Brian would be sore for more than a week after he helped rescue Luke. But he could hardly complain. Luke was still in the hospital since both his legs were broken just above the knee, his shoulder was fractured, and he had a couple of deep gashes where the nails had gotten to him as the building collapsed on top of him. Luke was permanently in a bad mood since he had to be pushed around in a wheelchair for his legs to heal or stay in bed. He was in constant pain too, but he did not complain about it.Cynthia knew something was wrong with Luke, but she could not put her finger on it; yet. Roe had told her they had discovered an axe near where Luke had been, it was a crew member’s axe, and the very axe they had been looking for since the day of the incident. All construction on the property was halted to clear up the pile of wood. Brian had planned a wooden floor for the pavilion, the dark mahogany had already been purchased, but after his experience with the beams, he felt they were

Nadine and Jerry got married on the fifth of January, the garden was in full bloom, and the koi fish were jumping in and out of the water, which scared the pastor half to death since he thought he saw a woman in the pond.Some of the guests jumped when the wedding march was played on a guitar, that stood up against a chair, the strings moving as if by themselves. All though unsettling as it was to some guests, they still enjoyed the wedding. At the end of the ceremony, Luke leaned in to whisper something in Jerry’s ear who had nodded and then repeated it to Nadine who simply nodded.Brian, James and Luke stepped forward, closed their eyes and their bodies shook for a second. When the boys opened their eyes the pastor crossed himself quickly and held up a crucifix towards them.Brian was the first to open his mouth, his lips did not move, and yet, a deep baritone voice filled the air.“I, Robert James Thomas, hereby bless thee with a long life, full of prosperity and love, with the kno

The City Gardens was an unsettling place. Brian felt the chills run up and down his spine as he stepped through the gate. He halted in his tracks as he caught the dark shadows dart out of the corner of his eye and to an abandoned building that seemed to have been ravaged by a fire.Brian did not like the look of things. He heeded Bradley and Roger’s warnings and silently called to his family. When he turned to look back he noticed the Mayor and her escorts were still standing at the curb beyond the gate.“Aren’t you coming in with me?” he asked carefully.“Will you not be able to manage the walk yourself?” the Mayor replied frankly, as if it was his fault that she was shaking in her high heel designer shoes.“You have to show me what you want from this place. I can’t run without direction.” Brian said to her.“Why don’t you just walk around and come back and tell me what you think? You are the landscape artist?” came the indignant reply.“What do you want me to do with it? Restore it,

Imagine the Mayor’s surprise early the next morning when she walked up the City hall’s steps only to be met by the three Thomas brothers in the reception area.“Have you reconsidered?” She said by way of greeting.“No, we need to get into the archives.” Brian said simply.“What for?” she asked confused.“I need to know what was the connection between the Wilcox and Thomas families fifty years ago; and what they did in the City Gardens.” Luke told her quickly.“Can’t you ask your ghost friends?” Mayor McCummins responded.“It’s not something you ask ghosts Mayor, especially if they were keen on keeping scandals out of the public eye.” James said.The Mayor shrugged and said“I’m sorry, I can’t help you. Mayor James Thomas had sealed those records in a vault that no one could open for fifty years.” She said and started walking away.“Aren’t you curious Mayor? About those records?” Brian suddenly called out to her.The Mayor’s interest was sparked, and she turned to look at the boys.“Wh

The rest of the week past by quickly enough, quietly enough, save for the new voices in the garden anytime from eleven pm to three am. Not that the main house heard the racket. It was most unfortunately Brian and Nadine that was affected.The lack of sleep and the over bearing pressure to restore City Gardens seemed to be taking its toll on Brian. He grew paler by the day, and the bags under his eyes sagged even more, until finally he had enough. Early Saturday morning he commandeered his two younger brothers to help him move to House three, and when Luke asked, he simply said Bradley and the girls seemed to be constantly partying.The boys were still moving Brian’s things when the Mayor’s fancy car pulled up into the driveway. Joe went out to greet the Mayor, but was instead met with Enrico.“How are you I. Thomas?” Enrico greeted him with a smile.“Very well thank you and yourself?” Joe replied, somewhat confused.Joe knew Enrico was one of Mayor McCummins goons, he had seen the man