“We need to check out the house first,” Kevin suggested.
“Yeah, we can leave this stuff here.” Brad picked up his flashlight. “Doesn’t look like we forgot anything.”
Harvey stood in the middle of the kitchen and watched the teenagers file out of the room. He could hear their voices as they explored the first floor of the house. Curious, he walked to the counter to see what the boys had brought with them.
Looking down at the counter, he frowned. He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at. Some sort of electrical gadgets perhaps? He picked up one item and then another. He turned knobs and pushed buttons. He had touched and inspected every piece on the counter when he heard the boys trudging up the staircase. Pausing, he listened. Smiling, he looked back to items on the counter.
Minutes later—Harvey wasn’t sure if it was five minutes or sixty, he wasn’t good with time—he heard the boys tromping down the stairs and back toward the kitchen. They stood at the kitchen door discussing where to install a camera they had brought with them. Harvey glanced back down to the peculiar items on the counter. Surely one of these things isn’t a camera. Harvey then picked up one of the items.
“Hey guys,” Kevin called out. His friends stood by the kitchen doorway debating where to install the spy cameras. “There is another door over here!”
The boys stopped talking and went to investigate.
Brad looked at the door where Kevin stood. “I think it leads to the basement. I remember hearing the house had one.”
“Let’s go check it out!” Kevin opened the door, revealing the dark stairwell.
“Might as well. This house isn’t half as creepy as people say it is.” Jeff followed Kevin and Brad through the doorway and down the rickety stairs.
“I know. But it is kind of gross and there was that dead rat upstairs.” Curt followed behind them.
“Yeah, without a head!” Kevin laughed.
“What do you think happened to its head?” Brad asked.
“I figure the other rats probably gnawed it off. I seriously don’t think ghosts eat rats.” Curt laughed.
“Kind of disappointing. Jeff is right; this house isn’t as scary as everyone says it is.” Kevin reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the basement. Moving the beam from his flashlight over the wall, he checked out his surroundings. His friends gathered around him.
Jeff wrinkled his nose and said, “Maybe it isn’t that scary but it sure stinks nasty!”
“Probably more dead rats,” Curt said.
“This is kind of a cool looking old trunk.” Kevin looked down at the trunk.
“My grandma used to have one like that,” Brad told them. “Mom sold it for like two hundred bucks at a garage sale.”
Kevin looked from the antique trunk to Brad. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. After mom sold it, I went on eBay and found another trunk just like it. The bid was already up to two thousand bucks.”
“Holy crap, too thousand bucks for an old trunk! Did you tell your mom?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah.” Brad shrugged. “She just said something about shipping a trunk that size would cost a fortune.”
“I bet it would cost way less than a thousand to ship, and if you sold if for over two thousand—damn—that is good money!” Kevin looked longingly at the trunk.
“What are you thinking Kev?” Curt asked.
“This old trunk is just sitting here. No one wants it. If we sold it on eBay I bet that would be like more than three hundred bucks each!” Kevin said excitedly. “Even if we paid the shipping.”
“But it isn’t our trunk to sell,” Brad reminded.
“It doesn’t belong to anyone. We might as well take it,” Kevin suggested.
“Kevin is right,” Jeff chimed in. “If they wanted the trunk they would have taken it by now.”
“It’s not like someone dumped the trunk outside and just left it. It’s here, inside the house,” Brad said.
“Might as well be sitting outside.” Kevin shrugged. “No one obviously wants it or it still wouldn't be sitting here. I say we take it and sell it on eBay. I don’t know about you guys, but I could sure use the money.”
“How are we going to get it out of here?” Jeff asked.
“I could always borrow my brother’s truck. But we’d have to pick it up at night so the neighbors don’t see us take it,” Curt suggested.
“That is the same as stealing, guys,” Brad argued.
“If you don’t want to do it, no one is forcing you,” Kevin said. “Just means a bigger share for us.”
