicago. “What about the bootleg tunnels? Have you gone in them?”
“Sure.”
“Since you died?”
“I don’t like it down there and I can only go in the part of the tunnel that is attached to this house.”
“How do you get into the tunnel?”
Ruby shook her head and looked around fearfully. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s forbidden.”
“By whom?”
“By Hal.”
“He’s not the boss of me,” Sierra said.
“He will be if we don’t get rid of him,” Ruby prophesied.
“Then help me. Give me more information. How many girls worked upstairs? What were their names? I can’t remember if you told me this already but did Hal live down here when he was alive? Did he have his family here?”
“He did not have his family here. The main floor was more of a lounge and an office area. Plus the kitchen. Oh and it was also a place for security. We had armed bodyguards around the clock. They used to play billiards in the basement.”
“There are only two bedrooms upstairs,” Sierra said.
“Four of us were assigned here. This was the upper tier. Only the very best—best clients and best prostitutes. One was known as ‘Belle of the Balls’ because she specialized in that part of a man’s anatomy.”
Sierra laughed so hard, she snorted, which made her laugh even more. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she said, “Sorry. Go on.”
“We worked in shifts. Twelve hours on, twelve hours off.”
“Where did you go when you were off duty?”
“I had a little apartment a few miles away. One of Hal’s drivers took me back and forth.”
Something about the way Ruby said that made Sierra look up at her. “What was the name of Hal’s driver?”
“I don’t remember,” the ghost said hurriedly.
Ruby was lying. Sierra wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. She was certain of it.
* * *
Sierra was lying. Ronan suspected that she hadn’t told the truth about creating the mess in her bedroom. Her bedroom wasn’t just messy, it
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