The Secret of the Haunted Mirror - M. V. Carey [17]
“Good,” said Jupiter. “Then we have only that one mirror to consider — the Chiavo glass. Mrs. Darnley, either that mirror is really haunted, or there is a way to enter this house which you don’t know about, or there is someone hidden here in a place we can’t find. It has to be one of those three things.”
Mrs. Darnley nodded. “Yes, I know.”
“Most of the disturbing noises that have been heard in the past week have been heard at night, haven’t they?” asked Jupiter.
“Yes,” said Mrs. Darnley. “The first time I saw the ghost …”
Jupe stiffened. “You saw it before today?”
“I saw it last night,” she admitted. “It was late. It was very late. I’d heard Jeff and John prowling around, and after they went back to bed I couldn’t sleep. Then, after a long time, I heard someone walking in the corridor. I got up. I knew it wasn’t Jeff because I can hear Jeff’s door open, no matter how careful he tries to be. I knew it wasn’t John. I know John’s walk. I put on a robe and went out into the hall. It was dark, of course, but not so dark that I couldn’t see anything. There wasn’t anybody in the hall, but there was a noise, a horrible little giggle. It seemed to be coming from the library. I went to the top of the stairs and started down, and well, I saw pretty much what Jean and I saw this afternoon — a face. That awful face in the mirror.”
“The library was dark this afternoon with the curtains drawn,” said Jupiter. “Last night it must have been even darker.”
“Completely,” said Mrs. Darnley. “Just the same, I saw that face.”
“Grandma, why didn’t you say something?” demanded Jeff. “I was right there.
Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I do not believe in ghosts,” declared Mrs. Darnley. “I was not about to say I’d seen one. But today, when Jean saw it too, I had to admit it.”
“Very well,” said Jupe. Here’s what I suggest we do. Everyone go upstairs. Early.
Right now. Do you have a television upstairs?” Mrs. Darnley nodded. “Good. We can all watch television.”
“All of us?” said Jean.
“Not quite,” said Jupiter. We’ll put out the lights in the hall and I’ll sit on the stairs, in the place where you stood this afternoon, Mrs. Darnley, when you and Jean saw the ghost. Perhaps, when the house is quiet, the spirit of Chiavo will come back.
Perhaps we can discover how the image appears in the mirror.”
The idea was a good one. After they had eaten, Jean, Jeff and Mrs. Darnley trooped noisily up the stairs. Mrs. Darnley inquired loudly as to Jupiter’s choice of television shows. And as Mrs. Darnley put out the lights in the upstairs hall, Jupe took his post on the stairway facing the open library doors.
For perhaps half and hour there was no sound except for the noise of the approaching storm and subdued laughter from the TV. Lightning flickered occasionally, and thunder sounded near, then far away, then near again. Jupe waited, not daring to let himself relax even for a moment.
Then he heard a slight noise below. It was so faint that he couldn’t be sure he had heard it. It was a tiny wail, or perhaps only a squeak. Was it the timbers protesting about the drop in temperature, or had something moved?
There was a thud!
Jupe started. There was no mistaking that. It was a heavy sound, as if someone had dropped something — or perhaps as if someone had stamped their foot.
Still Jupe saw nothing. There was the outline of the library doorway, a black oblong in the darkened hall. Beyond that there was nothing.
Something laughed. Though he didn’t frighten easily, Jupe shivered. The laugh was nasty, mocking, almost the laugh of a demented being.
A greenish light flickered in the library, and suddenly — so suddenly that he blinked — Jupiter found himself staring down through the doorway and into the hideous mirror. He was staring at the ghost!
Jupiter froze for an instant, horrified! The thing in the glass vanished, and Jupe rubbed his eyes. He could hardly believe he had seen it. The