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“This is the closest thing we have to a main hub. This doorway leads to the formal dining room, and then this is another hallway, which will lead you to the library, some offices—again, the list goes on.”
“How did you not get lost as a child,” Ethan asked with a shocked laugh as she moved further into the main floor.
“Oh, I did. The staff was just trained to find me,” she said with a small smile. “Back then, I didn’t know enough to be terrified of this place.”
“I bet you gave them a run for their money in these halls,” I snorted. “Hide and seek takes on a new meaning.”
She gave me a wicked grin. “I had to find my fun somewhere.”
Elizabeth continued toward the kitchens.
“This one leads to storage and the basement. You couldn’t pay me enough to go down there, never could,” she said, giving the door the side-eye. “I’ve never even been down there.”
“Basements were never my favorite,” I agreed. I definitely wasn’t going to blame her. With a place this big, the basement had to go on for fucking miles.
She continued the tour, showing us elaborate room after room, until we worked our way back to the entryway and to the grand staircase.
“There are plenty of guest rooms, but I had them specifically clean up and prepare the South wing for you. It’s my favorite and has the best view of the mountains,” she promised.
“Oh wow, thank you,” I gasped. An entire wing was a lot and far more than I expected.
Elizabeth waved me off with a smile. “I wasn’t exactly sure of your dynamic or how many rooms you need, but there are plenty to choose from. I also had them clear out one of the rooms completely because I know that you guys like to keep your equipment in one place. There’s also plenty of space downstairs if you prefer that as well. Just tell Margaret what you need and she’ll help you set up whatever data center you need for all of your equipment,” she promised.
Ryker’s eyes lit up at that. I could already see the wheels turning, planning how to set up a home base like we always did.
“Speaking of which, I believe a few of your deliveries have arrived. Margaret can help you with that. Honestly, Margaret can help you with anything you could possibly need, and she’ll be here from morning until evening.”
“Does she live in town?” I questioned.
“No, the grounds aren’t just pretty landscaping and the security office. We actually have a home that used to be for all of the staff, but we converted it into Margaret’s place. Everyone else lives in town or nearby. They just drive in to work. The security team has an office in town as well because they help protect not just this place, but our businesses.”
“That makes it seem a little bit less lonely in this castle, huh?” Ethan said.
Elizabeth let out a long sigh that I think she felt in her soul.
“You would think,” was all she offered before putting a smile back on her face.
“That’s about all I have. Here is a card, I just loaded all of the funds for the month on it. I’ll give you the information you need to either transfer it to your own accounts or to just use this card. I went ahead and put Ben’s name since he was my contact, but I trust that you can share with everyone,” she questioned, raising a perfectly drawn eyebrow.
“Of course,” Ben said, taking the next stack of information from her and putting it in his bag for safekeeping.
“I went ahead and added a bonus in case you needed equipment or anything like that. The cook will be here every day unless the weather gets crazy. You can talk to him about allergies and menus. He can literally make anything, and I mean anything. There’s been more than one drunken order that he’s made for me. And if you happen to need a hangover cure, he’s your man.”
She said it all in a huge rush. It was nice but quick, giving us a rundown so she could leave as quickly as possible.
“Sounds good,” I said. “Is there anything else we should know about this place?” It didn’t go unnoticed that we didn’t talk about the ghosts at all yet. She brought us here to investigate so she needed to let us know what we would face. This was a big place and far too much to face without at least a few leads.
She glanced from one of us to the other before her shoulders slumped, and she let out a deep sigh.
“This place has always felt a little bit strange. You’re never truly alone at Bellmore Castle,” she said, the words hanging in the air. They were ominous at best and unsettling at worst.
“Most of the activity you’ll hear from staff is things going missing or moving on their own. The occasional door opening and closing. The security team has talked about a few strange things with the cameras. I’m sure you can talk to them about that. Graham is an open book.”
“And you, personally?” I questioned.
“Let’s just say the months since my father died have been terrible. Something here is unhappy either with his passing or with me being the only one left. I’m not sure,” she said, looking down the hall as if something was going to burst out of nowhere and attack her.
This woman wasn’t just lonely, she was terrified, and that left me more than a little bit worried about what we were going to uncover here.
