Sam went on, “Wyatt had his brother arrested for the theft of the coins, but the law wouldn’t search the old house as William’s wife and two sons were living there. Eventually, they had to let William out of jail.”
“Why did Wyatt need the coins?” Mark asked. “Didn’t he have all the land, the new house, and the money in the bank?”
“He did, but he was fixated on the coins. So fixated that, one cold February evening, he went to the old house and killed his brother, his brother’s wife and the boys by piping the exhaust from the furnace into the house. But no one could prove that he did it.”
“Why do you think he was the killer, Grandpa?”
“The bodies were no sooner removed when he began to tear large holes in the walls, looking for the coins. His explanation for the destruction was that he was tearing out the heating system that killed his brother. Wyatt had an accident while checking out the ceiling in the dining room. He fell and broke his back. He spent the next twenty years painfully navigating through life in a wheelchair. He cursed the house, which he was sure made him fall off of the ladder.”
“Did they ever find the coins?” Mark asked.
“No, I don’t think the coins were ever there. Seems to me, if William had found the coins, he would have given them to his brother. He wasn’t jealous of his brother; he was happy to have the house in which he was raised. His wife was a frugal woman, and the boys were intelligent and would have no trouble making their fortunes.”
“Why didn’t they let Wyatt search the house?” Edie asked.
“William was very protective of the old house. He didn’t want to see it damaged. I think that he, his wife and children also wanted to preserve the old building the best that they could.”
“So they died protecting the house,” Mark said. “It’s a shame, as it’s in ruins now.”
“It still has good bones,” Grandpa Sam pointed out. “The roofline is straight, and the foundation is solid.”
“Grandpa, we could fix it up.”
“Oh dear,” Edie said, paling at the idea.
“Mark, your grandmother and I aren’t fixed that well with money. Any extra, we have given to your mother for your father’s care,” he explained. “It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to make it livable.”
“Consider it an investment. I bet you could sell it for twice that price,” Mark said optimistically.
“But, dear, it’s haunted,” Edie reminded her grandson. “No one would buy a haunted house, not on purpose.”
“It would take a strange person to deliberately buy a haunted house,” Sam agreed.
~
Ted and Cid were busy preparing the floorboards of the porch for staining. Murphy used his brawn to sand down any areas where the old paint still clung.
“This is the spot were Amber did her little sexy dance when she was possessed,” Ted informed Cid. “Paint has never adhered to this area since that happened.”
Murphy stopped and moved to where Ted and Cid were working. He put his hand on the wood and felt just a bit of a memory of his wife there. He picked up his axe and sunk it into the boards.
“What the hell, Murphy!” Ted objected.
“Evil boards,” he said simply and left.
“What? Mia, Murphy’s gone nuclear on the porch!” Ted called into the house.
“Coming,” she called from the kitchen where she had been inventorying what was left of their plates and bowls after Murphy had chopped the cabinets off the wall. Mia walked out and over to the chopped pieces of wood, took off her gloves and touched one of the boards. She dropped it like a hot potato. “Evil boards,” she said, rubbing her hand on the leg of her jeans as if she could disengage the image that way.
“That’s what Murphy said,” Cid told her.
Mia looked around her to make sure Murphy was not within earshot before she spoke, “I saw Chastity Murphy engaged in a disturbing, carnal act with Steele just before he killed her. The boards soaked up so much of her blood. Frankly, I’m amazed that the floorboards of the porch are still original.”
Cid looked at the hewn and sanded boards. “Stephen did a first rate job in preparing the wood. Look, the bottom and two sides have been soaked in a resin of some kind. I’ll go and…”
Murphy returned with replacement boards, the saw, a hammer, and nails. He cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”
Ted, Cid and Mia made room for the ghost. Mia put on her gloves and picked up the cursed wood, headed over to the fire pit and tossed the boards in. Ted caught up to her with a road flare, lit it, and the two of them watched the boards burn.
“Normal people use a match,” Cid stated on his way to the barn for more supplies.
Mia leaned into Ted and felt his comforting arm around her.
“Do you think he knows what happened on that spot?” Ted asked.
“I don’t know. I hope not. Perhaps to him, the boards were just evil.”
“I was telling Cid about Amber’s dance and…”
“Oh dear,” Mia said, wiping a tear away. “Then I’d say he knows she died there. I just hope, not how.”
“I’m sorry you have to see that kind of stuff, Minnie Mouse,” Ted said.
“Me too,” Mia sighed. “I find it disturbing that a house can hold on to so much. It’s almost as if it has a memory.”
Ted’s smartwatch lit up. Centered on the small black screen was Brian, babbling in the middle of the crib. “The little dude’s awake.”
“I’ll go…” Mia turned to leave. Ted caught her arm.
“Mia, let me go. I think you need to have a talk with Murphy. He’s hurting right now and needs you.”
Mia looked up at Ted. “You can’t help being wonderful,
