Gift from the Grave
The old bed and breakfast sat on a quiet street in the tiny New England town. It was one of those places that when you spied the name on the map, you imagined a picturesque town with church steeples peaking over neat rooftops. In the case of Canvers, you would be correct.
In fairness, it wasn’t much of a town. It had once been big when shipping had run along the river. Then that had died, and only the long-time families had remained. Now they relied heavily on tourism. The town’s quiet atmosphere, combined with their quaint coffee shops and cute cafes, was highly appealing to those looking to have a true New England experience.
Elizabeth Werner was relying upon that appeal. The bed and breakfast she now owned had been her grandmother’s. When she’d died, her grandmother had left the house specifically to Elizabeth. The lawyer stated that Thelma Werner had always hoped that the house would once again host guests. She had supposedly thought that her youngest granddaughter would be the best choice for innkeeper. Somedays, Elizabeth wondered just what Grandma had been thinking.
The house was a large two-story that had fallen into disrepair over the last few years. Grandma had been living across town in a senior high rise. The house had been managed by the caretaker.
Today she did her first walk through of the house. The front door opened to the stairs. To the right spilled a front parlor and a sitting room. On the opposite side of the stairs were the dining room and kitchen, with a hallway stretching beside them all the way back.
It wasn’t as bad as she thought. The lawyer had made it sound like it was much worse. It was dirty, but that wouldn’t take much to fix. The downstairs wallpaper was peeling in a few places. The plaster on the ceilings didn’t look bad, but that was just at first glance.
The upstairs had four bedrooms with the attic divided into another. The carpet didn’t look good anywhere, but there were supposedly hardwood floors beneath. That was remediable.
Elizabeth had always heard that old houses were money pits. She was hopeful that was not true. She’d been saving up a good bit over the last year, but now she wouldn’t be working full time until the house was ready to open. It was going to be tight for a few months.
“Hello!” a man’s voice called into the house. “Anyone here?”
“Coming!” Elizabeth slipped through the dining room into the front hallway. A man with shining, dark curls stood in the doorway. To her, he looked a bit like a young Patrick Duffy. His eyes were bright blue and friendly looking. Elizabeth was momentarily shamed by her own appearance.
She was forty, and in good shape. In fact, everyone said that she didn’t look her age. But right then she was wearing dirty jeans and sneakers that needed to make their way to the trash. Her Villanova sweatshirt was a faded out gray, and her blonde hair was covered by a green bandana. She knew that in anyone eyes she would look a mess.
“Hi.” The man offered her a hand. “You must be Elizabeth. I’m Rick. I’m Philip’s son.”
“Oh right.” Elizabeth suddenly remembered the caretaker’s name. “It’s good to meet you. I haven’t seen your father today.”
“No, he had to make a run for some supplies at Home Depot,” Rick explained. “So are you going to be working here with us?”
“I’m planning on it,” Elizabeth answered him. “I figure that I can at least strip wallpaper while you all tackle the heavy stuff.”
Rick grinned at her. He was very tan; she figured he did some sort of outdoor work, or maybe spent all of his free time in the sun.
“So we’re probably a little quieter than Hartford.” His eyes were studying her. “That is where you’re from, right?”
“Right.” Elizabeth smiled brightly. “Are you…from here?”
“All my life. Dad got my brother and I working for him out of high school. We’ve been here ever since.” At the look on her face, he waved a hand. “Oh it’s fine. It’s good work. I’ve learned a lot in the years I’ve been working for him. Anyway, I think you’ll like it in town.”
“I hope so.” Elizabeth hadn’t been so sure about that. It was a small town with few younger people. She wasn’t sure just how many people she could meet. After her divorce, she’d had trouble reaching into the social realms. She was really hoping that Canver would be a fresh start for her.
Now Elizabeth found herself sharing a smile with him. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. She hadn’t come here to meet a man. But on the other hand, she wouldn’t exactly have minded it.
“Good. Well, I’ve got to get back. Dad will need help unloading soon. So we’ll be here bright and early tomorrow, ok?”
“Sounds great.” Elizabeth held the heavy door as he stepped out. “Nice meeting you.”
“You too.” He winked at her as he headed down the porch steps. Elizabeth felt a flutter of excitement. She’d been suspicious about taking such a big leap by herself, but today made things better.
As she closed the door, she reminded herself that she was just being silly. She didn’t know anyone in town and was latching too onto the first person that she had met. Just because a handsome man had been polite to her didn’t mean she was about to live happily ever after.
Regardless, she felt a tad bit happier than she had a few hours ago.
Elizabeth did not plan to live in the main part of the house. There was a guest house to the back of the property where she would live once the inn was ready. But for now, she was staying in the main house. She’d brought in an air mattress and set herself up in one of the back bedrooms.
It overlooked the outbuildings, including the house she would eventually call home and the caretaker’s house. There had been a light on in that building, but it was off now. She knew Philip lived out there year-round. She wondered if anyone lived with him. Well, actually she was wondering if Rick lived there with him.
From this view, Elizabeth decided that she liked the town. The rooftops and steeples made it look like a postcard. She wondered what it would be like in the winter; seeing these rooftops dotted in snow would be adorable. She figured she’d get a ton of people out who wanted to take advantage of the nearby ski areas.
Elizabeth lay down on the air mattress. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but she’d be glad when she got her own bed. Her things weren’t scheduled to be delivered for another two weeks. She’d brought the bare minimum with her. Getting by on so little was rough.
Her mind wandered as she started to drift off. If there was a chance she’d be meeting men in town, maybe she didn’t need to hit up the local shelter for a cat just yet. Unmarried women over forty were almost required to have cats; maybe she’d be able to dodge it.
Elizabeth didn’t realize that she had been asleep until she jerked awake. For a moment, she wondered just what had awoken her. Then she heard it again.
It was a faint scrapping sound. It sounded like a door that had gotten stuck. That made her sit up in bed. Who could be in the house opening doors?
Elizabeth got off of the mattress. She stood with her hand on the door. She wasn’t entirely certain what she was going to do. Quickly, she reached down to grab her cell phone. She should do the logical thing and call the local police.
But what if it was nothing? She was in an old house that was unfamiliar to her. She hadn’t spent a night in the house in thirty years. It was going to be a bit unusual. She didn’t want to be the new, crazy person in town for calling the cops out on her first night.
With a renewed sense of confidence, Elizabeth threw open the bedroom door. She stepped into the hallway, looking around suspiciously.
She heard something creaking downstairs. It might have been floor boards, it might have been nothing. Frowning, Elizabeth started down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she unlocked her phone. She typed a “9-1” into the keypad. If someone was in the house, she’d only have to hit one more number to call.
