Page 6

Chatter

Damn dolls. Why? Chatter yearned to explore the house, but with them there, it was impossible. Chatter liked gothic architecture, and this manor had it in spades. He’d grown up locally, and everyone knew of the old Ravenberry Haunted Mansion. Rather guiltily, Chatter remembered coming up here as a teen and poking around. He and his so-called friends back then had taken turns at terrifying each other. Now he realised there’d probably been a scared old lady inside.

It was this guilt that spurred him to help Lavender, even though it was taking all of his self-control to be here. Chatter had happily fled after the other night’s meeting, but at this moment, he was gritting his teeth as he steeled himself to knock. There were other bikes here, Slaughter’s security van, and obviously the workmen’s trucks.

Two days had passed, and Chatter wished to see Lavender.

“Jinx!” someone yelled from inside the house, and Chatter grinned. Everywhere that candidate went, disasters unfolded, and it amused the fuck out of Chatter. Except when it happened to him. Then it wasn’t so damn funny. The door opened, and Harlequin stomped out.

“Chatter,” Harlequin growled as he held his ribs. He leaned against the van and closed his eyes. Chatter watched as he breathed through his nose and gritted his teeth in pain.

“The Jinx effect?” Chatter asked mildly with a grin.

“Dude, I love the man. Jinx is someone I’ve got time for. But fuck me, Jinx’s juju is so bad it affects everyone.”

“How’d he get you?”

“One minute the ladder’s stable, the next I’m on my ass and the ladder and equipment are on top of me,” Harlequin complained, rubbing his back and side.

“The Jinx effect,” he repeated. “Let me guess, he wasn’t even close to you?”

“Hell no!”

Chatter chuckled. The candidate made shit interesting.

“Oi! Ain’t paying you to stand there talking,” Slaughter bellowed at Harlequin.

“You get your ass up a ladder when Jinx is around!” Harlequin retorted.

Slaughter’s eyes narrowed, and he took in how Harlequin was standing and rubbing his back.

“Take ten and have some painkillers,” he ordered and headed back inside. “Ain’t going up no fucking ladder if the Jinx effect is in action.”

“Oh, but I can risk my neck!” Harlequin shouted.

“You are a candidate, you ain’t important, I am!” Slaughter called.

“You’re a raging asshole!” Harlequin roared.

“Is everyone okay?” Lavender asked, appearing.

“Yup, hiding from Jinx,” Chatter replied.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Lavender said to Chatter.

“He’s into sadism, loves to torture himself with sheer terror,” Slaughter announced, grinning, and hurried away as Chatter threw a punch at him.

“That fucker is going to die,” Chatter murmured as Harlequin also laughed and disappeared.

Lavender lifted an eyebrow, and Chatter blew his cheeks out. “I wanted to check if you were okay after the other night.”

“I’m fine, thank you. It was scary, but yesterday drove the fear away. It was so exciting and worrying! But thankfully, Slaughter is installing cameras to cover every hallway. He’s also talking about putting thumb locks on the doors so only I can open them,” Lavender said.

“Good idea,” Chatter agreed.

“Would you like to see the Manor? All the doors are locked, and there are no dolls out,” Lavender offered.

“I’d love to. Houses like this fascinate me, but I wouldn’t get past your entrance hall,” Chatter admitted.

As much as he wished to explore, Chatter couldn’t. His phobia was out of control.

“Trust me?” Lavender asked softly. She held her hand out, and Chatter looked down at it.

He reached out slowly and took it, but his feet refused to move.

Lavender frowned, and then a crafty smile crossed her lips. She stepped up close to Chatter and grabbed his ass before giving him a swift kiss.

Lavender’s actions stunned Chatter enough that she was able to lead him up the steps and onto the porch and inside Ravenberry Manor before he realised it.

“What the hell?” he asked, finally finding his tongue.

“I could tell you wanted to see, but your feet wouldn’t move. Thought I’d give you a helping hand,” Lavender replied with a grin.

“Do you usually kiss men who have severe phobias?” Chatter demanded. He was unsure whether to be aggrieved or amused.

“Nope. Only those who rescue me and then attempt to murder my valuable doll!” Lavender quipped, and Chatter decided on amusement.

“It worked,” he said lamely.

“Yup, and look. No hidden nightmares!” Lavender teased.

“They’re gone,” Chatter exclaimed, not seeing a single doll anywhere.

“We cleared a small room down here. The students have been packing up the dolls, labelling them, and moving them to the cellar. We are keeping them in room order. Three rooms have been sorted so far,” Lavender explained.

