Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1)

by Nellie H. Steele

  “That’s so cool!” Damien said and actually meant it.

  “Come on, let’s go through it!” Max said, thumbing on his flashlight.

  They all crowded into the small passage. Max closed the panel behind them so “no one could follow them.” They followed Max as he snaked around the passage hidden behind the walls, pointing out where they were in the house a few times.

  “So, Max,” Michael said, as they wound around the passage, “do you remember Aunt Celine much?”

  “No, I’ve never even met her. She lived here a long time ago before I was born when my mom was little.”

  “She lived here when your mom was little?”

  “Yeah, my mom said she remembers her, but she was only about Maddy’s age or younger when Aunt Celine lived here before.” Michael and Damien glanced at each other. The facts weren’t adding up, unless the child was wrong about what he was saying. “I can’t wait to meet her, though.”

  “Oh, why’s that?” Damien asked.

  “Because Uncle Gray said she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. I bet she’s really pretty.”

  “Yes, she’s really, really pretty, I bet,” Maddy parroted.

  They reached the end of the passage, Max fiddled with something and opened a doorway into another room of the house. This one was not being used, it was dark with furniture covered in dust sheets and random items placed around in storage.

  “I bet,” he said, “if there is a painting thief, they’d hide somewhere here. Hey, maybe the painting’s even hidden here! Come on, let’s spread out and search for it!”

  “Okay, buddy, we’ll check over in this corner!” Michael answered, drawing Damien to the opposite side of the room. Once they were away from the children, he said in a hushed voice, “Okay, so new theory, crazy motel guy thinks Josie is the reincarnation of Celine.”

  “Seriously?” Damien asked.

  “Yeah, seriously. Did you hear what the kid said? Aunt Celine lived here when my mom was little. Now, he’s like what, nine or ten? His mom looks like she’s somewhere in her thirties, around my age, give or take a year. Say she was ten when Aunt Celine was here, that’s twenty-five years ago. Josie would have been a baby, it doesn’t fit.”

  “Do you really believe a kid who thinks a kindly spirit lives inside a painting here? Perhaps he just got his timelines confused.”

  “He can’t be that confused. He’s never met her and like I said, he’s around ten? Even if Celine was here until he was three or four, before he can remember, Josie would have been too young to be Gray’s wife and living here.”

  Damien considered it. “Yeah, no matter which way you work this, Celine and Josie can’t be the same people. So, what’s she doing here?”

  “Hey, are you guys looking over there?” Max yelled over.

  “Yep,” Michael called back, waving his flashlight around, “nothing but cobwebs here!”

  “I mean, is she just playing along? Is this guy crazy, and she feels bad for him? Is he threatening her? Are they controlling her mind somehow?” Damien continued to muse aloud.

  “I don’t know, but we’ve got to talk to her, convince her to at least give us some clue as to what is going on.”

  “Yeah, perhaps we can convince the kids to take us outside and see if we can find her.”

  “Good plan. Let’s head back over,” Michael said, starting toward the two children. “We didn’t find anything, how about you guys?”

  “Nope.” Max scuffed his foot against the floor. “I really wanted to find it. I’d be a big hero, I bet! They’d probably even let me eat ice cream for dinner!”

  “Maybe it’s not in the house, I bet your family already looked everywhere in here for it. Can we try somewhere else on the estate?”

  “Hey, maybe you’re right!” Max looked off into space, thinking. “Let’s see, there’s Uncle Alexander’s house, the caretaker’s cottage, the garage, the stables, and a few sheds. Where should we start first?”

  “I bet you Aunt Celine is already out looking. She left early this morning from breakfast, probably to start searching, maybe we should head out and track her down and find out where she’s checked and then we can narrow it down,” Michael said.

  “Hmm, okay! We can finish looking around the house tomorrow, it’s going to rain, anyway. Do you know where she started her search?”

  “No, we’ll need to rely on you two to find her,” Damien said.

  “Oh, I bet she went to visit Uncle Alexander first thing this morning,” Maddy said. “Uncle Alexander told me they were really good friends. Let’s go there.”

