“Will you be there for the menu tasting?” Ezra asked as he brought the food into the dining room. “We’ll be making a lot of food; we’ll probably have leftovers for a while. But I want your input while it’s still fresh. I know you’re not big into the cooking aspect of the business, but I want you to be proud of the menu too, and I think you’ll enjoy it.”
Clara was a little unsure if she wanted to be part of it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to try anything Nathaniel cooked. After hearing about the deaths Olivia and Kyle suffered due to arsenic, she wasn’t sure she wanted to eat anything anyone else cooked. But she did want to support her husband.
“I think I can take time out to join you,” she said. “I am excited to see what you’ve come up with.”
“You’ll love it,” he smiled. He paused as he sat across from his wife and noticed her rather dreary disposition. “Is something wrong? You look tired, or down, or…”
“Stressed,” she admitted. “I’ve been a little stressed.”
“There has been a lot to do,” he said. “Is there anything particular on your mind that’s worrying you though?”
She took a moment to try the dinner as she formulated her response. It was delicious as always, and the sensation of warm food in her mouth grounded Clara in the present moment. She followed it up with wine to sweeten the bitter words to come.
“I did some research today,” she said. “As you know, some people believe the house is haunted, and there have been some strange things happening here since we moved in. So, I was curious as to why people might feel that way. I thought it could be helpful to learn the history of the house. Thought it might be good to have that background so we can maybe change the narrative and create the kind of reputation we can be proud of.
“So, I went to the police station and picked up the case file. While I was there, I learned Olivia and Kyle weren’t the first people to be murdered in this house.”
“They weren’t?” Ezra asked, his eyes narrowing as he ignored the creepy feeling that followed Clara’s revelation. He wanted to prove to her he was stable, or at least trying his best to find stability. He couldn’t let learning about more deaths affect him. It was difficult though. It seemed like this place was a magnet for tragedy.
“That makes sense though,” he admitted once the initial surprise wore off. “It explains why people thought it was haunted to begin with, why they suspect spirits influenced Lyla and Richard. Why didn’t the realtor disclose this though?”
“I don’t know,” Clara replied. “Two separate murder cases at the same house are probably daunting roadblocks to consider when trying to sell the property, so maybe she was afraid we wouldn’t buy it if she did tell us.
“However, it did also happen quite some time ago. So, she might not have even known about it. At the very least, it was likely so long ago that she wasn’t legally obliged to tell us. The couple who died here were the ones who built this house.”
“Really?” Ezra sipped his wine, then leaned back as if settling in for a story. “Do tell.”
Clara told him all she read about William and Maggie. She was worried about worrying Ezra, but at this point she couldn’t avoid it and it was a relief to share this burden with him. There was so much darkness and tragedy to untangle, that it was nice to have a hand to hold as she walked through these shadows. She hadn’t realized until then how much she hated doing all this on her own.
“And their son was Billy,” Clara said as she wrapped up the story. “Nathaniel’s father.”
Ezra shook his head, shocked and horrified about the whole situation. He already felt bad that Nathaniel hadn’t been able to buy the bed and breakfast before. Now, it was even worse. He was determined to help Nathaniel as much as he could to find that success he wanted. The poor kid deserved it after everything.
“So, the bed and breakfast was built by Nathaniel’s grandparents,” Ezra stated. “And they were killed here.”
“And his father tried to buy it back after the bank took it from them. He couldn’t though because Lyla and Richard bought it, and he was never able to come up with enough money. He was never able to reclaim the property that, had his parents made different choices, he would’ve inherited. His life would’ve been so differently. Likely much better.”
“That’s awful,” Ezra said. “My heart goes out to Nathaniel and his father. Though on second thought, maybe it’s for the best he couldn’t buy the property. Maybe I’m just trying to make myself feel better, but I could see it being difficult for Nathaniel to be here all the time. Sleeping in the same house his grandparents died in.
“I mean, of course the property is going to mean a lot to him. His grandparents built the place, his father put his heart and soul into it. But it also hosted a lot of tragedy for his family. It seems like it could be better for him to buy his own place and start fresh without the tragic backstory that’s far too personal for anyone to deal with twenty-four seven. I think it’s time for Nathaniel to make a name for himself. I think, I hope, that maybe in the long run he’ll be grateful he wasn’t able to buy the bed and breakfast. Even if it hurts right now.”
Frustration rested at the tip of Clara’s tongue, but she left it there. How could Ezra not see what she was seeing? As she relayed the story, she
