The Haunted Inn
A Haunting In Kingston
By
Michelle Dorey
About This Book:
They have a chance of a lifetime.
Tim and Brad have been best friends for years. They were college roommates and now share an apartment. They even share the predicament of being trapped in dead end jobs.
A flash of inspiration strikes and they decide to open up a bed and breakfast. But their establishment is going to have a twist. They’re going to open ‘The Haunted Inn’. All the guys need to do is find a creepy old mansion, create some scary special effects and watch the money roll in. They hit the jackpot when they find a place with its own macabre history.
The chilly spot in the parlor? Bonus! The feeling of dread in the little girl’s room? Yippee! When Sophie, Brad’s lover gives a dire warning, they take it as a seal of approval! Brad and Tim are rationalists. They’re going to be able to charge a premium from people who buy into superstitions and phony religion. This place is going to make them a fortune!
Besides, if there are any apparitions or ghostly appearances, they’ll be quite able to handle them. Ghosts are a figment of the imagination.
Right?
It’s the dream of a lifetime! Or is it a deadly nightmare?
Copyright 2016, Michelle Dorey
ISBN: 978-1-927984-83-3
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
091916RVSD
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About This Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Before we begin, a word…
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Chapter 1
Tim opened the door to the multiplex and stepped inside. Cheap night Tuesday was usually busy but tonight the line of people waiting to get into the screening rooms was insane. He took his spot in the lineup for the latest Star Wars installment and fished his cell phone from his coat pocket. His thumbs flew, and he fired off a text to Brad.
WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?
Almost immediately, the phone buzzed in his hand.
GETTING POPCORN. SAVE A SPOT IN LINE FOR ME.
He held his phone at his side and his gaze wandered to the people lined up for the other movie. What the hell? There were as many people waiting to see the Haunted movie as Star Wars? Sure the blockbuster Star Wars had been there for a week already but the Haunted one was totally kicking ass.
Why would anyone wait in line and pay to see something as dumb as a ghost story? Not him. He worked too hard to waste his money on silly stuff like that. Work! If you could call it that. It was an exercise in patience reporting to imbeciles running the accounting department. Imagine! Graduating with honours in Business Administration and putting up with that. There had to be a better way to make money.
Again, he watched the line for Haunted move forward. The profit margin for that movie had to be as good as Star Wars, considering their respective budgets. That people would pay good money to see that...
His brain whirred in overdrive and his fingers flew over the small keyboard.
FORGET THE POPCORN! WE NEED TO TALK. I GOT AN IDEA THAT’S GOING TO MAKE US RICH!
Tim couldn’t take his eyes away from the line-up. He was running a spreadsheet in his head, and as he calculated each column the more excited he became. He jerked around when Brad’s elbow bumped him in the ribs.
“What’s up?” Brad turned his head to see what his buddy had been gaping at.
“THAT!” Tim pointed at the other screening room. “Look at the people lined up there!”
The queue of people chatting, slowly ambled forward into the theatre. He turned and tugged at Brad’s arm, giving it a shake. “Don’t you see? Disney launches a blockbuster like Star Wars and yet that spooky movie still draws a big crowd!”
Brad shrugged and a sheepish grin played on his lips. “So? Sophie saw it yesterday and she said it’s pretty good. People like that kind of stuff, I guess.”
Tim felt like his chest was about to explode. He spun and this time both hands gripped his friend’s arms. “We can get in on this!”
“WHAT? You want to make a movie?”
“No, but Disney made Star Wars, and that gave me an idea.”
Brad dropped his head and looked at his friend from the corner of his eye. “You’re losing me, dude.”
“Remember when you were a kid and you went to Disney World?”
“Sure I do. It was a blast--.”
“Well, my folks couldn’t afford to go. Even now it still pisses me off!” He still had Brad by the shoulders.
Brad thrust Tim’s arms away. “That was years ago! Enough with the whining about it!”
Tim leaned in with a smirk. “I’m not whining, dummy! I’m inspired!” He held up a finger and pointed at Brad. “You were down there for a week, and what did you talk about the most when you came home? What attraction really jazzed you?”
Brad shrugged. “The Haunted Mansion. I made my parents go through it four or five times.” He looked over at the patrons entering the auditorium for Haunted and his eyebrows knitted together. Turning back to Tim he said, “What are you thinking, Bro?”
“I’m thinking a real Haunted Mansion!”
“What?”
Tim was so excited he felt himself shaking. “A hotel! Or a bed and breakfast! Someplace where people spend the night and —”
“And get the hell scared out of them!”
“YES!” What would people pay to actually spend a night in a haunted house?” Tim’s body was tingling, every cell electrified and firing. Finally, they’d come up with something that could change their lives. No more being a drone at the insurance company, over-worked and underpaid. They’d become Entrepreneurs!
