The group decided they’d head into a more overgrown area of the garden. Becky feared if Larin turned into a bear near the servants’ cottage, their luck would have a delivery driver or police officer show up just in time to see a bear wandering around.             “Do you believe this is a safe spot?” Larin suspected Becky suffered from nerves, but if Gemma insisted on humoring her, then he would too.             “I believe so. Does it hurt?” Becky blurted out in her intrigue over this revelation.             “It’s like the pain of moving from one position to another after a long time. Your body remembers it, but there’s still an ache.” Larin’s ey

     Evan and Becky arrived at the library with time to wait before it opened. They found a coffee shop and sat down with drinks to wait.     “What do you think we’ll find in this research trip?”     “I’ve been thinking about that and the main flags I’m looking for are patterns in the deaths, methods, times, and any evidence of the occult. If it’s found only within a certain time period then I’ll assume it’s mass hysteria and not real. If it does appear through the whole time, we will need that missing book desperately. The other thing we’re looking for is any reference to the missing book and where it might be hidden. I’m also far too nosy to ignore the fact that there’s at least one juicy story. The records from Mr. Winters are very extensive but lack the details about the people. I don’t see a reason for the reason the Butlers f

             Becky and Evan loaded several reams of photocopies into her messenger bag. Evan carried her bag while she carried her laptop that no longer fit into the bag and her purse. She desperately wanted another coffee, but neither of them wanted to return to the coffee shop and encounter that server again.                          “Let’s get back to the car and get back home. I’ve not got a good feeling about here and I want no more run-ins as we had at the coffee shop.” Becky walked out of the library behind Evan. In time to see a local police officer place a ticket in his car. “Wait, Evan. Don’t engage him. That’s small-town politics for you. Nope, we’ll hang back, let him leave. Gather evidence and then figure out something. If we need to, we

“So, what was this poem your Aunt Esme used to tell you?” “It wasn’t really a poem. What she told me didn’t rhyme honestly. The whole thing was more than a series of vague directions. I mean, like hints in a crossword puzzle or a treasure hunt.” Evan said. “Gemma hated anything like that. She always preferred things and people that didn’t make her search for the answers. I suspect she would get bored too easily, and that annoyed her more.” “Yeah, I know if I wanted to annoy her in scho

             “This isn’t what I expected. I thought it would show how to get to the desk. Or tell us where to find the secret compartment in it.” Evan looked disappointed. He’d expected everything to be handed to him in the portrait without putting the work in. Gemma knew it would only be a matter of time before this happened. He to found study and research boring and draining. They’d both struggled in school with this.             “It just might. But it’s also telling us we need more than just the book. Look here. On the book cover. These symbols are from the desk. I’ve got the order they are in on my phone now. I suspect our order was incorrect and if we follow this order, we’ll find the compartment.” Becky backed away from the portrait, examining the video she’d just taken. “Now what