The Guest House Hauntings Boxset

by Hazel Holmes

  Frustration seeped into Lyla’s bloodstream. She was already under so much pressure and dealing with this uncomfortable conversation with Billy wasn’t helping anything. She wished she could afford to give him what he wanted, and the fact she couldn’t made her angry and embarrassed.

  “Listen, I care about you, Billy. We’ve built a great friendship between us. We have a great working relationship too. I don’t want anything to come between that, so I need you to understand we just can’t do that right now.

  “Like I said, we can revisit the idea in the future. Maybe six months from now. Maybe a year. It will come eventually. But for now, the answer is a hard no. Let’s not cause any unnecessary tension.”

  “I’m not causing anything,” he bit back, his tone sharping as his voice rose. “I’m simply asking for what I’m worth. We don’t have to wreck the great relationship we’ve built. You just need to start appreciating me a little more.

  “I care about you too, but I don’t see where you get off saying I’m so helpful, saying you see all the work I do, but being unwilling to give me the pay I deserve. If you really appreciate me, show me by giving me the money. Most people wouldn’t do all I do.”

  “Most people wouldn’t expect to be handed a share of the profits,” Lyla argued, her tone growing heated as well. “That’s a huge ask. You can’t just come in here demanding something like that, then getting bitter because I say no.”

  “You are so ungrateful! You know, I was approached by Brittany and Sam a couple of weeks ago. They offered me a job at their bed and breakfast, and they offered me a lot more money than you pay me currently. I turned the job down because I’m loyal to this family. Because I care about this property so much. But I’m starting to see the feeling isn’t reciprocated.”

  That stung. Finding out her best friend tried to steal Lyla’s most important asset to her business stung. Hearing Billy say he thought they didn’t care about him stung. This whole conversation hurt her in a way that made her angry. She tried not to lash out, but that comment disintegrated her self-control.

  “Is that so?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “It is,” he insisted. “Apparently they see the hard work I do and think I’d be an asset. An asset they’d be willing to pay fairly.”

  “Well, if working for them would be so much better than working here, maybe you should take the offer,” she hissed.

  “Maybe I will!”

  Billy stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

  44

  Clara put the book down for a moment as she considered the ramifications of this revelation. It sounded like Lyla and Billy had quite the nasty fight, but was it reason enough for Billy to want them dead?

  Perhaps not. It would seem like an overreaction if he killed them simply because he didn’t get the raise he wanted, especially because he was offered more money by Brittany and Sam. If he was that angry about it, he could always quit and work for them instead.

  However, the refusal could’ve been simply one too many slights after already having lost the bed and breakfast to them. This was personal to Billy, and the fact that he cared so much could possibly drive him to murder. Clara continued on to the next page.

  Lyla had talked to Richard about her conversation with Billy that night. He agreed that they simply couldn’t give Billy what he wanted right now. They were in a tough situation and they couldn’t afford any extra expenses.

  A couple of days later, Lyla and Billy apologized to each other. He still wanted the raise, but he cared about the family and the property too much to leave. So, he stayed, and they tried to make it work.

  It seemed things were never quite the same after that though. The buried bitterness led to various small fights and noticeable tension. Before the issue of payment could be truly resolved, before they could give Billy the raise they wanted to give him, the family was murdered.

  Clara took the book downstairs. It seemed to only confirm her suspicions. Based off what she read in the diary so far, Billy was the only one who the couple had ever fought with. He was the only one who’d have reason to kill them. She didn’t understand why Richard and Lyla couldn’t see he was the most obvious suspect.

  They cared about him though. Clara chalked it up to that. They cared about him and they’d probably be so hurt to learn he was the one who killed them. But it would clear their names and possibly give them enough closure to move onto whatever came next, which was far more important.

  Clara felt like she was closing in on an answer. The pieces were adding up. But was it enough to clear their names? It was likely enough to get the police to at least look at him as a suspected again.

  Much like before, her initial reaction was to protect Ezra from this information that might worry him. That idea quickly faded. They had learned that they needed each other, and keeping things from each other hadn’t helped at all. So, she went straight to Ezra this time. He took an early lunch and she showed him the diary.

  After he finished reading the most important sections, they went into the living room. Ezra started a fire in the fireplace, filling the room with the smoky scent of the pine logs. The warm colors of the living room brought them together, as the fuzzy blankets against their skin comforted them. They curled up on the couch, Clara’s feet in Ezra’s lap. They needed to be close. They only felt safe now when they were together.

  “What do you think?” Clara asked. “Do you think it’s enough to get the investigators to take a second look at the case? Do you think they’d take the diary seriously?”

  “I don’t know,” Ezra said. “It’s something to consider for sure. I don’t see how they wouldn’t take it seriously. But they do seem dead set on pegging Lyla and Richard for the murders. So, I’m not too sure. At the very least, we should probably hand it over to them though.”

