Gypsies, Traps & Missing Thieves

by Rachael Stapleton

  “Hugh Deaney and I will take the library,” Michèle said as she pointed to Daemon, who did a double take.

  Vee raised her hand. “So will I.”

  Joelle chimed in, “Gloria, Denise and I will take the second floor.”

  Bronson nodded approvingly before casting his eyes toward Penny, Emilion and Rebel. “You three take the parlor. Aside from myself, I guess that just leaves Mallory and Danior to search the attic.”

  “We’re on it,” Danior said, taking the stairs two at a time. Unable to wait any longer, Danior whispered in Mallory’s ear. “What was up with your performance?” Before Mallory could even form a word, Danior went on. “You were practically vibrating, and that wasn’t your script for Nana’s poisoning scene.”

  Mallory paused at the top of the stairs that led to the attic, staring at the endless array of bureaus, cribs, tables, old bed frames, and wondered which way to go.

  The attic was gigantic. It encompassed half the third floor of their home and was a warren of rooms that used to house servants generations ago. There were no servants anymore, and each room was stuffed full of various items her ancestors had packed away when they had no more use for them. By the looks of it, the previous generations of Vianus never threw anything away.

  “How do you know what my script said? We’re not supposed to share that info.”

  Danior smirked but said nothing while Mallory crossed her arms.

  “You are such a little cheater.” She felt a feathery wisp of fur tease her calf as Bakalo, the manor’s grey forest cat weaved her way in between Mallory’s legs and then headed to the left, flicking his tail and looking back over his shoulder.

  Mallory shrugged. “Might as well follow him—he usually seems to know just where to go.”

  “Well, are you going to tell me what happened?”

  “Truthfully, I have no idea what I said. I’m blank. I remember chanting the words from the script, just like I always do when I’m leading a séance, and then I felt sick. It’s never happened like that before, but I can’t remember anything after Nana asked me about mom. I guess I passed out or something.” Mallory said with a sinking feeling. “Why? Did something happen?”

  Danior started laughing. “Oh, you are good, Malhala Louise Vianu! You are so wicked—you totally had me going there for a minute.”

  “I’m being serious.”

  “Okay, so you don’t remember saying that you were about to be murdered and your killer was standing over you?”

  “No, I don’t. Do you think a spirit took over my body, the way they do in movies?”

  “Okay, you can cool it on the theatrics from here on in,” Danior mocked. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go see where Emilion got to. Try not to get overtaken and murdered while I’m gone.”

  No sooner had Danior padded back down the steps than Mallory felt a cool sensation enter the room.

  She knelt down and closed her eyes to concentrate. “Mama? Grandma Simza, is that you?” There was a ghost that almost always hung around her but never communicated, she had come to think it was either her mother or her grandmother. This one felt a little different though.

  “Hello,” Mallory said. “You can come out. I'm not going to hurt you.” Mallory let her eyes travel around the room.

  Moving around an old chest, Mallory took a few steps forward and immediately felt a dip in the temperature. She crossed her arms and shivered slightly, feeling the icy coolness penetrate her clothing and her skin, seeping into her bones. Funny things had begun happening to her on her twenty-first birthday, like seeing colors around people. She could also hear random music sometimes that no one else could hear. Eventually, she’d seen a ghost, or what she assumed was a ghost—it was more of a glowing orb. In the last four years, she’d learned to communicate with a few of them but she never felt like communication was in her control, more like she was a device, a computer or smartphone there for the using Ghosts could tap in a message for her to pass along. Still, she’d never grown used to the deep chill that came with rubbing up against spectral activity.

  Mallory pushed her discomfort aside and focused hard on the task at hand. “What's your name?” She asked the empty attic space.

  There was no response, but Mallory could feel the fear emanating from a female spirit. She sensed her in the corner of the room, and sure enough, her mind's eye flashed on a female form, crouched and cowering by the window. Mallory moved over to that area and felt the temperature dip even lower.

