A Grave Conjuring
A
Grave
Conjuring
By
Michelle Dorey
(Previously published as The Ouija Conjuring)
About This Book
Two orphaned sisters. A spirit without a grave. Can two orphans solve a murder before death claims another victim?
Ashley and Maya wish they could take back the hurtful things they told their parents before the deadly car crash. Two years later, the young orphans try to make the most of their new life with their lonely aunt. But the remote lake house in upstate New York doesn’t feel like home without their mother’s touch. When the girls discover a Ouija board in the dusty attic, they think they’ve finally found a way to tell their deceased mother how they really feel.
With help from a séance-savvy friend and a couple of neighborhood troublemakers, the girls summon the spirits… and an unsolved murder mystery. When a restless ghost terrorizes the household, the sisters know they’ll never be free of her menacing presence until they help her rest in peace. If the girls don’t find her body soon, the portal they opened will cast them all into the world of the dead.
If you like eerie supernatural encounters, coming-of-age friendships, and edge-of-your-seat mysteries, then you’ll love Michelle Dorey’s haunting story.
A Grave Conjuring is the second standalone book in the hair-raising series ‘The Haunted Ones’. Other books in this series are:
The Haunted Hideout
Haunted By The Succubus
Coming November, 2018: The Haunted Gathering!
SPECIAL BONUS!
Legacy: The Mystical Veil 1, a full length novel is included FREE!
Previously titled The Ouija Conjuring
Copyright 2018, Michelle Dorey
ISBN: 978-1-988913-09-4
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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Photo Images by Deposit Photos, used with permission
Edited by Paula Grundy
https://paulaproofreader.wixsite.com/home
Cover by Juan Padrone
https://www.juanjpadron.com/
Contents
About This Book
Contents
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY ONE
TWENTY TWO
TWENTY THREE
TWENTY FOUR
TWENTY FIVE
TWENTY SIX
TWENTY SEVEN
TWENTY EIGHT
TWENTY NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY ONE
THIRTY TWO
THIRTY THREE
Author’s Note:
Legacy: The Mystical Veil 1
ABOUT THIS BOOK
<><><> ONE <><><>
<><><> TWO <><><>
<><><> THREE <><><>
<><><> FOUR <><><>
<><><> FIVE <><><>
<><><> SIX <><><>
<><><> SEVEN <><><>
<><><> EIGHT <><><>
<><><> NINE <><><>
<><><> TEN <><><>
<><><> ELEVEN <><><>
<><><> TWELVE <><><>
<><><> THIRTEEN <><><>
<><><> FOURTEEN <><><>
<><><> FIFTEEN <><><>
<><><> SIXTEEN <><><>
<><><> SEVENTEEN <><><>
<><><> EIGHTEEN <><><>
<><><> NINETEEN <><><>
<><><> TWENTY <><><>
<><><> TWENTY ONE <><><>
<><><> TWENTY TWO <><><>
<><><> TWENTY THREE <><><>
<><><> TWENTY FOUR <><><>
<><><> TWENTY FIVE <><><>
<><><> TWENTY SIX <><><>
<><><> TWENTY SEVEN <><><>
<><><> TWENTY EIGHT <><><>
<><><> TWENTY NINE <><><>
<><><> THIRTY <><><>
<><><> THIRTY ONE <><><>
<><><> THIRTY TWO <><><>
<><><> THIRTY THREE <><><>
<><><> THIRTY FOUR <><><>
A Note from the Author about Heritage…Book 2 of The Mystical Veil…
ONE
“SHE ACTUALLY PAID MONEY FOR THIS DUMP?” Ashley shook her head. Despite the fact that the heavy packing box made her arms ache, she couldn’t help pausing a moment, taking in the cracked vinyl floor and the chipped paint on the cabinet doors. Her nose pinched, smelling the mustiness. The previous owner had been an old man, and he’d left that “old person” smell in the house. The heat in the stuffy kitchen wasn’t helping either. “Yuck.”
Maya nudged her shoulder, “Quiet. She’s coming.” She led the way across the room to the hallway and stopped, adjusting the bins in her arms before going up the stairs, “It’s not that bad. At least with the lake, we’ll have something to do this summer.”
“How are you girls making out?” Aunt Claire came into the kitchen and dropped a box on the counter with a resounding bang. “That’s the last of it for this trip.” She smiled, wiping her hands on faded blue jeans. “Well? What do you think?”
Ashley forced a smile, “You weren’t kidding when you said it was a fixer-upper. The setting is pretty nice though.” Still, she couldn’t help wondering if perhaps Aunt Claire had bitten off more than she could chew with this project. Sure, she had experience doing renovations but this one was beyond hope.
“That’s why I bought it, doll! You won’t recognize it once I’m done. Who knows? We may even stay here. I never thought I’d be able to afford a place on the lake. This might be my only chance.” Taking a deep satisfied breath, Claire gazed out the window at the backyard sloping down to the water’s edge.
