Sizzle All Day by Geralyn Dawson Page B

forest half the night to get caught now. No, he was the one out to do the catching.
    Jake Delaney had come to call on his ghost.
    He hadn't anticipated anything quite so much in months.
    Following the incident in the dungeon earlier that afternoon, Jake had been escorted from the premises by a burly stable hand and the barrel of a pistol. The fellow gave him money for the horse he'd ridden to Rowanclere, then tossed Scooter and the rest of Jake's belongings into the bottom of a rowboat. After insisting Jake man the oars and row across the loch to a village on the post route, the man paid for Jake's ticket, then watched until he'd boarded the coach. He'd added to the insult by grinning and waving a salute as the stage rumbled out of town.
    Of course, Jake had talked his way off the transport before the second curve in the winding road. He'd used the horse money to rent a boat, then rowed back across the loch. Hiding out in the ruins of a watchtower a short distance away, he'd settled in to wait, dozing off and on into the evening. He'd wanted it to be good and dark before he made his move, and being this far north, that meant the middle of the night.
    The castle wall had been relatively easy to breach, despite the presence of a watchman. He had not noticed the guard previously, and he wondered if the watchman was present on account of him. Did I spook you, princess?
    He grinned at the thought.
    Finally, he reached the landing that led to the guest bedroom he had occupied. He cracked open the door and listened hard for a good half-minute before concluding the room was unoccupied. Then he slipped inside.
    His first task was to find and light the lamp. He felt safe doing so because the room faced away from the main body of the castle; therefore the risk of discovery was slight. That accomplished, he reached into the front of his jacket and removed the extra weight he'd carried with him through the castle. He held Scooter up before him, then gazed into her eyes. "I'll take the muzzle off, but you have to promise to be quiet. Is that a deal?"
    He then removed the strip of cloth he'd tied around her snout. The first thing she did was lick him. "Hmm..." he murmured. "First you tolerate a muzzle, then you give me a kiss. Scooter, you are the perfect female."
    Setting the dog on the floor, he said, "Now, let's get to work."
    Jake's plan was to find the hidden entrance to the room, then track down the spirited specter. This old fortress was bound to be riddled with hidden passageways, which explained how the woman had accomplished her tricks. She would have left signs of her passing—like maybe an extra head or pouch of feathers—and he would use them to trace her to her lair. After that... well... "You reap what you've sown, lady."
    He searched for twenty minutes before he found the concealed latch, and even then he'd have missed it were it not for Scooter. While dragging herself toward the meat pie he'd set down for her in an effort to keep her quiet, the dachshund managed to hang herself up on the small lever cleverly disguised as an andiron.
    "Remind me to swipe you a bone next time we wander through the kitchen," he told her as the hidden door yawned open.
    Jake tucked Scooter back into his coat, lifted the lamp from the bedside table, then stepped into the passageway. A damp, musty odor hung on air that felt cold enough to hang meat. Jake grimaced and thought longingly of a warm bed, warm blankets, and warm fire in the fireplace. One more thing you owe me for, sweetheart.
    He couldn't wait to collect his due.
    Because of the darkness in the narrow corridor, the going was slow and the tracking difficult. A short hallway led to a staircase that took him down to the main floor. There the hallway widened slightly before splitting off in three directions. Jake scowled. He'd expected cobwebs and footprints in the dust to lead him to his quarry.
    Instead he found dust rags and a broom. Actually, the broom found him when he stepped on