Ryan nodded in agreement. “Don’t be surprised if they chicken out. Remember, most people here believe the ghost of Theodore is rattling around inside, which is why no one wants to be the first to go in. And, not to state the obvious, but the tower isn’t the easiest place to get into. She’s buttoned up pretty good.”

Amy pressed her face against the mesh of the fence. Indeed, the building looked as impenetrable as it had last night. The door to the lighthouse was the only way in and completely hidden, boarded over with thick planks of timber, and the fence around the perimeter was bolted into the rock, at least ten feet tall, and crowned with a nasty clump of razor wire, negating the possibility of anyone climbing over the top.

“Lord almighty,” a voice heckled from the back. “Is there a reason why this is taking so long?”

There was a murmur of agreement.

“Yeah!” another voice cried. “What are we waiting for? We’ll all turn into ghosts ourselves by the time someone finally goes inside!”

As the complaints grew louder and more impatient, Amy whispered into Ryan’s ear and suggested he be the one to volunteer.

“Me?” His expression turned cold. “Why me?”

“What’s the matter?” she teased. “You’re not scared, are you? You didn’t think there was anything going on, right? Weren’t you the one who thought everyone was just seeing things?”

“Was that me? Look, I’m happy just standing here with you. Happy to watch.”

“Is that so? Hmm, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone’s a bit scared of a little ol’ ghost.”

“Not all ghosts,” Ryan quipped. “Just the psychopathic lighthouse-keeper variety of ghost—for them I make an exception.”

As Amy laughed, the announcement finally came, the one everyone had been waiting for:

“I’ll do it! I’ll go inside!”

A cheer erupted through the crowd. Amy and Ryan looked around. The boyish shriek had come from Frank Junior.

“That’s my boy! My son will do it!” Beaming with pride, Handsome Frank clapped his son on the back and fished out a pair of wire cutters from the toolbox. “Go get ’em, Son!”

There was a rumble of enthusiasm from the crowd as Frank Junior stepped forward. He began at the bottom of the fence and started snipping his way through the wire. Once he’d cut a hole big enough, he stepped through to the other side and was showered with rapturous applause. He heaved his chest and raised his hands triumphantly in the air, and the roar grew even louder. Anyone would have thought he had just stepped foot on the moon.