OLD MAN MALONE RETURNS Page 15

  “Okay, my Uncle Mike is going to assume the body is the old man and not the elderly man that was murdered unless we give him the journal. My guess is the old man and the two guys who stole the body got in a fight. One of them killed the other two. I’m fairly certain the older body is the old man. I doubt they would have dragged a rotting body that far and kept it until they needed to burn someone else, too.”

  “I agree,” said Hunter. “It seems obvious they would have gotten rid of that body quickly. After all, it was in the hot sun for days; and embalmed or not, it was buried for another eighteen months. It couldn’t have been fun to have around.”

  Cole, tapping his hand on his knee and frowning, said, “Then the elderly guy is probably buried around here somewhere. The two body snatchers fought with the old man, one killed the other and the old man, and then set them both on fire. We now have lunatic killers on our hands, one who’s alive and one who’s dead. This is an awful mess.”

  “How do we find either one?” asked Andrea, shuddering at the thought.

  Kellie, as she stood before heading for the door said, “The old man is dead. He can come and go at will. Claudia told us to be careful of everything and love is the answer. She also said my mother is protecting us. I’m going to talk to her.” Grabbing her coat, she made her way to the small graveyard on the south side of the mansion.

  The gate had been repaired and worked properly. She opened it and stepped inside. She walked slowly to the back corner where her grandfather had hidden her mother’s grave from the world for years. Stopping at the marble headstone that covered her mother’s urn, she took a deep breath.

  “Hi, mother. You already know why I’m here. Claudia said you’re protecting me and my friends. I need more from you. I need your help. You already know that, too don’t you? It’s the old man, your father, my grandfather. We have to stop him. He tried to kill me this morning. I think he’s trying to kill all of us plus Kyle’s family. He’s insane even in death. You know that, too. I wish you were here to tell me what to do about him.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks onto her coat. She trembled in the cold wind. She was ready to leave when she saw a sparkle on her mother’s tombstone as if a diamond was glinting in the sunlight.

  “Mother?”

  It sparkled brighter. Kellie caught her breath. It was the answer to her question.

  “Thank you, mother. I know you heard me and would help. I wish I would have known you, but I love you anyway.”

  It sparkled again. Kellie felt her mother close to her heart.

  She blew a kiss at the headstone and turned to leave. Drew was standing close enough to hear and see what had transpired. Kellie jumped and punched him in the arm. “You scared me.”

  Rubbing his arm, his eyes met hers, and he wrinkled his brow. “Sorry. I might not have believed the old man could be a spirit, but I now know for a fact your mother’s a spirit. She’s here, and she loves you,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her tears away.

  He took her by the hand. “Let’s get back in the house. Your tears have frozen to your face.”

  They hurried back inside and told the others what happened. Determined to win this battle with the old man, they held hands promising to support each other.

  The walls rattled. A large painting fell off the wall.

  “Shut up!” screamed Kellie. Storming up to the wall, she hit it with her fist. “You won’t win,” her voice rose in volume and pitch.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cold had taken a firm grip on the area the day after New Year’s. Taylor complained that their apartment felt cold.

  Hope never returned to work. Rumors at the employment agency that the Malone mansion was haunted made finding help difficult. Two sisters, Sara and Lynn, finally agreed to do housekeeping. They would only work if they could work together. Near mid-morning, both girls complained to Austern that the south wing was terribly cold, and they couldn’t finish working. He and Kellie checked out the problem.

  “The vents are ice cold. I think something is wrong with the furnace,” said Austern.

  “The main house is warm. Why is it only cold in here?” She rubbed her hands together.

  “When the wing was added, a separate furnace was added to heat the wing.”

  “Where is it? There isn’t any basement under the wing.”

  “Right here. Austern walked up to a paneled section of wall outside the double entry doors to the south wing. He pushed on the upper portion of the wall and a door opened. A small closet containing a furnace was behind the wall.

  “Clever.”