“You guys are never going to get it out of this house without one of the neighbors seeing you,” Brad said.
“For three hundred bucks—I mean more than three hundred since you don’t want a share and even more if we can get the buyers to pay shipping, you bet I will find some way to haul this thing out of here.” Kevin laughed.
“Let’s get it open and see if anything is inside,” Jeff suggested. “If it’s filled will junk we’ll need to empty it first.”
“Might be cool junk,” Curt said. “More for us to sell on eBay!”
“How about it Miller, are you with us or are you going to wuss out?” Kevin challenged.
Brad silently considered a moment and then let out a deep sigh. “Fine. I’m in.” He handed his flashlight to Jeff. “Hold this with yours and keep the light on the trunk while I help Kevin open it. The lid looks heavy. I know the one on the trunk mom sold needed two people to open.”
Kevin handed his flashlight to Curt. Curt and Jeff, each holding two flashlights, pointed the beams at the trunk while Kevin positioned himself on one side of the trunk and Brad on the other, preparing to open it.
Chapter Fourteen
Harvey stood at the basement doorway silently watching the four teenagers as they prepared to open the trunk. He was fairly certain he had heard them correctly. They intended to steal the trunk. Chuckling to himself, Harvey wondered how anxious they would be to take it with them once they got the lid open and discovered what he had tucked inside.
They really didn’t look much different from the boys he once knew—back when he had been alive. He glanced down at his loose fitting denim pants and rope belt, then back up to the boys, who each wore a pair of fitted denim pants. They must come from money, he thought, to be able to wear clothes tailored to fit their bodies; and yet, they intended to steal something. The thought made Harvey angry.
Brad tugged on his side of the trunk. “Are you sure it isn’t locked?”
Curt flashed a light beam over the front of the trunk. “I don’t see any lock.”
“You want us to help?” Jeff offered.
“No, you just hold the lights on it. I think it’s coming loose. Just stuck,” Brad said with a grunt.
“It sure smells nasty. Hope we can get the smell out or no one will buy it.” Kevin continued to tug on the lid, urging it to open.
“If we sell it on eBay they won’t know how it smells,” Jeff said just before the lid gave way and flew open, exposing the trunk’s contents.
Jeff and Curt saw it first. They each let out a scream worthy of a horror movie, dropped their flashlights, charged for the doorway, and raced up the stairs.
Confused and virtually plunged into darkness, Brad and Kevin grappled with the flashlights rolling around on the concrete floor while cursing their friends’ hasty departure. They still did not know what had sent the two boys running.
Kevin managed to grab a flashlight first. He aimed it at the open trunk. Instead of fleeing as his friends had, he stood mesmerized, looking at the contorted body of the man shoved rudely into the wooden container. The dead man’s eyes stared blankly up at Kevin.
“Bra..Bra…Bra…Brad…” Kevin stammered, unable to look away.
After retrieving a flashlight for himself, Brad stood up and turned to the trunk. His eyes widened. Like Kevin, he seemed riveted to the spot.
“Is it real?” Brad whispered.
“
Sure looks real.”
“Is he dead?”
“I think that’s what we smell.” Kevin gulped.
“You think we should check for a pulse?” Brad asked.
“I’m not touching it. Go ahead. You can if you want.” Kevin took a step back from the trunk. The two boys stood there a moment in silence, just staring.
“I’m getting out of here!” Brad suddenly announced. He and Kevin turned from the trunk at the same time, bumping into each other. Each shoving the other one away, they scrambled to the doorway and up the stairs to the first level.
When they got upstairs, they noticed the front door wide open. Apparently, their friends had left by that exit instead of going back to the kitchen and squeezing through the window opening. They decided the open front door looked like a far better escape route. Without a second thought, Kevin and Brad rushed to the open doorway and out of the house. They couldn’t get outside quick enough.
