Mysteerie Manor

by Sharon Hays

  “You’re very welcome. It has been my pleasure to assist, and I am looking forward to the next visit.” Vivian answered, giving her a warm hug. “I have some ritual incantations that can be used, should I need them; if the activity is too strong and negative. It has worked in other situations of such energy. Though, I didn’t feel that Charles was a bad person; I just thought he was extremely angry at John for interfering with his lover while he was away in England. He never married or had another affair up until the day he died.”

  “Thank you Vivian, for the information. There is some verification that someone is really staying inside the Valencia. And now we know there has to be a secret room somewhere in that Manor which could lead us to find Mario and Maryanne. We must find them. I don’t know what I’ll do if they aren’t found.”

  They left the Valencia Manor anxious to return for hopefully the final visit that would lead them to find the missing duo. Joan prayed this would be the last of the endless nightmare. The search team had gone through the Manor again during the day, only to leave again with no solid answers as to the whereabouts of Maryanne and Mario.

  38

  Maryanne continually improved with Mario’s care. He had the escape perfectly planned for three a.m. He had carved the last foothold into the rock wall and now he would be close enough to reach the ladder, where he could pry open the door to the dumbwaiter.

  “Mario I feel so much better thanks to you. I would probably be dead by now or close to it, had it not been for you finding me.” Maryanne huddled next to Mario as they ate stale bread and beans, yet again. He cradled her next to him, comforting and protecting her.

  “We’re almost free. If there is a hell, Maryanne, this is what I imagine it would be like. I am amazed you lasted so long in this hole. I thank God for his help in watching over you for me. You’re gaining strength, and I’m sure you’ll be able to climb out of here when the time is right. We leave at three a.m. It’s a good thing I have my watch; at least we know the time.”

  “Remember, Mario; take it easy on the poor creature. Hopefully we can help make sure it receives hospital care and a place to rehabilitate and learn to speak and survive in the outside world. It seems to have no knowledge whatsoever except the survival skills it learned while imprisoned in this horrible place. My heart goes out to this poor thing. It has probably been imprisoned here since it was a small child. From the looks of it, I would guess its age to be anywhere from twenty to twenty five, more or less.”

  “Don’t worry Maryanne. I’ll do all I can; or at least all the law allows me to do. I am wondering who would be cruel and evil enough to lock someone up to rot like an animal. That person would be the true monster…I am feeling more confident that all will turn out well.”

  Mario always had such a great outlook. If only she could be so positive. Maryanne lay back, thinking about when she’d met him. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She held onto Mario as if it were the last time she would see him.

  “Let’s take a nap for a few hours and get our strength built up so we can make it out of here.” Mario set the pillows and blankets around the damp floor so they could rest as comfortable as possible. Soon, they were asleep.

  39

  It was almost ten o’clock when Joan returned home. She reflected on the paranormal activity at the Valencia. It was her first experience working with a psychic. She knew there had to be something to it, because Vivian Gilbreth learned so much about the family history by telepathic messages from the spirits. It was uncanny how well she communicated, and Joan was much more confident this was going to work. Joan tried to sleep but only went into brief periods of dream states which included Maryanne, but this time Mario was in the dreams. At five a.m., she got out of bed, exhausted from tossing and turning in half sleep and then made coffee and showered. She had a full day ahead, including two important clients. Later, it would be the main event: a meeting with the psychic, who would attempt a final communication with the evil demon that seemed to dominate the Valencia and to hopefully discover where the unknown visitor has been hiding.

  Meanwhile, Marshall had an engagement with Jonathon Livingston. It was more of a friendly get-together than business, though. They had been hitting it off well since the property purchase offer. The two had much in common, and the relationship was developing quickly. Marshall told Joan that he appreciated meeting Mr. Livingston, and that he thought they would become close. Since the initial meeting he had been seeing Mr. Livingston quite frequently. He winked at Joan during that conversation, giving her the indication they could become a couple. She was quite open-minded about that subject and happy for Marshall and his new found friend, hoping the best for them. Joan and Marshall had become quite good friends. Marshall was eager to meet at the Valencia for the final cleansing and hopefully finish ridding the Manor of its evil domination. After an exciting evening with John Livingston, he left for home, planning on an early rise. He too, had many appointments before the meeting at the Valencia.

