The Inheritance: The Carmichael Case (Case 2.2)

Author’s Note:

This is a continuation of last Wednesday’s chapter of The Inheritance. To read the first half of this story, click HERE.

Part 1: Susan’s POV

Per Xalen’s instructions, my husband Daniel and I arrived at Douglas Lattimore’s apartment building bright and early the morning after we took the Carmichael case. We were supposed to interview him in order to find out if he knew anything about the evil presence in the house we were investigating.

“I hope if he knows something, he’ll tell us.”

Daniel wrinkled his nose. “I hope we escape this neighborhood before we’re carried away by rats.”

I don’t consider myself a snob, but Daniel had a point.

“Well, let’s see what we can find out.”

The inside of the apartment was nicer than the outside. It was sparsely furnished, yet clean, and tidy.

Daniel made quick introductions.

“Well, why are you bothering me?” Douglas asked, his voice grumpy and his eyes narrowed.

“We were hoping to speak to you about your old family home,” Daniel said.

The old man’s chin raised, and he let out a huff. “Fine, I’ll talk to you. But only if the gorgeous dame sits next to me.” His mouth turned into a wide, toothy grin. “C’mere, sweet thang!”

It was a moment before I realized he was talking about me!

“I beg your pardon,” I gasped.

Daniel stepped in front of me. “Mr. Lattimore, my wife is neither a dame nor your sweet thang.”

“Do you want to talk to me or not?”

Daniel stared at him for an uncomfortable minute, then Douglas huffed his breath out again.

“Fine. Sit down.”

I made a point of sitting as far away from Douglas as possible and let Daniel do the talking. The last thing I needed was this guy grabbing me or something.

“I understand your family built the house.”

Douglas nodded. “I was the last family member to live there. Most of the place was closed up because I couldn’t afford the upkeep. It was falling apart, so heating the place was a real problem.”

“It’s a pretty large house,” Daniel said. “So, you were having money problems-“

“-You see what I eat on? That plastic table back behind me there. I’ve been flat broke for years, and when the taxes went into arrears, they kicked me out lock, stock, and barrel.”

“That must have been horrible for you.”

“Have you ever lived with nothing? It was a shameful situation.” His hard eyes fixed on me, then Daniel before he added, “What is this really about?”

Daniel cleared his throat. “The people who live there now are reporting certain… disturbances.”

“Disturbances, you say?” He rubbed his jaw while Daniel nodded. “Disturbances.”

“Violent disturbances, actually. We only came here to see if you experienced anything similar.”

Daniel pulled out the police photo of Jackie Carmichael.

He peered at the photo with squinted eyes, the fingernails on his shaking hand thick, and yellow. I saw something pass through his eyes that looked very much like guilt.

“Pretty, ain’t she?” he murmured. “How old is she?”

“Sixteen.”

The color drained from his face, and he shoved the picture back into Daniel’s outstretched hand.

“This girl lives there?”

“Yes, and she claims her injuries were perpetrated by some kind of supernatural force.”

Douglas stood up so fast, you would have thought there was a fire beneath his seat. He waved at the door with his cane.

“Get outta my place,” he growled. “Now!”

“Please, just tell us what you know.”

“She will not rest until a Lattimore pays! Now, I’ll thank you kindly to leave and never come back!”

Part 2: Shelly’s POV

I met Helen, Patty, and Jackie Carmichael at the park. Patty said it was the only place Jackie felt safe, and that she didn’t want to return home.

“Are you crazy?” Patty demanded after I asked her to bring the girl to the Lattimore Mansion once again.

“It’s the only way to find out what is going on. We’re trying to figure out why this happened to your daughter as opposed to one of you.”

Helen, her eyes filled with dread, glanced at her wife before speaking. “I feel creeped out sometimes, but neither Patty nor I have ever been hurt there.”

“What does feeling creeped out have to do with a break-in?” Patty asked.