Elizabeth went into the hallway that led into the kitchen. She could no longer hear the creaking. That relieved her a bit. Placing her hand on the door, she pushed it open hard. If someone was standing behind it, they were going to feel that.
She was not surprised to find that the room was empty. Elizabeth chastised herself for being ridiculous. She stopped when she noticed something odd on the counter.
Propped neatly on the edge of the kitchen counter was a toy monkey. Elizabeth thought it was probably the ugliest thing that she had ever seen in her entire life. As she drew closer, she saw that it had once been brown. Now it was losing fur in patches, revealing a filthy, faded body. Its eyes were black buttons sitting on top a wide, flat nose. It had two overly large ears poking awkwardly from the side of its head. It appeared to be smirking at her. It was even uglier up close.
Elizabeth’s lip curled in disgust. She got a roll of paper towels and a plastic bag. Holding the roll in her left hand, she awkwardly swiped the ugly doll into the bag. Then she unlocked the back door and carried the bag to the burn barrel. She dropped the bag in with an unceremonious crinkle. She did not want to look at that doll again.
As she made her way back upstairs, Elizabeth tried to come up with a rational thought for why the doll was even in the house. She knew it had not been there earlier. So the doll mixed with the strange sounds….
Elizabeth settled back into bed, trying to put the ideas out of her head. No one had broken into the home of a single woman only to put a creepy doll on the counter. She must have missed it. Or someone had dropped it off while she was out.
She fell back into a troubled sleep with the thought of the creepy monkey burned into her brain.
“Good morning!” Rick was standing on the other side of the door, looking ridiculously cheerful. Elizabeth wished that she could extend the same sentiments. She hadn’t slept well after the monkey incident. A hundred thoughts raced through her brain; none of them did much to calm her down.
Rick appeared to notice, for he frowned.
“Everything ok?”
“I, uh.” Don’t tell him; he’ll think you’re crazy. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Well, you’ll sleep tonight.” Rick turned. Behind him was an older man in a pair of worn overalls. The man’s hair was gray, but his eyes were blue like Rick’s. His son had obviously gotten his tall, strong build from his father. He offered her his hand.
“Ma’am,” he nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Philip Turner. Sorry I missed you yesterday.”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Elizabeth shook the man’s hand. “Are you a Phil or a Philip?”
“I’ll respond to either,” he said with a wink. “You met my son Rick. This is my other son, Daniel.”
Daniel had his brother’s dark good looks, but did not look as friendly. Elizabeth gave him a bright smile and offered her hand nonetheless.
“My pleasure,” the other man mumbled.
“We’ll be getting started. You want the carpet up first so we can do the floors?” Philip asked.
“I heard that we should refinish them last. Is that true?” Elizabeth didn’t claim to know the first thing about redoing old houses.
“That’s it.” Rick gave her another of his sweet smiles. “No use it doing it over.”
“We’ll get the carpet up and out. And we’ll start checking the plaster. That’ll be the biggest job. Have you hired an electrician?” Philip paused a few steps into the house.
“I found a great recommendation,” Elizabeth assured him. She figured if Philip knew everyone in this town, she could vouch for the particular man’s credits.
“That’s great.” Philip motioned the other two men into the house. “All right, boys, let’s get going.”
Elizabeth was pleased that the men seemed to know what they were doing. She’d heard too many times of women getting ripped off by contractors. In this case, she couldn’t imagine that it would happen. Philip had known her grandmother for years, and he’d taken care of the house for just as long. He’d never rip off one of her family members.
Elizabeth let the men handle the hard stuff. She set to spraying the wallpaper so she could start tearing it down, finding that it wasn’t terrible work. She found the process satisfying, peeling long strips from the wall. Slowly, the walls beneath began to become visible.
She’d gotten a good bit done when she heard a voice calling to her. Moving into the kitchen where the men were working, she found Rick standing at the door.
“What is it?”
“Did you know this was here?” Rick was pointing to an open door. But there had been no door there earlier.
“What on earth?”
“Looks like it’s the door to the cellar. Connects into the servants’ stairs.” Philip was leaning in the doorway, looking up. Elizabeth looked. Sure enough, a twisting staircase led up and out of sight.
“But my grandmother never said anything about it.”
“She probably didn’t know,” Philip explained. “She might have had an idea about it, but we just got the latch uncovered.”
“Good thing.” Daniel was leaning against the counter. “Anyone could have come walking in here.”
“Daniel.” Philip shot a harsh look over his shoulder. Daniel ignored his father.
“It’s true. Those stairs connect down to the basement. Probably an outside door somewhere. Anyone could have walked in.”
“There’s no need to scare her.” Rick gave his brother a harsher look than their father had done.
“I’m not trying to scare her.” Daniel wiped his hands on his pants. “I’m trying to be honest.” He turned, walking outside. Rick glared after him for a moment.
“Sorry about that.”
“No one could have gotten that door open,” Philip offered. “The latch appeared to be stuck good.” Elizabeth forced a tight smile.
“Of course. I didn’t imagine that someone would just come walking in. I mean, this is a safe town, right?”
“Of course. And I’m right outside all night.” Philip’s warm voice and smile made her feel better. Elizabeth nodded.
“That’s what I thought. I better get back to my wallpaper.”
She left the men in the kitchen. She gave the wallpaper precisely another half hour of work before she decided that she was getting nowhere. Looking outside, she chose to walk the grounds.
The house wasn’t on a lot of land, but they’d saved the outbuildings. The barn had been torn down years before. Now there was only a shed, the two small houses, a chicken coop, and the well. Elizabeth went to sit on the edge of the well. She studied the stone walls where they disappeared into blackness. Anything could fall down there, and no one would ever know.
“Anyone call you Lizzie?” a man’s voice startled her. Elizabeth turned, finding Daniel crossing the grass to her.
“No.” Elizabeth felt a bit awkward. “Why do you ask?” Daniel shrugged.
“Just asking. The only Lizzie that I ever think of is Lizzie Borden. You know, ‘Lizzie Borden took an axe?’”
“I’m familiar.” The man was just plain strange. Elizabeth couldn’t believe the difference between the two brothers. Daniel watched her.
“Just a kids’ song.” He glanced back to the house. “You know, Fall River isn’t too far from here. They turned Lizzie’s house into a bed and breakfast too.”
“Good to know.” Elizabeth replied blandly.
“They never proved Lizzie did anything. It was the O.J. of her time.” Daniel waited for a response; Elizabeth didn’t have one. Why was this stranger was discussing axe murderers with her?
