Chapter Seven
Warning: This chapter contains a suicide scene and ghost sighting. Read on if you dare...
"Ow," Riley hissed.
The doctor continued to manipulate Riley's foot, before giving his assessment. "It's coming along nicely. You need to start putting weight on it."
"No more crutches?" Riley asked hopefully.
"I didn't say that," the elderly doctor replied amiably with a look over the rim of his glasses. "Try to get used to using it again, but continue to use the crutches some until you can walk normally."
Riley took the sheet of paper the doctor held out to him. "Here are some simple stretches. You want to start exercising it so it doesn't heal too stiffly."
Riley glanced at the paper then folded it to fit in his back pocket. "Do I need to come back or are you done with me?"
"You should be fine as long as you exercise it. I expect another week and a half, you'll be walking on it as good as new."
"I can go back to work?"
"Not until you can bear your full weight on it. You'll be prone to sprains right now and you don't want it to happen again."
"Thanks, Doc," Riley said as he carefully got off the examining table. He paused as he got to the door and turned to the doctor. "Dr. Godsey, do you know anything about people who have lived in our house? Especially like the ones from a long time ago?"
"Prior owners?" Dr. Godsey thought aloud. "Let's see now. It sat empty for a long time before you moved in. Not sure why." He lifted his glasses onto the top of his head and studied Riley curiously. "Why?"
Riley shrugged and waved off the old doctor. "Just curious. The trunk I found in the attic - the one that caused me to fall? Well, I found the key to it. Made me curious is all."
"What's in the trunk? Anything interesting?"
"A lot interesting. It looks like it belonged to two men."
The doctor's brow furrowed in thought. "Two men. Now that sounds familiar. I remember my grandmother talking about two men who lived together. Built the house. Brothers, I believe."
Riley unconsciously touched the wedding ring lying against his chest. "Brothers?"
"One of them died or something. Was it suicide?" the old man wondered, trying to remember the past. He shook his head. "I'm not sure, son. Wish I could remember."
Riley nodded. "Do you know of anyone who might know about them?"
The old doctor laughed. "Someone older than me. How old is that house anyway?"
"Built in the late 1800s," Riley reported.
"Someone a *whole* lot older than me," he said.
"Well, thanks anyway."
"Ok. Take care of that ankle and come back if you have any problems," Dr. Godsey said.
Riley carried his crutches, tenderly walking on his injured ankle.
"No crutches?" Colin asked in surprise, joining Riley at the front desk.
"He said I can start trying to walk on it some."
"Good news, then."
"Yeah." Riley slid a credit card across the counter to cover his co-pay. "He didn't know anything about Samuel and James. Except he thought they were brothers."
"Brothers?" Colin inquired. "That doesn't seem to fit."
"Yeah. The wedding rings must have belonged to their wives. I guess it doesn't make sense that they could be married back in the late 1800s."
"No, not officially," Colin offered. "But how many same sex couples are in the states today that aren't officially married but who have rings?"
"Thanks," Riley said to the receptionist as he handed over a signed copy of the receipt. "Good point. We didn't find anything in the trunk that referred to any wives."
"Nope," Colin said as he opened his side of the truck. "I'd be willing to bet there weren't any wives."
"Gross, Colin. They were brothers."
"Were they?" Colin questioned. "Maybe that's just what they told people."
"You know, you might be right."
"Never know."
Riley awoke with a jolt, sweat beaded on his forehead and his heart pounding ruthlessly against his chest. His rapid breathing began to slow as his conscious brain rationalized what it just saw.
"A dream," Riley whispered into the darkness.
He looked over at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was 2:05. Heaving a sigh, he instinctively reached for Colin, the warmth of his body chasing away some of the chill remaining from the nightmare. Riley curled up tightly against his lover and closed his eyes.
The image that woke him was burned into his retinas, refusing to dissipate. Riley's eyes snapped open again to replace the mental image with dim figures in the darkness of the room. His eyes traced the outline of familiar furniture, making his reality more convincing than the dreamed reality.
Jesus that was creepy, he reflected, somehow able to better deal with the images of his dream with his eyes open. It had seemed so real, so tangible. More like remnants of a movie than from a dream.
He had recognized the man, recognized him immediately as the older man in the photo. He was wearing the same suit but had taken off the stodgy jacket. Proper attire must not have been protocol for taking one's life in the late 1800s. Riley could still see the jacket tossed indifferently over the trunk, no bother taken to fold it before discarding the piece of clothing.