Ashley turned, hiding her disappointment. Yeah, they were going to be stuck here for quite some time. She walked out of the room to join her sister at the top of the stairs. Each step higher tugged her gut lower. The house was in the middle of nowhere, a fifteen-minute walk to the nearest neighbor. If it were next year even, when she could get her driver’s license, it might be bearable, but not now.
She trudged into the room at the far end of the hallway. It was only slightly bigger than Maya’s room, but at least the view was better, overlooking the lake as opposed to the driveway. Setting the box on the bed, she couldn’t help but notice the quietness in the air. When they’d lived downtown, there was always a car or people going past. Here, it was deathly still.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and a couple moments later, Aunt Claire stood in the doorway. “I’m heading back for another load at the old place. Do you want me to pick up pizza or hamburgers for lunch when I’m in town?”
Before she had a chance to answer, Maya popped out of her room. “Both! You’re not thinking of cooking tonight, are you?” Her dark eyes shone while a wide grin flashed as she slipped by their aunt, stepping into Ashley’s room.
“Good point.” Aunt Claire laughed. “After this move, I’ll be too tired to cook.”
When Maya flashed a crooked smile, her milk chocolate eyes sparkled with mischief; it was a shot to Ashley’s heart. Someti
mes when Maya smiled and moved a certain way, it stunned her to see how much Maya resembled their mother. Of course she’d inherited the chestnut hair and lean athletic build, which was definitely all Mom. Ashley was their father’s daughter, tall with his strawberry-blond hair, and the same shade as her aunt’s.
Ashley sighed. Now wasn’t the time to get melancholy, thinking of her parents. It was a little over two years that they’d been gone, thanks to that drunk driver. Still, moments of grief could sneak up and ambush you when you least expected it.
She shook it off, changing the subject, “Leah will be at the old house when you get back there, Aunt Claire. You’re okay with giving her a ride out here?”
Her aunt nodded. “Of course. She can help you unpack and get your room organized. Carol’s volunteered to give me a hand when she’s done work.”
Maya twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking up at their aunt. “No Lucas? I thought he’d insist on helping you get settled.”
The smile fell from Claire’s lips. “He wanted to but I put him off. He’d be more in the way than anything. Carol will be a bigger help.” She grinned. “Plus, it’ll be fun having a girls’ night! Something I haven’t done in too long a time.”
She glanced at her watch. “I’d better get going. You girls will be okay here on your own, won’t you? Is there anything else you need me to pick up when I’m in town?”
Ashley shook her head slowly. This was it. This would probably be the way the summer would go—she and Maya alone while Aunt Claire was off selling houses. Alone and...
She hurried to the doorway and called to her aunt who was halfway down the stairs. “The internet. Can you call the company and ask them to put a rush on it?”
Claire looked up and shrugged. “I’ll try, but it probably won’t do any good. You might be stuck without TV or your laptops until Tuesday.” Her eyebrows arched above a wide grin. “You may have to read or play board games. I remember playing Monopoly for hours when I was your age.”
Maya raced forward and laughed, “You had to. Were computers even invented back then?”
Aunt Claire’s eyes narrowed but the smile was still there, “Smart-ass. Yes, computers were around in 2005. I’m not that much older than you two! My parents weren’t as indulgent with me. They actually set boundaries, if you can believe that.”
“No way!”
“Totally! See you later. Call me if you think of anything you need me to pick up.” Her footsteps were followed by the sound of the kitchen door closing.
Maya twirled on her heel and grinned. “Let’s check out the outside. Maybe we can go for a swim before she gets back. I don’t know about you but I’m melting. It’s got to be almost ninety degrees in here.”
Ashley blew at a lock of hair that lay plastered to her damp forehead. “Let’s air this place out. We should have asked her to pick up more fans. How are we ever going to sleep without air-conditioning?”
She went over to the window and tugged on the lip of the frame. But it wasn’t budging. “Give me a hand, will ya?”
Maya stood next to her, muttering as they strained to get the window to rise. “Probably the old guy who lived here never opened this window.” It creaked and then rose up a few inches, refusing to go any higher. Her eyes flashed wide when she looked at Ashley. “You don’t suppose he died in this house, do you?”
Ashley snorted. “Why? So what if he did? He had to die somewhere.”
Maya was undeterred, her gaze darting around the room. “What if he’s still here? I mean as a ghost or something, haunting the place?”
It wasn’t a thought that Ashley wanted to dwell on. Plus, she was the oldest and therefore the responsible one. “That’s just in horror movies. That kind of thing isn’t real, Maya.” But even so she couldn’t resist. With fingers curled in front of her, Ashley pounced at her sister. “Boo!”
“Shut up!” Maya sniffed and held her head high walking out of the room. “I’m getting my bathing suit on and going for a swim. You can join me or stay here with the ghost. Your choice.” She laughed and then sprinted down the hall.
Ashley chuckled as she pried the cardboard box open to unpack. Maya was making the best of a bad situation. Her little sister was so much like her mother that it made her chest hurt. Mom had always seen the glass as half full, while Dad had been more pragmatic. It was time to be more like Maya and go with the flow.
