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“Did someone die in this house?” I asked quickly.
“Um, not that I know of,” Cam replied with a shrug, but Kayley looked a little uncomfortable as she studied the house.
“Kayley? Answer the question.”
“No one was killed or anything,” she replied.
“Yeah, but did someone die here?”
“I’m pretty sure someone died in this house. It’s over a hundred years old.” Kayley approached me. “Nolan, it’s not haunted.”
I studied her, wondering if I could believe her or not. “It better not be haunted. I can take just about anything, but I don’t do ghosts.”
Kayley laughed. “You mean, all I had to do was tell you the house was haunted, and you wouldn’t have bought it?”
“Yes! I told you, I don’t do ghosts.”
Cam stiffened and then began to step slowly back. Man, he better not be trying to freak me out! I was already freaking.
“Um, ladies.” His voice was soft and deep.
“Come on, Cameron. That’s not funny,” I hissed at him and then turned to Kayley. “Explain what you were talking about.”
“No, I’m not playing any games with you,” Cameron said softly.
“It’s no big deal, Nolan. It’s just a story.”
“Ladies!” Cam said louder, his eyes trained behind me.
Kayley glanced at him and then around me. She squealed and grabbed my arm. “Don’t look behind you.”
“Kayley Young! If you even think to tell me that there is a ghost behind me, I’m going to smack you silly.”
She shook her head and took a step back, pulling me with her. She kept shaking her head. “No ghost, but how do you feel about snakes?”
“Snakes?”
Chapter Four
Bradley
Today, my entire crew was working on a new house. That was my favorite kind of job. I loved when I had a clean slate and a set of blueprints in my hands to work with. I enjoyed doing remodels too, but when I had the chance to build from the ground up, I was thrilled, and so was my entire crew. I also enjoyed doing restorations, but those jobs were few and far between because they were costly.
Chester was my foundation man and always made sure that the concrete pours went smoothly. He also loved masonry, and when I had a fireplace or a stone wall, he was in his element.
Pete was my electrician. He did other things, but he was one hundred percent focused on making sure that the wires and circuits were correct. He was also up to date on the most recent changes in home electronics and appliances. His hope was to one day live in a smart-house entirely controlled by his voice—give me switches and knobs over computers any day.
Milton preferred to put his attention on the bathrooms. His father was a plumber, and while Milton could do anything with a pipe, he excelled at doing tilework and designing incredible bathrooms.
Chad could do just about anything. He was my apprentice and a jack of all trades. He knew the basics of what each of the other men did and assisted them when they needed it. He was also the fastest framer I knew. I swear, if you turned your back, the wall would go up on its own. He also did some remarkable carpentry work for my customers, and he was the only other full-time employee besides myself and my sister.
Milton and I talked as we did an inventory of the materials delivered for the house's framing.
“Yeah, so my father was over at the old Millstone house yesterday.”
I smirked at him. “How bad are the pipes?”
“Man, almost every single pipe in the house needs to be replaced. The place has been stagnant for over two years. A lot of the pipes are rusted through and through. It’s a good thing the water has been off all that time. Otherwise, it would have flooded itself out. If the homeowner tried to use the pipes now, they would spring leaks like a sprinkler system.”