“It wasn’t a break-in! I’m sure it wasn’t!” she said, her eyes filling with tears, her lower lip shaking. “I have never seen a ghost or anything of the kind, okay? But, when I’m in Jackie’s room… or any room alone with Jackie, I feel like the very air around is oppressing. I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“That’s ridiculous! It’s only your imagination running away with you,” Patty said, grinding out each word.

“Whatever is happening,” I said, “I need your full cooperation. I believe Jackie, too, and have seen things in your house.”

“What things?” Patty asked.

“Yesterday, I saw a strange light with a reddish glow around it. Whenever it was present, I felt hatred, and bitterness.” I kept my eyes firm as I regarded her, hoping she would at least entertain the idea I wasn’t making this up. “What I need is for you to return to the house where we have our equipment set up.”

“If this is true, how can you guarantee she will be safe?”

I licked my lips. This was a difficult one to answer honestly. “I can’t guarantee anything. One thing I know is that whatever this energy is, it’s very negative and seems to have attached itself to your daughter. We will do our best to make sure she’s safe, but we’re dealing with the unknown.”

Helen looked at Patty, tears running down her pale cheeks. “What if something happens to her?”

Patty seemed uncertain, yet she turned to me. “How powerful is this… energy?”

“We don’t have a way of measuring it that would make sense to you, but it is substantially strong.”

We spoke for a few more minutes as I outlined the measures we would take to figure this out. The plan was to bring Jackie home, and while the family slept, I would try to contact the apparition, see what it wanted. Once I knew that, perhaps I could help get rid of it.

Once I had their agreement, I only had to get Jackie to agree.

To my surprise, she listened to everything I had to say. Then, the brave girl agreed to go home.

Part 3: Marty’s POV

It was late in the afternoon when Shelly called to let me know she would bring the Carmichael family home for the night. Xalen, Rosetta, and I were discussing the plan (and I say plan loosely because you never know how these things will go), when Susan called to tell me about the research she and Daniel had done after their interview with Douglas.

The three of us huddled while I repeated what Susan told me.

“There was a maid who disappeared in the late eighteen hundreds, not long after they built the mansion.”

“Why do Susan and Daniel think this maid is the energy in the house?” Xalen asked.

All of a sudden, Rosetta’s eyes widened and she gripped the back of a nearby chair. I was worried because she was still as a statue, and I was no longer sure she was breathing.

“Xalen,” I said, moving toward my daughter.

As I was reaching for Rosetta’s arm, Xalen held my arm, stopping me.

“Don’t touch her,” he said.

I wasn’t sure I could stop myself, however, before I could act on my impulse, the color drained from Rosetta’s face, she let her breath out, and stumbled into Xalen’s arms.

“Oh, Father,” she moaned. “It is all so heinous.”

“Steady now,” Xalen murmured as he supported her weight.

I brought a glass of water to her and urged her to drink some. It was a moment before the color came back to her face, and she was strong again.

“What did you see?” Xalen asked.

“The maid was only a child of sixteen when she disappeared. It was if I was looking through her eyes. The master of the house made unwarranted advances. When she spurned him, he flew into a rage and strangled her to death.”

“Oh, my,” I said.

“She is entombed in the house.”

“Do you know where?” I asked.

Xalen grimaced. “Let me guess. Somewhere on the second floor in or near Jackie’s bedroom.”

“Uh… eww,” Owen said as he joined us. “So, is that what we’re looking for? Her bones in the walls or something?”

Xalen’s smile was patient. “You think she might go away if we give her a proper burial?”

He shrugged. “I dunno. I mean, isn’t that what ghosts usually want?”

“We don’t know what this one wants,” I said. “She hasn’t told us.”

The second-floor hall had been the place Shelly thought right for the apparition to make an appearance. Our equipment was mostly focused in that area. Owen’s job was done, so he would be leaving. Susan and Daniel were already on another case, and Rosetta had a political event to attend.

