The bright red helicopter of the air rescue arrived fifteen minutes later. Fifteen minutes of fear and anxious questions, of Theo staring down the slope as if he could make Roberto stand up with the power of his gaze. And of Matt suggesting wild theories about the journalist's reason to brave the unstable terrain. Catherine had an arm around Alice's shoulder, and Lou paced up and down the path. After I'd tested the ground and almost shared Roberto's fate, scrambling back to safety with dirty jeans and Matt's helping hand, none of us dared to approach the site of the accident.

Theo was the first to point out the noise of the rotor. The pilot pulled his bird into a wide loop before he hovered over the spot marked by the yellow fabric of Roberto's shirt. The fierce wind from the blades tugged at my hair, and Alice caught her laced sun hat just in time before it blew away.

A rescue worker in an orange helmet and coverall lowered himself from the cabin, communicating with his colleagues in the chopper using hand signs. Without chancing the unstable ground, he wrapped Roberto in a sturdy blanket, clipped it to a second rope and steadied him while the pilot gained height, winching them up.

As soon as they were both safe in the cabin, the bird speeded up and disappeared over the forest, leaving us watchers clueless about the victim's well-being.

"They'll take him to the cantonal hospital. I'll call them to check on him." Louis sounded exhausted.

Theo stared after the chopper with squinted eyes. "He's still alive."

"How can you tell?" Matt looked more boyish than ever, a few leaves sticking out of his tousled curls.

"If he were dead, I would've sensed him, his spirit. I didn't, so he must be alive." Theo's weird explanation made sense to me. He glanced down at the cottage, and a shadow crossed his face.

"Is something off?" I wondered how it must feel to be this sensitive to otherworldly activities.

"A faint presence, down in the house. But we can't investigate from here, as we have seen. We would need to approach by boat."

I studied the muddy flat between the building and the lake's edge, riddled with channels and water-filled holes. A former garden, perhaps, the crumbling wall still visible. A boat couldn't cross this treachery zone. "Let's go back to the castle. We need to discuss our options and try to find out if Roberto really had an accident."

Louis, who was following the Brits back towards the forest, overheard me and turned around. "What makes you think it wasn't?"

I rubbed my left wrist. Since Guillaume's nightly visit, the tingling seemed omnipresent. "Call it intuition. I'll be glad if I'm wrong."

<> <> <>

Of course, things weren't over yet. Back at the castle, a police car and a crowd of guests awaited us. Lou sighed and addressed the burly sergeant in his immaculate uniform. "How can I help you?"

The frown etched into the middle-aged man's face seemed to be a permanent feature—impossible to imagine him with a relaxed smile. "Did you call the emergency services?"

I stepped up. "That was me. Is there a problem?"

"No, but we still need to file a protocol." Bureaucracy had caught up with me. He pointed towards his deputy, a young woman who seemed to melt in her bulletproof vest. "Would you mind giving Officer Dumont your name, address, and details of the emergency?"

I did mind, but decided this wasn't the place to complain. While I went over the details with the friendly but pedantic officer, her superior grilled Louis and the British ladies. Matt and Theo, who were dismissed after a brief interview, dispersed the spectators and waited in the shade of the castle wall, discussing amongst themselves. I hoped they came up with a useful plan of action.

The questioning took the better part of an hour, and when I finally was asked to sign my statement, I felt in need of a cold shower and a cup of coffee, iced if possible. Theo, who seemed to read my mind, walked up with a dazzling smile. "May I abduct my colleague now, please?"

Officer Dumont blushed, but checked my signature and her notes. "Monsieur Matran, right? Thanks for your patience, and yes, this should be all. I appreciate your support, Madame Berner."

"You're welcome. Will you keep us informed of Roberto's health?" Her glance wandered to her boss, and I shrugged. "Never mind, I'm sure Louis will find out. Goodbye."

Theo led me to the tables in the front yard. Balancing a serving tray filled with a hotpot and stapled cups, Matt approached. He set his precarious load down, poured a cup of coffee and slid it in my direction. "You look like you need this."