Kevin and Brad ran down the front walkway leading from Presley House to the street. They expected to find Jeff and Curt waiting for them. What they hadn’t expected to find was the police car parked in front of the house, with their friends sitting on the curb looking up into the faces of Officers Morelli and Henderson.
Hands on hips, Joe watched as Brad and Kevin raced in his direction. The boys halted mid-way. They stood mute and stared, looking from the officers to the parked patrol car, and then to their friends who sat quietly on the curb. Joe doubted they were aware of the police presence until that moment. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the two boys and cricked his finger at them, motioning for them to come closer.
Brad rushed forward asking, “Did they call you? How did you get here so quick?”
Kevin trailed behind Brad, yet kept looking over his shoulder, trying to figure out if it might be possible to make a run for it. Unfortunately, he knew both officers and they knew his parents. It was a small town.
“Sit!” Officer Henderson snapped, pointing to the curb. Obediently Brad and Kevin joined their friends and sat down.
Joe stood over the boys, glancing from them to the house. “So is this everyone?”
Before anyone could answer, a female voice called out, “You boys should be ashamed of yourselves!” Millie Samson shuffled over from across the street.
“We are taking care of this, Millie,” Brian said with a sigh.
Ignoring Brian, Millie continued in their direction, waving her finger at the silent teenage boys.
“I know your parents! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Breaking in like common criminals!” Millie stabbed an angry finger in their direction.
“We’ve got this, Millie,” Joe said patiently.
“You wouldn’t have anything if I hadn’t called you after seeing these four hooligans climbing over the fence!”
“And we do appreciate you calling,” Brian said lazily. “But we have it all under control.”
“There is a dead body!” Curt shouted out. The three adults turned abruptly in his direction and stared.
“Excuse me?” Joe asked.
“There is a dead body in Presley House.”
Millie gasped; her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my!”
Brian glared at the boys. “Is this some Halloween prank? You’ve already upset Mrs. Samson enough. This is not funny.”
Brad looked up into Joe’s face. “He’s telling the truth.” Last summer the sergeant had dated Brad’s sister. But the last time Brad had seen Joe had nothing to do with his sister. It was about another body found in Frederickport, one that might have been saved had Brad made other choices at the time.
“A dead body? Whose dead body?” Millie fiddled nervously with the zipper on the jacket of her jogging suit as she stared up at Presley House.
“There’s a trunk in the basement,” Brad explained. “We opened it. There’s a body in there.”
“Are you sure?” Brian asked.
“Oh yeah!” the four boys chorused.
“These two just left us,” Kevin said angrily, elbowing Curt, who sat to his right.
Curt rubbed his now sore arm. “It just freaked us out. Figured you would follow us.”
“Aren’t you going to go in there? See who it is?” Millie asked.
“Yes, Millie. But first, we need to get all the information. It would probably be best if you go on back home so we can get this worked out. Chances are, it’s not a real dead body, just a dummy some kids shoved in there to freak people out.” Brian gently led Millie by her arm back across the street. She tried to argue with him, but he refused to back down.
Joe signaled for the boys to stay quiet. He would ask more questions when Brian returned and Millie was out of earshot. As it was, he imagined once she stepped inside her house she would be on the phone calling all her friends, telling them about the so-called dead body in Presley House.
He silently watched Brian take Millie across the street. After leaving Millie at her house, Brian pulled out his cellphone and began making a call as he returned to Joe and the boys.
“Are you sure it was a real body you saw?” Joe asked when Brian returned and was off the cellphone.
“It wasn’t no dummy,” Jeff insisted. The other boys nodded in agreement.
The two officers stood over the boys, who remained sitting on the curb.
“Is there anyone else in the house?” Brian asked.
“Just the dead guy,” Curt said.
“Did you guys come with anyone else? Just you four?” Joe asked.
“It was just us,” Brad said.
“Okay Brad, tell us what you think you saw,” Joe told him.
Brad took a deep breath before answering. “We were checking out the house and went down to the basement. There is an antique trunk down there and we just wanted to see what was inside. Jeff and Curt held the flashlights while Kevin and I opened it. The lid was kind of stuck.”
