Barbara turned her gaze to Paige. “A chapel? That’s what we all thought when we went out there.” She looked away again. “We only went the one time. None of us had the gall to break into the farmhouse, but we went down the path to the barn.” She shook her head and gave a half smile. “From the moment we stepped onto the path, I wanted to leave.”
“Why?”
“It just felt… wrong.”
“Wrong?” said Matt. “You were just a bunch of kids snooping around an abandoned place.” He shrugged his shoulders. “No big deal.”
Barbara shook her head. “No, I didn’t feel guilty, Matt. I felt afraid. It was the place. It was wrong.” She turned her head, taking in the gazes of her guests. “All the children felt it that day. Only one of us went into the barn, actually.”
“The door was wide open, I’ll bet,” said Paige.
Barbara nodded. “But the closer we got, the funnier we felt. Dennis Piazetski was the only one brave enough to go inside… but he only got halfway across the barn floor when he stopped and threw up.” Barbara’s voice grew quiet. “It was a beautiful warm summer’s day, but I can still remember the chills I felt out there. After Dennis threw up, we got out of there as fast as we could.” She sat back in her chair. “None of us kids—and there had to be at least six of us—ever spoke of that afternoon again.” She shivered. “I got curious about the place though and asked my father about it, him being a friend of Elmer and all.” Her eyes brightened. “He told me something very strange.”
“What?” Paige leaned in.
“He told me that barn is cursed somehow.”
“Cursed?” Amanda asked. “That’s crazy.”
“No, there’s something about that building. My father said that Elmer built it himself, by hand, one board at a time. And the further along he got, the more peculiar he became. It was very hard times back then, especially for farmers. The depression was in full swing, and the winds of war were stirring in Europe. But still, instead of getting a job to make some money, Elmer spent every waking hour of the last year of his life building that barn.”
The room was silent as Barbara continued her tale. “He came into town on the last day. My father owned a hardware store on Princess Street and Elmer came in to buy shells for his shotgun. Papa said the man looked like he hadn’t had a bath in a month. His hair was greasy and needed a trim and he smelled to high heaven.” She dropped her head, remembering every word her father had said. “Lord knows, he needed a shave. His clothes were a wreck; his work jacket was torn in several places and his trousers had holes in the knees.”
Lifting her head, she continued. “Papa told me that he tried to talk about the hunting in Elmer’s area, but Elmer only said that his barn was finished and now the war could begin.”
“The war?”
“Yes.” Barbara turned to lift her mug of tea, but her hand shook. She let it back down and turned back to the group. “He came into my father’s store on the afternoon of September 2nd, 1939.”
“You can remember the date?” Matt asked with a weak smile.
“No, silly. My father told me. My father remembered the date exactly. You see, that night, Elmer slaughtered his family… and the next day England declared war on Germany and the Second World War began.”
As one, Amanda, Paige and Matt all gasped.
Barbara leaned forward to Amanda. “That barn needs to be destroyed.”
Amanda laughed. “My husband wouldn’t dream of it! It’s going to become the workshop he always wanted.” Setting her mouth, she added, “And I’m going to board animals there too.”
Paige glanced over at Matt. Their eyes met and there was a frown on his face before his hand rose to rub the back of his neck. She turned to Barbara, “So what happened to the son and the farm after that?”
“Jack Larkspur. That was the son. Of course he inherited the farm but he wanted no part of it. Instead, he moved in with his aunt. Back then, we didn’t know so much about mental illness. The murder and Jack's suicide...it was not only a tragedy, it was a scandal. The aunt and her family moved away...down to the States. The house sat empty for a long, long time.”
Paige’s eye’s eyes narrowed. “But, the ghost we encountered was a girl. At least that’s what Julian sensed. Avril said she saw her. There’s also a music box...”
Barbara picked up the mug of tea and took a long, loud sip. “Ah yes. Cora Slipp. Or as the kids at school used to call her, Cora Slut. She was my student in grades seven and eight. They didn’t think I knew, but of course I did.” She sighed. “Poor Cora.”
