At least one of my suspicions had been confirmed. It would have been easy for anyone who had lived in this house to find their way quickly through the B&B.

I hurried back to the main staircase. I could have taken the secret steps, but in all honesty, they were a little creepy. The entire house was a little creepy. And while it may seem silly, given I was used to being the thing people feared going bump in the night, even witches have their limits.

I grabbed the bannister so like the one in my family’s home. This was it. The moment of truth. Stars above, I hoped Constance hadn’t led me here on a wild-goose chase, but as the saying goes, there was only one way to find out.

Each step I climbed creaked beneath my feet. When I reached the top, the darkness of the second floor engulfed me, and I found myself wishing I had brought a bigger flashlight.

I swept the small circle of illumination I did have over the wall to the left of me, taking small steps as I did. If Roxie was right, and the house was a mirror image of Ivywood Hollow, the closet should be just ahead. I was finding it difficult to judge how far though. The fear and excitement had me disoriented.

I kept the light of my torch moving along the wall. Step after step, it revealed nothing but an uninterrupted flow of wainscotting and faded wallpaper. Panic fluttered in my chest.

Suddenly the light hit upon the handcrafted wood casing of a closet door.

Without a thought, I raced over, grabbed the handle, and whipped it open.

My heart sank. More empty shelves.

I swooped my flashlight over each one, but the beam revealed nothing.

No, this couldn’t be right. I had been so sure. The closet was identical. And Constance had brought me here. There had to be a reason why.

I ran my hand over the dusty shelves feeling for something that might have been left behind, something I couldn’t see with the narrow beam of the flashlight, but, again, there was nothing.

I looked up to the ceiling. Maybe there was a crawl space?

The roof was seamless. Not a nook or cranny in sight.

My hand dropped to my side, flooding the floor of the small enclosure with light.

The floor.

I dropped to my knees. There was a grubby bit of old carpet covering the hardwood. I shone my flashlight behind me and to both sides. It certainly didn’t match any carpet I could see. I gave the fabric a sharp pull. It came loose in my hand.

My chest tightened as I tossed the little rug aside and pointed the flashlight down at the floor. I choked back a shout. I would never have noticed it had I not admired the woodworking at the B&B earlier, but I had, and now what I saw here was unmistakable. The boards were not flush. There were spaces between a select few, thin lines in the shape of a square.