  “It was added when the wing was built. Several years ago, the wing was remodeled and a new, modern furnace was installed. The additional area which contained the old furnace was walled off.”

  “There’s a space behind that wall? Why didn’t you ever tell me?” She knocked on the wall.

  “It never occurred to me. Let me call our heating specialist, and I’ll show you the rest of the space.”

  Kellie stood there tapping her foot while she waited. Another area of the house she wasn’t aware of. She wondered how many more secret places there were.

  Austern returned. “The entrance to the rest of the original room is accessed through the closet in the wing’s master bedroom.”

  She followed him into the bedroom and watched as he pushed on the side wall of the closet. It sprung open revealing another small room approximately eight by five feet. A foul odor escaped the room. Kellie shuddered feeling it was more than the musty smell from being enclosed for years.

  “Is there a light?”

  “Yes.” He flipped a switch and a single bulb illuminated a strange room. Kellie’s eyes swept over the odd scene. A sleeping cot, a few boxes with empty water bottles, and food packages were strewn around what should have been an empty space. A zipped clothing bag hung from a water pipe that ran across the room close to the ceiling. The room was dark even with a light burning.

  Kellie felt cold, and an eerie feeling settled over her. “Let’s leave and come back later when everyone’s home.” She couldn’t hurry out of the room fast enough. She told Austern she had errands and would be home in time for dinner. An overpowering sense of dread settled over her. She needed to put distance between herself and the room until she was with her friends. Grabbing her coat, she headed for the garage and drove quickly down Willow Way and away from the house.

  ########

  Austern allowed the repairman to do his job in peace while he attended his own duties. As the repairman worked, Kellie called Drew and filled him in on what she found. Within thirty minutes, the furnace was running, and warm air began to fill the south wing.

  “It could be how the old man got in the house without us knowing. Before Hunter and Taylor’s wedding, he could access the house through the south wing at night and hide for days if need be. Once he was killed, I’m not sure why he’d be there. It explains a lot. I knew we needed more cameras near the south wing. I’m sorry,” Drew said.

  “It’s okay; we’ll talk when you get home. Love you.”

  “You, too.”

  She didn’t want to go home and met Taylor for lunch. Taylor was shocked. She leaned forward to catch every word Kellie said.

  “I’m glad he wasn’t in there when Hunter and I were. Do you think as a ghost he uses the room? Do ghosts need to hide or can they disappear and float away?”

  “I don’t know, maybe Claudia knows.” Kellie dialed her number.

  “Hello, I knew you’d call today,” Claudia said.

  “If you know, then why am I calling?”

  “You’re curious about the hidden room.”

  Kellie’s eyes opened wide, and she stared at her phone. “Does Austern call you and let you know these things?”

  “Now you insult me.”

  “I’m sorry. This is creepy.”

  “His spirit is strong in that room. It’s what frightened me and why I left the house. I believe his spirit is caught between life and d
eath. He doesn’t want to let go of life, and is hiding from death. I feel he wasn’t dead when his body was set on fire. He woke up, reached for his killer, they fought and the other man also caught on fire. When your grandfather died, his spirit refused to leave until he knew the other man was dead. When the other man died, your grandfather attached himself to his spirit making his stronger, and it gave him more intense attachment to life. I believe this is why, at first, you saw him as a figure in black with your grandfather’s face. He was able to retain part of life. Slowly, the other man’s life force was able to leave and accept death. Your grandfather hasn’t accepted death yet which is why you only see him as a figure in black or black fog. Remember the black handprint on your back? That is all I see except your mother’s love is stronger. Never forget that love is the answer. Be careful tonight when you look in the room.”

  Claudia clicked off, leaving Kellie to stare at her phone again. She told Taylor what Claudia had told her.

  “She’s either insane or knows more than we ever thought she did,” Taylor added.

  “We better get going. You’ll be late for work. I’ll see you at dinner.”