  40

  Mario woke suddenly to the sound of pulleys from the dumbwaiter. The door flew open, and he looked upward into the shaft where the unknown visitor stood looking down at them. Maryanne woke, startled and fearful, and then she looked into the eyes of the creature. It stood motionless for several minutes, threw down a bag, slammed the door and disappeared into the shaft. Gone for the night, they had hoped. Mario thought many times he could shoot the captor, but he restrained himself, knowing the situation demanded patience.

  He would continue the plan to escape, so they remained quietly on the floor for at least half an hour to make sure the captor was gone. Mario took the bag and opened it. He found two cans of beans, a bag of chips, which seemed very odd, and some stale cookies in a half-eaten bag. A can of tuna fish was out of the ordinary as well, but the creature also put in a can opener. It seemed out of character, but he was pleased to finally get some decent nourishment for Maryanne. Compared to what they had been accustomed to, this was a feast, he thought. In the bottom of the bag was an old-fashioned beer opener, making it possible to open the cans and eat fresh food. They began to eat and prepare for their soon-to-be escape.

  Mario shook Maryanne slightly trying to wake her up. She had finally fallen asleep after a meal that was better than most she had received while captive in the dark prison. “Maryanne, it’s time. We have to do it now. Get up and get yourself together. We are getting the hell out of here!”

  “I am ready whenever you want to go.” She was eager and afraid, all at the same time. This would be their chance at freedom and back to a life in the real world. This hell had been a horrible nightmare. It did not seem real to her, but that was her way of dealing with it and surviving.

  He helped her to her feet. “I’m going to climb up and pry open the door to the shaft. As soon as I get in there, you are going to climb up these stairs and grab my hands while I pull you in. You can do it…you have to do it!” He picked up the lantern and flashlight, hooking them onto his belt. His knife and screwdriver would be used to pry the door.

  He began climbing with each foot stepping into the crudely dug holes he had prepared. “Watch how I am doing this. You do exactly the same, once I get inside.” He reached for the stairs and pulled them down, stepping onto the stair rung close enough for him to work on prying the door open. Stabilizing himself, he brought out the knife and screwdriver and began to work on the door. He pried, prodded and cut, until finally the door opened. A sigh of relief went through him as he looked down at Maryanne. “We made it! Be very quiet and we’ll get through this.”

  He tugged on the pulley and brought the dumbwaiter down slowly. The sounds from the mechanism echoed through the chamber. When it was in place, he climbed inside the shaft and sprawled out face down with his hands out toward her. She started the climb, slipping and falling to the ground. Again, she climbed onto the ladder, pulling herself toward Mario. She reached up until he could reach her hand and lifted her as she took one step, then the next, until she climbed th
e rest of the way up. He lifted her inside and closed the door. He tugged at the pulley again as it made loud screeching noises, going up for several minutes, until it stopped.

  Mario slid the door aside, where a wall moved when he pushed it. The bedroom closet was visible when they climbed out of the chamber. His flashlight fanned out to reveal the bedroom where the nightmare had begun. They had finally made it out of the cold, dark hole. Mario and Maryanne left their prison and entered the room to freedom. He held up the lantern, that he had left inside the closet when he went into the hole. Maryanne held onto Mario as he helped her into the room. She was speechless and thankful, as she carefully moved forward into the bedroom that she remembered so well; the room with an antique bed and dresser where an eerie reflection of an unknown visitor had looked back at her from the mirror. He helped Maryanne as they hurried out of the musty bedroom onto the balcony.