  The children led them out of the room and down a series of dark hallways until they reached a part of the house that was lit and lived in. Michael and Damien still had no clue where they were until they got to the main gallery hall that circled the foyer below. The kids bounded down the steps toward the front door. “We better keep the flashlights with us!” Max said as he pulled the door open.

  The bright sun was peeking in and out of fluffy white clouds, forcing them to shield their eyes when it was uncovered. “Uncle Alexander lives this way, down this path. He built himself a house that looked like the one the Buckleys had over in England. Come on!” Max yelled.

  Max and Maddy raced down the path with Michael and Damien rushing to keep up with them. The path contained a few twists and turns. The children seemed to have no trouble navigating, turning off when necessary to another path. After weaving through several paths, a large white house appeared in the distance. It didn’t appear to be as large as the main house or as grand but was still impressive.

  They pushed on toward the house, the children reaching it first. They used the large brass doorknocker to knock at the door. The door opened as Michael and Damien caught up to them. It was Henry, the caretaker they had met last night. “Help you? Oh, Mr. Max and Ms. Maddy, how are you?”

  “Hi, Henry,” Max said. “We’re here to find out if Uncle Alexander has seen Aunt Celine.”

  “Oh, yeah, he’s seen her, she’s here, but, uh, they can’t talk. They’re real busy.”

  “Are they looking for the painting?”

  “Painting? Oh, you mean Mina’s painting? No, they’re just talking. But they can’t be disturbed.”

  “Oh, we’ll just wait for her here,” Max said, pushing his way into the house with Maddy. Michael and Damien pushed through with them.

  “Oh, well, I’ll tell them you were here but they might be a long time, so it’s best that you be on your way.”

  “We’re not in any hurry, we’ll wait,” Max said.

  Henry became impatient. “Now, I just told you that you can’t wait here. Now you get going,” he snapped.

  “Listen, Henry, this is our fault,” Michael interjected, “We were looking for Jos, eh, Celine, and we asked the kids to help us. It’s important that we find her.”

  “Yeah, really important,” Maddy said.

  “Like I said, I’ll tell her you were here, but it’s best you’re all on your way.”

  “We’d prefer to wait for her. Perhaps you could let her know we’re here?” Michael said.

  “Now I told you they’re busy and can’t be disturbed! What part of that don’t you understand?!”

  Michael was ready to respond when a new voice entered the conversation. “That’s rather rude, isn’t it, Henry? These people are guests on the estate.” Both Michael and Damien spotted a man coming down the stairs from the second story. Josie was with him.

  “Well, Mr. Buckley, you were talking to Mrs. Buckley, and you said it was important, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “It’s fine, Henry, I’ll handle it from here,” he said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. “I’m Alexander Buckley, it’s a pleasure to meet you, and you’re both friends of Celine?” Alexander shook both of their hands.

  “Hi, Uncle Alexander,” Max said. “Wow! You must be Aunt Celine, you’re as pretty as Uncle Gray said!”

  “Yeah, you’re so pretty,” Maddy i
nterjected.

  Josie smiled at the two children. “Yes, I am Aunt Celine and thank you!”

  “Were you looking for the painting, too, Aunt Celine?”

  “Um, in a way, yes. In fact, I’m leaving right now to keep working on it.”

  “We’ll check at the stables and the sheds if you take the other spots, Aunt Celine!” Max said before she could leave.

  “Okay, sounds good, thanks,” Josie said, trying to make a quick exit.

  “Jos, Celine,” Damien said, shaking his head, “we need to talk.”

  “We’ll talk later,” Josie said, heading out the door.

  “Umm, a pleasure to meet you Alexander, but we need to talk to Josie, eh, Celine. Sorry to rush off,” Michael said, already heading out the door. Damien followed behind him. They rushed to catch up to Josie on the path.

  “Josie!” Damien called behind her. “JOSIE!” They caught up to her and Damien grabbed her elbow. “Josie, please, wait.”

