“How can you tell?” Carey asked, completely confused, her untrained eye missing what the others could clearly see.
“Little things,” Delia said. “For starters, the house is bigger, the front porch is different, and there isn’t a widow’s walk. See?” She pointed to the plans. “Though I could understand skipping that. I doubt Anna would have been pacing the walk waiting for the captain’s return. If I had to guess, I’d bet the real designer was Benjamin Willis. He was a shipbuilder and had connections to the family. The design’s similar to other houses he built. My only guess is that he was fired during construction and a new designer was brought in.”
“Fascinating,” Freddie said. “We need to get started before we lose the light. We should get some shots of the garden, since the sheriff thought the bodies were buried there.”
“They weren’t,” Carey said. “Why don’t we retrace what happened? The staff arrived on the morning of October 31, 1916. They wouldn’t have entered through the front door. They went this way,” she said. Kyle lifted his camera and started filming her. The others followed as she led the group around to the side of the house.
“Ned Brown and Terrance Landry, the only men on the staff, headed along here. Terrance went straight to the barn.”
“It was torn down before I was born,” Delia said. “From what I understand, it was ready to collapse.”
“Ned went to the woodshed to collect the tools he would need for the day,” Carey continued as they passed the rickety shed. “It was locked as always. When Ned unlocked the shed, he noticed his axe was missing.
“The other members of the staff were all maids. Miranda Wilkins, Sara Hawk, Raquel Summers, Freda Martin, and Stacy Connors continued towards the back of the house. They passed by a doorway that led to the kitchen.”
Suddenly, the side door opened and then slammed shut. The group stood paralyzed, staring at the door.
“What the hell was that?” Rishi asked.
“Did you get it?” Freddie asked eagerly.
“Yes, I got it,” Kyle responded, his body trembling.
“Well, that was fun,” Carey finally said after a long silence. “Moving along,” she said, urging the group to continue, “the women went to the back of the house, passing the garden.” They looked over the barren area. “Wow,” she whispered.
“What?” Delia asked.
“You can see the graveyard from here,” she noted. “On the morning that Horatio Stratton was buried, his son stood here while they dug up the garden. He would have seen his father’s funeral. So much pain,” she said. They turned towards the house. “The women used the servants’ entrance.”
“Down here.” Delia guided them towards a doorway. She unlocked the door and allowed the group to shuffle past her, down a staircase and into a small room. “This was the mudroom. The staff would hang their coats on these pegs and leave their personal belongings down here.”
“Beautiful woodwork,” Freddie noted as they looked around.
“This way.” Delia led the entourage through another doorway and into the large basement. Rishi and Carey studied the hard cement floor, looking for some sign it had been disturbed.
“Might be a good place,” Carey said. They followed Delia up a small staircase, where she unlocked another door, and they proceeded into the main house.
“That was the captain’s study.” She nodded towards it as the others gaped at the magnificent workmanship.
“Down here.” She led them past the study, through a hallway that opened up into the main room and foyer.
“The dining room is over there, and that hall leads to the kitchen.”
Carey began narrating. “The staff said they entered here and found Captain Stratton sitting by the fire right over there, smoking his pipe, looking completely calm. Then Miranda left the others, who went about their duties. No one knew anything was amiss until they heard Miranda screaming. The entire staff, even the men who had been outside, rushed into the kitchen. All the witnesses claimed that the room was covered in blood. Miranda made a statement to the effect that it looked like the walls were bleeding. The captain never joined them or reacted. Most of the staff, with the exception of Ned and Stacy, fled. So, who wants to see the kitchen?”
“I’d rather not.” Kyle gulped.
“You have to,” Freddie said.
“Um, before I take you in there, is anyone here gay?” Delia asked.
“I beg your pardon?” Freddie asked.
“Hold on,” Kyle cut in. “She’s asking for a reason. Whatever that thing is, it was really focused on Shawn and Faith.”
“Most of the more violent events have happened in the kitchen, and if you’re gay, it will attack you,” Delia said. “So, again, if anyone here is gay, I suggest you stay behind.”
“Anyone?” Carey asked. “No? Okay then, let’s see the scene of the crime.”
Everyone was tense as they stepped into the infamous kitchen. Delia looked around nervously.
“An eighty-year-old crime scene,” Rishi noted as he set his kit down. “Lots of dust. Why didn’t they fix the woodwork?” He examined the multitude of cuts in the cabinets and flooring.
“Bastard was probably proud,” Delia said. “Dr. Kapoor, do you think you’ll be able to find anything?”
“A lot of years of dust and cleanings, hard to say.” Rishi began measuring the deep marks.
“Film him for a bit,” Freddie instructed. “Delia, why don’t you show us the rest of the house? We can come back to film more of Doctor Kapoor after we get the whole tour.”
“What else did the police report say?” Delia asked Carey.
“Nothing much,” Carey said. “The sheriff was denied access to the house for weeks. When he finally got a warrant, there was nothing to see except marks made by a sharp object. Most of the staff quit on the spot, and Anna and Catherine Stratton were never seen or heard from again. The day after their disappearance, Captain Stratton burned or sold their belongings, including the furniture from the bedrooms. The only other reports were of strange happenings.”
