Chapter 93: A Ghost In The Room (1)

After having their quiet breakfast with the family downstairs, Richard and Elaine left the mansion to go pay his sick mother a visit as planned, and Juliana already assured Richard that she would be there to join him. The rest of the household kept themselves busy with one thing or the other as everyone separated. They were either stepping out, or returning back to their various rooms or study rooms to continue with their secret businesses.

Inna’s wonderful cello music could be heard from outside her room, and she chose to play a relaxing song that kept even the servants at ease as they worked while also listening to Inna’s masterpiece.

Since everyone was distracted the way it should be, Cassian couldn’t risk the chance he had as he made his way towards the restricted area that had been abandoned after the death of uncle Williams. He had made sure to check the areas properly, and when it became clear that no one would take this direction, it was the perfect opportunity to explore the darker part of the mansion without getting caught.

His Amber-brown eyes constricted as he stared at the shadowy darkness that encompassed that area in broad daylight.

Keeping it at the back of his mind that he could easily expect anything, he wisely kept his gun tucked in its holster while Lily appeared by his side like she knew he planned on summoning her already.

"Shall we do this?" He looked at the little ghost girl who met his gaze with a dreary look, and she averted her gaze elsewhere without responding to his question, which was very much expected since she has refused to say a word since the first time he saw her ghost.

"Let’s go."

"Wait...hold on!" He had barely taken a step forward when he spotted Madeline running to meet him where he stood. As surprised as he was to see her here, he couldn’t ignore the look of displeasure that contorted her face the minute she stood in front of him.

"Maddie?"

"You really wanted to go in there without me?! I thought we...."

"Lower your voice." He immediately covered her mouth with his palm after considering that her voice could draw attention and make everyone downstairs know that there were people up here. The last thing he wanted was for the both of them to be caught here by anyone.

"If I’m not mistaken, you had no intention of coming with me."

"Why would you think that?" She whispered back when he freed her mouth from his palm.

"You said it was ’restricted.’ he quoted before rolling his eyes. "Listen, I thought a great deal about it, and I don’t want you going in there since it can get dangerous. I’ll give you everything in full detail when I come back."

"No no, take me with you." Madeline stopped the young lad from going as she grabbed his arm. "Listen, I’m doing this because I want to find the murderer of my parents, and if this place is restricted, I feel there’s something in there that can give us clues to what we’re looking for."

"Have you not been listening to the words I’m saying? It could get dangerous and putting your life at risk is not something I would see myself doing, you should stay back since none of us is aware of what exactly is in there." He asserted whilst fixing his gaze at the darker area of the house.

"But she gets to come?" Madeline pointed at the little girl who stared blankly at both of them, and Cassian flicked Maddie’s forehead, wondering how she could compare herself to a muted ghost.

"She’s a ghost, Maddie, I’ll need her presence there."

"I promise I won’t bother you, just take me with you!" Madeline stubbornly stuck to her decision as she quietly pleaded. Before Cassian could think about convincing her one more time, the stubborn woman was already heading inside the restricted area.

"Where are you going??"

Following the woman who refused to listen to him and was adamant on coming along, Cassian decided to let her be since she looked interested in finding out the real truth about her parents, and besides, it’s not possible he could experience another ghost scene here since it has been ages.

Reaching the end of the corridor, Cassian and Madeline stood at the top of the dusty staircase leading to the lower ground floor that looked hauntingly dark from where they stood.

Cassian’s bright lantern illuminated the wooden steps, and the two couples exchanged puzzled glances before fixing their gazes back to the wooden steps.

The air was still as Cassian didn’t make any move to go down the stairs, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding as he took a step down one of the stairs.

With Maddie’s hand firmly clasped in his, he drew comfort from the steady calmness of her presence and they quietly moved down the stairs, Lily staying closeby to alert them in case she senses anything before they do.

As they reached the floor below, they came to a cobweb-filled landing that led to a large wooden door, which creaked as they pushed it open, revealing what Cassian could depict to be an abandoned study room.

The space beyond was pitch-black whilst the curtains were slid shut, and Cassian’s lantern beam revealed only a tangle of long-abandoned boxes and old furniture. The air was thick with the scent of musty, decayed wood, but that didn’t stop the two couples who looked determined to continue moving since they had already come this far.

Cassian motioned for Madeline to stay close as they took their first tentative steps into the room, but they didn’t notice Lily who had restricted herself from stepping into the room as she watched them go.

The floorboards groaned under their weight, and cobwebs brushed against their faces as they crept forward. The silence was oppressive, and Cassian couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, even as he combed through the cluttered space.

Suddenly, Madeline jumped, causing Cassian to startle as well. "What? What is it?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice low.

Maddie pointed her finger at an ornate wooden chest that had been partially hidden behind a stack of crates. "Look, there’s a latch here!"

Cassian felt his excitement spike as the two of them hurried forward. Madeline knelt down and deftly unlatched the lock. She lifted the lid, and they both gasped at the sight of old papers and strange objects inside.

The rest of the things in the room were covered with white clothes, looking untouched as though no one had ever touched them since the day they were covered.

Without a second thought, Cassian reached in and began digging through the contents, his fingers brushing against worn leather-bound books, old photographs, and corroded pieces of equipment.

Madeline joined him, her eagerness for clues matching his own.

"These boxes..." Cassian took out one of the old rusty photographs from the box, and he recognized the figure on the picture even though it had started to fade.

"Uncle Williams left his box behind." Commented Cassian as he remembered his father burning everything that Williams once owned. It’s strange why his father would leave this one here.

"Cassian...you need to see this." Madeline’s queer tone jolted him to the present as she handed him one of the dusty books she had found and opened.

"There are lists of names written here." She whispered, handing the book to Cassian as he inspected the names that were written down on the book. Madeline leaned forward to join him, and she noticed a frown settle on Cassian’s face as he continued to go through the book.

"What is it?’

"These names..." he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "The names on this book look similar to the names of people that had gone missing."

"Huh?"

Going through the pages, Cassian’s gaze landed on Lily’s name, and his eyes widened. "How is this possible??"

"What happened?"

"This is starting to make no sense, this book has been buried here for many years. Lily died a year ago, but her name is... written here."

Turning his attention to the little girl who stood at the door, Cassian immediately sensed trouble because he only noticed Lily never stepped into the room with them.

"Darn it!" He cursed under his breath as he rose to his feet. Suddenly, the silence in the room was broken by the sound of creaking footsteps, coming closer and closer, and Cassian noticed something moving in the darkness beyond their dwindling pool of light.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read