  The letter L floated into her mind.

  Where? The spirit repeated the word desperately.

  “Do you mean, where are we? Caravan Manor. Can you tell me your name? Does your name begin with the letter L?”

  No. Ellie.

  “Ellie, oh like Elizabeth.” Mallory frowned. Had something happened to the missing player after all, and now she was stuck in a confusing state of limbo.

  “You were supposed to participate in this murder mystery game but you never showed to collect your envelope. Do you remember what happened?”

  Mallory opened her eyes and stared at the blank space in front of her. She couldn't see Ellie, but she could definitely feel and hear her. The energy didn't answer her right away, so Mallory continued to try to win her over. “I promise to help you get out of here, but you’ll have to trust me. Do you remember what happened?”

  … Murder!

  Static. … Murder! Mur…

  Mallory was losing the girl.

  “Who was murdered? You?” Mallory was having a hard time understanding. This was often the case with new spirits.

  Now the spirit was repeating her own name over and over.

  Mallory sighed heavily. “Can you show me a picture? Think of what you’re trying to tell me in images.”

  Ellie was coming close to panicking, and if she did, Mallory would lose contact with her.

  “Ellie, you must listen to me,” Mallory said sternly, hoping the command would snap her out of her desire to flee. “You have to stay with me. I can get you out of here, but only if you show me what happened—”

  Mallory suddenly saw two crosses in her mind.

  “Two graves,” Mallory muttered as she turned around. Sure enough, another dark shadow hung in the doorway, floating back and forth in the opening. If Mallory didn't do something quickly, she'd lose Ellie. “Stay right here, Ellie,” Mallory said as she walked in the other direction where the shadow hovered.

  “Hello, there,” Mallory said. As she got close, she could see her breath as she exhaled, and her teeth wanted to chatter. She resisted the urge to shiver and took another step The man’s energy came into shape and she could make him out. This one was much stronger. “Who are you?”

  I need to give Ellie a message.

  “Okay, but she’s right here. Can’t you see her?”

  Mallory felt a wave of confusion cross over the spirit. He disappeared for a moment and then came back and repeated himself. Mallory wondered if perhaps he had known Ellie as a child and couldn’t recognize her as an adult. Spirits often lost track of time.

  “Ellie is in the room. Can’t you see her?” Mallory pointed to the female energy blinking in the corner.

  No, Ellie. The spirit said in staccato.

  Mallory felt another sensation—something snaking around her neck. A matronly woman appeared beside the male. Please, get my Ellie. We must speak with her.

  Mallory scowled and moved back, searching the area where Ellie had been. She hated when the ghosts touched her. Ellie’s energy was flickering out now. “Ellie?” Mallory said as gently as she could. “I think your mom is here.”

  No, Mallory felt her say.

  “No, what?”

  Static.

  “Who you talking to?”

  Danior asked as she climbed the last couple of stairs.

  The ghosts were gone by the time Mallory turned around.

  “There were spirits up here.”

  “Ooo... creepy,” Danior teased.

  “Yo
u send them into the light?”

  Mallory shook her head no.

  “Mal? What are you looking at?”

  Mallory could hear music once again coming from the corner. Shaking off an uneasy feeling, she turned in the direction feeling a cold draft. A knot of frustration form in her belly. “What are we looking for, again?” Mallory’s shoulders bunched with tension as she looked from one box to the next, not knowing where to start.

  “A diary.”

  Crash!

  Mallory jerked away, looking in the direction of the sound.

  Bakalo sat on the floor behind a small trunk, which she must have dug out of one of the piles, causing it to collapse.

  Mallory bent to pick up the small silver trinket box that had spilled out of it. The box looked so familiar to her. Was this one of her mother’s belongings?

  It was about as wide as her palm and four inches tall. Shiny silver with gold edges and a flower design. She held it out to Danior.

  Mallory’s heart thudded as she studied it.