The rope hung taut from the rafter of the attic, the weight of the older man's body holding it rigid. The man's unseeing eyes bulged against lids lowered to half-mast in death, purple veins broken around the orbs of his eyes. His lips were slightly parted, tongue pushing through the opening as though in a ghastly attempt to lick the parched and swollen lips.
Riley tried to shake the image from his memory and curled up tighter against Colin. The conversation with Dr. Godsey came back to him. He seemed to recall a suicide. A possible suicide, Riley corrected himself. He couldn't believe what his brain had done with that little bit of information.
He tried closing his eyes again and saw the image. He shuddered and his eyes snapped open again. He'd never go back to sleep, not that he really wanted a replay of what he saw. The images flashed unbidden as Riley once again saw the man take that final step off the humped back of the trunk, despair and sadness etching his features. His neck was instantly snapped into an unnatural angle, his body convulsing as it fought a losing battle against the loss of its spirit before stillness overtook it.
A shiver rippled through Riley and he rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. Creepy didn't come close to describing the nightmare.
A nightmare. Riley couldn't remember the last time he dreamed and recalled it before they moved into this house. He was always a sound sleeper, rarely remembering anything between closing his eyes in sleep until waking the next day. But since they moved into this house, he had dreamed several times. None as unsettling as the latest, but unusual anyway.
He looked at the clock. It was already 2:35. What if Doc Godsey was right? What if one of the brothers had killed himself? Could he be responsible for all the odd happenings he and Colin had so casually dismissed? Well, that Colin dismissed. Riley looked over at the shape of his sleeping partner. Colin's level-headedness was one of the things Riley loved most about him, but it was also aggravating when it stood in the way of open-minded exploration of the unusual. Riley continued to ride the fence between believing Colin's explanations and thinking someone or something, shared their home.
Riley listened to the slow steady breathing of his partner. He was having no trouble sleeping and hadn't since they moved in. Riley wished him awake for company if for no other reason, thinking that it might help him forget the vivid images haunting him for the last 30 minutes.
He thought about the trunk. It played a pivotal role in his dream, the only thing standing between the man's life and his death. Riley wondered what kind of role the trunk had played in the lives of the two men. Was it equally as pivotal? He looked toward the foot of the bed. It was too dark to see in the trunk really, but Riley succumbed to the drawing power of the box and left the bed. He draped the sheet over Colin's bare shoulder before leaving him to his own dreams.
He turned the hall light on and cracked the bedroom door, a sliver of light crossing into the room enough for Riley to rifle through the trunk some more. Maybe he missed something, some clue as to the two men's lives. Colin hadn't so much as stirred, Riley realized, as he settled on the floor beside the trunk.
Riley started emptying the trunk, piece by piece, rechecking everything he retrieved to see what he might have missed - if anything. He checked the pockets of the age-worn clothes, laying pants and shirts aside. He pulled out the stereoscope, as intrigued with it this time as he was the first time he found it when he and Colin looked through the trunk earlier. He selected a picture card from the box and slipped it into the wire slots at the end of the viewers and held it up to his eyes by the handle. Shadows crossed the image until Riley positioned it just right, capturing the light falling through the crack in the door. A seemingly three-dimensional image of a building leapt out at Riley through the viewers. He smiled at the early technology combining photography and magnification.
He laid the stereoscope aside and reached back into the trunk. His fingers brushed against something at the back of the trunk and he felt it, trying to figure out what it was. It felt like some sort of a tab. Riley moved items aside to try to see but the light from the hall wasn't enough to make out what it was. He pulled at it, and felt it give slightly. Items in the trunk shifted when he tugged, sliding to one side.
A hidden section. Riley began to smile as he excitedly emptied the rest of the things from the trunk, eagerly clearing the way to search the private compartment. Items were strewn about him as he laid them aside in his haste to investigate his find. Finally cleared, he felt around the bottom again until he found the tab. The cardboard door scraped against the sides of the trunk as Riley lifted it. Colin turned over in the bed and Riley froze, not daring to move again until he heard the familiar breathing of deep sleep coming from their shared bed.
He carefully lifted away the door and felt inside. Paper. A lot of paper. He scooped up a handful of the sheets and brought them out from the dark depths of the trunk and into the line of light.