Rishi went about his work; the others watched him briefly before heading off to see the rest of the house. Delia explained each room as they ventured farther, wandering about, until they were in Catherine’s room.
“No dust,” Carey noted. “Just like Anna’s bedroom.”
“I know.” Delia checked her watch. “I think this is the longest I’ve ever spent in this house. Normally, by now, something totally freaky would happen.”
“What do you consider freaky?” Carey asked. “Doors slamming all by themselves and two rooms that have sat empty for over eighty years with not one sign of time passing don’t qualify?”
“Not in this house.” Delia shivered.
“Carey!” Rishi screamed from below.
“What the hell?” she whispered as Rishi screamed her name over and over again, until he burst into the room. “Rishi?”
“Now that’s more like it.” Delia snickered.
“What happened?” she asked Rishi, who was pale and trembling.
“Kitchen.” Rishi wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. “I was on the floor, trying to see if I could get a sample, when I heard a voice. I thought it was one of you. When I looked up, there she was. Her body didn’t go all the way down.”
“A woman, that’s good,” Delia said.
“Good?” Rishi asked in a hysterical tone. “She was misty, and her body didn’t go all the way to the floor. How is that a good thing?”
“Trust me, it could have been Horatio Stratton,” Delia said. “He isn’t very nice. What did she say? Where is my son, or get out?”
“Neither,” Rishi said.
“Hold on.” Carey opened the file she had been toting around. She pulled out the copy of the picture of Anna and Catherine she had made from the family photo. “Was it one of these women?”
“Oh, this is great.” Freddie nudged Kyle closer so he could film the encounter.
“Her.” Ri
shi pointed to one of the women in the old photograph.
“Catherine,” Delia said. “What did she say?”
“‘He’s afraid of you.’” Rishi quivered.
“That’s a new one,” Delia said thoughtfully.
“How can you be so cavalier about this?”
“Years of practice,” Delia said. “The first time I came here, doors opened and closed, voices told me to get out, and I saw the captain, who said I was worthless, just like my grandfather. I was fifteen and I peed my pants. If, for some reason, that sick bastard is afraid of you, then I’m happy you’re here.”
“I think we need more film of the kitchen,” Freddie whispered.
“What?” Rishi asked with a hard swallow.
“We’ll go together,” Carey said, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. “I’ve never seen you like this, not even when we found that severed body in a dumpster.”
“Seeing dead people doesn’t bother me.” He trembled as they made their way back down the main staircase. “Having them speak to me is completely different. Oh, my God,” he yelled.
“What?” Carey asked as they entered the foyer.
“My kit.” He pointed to the large metal case that was sitting by the open front door. “I left it in the kitchen.”
“Are you sure?” Freddie asked in a nervous tone of voice.
“Yes! Look, I’m very careful about my equipment. I bolted out of the kitchen as soon as I saw whatever it was that I saw. I was working, my kit was open, and I left it there because I was scared. I saw her, started screaming, and ran out of there looking for Carey. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“If you don’t, then he wins,” Carey whispered softly, guiding him towards his kit. “I want to run, too, but we can’t. No matter the reasons why we’re here, I can’t let a murderer just walk. But if you leave, I’ll understand.”
“No.” Rishi gulped. “I can do it,” he said with conviction.
* * *
“Nice digs.” Rishi approached Carey, who was lounging on the balcony of the inexpensive motel they were staying at.
“No kidding, huh?” Carey laughed. “I thought show business would be more glamorous. How did it go at the crime lab? I can’t believe that the St. James family was so eager to offer up their DNA.”
“They’re nice people,” Rishi said. “I have to admit, visiting their house was a lot easier than spending time at the ancestral home. That place was beyond creepy.”
“How many samples of DNA are you processing?” Carey asked, curious to see if her friend had included his own sample. “There was the mother, Delia, Andrew, and, of course, the stuff you found at the manor.”
“And mine,” he said. “I have to know. As for the small specks I found at Whispering Pines, after all this time, I doubt there will be any readable DNA. The gashes in the wood are consistent with an axe, no doubt about it.”
“And the axe has been missing for over eighty years.” Carey sighed.
“Why would he do that?” Rishi asked. “I mean, I had heard he was a son of a bitch, but why hack up his wife and sister?”
“From what I’ve heard, they were romantically involved,” Carey said.
“No kidding. That might set a man off, especially one who was already unbalanced. How did you know about that?”
“Dr. Williams’s book,” Carey said. “I read parts of it last week. According to her and Faith, the women were lovers and Horatio found out and killed them.”
“We’d be in a better position if we could find the bodies,” Rishi said. “Match the gashes to the wounds on the bodies. The basement, maybe? Or he could have just dumped them at sea.”
“He wasn’t sailing that much by that time,” Carey said. “I checked. He was getting on in years and had been reduced to short cargo trips years before that. Most of his so-called trips had been a ruse for him to sneak off and spend time in Rhode Island, drinking and patronizing prostitutes. I’m surprised though. I mean, in modern terms, he really wasn’t that old.”
