A Peek at "A Trace of Evil"

During this long timeout, I’ve been working on my book draft to send to an editor.Writing this story is a lot of fun and I thought you might like to have a peek. A Trace of Evil is about a young woman who leaves a controlling boyfriend only to find her new apartment has a controlling ghost. The story begins with Dani inspecting the apartment. This is a scene from the bedroom, the only room in the apartment with origins in the Eighteenth century. Here's a snippet of conversation between Dani and her older sister, Kirsten:

To myself I muttered, “It’s a little gloomy in here. I suppose I could perk it up with some bright colors.”

Kirsten, who missed nothing, gave me an incredulous stare. “Look at the floor boards. They’re gorgeous and I’d die for a fireplace like this. The apartment is perfect for you.”

Leave it to Kirsten to know what was best for me.

“Is it?”

“Of course.”

Ready to tell her I could make up my own mind, Eddie took me aside. When he told me the rent, I fell in love with the place myself.

“You can move in next week, if you like. I’ll have it cleaned.”

Before I could ask why such a great apartment had been vacant for so long, Kirsten poked my arm. “Earth to Dani.”

“What?”

“Do you want it?”

Did I want it? Knowing what rents were like in Salem, I’d be foolish to turn it down. “Okay, Eddie. I’ll take it.”

Heading back to the kitchen, (my kitchen, I thought with a thrill) I caught the smell of tobacco. I glanced up at the loft . . . was that smoke? I stopped and squinted in the dim light. Nothing. Nothing but shadows.