“Found any interesting… cretins?” Chatter didn’t even wish to speak the word in case one appeared.

Lavender laughed at his wording.

“Too many. Tomorrow, we’re heading upstairs to begin clearing some of the bedrooms. The students can then stop sleeping on the floor,” Lavender said with a chuckle. “I can show you rooms without forbidden cretins, but with other items. You only have one phobia?”

“Yeah. Thank God, because the one I have is a fucker,” Chatter replied.

“Oh, I’ve seen. That homicidal rage you had the other day couldn’t be faked. It was, frankly, quite terrifying,” Lavender said. “Come on, I’ll show you what I can.”

Lavender

Chatter asked questions as he admired the Manor. He didn’t comment on the cobweb curtains or the dust covering everything. But he noted the fine detailing, carved wood, and decorated ceilings. Sometimes, we had to double back on ourselves to avoid the certain areas. Chatter clearly enjoyed Ravenberry, and so did I. It was a shame he couldn’t see some of the grander rooms.

“Thanks, Lavender, that was amazing,” Chatter murmured as we headed into the garden. “Have you checked that out yet?” he asked as the widow’s tower caught his eye.

“No. Something inside me keeps telling me there’s something very upsetting in there. I want to, but I keep holding back,” I replied honestly.

“Want me to come?” Chatter offered.

I considered his words and then shook my head. “No. Thank you. I’m not ready to tackle that. I’m rather overwhelmed by everything. It feels like nothing has stopped for the last six months.” I sighed.

“Have you been able to talk about it?” Chatter asked.

I bit back a bitter laugh. “No. Shit hit the fan, and the fallout is still happening. It’s been quite disturbing and nasty.”

“Sadly, it usually is when money is involved.”

“Oh, I agree. But my family’s actions were somewhat shocking,” I mumbled, staring off at the lake on my property.

“Wanna tell me?” Chatter asked.

“Funnily enough, I do. Something about you screams ‘trust me’. But I don’t want to bog you down with tales of greed and betrayal. That seems rather dramatic. I need to remember that phrasing,” I said, laughing.

Chatter chuckled. “It sounds mysterious.” He fell to the grass, raising a hand. “Sit and unburden yourself… that was lame. I’m not good at drama!”

“Oh, I don’t know. The way you murdered my… cretin was theatrical. Especially when you drew the gun and shot it!”

“Thought we weren’t going to talk about it,” Chatter said, amused.

“No. That would be cruel.” I plopped down next to him and felt his eyes on my face. “Okay, I’ll start at the beginning. Aunt Aggie was born a Bloodsworth. She was eight years older than her brother Reginald. But as terms of the estate will and trust, male or female, Agatha would inherit as firstborn. This bothered neither Reginald nor Aggie. That was the status quo, and they’d grown up knowing it.

“Aggie wed Uncle Ronald, and they had three children. Two boys and a girl. Reginald married a woman called Janice, and they were my grandparents. While Reginald wasn’t interested in the Manor or the fortune, he got an allowance and had always lived modestly. Janice, however, was. She believed that Reginald, as the man, should have inherited everything. Several times, she urged Reginald to challenge the trust, but he refused.

“Then Aunt Aggie’s children caught tuberculosis. The eldest son died, and he was followed by his brother. The little girl survived. Sadly, she passed three years later when she contracted meningitis. Poor Aunt Aggie and Uncle Ronald had lost their babies, and then Uncle Ronald passed on.

“Janice stepped up her efforts then. Aunt Aggie had no heirs, and Reginald did. My father. And that’s when Aunt Aggie dropped her bombshell. As the beneficiary of the will and trust, she could disinherit anyone she wished for a valid reason. She informed Janice that should she continue her greedy, grasping ways, Aunt Aggie would disown Reginald and Dad. Janice was incensed and challenged her and forced Aunt Aggie’s hand. Reginald completely understood as he had left Janice by then, unable to stand her greed.

“Sadly, Reginald died two weeks after leaving Janice. He’d been disowned, but not my father. Janice was furious. She had lost everything. Due to Reginald’s death and being estranged, Janice didn’t get another cent from the estate. Janice was beside herself in temper but kept her cool. She didn’t want Dad disinherited, but her poison seeped into Dad.

“Dad was two-faced. He plotted and schemed behind Aunt Aggie’s back and yet was as sweet as molasses to her face. My grandmother is a bitter, spiteful person whose hate and jealousy ended up getting my father disowned.

