by Eva Pohler
Ellen held her breath as the man stomped out through the back door. All three of them sighed with relief. Then they hurried down the steps as fast as they could. When they reached the bottom floor, they heard someone on the front porch.
“Just great,” Ellen said.
“Out the back,” Tanya whispered frantically. “Now!”
Ellen followed Tanya out the back door and down toward the wooded dry creek bed. Sue was just crossing the back stoop when a light flashed around inside of the house. Ellen and Tanya huddled behind the trees with their stomachs in their mouths. Sue was about to get caught by whoever was waving around the flashlight.
As the light neared the back of the house, and Sue was still floundering across the back yard at her turtle’s pace, Ellen couldn’t take it anymore. She handed the box of photos off to Tanya and raced toward Sue.
“Get down,” she whispered when she reached her. She pulled Sue to the ground.
Sue let out a soft cry as she fell on her knees.
“Flatten yourself,” Ellen whispered. “And don’t move.”
The grass was not like carpet grass. It was dry and crackly, but possibly tall enough to hide them from someone not too close.
The light shined across the yard and out toward the woods in back. Ellen could hear someone pacing near the backdoor. Then that person, a man, shouted, “You better not come back here, if you know what’s good for you. Stay the hell away!”
Ellen and Sue lay frozen on their bellies in the grass as the back door slammed shut. The voice hadn’t sounded like Bud or the man from earlier. She and Sue didn’t move for several more minutes.
Then Ellen felt someone walking toward them, and she may have peed a little.
“Let’s get out of here.” It was Tanya. “He’s gone for now, I think.”
Tanya helped Ellen up, and then the two of them helped Sue.
“God, that was close,” Ellen said. “Are you okay, Sue?”
Sue nodded. “I’m not sure who was more dangerous, though—those men, or you.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellen said. “I was afraid you’d get caught.”
“And so what if I had?” she asked. “Do you think he would have shot me? What was the worst he could do?”
“I was too afraid to find out,” Ellen said. “Are you mad at me?”
“No. Of course not.” She brushed dirt off her pants and shirt. “Now, why don’t you go get the car while Tanya and I wait here?”
“I think we should wait in the trees,” Tanya said. “In case someone else comes around.”
“I’ll take the box of photos.” Ellen reached out for the dusty shoebox and took it from Tanya. “I’ll be right back.”
She rushed from the back of the house to the street and half-jogged toward her car. Even though she was in terrible shape, the adrenaline rushing through her system must have given her a boost, because she made good time and wasn’t out of breath until her butt was in the seat behind the wheel.
As she drove up the street, she saw a man walking away from the Gold House. He glared at her as she passed. She decided not to stop, in case he was watching. Instead, she circled around, pulled over, and texted Sue to let them know she was waiting to come around the block again when the coast was clear.
A text from Sue immediately lit up her screen: Come now! 911!
Ellen’s heart pounded as she pulled away from the curb and circled back around, going ten miles an hour faster than the speed limit. She hoped there were no patrol cars hidden along the street. All she needed was to get pulled over. What would she say to the police officer? My friends and I broke into a vacant property and something went wrong during our escape?
She saw Sue and Tanya hobbling toward her on the road two houses up from the Gold House. She pulled up beside them and unlocked the doors.
Tanya must have hurt herself, because Sue had to help her climb into the passenger’s side. Then Sue climbed in behind Tanya and said, “Get us out of here. Now.”
Ellen stepped on it and drove away from the neighborhood. “What happened?”
“It was scary as hell,” Tanya said. “I think I twisted my ankle.”
“What was scary as hell?” Ellen asked.
“The ghost came back,” Sue said. “She was all bloody and was carrying the body and head of her ghost cat.”
“What do you mean?” Ellen asked as she turned out of the district toward the highway. “They weren’t attached?”
“The cat had been decapitated,” Sue said.
“And the ghost was crying and carrying on,” Tanya said. “Blood was everywhere.”
