The Guest House Hauntings Boxset by Hazel Holmes (novel books to read txt) 📕

He debated the topic with himself as he drove to the bed and breakfast to pick up his last paycheck. Should he apologize? He considered it. He considered trying to get his job back, but he wasn’t even sure if he wanted his job back. He was still angry after all. It was still hurtful to be kind of accused of something awful. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to do.

Those thoughts were clouded over by concern when he saw Brittany’s car in the driveway. Nowadays he always had an initial bad reaction to the couple, probably because of all the times his father warned him about them. He wasn’t surprised to see they had made friends with Ezra and Clara. They tried to become friends with everyone in town, trying to bring more guests to their business and make as many connections as they could. Still, he wasn’t thrilled to see them there. He almost turned back around and went home, almost decided to wait until later to pick up his check.

The fact that it was Brittany’s car stopped him. He figured Sam was at work and Brittany was probably inside talking to Clara. Nathaniel parked his car over by the café entrance, so he could avoid running into Brittany. He walked up to the café door and went to open it like normal. It was locked.

He peered inside, surprised. Ezra was always up early, always working in the café by now, and he didn’t keep the doors locked during the day. Yet the lights weren’t on and it didn’t look like anyone was inside.

I’m telling you, Brittany and Sam had something to do with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they killed Olivia and Kyle themselves. Probably Richard and Lyla too. I tried to warn them…

Billy’s words came out to join his son as Nathaniel stood in front of the café. He thought about going to the front door and knocking, but his father stopped him. There was another way in.

“They’re really going to hate me if I do that,” he whispered. “They already think I want to kill them.”

He couldn’t sneak into their house. He knew how to, sure. He’d found all the secret spots while playing hide and seek with the children, but Ezra and Clara would hate him. They’d probably call the cops. He’d be arrested with no good explanation of why it looked like he was trying to break in.

Nathaniel glanced back at the car and cursed under his breath. He went over to the woodshed and opened the rickety door. The smell of pine reminded him of his father as he walked carefully over broken pieces of bark and tiny twigs. He walked past the rows of logs to the back corner of the shed where he picked up a board that lay over the floor.

It revealed an old set of wooden steps, hidden mostly by darkness. Nathaniel felt around the walls and found an old flashlight.

“If this doesn’t work, I’m going home,” he said, hoping it wouldn’t. It turned on easily though, and Nathaniel always did what he said he would do. So, he started down the steps.

The dank, musty smell overwhelmed the pine scent as spiderwebs clung to his clothes. He ducked as he walked through the cramped, underground corridor, trying not to touch anything.

When his father had been the caretaker of the property, this space was always cleaned out. It was important to have plenty of ways guests and the family members could leave the property if a fire broke out, or some other danger befell them. Even when Billy was at his angriest, he always made sure this corridor was available for use.

Nathaniel cursed himself for not telling Clara and Ezra about the space sooner as a spider fell on his shoulder. He flicked it off and hurried down the claustrophobic space until he reached the end where a loose wall board waited. Oddly enough, a charm from a bracelet was on the ground in front of it. Nathaniel took note of it, not caring much at first. As he moved the board though, he considered what that could mean.

He bent down and picked the charm up. It was a little dusty, but not overly so. It was dropped here recently. Someone had been using the passageway, but probably not someone as tall as him. Not someone whose hair would get tangled in the higher spiderwebs that hadn’t been swept away.

Brittany’s car was in the driveway, and Billy had been so convinced that Brittany and Sam were up to something. Brittany was shorter than him, and the charm did look like something she might wear…

Nathaniel hurried into the basement, terrified for Ezra and Clara. Terrified for himself.

He thought about turning back. He was putting himself in danger for a couple who thought he was dangerous. He could simply call the police and let them deal with it. They’d probably have better luck than he would. But what proof did he have, really? People already looked at him suspiciously. What would they think if he told them he found a charm while sneaking into the basement of Clara and Ezra’s house?

He’d be arrested for sure. If Ezra and Clara were okay, his life would be ruined. He would be just another member of his family with a bad reputation.

Yet he couldn’t just leave them either. Not before at least making sure they were safe. He decided he’d simply have to be careful regardless and make sure not to get caught. If he saw Ezra or Clara and they were safe, he’d sneak back out. If they weren’t… he’d deal with that as it came.

He went up the stairs much slower than he wanted to, quiet and careful. He listened intently but couldn’t hear a thing. It didn’t sound like anyone was downstairs, but he opened the door gently regardless and listened for any sounds of life.

The familiar house felt like a maze as