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I frantically answered the phone, more curious than anything as to why he would call me so late.
“Hello?” I asked nervously.
“Hey, there, Miss Logan! I’m sorry to call so late—the time difference between West Virginia and Tokyo is not incredibly forgiving.”
I immediately calmed down knowing it was just a friendly check-in rather than an emergency of any kind.
“It’s just the first chance I’ve had to touch base,” he continued, “and I thought I’d give you a ring to see how everything is going so far.”
It was the first time communicating with the man verbally, and I was shocked at how young he sounded. And handsome. He was like some sort of Ryan Seacrest TV personality, so perfectly articulate and charming it was as if he practiced in the mirror. I had always pictured him as some old millionaire who was too grumpy and busy to make time to personally connect with his employees, and I was happy to be mistaken.
“It’s going well!” I responded with my most positive, chipper voice. “I really do appreciate the work you did before I got here, and I can tell you with certainty that you’re going to love how the kitchen and bathrooms turned out. They’re beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like them, and I’m especially looking forward to seeing them myself.” He chuckled, and even his mild laugh was so crisp and even that it was hard to believe he wasn’t professionally trained—or maybe he was, and I just didn’t know it. “Ted’s not giving you any trouble, is he?”
I paced up and down the east wing hallway as we talked on the phone, a nervous habit I’d picked up from my father. I struggled to be still on the phone unless it was with someone I was very comfortable with. “Not at all, he’s been wonderful. The two of us will get along just fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Mr. Silver said. “I guess my only other question for you then is if you’ve noticed anything in the place I should know about? Any leaky ceilings or obvious damage you’ve noticed in the last day and a half or so?”
While I genuinely hadn’t noticed anydamage, I figured this was my chance to inform my employer about the property’s reputation so he wouldn’t be blindsided upon his arrival.
“I haven’t noticed anything, no,” I responded, “but I did venture into town today for a few things and made some small talk with the cashier down at the grocer about this place.”
“Is that so?” he asked, sounding interested.
“Yeah, and she happened to mention that there are some concerns and fears around town about the property…” I mused.
He didn’t cut in to speak, so I took the opening and spilled everything the girl had said this morning. I told him about the supposed missing girls and the visions teenagers saw in the window, as well as her unwillingness to explain further—quoting her “bad luck” reasoning.
“You know what all that sounds like to me, Logan?”
“What’s that?”
“Sounds like small-town Appalachian superstition is what it sounds like.” Another million-dollar laugh came through the phone, and he sighed like an amused father listening to his toddler tell a story. “Don’t let all that talk get in your head while you’re up there. You’ll just freak yourself out for no reason.”
“But hey—” he said, clearly trying to wrap up the conversation, “I’m glad to know the place is treating you well so far. Don’t be afraid to shoot me an email if you need anything. I’ll try to be available via phone, but as I said, the time difference can be pretty harsh.”
“Absolutely,” I said, hoping he could hear my fake grin through the phone. “Thanks for checking in, I really appreciate it.”
“Think nothing of it, Logan. Talk soon.”
Before I could even say a final goodbye, Mr. Jonas Silver hung up the phone. I stared at the blank screen of my cell phone for a few minutes, trying to pick through the details of our conversation with a fine-toothed comb. It felt incredibly odd that he would so quickly dismiss the claims about the property and the mansion sitting on it. I thought if I had what had to bemillionsof dollars wrapped up in a property when you considered the cost of the place plus updates, I’d be a little more invested in its reputation, but he’d blown me off almost right away. It was almost like he had already heard what I had to say and chose to ignore it. But how was that possible if he had just purchased the property recently?
Exactly how recently had he bought it? Installing new appliances throughout the house was not exactly a one-day project, and much of the house didn’t look or feel as old as it truly was.
I shook my head to dismiss the snowballing doubts. Until I had concrete reason to believe something funky was going on, I would only drive myself insane trying to connect dots that didn’t need connecting. It truly wasn’tthatweird for a millionaire to invest in a property without caring about the history—especially if he intended to flip it and sell it to another out-of-town millionaire looking for a mountain getaway.
I took another long look at myself in the bathroom mirror and pushed my fingers through my long dark hair, sending a waterfall of wavy black locks down my back. No matter what I was going to get into tonight, I would look good doing it, dammit. I marched down the hall with confidence to the foyer and grabbed my purse off the hook next to the front door. As I walked, I swore I could feel eyes boring into my backside as I flipped on the front light and exited the elaborate house.
When I cleared the gate at the end of the driveway, I decided it would be for the best if I locked the gate. It was one thing to leave it unlocked while I was occupying the mansion and the front door was locked, but if I was getting paid topreventvandalism, I had to at least make an effort to do so if I wasn’t going to be around. I popped out of the car and threw the heavy chain around the gate with a moment of doubt that perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to leave the property unattended.
“Tedtoldyou to explore the town, you ding-dong,” I said to myself as I fumbled with the keys in the dark. “You’re not doing anything wrong. Just go, have a beer, do some people watching, and see what comes of it.”
I cranked the radio up when I got back into my car, and the noise immediately helped to distract me from the oddities plaguing my mind. I missed Blair, I missed home, and a part of me that I kept shoving further and further down did genuinely wonder what sort of insanity I signed up for by taking this job, but as the music raged in my ears and I sang along, it was hard to concentrate on anything besides just that.
Much to my surprise, the town of Tallpine did appear to come alive at night. The street lamps lit up the quaint downtown area, and the sidewalk outside of Bonfire Bar & Billiards was filled with smokers taking a break, a man with a guitar serenading anyone who would listen, and a bouncer who looked like he was already ready for bed despite the night only beginning. I pulled my car up as close as I could and exhaled in relief as I managed to parallel park on the first try. I did my best to blend in as I waltzed up to the door and handed the bouncer my ID.
“Pennsylvania. I knew you had to be from out of town,” the bouncer said as he inspected my license.