  It is like breathing for the first time in weeks, Maryanne thought.

  Mario held her and then took her hand as they walked carefully down the long balcony to the staircase. It was dark and quiet in the house, but the floor was emitting its usual groans and creaks as they crept along the balcony until they reached the top of the landing. Mario aimed his flashlight below to the grand room, making sure they were alone.

  Freedom. The word echoed through Maryanne’s head, as they began the descent down the winding staircase. They moved carefully, yet quickly one stair at a time. As they neared the landing, a shrill howl rang through the house in a chilling replay.

  “Run, Maryanne! Let’s get the hell out of here right now!” Mario yelled and pulled her as they ran toward the front doors.

  Maryanne stopped and looked back into the massive room where a white, ghostly aberration appeared. A small child in white, standing in the middle of the room, almost transparent, smiled at her, waving.

  “It’s over, Maryanne. It’s over. He walked her to the front door, which was slightly open. When they were about to make an exit, the front door slammed shut! A loud pitched groaning seemed to come from everywhere in the room. They had to cover their ears, as it was unbearable. He tried to unlock the door, to no avail.

  “Come on Maryanne, let’s try the back door. We have to get you out of here! I have to take you to the hospital so you can get checked out. What the hell is happening here?” The house echoed with ferocious screaming. Its timbers were alive with groans and moans. It was as if the Manor had suddenly come alive. He radioed dispatch and gave them the rundown as he took her hand and hurried to the back door. When he turned the handle, it wouldn’t budge. He pushed and prodded at the lock with a tool he had in his jacket. Nothing seemed to work. He was starting to panic, and Maryanne was in shock and stood shaking with fear. He took her hand and led her back to the grand room. He kicked the front door three times and it finally burst open. He pulled Maryanne through the door out onto the porch. The sounds were maddening and could be heard as they ran down the steps to the end of the yard and to his car. He helped Maryanne inside and climbed in, reaching for his keys. The car would not start. He turned the ignition and pumped the gas and finally, after several tries… it started. They could hear agonizing groans coming from the house as he spun away, not looking back. He passed the squad car at the end of the street.

  “That’s the team I called in earlier. I’m not stopping. I’ll call in. He rang headquarters and informed them of what had just taken place, where they were and then headed straight to Boulder Hospital. They were both exhausted from the menacing confrontation from who they presumed to be of unnatural origin. When they arrived at the hospital, a crew was waiting outside the emergency room to take Maryanne in. They lifted her onto a stretcher and moved swiftly to get her into immediate care. He followed and waited near the waiting room, while they checked her out. He paced back and forth anxious to hear what he hoped would be good news. Doctors and nurses scrambled in and out of the room.

  Making a few brief calls to headquarters, he got everything in order, and planned to return to the Valencia in the morning. Meanwhile there was a two man team on site. Breaking his concentration, a young intern emerged from the ER and walked up to him with a promising look.

  “Looks like she is going to be fine, Officer Ramos. We have her on some IV drips and blood pressure checks just to make sure everything stays stable. We’ll keep here tonight and do some of the mandatory testing. I’m sure we will have more news in the morning. We will keep you informed. You may go see her now,” The intern turned and he followed him back to ER.

  “Maryanne, you are going to be fine, you’re in good hands now. I’ll let you get some rest and go check in at the station, then go home. I’ll be back in the morning.”

  “Wait, Mario, I saw her at the Valencia right before we left. The child. It was the ghost of Bonicellis young daughter. I saw her picture in an article from the Library. I know it was the same girl in the picture. The picture when she had her First Communion, not long before she died. I know it was her.”

  Mario took her hand. “It was probably the being or person who kept you in there. I really doubt it was a ghost.”

  “Mario, she didn’t look anything like our captor. She was pretty and young, maybe around seven, at most. She was smiling and waved as we ran out of there. I know what I saw; I am not imagining it!”