“Wait a minute. What happened to the house. Who bought it?” Amanda interrupted, straining forward.
Barbara’s head jerked back. “Yes. Of course. You must think I’m doddering to leave that part out.”
Matt guffawed. “Yeah right. No one could ever accuse you of that, Aunt Barbara.”
She tapped her nephew’s knee and grinned. “Keep that up and you’ll have a house full of cats in no time. Actually I think Whiskers is quite fond of you already.” She cleared her throat and looked across at Amanda. “It was 1966 when the house finally sold to the Slipp family. As I said they were there for two years before Cora’s break-down.”
“Her breakdown? How did she die? She did, didn’t she?” Paige could tell from the tone of Barbara’s voice when she said ‘breakdown’ that it had ended tragically for Cora. Not that she had any great sympathy for the girl ghost who had knocked Julian out and scared the life out of all of them!
Barbara was silent for a few moments holding her mug of tea and looking down at her lap. “It was horrible what happened to that girl and her family. She was the younger child, she had a brother Sean who was a few years older. Her mother and father were terribly religious and very strict with her. Even the way she dressed, always a skirt that hung below her knees in an era when hemlines were rising. There was a model in England - Twiggy— she made the mini skirt all the rage. But poor Cora was boy crazy. She’d hike her skirt, rolling the waistband, sashaying around and chasing the older boys.”
“A girl after my own heart.” Matt started to laugh but stopped short at the scowl Barbara shot him. “Sorry.”
She sniffed holding her nose high and then continued. “One boy...Greg Armitage liked her. He started hanging around her and bringing her little presents. Flowers, candy—”
“A music box?” Paige’s eyes were wide as saucers. She pictured the young girl in the green dress dancing to its tune.
Barbara’s forehead furrowed even deeper and her head tilted to the side. “Why yes. Now that you mention it, I seem to recall a music box...it was beautiful...it had inlaid wood.” She took a deep breath and looked over at Paige. “Greg’s parents were well off. His father had a restaurant and tavern in the city. Of course, something like that would have completely incensed Roy Slipp and his wife. They were church-goers—all day Sunday and twice during the week. They had real problems with the evil of alcohol.”
The old lady took a deep breath and shook her head. “The school year was beginning to wind down, it was early June. Greg was in the eighth grade and Cora was in the seventh. He wanted her to come to his graduation dance at the end of the school year.” Her eyes became teary. “Her parents must have found out or something. She was cruelly beaten by them.”
“What?” Amanda and Paige asked. “What happened?”
Barbara hung her head. “Things were different in those days.” Her head still down, she said, “I was doing all I could, but it wasn’t enough.” She lifted her head again. “Cora died the week before the dance. It was the next day we heard about the deaths. Again, all of them killed. Cora did it. Stabbed them with a carving knife. Then she killed herself in the barn.”
“Oh my God.” Amanda’s words were little more than a breath of air. She sat back and closed her eyes for a moment.
Paige rubbed her hand on her sister’s arm. “It’s okay, Amanda. At least now we know what we’re dealing with.”
“Do yo
u? Do you really know?” Barbara set the mug on the table and got up. She strode over to the counter and pulled a worn, red scrapbook from a shelf behind it. She handed the book to Paige. “I suggest you read this. There’s more at work here than just mental illness and a haunting.”
Paige opened the book and leafed through a few pages. It was filled with old newspaper clippings and photocopied articles. Most were headlined with historical events—the Second World War, the assassination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. She peered at Barbara, her eyes narrow with question marks. “What does this mean?”
“Kennedy was murdered the same night that Cora’s family died.”
“You’re saying there’s a connection?”
“I’m saying that the horrible things that happened on Larkspur Lane took place just before horrible things happened in the world.”
“Like a blasting cap, Aunt Barbara?” Matt said.
The three woman turned to Matt with confusion in their eyes.