“Why did you mention someone coming into the house?” Their earlier conversation still unnerved her a bit. Not that she wasn’t already. Last night was still hanging in her mind.
“Woman alone…you can never be too careful.” Daniel started towards the house. “Bad things happen in small towns too.”
He went back into the house, leaving her alone. Despite the warm sun, Elizabeth felt a chill. She was not a fan of Daniel’s. Not at all.
It was after five when the men were finishing up. Elizabeth had gone upstairs to rearrange some of her clothes, as well as think about what she wanted for dinner. She’d been eating out since coming to town, and it was getting tiresome. But Philip had promised to install her stove as soon as it was delivered, so hopefully it wouldn’t be much longer.
“Hey,” there was a soft knock on the door. Elizabeth turned to see Rick in the hallway. “Sorry for being so forward.”
“Oh, please,” Elizabeth gestured around her. “There’s hardly anything you shouldn’t see up here. Besides it’s not even my bedroom since I’ll be living in the guest house out back.”
She felt like she was babbling, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Well good.” Rick took a step forward. “I was going to run home and clean up, but I thought maybe you might want to grab some dinner with me.”
He was asking her out? It was entirely too good to be true. Elizabeth felt the pang of butterflies in her stomach. Rick grinned at her.
“I wasn’t thinking much. Not that this town has a ton to offer. You like bar food? There’s a place not far away that has great burgers.” Elizabeth finally let her smile spread across her face.
“I think that sounds wonderful.”
“Great.” She thought she imagined that Rick’s smile was getting bigger. “How long do you need? I can be back in an hour.”
“That’s perfect”.
Rick nodded, “Then I’ll be back.”
Elizabeth reminded herself that she was too old to be giddy over a man asking her out. But she was just that. Instead, she hushed the little voice and reminded herself that if a man had her this excited, it had to be good.
She showered while deciding what to wear. He’d said a bar, so she wouldn’t do more than jeans. She rummaged through the few clothes she had, finally settling on a blue, denim shirt and some dark jeans. It was still cool at night, so she found one of the pairs of brown boots she’d packed in case of bad weather. She put those on and deemed herself ready.
She’d just headed downstairs with her purse when she heard a noise on the front porch. A heavy thud immediately followed it. Elizabeth frowned; the noise annoyed more than frightened her. Squaring her shoulders, Elizabeth yanked open the door.
She had expected a stray cat, maybe a raccoon at the most. But that wasn’t what she found. Instead, a large rock sat on the porch. It appeared to have been dropped there rather than thrown. It had a piece of paper attached to it with gray duct tape. Elizabeth reached for it. Scrawled on the paper in large, childish print were the words
Look in Back
Elizabeth was annoyed. If this was someone’s type of joke, she was not entertained. She was entirely too old to handle a game of ‘harass the new person in town.’ She was not going to give someone the satisfaction.
Just as she was about to slam the door shut, she heard something hit hard enough on the back door to rattle the glass pane. It wasn’t quite a knock, more of a splat. It sounded wet, heavy. Now Elizabeth froze.
She was truly frightened now. She stood rigid for a moment. Her blood thrummed in her ears. Elizabeth slowly let out her breath.
Now she had to go and see.
Elizabeth inched down the hallway to the back of the house. Something was running down the glass. Biting her lip, Elizabeth pulled open the door. A scream instantly rose in her throat and she stepped back.
Blood was streaming down the door. On the concrete stoop were the remnants of….something. Elizabeth couldn’t identify it. She noticed bits of fur sticking in the disgusting mess.
“Elizabeth!” The voice was accompanied by the sounds of feet thudding through the house. Suddenly Rick was behind her. His hands were gripping her upper arms. He made a sound of disgust, pulling her away from it.
“What the hell?”
“I….” Elizabeth closed her eyes. Her stomach rolled. “The note….” Rick was pulling the paper out of her hand.
“What kind of sick bastard would do this?” He was staring at the mess on the ground. Elizabeth took a deep breath, easing her eyes open.
“What…what was it?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Rick turned her away from the mess. “Go sit down. I’ll clean it up.”
Elizabeth listened to the sounds of the clean up as she sat on the stairs, her head rested on her knees. She wondered just what someone was trying to pull. She didn’t know anyone in this town. Her grandmother still had friends in town, but she couldn’t imagine that a group of eighty-year-olds were capable of anything like this.
“Ok,” Rick appeared in the hallway. He was wiping off his hands on a paper towel. “Dead rabbit is gone. You still feel up for dinner?”
Elizabeth stared at him. If he was joking, she didn’t find it funny. Rick apparently sensed it. He smiled awkwardly.
“Sorry, bad choice of words. If you don’t want to go out tonight, I’ll understand, but I think that you should. You need to get out of here for a bit.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Elizabeth asked as she took to her feet. “And why?” Rick shrugged.
“I have no idea. We’re not a town that is known for this kind of crazy.”
“If this is someone’s idea of a hazing, I’m not entertained.” Elizabeth followed him to a bright-blue truck that was parked on the street. He opened her door for her.
“Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone in town doing this.” He closed the door and went around, getting into the driver’s side. Elizabeth leaned back in the seat, taking a deep breath. She knew he was right. It was better for her to get out than sit in the house thinking about what had happened.
Rick started the engine. He pulled the truck onto the street, immediately pausing at a red light.
“I don’t know how much you’ve seen of this town,” he changed the subject, “but it doesn’t have a very happening nightlife. Now if you like cafes and coffee shops, it’s got those.”
“I’ve noticed.” Elizabeth was calmed by the change in topic. “I did walk down to a couple.” Rick started through the now green light.
“I'm partial to Mocha Bean myself. You can smell it before you hit it.”
They kept up the small talk as they drove a few more blocks. Rick pulled the truck into a corner parking lot. He got out, immediately coming around to open her door again. Elizabeth decided that she could get used to this treatment; her ex had never been much of the gentleman type. This was a refreshing change.
It was truly a bar in every sense. It was dimly lit with a pool table settled behind a half wall on the far right side. An old jukebox sat in one corner. The bar was a dark mahogany with cheaply covered stools in a line beside it. The wide open space between it and the door was dotted with small, black, iron tables in clusters of one or two with two or four chairs around them. Elizabeth was surprised to notice that most of them were full. She hadn’t expected such a crowd in a small town.
Rick lead her to a table near the wall. She settled into one of the chairs. The room smelled like fried food and beer.
Rick produced two menus from the metal holder on the table. He offered one to her. She took it, perusing the bar foods.
“I recommend the pretzels and beer cheese for a starter. How’s that sound?”
“Perfect.” Elizabeth was hungrier than she realized, as everything on the menu looked good.