  “Aren’t you going to open it?” Danior’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

  She turned the front toward her and carefully pressed the latch. The box popped open to reveal a book.

  “What is it?” Danior craned her neck to see inside.

  “I don’t know, some sort of diary, I guess.” Mallory picked the book up and studied the writing inside.

  “Maybe Nana can tell us more about it.”

  “Tell you more about what?” Kaden asked from a couple of feet away, startling both Danior and Mallory.

  Mallory turned to see Eve and Kaden picking their way toward them. She held the book up.

  “Hey! Where’s Lise and Harley? I thought they were with you two in the turret room?” Dani asked.

  “They were. They’re still there, looking through the room’s bookcase. We heard a crash over here," Eve replied.

  “Oh, yeah. That was the cat knocking stuff over. But I’m glad he did because I think we found the clue. Behold the diary.”

  Eve reached out and took the book, her eyes shone as she inspected it. “You found the diary, alright, but I don’t see how we’re supposed to glean a clue from it. It’s gibberish.”

  “Maybe we’re supposed to decipher it,” Kaden said. “Let me see it.”

  “Maybe it’s not part of the game. Do you think it belonged to mom?” Mallory asked.

  “Could be. Maybe it was passed down from Simza; this was her stuff up here, wasn’t it?” Danior said. “I don’t think it’s part of the game but you can show it to the gang, anyway.”

  Suddenly multiple thuds sounded from somewhere else in the house.

  11

  “W hat on Earth was that?” Harley asked coming to stand in the doorway that connected the turret room to the attic. Lise pushed past him and ran through the attic and down the staircase.

  Mallory, inches away from the staircase herself, paused long enough to shrug before racing down the steps after Lise and Danior. The second floor was empty so they kept going all the way down to the first floor.

  Penny, Rebel and Michele were standing in the foyer looking around. “What happened?” Penny asked.

  “We have no idea,” Danior said. “Do you have any idea where it came from?”

  Michèle shrugged. “Where’s Eve?”

  “Right here.” Eve leaned out over the upstairs railing and looked down. “It wasn’t me. I was in the attic with Mallory and Danior.”

  Harley stopped on the landing between the first and second floor. Then suddenly pivoted around and ran back up the stairs.

  “Where are you going, Harley?” Eve asked, passing him.

  “I’m going to check on Lana,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where’s Vee?” Mallory asked as Joelle and Bronson entered the foyer from the back hallway.

  “I don’t know,” Michele said. “She was here a few minutes ago.” She glanced up and down the staircase and breathed a sigh of relief. “For a second there, I thought someone had fallen down the stairs.” She looked toward the dining room. “There were so many thuds.”

  “One of them was us in the attic. Bakalo crashed a trunk over but that was about five-ten minutes ago.”

  “What’s going on?” Gloria asked from somewhere above their heads. Mallory backed up and looked up to see Gloria staring down at her from the second-floor balcony.

  Nana, who was supposed to be dead was standing beside her, holding Abby who barked twice to make her presence known. “See, I told you this would be exciting, Abby-girl.”

  Bronson shook his head. “This isn’t part of the game. And you,” he pointed to Nana, “back to your peaceful resting place.”

  “Oh sure, right,” Nana said, returning with a smirk.

  “Where’s Hugh Deaney?” Michèle asked, her dark eyes widening. “Has anyone seen him?”

  “He was supposed to be with you and Vee in the library,” Mallory pointed out.

  Eve let out a high-pitch squeal as the door to the outside suddenly swung open behind her.

  Vee rushed into the foyer from outside. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body trying to keep herself from shivering.

  Joelle balled her hands on her hips. “Where have you been? Where’s Hugh? Is he with you?”

  “No. I went out for a cigarette and I accidentally got locked out,” Vee said through chattering teeth. Mallory noted that her aura changed. “I guess the back door next to the parlor locks automatically. I couldn’t get back in.” She looked around at their worried faces. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

  Kaden walked to the coat closet and pulled out his coat and hat as Eve filled Vee in on the noise that they had heard. “I’ll go check out back. Maybe a tree fell or something.”