“She wanted our help,” Sue said. “She kept saying, ‘No, not again. Help me. He killed my cat again.’”
“She was literally floating around us in a circle,” Tanya said. “And she circled closer and closer in on us, until I tripped and fell and she was practically on top of me.”
“Oh my God,” Ellen said. “Then what happened?”
“You mean you didn’t hear?” Sue asked. “I was sure the whole neighborhood had. It may have even awakened the rest of the dead.”
“It wasn’t that loud,” Tanya said.
“Tanya screamed,” Sue explained. “Lights came on in both houses adjacent to the Gold House. I thought for sure our goose was cooked.”
“Oh my gosh! What about the ghost?” Ellen asked.
“I calmly told her I was sorry about her cat,” Sue said. “And then she disappeared into the woods.”
“I wouldn’t say calmly,” Tanya said.
“Anyway, that’s when one of the men started looking for us again, hollering that he had a gun and he wasn’t afraid to use it,” Sue said. “I had to practically carry Tanya down the street to avoid being caught.”
Ellen didn’t know what to say. It was all so bizarre.
“I’m not sure if I’m up for this,” Tanya said. “Not after the ghost appeared with the mutilated cat.”
“I wonder what she meant when she said, He killed my cat again,” Sue said. “Who keeps killing her cat?”
“She could be reliving a traumatic experience from her life,” Tanya suggested.
Ellen turned to Tanya. “I know this was hard on you, but wasn’t it also exciting? Yes, it was scary—terrifying, really. I get that. But I have to say, I’ve never felt more alive.”
“You weren’t pushed down in the grass and badly bruised,” Sue said.
“Or attacked by a bloody ghost until you twisted your ankle,” Tanya added.
“You guys can’t be serious,” Ellen said. “Are we really going to give up now?”
“Not me,” Sue said. “I was just teasing you. I want to help the girl more than ever. Come on, Tanya. Don’t be a wimp.”
“I’m not a wimp.”
“It’s not like she attacked you,” Sue said. “She just wants our help.”
“I don’t know,” Tanya said. “It’s so stressful.”
Ellen bit her tongue, not wanting to push her friend too hard on the heels of her mother’s death.
Tanya folded her arms and hugged herself. “And it is kind of crazy, don’t you think?”
Tears sprang to Ellen’s eyes. She’d really begun to think that this is what she was meant to do. But since when did she care anything about ghosts finding closure and about preserving mental health history? Maybe this was kind of crazy.
“A little crazy,” Sue said.
Now, Ellen felt like a fool. She shook her head and muttered, “What are we doing? Are we having a midlife crisis together?”
“Yes,” Sue said. “That’s exactly what we’re doing. And maybe something good can come of it. But we have to put on our big girl panties and not cry every time something goes wrong.”
Ellen wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“I guess this has been an interesting night,” Tanya admitted. “I didn’t think about my mom being gone until just now.”
“Really?” Ellen asked.
Tanya nodded and also wiped t
ears away.
“That’s a good sign.” Sue leaned forward from the backseat and glanced at each of them.
“You don’t have on your seatbelt?” Ellen asked.
“She never wears one,” Tanya said. “Why do you think she prefers the backseat?”
“Great.” Ellen focused harder on the road, feeling like she had Sue’s life in the palm of her hands.
They were all quiet for many minutes. As Ellen drove further and further away from the house, she felt it pulling at her, as though her destiny and it were bound together. She took a deep breath and said, “Maybe, I don’t know, maybe the house called to us. Does that make sense?” When neither responded right away, she added, “Maybe the house chose us to solve the mystery and bring it to light. Do you think that’s possible?”
“I think so,” Sue agreed. “What do you think, Tanya?”
“I guess so. Maybe.”
“If you don’t feel comfortable, Tanya,” Ellen started.
“No. I want to do this,” Tanya said. “I do. I’m just scared.”
“That’s partly why it’s an adventure,” Sue said. “What kind of adventure would it be if it weren’t a little scary?”