“Look, if you want to blow up a stick of dynamite, you don’t just light a fuse and boom. The fuse ignites the blasting cap, and then you get the ka-boom. A smaller bang makes the big bang possible.” He held out his hands. “Like priming a pump?”
“Oh,” said Barbara. “I can understand priming a pump.” She turned to Amanda. “Are you sure you want to live in that house? After all you’ve heard?”
Paige turned and looked at her sister. This was Amanda’s call ultimately. She saw the look of defiance burn in Amanda’s narrow eyes and she smiled. Yeah. Paige wasn’t the only one with a fierce temper once it was riled.
“It’s our house now.” Amanda’s chin rose and she sat straighter.
The old lady’s gaze became sharper still, never leaving Amanda’s. “You will need the gifts of your son and your sister. If not for them, I would advise you to move back to Toronto.”
Paige’s lips fell open watching Barbara. The only way she could have known that Julian and she were ‘gifted’ was if the old lady shared the same sixth sense. The fact that she acknowledged the gift, and actually felt it was the only way of dealing with the supernatural entities in the Larkspur homestead was oddly comforting.
Barbara looked over at her nephew and nodded slowly before turning to Paige. “We will work at cleansing the house and barn of spiritual entities, but first things first...we need to figure out a way to protect you and your family.”
‘Protection.’ The old fortune teller’s warning and a flash of the tower, with the lightning bolt and the person falling appeared in Paige’s mind and she shuddered.
Julian wandered over from the children’s section and stood next to her, placing his hand on her knee as he stared at the old lady. “Help us...please.”
Chapter 24
When Barbara leaned forward, resting her hand on Julian’s shoulder, the small silver cross tucked inside her blouse slipped out, glinting in the library’s low lighting. “I will help you. I promise.”
Paige took a deep breath and felt the knot of muscle in the back of her neck let go. The cross and the kind wisdom of Matt’s aunt was reassuring. “We bought sage, crystals and a ton of salt today. Is there anything else you think we need to do tonight?”
Matt got up and picked the mug from the table, his eyes darting from Paige to Barbara. “Surely you’re not going to go out there tonight and start all this? Stay the night in a hotel and tackle this in the morning. I’d say you probably need a good night’s sleep anyway.”
He took a few steps, on his way to the staff room but stopped abruptly, peering at his aunt. “Is it enough, do you think? If all of this is true and the place is haunted, we’ll need more than salt and herbs to fix this...just saying.”
A slow smile twitched at the corners of Paige’s lips. Matt had definitely included himself in the group. This was even more reassuring or maybe it was misery loving company. She wasn’t sure which. She grinned at him. “Don’t forget the crystals, we got those too, you know.”
He threw a quick glare her way and then shook his head continuing on to the staff room.
“He’s right, I’m afraid. We do need more. But we need to start this tonight. On that score he’s wrong.” Barbara stood up and smiled seeing Avril skip over from the library’s play area. “Hi honey.”
“So you’re coming out to the house with us?” Amanda stood and swung Avril up into her arms. She turned to Paige, “Poor Barney. He’s probably bursting. I’d better go out and let him out of the jeep.” She smiled at Barbara, and extended her hand. “Thank you so much! Of course, you’ll have dinner with us.”
Barbara’s hands closed over Amanda’s. “A piece of toast and a cup of tea is all I need.” She winked at Avril. “Although that thumb looks pretty good too.”
Immediately Avril’s hand dropped from her lips and she turned her face into Amanda’s neck shyly.
When Amanda smiled and walked across the room and out the door, Barbara brushed her hand over Julian’s head. “You’re a brave little boy, aren’t you?”
He reached for Paige’s hand and then nodded at the old woman. She squeezed his hand gently, feeling her chest fill with love for the little boy. He shouldn’t have to go through this...and he’d been the one knocked unconscious.