A waitress came and recognized Rick immediately. He introduced Elizabeth. She was not surprised. If there weren’t many places in a small town to grab a beer, she figured that the regulars were everywhere.
Rick’s ordering felt like a scene from a movie. It wasn’t in another language, or fancy, but he quickly rattled off beers, pretzels, and cheese. The waitress appeared again with a basket of pretzels and their beers. Elizabeth took a sip of hers, finding it cold and delicious. She closed her eyes in satisfaction.
“Nothing beats a cold beer after a long day, huh?” Rick reached out to tap his bottle against hers. “What should we drink to?”
“How about fewer dead animals?” The comment made him laugh.
“Ok, something with a few less visuals. Or at least more pleasant ones. How about, to new friends and new towns with new beginnings?”
“I’ll drink to that.” Elizabeth clinked her bottle against his. They drank in silence for a few minutes.
“So, aside from dead animals, how do you like the house?”
“It’s gorgeous,” Elizabeth said before biting into a pretzel. “Did you know my grandmother well?” Rick nodded, swallowing his beer.
“Yeah, I brought her over to the place a few times. She liked to check on it, make sure the place was still standing.” He chuckled. “I’m not entirely sure she believed that my dad would keep it going.”
“I always visited when I was kid. It was such a cool house to a child.” Elizabeth had to smile at the memory. She had been one of those kids who loved going to grandma’s house. The house had felt so big, it had been an adventure.
“We probably passed each other in town and never knew it.” Rick was watching her with a comfortable smile on his face. Elizabeth realized that she really did like him. He was a good, decent man—not to mention handsome. She could allow herself to settle down with someone like him.
Their food came. She had ordered a traditional burger with the basics: lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions. He’d ordered barbeque wings and they split an order of fries.
“So, being a local, tell me if there’s some deep, dark secret that would be drawing someone to harass my house.” Rick chuckled.
“Well, I don’t know any local legends that require the death of a rabbit.” Even that made her smile, despite the nastiness of the memory.
“No, of course not, but is it like…some sort of fabled house?”
Rick picked up another wing. He took a bite, chewed. He seemed to be thinking.
“Pretty much every house in this town has some type of legend.” He shrugged. “It’s an old town. It has a history. It’s nothing spectacular.”
“Your brother brought up the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River.” Elizabeth looked at him over her beer. Rick rolled his eyes.
“That’s Danny. He likes the dark humor.” Despite her good mood, Elizabeth felt a sudden chill. She wondered just what Rick meant by ‘dark humor.’
He must have picked up on what he said because he waved his hand.
“Daniel is harmless, Elizabeth. He just likes television shows featuring demons and hauntings. I’m sure he’s got a huge list on the history of your house.”
“So it does have a history.” Elizabeth caught him. Rick rolled his eyes.
“Like I said, yours has the same history as every house in this town. It was built by a local business man where he raised his family. A couple of people in his family died in the house during a measles outbreak. I don’t know if that really means a haunting. Your grandmother always laughed off the idea of ghosts.”
That sounded like the grandmother that she knew. Her grandmother would never have given into any type of local legend, and she certainly wouldn’t have been scared of one. Her grandmother was the type of woman who chased mice out of the house with a broom and ran over snakes with a lawn mower. The thought of a dead man roaming the halls of her home would have just been an interesting dinner tale.
“Well, if there are supposed ghosts, it’ll be good for business.” Elizabeth shrugged as she put her bottle down.
“Now that I agree with,” Rick nodded. “People love that stuff. They come out of the woodwork for it. Hey, maybe you could even get the place on the local ghost tour.”
“There’s a ghost tour?”
“Only in October. It’s run by the historical society. But people come. Like I said, people love that stuff. Everyone seems to like to hear the stories.”
“Do you?” Elizabeth gave him a coy smile.
“Why?” Rick leaned in a bit closer to her. “Do you have one to tell me?”
Elizabeth knew that they were flirting and she had no problem with it. She tried to remember the last time that she had flirted with a man, or that one had flirted with her. She found that she could not.
Rick drove her home. He walked her up the porch to her front door, just like any good gentleman would have done.
“Do you want me to check over the house?” He nodded towards the dimly lit windows.
“No, why?” After a few beers, the concept seemed ludicrous. Sober, it probably would have been a more rational suggestion.
“No reason.” He leaned in to her. His lips brushed hers ever so slightly. Elizabeth felt her entire body tingle at the sensation.
It might just be alcohol, she thought to herself. He may not know what he’s doing.
Rick smiled at her as he stepped back.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“You mean here? In my house?” Elizabeth winked as she unlocked the door. “I’ll be here.” Rick laughed.
“Goodnight, Elizabeth.”
And with that, she headed into her house, up the stairs, and decided to watch a few videos on her iPad before bed.
As the alcohol started to wear off, she wondered if she had been too much. She was paranoid now. Should she call him? Text him?
No, it was late. And then she realized she hadn’t put his number into her phone. She still had it written on a business card which she’d taped to a cabinet. Should she go down and shoot a quick text?
No, of course she shouldn’t. But she should put his number into her phone. Not for any romantic reason—that would be silly. It was good business to have one’s employee in their phone. She was sure that anyone would agree. What if she needed to get in touch with him for some reason? Yes, she finally rationalized to herself, she needed to have Rick’s number in her phone.
Pausing the video on her iPad, she took her phone and started downstairs. As she reached the top of the stairs, her hand felt the wall for the light switch. To her surprise, she saw the downstairs already blazing with light. That was odd: She was sure that she had turned off the lights when she’d come upstairs. Maybe she was seeing things.
No, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw that she was not seeing things. Every light in the downstairs rooms had been turned back on.
Any buzz that she had once had was gone. In fact, Elizabeth felt the alcohol and bar food roll in her stomach. She was sure that she had turned off all of these lights—one hundred percent. There was absolutely no one else who could have turned them back on.
She checked the doors. The front door was firmly locked. That left only the back door. Elizabeth made her way into the kitchen. The back door was also latched. So how could—
And then she saw it. She caught it first from the corner of her eye. When she fully turned, she saw that it was standing wide open. The door to the servants’ stairs that the men had opened. The door that Daniel had declared led to the basement, and could let anyone in. It stood fully open, leaning against the wall. Elizabeth shrank back against the back door. She was suddenly terrified.
*****
After a week, Elizabeth had grown unsettled in the house. Not even unsettled, really, but frightened. In fact, she’d become so terrified that she’d called an alarm company and asked for the first available appointment. After some hemming and hawing, the man had agreed to come the next afternoon. Now every night, Elizabeth set the alarm. She felt much better. So far, she hadn’t had anything else in the house.