  “You’re right,” Clara nodded. “At least if we give the diary to them, then they can decide what to do from there. We’ll know we did the right thing.” She paused. “Though I wonder if I should read through the whole thing first. If the investigators don’t take it seriously, they might not read through it. They might skim through it and they could miss something important.”

  “Do you really think they would choose not to look over something that could be such an important piece of evidence?”

  “I don’t know, but you’ve read some of the same true crime stories I have. Investigators aren’t always the best at taking things seriously, and it seems they missed something huge when they decided Lyla and Richard were responsible when it seems Billy is clearly the most likely suspect.

  “I’m not familiar enough with them to know for sure. So, I do think we should hand it over to be safe. Maybe it’d be even safer to look over it ourselves first though. I could spend the rest of the evening reading, and hand it over tomorrow.”

  “That could be a good idea,” Ezra agreed.

  The sound of the crackling fire filled the space where their words were supposed to go. Ezra was working through hefty thoughts he wasn’t sure he could carry. Living in a murder mystery was much more complicated than simply reading about one. Each step had to be calculated, but it still felt like they were making the wrong ones.

  “Do you think we should talk to Nathaniel about it?” he asked. It was the question that first popped into his mind when she showed him the diary, but he suspected Clara wouldn’t react well to it.

  “Nathaniel?” Clara asked. “Do you think that’s a good idea? This further proves his father probably killed them. That gives him reason to kill us.”

  “I still don’t think he’d kill us though,” Ezra said.

  Ezra had thought a lot about his interactions with Nathaniel, trying to puzzle out ahead of time if he’d be a danger to their family. He was trying to find something he missed. He couldn’t come up with anything, even thinking about things as critically as possible.

  “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I just don’t think he’s the type. He
could provide us further insight into the fight though. We know what Lyla was thinking, but he could possibly help us understand where Billy’s mind was at. That information is most important anyway. We need to know if he was upset enough to kill them. We need to know if he was capable of that sort of thing.”

  Clara was surprised Ezra was still even considering talking to Nathaniel, but he did have a point. The diary only gave them one side of the story, and it was one marred by frustration and anxiety. They still didn’t really know what kind of person Billy was. They didn’t know what his thoughts were outside of the interaction.

  Furthermore, even Lyla admitted that Billy deserved the raise he wanted. She wasn’t entirely honest with him about it, so it made sense why he was upset at her. It didn’t necessarily mean he was a bad or irrational person. Yet being justified in his anger also served to make him more dangerous.

  “I don’t know,” Clara said. “It still seems risky to talk to him. There’s got to be another way we can get into Billy’s head. Besides, how would you even approach him about this after your last conversation? It sounds like he was pretty upset. I think the last thing he’d want to do is help us figure this out.”

  “Can’t blame him,” Ezra said. “If he’s innocent, I kind of accused him of something awful.”

  “I still don’t think he’s so innocent,” Clara assured him. “Though he could be useful either way. Maybe you could lure him into a conversation if it comes to that, but it’s such a risk. Maybe we should read the diary first and go to the police station. If they still won’t take this seriously, then we could talk to Nathaniel.”

  “If the investigators talk to him first though, he might already be on guard and less likely to talk to me if I approached him. If I approach him first, he might be more willing to talk to me than he would an investigator since he knows me.”

  Clara was skeptical, though mostly she didn’t want Ezra taking that kind of risk. She needed him now more than ever. She trusted Nathaniel less than ever.

  “I’m not so sure about that,” she said. “After the conversation you had, he’d likely be defensive around you too.”

  Ezra leaned back and curled his body around Clara. He kissed her shoulder, deep in thought. This was all too stressful. It seemed there was no good way to go about this, and he was starting to doubt they’d ever be able to rid themselves of the property’s dark past.

  “He still needs to pick up his last check,” Ezra said. “I’ll text him about that and try to talk to him while he’s over. Or I’ll at least see if he’s open to a conversation. If he’s still furious and super defensive, I’ll back off and leave it to the investigators. But if he’s cooled off a little, I’ll bring it up with him and see if I can fish any more information out of him.

  “I’ll try to be a little more careful than last time. I’ll find a nice way to broach the topic. I just think it’d be helpful if we could get him to share more about his father, and sometimes you have to take a risk to get what you want.”

  “I suppose,” Clara responded. “I just think…” Her words were cut off by her phone’s buzz. Clara glanced at the screen to see whose name had popped up. “Oh no,” she said, jumping up.

  45

  Are we still on for dinner tonight?

  Clara and Ezra had forgotten all about their dinner plans with Brittany and Sam that night, and neither were in the mood to host guests.

  “Should we cancel?” Clara asked. “We don’t have anything ready, and they’re supposed to be here at six. It’s already almost five.”

  “It’s not ideal,” Ezra admitted. “But I would feel bad canceling so last minute, especially after they hosted us at their house. I just totally forgot. We’ve been so busy trying to get ready for the opening, plus dealing with the added stress of knowing there’s ghosts in our house and worrying that someone dangerous might be targeting us.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to remember anything anymore.”