Knowing Aunt Claire, they’d be moving again after a year or so. Nothing was forever. She knew that from experience.
TWO
TEN MINUTES LATER they stepped down the few rickety steps at the back door. Stalks of overgrown grass scraped her bare legs when Ashley made her way down the backyard to the dock. Like everything else about the property it was old with a few planks missing while the ones still there looked like they might collapse at any minute.
Her arm rose to stop Maya from going any farther. “Wait. Let me test it. If it holds me, then you’ll be okay walking on it.” She stepped gingerly on the first plank and when it didn’t break she bounced a few times making sure it was safe before creeping slowly forward. The water on each side was shallow but dropped off at the end of the dock, judging by the deeper blue there.
“Hurry up, Ashley!” Maya huffed an exaggerated sigh before muttering, “I’m sure it’s fine.”
The board that Ashley tried next, gave way with a sharp crack. “Shit!” Her foot shot forward to the next plank, narrowly escaping a nasty fall. “See!” She glared back at her sister. “Maybe you should wade in from the shore. This thing’s not too secure.”
“Seriously? You’re such a wimp!” Maya threw her towel down and then raced over the dock, her feet flying by the broken spots. She leapt from the end, curling her legs into her body for a perfect cannonball splash.
The dock wobbling under her feet from Maya’s sprint destroyed Ashley’s last attempt to balance. She toppled to the side, arms windmilling, falling into three feet of water. Her hips bumped against the sandy bottom near the dock, before she shook her head, spewing water and curses from her mouth. “You little jerk! I could have been killed. And you know better than to jump in like that! What if there was a rock or stump there?”
Maya ignored her, swimming farther out doing a smooth crawl stroke. Ashley gritted her teeth, and lunged forward trying to catch up. The little fool would probably swim to the other side of the lake if she didn’t stop her. It was a good half mile across and while both of them could easily swim it, their aunt would be back soon. They were supposed to be unpacking.
“Wait up!” She slipped under the surface, pulling hard and kicking fast to join her sister. When she surfaced, gasping for air, there was no sign of Maya.
THREE
SHE TREAD WATER waiting for her to pop up. Where was she?
Something touched her foot and then closed over her ankle! Oh God, a weed or... The water closed over her head when she was yanked down. Kicking fast to escape, she peered through the murky darkness. Bubbles flitted by her face and then Maya was there, a smile plastered on her lips. Ashley scissored her legs fast, jettisoning up to the sun-kissed surface.
“You bitch! I’m gonna get you for that!” Ashley swam easily, following the froth of water that Maya churned up swimming back to shore.
“You’d have to catch me first!” Maya called over her shoulder.
With one strong kick of her legs Ashley shot forward and grabbed Maya’s ankle. “Got ya!” She gave her a tug and her sister disappeared under the water.
Maya came up sputtering, “Okay! We’re even!” She pulled away and tread water grinning at her sister. “This might not be too bad, y’know. Living here by the lake. We can get a canoe or even a small sailboat and learn how to sail. That could be fun.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Ashley glanced over at the house and thought of the boxes still sitting on the bedroom floor. “We should go back and finish the unpacking.”
“Five more minutes! C’mon.” Maya didn’t wait for an answer but flipped sid
eways swimming out farther.
Ashley followed doing a lazy breaststroke, gazing at the far shore forested in deep shades of green. The sky was a clear, pristine blue and the sun cast sparking diamonds across the surface of the lake around her. The house might be a little isolated from their friends in town but at least she had Maya. And it was probably the last summer where the two of them could laze around together. She’d probably get a job the next year and wish for this time with Maya again.
“Hey! Wait up!” Ashley smiled swimming harder to catch up with her sister.
***
Ashley’s stomach rumbled as she set the last hanger in the closet. She grabbed her phone from the dresser and checked the time. It was two hours since Aunt Claire had left and she should be back by now.
“She’s here!” Maya let out a whoop and then her feet beat a fast tattoo down the stairs.
Ashley wasn’t far behind, scooping her damp hair into a messy ponytail as she went. She passed by the bathroom where cardboard boxes formed a tower next to the vanity. Maybe Leah would help her cleaning the mess in there, so they could unpack and get that room squared away. But it was Leah’s first time seeing the house. She’d definitely want a tour after lunch.
When she entered the kitchen, Leah was standing just inside the door gazing around at the cabinets to the far window overlooking the lake. She set the laundry hamper, filled with pots and pans on the counter and then looked over at Ashley. “This place is cool. I mean, it’s old, yeah...but it’s got lots of character.” Her gaze flitted to Ashley’s damp locks. “You’ve been swimming. Thanks for waiting.”
“It was so hot upstairs we couldn’t resist. Trust me, we’ll be going again.” Ashley went over to the table where her sister was tearing into the takeout bag of burgers. “Did you have lunch yet, Leah?” She grabbed one of the containers of fries and glanced over at her friend.