“Yeah. The carpet is pulled up under there, but it’s safe to walk on.”
Taking a deep breath, she walked forward with the old Vera Bradley weekender and tried not to think about the fact she was most likely walking on blood that had dried through to the subfloors. One would think that since she investigated creepy hauntings that this wouldn’t freak her out.
But it did.
“Try not to think about it,” Gabe advised, and Rosie realized the creep factor must’ve been written all over her face.
“Trying,” she said as she all but tiptoed over the tarp. “Not really working.”
She hurried across the tarp and down the short hallway. The bedroom door was left open, and as Rosie stepped inside, she realized the bedroom remained the way Nikki had left it.
Towels were scattered along the floor and bed, and she knew from what Nikki had told her, she’d been folding them when Parker showed up. A broken lamp was placed on the dresser, the shade ruined.
“I was here, you know?” Rosie placed the bag on the bed and unzipped it. Turning to the dresser, where she figured Nikki kept most of her comfy clothes, she knocked a curl out of her face. “Last Friday? I was helping her unpack, and I would’ve stayed later, but I had this thing I had to do.”
Gabe was quiet from where he waited in the doorway.
Walking over to the dresser, she knelt and started opening the drawers. Luck was on her side, because she immediately found a stash of sweatpants and leggings. “If I had stayed, I would’ve been here. I could’ve—I don’t know.” She snatched up some pants. “Maybe if I was here, he wouldn’t have tried to hurt her.”
“You shouldn’t go down that road.” Gabe leaned against the doorframe.
Finding some lightweight shirts, she gathered them up. “Kind of hard not to.”
“If you stayed, he could’ve attacked you or worse.”
That was true, but it didn’t really lessen the guilt. She carried her finds over to the bed, placing them in the roomy bag.
“I should’ve been here,” Gabe said after a few moments. “If I hadn’t made a mess of things with Nic, I would’ve been here. None of this would’ve happened.”
Rosie looked over at him. He was staring forward, but she could tell he wasn’t seeing her. He was seeing what had happened in here. “You told me not to go down that road, but you’re obviously doing it, too.”
His gaze shifted to her. “Kind of hard not to.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips. “I just hope she can come back here and enjoy this. She was so excited about this place. I don’t want that ruined for her.”
“Me neither.”
“Then I guess we make sure it doesn’t.”
Gabe smiled as he nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Thinking of what Devlin had said about how Gabe felt about Nikki, she wondered if this was something Nikki was aware of yet. Probably not. Knowing Nikki, she’d be the last one to figure it out.
Rosie quickly gathered up enough clothing to last Nikki for almost two weeks, including undergarments. By the time she zipped up the bag, the thing was bursting at the seams and had to weigh a ton.
“I got this.” Gabe appeared beside her when she went to lift the bag. He took the strap, hooking it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
Knocking a stray curl out of her face, she stepped back from the bed and faced Gabe. “I would like to see Nikki. I know she’s at your place, and whatever, but I really would like to be able to visit her.”
“I think she’d like to see you.” Gabe turned to the doorway. “You’re more than welcome to come over now.”
Surprise flickered through her. She expected to have a massive argument on her hands, where she’d have to beg and plead. The de Vincents were notoriously private. “Really?”
“Yeah. I think that would be a nice surprise for her.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “You look shocked. Did you think I’d say no?”
Rosie blinked slowly. “I’m sorry. I guess I kind of did.”
He lifted his brows. “And why is that?”
“Well, your brother . . .” She trailed off.
Understanding flickered across his face. “Dev? Don’t worry about him. It’s unlikely that he’ll even be there.”
A weird feeling whirled inside her, a mixture of relief and, oddly, disappointment. Never seeing Devlin again would be for the best, so she didn’t understand the disappointment at all.
But who cared? Because holy moon pies, she was going to get to see Nikki and she was going to set foot in the de Vincent manor, one of the most haunted places ever.
Chapter 8
Even if Rosie wasn’t following Gabe, she would’ve known how to get to the de Vincent manor because of all the research she’d done. She kept that piece of knowledge to herself since it made her sound like a creepy stalker and she doubted Gabe would appreciate knowing that.
She already kind of felt like a stalker, a cheap one, trailing behind Gabe’s fancy-ass Porsche in her Corolla . She had no idea what kind of Porsche the man drove, but she imagined it cost more than she’d ever be willing to pay for a car.
Lance rang her just as she slowed and pulled onto the private access road. She let the call go to voice mail as she drove along the winding road crowded by tall oaks. Heavy Spanish moss clung to the trees, creating a canopy that nearly blocked out the autumn sun. It was really beautiful and eerie, and knowing that these trees and the moss had been here long before man had claimed this land had a humbling effect.
The trees cleared and rolling green hills came into view. The road kept going for at least another mile. Eventually she came upon more trees edging along the road. Rosie felt like she was driving into another state at this point, but eventually, a large gate attached to a small building that reminded her of a checkpoint came into view.
As she drove past the gate, she finally saw the house.
“Holy Mary, mother of God and baby Jesuses everywhere,” she whispered, clutching the steering wheel as she tipped forward in her seat.
There were no pictures of the de Vincent home anywhere on the internet, not even aerial views, which seemed impossible in this day and age, but it was the truth. So, this was the first time she was seeing the place.
It looked as big as the White House!
The center part of the structure was three stories tall and each side was flanked by smaller additions that appeared to be two stories. Every part of the compound was connected by balconies and breezeways on each level. And as she drew closer, she could see the fans churning from the multiple balcony ceilings.
Thick columns surrounded the front of the home and continued along the entire structure. Shutters were black and large, bushy ferns hung from the wrought-iron railings on the upper levels, and the entire home was covered in vines.
That wasn’t normal, to say the least.
Some of the older homes in the area had issues with the aggressive vines and ivy, but a house like this and covered entirely? Where the owners had the means to keep the structure clear?
Rosie needed to stop staring at the house and pay attention, because Gabe was heading toward the left wing and she was going to end up driving straight through the front door.
She followed him around to a separate structure she quickly realized was a garage—a garage large enough to store at least ten cars. How many vehicles did these people have?
Gabe didn’t pull into one of the bays, instead parking in front, so Rosie did the same, pulling up beside him. She snatched her phone, shoving it into the pocket of her jeans, and her purse off the front seat, and then climbed out.
Gabe was already waiting for her at the trunk of her Corolla, the weekender bag in hand and silver sunglasses shielding his eyes. He’d pulled his hair back, the dark strands secured at the nape of his neck. “Follow me.”
Rosie hurried to catch up with him. “What is up with all the ivy?”
“You know, that’s a good question.” He cut across the driveway and then stepped onto the veranda along the side of the house. “They come from the rose garden out back and have just spread out of control. Lawrence—our father? He used to have the vines pulled down yearly, but they always came back and quick, too. Weird, huh?”