A beam of golden light shone through the windows and bathed Vic in it. The sun warmed her back as she slept leaning over the desk. She stirred and then woke. Drool pooled at the corner of her mouth and she wiped it away with her hand. She sat up and complained about a kink in her back. She stretched and then checked the time. 7:20 am. She stood, walked out of the room, and headed for the breakfast room. She figured that since she was up she might as well get breakfast and the morning routine started. It was the least she could do considering that she’d scared the bejesus out of Michael and Megan.

  She grabbed the coffee pot and filled it with water from the tap in the pantry and then set the coffee maker to brew. She then took the pantry stairs down to the kitchen. She rooted around in the pantry for a pancake mix and grabbed eggs and bacon from the cold storage. She set about mixing the pancake mix and cooking them on a griddle. The bacon went into a pan. Twenty minutes later all the pancakes were done, kept warm in the oven. The bacon followed it and she scrambled all the eggs. Once the eggs were done she put them in a covered bowl and put everything on a tray. She took it to the dumbwaiter in the pantry and placed it inside.

  She climbed the stairs to the room above and then called the dumbwaiter up. She retrieved the tray and carried it to the breakfast room. Michael entered as Vic was getting everything ready.

  “What’s this?” He asked.

  “Coffee and breakfast,” She started the tea kettle. “I woke early and thought I’d get breakfast ready.

  “You didn’t have to,” Michael grabbed a clean mug and poured himself some coffee.

  “I know, but I did. Enjoy it.” She made herself a plate and sat down to eat. “Oh, I found the diary last night.”

  Michael put his mug on the table opposite her and made his plate of food. “I was going to show that to you yesterday. It slipped my mind after the police.”

  They were chatting about the diary when Martha ushered Liam and William in.

  “Oh boy, pancakes!” They said in unison climbing into their chairs.

  Martha said good morning to them and got the boys their food.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” Vic took a bite of her eggs.

  Michael was in the middle of telling her about the continued work of removing the broken plaster. In a few days, they would start putting up sheetrock. Megan entered the room and was surprised that they were all there and that breakfast had been made.

  “Who did this?” She asked.

  “Guilty as charged,” Vic raised her hand.

  “You? You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I know, I was up,” Vic said.

  “It’s very much appreciated. Thank you!” Megan poured her coffee, grabbed her food, and sat down next to Michael.

  Vic thought it was nice to just sit there with this family and be a part of it. She didn’t get that a lot growing up since it was only she and her mom. They talked while they ate, going over the day's plans.

  After breakfast, the boys were seen off to school with Martha, Michael retreated into the construction zone beyond the plastic sheeting and she and Megan went into the dining room that served as their office. They went over the inventory of all furniture and pieces in the house. Megan suggested that before they go to the store to look for specific pieces they should check the store rooms first.

  The women crossed the bare great hall, entered the servants' stairs, and took them up to the third floor. They exited into the plain servants’ quarter. A brown threadbare carpet filled the hall. The walls were white and dirty, and the light fixtures were plain. They walked down the hall to the door that separated the servants’ quarter from the other hall.

  This hall had once had a lush green carpet with vines depicted on it. It was in better shape than the rest. This floor, outside of the servants’ quarters, must have not seen much traffic. The wallpaper was once a bright blue, with flowers and vines on it. Now it was faded and peeling. The ceiling had a large water stain on it that occurred sometime before the roof was replaced.

  Megan and Vic walked down the hall to the storeroom and went inside. It was a large room with three large windows overlooking the back garden. There were boxes stacked on boxes, old furniture draped in sheets, paintings, a pair of old crutches, a doctor’s bag, mirrors, trunks, a girl's dollhouse, a dress form, and many other things. The room was filled to the brim. Right away Vic found a chandelier that was original to the house.

  “This looks like it only needs to be rewired,” Vic held it up. The chandelier had brass arms, intricately adorned with delicate filigree. Crystal pendants dangled from every curve, and cascading from the center a profusion of crystal beads formed a delicate curtain.

  “And a little polish,” Megan added.

  They started making a pile of things near the door. Megan found a few more chandeliers and the missing wall sconces. Some of them were missing the glass fixture, which they could replace. Megan began going through boxes, and Vic grabbed trim from a pile near one of the walls. The women chatted while they meticulously went through the things in the store room. Piled near the door were 3 chandeliers, trim, a wardrobe, 2 side tables, a writing desk, and a couple of bolts of vintage fabric that were in good shape. They ended up standing in front of a large mirror that looked like it had been hung over a mantel. Vic wiped the dust off it as they both gazed into it. Between the reflection of the two women, a figure of a man was seen to walk by. Startled, they both turned. Nobody was there.

