Page 34 of The Ghost of Ellwood

And if that was true, this story just became even more of a mystery.

Had Theo and Harvey fallen in love, and then Harvey rejected him? Were they arguing when Theo went missing? Maybe Harvey killed him. Or maybe Harvey told Theo he was getting married and Theo didn’t take the news well. It wasn’t uncommon at the time for gay men to marry to keep up appearances.

So many possibilities. I hoped something in this attic would provide answers.

“His name is Harvey,” I said, joining Carter on the floor. “Do you remember hearing about him?”

“Not really,” Carter answered, opening up another box and coughing as dust blew into his face. “My great-great grandpa was named Edward. I don’t reckon Harvey would’ve been much older than that, do you?”

I shrugged. “Theo was born in 1898. He and Harvey were probably the same age.”

“I don’t mean to be a pessimistic asshole, Ben, but there are generations of junk in here. I don’t know if we’ll find anything.”

“If we don’t, at least you would’ve knocked something off your to-do list.”

“True.” He grinned and played with his lip ring again. I’d never thought one way or another about piercings on men, but they suited Carter. He was like a little bundle of emo sunshine. “Let’s keep searching, Detective Cross.”

Laughing, I helped him sort through the box. It had clothes and a handkerchief.

“God, I hope that was clean.” Carter wiped his hand on my shirt sleeve.

“Hey! You bastard.”

He giggled and took the box over to the give-away pile.

When two hours turned to three, and we’d only gone through half of the boxes, Carter stood up and held out a hand to me.

“Come on. That’s enough for tonight, big guy.”

“Big guy?” I accepted his hand.

“Big as in muscle, Ben. It wasn’t a fat joke.”

I wasn’t ready to stop the search, but we didn’t need to overdo it. Any answers waiting in the boxes would still be there tomorrow. Plus, it was dinner time, and all that moving around had made me famished. We left the attic and went into the kitchen. Exhausted and thirsty, we plopped down at the table and gulped glasses of water.

“Want me to order a pizza?” I asked, placing my now empty glass down.

Carter was still drinking and nodded. When the contents were drained, he banged the glass down and burped. “Oops. That wasn’t very lady like.”

I laughed and then hated him for it because it made my sore muscles hurt even more. After placing the order, he told me I could wash off in the bathroom, and I headed that way. I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower. A small, square window was right beside my head, and I looked outside as I scrubbed the grime off me.

The sun had sunk low in the sky, and shadows took over the areas that were, only minutes ago, covered in golden light. The sunset was a good example of how fast things could change.

One moment you’re bathed in the sun’s light, and in the blink of an eye, you’re swallowed in darkness.

I wondered if Theo felt that way.

Shadows cling to me wherever I go, he’d said.

Maybe it was impossible, but I wanted to help bring him back into the light, to a place where the shadows could no longer reach him.

After showering, I dusted off my clothes as best as I could before putting them back on. I’d probably have to wash up again when I got home, but at least dirt and dust wasn’t caked on me anymore.

Carter had showered in the second bathroom, and we met each other in the living room.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, strutting toward me. He wore a baggy band tee and sweats. A towel was on his head.

“Why are you wearing that?” I asked, grinning.