“And it smelled bad,” Jeff piped up.
“When we opened the lid, Jeff and Curt just took off. They saw the body; I guess it freaked them out.”
“You can’t say you guys weren't freaked out too!” Jeff interrupted.
“Maybe we were, but we didn’t just run off like a couple of babies,” Brad returned.
“Yeah, real nice of them to just run out on us,” Kevin snapped.
“I told you—”
Joe interrupted Curt. “You boys can argue later. Let Brad finish.”
“They dropped the flashlights,” Brad continued. “When Kevin and I picked up a flashlight we looked in the trunk and we saw him. He was all…well, sort of all folded up in the trunk…but his eyes were open. Real creepy.”
“Brad wanted to check for a pulse but I told him I wasn’t gunna touch it, but he was welcome to.”
“Did you take his vitals?” Brian asked.
Brad shook his head. “No. I could tell he was dead. And then…well all I wanted was to get out of there as fast as possible. When we saw you out here, I thought the guys had called you. But it didn’t make sense. I couldn’t figure how you could get here so quick.”
“Mrs. Samson saw you boys climbing over the fence. She called us,” Joe explained.
“Yeah, I heard her say that.” Brad said sheepishly.
“Can we go home now?” Curt asked.”
Brian looked at Curt and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I already called for backup. They should be here in a minute, and then a couple of us will go in and see what all the ruckus is about. Chances are, you boys mistook a Halloween dummy for a body.”
“It was real,” Brad insisted.
“If it was real, can you describe what he looked like?” Joe said.
The boys sat quietly for a moment before Kevin spoke up. “I know who he looks like! One of those guys who the cops are looking for!”
“Yeah,” Brad looked over at Kevin. “I think you’re right. He did kinda look like one of those guys.”
“You mean Chuck Christiansen and Bart Haston?” Joe asked.
Kevin shrugged. “I don’t know what their names are. Those dudes who killed that rich guy and his wife. I saw their pictures in the paper. The dead guy sorta looks like one of them.”
Before they could ask more questions, backup arrived. The boys were instructed to stay put on the curb while Joe and Brian went into the house with several of the arriving officers.
Brian and Joe stood in the basement of Presley House, with several other officers, looking into the empty trunk.
“Just what I thought, no dead body,” Brian said.
“But they were right about one thing, this smells nasty.” Joe wrinkled his nose.
One of the other officers, who had his flashlight pointed inside the trunk, moved the beam around, inspecting the trunk’s interior.
“It looks wet. What is that? And on the side, is that blood?” Joe leaned closer.
“I don’t know, but that smell is making me ill.” Brian almost gagged. “But yeah, that does look like blood. Damn.”
“Is it possible there was a dead body in here just a few minutes ago?” Joe asked.
Brian looked up from the trunk into Joe’s eyes. “If so, then that means someone is still in the house.”
Chapter Fifteen
Curled up on Danielle’s lap, Max rested his chin on her arm. Because of his loud purr, Danielle was fairly certain he wasn’t sleeping, despite the fact that his eyes were closed, and he hadn’t moved for over ten minutes. Her hand gently stroked his black fur and occasionally rubbed the white tips of his ears—the only part of him that wasn't jet-black. Occasionally, a drop of spittle would escape his mouth, dampening the sleeve of Danielle’s jacket.
They sat outside on the new swing Ian had installed in one of the trees in front of the house. Here she could watch the cars drive by—although, there was never much traffic on her street—and listen to the breeze moving through the trees. Lily and Ian had taken Sadie for a walk on the beach. Walt was inside doing whatever Walt did when no one was in the house. What that was, Danielle had no idea.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, taking in the clean ocean scent. It was definitely fall with a hint of winter creeping in. The toe of her right shoe continually pressed against the ground, keeping the swing swaying gently in a steady and soothing motion.
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