Letters. Riley's face broke out in a smile. He tilted one page so that the light fell across the lines of handwritten words.
/My dearest S,
I'm still staying at the hotel until the house is fit to live in. This hotel food is deplorable, though, and I look forward to a home-cooked meal by your hand. The restaurant here leaves much to be desired. No, I am not just saying that because of our plans. I am simply pointing out that we have virtually no competition.
Please let me know how your mother is. I know it pains you to see her so ill. I long for you to meet me here but not to the point I would deprive you of spending time with your mother in her final days. The nights here are cold without --/
"Riley?"
Riley sucked in a breath sharply. "Shit, Colin! You scared me!"
"What are you doing down there?"
"I couldn't sleep," Riley reported, leaning around the footboard to see Colin.
Colin rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. "It's 3:00, Riley. What's all that stuff in the floor?"
"From the trunk," Riley rose up on his knees and held high the letter he was reading. "I found letters. I just started reading them."
"I'm sure it will be fascinating reading," Colin said around a yawn, "but it will have to wait until morning. Turn the light off and come to bed."
"In a minute. I just want to finish one real quick."
"Now, Riley. It will be there in the morning." Colin lay back down after delivering the edict and Riley huffed in aggravation.
"Colin—"
"Riley, I'm not arguing with you at three in the morning," he declared into his pillow "Bed."
Riley stared after his partner who had settled back under the covers. "I have to put all this stuff back," Riley announced dejectedly.
"Hurry up."
Riley carefully laid aside the letters he was reading to put the other items back for the time being. By the time he had everything returned to the trunk, he could hear Colin breathing deeply again. With a few letters in his hand, he hesitated, torn between curiosity and obedience. He sighed and went to turn out the hall light. With a glance at the neat scrawl on the pages he held, he gave in to his curiosity and closed the bedroom door. Riley sat in the rocker in the hallway and delved back into his reading, quickly scanning the page to find where he left off.
/The nights here are cold without you and the days lonely. Reading helps to pass the time. I finally got a copy of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn that I have wanted to read. I believe he has long since finished another book, but I shall read this one first. A delightful novel that I am sure you will find enjoyable. You will no doubt find the humor to your taste. It has brought a smile to my lips from virtually the first page.
The house is coming along nicely and should be ready for me to move in soon. The floors are magnificent, as is the wallpaper. I hope you like what I selected. They are bringing the stove tomorrow. I purchased it exactly according to your specifications. I look forward to seeing you use it.
Until next time. I love you, J/
Riley re-read the last line then looked back at the salutation. These men were not brothers. No way in hell. Colin had either nailed it or Dr. Godsey remembered it wrong. Riley moved the letter to the bottom of the stack and moved on to the next one.
/Dearest James,
I miss you so. I wish you could be here to support me. It is utterly unbearable to watch my mother struggle for breaths. The tuberculosis has eaten at her lungs until she coughs blood. It brings tears to my eyes, though I never let her see them. The doctor said I should keep her comfortable and that it would not be long until she departs this world. I cannot bear to consider that so I focus on happier thoughts, of our future together.
Ma seems comforted by the music box you gave me. I cherish it and find the melody equally comforting. The music has a soothing effect and allows me to lose myself in happier times. I keep it near her bed and play it often. I never thought how simple a thing could be so--/
"Riley!" Colin barked from the bedroom door.
Riley stopped rocking the chair immediately as his heart leapt into his throat. "I'm coming, Colin. I just wanted to finish reading these letters."
"I believe I told you to wait until tomorrow."
"All right, I'm coming," Riley submitted quickly as he rose from the rocker. "You have to read these, Colin."
"I will," Colin replied as he switched off the hall light. "Tomorrow. Like I told you to do."
He smacked Riley's pajama-covered behind smartly as he passed by and Riley's hand immediately covered the spot.
"Ow, Colin," he complained, rubbing at the sting.
"When I tell you to go to bed, I mean it. Give me the letters," Colin requested, his hand outstretched for the documents.
Riley withheld them protectively. "Why? What are you going to do with them?"
"Riley, I'm seriously not in the mood at 3:30 in the morning," Colin said, exasperated.
Riley looked down at the yellowed papers he held then reluctantly offered the pages to Colin.
"Thank you," Colin said. "Now, go to bed like I told you. You'll get these back in the morning."