When the door to the staff room opened and Matt appeared, Paige smiled at the confused look in his eyes. “You’re invited for supper. We’re all going out to the house. Larkspur.” She looked down at Julian. “That’s the name of a flower, did you know that?”
“What? We’re doing this tonight?” Matt shook his head and frowned at Barbara.
“Enough, young man. You can at least remember your manners and thank the young lady for her offer of dinner.” She clucked her lips and then strode over to the counter. “I need to stop at my house to pick up some things and make sure the cats are fed.” Plucking her wool sweater from the back of the chair, she murmured. “God only knows how long I’ll be out there.”
She strode over with a firm step that belied her many years. “I’ll drive with you, Matt.” She placed her hand on Paige’s arm. “We’ll see you out there. My Lord. It’s been years since I was out that way.”
Paige walked Julian over to the door ahead of Matt and his aunt. When she stepped outside, Amanda was just getting Barney settled in the back of the jeep. The sun was low in the sky and nightfall would be on them in an hour or so. She wondered if perhaps Matt might not have been right in delaying this until the next day.
***
When they drove up to the limestone home, Paige noticed Amanda peering up at the windows before turning the key and shutting the car’s engine off. The setting sun smeared a palette of pink and orange on the glass and stone walls. The door was shut tight and the stained glass panels bordering it glinted, catching the light and gleaming blood red.
Paige’s neck muscles bunched tight when she examined the windows and door. It was a feeling rather than anything concrete that made her heart beat faster. She blew out a fast sigh. “Everything looks the same. But we’ll have to see inside. After what happened to my room last night, I’m expecting the worst.” She opened the car door and then got Avril out of her car seat and set her on the ground.
“Should we wait for Barbara and Matt before going inside?” Amanda’s eyes were round orbs looking at the house, and holding Julian’s hand.
Paige shook her head, opening the hatch to let Barney out. “We’ve got the supplies. Let’s get started.” She reached for the bags containing the salt, crystals and sage, just as Amanda’s cell phone rang.
When she glanced over at her sister, Amanda mouthed the word “Josh” and turned to wander to the edge of the driveway, speaking on the phone all the while.
Paige forced a smile looking at the two kids. It was odd that despite the wide eyed nervous look in Avril’s eyes, her thumb was not in her mouth. That was progress. “Let’s go, guys. Hang onto Barney’s collar Julian and you guys stay behind me, okay?” She strode up the two stairs and across the veranda.
The kids and dog were right on her heels, creeping across the dining room and into the kitchen. Again, the line of salt was a fraction of what it had been in the morning—as if it had been attacked.
“Aunt Paige?” Julian whispered.
She set the supplies on the island counter and then squatted down, looking into his eyes. “I know. I feel it too. Cora. She’s very angry. Is that it?” It was like ants skittering up her spine. For the first time the kitchen actually felt cold.
Even Barney felt it, from the way his fur bristled. The kitchen had always been kind of a safe haven but now...not so much.
Damn. Where were Amanda and Barbara when she needed them?
She took a deep breath and stood up. She popped the spout of the box of salt and handed it to Julian. “You take this and pour a new line across the doorway. I’m going to light the sage bundle.” She fished in the bag for the lighter and bundle of dried sage and set them on the counter. Turning to Avril, she lifted her onto the chair. “You stay put, okay?”
The little girl’s eyes were wide and tears began to form in them. The thumb plopped into her mouth and she began to suck it with renewed vigor. Paige sighed and picked up her items, and then plucked a large bowl from the kitchen cabinet. She struck the tab on the lighter, setting the bundle of dried herbs alight.
The smell was acrid, and wispy trails of smoke drifted up from the burning embers. She held it over the bowl to catch any stray ashes, and followed Julian to the doorway. “Okay Julian? You’ll be fine.” Her stomach roiled and her hand shook slightly as she waved the burning bundle. She just wished she felt fine and that this would work.
The Haunting Of Larkspur Farm (Ghosts and Haunted Houses): A Haunting In Kingston (The Hauntings of Kingston Book 4) Page 11