The Haunting of Highdown Hall by Shani Struthers

giving her the best chance of remaining oblivious to any spirits that happened to be wandering about. Any spirit, that was, except Jed, his fidgets were too regular to ignore.
    Cash, she thought as soon as her feet touched the ground, I’m meeting Cash today.
    She was also going to Highdown Hall to meet Alan Kierney and Cynthia Hart for the first time. Excited at both prospects, she made her way to the bathroom. After a long, hot shower, the jets of water deliciously warm as they pummelled her neck and shoulders; she entered the kitchen, in dire need of caffeine. After several cups of coffee and a bowl of rice pops, she was ready to go, alert, even if artificially so.
    If she walked at a brisk pace, it would take less than ten minutes to reach her office. Later, she would walk back with Cash to collect her car. And it was a pleasant walk, a walk she never tired of – past The Pelham Arms, reputedly one of the most haunted pubs in Sussex – although Ruby had never sensed anything there at all, Trevor House, a beautiful Grade II listed building that she coveted, and Lewes Old Grammar School. Dating back to the sixteenth century, she’d very much like to look inside the school building one day – to see what lingered there – a lost child perhaps, sitting at his desk, still trying to solve that wretched maths equation, or a headmaster unable to relinquish control.
    She arrived outside her office just before nine, Cash a minute or so later.
    “Hey,” he said, striding confidently up to her, “good to see you again.”
    Ruby wondered if he was going to lean in for a hello kiss on her cheek and was both relieved and disappointed when he didn’t. Instead, he simply stood before her, a grin on his handsome face and cold hands stuffed in jean pockets.
    “Follow me,” she said, turning from him to open the door before climbing the three flights of narrow stairs to the attic.
    “Wow, this is... snug,” he said upon entering.
    “That’s one way of putting it,” she replied, before offering him tea.
    “Yeah, please, white, no sugar.”
    Flicking the switch on the kettle, Ruby nodded towards her computer.
    “We’re not due at Highdown Hall until after ten thirty so I thought perhaps we could spend half an hour or so looking at some websites of businesses similar to mine first, to give us a few ideas of what we could do and what to avoid.”
    “Sure,” said Cash, rather presumptuously seating himself in her captain’s chair.
    Grabbing a fold-up chair from the meeting table, she opened it pointedly beside him and then returned to the kettle to make the tea she had promised.
    Handing him the warm mug, she said, “If I type in ‘spiritual cleansing’ or ‘house healers’, quite a few people in the same business as me come up – thing is, their websites are a bit, I don’t know how to put it, spiritual I suppose.”
    “Spiritual?” Cash raised an eyebrow. “How strange!”
    She ignored his sarcasm. “I want my website to be more pragmatic, down-to-earth – accessible to the masses if you like, not just the spiritually inclined.”
    “Like an estate agent’s?” he said, clearly enjoying himself.
    “Oh, shut up,” she too suppressed a smile. “I think you know what I mean.”
    “I do,” he said, serious again. “And I agree, a more pragmatic approach seems like a really good idea. Bring it all into the 21 st century. I’ll get some ideas mocked up.”
    “Really?” She could hardly believe her luck. “That would be great.”
    Sipping at her tea, Ruby noticed the confused look that had suddenly appeared on Cash’s face.
    “What is it?” she asked. “What’s the matter?”
    “I’m not sure,” he answered. “I can smell something. No, don’t worry, I don’t mean you – or me for that matter, but something. The best I can describe it as is ‘wet dog’.”
    “Wet dog?” repeated Ruby, equally as perplexed for a moment before looking around. “Jed, Jed where are you boy? Are you