Two flights of stairs they walked, up to the third floor where the trouble would always start. It seemed amazing to Casey and Matias that this type of haunting could go on this long and only now be dealt with. As they climbed the stairs, Casey noticed something move behind them as they turned a corner.
He stopped. Matias stopped too to see what he was looking at. Down the stairs they could see in the foyer, in the dim light of the house, Mrs.Harvestspell dusting something on the wall. Such normal behavior wasn't suspicious, until they both had seen her glance at the stairs, see them, and then quickly look away.
"Is everything alright?" Mr.Harvestspell asked as he saw his guests were no longer following. But they soon turned headed back towards him.
"Yes everything is okay. But we noticed your wife was watching us go upstairs rather curiously," Matias said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes I am sorry about that. She tends to be rather on edge whenever we have company over nowadays. Like I said, she says she doesn't believe in the ghost. But I feel like she's lying. But come. The hallway is over here." And he walked on.
Casey and Matias both looked at each other, wondering why would Mrs.Harvestspell should be so denying of any supernatural horror yet possibly secretly believe it. But they followed their host another set of stairs and they came to the third floor.
The hallway was immensely large, and the state of care in here was even worse than the rest of the house they've seen. The wallpaper was practically almost gone, and paintings on the walls were hanging awkwardly on their nails. The little soft candle lanterns in the hall were so matted with thick cobwebs as was everything else, it was hard to even see the dim light inside. All the doors on each side of the hall were open. All except one, nearest towards the window at the end of the hall, which was closed with the shutters, revealing no light from the outside world.
Now it is to be said that the heating was on in the house to prevent it from getting cold in the autumn and winter. And they actually had to take off their coats once they were ushered inside the foyer. But upon entering the hall, the three were all greeted by an appalling coldness in the air.
"My it's chilly. Is a window open?" Casey asked, rubbing his shoulders to keep warm.
"No. And that's the thing, it's always so dreadfully cold up here even in the most blazing heat of summer,"Their host responded, shuddering a little himself.
"Hmm..that is a sure sign of something paranormal is afoot," Matias added. And as they drew near to the closed the door, the cold was intense, so much as to see their own breath in the dimly lit air.
"Is this the room?" Casey looked to the host, as Mr.Harvestspell was in the act of taking out keys.
"Yes. I keep it closed so that I know which room is the one where...t-those sounds come from." With that, he put the key in the lock and opened it.
Inside was a double bed room. Two beds lay next to each other against the wall facing the door. There was a nightstand, a broken mirror, and a wardrobe. The window in this room was shut and sealed too, revealing pitch black darkness inside. The air was frightfully cold upon entering. There was a fireplace in this room, but it was so old and matted with spider webs that it looked like it hadn't had a spark in years.
To make it cheerier however, Matias used his strength and opened the firmly closed shutters. And in an instant, glorious light filled the room. They could see the murky black pond in the backyard garden from the window.
"This is definitely where the source is coming from. We will set up camp here. Casey, be sure to make a note for this and let the chairman we've arrived," Matias remarked, rubbing his shoulders. But Casey said nothing. He was staring at something on the floor.
"What? What's the matter Casey? You've grown suddenly pale!"
"L-look. On the floor.." he pointed, and both his friend and their host looked on the floor, at the foot of the beds.
There on the dirty carpet were two small, old, faded reddish black stains. But not of mold. It was plain as the nose on their faces that those were blood stains long dried up.
"By Jove!" Matias exclaimed, kneeling down and taking a closer look with a magnifying glass he pulled from his little pouch. "You have two bloodstains here, Mr.Harvestspell. Do you know anything of these?"
"H-heavens no! I've never been in this room since the noises started. This is just as surprising news to me as it is to you. Shall I get a cloth and water?"
"No. This is evidence. Casey, when the bags are brought here, take your camera and take a picture of those" the investigator said to his friend. His companion replied in the affirmative and began to write notes down.
"Mr.Harvestspell," Matias said to their host turning around, "we have good reason to suspect there has been foul play in this room. This might go much deeper than we originally thought. Do make a clean breast. Are you sure you know nothing of people coming into your home shortly before these strange noises began?"
"My good sir!" Mr.Harvestspell said, quite taken aback by such a proclamation of possible murder. "I have been entirely truthful to both you gentlemen, and the fact of there has been possible murder in my own home is quite frightful! Should we call the police?"
"Yes but not now. We must begin our investigations before we get the law involved. And I think they'd call us mad if said we suspected of foul play in this house, with no body to be found or any real strong evidence except only two stains on a carpet. By the sun comes up tomorrow however, we will solve all and act then." Matias finished.
"And if you'd be so kind to fetch our bags, we will get started. But I hope you don't mind my partner and I search this house a bit more till supper while you get our bags," he added looking back to the host.
"None at all. Please do whatever you feel you must do. I'll go get your bags." Their host bowed, and made his way, much eager to get away from the haunted room.
"Quite an interesting start for our first case, isn't it, Casey?" Matias asked with a smirk of eagerness.
"Interesting indeed. Do you really think there's been foul play in this room?" The companion asked, looking rather anxiously at those bloodstains.
"Without a doubt. I have reason to believe the spirit, or whatever is haunting this house, is trying to reveal a terrible secret committed in this room. I only pray that we may help this poor soul. But come. Let's explore the house and see if we can find any more clues."
Closing the door behind them, so as to know where the room was, the ghost hunters began their search in the other rooms and after finding nothing of interest, made their way down the stairs.
"Where should we look now?" Casey asked.
"Let's look in the west wing of the house, where the basement is. Our host said that is where the noises always seem to go and disappear," his friend remarked. But when they came to the west wing, their eyes were met by a large closed door.
Matias tried the knob, but it was stuck fast and locked. Even his great strength in pulling or pushing couldn't even budge the large oak door that separated the two from the west wing of the house.
"How curious! It won't budge!"
"Perhaps we need to ask Mr.Harvestspell for the keys," Casey suggested. That is until they both heard a jingling sound of metal from behind them in the other wing.
Matias saw Casey instantly tense up from fright. "A-are those rattling chains?!" He whispered softly.
"No.." Matias said softly, holding his friend's arm reassuringly and listened. "...those are keys rattling!"
His friend dragged Casey along to the source of the noise, and peeping around the corner, they saw Mrs.Harvestspell cleaning again. She had a coy smirk upon her wrinkled lips as a pair of keys jingled on the side of her hip.
Casey was about to speak, but Matias shushed him. They left the room and went towards the second floor.
"What are you doing, Matias? Should we not ask her to open the door for us?"
His friend shushed him again and whispered, "normally we would. But did you notice that smirk? And not to mention her behavior towards us and her husband? I believe she knows more than she tells and locked that door just for us not to go in there. She's hiding something. Now I don't know if she is directly connected, but I have my suspicions.."
It was a very high possibility, indeed. "That is true. But how will we get in?"
"I will kick the door down if I have to. By any means tonight, if our spectral visitor goes through those doors, we will surely follow. Hush! Moms the word" he said suddenly. The jangling keys came up the flight of stairs and they both hushed in an instant as the mistress came up the flight towards the threshold of their second floor hallway they were in.
"Will our guests have any requests for supper tonight?" Mrs.Harvestspell asked, raising her eyebrow and eyeing them with such a cold stare.
"Oh, uh. Roast duck with some brandy would be good, if you have any." Casey replied and Matias nodded.
The old crone bowed low, "as you wish, sirs." And she left without another word. Casey and Matias both looked at each other in wonder of what black secrets could Mary Harvestspell be hiding from the world.