“So we move forward?” Ellen lifted her brows and glanced at Tanya.
“Let’s pull over at a Starbuck’s and have a late snack while we look at that box of pictures,” Sue suggested. “All that running around has given me a craving for a latte and a muffin.”
Chapter Eleven: Plan Hatching at the Coffee Shop
Ellen, Sue, and Tanya sat at a small corner table in Starbucks. No one else was dining in, but a few customers stood in line waiting for coffee. Ellen picked up the first photo and read the name written in black ink on the back. “Judith Bailey.” Then she handed the photo to Tanya.
“Can someone tell me what the hell just happened back there?” Tanya asked. “I’m sorry, but who were those men? Why were they threatening us? I’m not sure who was more frightening—the ghost and her bloody cat or the men.”
Sue took a sip of her latte. “I bet I know who the first man was.”
“Who?” Ellen looked up from the box of photos.
“Sam Robertson,” Sue said. “He and his wife, Ida, live on the other side of the Gold House from the Forresters.”
“How do you know that?” Tanya asked.
“Millie mentioned them, remember? Plus, I did my research. You can look up any house in the county on the Bexar County Appraisal District website. Haven’t either of you ever played on it before? I’ve even looked up your houses.”
“So what makes you think it was Sam Robertson?” Ellen asked.
“Well, we know it wasn’t Bud, because we know his voice,” Sue explained. “And the man said that his grandkids were too afraid to sleep alone, probably because they heard the screaming, so it had to be a nearby neighbor, right?”
“Right,” Tanya said. “But why not the neighbor across the street?”
“Because that house is owned by Maddie Jenkins, and she’s a widow,” Sue said. “The houses on either side of the widow belong to younger couples. So using deductive reasoning, I’m fairly certain the man who threatened to burn down the place was Sam Robertson.”
Ellen took a sip of her Frappuccino. “Well, it wouldn’t have been Mitchell Clark. He wouldn’t burn down a place where he’s looking for gold.”
“True.” Tanya said.
Sue tore her muffin in half and added, “However, Mitchell does live on the other side of the Robertsons, so he may have heard the screaming, but, like you said, Ellen, the gold digger wouldn’t want the house burned down.”
“So then who was the second man?” Ellen asked.
“The one Ellen nearly killed me to save me from?” Sue asked.
Tanya and Ellen giggled.
“You never know,” Ellen said. “Maybe I did save your life.”
“I’m not sure who that was,” Sue said. “He might have been just some random neighbor that had been out for a walk when he heard the screaming. He was probably harmless.” Sue shot a teasing glance Ellen’s way. “But I suppose he could have been Mitchell Clark.”
“I did see someone walking away from the Gold House past the Robertson’s,” Ellen pointed out. “I think I would recognize the man if I saw him again. He gave me the meanest look.”
“Well, just because you saw him out walking doesn’t mean he was the one searching the house with the flashlight,” Sue said.
“What about the third man, that came after us in the trees?” Tanya asked. “Any ideas there?”
“I actually think that one may have been Bud,” Sue said. “At first, I was so caught up in the ghost and the bloody cat that I couldn’t hear straight. But after we were safe in the car again, I thought it might have been Bud. What do you think, Tanya?”
Tanya shrugged. “I was too freaked out. But maybe. I wouldn’t rule him out.”
“Do you think we should ask him?” Ellen wondered. “Or should we not even bring the whole thing up?”
“I don’t trust that man,” Tanya said. “I don’t think we should ask him anything, or admit to anything about tonight, if we’re asked.”
“My mom says she likes him,” Sue said. “Both of the Forresters. But I’m not sure how I feel.”
“Maybe once I get the results from the lab, we’ll know more,” Ellen added. “It’s been thirty days. I should be hearing something any day now.”
“Meanwhile, let’s figure out how we’re going to approach the Conservation Society with these photos,” Sue suggested.
