Page 67 of Unruly
“That’s me. The gallery isn’t quite open yet, but if you’re interested in a certain piece, I’d be happy to show it to you.”
“No, actually, we’re…” He glances at me. “We’re independent filmmakers and we’re researching the history of the Samuel Brent Hotel, and specifically the hummingbird brooch. Our research led us here. Do you have a minute to talk about it?”
Michael sets the canvas against a wall and hurries toward us. He’s older, I’d say in his sixties, with salt and pepper hair that touches his shoulders, squinty dark eyes, and ruddy cheeks, but a pleasant demeanor over all.
“What about that damn brooch? It’s not here, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” I answer. “That’s a strong reaction.”
“That thing is cursed I tell you. It’s haunted my family for generations, and if I ever get my hands on it again, I’ll melt it down and sell it for scrap.”
“Haunted in the literal sense?” Borja asks.
Michael looks wary but he nods, folding his arms across his chest. “I know it sounds insane, but yes, in the literal sense. Years ago, long before I was born, my family went to great lengths to keep it under wraps, locked away where it couldn’t do any damage, but then a distant relative, not knowing any better, tried to sell it.” He leans against a chair. “Allegedly, the two people he sold it to returned it within twenty-four hours.”
Borja glances at me, then back to Michael. “Do you know how it was eventually returned to the hotel?”
“Yep. My Great-Aunt Patricia returned it. She decided it was too much trouble for us.”
I’m not sure this history is helping us.
“I suppose you want to know about the locket then?” Michael asks.
“The locket?” I step forward. “Yes, tell us about it.”
He gestures for us to follow him across the gallery into a smaller room. Inside a glass case is a small gold locket. “This belonged to my great-great-grandmother, mother to John Henry Wolcott, who is pictured inside of it.”
Michael pulls out a set of keys and opens the case, delicately lifts the necklace, and hands it to me. I immediately sense the Horror contained inside it.
“Can we borrow this?” I ask. “I assure you we’ll return it to you unharmed.”
Michael twists his lips as he studies me and Borja. “You’re not doing a documentary, are you?”
“I, um, we?—”
He lifts his hand, cutting me off. “I can sense things, and I’m definitely getting some feelings about you two. You especially,” he says, pointing to me. “You know about these objects, don’t you?”
I see no point in lying at this stage. “Yes. Something is attached to objects that are connected to John Henry Wolcott. We need to find all the pieces and put them together to banish the spirit for good.”
I’ve never told a mortal about the world beyond the veil, so I’m not sure what kind of reaction I’ll get, but an understanding nod isn’t what I expected.
“When the locket is close to the brooch, things happen. It’s why my great-aunt returned the brooch to the hotel but kept the locket. I’ve been tasked as its keeper, but if you can fix it, I’ll more than happily hand it over to you.”
Borja smiles. “Awesome. We’re close to resolving this, we think. Hopefully, this is the last missing piece.”
“Unless you know of any more haunted heirlooms in your family.”
Michael smiles. “No. That’s the last of it. There were some letters, but those were destroyed in a house fire years ago. It’s weird, because nothing happened for years with the objects until there was an estate sale and some of the items were sold. It’s almost like something awakened them.”
“Something for us to consider, certainly.”
Borja nods. “Definitely. We’ll return it as soon as it’s all clear.”
I dig in my pocket and produce a card. “If you have a pen, we can give you a phone number to reach us.”
Michael pulls one from his pocket and hands it to Borja, who jots down his name and number on the card.
“Thank you. You’re helping us a lot, Michael.”