“Dad married a woman who was a social climber, and Mom is very much the carbon copy of Janice. Together, the three of them continuously plotted against Aunt Aggie. Hell, they even used me as a child… until the fight when I was seven. I’m not sure what happened, but Aunt Aggie rejected Dad. And this started the ball rolling.

“Because I was now the sole heir. And I knew nothing of my legacy. When Aunt Aggie died twenty years ago, the estate was put into a trust until I was twenty-one. Mom and Dad sued to get an allowance for me. They were awarded one hundred thousand a month. Naturally, I didn’t see this. But they continued trying to break the will with countless lawsuits, and Janice encouraged them.

“When I hit twenty-one, I still wasn’t aware of what was happening. They carried on keeping my allowance and taking the trust to court and failing. Until six months ago, I heard a fight between the three of them. They were discussing their latest failure and were also very angry at a cousin of mine. I’ll come to that part in a bit.

“Naturally, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I contacted the estate lawyers, and that’s when everything came out.

“Together, we called the police on them. It was fraud, theft, and so many other crimes. Janice was furious I’d discovered the Trust and the fact my parents had been using me for a meal ticket. Sadly, I should have inherited this six years ago. The one thing they couldn’t do was get access to Ravenberry. And thank God they didn’t.”

“That’s a lot,” Chatter said as I breathed out heavily. Anger was still a resident inside me, and it was firing up.

“Who treats their kid like that? It’s disgusting!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah, it is. What’s this about a cousin?”

“Him! Rik is a cousin through Uncle Ronald, so doesn’t have an ounce of Bloodsworth blood in him. But Rik believes he’s entitled to this place, too! Rik claims he deserves a part of it because Uncle Ronald was married to Aunt Aggie. I mean, sheesh, come on!” I exclaimed as my frustration spilt out, and I smacked the ground.

“Rik’s not a cousin then?”

“No! How dare he believe he has a claim to Ravenberry, but he has been suing the estate for the last five years and failing!”

“Damn. Some fuckers really want this!” Chatter exclaimed.

“Yeah. And worse, I don’t know what they’re capable of doing to get it. I’ve tied the will and trust up as much as I can, and I have a private eye quietly looking for any heirs that are worthy. Obviously, my ancestors had brothers and sisters. There must be somebody I can nominate until I have my own children. They don’t need to be informed because I want kids, but at least an heir would be in place. And it would stop idiots ripping everything apart,” I growled out.

“Yeah, because your dad might claim it if you died. And I bet he could still get a woman pregnant for his own heir. Hell, he could easily leave your mom and knock a bitch up,” Chatter said.

I stared at Chatter with horrified eyes. “I’ve never considered that!”

“If he’s devious, it’s crossed his mind,” Chatter replied.

“Oh, Dad’s certainly that. Damn!” I muttered.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to stress you out further,” Chatter responded, looking guilty.

“Not your problem, and I’d rather know than not.”

We sat in silence as I thought of everything occurring.

“Where are your parents now?” Chatter asked.

“The three of them are out on bail but not allowed anywhere near me. The lawyer is going after them, claiming the houses, yacht, and cars they own to pay for what they’ve stolen. Mom’s jewellery collection has already been taken by lawyers, and while my parents were locked up, I authorised people to come in and take valuations. As I lived there, nobody could stop me.” I smirked.

“Nice.”

“I’ll get some reimbursement, but not all of what they stole. Although money’s not the point. It’s the principle. Mind you, their houses would have gone up in price.”

“Lavender, I understand. What will you do with Ravenberry’s treasures next?”

“That’s a good question. I was considering selling some, but Aunt Aggie collected them all. There’s a field over that way; it’s not connected with the estate or your land, but it sits all alone. I was thinking of having several museums built and housing the items in them. They’re a long-term plan, though. For now, I need to get everything examined and checked. I’ve sent a request in to Fabergé for an expert to come and appraise that collection. They are in discussions with me about it.”

“Now Hellfire knows who that massive field belongs to.” Chatter chuckled. “We’ve been trying to find out!”

“Ah. Yes, it’s part of the estate, even though it is a mile away. I’m not sure why. Maybe the land in-between was sold, or that field came up, and Aunt Aggie bought it.”

“Well, it’s separated from you by Hellfire land.”

“That’s not a surprise. However, to finish answering your question. I’ve also called a coin valuer. He’s flying out and sounded quite excited. The toy cars and trains I can assess, although my expertise is… cretins… I need to find a wine and whiskey expert. And a clothing one. The list goes on.

