Haunted

Haunted
Heather Graham

Matt Stone doesn't believe in ghosts.But there are those who are convinced his home, a historic Virginia estate that dates back to the Revolutionary War, is haunted. Pressured to get at the truth about some strange happenings at Melody House, he agrees to let Harrison Investigations explore the house. But he isn't ready for beautiful, intriguing Darcy Tremayne.As a paranormal investigator, Darcy has learned to believe in the unbelievable. And she's given Matt fair warning: sometimes people don't like the skeletons she finds. She never dreamed that warning would apply to herself. For she's about to discover that Melody House holds much more than a simple mystery from the distant past. What it holds is a very real and lethal danger, one that will cast her into a struggle against the worlds of both the living and the dead.

Praise for New York Times Bestselling Author

HEATHER GRAHAM

“Mystery, sex, paranormal events. What’s not to love?”

—Kirkus Reviews on The Death Dealer

“[A] sinister tale sure to appeal to fans across multiple genre lines.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Death Dealer

“Heather Graham will keep you in suspense until the very end.”

—Literary Times

“[A] solid trilogy opener…Dream messages and premonitions, ghostly sightings, capable detective work and fascinating characters blend to make a satisfying chiller.”

—Publishers Weekly on Deadly Night

“There are good reasons for Graham’s steady standing as a best-selling author. Here her perfect pacing keeps readers riveted as they learn fascinating tidbits of New Orleans history. The paranormal elements are integral to the unrelentingly suspenseful plot, the characters are likable, the romance convincing, and, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Graham’s atmospheric depiction of a lost city is especially poignant.”

—Booklist on Ghost Walk

“Graham peoples her novel with genuine, endearing characters.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Séance

“An incredible storyteller.”

—Los Angeles Daily News

Heather Graham

Haunted

To the one and only Miss Barden…Liz

With lots of love and best wishes

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Prologue

A different time, a different place

Darcy Tremayne hadn’t expected her senior prom to be a dream evening. But neither had she expected it to be the beginning of a lifelong nightmare.

It started with Hunter being a total jerk.

She wasn’t sure what started their argument, only that it escalated into him saying that he didn’t intend to speak to her again until she apologized. She told him he’d better not plan on speaking to her again ever then, because she hadn’t the least intention of apologizing. She hadn’t done anything, other than suggest that despite the fact that he had been given an award in drama club, he hadn’t needed to kiss his leading lady quite so long, or so deeply, in the auditorium, in front of the world. Or their small part of it anyway—the entire high school. When he left her house that afternoon, she assumed that he’d call her and be the one to say that he was sorry.

The call never came. She heard the next morning that he had invited his leading lady, Cindy Lee, to the prom.

She avoided her friends, and allowed herself to indulge in some well-earned tears. She argued with herself all afternoon. Hunter was going to head straight out to California after graduation and try to make it big in Hollywood. She was heading to NYU, and she had been ecstatic about her acceptance there and the small scholarship that would allow her to go. Eventually, living across the country from one another, she and Hunter would have most probably fallen apart. She should have accepted the fact long ago that Hunter had an eye for other girls. He was young. So was she. They should spend some time without commitment.