  ########

  When Kellie and her friends arrived home, they waited for Cole and Andrea. Kellie felt it was important they all be together when they examined the room. She felt her mother’s spirit was close. Mrs. Decker would hold dinner until they could inspect the room.

  Mrs. Decker, holding up a wooden spoon she was using to mix chocolate pudding, announced, “Don’t you worry, Mrs. Kellie, I’ll be fine here in the kitchen. No one would dare threaten me with all my knives around.”

  Even with the stress around her, Mrs. Decker always had a way to make Kellie smile.

  Drew arrived home first and wanted to see the room, but Kellie wouldn’t let him until the other’s arrived. Cole and Andrea arrived together and Hunter followed Taylor in the back door. Kellie told everyone what she and Austern discovered. They guys were eager to see the room while Taylor and Andrea were leery about seeing it.

  ########

  Drew stopped Kellie with his arm. “I’m going in first.” Hunter was carrying a bright floor lamp from the library. Drew wanted to be sure they wouldn’t miss anything. Kellie showed him where to push on the wall to open the secret door and the door popped open. Drew flipped on the overhead light. Hunter carried the floor lamp into the room and turned it on. It illuminated more than Kellie had seen that afternoon.

  The room wasn’t dark from lack of light. It was dark from soot or whatever black substance covered the walls and floors. The odor was stronger than it had been that afternoon. Hunter covered his face with his hand saying, “It smells like a rotting corpse.” Drew stepped in and the soot flew around his foot. Cole glanced over Drew’s shoulder, “You don’t suppose he’s in there now, do you?” The soot in the middle of the room swirled on its own and Drew took a step back. “I’m not sure, but let’s check this out quickly.”

  “This is the same stuff that was on my nightgown,” Kellie mumbled as she threw her hands over her face.

  Taylor and Andrea moved backward away from the room. They waited in the walk-in closet. Rufus sat near them and growled quietly.

  Drew and Hunter walked into the room. Cole stood in the doorway and surveyed the room. “Do you think the old man lived in here when he was alive? I couldn’t. This is horrendous.”

  Hunter unzipped the clothing bag. “Hey, check this out. Everything in here looks clean and smells less offensive as if it really was clean at some point. There are shirts and pants. On this small shelf are some boxers and t-shirts. There are two pairs of sneakers in the bottom.” He zipped the bag back up.

  Drew kicked a few things around, but it only caused the soot to fill the air. “It looks like he lived here before he died and raided our kitchen at night. This is the type of bottled water I have seen in the pantry, and remember when we accused Hunter of eating all the potato chips? I guess it was the old man. Look at the empty bags. There are more wrappers from food that most likely came from the kitchen late at night after we were all asleep. Some of the food is a bit moldy and some isn’t. He may have been here for months.” Drew held up a white plastic garbage bag.

  Kellie said, “I can see paper plates and left over food. I think he enjoyed some of Mrs. Decker’s dinners, too. We need to clean this place up. It smells bad enough. Once the food turns rotten, it’ll get worse and attract bugs and mice.”

  Taylor and Andrea hurried to the kitchen for more garbage bags. That room needed to be cleaned quickly.

  While trying to clean the room, they heard the doorbell chime.

  Austern, brows knitted and chin tight, walked up to the closet door, “Kellie, it was Miss Claudia. She handed me this clay pot and said it would lessen the evil. I have no idea what it is.”

  “Thank you, Austern.” Kellie turned the pot around in her hand. About three inches in diameter and two inches deep, it was unglazed clay with small flowers painted on it. The contents appeared to be grains and seeds, emitting a pleasant aroma.

  Drew and Hunter quickly bagged the garbage. Hunter fought his gag reflex as Drew threw some gray moldy substance into the bag.

  “What do we do with the soot?” Drew asked.

  “Leave it,” Kellie said. “This seems to be his favorite place for some unknown reason. If we clean up the soot, he’ll only add more. When he’s gone, we’ll get rid of it. Goodness knows what it might be.”