  “I believe you, Maryanne. It is difficult to experience paranormal activity and believe it at the same time. It has been hard for me to accept. I suppose, though, it’s possible. That house has had a lot of very weird things going on from the first day I laid eyes on it. Just be thankful that we’re out of there.”

  An intern was outside the room, when Mario was leaving, and he addressed Mario. “We’ll do more tests to make sure there aren’t any unforeseen circumstances that need attention. She is in good hands, I assure you.” With that, the intern darted back into Maryanne’s room and then Mario left for the station.

  He returned to headquarters, where he filled everyone in and filed a report. He made a quick call to Joan, letting her know Maryanne was safe before he met with Chief Olson. The time had flown. It was already six thirty in the morning when he arrived.

  Joan was relieved, and began crying with the news of her rescue. After composing herself, she began to organize her day, so she could visit Maryanne. She was relieved and overjoyed that Maryanne was now free and safe. By eight in the morning, Joan was on the phone confirming meetings and planning a visit to the local library to complete the research on John Farthington’s brother, Charles. That was a new twist in the mystery, and she was determined to be prepared for it this evening when the psychic returned for the ‘final cleanse,’ as she had referred to it. Meanwhile, she would make time to see Maryanne, the most important meeting of her day.

  Joan walked into the hospital room, where Maryanne was sitting up in her bed, looking quite well, considering what had taken place these last two weeks.

  “Maryanne, I am so thankful you are safe!” Joan entered the hospital room with a bouquet of Maryanne’s favorite lilies. “You don’t look too bad for wear. You clean up pretty good, from the description they gave me when you arrived. I had dreams about you almost every night you were gone. I could hear you and see you as if you were right in front of me. The dreams were so vivid and very scary! Thank God you are all right. According to Mario you should be here a few days?”

  “Yes. Maryanne nodded. Maybe two or three, at most. Then I should be able to leave. I’ve had many dreams about you as well, Joan. I guess that was our telepathic way of communicating with each other. It did keep me going. I never thought I’d see daylight again, though. It was a harrowing experience and I really would rather not talk about it right now. I just want to talk about you and how things are going in the real estate business. Fill me in.” She eyed Joan with eagerness, looking much better than Joan had expected. She had a couple of scratches visible on her arm and a bruise on her head but other than rest and TLC, all she needed was makeup and a good hair-dresser, Joan thought.
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  “You won’t believe how many people are calling to look at properties, and new listings are coming in almost every day. It’s been great! I just sold the most incredible villa at the Marché. You know the one in the high rent district? It’s outside of Boulder just a mile or so, in the newer addition. The villa was on the market for only two weeks and I sold it for a cool one million seven hundred ninety-nine thousand dollars. I am gonna love the commission on that one! I still wish you would come to work with me. I know you could make some great money, and you’d be so good at it, too. But enough of that, we can talk about it at another time. Now I have to tell you about the Priest, you know the one you told me about, Father Martucci?” Joan proceeded to tell Maryanne about the Priest, the psychic, and all of the information she and Mario had uncovered about the Valencia. She went on for almost an hour filling her in on all the eerie and unsettling details.

  Maryanne was like a sponge, soaking in the information. “Mario is my hero, as you know. He almost ended up a casualty along with me. There is one thing though, that I want you to know. The being or thing that captured me and put me into that horrible cell is not a vicious, mean creature, as I had originally thought. It seemed to be lost in a world of hurt and loneliness, as if it had been on its own for a long time, not able to speak or comprehend. It appears to be a poor, pathetic creature that has obviously been abused or locked away from society to be that confused and misguided. It never intentionally harmed me. I feel empathy for the misunderstood creature, whoever it turns out to be.”

  Joan sighed. “That would be you, Maryanne. You trust everyone. You are such a kind person, and that’s what makes you so special. The police should now be able to find whoever it is and get it some help. Hopefully they will see it as you do, and not go in there and shoot the place up, injuring or perhaps killing someone.”