Katie came down the stairs. The house was dark, the only light coming from Walter's study. She padded softly down the hall to the door. Inside, she could hear soft music playing and the sound of ice clinking in a glass. She pushed open the door carefully.

Adrian Chesterfield swiveled around in Walter's chair, a glass of scotch in his hand. His eyes didn't so much brighten when he saw her, as they deepened. A slow smile quirked one side of his lips.

"Mr. Chesterfield." Katie whispered his name and the sound of it made her lips tingle. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Didn't you?" His deep voice rumbled in her ovaries. "I came to see you, Katie."

She stood in front of the desk, barely breathing, as his eyes traveled down her body and back up again. She was suddenly aware that she was standing there, naked. But she didn't care. She could feel the night air on her skin, she could feel the heat from the light of the desk lamp, she could feel the weight of Adrian's stare.

And then he was up from the chair, taking her into his arms. He kissed her lips, her earlobes, her throat. He said her name and his voice was like a gentle hand, caressing her, loving her. She leaned her head back as he lowered her to Walter's desk.

"Katie..." He whispered.

She could barely make a sound. The word was almost a croak. "Yes."

"Katie..." Again.

She tried harder to speak. "Yes."

"Katie..." More insistent now.

"Katie! Wake up!" A woman's voice broke through to her.

Katie sat up in the bed, momentarily confused. She flipped on the lamp and looked around at the fixtures of her bedroom. What had awakened her?

"Katie!" The voice was anxious now, urgent. It was clearer than it had ever been.

"Hello?" She slid out of the bed and checked her phone. Three a.m. again. "Hello?"

Suddenly a child's scream split the night. Katie rushed to the bedroom door and out into the hall. Walter's door burst open at the same time.

"Did you hear that?" He was already running toward the stairs.

Katie fell into step behind him. "I think it was Delia!"

Walter took the steps two at a time. The French doors to the garden were open. Delia stood on the patio, crying.

"Delia! What's wrong?" Katie rushed to her.

Walter swept her up in his arms. "Delia, sweetheart, what are you doing outside in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know." Delia sobbed. "I'm scared."

"Poor Delia." Walter comforted her. He carried her toward the house. "Let's get you inside."

Katie looked around at the darkened garden. The waning moon cast an eerie light over the grounds and a light fog drifted along the ground. There was no one around.

"Come on, Delia." Katie smiled for the girl, but she was still a little uneasy. "Back to bed."

"I had a bad dream." Delia sniffled against Walter's shoulder. "Arabella wouldn't help me."

"It was just a dream, sweetie." Katie assured her. "You're safe."

Walter hugged his daughter. He motioned for Katie to lock the doors behind her. "Come on, Delia. I'll tuck you in."

"She wouldn't help me." Delia sobbed, more heartbroken than scared. "I asked Arabella to help me, but she wouldn't."

**

Katie had just gotten back into bed when there was a knock on the door. Walter opened it a crack and stuck his head inside. "Miss Gallagher, forgive the intrusion into your bedroom...I know it's not really proper... but I really must talk to you."

"Of course, Mr. Barrington." She turned on the light on the nightstand and sat up in the bed. "You're worried about Delia?"

"I am. Maybe it's just because of everything that's happened lately... Clarissa, Delia, the animal you saw in the mausoleum, the murders, those threats... I just can't stop my imagination from running wild." He stood near the bed awkwardly. "Tell me, Miss Gallagher, do you think the same man who tried to kidnap Clarissa is after Delia now?"

Katie was startled by the question. She had not considered that Walter might imagine that. "No. No, I'm sure it's not."

He sat down on the end of the bed, obviously embarrassed to do so, but also too dejected to stand. "I can't be so sure."

"No. I'm sure he's long gone by now." Katie assured him. She felt bad that Walter was so worried, but she couldn't very well tell him how she knew Davicus was not to blame. "He was almost caught, and he would have certainly gone to jail. Plus, he had to have been pretty badly hurt. I'm positive he got out of town as fast as he could. We've heard the last of him, I'm sure."

