Within minutes, a flock of tourists invaded the front yard, falling in like colourful birds of prey. From toddlers to seniors with walking sticks, they claimed chairs to deposit their luggage or slump down as if the fifty steps from the parking lot equalled a marathon. A middle-aged lady in a sundress with a lavish floral pattern, jarring orange on lime green, ticked off the names of the newcomers on her clipboard and stormed towards the main entrance, steps determined and perms swinging.

My ears rang, and I winced when Mister Mortimer sank his claws into my thigh, jumped to the ground, and darted away towards the garden. I couldn't blame him.

"Who are these people?" Theo's question drowned in the mixture of laughter, complaints about the stifling heat, and a baby's wailing.

Catherine raised her voice. "I think a larger group was announced for the weekend."

"Yes, Louis said they booked in for a birthday celebration." Alice emptied her cup. "What do you say, Cat, shouldn't we finish our interrupted walk before lunch?"

I couldn't blame the two old birds for deserting us and collected the empty cups. "Guess we better retreat to a quiet corner, too."

"What about the library?" Of course, Theo knew the castle had a library. Matt, perhaps with the same thought, sent me a wink, picked up the tray and followed our partner to the entrance.

We crossed the orange dragon and Louis on our way in. The broad smile plastered on his features would have fooled me—if not for the pronounced wrinkles lining his eyes. The morning had taken its toll on our boss.

"We'll be in the library, if you need us," I volunteered. He nodded, his fingertips brushing the back of my hand in passing. An electric shock ran up to my elbow and I stared after him, wondering what got him so touchy today.

I got distracted when we reached the library, a first-floor corner room lined in dark wood, subdued light filtering in through closed shutters. Hundreds of books filled the shelves, from dusty old tomes to photo books and well-thumbed paperbacks. Oriental carpets swallowed our steps, and I sank down on a period sofa with cracked leather upholstery, glad for the silent coolness of this enchanting retreat. "Duh. Any idea how we're going to earn our wage, now the police denies access to the shore?"

"We still don't know if the cottage and the ghosts are connected." Matt flopped into a huge armchair and rubbed at a speck of dirt on his slacks, making it worse.

Theo paced the room, his eyes half closed as if he were listening to a distant sound. "There is someone in the cottage, I can feel their desperation. And I'm sure it's no coincidence the ravens appeared at the same time the water released the ruins."

"By someone you mean a ghost." I didn't pose it as a question. Compared to Theo, my sensitivity to paranormal phenomena seemed basic and hampered. "So, we still need to get to the place. I could call a friend, she's a member of the sailing club at Avry, on the other side of the lake. I'm sure they own a boat."

A crease formed on Matt's forehead. "A sailing boat? Aren't those tricky to handle?"

"I hear they are. No, silly, the club runs trainings for kids, sail races, and stuff. They'll have an inflatable that can go close to the shore." At least I hoped they did, and that my friend Stephanie would let me borrow it.

The click of the door announced a visitor. Lou had found time to change into a clean black shirt, this time with a wild, tribal pattern. Australian, to judge by the many dots in earthen colours. "I'm worried about tonight's celebration. What if the ghosts grab this opportunity to attack the guests?"

I imagined a flock of angry ravens descending on unsuspecting tourists. "Why not set up dinner indoors? Your guests should be safe from unexpected air raids in the knights' hall."

"Are you sure this will work?" Lou seemed sceptical and looked at Theo, who leaned against a window frame, his dark silhouette almost swallowed by the shadows.

"Have the ravens ever left tracks indoors?"

"No, but with the constant weather, we don't use the dining room often."

I shrugged. "We can't be sure, but it seems less risky than the yard."

"Yeah, and I could install a few experimental ghost sensors in the hall." Matt beamed like a kid on his birthday. "They are supposed to register traces of ectoplasm when a ghost manifests, but I've never been able to test them in a guaranteed, haunted environment."