That had not stopped the scratching on the windows. She heard it when she lay in the upstairs bedroom at night. Something dragged over and over on the glass. She tried to tell herself that it was only branches. Morning light revealed no branches rubbing against windows. All of the shrubs were neatly trimmed below them.
There had first been the flash of a haunting in her mind. Maybe she was currently living in one of those houses that you only saw on reality shows. But that thought disappeared with the alarm system. She was sure that any eighteenth-century ghosts she might have were not familiar with the concept of a security alarm, so it was certainly not stopping them.
Which left the next logical option: human. That was also the far more terrifying thought. Her grandmother had always told her never to fear the dead, only the living. Rick and Philip had tried to tell her that there was nothing to worry about. Philip had assured he was on the property all the time and no one had come or gone. Furthermore, there was no one in town who would want to hurt her, he was certain of that. It was undeniably some local kids who wanted to scare the new lady in town. It did not make her feel much better, but it was at least something. She had given Philip the alarm code just in case of emergency.
Rick had been making it a point to check on her at night. That was her favorite distraction. Elizabeth knew now how the tween girls felt when their crush sent a message. Rick’s messages made her smile. When she was alone in the dark house with only her iPad for company, a quick word from him made her less lonely.
They’d had dinner twice now. Each time it was at the bar. Rick had told her that he didn’t want her to think he didn’t know of anywhere else to go; it was just a reasonable place for two people to go to relax and enjoy some good food. Elizabeth didn’t mind. She actually found that she liked the place. All of the waitresses were friendly. She felt like she was walking into a small town Cheers. This was what she had come to a small town for—friendly people who always knew your name. She finally thought she would make friends quickly in town. If the other forty-year-olds hung out at the local pub, she did not mind going there to meet them.
She and Rick were having dinner again tonight. It did not matter that they were together during the day while he worked on her property. The two barely saw each other all day, so they had plenty to discuss in the evenings. And she could not complain about the work that the three were doing. They had checked all of the plaster and were now patching up the weak spots. It would be ready for paper and painting soon.
Elizabeth did not see much of Daniel; she felt no real need to. It made her uncomfortable to be around the other man. Since she had brought him up to Rick, he only acknowledged her and then went on his way. As charming and personable as his brother was, Daniel was that anti-social. The difference in the two men was night and day.
Tonight they’d spent more time drinking than talking. Elizabeth was in the mood for a few shots even though she was probably too old and would feel it the next day. Rick drove them home. He was bigger than she, and had a higher tolerance. She wasn’t drunk by any means, but she certainly felt the two shots of vodka mixed with her usual two drinks.
The alcohol lowered her inhibitions, so when Rick walked her up to the door, she immediately pulled him to her. He seemed startled, but not uninterested. Elizabeth raised her head and brought her lips softly to his.
He returned the kiss without hesitation. Elizabeth felt emboldened by his actions. She allowed her tongue to press against his lips. Rick responded instantly, parting his lips, allowing her in. Elizabeth allowed her tongue to seek his. Rick’s strong hands gripped her tighter. She clung to his shoulders. In this moment, she was glad that she had moved to town. This was better than she ever could have hoped.
Finally, Rick pulled back a fraction of an inch. “Is this goodnight or are you going to invite me in?”
Elizabeth gave a low chuckle. “I thought you’d never ask.” She drew away from him long enough to unlock the door. Right now, she didn’t care about weird houses or strange noises—she just wanted this man near her.
Once they were inside with the door locked behind them, their kiss resumed. Rick’s lips had returned more passionate. Elizabeth did not mind. She wanted him to keep kissing her all night. Hopefully he would.
She finally pulled back to lead him up the stairs. Her bed wasn’t due for another few days, so the air mattress would have to do.
Once in the bedroom, she turned to face him. She wasn’t self-conscious about her body. She’d taken good care of it over the years. As she moved to kiss him once more, her fingers began to loosen the buttons of his plaid shirt. She pulled it open to reveal a firm set of abs. She hadn’t expected any less. Once it had been pushed down and to the floor, her hands were finally able to roam across his naked biceps. The muscles were solid. It was a comforting feeling beneath her hands.
His hands moved to tug the long-sleeved, black t-shirt over her head. She watched as he took a step back to admire her body. She lowered her head, hoping that he didn’t see the flush which crept into her cheeks; it had been a long time since anyone had seen her like this.
He pulled her against him. Elizabeth felt his hands roaming up her back, coming to rest on the clasp of her bra. She felt it spring free and the straps were slipping down her arms. She shrugged it off. For a moment, she simply enjoyed the feeling of her breasts pressed against his bare chest.
Rick’s hands moved up. He cupped her breasts between his palms. His thumbs played across her nipples and they hardened at his touch. Rick nudged her gently. His hands guided her back to the air mattress and down.
She settled flat onto her back and he moved towards her. It took a moment of positioning so they both weren’t thrown off of the mattress. Settling beside her, he lowered his mouth to her breast.
Elizabeth allowed her back to arch into his caress. It had been so long, and it felt so good. She let her hands drift up his bare back, finally coming to tangle in his hair. He kept up the warm tugging until he finally moved to the opposite side. That felt even better than the first. Elizabeth heard herself moan; she wondered if he was this good with his mouth everywhere.
He finally left her breasts. His tongue dragged down her ribs, over the smooth line of her stomach. He kissed along the waistband of her jeans before undoing the button. His fingers worked the zipper down. Elizabeth lifted her hips so that he could pull them off.
As soon as her jeans were in a pile on the floor, his hands stroked over her underwear. His head followed, his mouth moving between her thighs, licking the fabric still covering her. Her hands gripped at the blanket as his tongue passed back and forth.
“Rick….” she finally breathed out. “Please.”
He answered by slipping his hands under the waistband of her underwear. He pulled them down her thighs and dropped them aside. Now his hands pushed her thighs apart. Elizabeth closed her eyes. She tried to prepare herself for the feeling of his mouth. Even though she was ready, she still cried out at the contact of his tongue against her hot flesh.
Rick’s tongue swirled around her. He licked up and down the small bundle of nerves which made her moan louder. One hand gripped his head to her while the other tried to keep her steady on the mattress. His tongue did feel as good as she had hoped.
He lifted his head, kissing the inside of her thighs. His eyes finally lifted to meet hers; she saw heavy desire in them. She could only imagine what he saw in hers after what his tongue had done to her.
“I need you badly, Elizabeth,” he whispered thickly. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“Please.” It came out as a strangled whisper, but she was too far into the moment to really care about it. She wanted him on her, and in her, immediately.
