Dorothy Parker knew at once that there was another spirit in this strange, dark, cluttered house. And though she sensed this had been where Percy Coates lived, she knew it wasn’t him. Percy had been a gentleman, with a generous soul and a hearty laugh. The specter who lingered here was weak and angry. She would stay out of sight and watch.

She recognized the woman hunched over the writing desk. It was that insufferable Edie Coates, who had been suing the Algonquin Hotel for the guest book. Apparently, she’d decided to take matters into her own hands and abscond with it. This was very bad news. If someone didn’t come looking for the book, Dorothy Parker could be stuck in this horrid place forever.

She swirled unseen throughout the room. There were knickknacks and bric-a-brac on every surface, but she was looking for one thing in particular, and at last she found it on the top shelf of a tall curio cabinet. There it was—a volume that looked very much like the Algonquin guest book, only smaller and darker. It was held open on a book stand and looked insignificant between a thick antique dictionary and a signed first edition of Shouts and Murmurs. There were so many thousands of collected pieces in this room that it would be hard for most people to even notice. Besides, it was on a high shelf, above the eye level of all but the tallest visitors.

Edie remained at the desk, busy with something that involved pulling pieces of clear tape from a dispenser and applying them to the Algonquin guest book. What on earth was she doing?

The other spirit appeared at the doorway. He was an unattractive man with deep-set eyes and almost no chin. He wore a silk kimono over his clothes.

“What are you doing?” he said to Edie. His voice was angry, but Dorothy Parker detected that it was mostly bluster. He meant to intimidate this woman.

She looked up, her eyes wide. “I didn’t see you there,” she said.

“Obviously.”

“I got the book,” she said. “See?” She seemed eager to calm him.

“You managed to do something right. Did anyone see you leave with it?”

“I hid it under my jacket.”

“I should have known. You stole a house. Stealing a book is small potatoes.”

“I believe it’s very valuable,” she said.

“If you think I’m going to let you sell it, you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.”

“But, Gavin. I need the cash so badly. I don’t know how much longer—”

“It stays in the house. Now close it.”

“Why can’t I sell it? It wasn’t part of the original possessions.”

“You want me to unleash more spirits?” he asked.

“Gavin, please!”

“Don’t argue, Chubs. Now listen to me and shut the book.”

She pulled a tissue from a box on the desk and blew her nose.

“Stop crying and do what I said,” he seethed.

Edie finished her business with the tissue and dropped it into a wastebasket, then she pulled out another piece of tape. “I’m almost finished fixing it,” she said.

“To hell with fixing it! What do you think that’s going to do, anyway?”

“The spirit—” she began, but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

“Who are you expecting?” he said.

“No one.”

“Send them away. But shut that book first.”

Edie stood. “I’ll close it when I’m done,” she said as she left the room.

“Imbecile!” he shouted after her.

With Edie gone, Gavin tentatively approached the Algonquin guest book to get a closer look. Dorothy Parker materialized in a blood red leather arm chair directly behind him.

“How do you do?” she said, startling him.

He whirled around and looked at her. “You!” he said. “I knew there was another spirit here. I knew it. Get out and never show yourself again. You don’t belong here.”

“That makes two of us, doesn’t it?”

“This is my house.”

“I think not. Besides, why did you have her bring the book here if you’re so frightened of me?”

“Frightened? Ha! I’m not scared of you. I’m going to have my sister close the book and then you’ll be gone forever.”

“Don’t be rude, dear. Fix me a drink and we’ll have a little chat.”

“I’d sooner pour a drink on your head.”

“Charming.”

“She’s going to walk back in here any second,” he whispered. “And then she’ll shut the book and you’ll be gone forever. I’ll have her wrap the book in sheets and put it in the attic, where no one will ever find it.”

“Yes, that’s a distinct possibility. Of course, I could convince her to close the book you signed and then all her problems will be over, won’t they?”

“I didn’t sign any book! It’s the kimono that brought me here.” He held his arms wide to show the full splendor of the garment.

She laughed. “My dear, you may have succeeded in convincing Edie of that fiction, but I know the truth.”

“It’s the kimono!” he said. “It has special powers.”

“It’s no use, precious,” she said. “I saw the book. Your sister will be learning about it the moment she returns.”

He folded his arms. “What do you want?”

“I see. You think you have something of value to me.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “You keep your mouth shut about the book, and I’ll let you have the downstairs.”

“The downstairs?”

“That’s right. You have this floor and I’ll take the upstairs. You just have to keep your mouth shut about the book.”

“I understand. You want me to let Edie go on thinking it’s the kimono that brought you here, so she never suspects that all she has to do is shut that book and you’ll be gone from her life forever. Why would I ever go along with such a plan?”

“Because she’s more scared of you than she is of me. She’ll shut both books and lock them away forever.”

“Gavin, dear, I hardly think—”

Before Dorothy Parker could finish her sentence, Edie walked back into the room and headed straight for the desk. It was clear from her purposeful stride that she intended to close the book. Gavin sensed it, too, and smirked.

That son of a bitch, Dorothy Parker thought. But she had been around far longer than he, and knew a difficult trick he had probably never mastered. She rushed the particles of her matter through the air, heading straight for Edie. If she was fast enough, she could merge with the woman’s being and try to stop her from closing the book. But Edie picked up the volume, and before Dorothy Parker could get close enough, it was shut tight, and she disappeared into the dark void.