“Then again,” Rishi said, “he probably began his life at sea at a very young age. Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for boys as young as six or seven to be signed on as members of a crew.”
“Okay. So, he was sailing as a child, and by the time he hit puberty, he picked up all of the bad habits, drinking, cavorting, and being a general jackass. When he was getting up in age, he decided he needed an heir and married a teenager. I so don’t like this guy.”
“Me neither, but I’m biased,” Rishi said with a rakish grin.
“When I was going through the old police records, there had to be at least a dozen reports that he beat his wife, and no one ever did anything about it,” Carey said bitterly.
“Different times,” Rishi said.
“Bullshit,” Carey sneered. “It all comes down to the fact that he owned half the town.”
“What happened today?” Rishi asked in a hushed voice. “I’ve never seen or experienced anything like it before.”
“I went through the same thing in Salem,” Carey said in an effort to comfort him. “I thought I was losing my mind, and I didn’t see or experience half of what happened today.”
“I have to be honest. I thought the whole haunting stories were a load of crap,” Rishi said. “That woman, I mean she was there, but she wasn’t. What do you think she meant, he’s afraid of me?”
“Could be because of your skills as a scientist, or perhaps he knows that you’re one of his descendants. This is going to be a very strange experience. Speaking of which, I think there’s something you should know. Faith Charles is my sister.”
Chapter 50
New York City
2005
“What?” Shawn asked in an amused tone as she brewed a pot of coffee, very aware of the impish child watching her every move. “You know I want to talk to you.”
“Don’t want to go,” Willie sheepishly said. “I want to stay with you.”
“Okay.” Shawn knew it was futile to try to convince Willie to cross over. He was happy where he was. “Was there something you wanted to ask me?”
“Faith will stay?” Willie asked quietly.
“Yes, Faith is staying.” Shawn smiled, feeling truly happy for the first time in years.
“Good.” Willie giggled. “Do you think she will play checkers with me?”
“Maybe someday.”
“Someday?” Faith padded her way into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Shawn’s body.
“Willie wants to know if you’ll play checkers with him,” Shawn said.
Faith nuzzled her neck. “You do know that’s weird, don’t you?” she muttered, snuggling closer to Shawn.
“Depends on your point of view,” Shawn murmured, enjoying the feel of Faith’s hands caressing her body. She yawned loudly, surprising them both. “I hate jet lag.”
“Hmm,” Faith moaned softly. “Why don’t we take our coffee in the bedroom and try to catch up with the time change?”
“Is that all you have in mind?” Shawn asked playfully.
“No,” Faith said slyly. “We don’t have that much time together before Halloween. You know what that means.”
“Back to Whispering Pines.” Shawn shivered at the thought of returning to the old manor. “Don’t let them talk you into going back into the kitchen.”
“No problem. I’d rather walk through fire.”
Chapter 51
Stewart, Massachusetts
October 30, 2005
“I said no.” Faith glared at Althea. They were back in Stewart, standing outside the one place on earth she had hoped to never see again. The exterior of Whispering Pines was a flurry of activity. Althea had the cameramen rushing about shooting Shawn, Carey, and the St. James family. Faith was very clear when it came to her duties; she was the host, and she had a rider in her contract that clearly stated she would not set foot in the kitchen. Thus far, no one had entered the house. Faith was dreading the moment she would need to go back in there. Now
Althea was trying to charm her into doing a setup in the kitchen.
“I don’t give a damn how good it will look on film, no way, no how. It’s in my contract, so don’t even go there. This time, I’m the host. All I do is chat for the camera.”
“Excuse me, ladies,” Carey said. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I’m cold, I’m tired, and after the gallon of coffee I drank, I need to hit the ladies’ room. Now, I understand there’s a lot of hurry up and wait with these things, but are we going to get started anytime soon?”
“Seriously, we’ve been here for hours,” Rishi added.
“My apologies,” Faith said. “I’m being difficult.”
“Fancy that,” Carey said. “How are you?” she asked in a conciliatory tone.
“Good, except our boss here is hell-bent on doing the forensic shoot at the scene of the crime.” Faith smiled shyly at sister.
“The kitchen?” Rishi gulped.
“Ah, been in there, have you?” Faith beamed. “Wait, you should have been fine. Never mind. Althea, it’s in my contract. I’m not going in there. You can shoot these two in there, but I’ll do the interview right here on the porch, or in the main room by the fire. I’m assuming you already sent the boys in to light a fire, so it will look pretty.”
“What happened to you?” Rishi asked. “I didn’t think anything fazed you.”
“Jasper?” Faith called out. “I know you have the clip from the last shoot prepped, would you mind running it for our friends?”
“No problem,” Jasper said.
“Wait.” Althea was growing visibly angrier with each passing moment.
“Althea,” Faith said slowly, while Jasper set up a small monitor and replayed the scene for the others, “I know the kitchen is a hot spot that will look fabulous on camera, but you seem to be forgetting that every time I went in there, I was attacked.”
“This sucks,” Althea said.
“What was it saying?” Carey asked as they rejoined them.
“Sinner,” Faith said.
“Someone has to go into the kitchen,” Althea said.
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