  “D, sorry, this isn’t the best time. I’m busy trying to get things figured out so we can get back to normal. Now, please, let me go. Go back to the house. Read a book or something and go home on Monday.”

  “No, Josie!” Damien said, “I will not accept that. No way!” Damien’s insistence surprised Michael.

  “D, please, I can’t explain it now, I can’t but I definitely want you and Michael to go. I’m pleading with you to leave.”

  “Why, Josie? This is beyond bizarre and I’m not leaving without you. I want you to come home with us.”

  “I can’t come home yet, D, I can’t.”

  “Why? Please, Josie.”

  “There is nothing to worry about. But I can’t come home.” She turned to leave.

  “Josie, come on,” he said, grabbing her arm again. “You can’t expect us to go home and leave you here. Do you realize how bizarre this looks to ANYONE on the outside of it?”

  She pondered for a moment. “I realize how bizarre it is, yes. It’s as bizarre as it was to me when Gray first approached me but it makes sense, it does, but I can’t explain it. Now, please…”

  “No, Josie,” Damien continued, “no. I’m beyond worried about you. I’m exceptionally concerned. This bizarre story about you being someone named Celine who that kid told us lived here when his mother was a kid, these people bringing you here, you going along with it, have they brainwashed you? Are they threatening you or someone in our family?”

  “No and no. I’m not brainwashed. They are not threatening me. I am here of my own free will, believe it or not. And I have other things to do. Now, please,” Josie said, pulling away from Damien’s grip and heading off down the path.

  Damien opened his mouth to call after her but gave up, surmising it would be useless. Michael clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, we’re right back where we started, still no information, but a terrible feeling that something is wrong.”

  “Something is wrong,” Damien said, turning toward him. “And if Josie won’t tell us, then I’ll confront the guy who brought her here. One way or another we’re getting some answers. Come on!”

  The new fire in Damien’s belly impressed Michael, and he followed him down the path back toward Alexander’s house. Alexander exited the house with the two children. “I was just about to return them to the house. Were you able to catch up to Celine?”

  “Yes. She was in a hurry, like she said, so we didn’t talk much. We were just coming back to get the kids and have them continue our tour,” Damien said.

  “Oh, wonderful, then I leave you in good hands, Max and Maddy. A pleasure to meet you both, I hope we can see each other again before you depart.”

  “Nice meeting you,” Damien said, then turned to the children, “ready?” Alexander disappeared back into the house.

  “Yeah!” Max said. “Did Aunt Celine tell you where to check next?”

  “Well, in a way,” Damien answered. “She told us to find Uncle Gray and talk to him about it.”

  “Oh,” Max said, looking dejected.

  “What?” Damien asked.

  “She just doesn’t want us to find it, that’s all. Or she would have told us where to check, not sent us to Uncle Gray.”

  “Well,” Damien said, “I think she’s kind of sending us on a scavenger hunt. She doesn’t want it to be too easy!”

  “Scavenger hunts are fun!” Maddy said.

  “Hmm, maybe. Okay, let’s go back to the house, I bet Uncle Gray is there.”

  “Okay, you lead the way,” Damien said.

  “Smooth,” Michael said as they followed the kids down the path back toward the house.

  The children had them back at the main house in about ten minutes. They rushed through the front door yelling for Grayson. “Hey, what are you children yelling about?” a woman wearing an apron said to them as she passed through the hall.

  “We’re looking for Uncle Gray,” Max said.

  “Yeah, Aunt Celine said we need to find him right away!” Maddy added.

  “Oh, she did, did she? Well, I think he’s in the study. Hey, no running!” she shouted after them as they ran down the hall with Michael and Damien following them.

  They raced half way down the hall and burst through the door. Max shouted, “Uncle Gray! There you are!”

  Seated at a desk across the room, Gray’s attention was drawn from his book. “Max, Maddy, what’s going on?”

  “Aunt Celine said we needed to find you,” Max said, as Michael and Damien came into the room.

