Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
brAM
A bloodcurdling scream from Crowden Manor grabs my attention immediately. No one has lived there for nearly five years now. Last I knew, there was some kind of clause in the will that didn’t allow the sale of the manor to anyone that wasn’t of Crowden descent, so no one should be on the property. So, imagine my surprise when I walk up and see a bright pink head of hair, pacing up and down by the rental car that was parked at Kitty’s earlier.
“Shit, shit, shit,” she mutters as she lets out a breath. She shakes out her hands as she walks
“Lilith?” I ask, making myself known as I approach her. “Are you okay? I heard someone scream and – ”
As she turns, my heart stops.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
There were stories of Crowden Manor, but no one had ever proven anything. Even as child, I always chopped it up to smalltown folklore. The fear in Lilith’s eyes may not be from a ghost, but something sure as hell scared her.
“I think I did,” she whispers. “A little boy.”
Well, shit. That was not the answer I was expecting.
“Why don’t we go look together?” I offer. Her eyes widen at my suggestion. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Against my better judgement, I offer her my hand. As soon as her fingers lace around mine, I know this is a bad idea. I shouldn’t be analyzing how perfect our hands fit together and how good it feels to be the one to comfort her when she’s scared. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours since she first said hello to me at Kitty’s.
Though, even then I had to fight the urge to pull her in my arms and promise her everything would be okay. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to my eyes, but I saw the pain in her eyes as she wipes away tears. I’d never in my life wished I could take someone’s pain on myself, but in that moment, I would have done anything to make her hurting stop.
“You know,” I start as we step inside the manor. “In all the years I’ve lived in Magnolia Ridge, I’ve never been inside here.”
Somehow, it’s exactly how I imagined it though. Dark and Victorian, inside and out.
Lilith answers me with a grip so tight, I’m caught off guard. Standing at the bottom of the staircase, as if he was waiting for us, is, just as Lilith said, a little boy and I recognize him immediately.
“Hello, Theodore,” I say. My stomach flutters, but I do my best to stay calm for Lilith’s sake. In all the years I’ve worked in the cemetery, I’ve felt presences of, what I assumed, were spirits, but I’ve never seen one. “I am Bramley Wilde and this is Lilith Sharpe.”
Everyone in Magnolia Ridge learned about Theodore Crowden growing up. He was the first-born son of Henry and Dorothea Crowden, one of the original families of Magnolia Ridge. His death was the first and only documented manslaughter case in Magnolia Ridge.
The story goes that little Theodore heard repeated thuds coming from the second floor. He went to inspect, leaving his younger siblings behind. Henry Crowden had picked up his gun, only to scare the boy, but it went off. Nearly two centuries later, his story is still being told as a campfire ghost story. I, myself, have told the “Crowden Curse” story a fair share of times.
Lilith’s grip around my hand tightens as Theodore’s little body turns and begins to walk up the grand staircase leading to the second floor.
“I think he wants us to follow him,” she whispers.
All the logic in my body is telling me not to follow the ghost boy, but I’m inclined to believe that Lilith is right. Step by step, we follow Theodore’s little body until we reach the top. He turns to the left, stopping in the middle of the hallway, and faces the wall. As his little head tilts upward, my eyes trail to the painting he’s looking at.
Goosebumps cover my arms as Lilith gasps beside me. It’s her. Except it can’t be. Given the attire of the woman in the painting, she must be from the mid-1800s.
“Lilith.” I swallow. “I think this is Dorothea Crowden. Theodore’s mother. She looks just like you.”
“Did you… did you say Dorothea?” Her voice shakes as she looks between the painting, Theodore, and me. When I nod, her eyes grow wide. “That was my mother’s name.”
I’m not sure what to say, so I don’t say anything. I’ve found that sometimes saying nothing is better than saying the wrong thing and I certainly don’t want to be putting my foot in my mouth.
“Do you think Theodore is trying to tell me that I’m a Crowden?” she asks.
“I’m not sure,” I answer honestly. “Everything in town is closed by now, but tomorrow, I can help you pull records at town hall and the library. My shift ends at five, so we can grab a bite at Kitty’s and be waiting for town hall to open their doors at eight.”
“Honestly,” she chuckles. “I’ll probably head to Kitty’s now. I can’t stay here all night. I don’t think Theodore means any harm, but who knows what else is lurking around here. Until we have some answers, I think I’m going to find another place to stay.”
“You’re more than welcome to crash with me until you figure something out.”