Ellen picked up the next photo. A bright-eyed, striking woman stared back at her. “This woman was beautiful.” She turned the photo over. “Cynthia Piers. I wonder if this was the ghost girl’s mother.”
“Let me see.” Tanya took the photo and held it close. “It does kind of look like her.”
“Can I see it?” Sue had her turn. “Yes. It does.”
“And this one’s Regina Piers. Look how pale she is. Like Cynthia. They could be sisters.”
“Let me see.” Tanya took the photo. “Or mother and daughter. It’s hard to tell in black and white, but this woman looks albino. Look at her eyes.”
Sue took the photo next. “I see what you mean. If our ghost is related, she could have been albino as well.”
“Or maybe she’s not a ghost,” Ellen said. “Maybe being albino makes her look like a ghost.”
“I can’t believe you can still say that, especially after what happened tonight,” Tanya said. “Talk about believing what you want to believe.”
That stung, so Ellen turned to the next photo. “And here’s Victoria Schmidt.” She handed it to Tanya, who passed it on to Sue. “This one isn’t labeled. And neither is this one.” She passed them both on to Tanya. “Oh, and look here. This one is Hilary Turner, look how young she is. She practically lived her whole life in that house.”
“It’s so sad.” Tanya took the photo and then handed it to Sue.
“She wasn’t very attractive,” Sue commented. “Poor thing.”
“Sue!” Tanya chastised her.
“I’m just sayin’.”
They continued to look at the photos, including one of the famous actress, Willa Von Kempf. Ellen thought that photo was probably worth something. Then only one remained in the bottom of the box.
“How many is that?” Ellen asked as she reached in for the last photo.
“Fifty-two, I think,” Sue said.
“Oh, look!” Ellen said, holding up the fifty-third photo. “I found Marcia Gold!”
Tanya took it. “She looks like a proper Victorian lady. I wonder what went wrong that she needed to hand over her house in exchange for treatment.” Tanya studied it for a moment before passing it over to Sue.
“You should paint these portraits,” Sue suddenly said to Ellen. “If we get the house, we could hang the portraits of these women all along the stairwell and hallways, with their names, so people know who they were.”
Tears rushed
to Ellen’s eyes and for a second it was as if she had lost her breath.
“That’s such a good idea,” Tanya said. “You should do it, Ellen. Even if we don’t get the house.”
Once the air returned to her lungs, Ellen gathered the photos back into the box, fighting tears. “I haven’t painted in so long.”
“I’m sure it’s like riding a bike,” Sue said before popping the last bite of her muffin into her mouth.
“At least think about it,” Tanya said.
Ellen nodded, and the feeling of being called solidified in her heart. She should paint them, but the question was, Could she?
Sue scanned the photos on her printer at home and sent an email to the president of the Conservation Society that night, and the following Monday afternoon, after Ellen’s classes were over, Ellen met Sue and Tanya at the society’s main headquarters, hoping to speak with someone in person. They had a print-out of Sue’s email, the original photos, and the copy of the history file Ronnie had faxed over to Paul. The headquarters was located inside a beautifully restored three-story Italianate-style home. It had a square covered porch that boasted an American flag on the left and a Texas flag on the right.
“Do we just walk in?” Ellen wondered.
“I believe so.” Sue opened the door for her, and Tanya followed.
The inside was also historical and elegant. They walked through a foyer to a beautiful staircase, in front of which was a large desk with a woman about their own age sitting behind it. Sue took the lead and asked if they could speak with a society member.
“Can I make you an appointment with someone in particular?” the woman asked.
“We can’t speak with someone today?” Ellen asked.
“Let me check the schedule and see who might be available,” the woman said. After glancing over a document, she said, “I have Mitchell Clark…”
“Is there anyone else?” Tanya asked.
The secretary gave Tanya a look of confusion.
“It’s a sensitive issue involving him,” Sue explained.
“By any chance, are you here about the Gold House?” the secretary asked. “Is one of you Sue Graham?”
“That would be me,” Sue said. “So you got my email?”