She didn’t even realize that Ronan had disappeared for a second until he handed her the carton of chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream from her freezer upstairs. He even brought a spoon. How could you not love a guy like that?
She wished she had time to savor her emotions for Ronan but she didn’t. So she instead ate what was left of the carton of ice cream while studying the map. With her last bite, it suddenly hit her. “This looks like a maze and it isn’t all in this house. This is just a small part of the picture. I think I know where we are supposed to go. There,” Sierra said. She pointed to the spot where Tanya had appeared.
“That leads to the Vamptown tunnels,” Ronan said. “I checked them out very carefully my first week here.”
“Maybe, but keep in mind that I can see things you don’t,” she said. “Like ghosts.”
Ronan shoved one of the cement blocks and the pocket door slid open.
The tunnel had a lightbulb every ten feet or so. The instant she stepped inside, she felt something. Focusing on the wall to her right, she saw images appear and then fade.
They reminded her of the Russian lacquer box she’d incorporated into her first book, only larger. She saw what looked like a prince and princess. From her earlier research she knew that these types of images were often based on a variety of folk and fairy tales. The one she had used was based on a village courtship story. This one was different though.
Sierra placed her hand on the princess and the mural became clearer.
“Can you see this?” she asked Ronan.
“No. What are you looking at?”
“An incredible mural painted on the wall in the tradition of Russian lacquer boxes, only much larger. The background is black and the colors of the illustration are really vibrant. Judging from the fine lines of gold leaf used throughout, I’d say this was done by someone from the village of Palekh. They specialized in icon paintings there for centuries. Right up until the Russian Revolution, in fact. I researched this stuff when I was writing my first book.”
“Is it a map?”
“No, it’s got a prince and princess. In front of a castle.” There was so much to look at that it was hard to choose where to focus. Then she saw them. “The shoes!”
“What? Is it Cinderella or something?”
“No. The shoes are the same ones that Ruby is wearing. That can’t just be a coincidence. They are pretty unique shoes.”
“Like Dorothy’s in The Wizard of Oz? Voz had a large collection of classic movies in his castle.”
“They’re not red but they are kind of sparkly,” she said.
“Could the castle belong to Voz?”
“I don’t know what his castle looks like.”
“It’s got turrets.”
“Not a lot of help,” she said.
“It might be another of his properties. He has them all over Eastern Europe.”
“And Russia?”
“Probably,” Ronan said.
“The shoes are the link. We have to go talk to Ruby.”
The ghost was waiting for them at the top of the stairs.
“Less than two hours until midnight, people,” she said frantically.
“I know,” Sierra said. “And I think I know why you’re still here. It’s your shoes.”
Ruby looked down. “What’s wrong with them?”
Instead of answering, Sierra posed a question of her own. “Where did you get them?”
“From another girl who worked here. Her name was Natasha. She called them her happy shoes because the sparkle cheered her up.”
“Was she Russian?” Sierra asked.
Ruby nodded. “Yeah, so what?”
“Where are your shoes now?”
“On my feet. Are you losing it?” Ruby said. “You can’t go off on me now.”
“I’m not,” Sierra assured her. “I mean the actual shoes, not your ghost shoes. Were you buried in them?”
“No. I was buried in an ugly dress and shoes that did not match. This is what I was wearing when Hal murdered me.”
“Where did he murder you?”
“In this house.”
“I mean specifically. Which part of the house? The passageway? The tunnels? Is that why you didn’t want to go there?”
“The attic,” Ruby whispered.
“The attic?” Sierra repeated. “What attic?”
“There is an attic,” Ronan said. “I looked carefully up there when I first arrived, but again I can’t see what you can, obviously.”
“Why didn’t I know about an attic?” Sierra said.
“It’s this way.” He led her upstairs and into the room he’d claimed as his. There were two doors, which she’d assumed led to closets. Only one did. When he opened the other door she saw a staircase leading up.