I arrived at the apartment to find the place dark. Only a single hallway light came from the back, showing the master bedroom door closed. Guessing Adele was getting ready, I walked back to the door and thought I heard soft sobbing. I knocked and asked if something was wrong.

“No, dear, just give me a minute. I’m trying to finish up.”

I could tell by the sound of her voice that something was wrong, but I turned away from the door and went into the office. Distracted by Adele’s tone, I sat in the chair and thought about the possible reasons. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was Sally Vaugh. However, my thoughts soon turned to the meeting with Lees in an hour. For some strange reason, the conversation with Judge Seabury annoyed me. There was something off in the way he presented everything, especially how he emphasized outsiders.

“That’s because you’re one of the few outsiders they can’t figure out.” Miss Wonderful’s voice suddenly entered my head. “You should be careful. It was a night like this that I disappeared.”

“What do you mean?” I asked the silent room.

However, Cora’s voice didn’t return. I looked over at the shadows in the corner, expecting her and the demons to enter, but nothing happened.

“Did you say something?” Adele entered the office as I stared at the corner.

“Just talking out loud,” I said after shaking my head. After thinking about it for a moment, I finally sighed.

“I’m worried about tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Adele remained by the door.

I stood from the chair and ran my hand through my hair, then shaking my head again.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like the feeling,” I replied, then turned toward her. “The way this is playing out bothers me. First you get a chilly reception from Lees. Next, the judge talked with him and now we’re supposed to have dinner like we’re VIPs or something. It seems strange.”

Hesitating at first, I finally gave into my thoughts.

“Listen, if something appears out of sorts tonight, go with your gut and let me know that we need to leave.”

“I don’t understand.” Her eyes widened as I came closer. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I told her. “Just something is nagging at me about how the judge kept implying something but never came out to say it. On top of that, Lees apparently saw Cora the day of her disappearance. But the judge mentioned he arrived after Cora’s disappearance. Then, Lees has the mansion. That’s too convenient for my taste.”

“But the newspaper article said that Mr. Lees was in San Francisco. The judge must be forgetting something. Don’t you trust Judge Seabury?” Adele’s tone showed her worry.

“I thought so, but I’m getting it through my thick skull that things in this town aren’t clear cut. Plus, important people can change things to match their needs. A few dollars here and there will make things happen the way they want.”

Obviously, I didn’t tell Adele that I also believed Cora and maybe Lees could manipulate time in Stull Junction. If Cora has the power to pull me from the future, then what’s stopping her or others from changing records? That’s the reason I still have a hard time believing Miss Wonderful’s story of not knowing things about her disappearance.

When I put my arms around Adele, I felt her body grow tense. I pulled back and asked her what was wrong.

“No... nothing. I guess I’m anxious like you are.” Adele patted my chest. “It’ll be fine. It’s just dinner and conversation. You wash up. We’ll need to leave soon.”

Nodding, I stepped past her and caught sight of her red eyes in the dim light.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Are you sure that you’re alright with going to this?” I asked.

“Go wash up and get ready. I’m fine.” Adele told me as she went into the kitchen.

~~~

The nearly silent drive to the Elders’ mansion told me that Adele wasn’t fine, but I couldn’t get her to say anything. I mentioned how beautiful she looked in the long, pale blue dress she wore. She smiled briefly before returning to her thoughts. However, my concerns quickly changed when I pulled into the circular drive of the enormous two-story building after passing the open gate.

As the car stopped by the marble steps leading up to the main entrance, the porch light turned on. Actually, a huge hanging chandelier hung from under the portico. Its long reflective crystals dangling under the arms which held the massive lightbulbs, lighting up the front area like a stadium at night. However, the Southern antebellum style architecture with massive columns gave the place an eerie quality. The dark windows show nothing inside the building.

A butler wearing a dark tuxedo like suit opened the door when the couple reached the porch. His pale face and drooping eyelids fit the creepy vibe that I felt when he opened the door wide for us to enter.

Inside, darkness filled the rooms on either side of the hallway, where we saw the outlines of furniture, each covered with sheets. I sensed dust covering everything, but the tiled floor appeared immaculate.

“I don’t understand. Isn’t he living here? This place looks like it’s abandoned.” Adele whispered to me as we followed the silent butler.

I shrugged, trying to engage the man we’re following, but he remained silent. A chill fell down my spine as we followed the mechanical movements of the man leading us to the back of the mansion. We came to a large dining room, lit by candlelight, which might be romantic but hardly putting our minds at ease with a creepy butler leading the way.

The silent man pointed to the end of the long table where the silver utensils and cloth napkins show us our seats. The head of the table was the only other place setting. Despite the enormous size of the room, whispering appeared appropriate.

“I assume that’s for our host,” I told Adele, who nodded as I pulled a chair for her.

While I sat across from her, the uncomfortable vibe continued while she avoided looking at me. Getting perturbed at the silent treatment, I was about to speak when the door opened, and our host entered the room.

“Welcome to my home,” a small man stated as he walked to Adele’s chair. “Robert James Lees at your service. I’m pleased to meet you.”

As I watched him bow before Adele, my initial thought was the man looked like an uptight religious professor with his black vested suit. Aside from his nearly bald head with just a wrapping of brown hair around the sides, Lees also had piercing blue eyes.

After his introduction, I shook hands with the man whose height barely reached my chin. Still, his eyes carried an intensity to peer deep inside of you, a bit uncanny for my taste.

“Ah, Mr. Dagger, your reputation precedes you. I thank you for coming tonight.”

As we sat back in our chairs, I glanced over at Adele for her reaction to the comment. I couldn’t tell if the statement was friendly or foreboding. My wife complimented the man on the mansion while the silent butler entered the room with a tray filled with bowls of soup, which he placed in front of us.

I remained silent, smiling at Adele’s rising excitement as she discussed the house with our host. For his part, Lees told us about his limited knowledge of the place. However, he spoke fondly of his accommodations inside and the gardens outside. When the conversation ebbed, Adele finally asked the question of the night.

“I’m curious why you decided to meet with us, Mr. Lees? My first phone call indicated that you were hesitant to talk about the Elder’s and this house.”

The man smiled innocently when he replied.

“You have a nice way of putting it. I believe the appropriate metaphor was my assistant slammed the door in your face during the conversation.”

Adele’s face paled slightly before she tactfully nodded. As I watched them, the silent butler replaced our soup bowls with the main course on plates. I overlooked the tempting smell under my nose as I tried to gauge every expression and word coming from Lees. My second impression was he carried more than a hint of sleaze. Hidden but still there if you looked past the façade he wore in his expression. His sharp eyes exposed reminded me of Cora.

“Yes, I apologize for his actions. Now, as I understand it, you have an idea for doing a program about the Elder family and this house. Is that correct?”

My wife smiled and immediately gave our host an overview of her research about Cora and the family. Lees visibly brightened as he listened, his glance occasionally turning my way. He interjected several questions and thoughts which sounded like a professor speaking to his students. In the end, he told us nothing useful about Cora or her family.

In fact, how Lees kept up his silly grin while bending her questions into bland statements of useless trivia finally gnawed at me. His air of superiority didn’t help my disposition, either. In fact, I barely noticed the taste of the food as more questions came to my mind.

Finally, I came at him with a direct question as we finished the meal.

“Something keeps bothering me,” I stated as Lees looked over at me. “

“Mr. Dagger, I think it’s time to discuss the real reason that you’re here tonight,” he interrupted. “Let’s adjourn for the moment and go to the parlor. I’m sure your lovely wife will enjoy the gardens in the moonlight. Plus, I have tea ready for us.”