House of Bones by Graham Masterton Read Free Book Online Page B

was silent, but he had an overwhelming feeling that there were other people here, very close by, waiting for them to turn their backs.
    He took hold of Lucy’s hand and took a cautious step further, and then another. Then he stopped again, and listened some more.
    He was sure that somebody was standing only centimetres away from him, steadily breathing, yet he couldn’t see anything at all, not even a ghostly shadow.
    He took another step – and, as he did so, he trod on something hard. He looked down and saw that it was a ring. He bent down and picked it up, and held it out so that Lucy could see it. A man’s wedding band, made out of twin ropes of yellow and white gold.
    â€œThis is Mr Rogers’ ring,” John whispered.
    â€œAre you sure about that?”
    â€œPositive. I noticed it when I gave him the key.”
    â€œThen he must have been here, mustn’t he?”
    John nodded, looking around him. The atmosphere in the house, already threatening, began to tighten, as if a thunderstorm were imminent. Taking hold of Lucy’s hand again, he backed slowly towards the head of the stairs, and he was conscious that they were being closely followed. He almost expected to feel breath on his cheek.
    â€œWhat is it?” asked Lucy, and she was clearly terrified.
    â€œI don’t know. I don’t know what it is.”
    â€œIt’s a
ghost
” she said. “I swear it.”
    â€œThere’s no such thing.”
    He reached behind him and felt the newel post on the top of the bannisters. “Let’s make a run for it,” he said. “One – two – three—”
    They turned and hurtled down the stairs, taking two and three at a time. The instant they did so, they heard the someone coming after them, jumping just as fast. Lucy screamed and almost lost her balance, but she managed to grab the handrail to steady herself.
    They bounded down to the hallway and ran across to the front door without looking back. John opened it up, and they rushed outside, down the steps, and out along the shingle driveway. The door slammed behind them with a deafening bang.

7
    They reached Lucy’s car and scrambled into it. Lucy juggled with the keys and dropped them on to the floor, but John scooped them up for her and she managed to start the engine.
    â€œYou’re right!” John panted. “It
is
haunted! I don’t believe in ghosts but there’s a ghost in there!”
    â€œLet’s just go,” said Lucy. She swerved out into the road, nearly knocking an old man off his bicycle. “Oi!” he shouted after them.
    They sped through the mid-morning traffic back to Streatham High Road. “We’ll have to take this ring to the police,” said John.
    â€œOh, yes. And where are you going to say that you found it?”
    â€œWhat are you talking about? I’m going to tell them the truth, that’s all.”
    â€œAnd what do you think Mr Vane’s going to do when he finds out that we’ve borrowed his key and gone snooping around one of his precious houses? He’s going to sack us, that’s what. And I don’t know about you, but I need this job.”
    â€œSo what else can we do? Mr Rogers could still be in the house somewhere, couldn’t he? He could still be alive. What if he starves to death, because we were too scared to tell the police?”
    â€œWe could give them an anonymous tip-off,” Lucy suggested. “You know, like they do on
Crimewatch
.”
    John held up Mr Rogers’ ring and inspected it from all angles. “I suppose we could. And we could find out more about 66 Mountjoy Avenue, too. Mr Vane must have some kind of file on it.”
    â€œYou’re not going to start
rifling
again, are you? You’re going to get yourself in terrible trouble.”
    John didn’t say anything. He was thinking about the thing that had followed them down the empty corridor, and the statue