  Drew carried the lamp out of the closet, and Hunter followed with the garbage.

  Kellie placed the pot on the floor. She turned off the light, and said, “Goodnight, old man.”

  The walls groaned and shook harder than ever before. Several paintings and ceramic wall sconces crashed to the floor. A strange disembodied shriek filled the air, hurting their ears.

  Kellie stated, “I think he’s really angry this time.”

  They tossed out the garbage and cleaned up. Andrea and Cole left for home. The remaining four enjoyed their dinner.

  ########

  The figure in black’s anger grew until it consumed every single thought. How dare they bring that bowl into his dark place? Unable to touch or move it, his loathing for Kellie grew. It caused excruciating pain. He kicked at it quickly hoping to move it further away. It spun into the corner and spilled. He groaned. Its contents were free and exposed him to more pain, but at least it was in the corner. He felt weaker. Throwing a handful of soot over it didn’t help. He would learn to deal with the pain. They would all suffer greatly now. Joining him in his dark room, would ease his pain. Before their spirits left, he would take them. He would become stronger. An innocent spirit would be best. Andrea would be his first conquest.

  ########

  Everyone was enjoying coffee in the parlor when Drew’s phone rang. “It’s the police station. Maybe your Uncle Mike has a lead,” Drew said as he answered his cell.

  “Whoa, Cole, slow down. Take a breath and tell me what’s going on. What? You’re being held for attempted murder. Let me put you on speaker so we all can hear this. Hang on. Okay Cole talk.”

  “I sneezed twice on the way home. Andrea thinks I’m getting a cold. We were out of my cold medicine so I said I’d run to the grocery store. She was going to take a bath.” Cole broke down in tears.

  “It’s okay, Cole, we’ll help. Tell us what else happened.”

  “I was only gone ten minutes. When I arrived home, Andrea didn’t answer me. I found her underwater in the bathtub.”

  Taylor and Kellie gasped. Kellie began to cry. “The old man did this,” she whispered to Taylor. Taylor covered her face with her hands and nodded in agreement.

  Cole continued, “I pulled her out. She was barely breathing. I called 911. When the officers and paramedics arrived, they said they saw marks on her shoulders as if someone held her underwater. I didn’t do it. I love her so much. She’s going to be my wife. Drew, there was soot in the water.” Cole broke down again.

  “Cole, calm down. You
should have called your dad and a lawyer.”

  “I did call dad. He’s coming with his lawyer. Kellie’s Uncle Mike let me call you, too when he heard my story.”

  “Hunter and I are coming to the police station. I’ll bring the journal and a couple pics of the room. It should be enough to help you. I can send Kellie and Taylor to the E.R.”

  “Drew,” Cole’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please pray for Andrea. I heard one of the paramedics say it didn’t look good, and she might not make it. I can’t lose her.”

  “We’ll be there soon. Hang on. Andrea will be alright.”

  Taylor and Kellie were getting their coats on when Drew ran to take a few pics of the room. Grabbing the journal on his way through the library, he followed the others out the door.

  Taylor said aloud, “God, please take care of Andrea.”

  “Mother, please keep the old man away from her and all of us,” Kellie added.

  The figure in black fumed in his dark space. He kicked at the soot but avoided the seeds. The girl lived. He so wanted her spirit. He cursed when Drew came in his dark place and flashed light to take pictures. Screaming at Drew didn’t help, he didn’t hear him. His concern for Cole and the stupid girl was greater than his fear. Then it was quiet. The figure lay down on the cot and contemplated his next move. Who would be next?

  ########

  Drew’s car screeched to a halt in front of the police station. Rushing in, they saw Cole sitting in Detective Stellion’s office. Cole was very animated as if he was pouring out the entire story and every event that took place at the mansion. Detective Mike sat quietly and listened. An officer buzzed his phone to let him know Drew and Hunter were waiting. The detective walked to his door and motioned for the guys to come in.