Brad’s hand flew up and pointed at the other cinema. “Holy shit! If those people are any indication of people shelling out good money on this kind of stuff... like Sophie for that matter...” He glanced at the ceiling and back, staring wide-eyed at Tim. “We’re onto something sweet here, Bro.”
“Exactly!” Tim clapped Brad’s back and strode to the glass wall of doors. Laughing, he called over his shoulder. “Come on!”
Brad’s feet raced behind him. He gripped Tim’s arm. “Where we going?”
Tim grinned and tugged the door open, gesturing for Brad to go ahead. “We’re going to do some quick research. Let’s go downtown to the tourist section and check out that Haunted Walk tour.”
Brad grunted. “I’m not going on that thing; it’s dumb. You walk around the downtown area with a guide who tells ghost stories. Big deal.”
“Have you ever taken the tour?”
Brad shook his head. “No. Have you?”
“Nope. But I want to find some stuff out about it.” As he fell into step, he nudged Brad’s arm. “You said it yourself. Sophie works retail, only making minimum wage, yet she spends a lot of money on this spooky stuff, not just movies, but books and videos, right?” When Brad nodded, he continued at full steam. “How many scary TV shows does she watch? Look, if she’s willing to part with her hard earned cash, just think what we can get from people who actually have some cash.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Twenty-five bucks all in is a lot for her to spend at a movie.” Brad’s eyes were bright staring at his friend. “But, you know, I don’t actually believe in any of that spooky crap—”
“We don’t have to believe in it, man. We just got to make the illusion plausible! We can do this, Brad. The time is to act is now. We’re young, ambitious, and let’s face it, we’re smart as hell. A ‘Haunted Inn’. I like the sound of it.” Tim’s feet hardly touched the sidewalk, bounding along to the car.
Ten minutes later, they were in the heart of the older section of Kingston, at the gathering point for the Haunted Walk of Kingston tour. A young man in a top hat and flowing black cape stood near a tall lamp post. A crowd of a dozen or so people milled around him.
Tim marched right up, flashing his friendliest smile. “Hi. You’re doing the Haunted Walk, right?”
The tour guide looked puzzled for a moment. “Yeah? Are you here for the tour—”
“No. Actually...how many tours are scheduled tonight? How many people in each tour?” Tim edged by a middle-aged woman who was holding the ticket up, trying to give it to the guide.
The young man took the ticket and smiled at her before turning to Tim. “I do four walks a night. There’s usually anywhere from a dozen to twenty people in each tour.” He glanced over at Brad, including him in the conversation. “If you want to come along—”
“Not tonight.” Tim sidled up to the young man and his voice dropped. “Do you mind if I ask you...what do they pay you to do this?”
The young guy edged back. “Twelve dollars an hour. Why? You thinking of applying for a job?”
Tim turned to Brad, the grin on his face shining in the dim light of the street lamp.
Behind him the tour operator continued. “Actually, there are three different tours, spaced fifteen minutes apart.”
Tim’s head spun and he did the math. That was almost two thousand dollars! And they did this every night!
“Thanks!” He turned tugging at Brad’s sleeve. “Let’s go get a beer, man. This is even better than I thought!”
“How much better?” Brad asked.
“So much, that I’m buying.”
Brad stopped in his tracks and put his hand against Tim’s forehead. “You? You’re buying?” He shook his head. “This is a night to remember.”
Chapter 2
Brad
The raven haired waitress set the two frosted mugs of beer on the table and flashed a flirty smile at Tim.
Brad’s eyes flicked from her blue eyes to his friend’s. Why were women always drawn to Tim? It wasn’t like he was ripped with six pack abs or even all that tall. Tim’s trademark was the smug grin and intense grey eyes. But women ate it up and came back for more, never giving a glance Brad’s way. It made no sense at all; he was better looking than Tim and in a lot better shape!
With an embellished sway of her pleated miniskirt, the waitress sashayed away from the table.
Brad turned to Tim and scowled. “Don’t even think of getting her number! I have to work tomorrow and for the last three nights, I had to sleep with the pillow over my head to drown out the noise from your room. Enough with the revolving bedroom door.”
Tim rolled his eyes and once more that damned smirk was on his face. “Jealous?”
It might melt a woman’s heart but it just made Brad want to cuff him upside the head. “No. I’m totally fine with Sophie, thanks!”
Tim rolled his eyes before leaning closer, his eyes once more bright and eager. “Actually, I don’t care about that, at least not at the moment. It’s our idea I want to talk about. We set up a haunted bed and breakfast —ten rooms, at two hundred a night. We’ll make a fortune. Of course we’d have to run it twenty four seven ourselves but after a year or so, we’ll hire staff and relax a bit.”