I slumped into a chair and was instantly joined by a purring Mister Mortimer. "Thanks, guys, between the three of you, you know how to make a girl's tough day brighter."

"Have to keep you ticking. So much for exploring that cottage today." Theo stirred an insane amount of sugar into his coffee. How could he keep his trim form with such unhealthy habits?

The sound of tires on gravel announced the departure of the police and moments later, Lou, Cat, and Alice joined us. The latter embraced me with her skinny arms. "You're my heroine, Sandrine. Thank you for everything."

I hugged her back with one arm, an awkward operation while sitting with a curled-up cat in my lap and balancing a cup. "We don't know how Roberto is, or do we?"

Lou pulled up chairs for the ladies and himself. "Seems he's alive but unconscious. The doctors are confident he'll survive the injuries."

"Thank god." I felt a nasty knot of tension in my neck dissolve. "So, why the worried frown?"

The landlord studied me, the crease on his forehead still prominent. "They plan to fence off the slope and the access to the walking path. Say it's too dangerous, and they don't want additional accidents, so, another activity for our guests cancelled."

There went our hope of investigating the ruins, at least on the right side of the law. The faces of Matt and Theo reflected my own thoughts. Lou poured himself a cup of the dark liquid and emptied it in a single draught. "Well, it's almost noon. I have to get back to business. Thanks for the help, there." He set down the cup, stood, and shambled towards his office.

"Louis is such a sweetheart." In the meantime, I was convinced Alice was incapable of seeing fault with anyone. "I don't understand why Sir Willy mocks him all the time."

"Sir Willy?" I choked on the dregs of my coffee.

Catherine sent her friend a stern glance. "Don't mind her, it's—"

"You've met Guillaume de Corbières?" My outburst pulled all gazes to me. But if we were determined to solve the riddle of the haunted castle, it was time to collect the pieces of that complicated puzzle.

Theo was first to react. "Guillaume like the founder of the place?"

"Yes, Sir Guillaume in person, or rather in ectoplasm. I talked to him last night. Seems he is a restless soul, but not the culprit we're after. He insists he isn't in charge of the ravens' antics. I wanted to tell you about him this morning, but Catherine's alarm distracted us."

I stopped to order my thoughts but got interrupted by Alice. "Oh, you met Sir Willy too. Isn't he the most charming ghost? And so cultured and courteous, don't you agree, Cat?" The blush on her smitten face made me wonder what Guillaume had done to deserve her reaction.

A glance at her partner showed me a second pair of rosy cheeks. "He's the major reason we adore this place. He gives the castle a unique touch, and I could listen to his stories forever." Cat winked at me, and a wave of curiosity surging through my mind told me I'd have to interrogate the old charmer during his next visit.

Theo rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "So, all three of you had a happy tryst with the infamous Sir Guillaume, Master of Corbières, and Lord of the Raven. He seems to have developed an enviable knack with the ladies." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and I felt the blood rush to my face, trying to hide my embarrassment by petting Mister Mortimer. I'd choose Theo over Guillaume anytime.

Catherine giggled. "I admire his zest for afterlife and how this departed old chap enjoys his personal eternity."

Theo's lips curled. "That's a way to put it. Still, if he insists he is not responsible for the poop attacks, who is?" At least he didn't mention my blush. Perhaps he thought I swooned over Guillaume, too.

"I asked him, and he said he'd use his ancestral authority to investigate." Mister Mortimer sent me a golden-eyed cat stare. I wondered if he had experience with the local spectre and expressed his doubt about my sanity.

"This would do our job, solve Lou's troubles," Matt snapped his fingers, "and, as a bonus, San could convince the ghost to work for Lou as a tourist hook."

Theo chuckled. "Nice suggestion, but I'd like to see first how far Guillaume's authority reaches. Plus, I doubt he'd be in for the deal."

I was about to agree when the sound of heavy tires on gravel and the sharp hiss of brakes in front of the castle gate interrupted me. In our hushed silence, another hydraulic hiss and the excited clamour of a large group of people announced new excitement.

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