  “Who’s there?” Megan called.

  There was nobody there. Megan rushed to the door to look into the hall, Vic on her heels.

  “Is there anybody up here?” Megan called again. A twinge of apprehension in her voice.

  Nobody called back.

  “Did you see what I saw?” Vic asked her.

  “A man who walked behind us.” Megan’s eyes were wide and she rubbed her arms. “He must have been one of the workmen. I bet Michael sent him up here for something.”

  It couldn’t have been one of the workmen, Vic thought. There was no possible way anybody could have disappeared that fast, and they hadn’t heard a sound. No footsteps, no bumping into things, no creaks on the floor.

  She told Megan this and then said, “ It could have been a bird or a bat that flew by and just looked like a man. They’re fast. They could’ve gotten out of view that fast.”

  She didn’t think Megan believed that. She didn’t believe it and she didn’t want to believe what she thought it was. Because that didn’t exist. They hurriedly grabbed what they could because neither of them wanted to be up there anymore. Vic grabbed a chandelier, and Megan grabbed two of the smaller ones, and they made their way down the main stairs.

  The stairwell to the second floor was across from the storeroom and it came out on the second floor, where they took the grand stairs down to the main level. The sounds of sawing and electric drills, on top of hammering, could be heard. Megan strode into the dining room and set her Chandeliers on the table, Vic did the same.

  Megan stalked off in search of Michael, concerned Vic trailed after her.

  “Michael,” she called.

  She had to repeat it a few times before he heard her and came out to the great hall.

  “Did you send anybody up to the storeroom on the third floor?” She was attempting to be composed.

  “No, why,” He asked, puzzled.

  “We were startled by a man who shouldn’t have been there,” Megan said.

  “Who was he? Did he give his name, or that he worked here?” Michael was becoming concerned.

  “No, you don’t understand,” Megan’s voice got higher. “He disappeared. We saw him walk behind us when we were looking in a mirror and when we turned, he was gone.” She was shaking now, all composure gone. “Michael, I need to know if one of the workmen was up there with us.”

  Michael put his hands on either side of Megan's shoulders.

  Vic stood by watching her overreaction to something that probably had a mundane explanation. It was creepy when it happened, but she was sure it was innocuous.

  “I didn’t send anybody up there if that’s what you’re asking, but I can go ask the guys and see if anybody went up to take a little tour if it will make you feel better.” He said, running his hands down her arms.

  Megan was trying hard to hold back tears. Michael embraced her and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Come, I want you to sit down,” and he led her into the library and sat her in a chair.

  Vic followed behind and sat in a chair near Megan.

  “I’m sure it was nothing. A figment of our imagination,” Vic said, trying to reassure her.

  “It wasn’t. I know what I saw. There was a man in the room with us. You saw him too, but he just disappeared so fast.” Megan hugged herself with her arms.

  “I don’t know what I saw. It happened so fast that I can’t be sure it even looked like a man. Our eyes play tricks on us all the time. Vic explained.

  They sat in silence for ten minutes before Michael returned. “I’ve talked to all the guys and nobody’s been upstairs.” He stood, hands on his hips shrugging. “Vic, can you tell me what happened in detail?”

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  Vic explained that they saw the man pass behind them when looking in the mirror, startled they whirled around and saw nobody. He wasn’t there, and it was impossible for somebody to move that fast. She mentioned that the clothing the man wore did not look modern, but old-fashioned.

  “I don’t want to say that it was a ghost, because I don’t believe they exist, but I don’t really have an explanation. I mean it could have been a bat, a bird, or something.” Vic said.

  “Well, it wasn’t any of the workmen. It was probably nothing. It was just your imagination.” He explained.

  Megan stood. “Don’t you tell me I saw nothing,” she shouted. “I know what I saw. I saw a man walking behind us. A man who wasn’t there when we looked. I called after him, but he must have run.”

  “Calm down. You’re overreacting,” He said, trying to placate her.

  Megan’s face grew red hot, “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! I am not overreacting. I just saw a strange man in our attic and could very well be the man who broke in and frightened Vic the other day. I can’t believe you have no concern for our safety,” She stormed out of the room.

  Vic mouthed, “What the hell was that?”

  Michael ran his hand through his hair and let out a long sigh.

  “Why is she overreacting this much?”

  “When she was a girl, her brother, and cousins convinced her that ghosts were real and locked her in their grandparent's creepy old basement and left her there for hours before her mother found her. She was completely terrified and claimed that ghosts had come and tormented her. She couldn’t sleep without nightmares for months and had to go to therapy. The boys were grounded, but there wasn’t much else they could do about it. She came out of it with a staunch disbelief in the supernatural and it really bothers her when anybody talks about ghosts or anything like that. She says she hasn’t had any of the nightmares since she was a kid, but at times like these, I wonder.” Michael slumped down into a chair and put his face in his hands.