Rick moved off of the mattress. He stood up to kick his shoes off and peeled each sock off before finally starting on his jeans. He unbuttoned them, dropping them slowly down his hips. A pair of boxer briefs followed and he finally revealed himself to her. Elizabeth reached one hand up and wrapped it around the thick organ. Now it was his turn to moan as he her hand stroked him up and down.
He dropped down to his knees beside her. Elizabeth rolled to the side of the mattress. She leaned forward, closing her mouth over his tip. Rick’s face contorted into pleasure. His hands immediately moved to stroke, and finally tangle in her blonde hair. It was glorious, and erotic, and better than she had had in years.
Finally, Rick nudged her off of him. He eased her to lay back on the bed. Almost as soon as she had, he was climbing on top of her. She sighed in contentment at the heavy weight over her. She felt him guide himself to her entrance. He pushed forward, slowly. He stopped every few seconds to allow her to adjust. Finally, he was all the way in. She was satisfied at the feeling of him deep inside her. Her legs moved to wrap around his waist while her hands held him to her.
Rick began moving in slow, deep thrusts. Elizabeth heard her small, whimpering cries as he pushed into her over and over. His hands moved down to angle her hip up to him. The switch in positions had him dragging over the spot deep inside of her. When she felt his thumb begin to rub against her nerves, it was too much. She cried out as her muscles tightened around him. She heard his own cry as he released himself deep into her. His forehead was falling against hers, and they were both panting.
“That was….”
“Wonderful?” He opened his eyes to meet hers. “I’ve wanted you from the day we first met, Elizabeth. You felt just as good as I thought you would.”
Elizabeth smiled at his words. Her arms tightened around him. “I hope you don’t think that it was just because of the alcohol.”
“What? No, no of course not.” Rick moved off of her to lie down beside her. “The moment I saw you, I couldn’t believe that I was the lucky man who’d been the first to meet the beautiful new girl in town.”
Elizabeth laughed, shoving one hand off of his arm. “You make it sound like we’re in high school.”
“So what if we’re not?” Rick said. “You make me feel….” His words broke off. To Elizabeth, he suddenly looked embarrassed.
“Well now you have to finish.” She propped herself up on one arm to face him. “What is it?”
“It’s just…” He rolled his eyes. “It’ll sound so cheesy.”
“Maybe I like cheesy.” She was just dying to know what he had to say.
“You make me feel like a high school boy.” His eyes finally met hers. “Being out with you has made me feel something that I haven’t felt in years. Not since my wife left.”
“I understand.” And she did. She understood all too well. When a spouse left, it made you feel horribly inadequate. She’d had a few dates since her marriage had failed, and a few casual flings, but nothing that had ever made her feel quite like this.
“It’s good to share that understanding with someone, as painful as it is.” He was looking into her eyes. “I hope that tonight doesn’t make anything uncomfortable between us. I’d love to see more of you.” Elizabeth leaned in, pressing her lips to his.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’d love that.”
“Good.” Rick kissed her again. “Me too.”
The following morning, Elizabeth found that she had slept better than she had ever dreamed she could in that house. With Rick beside her, she hadn’t noticed any bizarre creaks or groans. It had just been the two of them, and that was all that mattered.
They went about their normal routine as though nothing had happened the night before. And neither one of them breathed a word to Philip or Daniel. Elizabeth was sure that Philip did not need to hear the details of his son’s romantic life. As for Daniel, she didn’t want him to know the details of anything that went on in her life. She supposed if things ever got serious with Rick that she would have to get used to the brother, but they weren’t there yet. She’d cross that bridge if and when they got to it.
It was getting late in the day. She knew the men were packing up. She was in the middle of stripping off the last of the attic bedroom wallpaper when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Turning, anticipated RIck.
“Are you leaving?” She moved to stand at the head of the attic stairs. She frowned when she saw that the stairs were empty. “What the—”
Then it occurred to her. The servants’ stairs ran all the way up to the attic. That must have been the stairs she heard footsteps on. Crossing back to the other door, she reached for the doorknob. That was when she realized that the door was bolted from the outside.
Why had one of the men come up the stairs if the door was locked? And if they’d gotten this far, why hadn’t they called to her when they realized that it was locked? Was it worth going all the way back down?
“Elizabeth?” She jumped at the voice. Rick was now standing in the bedroom doorway. At her start, he looked concerned. “Are you ok?”
“Were you just on these stairs?” Elizabeth motioned to the closed door. Rick shook his head.
“Um, no. No one’s using those stairs. At least they’re not supposed to be. My dad wants to check them and make sure they’re sturdy. He doesn’t think they’ve really been used in years.”
“Right.” But Elizabeth suspected that she’d heard someone on those stairs recently. She shrugged. “Well, good idea. Are you guys leaving?”
“Yeah, well, Dad and Daniel are. They’re outside putting some stuff in the shed.” He moved across the room to her. His hands covered her forearms gently. “Are you ok? You seem a bit off.” Elizabeth gave him a firm smile.
“I’m fine. It’s just….” She shook off the feeling. Rick looked curious.
“Just what? Tell me.” Elizabeth hesitated. He pressed his thumbs harder into her arms. “Would you rather tell me over dinner? We don’t have to go to the bar. There’s a great pizza place down the street. I can pick up some beer, or soda. We can have a picnic here.”
He was so warm and convincing that Elizabeth had to smile. “That sounds great.”
“Ok.” Rick kissed her cheek. “You like pepperoni? How about mushrooms?” When she agreed to both, he released her. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
They ate pizza off of paper plates and drank beer in what would eventually be the downstairs parlor.
“I’ll be so glad to see my stuff.” Elizabeth told him as she wiped grease off of her fingers.
“And, I imagine, to stop eating greasy bar food and pizza with the help.” Rick winked at her.
“Hardly. That’s actually one of my favorite parts.” She paused for a quick kiss. “But I’m sure the gentleman that you speak of would be highly entertained if I could actually cook real food for him.”
“I’m sure your cholesterol will agree,” Rick remarked. They ate in silence for a few more moments. “So,” he looked at her, “do you want to tell me what had you upset earlier?”
“I wasn’t upset—not really.” Elizabeth blew a strand of hair out of her eyes with a heavy breath. “It’s just….”
“What?” Rick’s hand was on her arm. “Tell me.” She met his eyes for a moment, gathering the courage to give voice to her thoughts.
“Ever since I spent my first night in this house it’s been…weird.”
“Well, any new house would be right?”
“I stayed here when I was a kid and never had an issue.” She didn’t remember any of these oddities from when she was a child. She figured that her overactive imagination would be gone by this age.
