Margaret’s husband was the sergeant and she had worked there a long time. She’d seen too many people who were interested in this crime for reasons she deemed unsavory and shameful. She didn’t recognize the woman in front of her, so she suspected she was someone from out of town chasing information on a crime that had caught far too much media attention for her liking.
Margaret was protective of her small town. She didn’t like the reputation it was getting. She didn’t like anyone who might further the stigma.
“I moved here recently with my husband,” Clara explained. “We bought the bed and breakfast and are planning on reopening it soon. I’d like to know the history of the house though, since we’ll be living there.
“I’ve heard there are some dark rumors about the property, so I’d like to get to the bottom of it so I can understand what’s going on. I think it might be helpful to know where these rumors are coming from so we can effectively combat them and revamp the bed and breakfast’s reputation. I want to give proper respect to the children’s deaths while turning the focus away from their murders.”
Margaret instantly warmed towards Clara. This was everything she had hoped for the property and their town. They needed someone to change the narrative about the bed and breakfast. She would do anything to help with that.
“That’s an admirable undertaking,” she said. “I’m grateful someone’s taking the time to do it. That house needs a thorough rewrite. I’m so tired of people visiting simply because they’re curious about something so morbid, something that broke all our hearts.
“To really get to the source of the rumors though, you’ll have to go back to a time before the scandal with Lyla and Richard. You’ll have to go back to before they even owned the bed and breakfast.”
“What do you mean?” Clara asked, though as she thought of it, it only made sense there’d be more to the story. Brittany thought a ghost influenced Lyla and Richard, but why would she believe there were ghosts there in the first place? There had to have been another death before theirs.
“I’m surprised the realtor didn’t disclose it,” Margaret said. “Though it was so long ago, maybe they didn’t need to. Maybe they didn’t even know about it. I guess most of the younger generation doesn’t. Things were different back when it happened. We weren’t all openly ghost hunters and fascinated by death. Back in those days if you were like that, you’d be shunned. It’d be far from normal and everyone in town would judge you for it.
“It’s a whole new world now though.” Margaret shook her head. “Now people flock to the darkest parts of humanity like we used to flock to a good meal. Anyway, there was another murder before Lyla and Richard took over. Because it was a different generation, that bed and breakfast stayed closed for a long time after that. It was rumored to be haunted and the only person who wanted to buy it, didn’t have the money to.
“I think he almost came up with it though before Lyla and Richard took it over. It took him longer than most because he was orphaned at such a young age, and his grandparents didn’t do him many favors in the way of education. We all felt bad he wasn’t able to make that particular dream come true, but he seemed content enough working alongside them after.”
“Nathaniel’s father,” Clara whispered, as a morbid picture began to form.
“So, you’ve heard about Billy?” Margaret asked. “Of course you have. He’s still well-loved in the community.” She shook her head. “Such a shame his life was so tragic. He was a good man.
“Anyway, it’s such an awful situation all around. To really dispel the haunting rumors, you’ll have to address the first murder. Would you like that file as well?”
Clara nodded. She thought about asking Margaret to explain further, but she was having difficulty following what Margaret was trying to get across in the first place. Another murder? She hadn’t been told about another murder, and one was eerie enough. What was it about the property that brought on such horrible actions?
Clara paid the fee for the extra file, thanked Margaret, and went to the library. She no longer felt completely comfortable in her own house. She wasn’t ready to admit to that out loud quite yet though. She still couldn’t fully explain why.
28
Clara gravitated to the space in the library where she first found comfort; the little room in the back where the book club meeting was held. No one was in there now, so she snuggled up on the warm red flannel couch that was right in front of the window. Sunlight reflected off the snow-covered ground to give Clara plenty of natural light to read by. She liked the reminder of the trees, blue sky, and books all around her. It helped tether her to a reality that was far more pleasant than the dark cases she was diving into.
She decided to start with the first murder. She thought it might be helpful to give her context into what happened with Lyla and Richard. She still didn’t think ghosts could’ve explained why they murdered their children, but learning about the first murder might explain why Brittany thought ghosts were involved.
Furthermore, those rumors could’ve had a deeper impact on Lyla and Richard, though it was awful to consider. If enough people got into their heads, convincing them the house was haunted, it might’ve colored the way they saw things. They could’ve started to attribute the strange, unexplainable things that happened in everyday life to ghosts. It could’ve triggered something in their minds that was already mentally unwell.
Fear did horrible things to people. Clara worried that if Lyla and Richard thought the house was haunted and feared the ghosts, maybe they also started to think they were possessed by