  “She did? Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Michael said, “Max, Maddy, Aunt Celine said once we found Uncle Gray to tell you to check in the scariest part of the house for the painting. She said you’d know what that meant.”

  “I know exactly where she means, yeah!” Max exclaimed. “Come on, Maddy!”

  “Okay!” Maddy answered, and the two disappeared from the room.

  “Mind explaining to me what that was about?” Gray asked.

  “Sorry, necessary distraction,” Michael said.

  “We need to talk to you,” Damien added. “We need answers and I’m rather sure you have them. So you’re going to answer some questions. First why did you bring Josie here? And why are you calling her Celine? How did you get her to come with you and buy into whatever crap you’re feeding her?”

  “Why not ask her yourself?” Gray retorted.

  “I’m asking you,” Damien persisted.

  “You know what I think? I think you’ve asked your Josie, and she’s not talking.” Gray said, standing from the desk, crossing his arms with a smug smile.

  Damien faltered, not sure what to respond with. “That’s probably because you brainwashed her somehow.”

  Gray chuckled. “I didn’t brainwash her. No, I didn’t do anything to her. The fact is she made a choice, and it didn’t involve you.”

  Gray was slowly but surely backing down the more timid Damien, but Michael wasn’t about to let it happen without a fight. He approached Gray, getting into his personal space, meeting his eyes. “She might have made a choice, a stupid one, but the next one she makes won’t involve you, you can take that to the bank.”

  Gray smiled again, turning away from Michael. “We’ll see.”

  “You smug, arrogant son-of-a-…” Michael started.

  “What’s going on here?” Millie asked, walking through the door.

  Michael backed off a bit. “I need to speak with Gray, would you two please excuse us?” she asked, noticing the tension in the room.

  “This isn’t over,” Michael warned before leaving the room with Damien.

  Michael sighed once outside the room after Millie had closed the door on them. “Well, that didn’t go as well as I hoped,” Damien admitted.

  “I didn’t expect he’d give up much information, but I hoped his arrogance might have tipped his hand.”

  “I’m betting the shady doctor won’t give us anything either, no sense in waiting for her.”

  “Nope, they’re thick a
s thieves, those two,” Michael answered, shaking his head. “Our best bet is to keep appealing to Josie. We have to find a way to get through to her.”

  “Yeah, I hope we can do it. Perhaps we should take our own tour of the house and see if we can find anything interesting or helpful.”

  “Okay, sounds like a plan,” Michael said, setting off further down the hall. “We should also try to keep an eye on Gray, following him we’re almost bound to find something.”

  “Good idea, we’ll stick close so we don’t miss him leaving.”

  Josie sat on the swing under the gazebo, facing the ocean as the sun lowered behind her in the sky. The swing glided as if in a slow waltz under her as she gazed at the sky, painted like a rainbow by the setting sun. Gray approached from behind her. “I thought I’d find you here.”

  “I’d forgotten how beautiful it is here,” she answered, without taking her eyes off the horizon.

  Gray sat down on the swing next to her. She gazed at him. How many times had they sat in this exact spot together? How many problems had they solved here? She felt like this problem was insurmountable; it had no good solution. No matter what option she chose, she would disappoint someone. She looked into his crystal-clear blue eyes. She couldn’t be what he wanted; she couldn’t do what he wanted. “Gray,” she began.

  “Don’t, Celine. Don’t say anything.”

  “But, Gray, I…” she started again.

  He put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. “No. We don’t need to discuss this now.”

  Josie squeezed her lips together. Her first day back had been easier than she had expected. It wasn’t a trend she expected to continue. If the Duke was here and the portrait of Mina had gone missing the situation was likely about to explode. She realized the normalcy that she experienced through this day was because of Gray. He had been careful not to overwhelm her with the troubles he had relayed to her before she came back. She glanced up to him; leaving him would not be easy when eventually she needed to return to her life.

  She pushed the thoughts from her mind; she couldn’t dwell on that now. “We must make sure Michael and Damien are on the first train home on Monday.”