“So how do you mean then?” Rick put down his beer, giving her his full attention. The full story began to pour out of her. She told him about the strange sounds, the ugly monkey. When she finished, Rick looked uncomfortable.
“All this on top of what happened that night we were going out.” Elizabeth nodded wearily.
“The only night that something didn’t happen was when you stayed over.” She shrugged. They were both silent. Rick’s face folded into a frown.
“Elizabeth, if someone really is doing something—”
“It’s not serious, right?” She didn’t want it to be true. She didn’t want to believe that someone was intentionally messing with her. “I mean, I barely know anyone in town. No one would intentionally try to bother me or my house, right?”
“I like to think not.” Rick took one of her hands. “But there are some sick people in this world. And that dead rabbit didn’t splatter himself onto the door.”
That was the one part that she truly couldn’t explain. Someone had taken the time to smear a dead animal on a door.
“Who is that sick?” she finally murmured. Rick shook his head.
“I don’t know. Lizzie, it might be time to call the police.”
“And tell them I’m weirded out to be alone in a big, old house? They’ll laugh me out of town.” She realized exactly what he’d said. “Your brother asked me if anyone called me Lizzie.”
“Oh. I didn’t even realize I’d said that.” Rick gave her a half smile. “You don’t shorten it, do you?”
“Well, I mean, I guess. But Daniel brought up Lizzie Borden.” She waited for a reaction from him. “Don’t you think that’s a little odd?”
“Not really. Lizzie Borden’s a historical figure, especially in New England. It’s not really that big of a thing.” She felt bad for bringing it up. She was paranoid and she didn’t want to start bringing his brother into her paranoia, even if he did creep her out.
“Yeah. I’m sure it’s just—”
“You don’t want to be called Lizzie?” Rick’s gentle smile had returned. “That’s ok. You look more like an Elizabeth anyway.”
“Do you think I should call the police?”
“It might not hurt to talk to them. Just tell them. At least about the rabbit. Tell them you thought it was a simple prank, but now things aren’t calming down.” Rick patted her hand. “It’ll at least make you feel better.”
“You’re right.” She leaned up for another kiss. He did not hesitate. The kiss began to deepen. Elizabeth let the worries ease off for the moment. There would be plenty of time for that in the morning.
*****
She had been fully prepared to call the police, but suddenly there appeared to be no need to. The sounds in the house stopped. There were no longer strange shadows out in the yard, or anywhere else. Elizabeth suddenly felt better.
The house work was coming along nicely. Her things finally arrived, and with Rick and Daniel’s help, she loaded it into the guest house. She thought she would have too much, but her things filled it up nicely. For the first time, she felt like she was home.
They had just begun the process of sanding the floors. As soon as the floors were finished, she could begin the process of buying furniture and designing the rooms. She’d painted them all in different colors. She thought someday that she would give them different names, but for now they would simply be the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Lavender Room, and the Attic Room. She would charge the least for the attic room.
Elizabeth was finally excited about her new business. She felt like she was on a great adventure. The fun part of house design had just begun and she’d be in business in no time.
And Rick seemed to be very excited about the prospect of being close to her. The two spent as much time together as possible. They had dinners together during the week, and on weekends. He slept over regularly. She often wondered if that was because he was worried about what she had told him; he seemed protective.
Elizabeth had given up sleeping in the main house. She felt safer this way, and she slept far better in the guest house. She still worked late in the house some evenings. This Wednesday night was no exception. She’d been working on a closet in the Green Room, the one directly over the parlor. She’d just stepped back to admire her work when she heard the strange scratching sound downstairs.
It was the same scratching that she remembered from a few weeks back. Frowning, Elizabeth trekked downstairs.
She spun around the corner into the parlor. She looked in the direction of the scratching sound.
A face was staring back at her.
Elizabeth thought she was hallucinating. It wasn’t really a face. Was. Wasn’t. No, it was. But it was different. She sucked her breath in hard when she realized that it had what appeared to be a pillow case over its head. Two eye holes were cut in the fabric, through which two familiar eyes were staring back at her. A rope was loosely knotted around its throat to hold the white fabric in place.
Elizabeth screamed. She heard the sound long and loud in the echoing silence of the house. Her hand fumbled frantically for the back pocket of her jeans. She struggled to get the phone out. Her hands trembled as she pulled up the emergency number.
It didn’t fully occur to her that she had dialed 911 until the police were in the house. She was stammering over her words as she told them exactly what had happened. One officer sat in the house with her as another roamed the exterior of the house.
But there was no one there. There wasn’t even anyone in Philip’s house. There wasn’t even a trace of someone. She’d seen him. She knew that.
“Elizabeth?” A voice was suddenly calling from the front door. Elizabeth looked up, surprised.
“Rick? What are you doing here?” She was confused, as hadn’t called him. At least she didn’t think so. Was it possible that she had called or texted him in a fit of panic and not realized it? No, she was sure that she hadn’t.
“I was on my way to check on my dad and I saw the police.” Elizabeth merely stared at him.
“But your father isn’t home.” She motioned to the police officer. “They checked. There’s no one in his place.”
They all saw the look on Rick’s face. It was surprise, followed immediately by fear. His eyes widened and he sighed.
“Well, maybe he went out for a beer.” He was suddenly smiling. Elizabeth arched a brow. She had never heard Rick mention that his father drank. And, from what she had observed, Philip was always in at night.
“I…oh. Ok.” She nodded. Her lips tried to form a believable smile. But it wasn’t quite happening.
Just a half hour earlier, she had seen an unidentifiable masked man standing outside of her window. Then there were those eyes….those eyes, which were so familiar. Now Rick had appeared out of nowhere. On the nights when Rick slept over, there were no mysterious sounds. Rick had avoided telling her any real stories of the house’s supposed hauntings. Was that because there were none? Did Rick know more than he was letting on? Elizabeth was suddenly horribly uncomfortable. And she didn’t like the reason why.
*****
She was not in a good mood as she hung curtains the next morning. She’d been up most of the night listening. But of course, no sound had come. She had figured that was what would happen.
Maybe she was being paranoid, but it felt valid to her. If it was Rick, if he was involved in all of this, had he decided not to risk his exposure a second time? She hoped not. She truly hoped not. She wanted to believe in Rick. She wanted to think that he was the good man she had come to know over the last few weeks. But too many oddities were adding up.
There was a soft knock on the door. Elizabeth looked up to see Rick standing in the doorway. She immediately felt herself tense.
“Hey,” he smiled at her. “How are you today?”
There wasn’t as much work to do lately, so the men were only coming when a specific task needed to be performed. The electrician was coming tomorrow, so she wasn’t entirely sure why Rick had come today.