  Vee glanced down at her snow-covered slippers. “I didn’t see a tree fall, and I had to walk all the way around the house.”

  Nana, in despite of Bronson’s dirty looks, hurried down the stairs, and letting Abby down she led the poor, shivering girl to the dining room. “Oh, dear,” she said, pushing Vee into a chair, “I’ll go see if our chef, Nataliya is still up and able to make you some hot tea. That should warm you up.”

  Vee rubbed her hands over her arms as she kicked off the soggy slippers. Getting up, she walked back into the foyer where everyone was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. “So, no one’s seen Daemon?”

  “Who’s Daemon?” Gloria asked as she descended the stairs.

  “I mean… Hugh Deaney.” She started walking across the foyer. Mallory and Danior followed her down a narrow hallway into the kitchen where Nana was boiling the kettle.

  “I thought I saw him come in here before I went outside.” Vee stopped in the middle of the kitchen and turned to face Mallory and Danior “I guess I was wrong. Maybe he’s upstairs,” she said walking back toward the hallway.

  The hair on the back of Mallory’s neck prickled as she and Danior joined the group in the dining room. The lights flickered, and the room plunged into darkness.

  Off in the distance, the kettle screamed and something shattered.

  “Okay. Everyone stay calm,” Mallory announced. “I’ll go get some flashlights.” She crashed through the dining room, bumping into tables on her way out and headed for the kitchen to check on Nana.

  “Nana? You okay?” She asked, coming through the doorway.

  “Doh! Yes. I knocked the mug off the counter while pouring the hot water into it, but I managed not to burn myself too badly.”

  “Can you hand me the first aid kit? It’s in the cupboard over there.” Mallory retrieved the kit and took a peak at Nana’s hand. “I’ll send Rebel in but it looks okay to me.”

  12

  P enny heard muffled whispers and the shifting of chairs.

  Bronson raised his voice to be heard over the mutterings around the room. “Let your eyes adjust to the dark,” he said. “I’m sure Mallory will be back in a moment.”

  As if on cue, Mallory click
ed on a large flashlight that she shone in everyone’s eyes before realizing she had blinded them all with its brightness.

  “Oh, sorry, everyone. I have some flashlights here,” she said as she pointed her light at the ground and made her way to the tables, passing them out.

  “We only have a few of these, but Lise went to get some candles,” Mallory said. “Unfortunately, we do lose power occasionally during severe storms. We have a backup generator and the lights should be working momentarily.”

  Murmurs spread as people clicked on their lights.

  “Why don’t we all move into the lounge?” Mallory swung her light toward the door. “The fire is warm and bright, and we can have drinks while we wait for Emilion to get the power up and running again.”

  The flashlights and the promise of more alcohol improved the mood of the room. Scraping chairs, giggles, and exclamations of “delightfully spooky” accompanied the group out of the room. They trooped down the dark hallway, following Mallory’s light, and settled by the fire. All except for Rebel who headed to kitchen to look after Nana.

  Eve looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

  “Isn’t this exciting?” she said. “A blizzard, a power outage, and a haunted manor! What could be more fun?”

  “Haunted?” Denise asked with a quivery voice.

  “Oh, definitely,” Eve said. “The owner’s mistress died on a night just like this. Fell down the stairs and—.”

  “Shall we hunt for the ghost now that we have flashlights?” Gloria asked.

  “Absolutely,” Eve said.

  “What about the diary?” Michèle questioned.

  “Oh, Mal, didn’t you tell them? She already found it,” Eve said. “It was in the attic.”

  “No, it can’t be. The game diary is still in play,” Joelle said.

  “Maybe we should all go back to the attic where Mallory found the other one,” Kaden said.

  Eve threw up her hands. “Well, count me out. I want to drink and tell ghost stories by the fire.”