Миранда Джеймс - Fixing To Die

“That’s all you get for now,” Benjy told him. He picked up their water bowls, dumped the contents, and refilled them. While Peanut lapped thirstily at his, Benjy retrieved a bottle of water for himself from the small fridge in the room and drained half of it in one go. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was.

He checked his phone to see if he had missed a text or a call from the sisters, but there was no message. He decided he ought to go over to the house and find them, see whether they needed him for anything.

“You two are going to stay here for a little while by yourselves.” Benjy gave each a couple of rubs on the head. “Now be good, and don’t make a racket. As soon as I can, I’ll come back and get you, and you can visit in the house, okay? I need to see if everything is okay over there first.”

Peanut woofed, but Endora, true to form, simply yawned at him and began washing a paw.

Making sure the door was securely locked behind him, Benjy headed across the wide courtyard toward the back door that led into the kitchen. Halfway across the courtyard that separated the house from the annex, he stopped for a moment to look at the back of the house.

Was it really haunted? He figured a house this old had seen its share of deaths. Remnants of those dead souls might linger on because of unfinished business. He had read that recently. What was the word the author had used? Revenant . Something that had returned from the dead. Despite the late afternoon sunshine, he shivered. That returned from the dead bit bothered him.

Miss Dickce and Miss An’gel didn’t appear to be frightened by the thought of ghosts, so he decided he shouldn’t be either. Besides, it was still daytime, and ghosts really didn’t come out until nighttime. He was okay going into the house now, he decided, and continued his progress.

He knocked on the back door but received no answer. After a moment he opened the door and stepped inside. “Hello, anyone here? Miss Marcelline, are you here?”

There was no answer, so he pulled the door closed behind him and advanced into the kitchen. He sniffed appreciatively at the scent of a roast emanating from the Crock-Pot he espied on the counter. He wasn’t sure if they would be dining here tonight, but he sure hoped so. Based on the food at lunch, he thought Miss Marcelline was in the same class as Clementine back home. Clementine cooked the best food he had ever eaten. He patted his stomach ruefully. He had gained at least ten pounds since he’d come to live with the Ducote sisters.

Benjy passed through the kitchen and out into the hallway, where he paused briefly to listen. He didn’t hear any voices. Where were Miss Dickce and Miss An’gel? He wandered down the hallway and glanced into the open doors.

The first floor appeared to be empty. He walked back to the staircase and looked up. He remembered what Miss Dickce had said about the cold she had felt on the stairs. He hesitated a moment. What would he do if he felt it, too?

Might as well find out . He climbed the stairs to the second floor without feeling any change in temperature. He felt almost disappointed by that, but a little relieved as well. He paused at the top. He wasn’t sure which room either of the sisters was occupying. He recalled a mention of the French room, where Miss An’gel was going to stay, but he had no idea which room it was.

He didn’t want to knock on any doors and disturb anyone unnecessarily, so he pulled out his cell phone to call Miss Dickce. The phone began to ring, and he waited for her to answer. After a moment, he heard her say, “Hello, Benjy. Where are you?”

Before he could answer, he felt a soft touch on his shoulder, yelled in fright, and dropped the phone.

CHAPTER 12

While she unpacked in her new bedroom, An’gel kept pondering Mary Turner’s remark about Nathan Gamble. How she hoped something would happen while he was in the French room that would scare the life out of him. Had Mary Turner told the man anything about the strange events in that room? She would have to ask Mary Turner when she saw her next. It didn’t seem fair to let the man spend the night there without some kind of warning.

Of course, Nathan Gamble might not believe his cousin. He might think she was simply trying to get him out of the room so Miss An’gel could have it back. An’gel and Dickce could certainly vouch for Mary Turner, after the two incidents that An’gel had experienced. If the man didn’t believe them after that, he could look out for himself.

A scream from outside her door startled An’gel into dropping the dress she was in the act of hanging in the wardrobe. Whoever screamed sounded terrified, and An’gel stood rooted to the spot for a moment. Then she hurried to the door and yanked it open, only to behold Benjy, hands clapped over his eyes, bent slightly forward, trembling.

Mary Turner, who stood behind him, said, “Benjy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I thought you heard me coming up the stairs not far behind you.”

An’gel relaxed against the door frame and felt the pounding in her chest begin to ease. They were all on edge, and poor Benjy had evidently had a real fright. She watched as he dropped his hands, straightened his back, and turned to face his hostess. The poor boy’s face was beet red, and An’gel knew he was terribly embarrassed. Bad enough that he had yelled like a scared child, but worse that it was in front of Mary Turner, whom he admired. An’gel felt bad for him.

Benjy offered Mary Turner a sheepish grin. “Sorry to yell like that. I guess I’ve been thinking too much about ghosts, and since I didn’t think anyone was in the hall with me, I overreacted.” The red began to recede from his complexion.

“There’s no need to apologize to me,” Mary Turner said firmly. “I’m the one who is apologizing. I should have called out to let you know I was behind you.”

“The main thing is,” Benjy said with a shaky laugh, “you’re not a ghost. No telling what I might have done if I’d looked around and nobody was there.”

Dickce hurried into the hallway from her room. “What’s going on? Who screamed? Is everyone all right?” She stooped to pick up Benjy’s cell phone from the carpet runner. “Isn’t this yours?” She held it out to Benjy.

“Yes, ma’am, thank you.” Benjy accepted the phone and then explained to Dickce that he was the one who’d yelled and why.

“My goodness, no wonder you reacted that way,” Dickce said. “An’gel and I are both a little jumpy after what we’ve experienced today.”

“What happened to you?” Benjy asked. His eyes widened in alarm, and An’gel hastened to assure him that she and Dickce were fine.

“There were two incidents of my clothing being moved from one place to another in the French room.” An’gel related the details to Benjy.

Dickce said, “The only thing I’ve experienced so far is that cold sensation on the stairs. Did you feel it when you came up here?”

Benjy shook his head. “No, ma’am. Thank goodness. I was kind of expecting to, but it didn’t happen.” He indicated the doorway where An’gel stood. “Can I see inside the French room? I’m really curious to see what it’s like.”

“This isn’t the French room,” An’gel said. “I’ve switched to this one so that Mary Turner’s cousin can have that room.”

“My distant cousin, Nathan Gamble. My fifth cousin, I think. At least that’s what my grandmother always told me,” Mary Turner explained. “Anyway, he’s having work done at his house—or so he says—and needed a place to stay for a couple of nights. He thinks the French room is his by right.”

“What does that mean, his by right? ” Benjy asked, obviously confused by Mary Turner’s explanation.