The Haunting Of Bechdel Mansion Read Online Free PDF

accept their brash relocation?
    She approached Curtis as he directed the
movers from the rear of the truck. “What happened? How did I get
inside?” she asked, startling him.
    He turned around, head sweating with
stains showing through his white polo shirt. Mary was wearing blue
jeans and blue drape halter top that exposed her shoulders. There
wasn ’t a bead of sweat on her, and she felt guilty
having passed out with so much work to be done.
    “ You gave us quite scare,” he said.
“That’s what happened.”
    “ Yes. But how did I?” she said,
struggling to form the very question at hand.
    “ Get inside?” Curtis answered with a
shrug. “We carried you in there. You just passed out. Your head hit
the dashboard, and you were out cold. I pulled over and tried to
wake you.”
    “ I don’t understand,” she said,
confused.
    Curtis turned away from the movers and
placed his hands over her shoulders. “I’m just glad
you’re okay. Maybe it’s the heat. I called an ambulance about ten
minutes ago, but look at where we are.” He spread his arms out
wide, indicating just how isolated they were. She said nothing as
he looked into her eyes with genuine concern. “How do you feel
now?”
    “ Better,” she said with a faint
smile.
    He then turned to her side and held
his arm out. “Well then. Would you like a personal
tour of the premises now, Mrs. Malone?”
    “ A tour would be great.”
    She put her arm around his as they walked
off together, past the courtyard toward the marble steps leading
inside. As the hired workers moved around them, Mary felt
invisible. They ascended the front steps, arm in arm, leading to
the large double-door entrance. The more she saw of the mansion,
the more she felt at home.
    Creeping anticipation for what lay behind
each room increased with each step. Water mist from the pressure
washer fell onto her arm from afar. Much of the grim and buildup on
the right side of the house had already been removed. They reached
the top step and Mary could see a darkened foyer ahead.
    “ Oh,” Curtis said. “Still trying to
get the power on out here.” She followed him inside and could see
rays of light hitting dusty hardwood floors from the open windows.
“Got the water turned on though,” he added with pride.
    “ So… No power?” Mary asked.
    Curtis let out a nervous laugh. “Trying to
get ’em out here today, but it’s not looking good.”
    Mary thought to herself for a moment. “Maybe
we should just find a hotel for the time being.”
    “ Nonsense,” Curtis said with a squeeze
around her waist. “It’s our first night. We have to
stay.”
    “ But there’s no power,” Mary said.
“And this place is a dust bowel.”
    She looked down the vast empty foyer and
observed its cobweb-covered chandeliers, hanging from the high
ceiling above. Ahead of them was a long, winding staircase leading
to the second floor. There were halls at both ends of the foyer,
leading to a variety of different rooms—seven rooms on the first,
eight on the second. Though there was plenty to explore, she felt a
strange knowledge of the layout without even looking.
    Curtis leaned over and kissed her on
the head. “Shall we continue the tour?”
    She turned her head slightly,
smiling. “I wouldn’t even know where to
start.”
    Curtis released her and backed away,
pulling a folded paper from his pocket. “I’ve got a
layout here.” He unfolded the paper as Mary looked to down the dark
hall to their left. Nothing immediately grabbed her
interest.
    Curtis pulled a mini flash light from his
pocket and shined a light on the map. The endless symphony of
pressure washers, hedge trimmers, and leaf blowers continued
outside, unabated. Mary walked in the center of the foyer. Her soft
shoes barely made a sound on the dusty hardwood floors. She looked
to her right toward an adjacent room that could very well be
considered an extension of the foyer, though she found something
peculiar about it.
    “ The