Walter nodded, but he seemed unconvinced. The corners of his mouth turned down even further. "I just can't help thinking this is somehow all my fault."

"Oh no, Mr. Barrington. Why would you think that?" She got up from the bed and moved to sit at the end of the bed next to him. "You can't think like that."

"All those threatening notes... The murders..." Walter shook his head and shrugged. He pressed his lips together, barely holding in the overwhelming emotion.

Katie felt even worse now. "But you had nothing to do with those murders."

"So many murders." Walter shook his head. "At my hotels. At the country club where I golf. On the road near here..."

"It's not your fault." She said softly.

"And Diedre, my wife. She was the first." Walter ran his hand over his face and sighed. "I guess that's why I feel like all of this is directed at me."

"I get it, but Mr. Barrington, you can't believe that." Katie shook her head.

Walter seemed to think about it for a moment. She could hear his breaths, wavering as if he were highly emotional and just holding it together. Then he stood and nodded down at her.

"No, I suppose you're right." He did not sound very convincing at all. "Thank you, Katie. Goodnight."

She felt as if she should say something to him, but there was nothing she was able to say that wouldn't create its own problems. She sighed as he exited and closed the door behind himself. Maybe once Clarissa was out of the hospital things would start to settle down for him. After all, with Davicus gone, the murders would stop. Walter would be able to rebuild his business and his reputation.

Still, the whole business with Delia sleepwalking to the outside was very reminiscent of what happened to Clarissa and it left her very rattled. Plus, this voice waking her up in the middle of the night... It was definitely not a dream. But was it a ghost? Was it Diedre Barrington, as Ravensong had implied?

And, if that were true, what about all the other things the woman had told her? Katie's grandmother... the high priestess of a witches' coven? And a ghost? Katie had to admit, she was confused and a little shaken by everything that had happened since she'd come to Willow Manor.

The knock at her door caused her to jump up from the end of the bed. She was apparently super shaken, because her voice cracked as she answered. "Yes? Come in."

Bill stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He kept his voice low. "Walter just told me about Delia. He wants me to keep watch. He thinks Davicus may be after her now."

"I know." Katie gave a helpless shrug. "Of course, we know that's not the case."

Bill crossed his arms over his chest. "I won't apologize for that. That vampire deserved what he got."

"We may be worried about nothing." Katie tried to be reasonable. But she didn't quite convince herself. "It's not unusual for a child Delia's age to sleepwalk, especially when there's been stress in the family."

Bill raised one eyebrow. "You don't believe that's all it was, do you?"

Katie sighed. "No. I don't. There have been too many crazy things going on around here to dismiss it as coincidence. "

Bill nodded and sighed. "You got that right."

Katie frowned. She would love nothing else than to know that tonight's incident with Delia was purely coincidental with all the other strange happenings. Or, at the very least, that the sleepwalking was brought on by external stress. She could deal with all of that. It was the nagging feeling that this wasn't over yet that worried her.

"The thing that just keeps sticking in my mind is that Delia said Arabella was with her but wouldn't help her. She was very upset about that." Katie said quietly. "But I did some research on Arabella while you were... indisposed. Arabella downed her child in the pond."

Bill seemed to consider this a moment. "And the pond is where Delia was heading?"

"I don't know. She was only on the back patio when she screamed and woke me up." Katie said. "But she said she couldn't stop herself."

"Oh, that's bad." Bill frowned.

"I know. I've already told the kids they can't play there. Or in the cemetery." She shook her head. "But if Arabella can make Delia sleepwalk to her, how can we fight that? What can we do?"

Bill looked her in the eye and stated the most obvious answer. "We have to get rid of Arabella."

"But how?" Katie furrowed her brow. "She's a ghost. She's already dead."

Bill nodded. "We need to salt and burn Arabella's bones."

"Will that work?" Katie allowed herself to be hopeful.

Bill shrugged. "It works for those brothers on that tv show."