“I…didn’t realize you were stopping over.” She folded her arms over her chest. Rick looked taken back.
“I thought I’d stop by to check on you.” He took a step forward. His fingertips came to rest on her arm. “I was worried about you after what happened last night. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine.” Elizabeth pushed a handful of hair out of her eyes. The conversation wasn’t making her feel much better. She wanted him to leave so that she could keep thinking. “Rick, I….”
“What?” His fingertips were rubbing up and down her arm. “Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking?”
“It’s just….” She shrugged, not quite knowing how to say it. “Where were you last night?”
“Where was I?” he echoed. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s just that….” She didn’t finish.
“Elizabeth, I told you I was on my way over to check on my dad.” The look on his face told her that he knew why she was asking. “Why? Where did you think I was?”
“Nothing ever happens when you’re here,” she answered meekly. Rick’s eyes flashed in understanding as his hand moved from her arm.
“I see.” He gave her a firm nod. “If that’s the case, I’ll be heading off. I…I guess I’ll see you tomorrow when the electrician shows up.”
“Yeah,” she nodded. She felt terrible for suspecting him. But this had gone on long enough, and she was more frightened than ever.
“By the way,” Rick turned to face her, “do you really think I’d show up and out myself if I’d been lurking outside of your window last night?”
Elizabeth lowered her head. Rick set his jaw.
“As I thought. Bye, Elizabeth.”
She tried to go back to her own house and relax. But after her conversation, she was too on edge. She tried to fix tea, but decided that she was simply too keyed up. Sighing, she trudged back over to the house for some more work.
She hadn’t been there long when her phone rang. The screen clearly declared that it was Rick. Frowning, she swiped it open.
“Rick, I—”
“No, Elizabeth, listen to me.” He sounded upset. Well, not so much upset as worried. “Elizabeth, I’m coming over. There’s something that I need to tell you.”
“Rick, I don’t think that’s such a good—” The line went dead. Elizabeth sighed. She didn’t realize that he would take her words so hard. She would do everything she could to let him down gently.
It had not been long when Elizabeth clearly heard footsteps on the stairs. Sighing, she turned.
“Ok, Rick, let’s talk—” Her words broke off when she saw who stood in the doorway: The masked man from the window stared back at her. Elizabeth took a step backwards. A lamp clattered to the floor. She didn’t exactly know where she was going—there was nowhere to run. But she had to get away from him.
“Rick…please,” she whispered frantically. “I’m sorry.”
He ignored her. He was moving slowly across the floor to her. Elizabeth backed up as far as she could go. Suddenly, she realized she could go no further. Her back was literally against the wall.
Rick was in front of her. His body pressed hers into the wall. She whimpered softly. There wasn’t much else that she could do. His hand moved up, closing around her throat. Elizabeth felt the long fingers dig into her skin. She could do nothing but make a weak squeaking sound. She watched as her hands came up. They tried to ply his fingers away, but it was no use.
I’m going to die here, she thought. Had she come all this way to die?
Suddenly there was a flash behind Rick. Another Rick was behind him. Wait, no…that was Rick. Her Rick. He was grabbing the man holding her, throwing him to the floor. Elizabeth shrank into a corner. Her hand raised to her throat. It was already sore and she was certain that she had bruises.
Rick was holding the masked man down on the floor.
“Elizabeth! Call the police!” She did not hesitate.
Rick held the man down on the floor until the officers arrived, allowing them to do the unmasking. Elizabeth gasped as her attacker was revealed.
“Philip?” she whispered. Sure enough, it was Rick’s father, whom the two officers were pulling to his feet. “But why?”
“That’s what I was on my way over to tell you.” Rick got up. “Something has been going on with my dad. I just found out tonight.”
He reached into his back pocket. He held out a folded piece of paper. Still trembling, Elizabeth took it. She opened it and read the words.
Philip, I am terribly sorry, but I have to reject your offer. I understand the sentimental attachment to the property that you and your family would have, but it is mine. I have owned it for many years now. I hope this will not impact our friendship.
Yours,
Thelma
Elizabeth looked up at Rick. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m sure that you don’t.” Rick nodded. “I just found out myself. Apparently my grandfather’s family built this house. When your grandmother went into the senior complex, my dad offered to buy the property. Of course Thelma said no. She wanted you to have it. But—”
“But your dad wasn’t ok with that.” Elizabeth looked back at her grandmother’s signature.
“No,” Rick sighed. “He went off on a rant the other day, which I didn’t understand. Then Daniel and I started looking around—”
“Daniel…helped?” Rick gave her a bit of a smile.
“Daniel’s sorry if he freaked you out. But he’s really a decent guy.” Rick’s smile faded and his jaw tightened. “My dad’s plan was apparently to frighten you out of the house, and then buy it himself.” He looked apologetic. “Elizabeth, I never had any idea.”
“I’m sorry.” Elizabeth was still frightened, but she did feel bad for him. “Your father needs help.”
“That he does.” Rick looked down the stairs. He held out his hand for her. “We should both go and have a talk with the officers.” He ran his fingers over her neck. “You’re bruised. You should see a doctor.”
“Later.” Elizabeth took his hand. “Come on.”
*****
It had been two weeks since the incident in the house. Since that night, Elizabeth no longer saw or heard anything strange. She’d offered to not press charges against Philip, but the local police were hearing none of it. Philip had crossed the line between simply trespassing and causing harm. While Elizabeth hadn’t been seriously hurt, she knew she’d never be able to get the incident out of her mind.
Philip had confessed to everything. While Elizabeth had thought he was a sweet old man, his statements revealed a different personality. He was bitter and angry with Thelma. He claimed the two had an agreement over the years for her to sell him the house. But then, suddenly, she’d supposedly changed her mind.
Philip was furious. He’d done so much work on the property, which he believed was rightfully his family’s, and now he’d have no claim to it. When he’d heard that a single woman was moving into the property, he’d figured it would be incredibly easy to get her out of the house.
He’d left the monkey doll the first night. It was a family heirloom that Philip’s family claimed was cursed. He’d thought it might send a message, given that it was so ugly.
Elizabeth had proven better than he thought. And then she’d become involved with Rick. Elizabeth wondered if he’d watched them in bed. She did not want to think of it.
Rick and Daniel had both been incredibly apologetic regarding their father’s actions. As strange as Daniel had originally been, he had become just as pleasant now. Elizabeth had even agreed to let him move into the caretaker’s house.
Rick did not need to move in with him. He was still spending his time with her. She could not blame him for his father’s actions, and she’d told him that—in many ways.
It had been a rough start, but Canver had been just what she’d needed. She could only imagine the future she had ahead of her.
THE END