Riley got in bed and watched Colin deposit the letters in his nightstand drawer before turning the lamp off. Colin crawled back into bed and pulled Riley to him. Riley stared out into the night, his mind whirling with the latest revelation from the trunk.
"I can't sleep," he declared.
Colin released a deep breath. "Why not?"
"I had a nightmare." A shudder washed over him despite having been sidetracked by the letters.
"You're trembling," Colin observed. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"Well, I did. By accident."
"I mean, why didn't you wake me on purpose?"
"It's bad enough you have to work without me, much less without a good night's sleep."
"I want you to wake me if you need me, Riley. I can take a nap tomorrow if I need one. What was the dream about?"
Vivid images came back instantly, bringing a chill to Riley regardless of being wrapped in Colin's arms. "It was awful. I dreamed one of those men in the picture – the older man? – hanged himself. I saw him and everything. He was in the attic."
"Oh, my God, Riley." Colin kissed the back of Riley's head. "That must have been awful."
"It was. So I got up and decided to distract myself by looking through the trunk some more. God, Colin, I see him every time I close my eyes."
"It's ok, babe. It was only a dream and I'm here with you."
"I'm not going to be able to sleep."
"You need to try. See if you can think of pleasant thoughts."
"Why would he kill himself, Colin?" Riley asked.
"That's not a pleasant thought."
Riley grunted at his partner. "I can't help it, Colin. You didn't see it."
"You don't know that he killed himself, do you? Dr. Godsey said he *thought* one of them committed suicide."
"I know, but it was so real."
"Your mind took that conversation and pulled a first rate nightmare together out of it and things you've seen in the trunk. That's all."
"There you go again," Riley said irritably, flopping over to face Colin. "When are you going to see that there might not be a logical explanation for everything happening here?"
"I doubt I'm going to. Why would I look for another answer when the one I have makes perfect sense?"
"You're so logical," Riley announced.
"Do I say 'thank you'?"
"You don't have to say anything."
"How about 'go to sleep, Riley'? Have I said that recently?"
"We need a psychic or something. A ghost hunter maybe," Riley said, ignoring Colin's comment. "Then you'd see and maybe we'd get more answers."
"Go. To. Sleep," Colin clipped.
Riley lay back down against Colin, his mind attempting to make sense of everything.
"What if the house is haunted? What if it's haunted by the guy who hanged himself?"
"*If* anyone hanged themselves," Colin corrected. "And if he wanted to leave this world so badly, why would he hang around?"
"Colin!"
"I mean, stick around. Bad choice of words but at three-something in the morning, my mind isn't all that sharp."
"It must be him."
"Riley," Colin said sternly. "I'm not going to tell you again."
"Fine. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Colin said more kindly with another kiss to Riley's head.
Lying in Colin's arms, Riley thought about James and Samuel. He wondered if they ever were able to come together in this house he and Colin now shared. Did one of them take his own life out of bitterness? Loneliness? The death of his mother? He didn't even know which man was which in the picture.
Riley closed his eyes and the figure of the dead man was fading. Thoughts of Samuel and James alive replaced the macabre images and Riley slipped off to sleep.
"Riley?"
He awoke to the sound of his lover's voice seemingly minutes after he went to sleep. The sun was peeking through the crack in the curtains and Riley looked at the clock. It was six.
"What?" he asked sleepily.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine. Why?" Riley asked curiously.
"You were crying."
"No, I wasn't."
"I thought I heard –" Colin paused and looked deeply into his partner's clear eyes then shook his head. "I could have sworn I heard you crying."
"Why would I be crying?" Riley turned toward Colin.
Colin shook his head again, perplexed. "I don't know. I must have dreamed it."
"You dreamed something weird? That's a switch. At least you had daylight to open your eyes to."
Riley turned back toward the edge of his side of the bed and a scream caught in his throat. A man stood at the side of the bed, a picture of sadness, his ethereal eyes rimmed red. It was a man Riley recognized right down to his cufflinks with shamrocks on them. Riley jolted against Colin and found his voice.
"GOD!"
Colin jumped up beside Riley in the bed and looked toward the area where Riley's eyes were fixed. "Riley! What is it! Riley?!" he beckoned, shaking his partner's shoulder.
Riley's eyes were glued to the apparition. His blood ran cold as the figure reached toward him, blood trailing down the side of his face.
It opened its mouth to speak, its lips moving in silence, its voice lost in death. Regardless, Riley knew exactly what he said.
"Riley."
TBC
