The Haunting of Annabelle Read Online Free PDF Page B

to sit at the counter and work on
her notes for the house. Munching through the slices of crisp toast
and fresh fruit, she just couldn’t shake the thought that she was
in touch with a ghost. She wondered how all of this would play out,
and for the first time in her life, she was more than
apprehensive—she now knew that there could be real danger here.
    Later that day a telephone call came from
her agent telling her of a great offer on a modeling assignment
being held in New York. She quickly accepted and advised that she
would be heading back to her condominium that night. They made
plans to go over the details first thing Monday morning. Annabelle
was relieved that she had a legitimate excuse to head back to the
city. She wasn’t really running away — she was just taking a break.
Prior to leaving, she left written notes for the contractors and
didn’t even bother to pack. She was heading home and wouldn’t need
to take a thing with her except her purse and car keys for the
drive to the train station. She’d leave the car there in the
parking lot until she had to return.
     

Chapter 14
     
    Time in the city passed too quickly. The
modeling assignment kept her mind busy and she felt safe at night
when she returned to her condominium. She fell back into her
regular routine quite easily and Annabelle had nothing but nights
of uninterrupted sleep. Her whole body felt rejuvenated from the
time spent in the city. She awoke knowing that today would be her
last day here and she would be heading back to the estate this
afternoon.
    The first stirrings of dread began to creep
into her thoughts, but she consciously made the move to stop them.
She focused instead on the anticipation she felt of getting back,
in order to continue her work on the estate. She had ordered rugs
and furniture, along with draperies and other key items. The only
thing left was to inspect and determine the extent of the work done
while she’d been gone. When that was accomplished, she could set
the date for the deliveries to take place. With her thoughts now
headed in the right direction, she packed a small case of
necessities she would need for the return trip.
     

Chapter 15
     
    Arriving at the train station in the early
evening hours she carried her case to the car and began the short
trip to her new investment. Turning up the driveway, her first
sight of the house still thrilled her senses. The house was just
beautiful and she couldn’t wait to get it finished so that others
would be able to stay there.
    The workers had already left and the
automatic lights were turned on. Parking the car near the front
entrance of the house, she used her key to open the door and found
that a small table was just inside with notes from the contractor’s
supervisor.
    Grabbing the papers, she locked the door and
headed up the steps to her suite, once again enjoying the feel of
the banister under her fingertips. She had already had a light
dinner on the train and decided to unpack and get ready for bed.
Not once did she let her thoughts stray to the ghost until she was
under the covers. She’d reasoned that the ghost hadn’t hurt her and
he apparently could have. The spirit hadn’t been afraid to reveal
itself when she awoke, so perhaps there was something about a
person being cognizant and fully aware of their surroundings that
stopped this kind of activity. She turned the lamp off and tried to
calm herself by ticking off her to-do list for the next day.
    Minutes passed and she started to drift off,
when suddenly her bedroom door slowly opened and although she
couldn’t see anyone, she knew it was her resident ghost paying her
a visit.
    “ Come in Richard,” she
said softly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
    Just then, the shimmering and unmistakable
shape of a man walked into the moonlit area at the end of her bed.
Annabelle could just make out the features of his face thanks to
the light from the moon, and when he stopped to face her, she
spoke.
    “ Can