  “Does this happen a lot? Overreacting about things.” Vic questioned.

  “Not often. There have been some incidents at some of the older homes we’ve flipped. Things that we couldn’t explain that freaked her out. She keeps saying she doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she won’t talk about it. She gets all ramped up and angry about it and then she storms off. I think something really did happen to her in her grandma’s basement and the therapist convinced her it wasn’t real. I think what happened to her was so bad that it still terrifies her to this day and anything unexplained reminds her of it.” He sighed heavily and sat back, looking straight up at the ceiling before looking at Vic. “I just want to protect her. I love her, but it breaks my heart when she’s scared of something I can’t fix. Tell me again what you saw.”

  Vic recounted the incident again and they both came to the conclusion that it had to have been a ghost, even though Vic herself didn’t believe in them. She was starting to wonder.

  ~

  Vic had not seen Megan for the rest of the afternoon. Not even after Martha brought the boys home and gave them a snack. They came to see Vic and tell her all about their day. Liam said they had popcorn during storytime and they did some songs and dances and then they colored. William was in first grade and he said they had to do their own reading. The teacher didn’t read to them, they read to the teacher. The boys then ran off out into the hall to find their mother. Martha trailed after them. She worked until she looked at her phone and saw that it was 5:20. Certainly past quitting time and texted her friend.

  {Hey Allie, Do you want to get together for dinner and drinks?}

  She watched the three dots indicating that Allie was texting back.

  {Sure, where and when?}

  {How about The “D” In about 20?”}

  {See u there}

  Vic went upstairs to change into something a little hipper, grabbed her purse, and jacket, and then left the house. She drove toward downtown and was lucky to find a parking spot only two blocks from The “D”. It was a cocktail lounge/ restaurant that opened last year. It was located in a brick building. The inside was decorated in a 1920s Hollywood glam, art deco style. There was a black and white, funky motif on the floor. Square lampshades hung from the ceiling, and black tables with red chairs sat below them. The wallpaper was black with gold fans on it. Speakers piped out Swing music and the place was a tad bit crowded at this time.

  Vic found a table and waited for her friend Allie. In the meantime, she ordered a Sidecar, an appetizer, and then waited. A few minutes later she saw her friend heading for her. She had long pink hair, big sunglasses perched on her head, and wore a short white fur coat with a pink blouse, black miniskirt, sheer black leggings, and high heels. She had a bag with a long strap hanging from one shoulder. She came over in a whirl, plunked her bag onto a chair, and plopped herself down across from Vic.

  “You look exhausted. What were you up to today?” Vic smiled at her.

  “Oh, the usual, cutting the hair of middle-aged, entitled, white ladies.” She shrugged her coat off.

  Vic laughed, “Do they at least tip you well?”

  “Absolutely not, those cows!” They both laughed.

  A waiter brought Vic's drink and appetizer, Took Allie’s order, and left.

  Allie grabbed some of the crostini off the plate and ate it.

  “I hear you’re holed up in that creepy condemned mansion with some guy.” She stuffed her face with another piece of crostini.

  “It’s not condemned and it’s not some guy, He’s my boss Michael and he has a wife you know, and kids.” She reached for the appetizer.

  “So, is he cute?” Ally prodded.

  “If you must know, yes, he’s gorgeous.” Vic took a bite.

  “Are you going to fuck?” Ally asked, smiling.

  “What? No! I told you he was married.” Vic said, her cheeks warm.

  “That doesn’t mean anything. If he wasn’t married would you fuck him?” Allie was enjoying messing with Vic.

  Vic didn’t say anything. She grabbed her drink and drank slowly, keeping her glass to her face longer than usual.

  “You would, wouldn’t you? I can tell by how you’re avoiding answering my question.” Allie was smiling a huge smile.

  Vic set her glass down. “Keep your voice down, would you?” She looked around to see if anybody was looking at them. “If he was single I’d consider it.”

  “So what’s stopping you?” Allie prodded.

  “I can’t, He’s married with kids, and I wouldn’t do that to Megan. Don’t you even remember how I felt after I found out that Derek cheated on me? I cried for weeks.”

  The waiter returned with Allie’s drink and then they both ordered a meal. Vic ordered the street tacos, and Allie ordered the pasta.

  “Don’t let her find out and she’ll be fine.” Allie sipped her Long Island iced tea.

  “Allie!” Vic shouted.

  Allie smiled, “Alright, alright.” She put her hands in the air. “I’ll stop being a troublemaker.”