Tonight, it would be Xalen and I standing watch, while Shelly tried to make contact. Hopefully, having Jackie’s presence in the house would be enough to draw the specter out into the open.

Part 4: The Conclusion (Marty’s POV, con’t.)

The family was sleeping peacefully, and Shelly was sitting in the hall, trying to make contact, so I wandered downstairs to stretch my legs. I wasn’t gone long when I heard screaming from upstairs.

As I sprinted up the stairs, and around the corner of the railing, Helen and Patty were coming out of their room. The hall was bathed in red, as if the walls themselves were bleeding.

“Stay back!” I yelled.

As I reached my husband, he held a hand up for me to stand back as well without even glancing in my direction.

Following his gaze, I saw Jackie standing in front of a swirl of black smoke, her body glowing an orange-red.

“Is she dying?” I gasped, trying to keep my voice low as dread filled my heart. I longed to lunge forward and yank the girl away from what held her attention, but I was afraid that would kill her for sure.

“She’s fading,” Xalen answered.

“I’m trying to stop it from killing her!” Shelly said. Then, she held her arms up, over her head, yelling, “Show yourself!”

Before our eyes, the black cloud of smoke swirled, slowly outlining the form of a young girl Jackie’s age. She glowed green and red. I was certain this was the missing maid who was murdered so long ago.

“What do you want?” Shelly shouted as a wind began to swirl, emanating from the apparition. “Tell me what you want!”

I clutched my hands together in front of me, praying Jackie would survive this encounter and be all right.

The ghoul’s mouth opened in a scream. Her voice was hollow and so shrill, I thought my eardrums would shatter. “Recompense! I demand recompense!”

“And what will you accept as compensation? What is your price?” Shelly yelled as the wind whipped around her body, twisting her clothing and hair.

The ghost’s attention turned, and it appeared she was gazing past Shelly at someone else. It was then I realized someone else had joined us.

It was Douglas Lattimore, leaning on his cane, peering into her eyes, his own wide as saucers.

“Mr. Lattimore!” Xalen called. “Stay away from her!”

“Take me,” he said to the ghostly maid. “I will pay for what my ancestor did to you!”

Xalen tried to grab Douglas by the arm, but instead, Douglas shoved Jackie toward him. As soon as Xalen grasped Jackie’s arm, she seemed to come out of her trance, collapsing into his arms. She was no longer glowing, but looked like a normal girl.

Xalen carried her to Helen and Patty who took her in their arms, then, he returned to us.

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself,” Shelly said. “There has to be another way!”

Douglas shook his head, stepping closer to the beckoning hand of the ghost. Tears filled his eyes.

“No, there is no other way. I’ve always known it would come to this. Every Lattimore heir has avoided it, but I am the last Lattimore. It must be me. I lived a long life, knowing she was here and what she demanded.” He took another step forward. “This is the only way.”

As soon as he took her hand, a long howl erupted from his mouth, his body seeming to change immediately. Instead of the old, hunched over man with a cane, he was now a ghostly vision, glowing orange as Jackie had only moments before.

The wind began to die down. The black smoke returned, swirling now without the harsh gale.

Then, they both disappeared as if they’d not been there at all.

The moms had taken Jackie to another room. For a long moment, Xalen, Shelly, and I stood frozen in the hallway.

“I wish the ghost-maid could have been appeased another way,” I finally said.

Shelly let out her breath as Xalen said, “It would have been better another way. But Jackie is our first concern. She is a young girl, and she is safe now.”

The corners of Shelly’s mouth turned up in a small smile. “He’s not as unhappy as it would seem.”

“Oh?” Xalen asked, his right brow rising.

“He not only assuaged the murdered maid, he is young again. A weight is lifted from both of them, and they’re happy now.”

The End, Case 2 of The Inheritance

Notes

I hope you enjoyed this case of The Inheritance! Stay tuned Saturday for the next chapter of Noble Doubt!

Thank you for reading, liking, commenting, and lurking,