Lou frowned, scratching his beard. "I'll have to talk to that orange-flowered mother hen, convince her it's cooler inside."

My guffaw was rewarded with a bright sparkle in his grey eyes. But he turned serious an instant later, straightened, and turned to leave. One hand on the door handle, he glanced over his shoulder. "Lunch is ready for you at the café. And I'd appreciate it if you could try to secure the knights' hall for tonight, I need to keep those customers satisfied."

<> <> <>

After a late lunch, we installed Matt's spectral sensors in the knights' hall while Lou, the receptionist and two kitchen aids set up tables and decorations for the festivity. It soon became apparent Theo was the much better gofer than I and had undeniable competence with a hammer. Condemned to handing the guys tools and unwanted advice, I picked up Mister Mortimer, who seemed as restless and superfluous in the general hustle as I. "I'm heading outside, going to call Stephanie for the boat."

From atop his ladder, several nails poking out of his mouth, Theo nodded. Matt, who was busy with the configuration of his Wi-Fi-connection, didn't even spend me a glance.

Outside, the newcomers sat around chatting and enjoying fancy drinks. I strolled through the garden, stopped a moment to watch some kids playing volleyball, and settled in a lawn chair placed in the wall's shade. The cat curled up in my lap while I searched for Steph's number.

"As if I'd need a personal heating pad." Mister Mortimer blinked at me once before he buried his nose in his tail, ignoring my protests. I didn't find it in me to shoo him away.

Steph and I hadn't met in a while, and the call turned into an opportunity to catch up. She agreed to meet me with the boat the next evening, after junior training. As I had nothing else to do, I called Celine, too, and gave her an update on my situation. She seemed relieved I fared well, and neither of us mentioned my ex.

Back in my room, I skimmed Lou's documentation on the castle and took a cold shower before I joined my partners outside for dinner, glad we didn't need to share the café with the party-goers. It was enough to hear their laughter from the open windows above the yard. Alice and Catherine joined us, both sporting a slight sunburn. I didn't recognise anyone else. "Matt, where are your Swedish friends?"

He glanced up from his pad. "They left this morning, headed for Southern France." The loss didn't seem to affect him, his gaze already back on his screen. "We mounted three cameras in the hall, to give us a perfect view of all corners. If a ghost passes through tonight, we'll capture him."

"Can't you set up ghost cameras here in the yard?" A tentative grin tugged at Theo's lips and sent my heartbeat soaring. "That's where we saw the raven last. Or in San's room, she seems to attract other spectral visitors."

"Wait a minute, I don't want surveillance cameras in my bedroom. It's bad enough the ancient charmer Guillaume can walk in and out at will."

Matt shook his head. "Outdoors are problematic. Too much interferences. Results are best in closed rooms. So, your bedroom would be interesting." An eager smile appeared on his face. "We could rig it after dinner, just in case Sir Guillaume pays you a visit tonight."

"No, that's a definite no. No cameras in my bedroom."

"Hey, these are special sensors. They show only paranormal activity. Here, check this."

He held out his pad so Theo and I could study the screen. It glowed a deep, soothing, featureless blue. Only in the upper right corner, a red point blinked, and a counter informed us the recording started fourty minutes ago.

"That's the view of the knights' hall from the sensor above the fireplace." Matt swiped to the left, revealing another boring blue screen. "And that's the sensor over the door. As you can see, nothing visible goes on in there at the moment. Living people aren't recorded."

"Are you sure your gadgets work?" Was there a hint of doubt in Theo's voice? "This could be a static image."

"Sure they work, but not on visible wavelengths. As soon as ghosts appear, we should see them as clear as in broad daylight. At least that's in the product description."

I exchanged a glance with Theo. Should I tell Matt he got hoodwinked?

At this moment, a whirlwind of glowing red specks popped up on the screen. A second later, a shriek worthy of a banshee cut through the evening air.

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