‘People? In the plural sense?’

‘Oh, sure,’ Doc said. ‘I was able to find a surprising amount of documentation listing the crimes committed in this house, many of which involved murder of varying degrees. Because it was a boarding house, there were any number of transient residents, most of whom were on their way home after striking it rich in the gold rush further up state. Many of them were killed in their sleep and their gold absconded, some thought by the owners of the establishment, but most likely it was by other residents—’

Fearing I was going to hear that Jesse had died this way – and suddenly not at all eager to know any more what had caused his death, particularly not if he happened to be around to overhear – I said, ‘Listen, Doc – I mean, Dave. I don’t think I’ve gotten over my jet lag yet, so I’m trying to catch up a little on my sleep just now. Can we talk about this tomorrow at school? Maybe we could have lunch together.’

Doc’s eyes widened. ‘Are you serious? You want to have lunch with me?’

I stared at him, ‘Well, yeah. Why? Is there some rule high schoolers can’t eat with middle schoolers?’

‘No,’ Doc said. ‘It’s just that . . . they never do.’

‘Well,’ I said. ‘I will. OK? You buy the drinks, and I’ll buy dessert.’

‘Great!’ Doc said, and went back to his own room looking like I’d just said tomorrow I’d present him with the throne of England.

I was just on the verge of dozing off again when there was another knock on the door. This time when I opened it, Sleepy was standing there looking more wide awake, for once, than I felt.

‘Look,’ he said. ‘I don’t care if you’re gonna take the car out at night, just put the keys back on the hook, OK?’

I stared up at him. ‘I haven’t been taking your car out at night, Slee – I mean, Jake.’

He said, ‘Whatever. Just put the keys back where you found ’em. And it wouldn’t hurt if you pitched in for gas now and then.’

I said, slowly, so he would understand, ‘I haven’t been taking your car out at night, Jake.’

‘What you do in your own time is your business,’ Sleepy said. ‘I mean, I don’t think gangs are cool or anything. But it’s your life. Just put my keys back so I can find ’em.’

I could see there was no point in arguing this, so I said, ‘OK, I will,’ and shut the door.

After that, I got a good few hours of much needed sleep. I didn’t exactly wake up feeling refreshed – I could have slept for maybe another year – but I felt a little better, anyway.

Good enough to go kick some ghost butt, anyway.

I’d gotten together all the things I was going to need earlier in the evening. My backpack was crammed with candles, paint brushes, a Tupperware container of chicken blood that I’d bought at the butcher counter in the Safeway I made Adam take me to before dropping me off at home, and various other assorted necessary components of a real Brazilian exorcism. I was completely ready to go. All I had to do was throw on my high tops, and I was out of there.