Chapter 27

CHELSEA

I attempt to soak up some sun, but without any sunscreen, I don’t want to risk a burn. I’m still a bit peeved at Chris for walking off.

As I sit up, my bikini top slips off. Detrick catches sight of my bare chest but continues mowing the lawn.

“Huh,” I mutter, glancing around. I grab my towel and start heading back to the house.

Detrick stops to hydrate. I decide to strike up a conversation.

“Beautiful day,” I comment.

He looks up at me, smiling. “Yes, it is, ma’am.”

“Does my nudity bother you?” I ask.

“You’re beautiful, ma’am. But I’m an old man now,” he replies.

“So, if I were to roam around the property and the house naked all the time, it wouldn’t bother you?”

“No, ma’am,” he responds, wiping his forehead with his handkerchief. “This is your place. You can do whatever you want.”

He hops back on his mower and resumes his work. I can’t help but smile, feeling invincible. This is my place, and I can do whatever I want.

As I enter the house, I hear soft footsteps upstairs.

“Hello?” I call out.

Silence. ~I must be imagining things.~

I ascend the stairs and head to my bathroom. I’m about to rinse off the lake water and sunscreen with a cool shower when I hear footsteps again.

This time, they’re coming from the attic.

I follow the sound, looking up at the ceiling. The footsteps stop above my closet, where I spot a chain with a ring attached.

I tug the chain, and a ladder slides down, providing access to the attic. I grab a shirt from a hanger and put it on. I cautiously climb the ladder, looking up.

“Hello? Is anyone up here?”

It’s dark, but a bit of light filters through the roof vents. I spot a light switch on a pole. I flick it on, and the attic is illuminated.

The attic is surprisingly spacious. You could stand up straight without bumping your head. What’s odd is the three separate piles of stuff, each in a corner of the attic.

The dust is thick, indicating that no one’s been up here in years. Except for a certain stack of boxes, all sealed with no labels.

I approach them and open the first box I see. On top is an upside-down picture frame.

I flip it over—1965—it’s a young Dorothy with a younger man beside her. I turn it over to read. ~Dorothy and her groundskeeper, Willie Stiles.~

I pick up the next picture, and it’s Dorothy with a different man. I flip it over to read~—1969, Dorothy and her fiancé, Christopher Miller.~

“What the hell?” I exclaim.

I pick up the next photo, and it’s from 1971, featuring Dorothy and a young Detrick holding a rake.

“Wow, he looks so young there.”

I set it down and dig deeper into the box. I feel four frames and pull them out. They’re pictures of me.

One from when I was seven, another from when I was ten. The third is from my high school graduation, and the fourth is from my college graduation.

“How did she get these?”

I set them down and survey the other stacks of boxes in the attic. I walk to a different corner and kneel.

~These boxes have been here for a very long time~.

The stack has an old chest right up front, and I blow the dust away.

I find the latch, and it clicks open. I lift the lid to find more pictures inside. These pictures are very old. All of them are black and white.

The first photo I pick up is of a man standing in front of a construction site. I flip it over. ~Construction day, 1902, with Dr. David Headley.~

“Why does it feel like I know this man?” I wonder aloud.

I set it down and look at the third stack of boxes and walk over to them. I open the chest to see more black-and-white pictures.

This time it’s a girl in a nurse’s uniform, standing in front of my house. I flip it over to read—~1932 Clementine Headley.~

Then it hits me. All these boxes are their personal belongings from when they lived here. When they died, everything was packed up and stored here.

I stand up and look at the fourth corner of the attic. A chill runs down my spine, realizing my stuff might end up there.

I turn around and make my way down the ladder. I push the stairs back up, and it closes on its own.

“What are you doing?” Christopher asks.

“Jesus Christ!”