Fixing To Die

Miss Dickce and Miss An’gel didn’t appear to be frightened by the thought of ghosts, so he decided he shouldn’t be either. Besides, it was still daytime, and ghosts really didn’t come out until nighttime. He was okay going into the house now, he decided, and continued his progress.

He knocked on the back door but received no answer. After a moment he opened the door and stepped inside. “Hello, anyone here? Miss Marcelline, are you here?”

There was no answer, so he pulled the door closed behind him and advanced into the kitchen. He sniffed appreciatively at the scent of a roast emanating from the Crock-Pot he espied on the counter. He wasn’t sure if they would be dining here tonight, but he sure hoped so. Based on the food at lunch, he thought Miss Marcelline was in the same class as Clementine back home. Clementine cooked the best food he had ever eaten. He patted his stomach ruefully. He had gained at least ten pounds since he’d come to live with the Ducote sisters.

Benjy passed through the kitchen and out into the hallway, where he paused briefly to listen. He didn’t hear any voices. Where were Miss Dickce and Miss An’gel? He wandered down the hallway and glanced into the open doors.

The first floor appeared to be empty. He walked back to the staircase and looked up. He remembered what Miss Dickce had said about the cold she had felt on the stairs. He hesitated a moment. What would he do if he felt it, too?

Might as well find out. He climbed the stairs to the second floor without feeling any change in temperature. He felt almost disappointed by that, but a little relieved as well. He paused at the top. He wasn’t sure which room either of the sisters was occupying. He recalled a mention of the French room, where Miss An’gel was going to stay, but he had no idea which room it was.

He didn’t want to knock on any doors and disturb anyone unnecessarily, so he pulled out his cell phone to call Miss Dickce. The phone began to ring, and he waited for her to answer. After a moment, he heard her say, “Hello, Benjy. Where are you?”

Before he could answer, he felt a soft touch on his shoulder, yelled in fright, and dropped the phone.

CHAPTER 12

While she unpacked in her new bedroom, An’gel kept pondering Mary Turner’s remark about Nathan Gamble. How she hoped something would happen while he was in the French room that would scare the life out of him. Had Mary Turner told the man anything about the strange events in that room? She would have to ask Mary Turner when she saw her next. It didn’t seem fair to let the man spend the night there without some kind of warning.

Of course, Nathan Gamble might not believe his cousin. He might think she was simply trying to get him out of the room so Miss An’gel could have it back. An’gel and Dickce could certainly vouch for Mary Turner, after the two incidents that An’gel had experienced. If the man didn’t believe them after that, he could look out for himself.

A scream from outside her door startled An’gel into dropping the dress she was in the act of hanging in the wardrobe. Whoever screamed sounded terrified, and An’gel stood rooted to the spot for a moment. Then she hurried to the door and yanked it open, only to behold Benjy, hands clapped over his eyes, bent slightly forward, trembling.

Mary Turner, who stood behind him, said, “Benjy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I thought you heard me coming up the stairs not far behind you.”

An’gel relaxed against the door frame and felt the pounding in her chest begin to ease. They were all on edge, and poor Benjy had evidently had a real fright. She watched as he dropped his hands, straightened his back, and turned to face his hostess. The poor boy’s face was beet red, and An’gel knew he was terribly embarrassed. Bad enough that he had yelled like a scared child, but worse that it was in front of Mary Turner, whom he admired. An’gel felt bad for him.

Benjy offered Mary Turner a sheepish grin. “Sorry to yell like that. I guess I’ve been thinking too much about ghosts, and since I didn’t think anyone was in the hall with me, I overreacted.” The red began to recede from his complexion.

“There’s no need to apologize to me,” Mary Turner said firmly. “I’m the one who is apologizing. I should have called out to let you know I was behind you.”

“The main thing is,” Benjy said with a shaky laugh, “you’re not a ghost. No telling what I might have done if I’d looked around and nobody was there.”

Dickce hurried into the hallway from her room. “What’s going on? Who screamed? Is everyone all right?” She stooped to pick up Benjy’s cell phone from the carpet runner. “Isn’t this yours?” She held it out to Benjy.

“Yes, ma’am, thank you.” Benjy accepted the phone and then explained to Dickce that he was the one who’d yelled and why.

“My goodness, no wonder you reacted that way,” Dickce said. “An’gel and I are both a little jumpy after what we’ve experienced today.”