Brad sat forward and nodded. “I don’t mind working hard and I’m good with people. So basically we just need to find a haunted house and market the hell out of it.” He snapped his fingers. “Hey! Maybe we can coordinate with the Haunted Walk!”
“Don’t forget Fort Fright!”
Old Fort Henry was constructed when Canada was still a colony of Great Britain during the war of 1812. The massive hulking structure was created to repel invaders from the south. A military base, it was threaded with claustrophobic corridors and coffin sized sleeping quarters. Every October, this historic tourist attraction would transform into the foreboding citadel ‘Fort Fright’. Where spirits of the long dead and recently departed would haunt its dank passageways. Spirits played by local thespians, but pretty scary nevertheless. And really, really popular!
Brad pounded a fist into his hand. “Holy cow, you’re right! They line up for hours to go through that place in October!”
“Yeah, to get the shit scared out of them! I’m telling you Brad, a Haunted Inn would fit right in!” Tim grinned at his doggerel.
Brad looked out the window of the bar they were seated at to see another group depart for their Haunted Walk. He drummed his fingers on the surface of the bar and gazed around the room. Tir Nan Og Irish Pub was well over a hundred years old.
“Did you know that this place is supposed to be haunted?”
“What?” Tim darted his head around the bar. “Where?”
“I don’t know for sure. Some girl who died in a fire or something back in the 1800’s.” Brad took another pull on his beer. “No big deal... but...”
“But what?”
Brad looked off to the side for a moment, pondering. “But... it’s just that there’s all kinds of spooky shit in this city.” He waved his arm. “You got ‘Fort Fright’ just over there in the harbor, you have the Haunted Walk going great guns.” He looked up to the ceiling. “This place is supposed to be kind of haunted, and a bunch of other spots in the city too.”
“So?”
Brad shrugged. “I don’t know...” He looked at Tim directly. “It’s just that there’s something about this city... that’s kind of....” his voice faded.
Tim slapped Brad in the shoulder. “Kind of a gold mine if you ask me!” He nodded eagerly at Brad. “Yeah, there’s something off kilter in Kingston, I’ll grant you that. So our idea should fit right in, right?”
Brad was thoughtful for another moment. Yeah, it should. Kingston had a weird streak to it, no doubt about that. He just wondered if they should mess with that sort of stuff. He sighed. What the hell was the matter with him? Half of their marketing was already done just by putting the Inn in this town! He snorted and said to Tim, “What the hell, who ever heard of a ghost committing a murder, right?”
Tim rolled his eyes. “You don’t actually give any credence to that crap, do you?”
Brad looked a little sheepish. “Nah... not really. But...”
“So cut it out! You’re trying to spook me and it’s almost working!”
Brad forced a laugh and let it drop. “Yeah, you’re right. So what’s next?”
“Well, we gotta find a haunted house, that’s what.”
Just find a haunted house? Yeah right. That might be harder than it sounded, even in an historical city like Kingston.
Tim’s eyes were lit up and his words rushed out. “Look, I know the hotel business. I grew up with it at Mount Tremblant. As far as buying a haunted house, well... we can create one. As long as it’s old and a bit creepy. Embellish its history or even invent one!”
Brad’s eyes narrowed. Just because he worked in a federal prison, didn’t mean he wanted to be a resident. “But...that’s kind of fraud, isn’t it?”
Tim snorted. “You think the people who pay to go on the rocket ship ride at Disney World actually believe they’re going to the moon? I’m sure there’ll be guests who’ll question everything. That’s normal. But, we make some spooky stuff happen with props. Believe me, the majority will get the experience they want. We’re selling the sizzle, not the steak.”
A Hollywood image of a ghost, an ethereal woman in a long white nightgown, the edges of her form blurred, flashed in Brad’s mind. With the right lighting and the right actress, they could pull that off. Maybe Sophie could, play that part. It would mean they’d be together more often.
Haunted Inn...huh? His eyes narrowed and his fingers continued drumming the table top. “Remember my cousin, Mike? He’s selling real estate now. He was telling us at Christmas about all the rules and regulations in selling houses. I laughed at the time when he said they have to disclose if the house has a violent history or is rumoured to be haunted. But that could work to our advantage. Any house that’s suspect, is likely going to be cheap, right?”
Tim nodded. “For sure. We should be able to practically steal the place.” He took a long swig of the beer and his lips pressed tightly together. “I’ve got almost ten thousand saved. How much could you put into this?”
“Hmph.” Brad looked down at the table. How could Tim have salted that much money since working at the insurance company? Even with the better paying job working for the government, there was a lot less in his own saving account. “Eight thousand. We might have to hit up our parents for a loan, especially if we have to do renovations.”
The Haunted Inn (Haunted House Ghost Story): The Hauntings of Kingston Page 1