  “I feel the same,” Clara admitted. “I mess up on some of the simplest things lately purely because the stress has become a lot to handle. I’m sure they’d understand if we told them we’ve been too busy with the opening, but I would also feel bad. Do you think you can cook up a decent dinner in an hour?”

  “Possibly.” Ezra glanced around the house at the random tools, brushes, clothes, dishes, and general chaos that had taken place while they were distracted by other things. “Do you think you could tidy up the house in an hour?”

  “Possibly,” she replied, followed up with a groan. “I don’t want to, but I’ll clean the house if you’ll cook dinner.”

  They looked at each other.

  Of course we are! See you at six.

  Then, they got straight to work.

  By the time Brittany and Sam arrived, Clara and Ezra were not at all in the mood for guests. They were both exhausted, but dinner was done, and the house was clean, their clothes were tidy, and their hair was brushed. They looked like a put-together couple, though that was far from how they felt.

  “Good evening!” Clara said as she welcomed Brittany and Sam inside. They plastered on smiles and hoped their masks wouldn’t slip. They hoped having guests would ease the strain enough so they wouldn’t have to fake their happiness and high spirits for too long.

  Brittany and Sam faltered for a moment and shared a look. Clara wondered if her exhaustion was that plain to see, but they quickly reverted to their normal selves.

  “Good evening!” Brittany replied, hugging Clara. “I’m so glad you invited us over. I’m looking forward to seeing the changes you’ve made so far.”

  “Well, dinner is almost done,” Ezra said. “But I think you have time for a house tour first.”

  “Perfect!”

  “Though it is a little different than your house,” Clara warned as she took their coats.

  The house had come along exactly as she wanted it to. It looked like a bigger version of a Victorian dollhouse, with each piece carefully chosen to be a replica of an era gone by. It had a distinctly literary feel to it, inspired by their favorite classics. It was unique and Clara was proud of the dream she brought to life.

  Yet it was far less flashy than Brittany’s property. It wouldn’t suit everyone’s tastes and she was okay with that. Mostly. She wanted to impress her new friends, especially after all the hard work she’d done. She wasn’t sure they’d find it all that impressive though.

  “That’s great,” Brittany said. “We need variety around here, and from what I’ve seen so far, I already love it. I think it’ll draw in the kind of guests you were hoping for. It’ll stand out in a good way.”

  “I hope so,” Clara replied, and she continued the house tour with confidence while Ezra finished up dinner.

  Brittany and Sam were the perfect guests who seemed to know exactly the right things to say to make Clara proud of all the work she’d done. The house had come a long way since they bought it, and their enthusiasm made her more excited to show it off on opening night.

  “You’ve clearly purged the house of its ghosts,” Brittany said as they finished up the tour. “It’s so vastly different from the business Richard and Lyla were running that people will surely stop associating the dark past with it. You’ve carved out your own space here.”

  “I hope so,” Clara replied.

  Though she knew ridding the house of its ghosts wouldn’t be quite so easy. They were still here, watching. She could feel them occasionally. They never fully left her mind. Despite what Ezra said, she still wasn’t fully comfortable knowing they were there. She just hoped they wouldn’t make an appearance that night. With everything that had already gone wrong since they bought the property, she knew it was only a matter of time before something bad happened.

  46

  After the house tour, Sam excused himself to use the restroom. Clara and Brittany headed for the dining room, but before they got there, Brittany stopped Clara with a hand on her shoulder.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, keep
ing her voice low enough so only Clara could hear. “You look exhausted. I know there’s probably a lot going on with opening the bed and breakfast, but you just seem a little… extra drained, I guess. I want to make sure you’re not overdoing it. You don’t want to burn yourself out before business has even begun. This is such an exciting time. I hope you’re enjoying it at least a little.”

  The concern on Brittany’s face dispelled all the notions Clara had that she’d been hiding her stress well. She was exhausted. Though she and Ezra had chosen to go about their everyday lives while they tried to figure out how to solve their murder mystery, life hadn’t exactly reverted to normal for them. She hadn’t been sleeping well thanks to nightmares, and she was constantly on guard. She was always waiting for something bad to happen.

  “Everything’s fine,” Clara assured her. “I am enjoying it; I’m having fun setting everything up. There’s still a lot of pressure though. Like you said, there’s just a lot going on with the opening. There’s a lot to do, which leaves less time for sleep. Once that’s settled, I’ll be feeling much better. I just need a good night’s rest is all.”

  “You definitely should get some sleep. It’s so important to rest, and it’ll help you be far more effective. You know you can talk to me though, right?” she said, looking at Clara with a skeptical look. “If there’s anything else going on, you can confide in me. I know we haven’t known each other for a super long time, but I do still consider us friends. I always try to be there for my friends. I wouldn’t want you to have to go through anything alone.”

  Of course, Clara wasn’t going through it alone. Now she and Ezra were being honest with each other, they had each other for support each step of the way. Still, she was tempted to confide in Brittany. She longed to reach out to someone on the outside, who wasn’t so closely related to all this.