The little girl could see him. She was staring right at him with her big brown eyes. At least until the little boy pulled her hair and she lost all interest.
Blaze bent down to get her attention. His head gestured toward Syd. “Could you give her a message for me?”
Maple Burns blew a raspberry at him and then laughed.
Russ Burns had been the night manager three years ago too. They must have rehired him when the hotel reopened. The renovations and the knowledge that if his death needed to be investigated, Syd would have come as soon as she was able, told Blaze that the hotel had to have been closed before.
Whatever had happened to him and the others had to have been that bad.
Blaze remembered Russ’s wife being pregnant. He looked at the little girl again. Well, at least one of them had made it out alive.
“Oh. That guy,” said Russ. “Asked a lot of morbid questions on the tours.”
For the first time since dying, Blaze smiled.
The smile faded as soon as Sydney and Russ Burns started talking about the darkness and the bear.
“Tell her not to go in the caves.”
Maple smiled at him and shook her head.
“Please?”
She stuck out her tongue.
Blaze made a face back. She looked unimpressed.
Blaze made a face at her brother.
Maple looked up at the blonde lady holding her. She put her hands on Sydney’s cheeks. “No caves.”