She shook her head briefly. There was no point in arguing with herself. She was committed to the course she was on. “There’s nothing wrong. I’ve merely had time to reconsider your request to study my house, and I’d like to hear more about your proposal.”

“I see,” Sam said, leaning back against the love seat and resting one ankle on his knee. “I’m surprised.”

“Yes,” she said, fighting the urge to shift in her seat. “I can understand why you would be. And I want to be clear this doesn’t affect the other … issue … at all.”

“All right,” he said, still watching her carefully. She had obviously failed to convince him everything was fine. “What do you want to know?”

“Two things only. First, if you fail to find any evidence of a haunting, will you be willing to make a public statement to that effect?”

“I will,” he said without hesitation. “And second?”

She nodded. “Second, if indeed you do find such evidence, although obviously you won’t, is it within your power to remove the ghost?”

“Remove the ghost?”

“Help it pass on. Cross over. Get rid of it.”

Sam considered the question. “I don’t know. It’s an interesting question, but I hadn’t considered it.”

“You hadn’t—then Professor Moore, what is the point of all this?”

“I told you,” he said, a small smile returning to his face. “Scientific inquiry.”

“Oh good lord.”

“I can’t promise you that I’d be able to help the apparition cross over, because I don’t know if that’s how it works. But I can promise you that if it’s within ethical bounds, and it’s scientifically possible, I’ll do whatever is in my power to help it move on. And you won’t find better than that, because I’m already the foremost expert in the field.”

“Some field,” Alva said, standing. “But I suppose it’s the only offer on the table. If you’re willing to sign a document putting all this in writing, I’ll guarantee you my full cooperation. You can start tomorrow morning, if you like.”

“It’s that easy?”

“It’s that easy.”

He watched her. “Sometime, I hope, you’ll tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong,” she repeated. “I’ve simply changed my mind. Do we have an agreement?”

“Yes,” Sam said, the smile spreading. “Just let me find a pen.… I’m sure there’s one around here somewhere.… I had it in my hand just a few minutes ago.…”

CHAPTER NINE

The next morning Sam woke up with a happy lightness in his chest, a Christmas morning kind of feeling. He was going to study Liefdehuis—he already had a dozen ideas for new methods of measurement. And he was going to get to spend more time around Alva Webster.