Page 33 of Haunting Salem

"No," I answered. "It's why I asked Lucy to take a look at the markings. I trust her judgment and had there been anything bad attached to the location, she would have cleared it."

“What did you leave behind for Elizabeth Paul?”

“Lavender and Chamomile,” I replied. “Both have calming properties and will help Elizabeth continue her rest. She deserves it after everything she’d been through.”

“Final question,” Chase said. “Are you ready to get back at it?”

I grinned. “I’m excited. These two locations will be the most fun.”

“Lead the way,” Chase stated. “And, now, what you’ve all been waiting for, the last hour of the Simone Hadley Files.”

I headed up the cobblestone lane toward the Seven Gables House where my team was waiting for me. Owen was wide-eyed, and a bit wound up while Jack stared at the house a little hesitant while Lucy appeared unaffected once more. "We've got this. We have an hour to explore and see if the rumors are true or false."

We stepped into the house and the first thing striking thing I noticed was the fact it was so dark. In the corner of the room, I could see the red light of our camera along with the rem pods we'd placed in each room. The lights were steady. I also noticed the abnormally still air. It had been as though the structure was lying in wait, leaving me a bit uneasy. I closed the door behind us as we stepped farther into the home.

“Okay guys, Lucy, you go with Owen and check out the small staircase where a child’s laughter was heard. Jack and I will check out the kitchen and the cooking hearth where it’s said a cook was killed because her skirt caught fire, then we’ll investigate the attic together and the basement.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Lucy said. “Come on, Owen.” She lead him to the staircase while Jack and I went in the opposite direction.

“It’s said a woman’s screams can be heard in the kitchen. Some people have seen the image of a woman falling to the ground after her skirts have caught fire.” I stepped into the area first and glanced around. “Interesting...”

“What?” Jack questioned, stepping next to me. “Wait...”

“Yeah, nothing. It’s dead air in here.” Confused I continued into the space and began calling forth the spirits to talk to us. “You’re quiet. Could you talk to us for a minute? Please? We just wanted to know what happened to you. Did you die because of a fire in the hearth? Was there any water placed before the fireplace so you could protect yourself?”

“How long did you work here?” Jack asked. “Did you enjoy your job?”

“It might be residual,” I whispered. “The screams, the scene playing out. If it is, we might not receive a response.”

“I thought about that too. Plus, there is so much going on we might have scared them, instead of the other way around.” Jack chuckled softly.

"True. Overstimulating ghosts can cause them to tire easily enough." We gave the area another ten minutes then we went to find Lucy and Owen, who were still at the staircase where the young boy liked to play. "Did you have any luck?"

Lucy shook her head. “Silence. Maybe we’re too late?”

“No,” I said, “I don’t think it’s that. I think they’re overwhelmed maybe.”

“Too much going on,” Jack added as the rem pod in the attic went off. “Or not.”

We climbed the stairs to the attic where Nathaniel Hawthorne used to play as a child and then his son. “Hello?” I glanced at the small device in the middle of the room. The red lights were steady, and the alarm had silenced. “If you’re here, and understand me, can you touch the rem pod and make the light turn green?”

I held my breath. I wanted this to work so badly. All of our experiences tonight were beyond my expectations. I didn't want the investigation to end, but I also knew we were running out of time too. The light flickered to green before going back to red.

“Good job!” Owen said. “Red is no and green is yes. Ready?” The light flickered again. “Super. Are you a child?” The lights on the rem pod changed to green. “Perfect. Thank you so much. Are you Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son?” The lights stayed red. “Are you another child?” The green light flashed. “Did you die here?” The green light came on again.

Owen asked several more questions, but no responses were ever recorded. The house had gone quiet once more and with our half-hour almost up, we left the Seven Gable house with more questions than answers. I didn't discount the eye-witnessed accounts of what happened in the house, however, I wondered if maybe we missed something important. I looked back at the structure as we made our way to the Witch House. The darkened windows were eerily empty. Almost as if the building was devoid of any energy at all, which wasn't true. So, how did it temper itself?A mystery for another day. Besides, the mystic of the house is what keeps people coming back.I had to remember not every place we go would be a hotbed for activity.

When we arrived at the museum, I could feel the darkness of the space beckoning us forward. It took my breath away. My heart pounded just as it had when Gaspar stepped in front of us. My fingers twitched and trembled, and I had this unshaken resolve to not enter the place, stupid as it sounded. Jamie waited for us by the gate to the entrance. She wore the same worried expression I'd been feeling since entering the area.

“I want to give you the tour,” Jamie whispered. “But, I can’t. There’s something in there that’s preventing me from stepping foot on the property.”

I frowned. “Have you felt it before?”

She shook her head. “No, strange, right? I’ve never had any issues going into the museum before. Now... I don’t get it.”

Well, I wasn't going to jeopardize her safety. "It's okay. We'll do this. Don't need Zane or Cian jumping our asses for you getting hurt." I tried to keep my tone teasing and filled with humor, but deep down, the dread of the unknown churned within me.

Jamie grinned, hugging me tight. The gesture caught me off guard, but the warmth of her embrace, imbued me with energy. "I'll be right here though. I won't go far. I have enjoyed everything you've done tonight."

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