  Vic started telling Allie the details about the house. The renovations that needed to be done, the history that accompanied it. How not only did Edward Charles die, but his children died young too. She talked about how excited she was to be working on this project.

  “Why did she live in the house until she died, if all her family was gone?”

  “Who knows? Maybe she felt closer to her family there.” Vic finished her drink, the ice cubes rattled in the bottom of the glass.

  Vic gestured to a waiter.

  “How are you getting along with them? Are they nice?” Allie crunched on an ice cube.

  “They’re great. I like Michael, he gets really enthused about the houses he works on. I think he’s in love with this house and I can’t blame him. It’s a great house. Once you look past the creepiness and odd things.”

  The waiter arrived, took her order for a new drink, and hustled off.

  “What do you mean creepy?” She leaned back, stirring her drink with the little straw.

  Vic told her about seeing the man in the mirror how he just vanished and Megan's overreaction to it.

  “I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation for it, but I don’t know what it is.” She said.

  “Are you kidding me!?” Allie exclaimed, “That was a ghost! A house with that many people who died in it is for sure haunted.”

  “There’s been some other weird things.” Allie looked at her to go on. “I haven’t given much thought to any of this, especially since they’re probably normal occurrences. But I’ve been smelling roses. At first, I thought it was perfume Megan was wearing, but I always smell it after she has left the room, but I don’t smell it when I’m with her.”

  The Waiter came and set down Vic’s drink and took another order from Allie. Vic continued to tell Allie about the small things. The whispering she heard during the storm one night, but that was the wind. She told her about seeing the impossibly long hallway, but that was most likely due to being drunk. She has felt like she was being watched on several occasions, and the other night an intruder, or someone was in the basement and chased her to the kitchen where she held the door shut until they went away. About how all the lights had gone out first and she was so scared. They’d called the police, but they searched the house and didn’t find anybody.

  “I’d get out of the house now If I were you. It sounds like it’s nothing but trouble.” Allie said seriously.

  “It’s not really like that. I mean, yes…That incident was scary, but it’s only because the house is old. When you think something is haunted it becomes haunted for you.” Vic explained.

  “You don’t have to believe in ghosts or hauntings for them to exist,” Allie said.

  “That’s not all.” Vic bit her lip. “I started sleepwalking again.”

  “You what? Why didn’t you tell me? For how long?” Allie sat up, concern showing on her face.

  “A couple of days. I didn’t want to worry you. I’m sure they’ll stop again soon. It’s just the stress of the job.” Vic said, trying to make it sound like it was nothing.

  “Have you wandered outside?” Allie asked.

  “Maybe, I don’t know,” Vic said sheepishly.

  “You don’t know?” Allie replied perturbed.

  Vic told the other woman about sleepwalking into the basement, possibly getting dirty and scratched up in the garden, and clawing at her bedroom door.

  “You need to go to the doctor right now. This isn’t good for you. Have you forgotten everything you went through as a child?” Allie spoke.

  “Of course, I haven’t forgotten!” Vic said loudly. “How could I forget sleepwalking for over a decade and the nightmares associated with it? Do you know I finally saw the man in black? Do you want to know who he is?” She lowered her voice.

  Allie was scared for Vic. She’d been there with Vic when she’d wake up screaming from the nightmares, being too afraid to go back to sleep. When she stayed the night she would crawl into Vic’s bed and comfort her until she fell back asleep.

  “Who?” Allie choked out in a whisper.

  “Edward Charles,” Vic said. “I’ve been having the nightmares too. When I moved into that house I started having them again, but this time I got past the part where it always ended for me. When I finally saw his face, it was him.” She sighed heavily.

  “Do you think that’s who he always was, or if he only took on his face since you are working in his house?”

  Tired Vic said, “I don’t know. I feel this weird connection and I have to figure out what it is.”

  “That house is haunted, your sleepwalking and nightmares started up again, and there may have been, or is an intruder, and there are definitely ghosts. I think you should get the hell out and find another project.” Allie told her.

  “I can’t go. I want this. I want to study this house and make it beautiful again. I promise I’ll go see the doctor. And ghosts aren’t real.” She said.

  “You don’t really believe that now, do you? After everything you’ve experienced?”

  The waiter brought their food out. Vic didn’t answer her. She was starting to doubt herself. She always thought there was a scientific explanation for everything, but it was true that all these incidents didn’t add up. And that reflection of the man in the mirror was the most unnerving of all if she didn’t discount what happened to her in the basement. Maybe she’s been overlooking things just so she can keep saying that ghosts aren’t real. She should have a talk with Michael about it. Maybe he’s experienced things too.

  The two women chatted about less serious matters after that and had a great time catching up. An hour later Vic hugged her friend and told her goodbye and that she would text her soon.

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