“The Star Wars toys and Steiff teddies, I’ll value, but there are people better qualified, and I’ve put feelers out for them. There’s a respected antique dealer in Rapid City for the pill boxes and perfume bottles. Sadly, Elaine Diehl, who made the dollhouse, died a few years ago, but I have someone coming, and I’ve got the paperwork for it. It’s an original, I don’t doubt, but it is different from the only other one. So, they are both unique. It’s astounding, really,” I said.

“You’ve got a lot on your plate. And then there’s the restoration of Ravenberry,” Chatter added.

“Too much on my hands. I’ve staggered the experts, so one comes every few weeks because I don’t trust anyone in the house not to take something. Which sounds awful, but if my parents could steal from me, a stranger can too,” I considered.

“That’s why Slaughter’s going gung-ho over protection and so over the top,” Chatter realised.

“Yeah. I’ve no doubt there are numerous fortunes inside the manor. Slaughter has spoken to me about round-the-clock security. He’s suggested guards patrolling the ground, in the house and having several watching the cameras. Slaughter’s setting them up as motion sensors; otherwise, there’d be too many to watch,” I added.

“That again makes sense. Slaughter’s damn good at what he does.”

“Yes. Slaughter also mentioned alarms on the cameras in case they get blocked or someone tries to disable them. I nodded and pretended I understood what he was talking about!” I laughed, and Chatter joined in.

“Honestly, most of us do. Only Harlequin seems to understand him,” Chatter conceded.

“Harlequin’s just as confusing… Can I ask something?” I bit my lip, unsure I was doing the right thing.

“Sure?”

“Why is Jinx paid so little?”

“What do you mean?” Chatter asked, frowning.

“The first night he came, Jinx only brought sandwiches for dinner. Then he admitted he didn’t have a lot of money. I ordered Thai, and Jinx devoured it. So, it’s not that he doesn’t have an appetite,” I said.

“There’s always food at the clubhouse. Most of us grab at least one meal there a day now. Jinx has easy access to food there. But he gets paid one point five k a week. That’s plenty for a candidate,” Chatter explained.

“Then why does he have no money?” I asked, puzzled. “Jinx even mentioned being grateful for his room at the clubhouse, so he doesn’t pay rent.”

“I don’t know, but I’ll look into it. Jinx might have run up debts or something,” Chatter suggested. “If that is the case, the club can pay them, and he can pay back at a lower rate.”

“That’s generous,” I replied, surprised.

“We look after our brothers. The MC owns some businesses, which any profit goes into a pot. Some of our brothers own their own business and they voluntarily pay into the pot. The pot is split between all members, depending on their rank. Candidates get the lowest, prospects a higher percent and brothers the full percentage. It can vary from month to month, but Hellfire has some significant ventures that bring in money. None of us are poor,” Chatter explained.

“Do you deal with illegal stuff?” I asked, thinking of my treasures in Ravenberry.

“Nope. And we’d black a brother’s ink if he did. Hellfire was once dirty; it took us a while to get clean. No way would we allow anyone to drag us back down that road,” Chatter announced with heat in his voice.

“Sorry for asking, but there’s rumours and often made-up stories, it’s best to ask to get the truth of a matter. Like how many locals believed Ravenberry was deserted and unloved, but it wasn’t. And I’ve no doubt people think it’s haunted,” I replied.

“That’s true. I hate to say this, but honesty is important. I used to visit as a teen and thought it was creepy then. It makes me cringe because I can imagine your Aunt Aggie inside and frightened.”

“Not quite. Aunt Aggie slept in the widow’s tower. That appealed to her. It would have been hard to reach her should anyone have broken in. Plus, there’s all the secret rooms and passageways,” I said.

Chatter jolted and looked over his shoulder. His eyes lit up. “There is?”

“Oh yes. I know most of them. Aunt Aggie and I used to play hide and seek in them, and I’m aware of many of Ravenberry’s secrets. Now I understand why Aunt Aggie spent so much time showing me everything. She’d earmarked me as its next caretaker.”

“There’s love in your voice when you talk of the Manor.”

“Make no mistake. I’m totally in love with it. That’s why I’ll never sell,” I said.

“That field? I think you should go ahead and have your museums built. It would be a fine testament to Aunt Aggie and the Bloodworth lineage,” Chatter urged.

“Then I need a builder, one who can build in a similar way to the Manor and somebody who could understand my vision.”

“Funny that…”

“Let me guess, you might know someone!” I exclaimed, and he laughed as he nodded. “What a surprise!”