Poor Muffin, she fainted, draped over my shoulder.  Inside the coffin was a skeleton with my name on it…and a stuffed gray cat with Muffin’s name!  Wake up Muffin, it’s okay, someone is just trying to scare us with this little display.  They obviously want us to leave.  Meow, meow!!  What do you mean, good, let’s leave?  There’s nothing to be afraid of here.  Meow?? (We’re going to die and you try to tell me there’s nothing to be afraid of?)  You worry too much Muffin, we’re not going to die.  Besides it’s a long walk home don’t forget.  Meow.  What do you mean it’s a nice night for a walk.  Meow.  And it’s healthy too?  We’re not going anywhere until we solve this mystery.  Wow, that was a loud sigh!

Okay, let’s go back upstairs and look around some more.  And stop sighing like that.  We will check all the bedrooms thoroughly this time for some clues.  Meow?  Like a knife in the back?  Stop with that!  Okay, sit on my shoulder and look behind us, I don’t want any surprises.  Meow.  There’s no surprises at home?  No money either.  Meow.  Dead people can’t spend money?  Just try to stay calm, it will all work out fine.  Muffin and I go through the bedrooms one by one.  Well Muffin, this is the last one, and it’s the only one that isn’t covered with dust.  Maybe that ghost…I mean, that woman sleeps here.  Meow!  No, I’m not agreeing she’s a ghost, it was just a slip.

It’s also the only bedroom with a closet I see.  Let’s look in there.  I open the door, hmm, completely empty.  I’m thinking this was likely Mrs. Baker’s bedroom and…what’s wrong Muffin?  She looked terrified and pointed with her tail behind me.  So I slowly turn around and there’s the woman in white again.  But how did she get in the room?  The door is still closed.  What do you want, she asks, why do you invade my home?  This isn’t your home, who are you?  I’m Mrs. Lydia Baker, and this is my home, you are trespassing.  Don’t give me that, I said, Mrs. Baker died many years ago.  That’s true, she said, I did die years ago.

Another flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by such a loud crack of thunder it startled me and I dropped my candle.  The whole room was so completely dark I could see nothing.  Fortunately Muffin could see and she batted the candle back over to me.  I quickly lit it but the woman had vanished again.  Too bad, we almost had her that time Muffin.  Meow?  Yes, we want to catch her.  You’re not really afraid of her, are you?  How did you learn to roll your eyes like that?  Never mind, I don’t want to know.  She didn’t go out the door because I put that wastebasket in front of it, just as a warning for us if someone opened the door.  Meow.  What do you mean I’m smarter than I look?

There must be a door here that leads to another passageway.  We both searched but found nothing.  Hmm, this dresser drawer is open a bit, I don’t remember that.  I couldn’t open it any further so I closed it.  A door opened beside the dresser.  Hey, we found it Muffin, let’s check it out.  Meow?  Yes, we need to, this could be important.  There was a narrow passageway, barely wide enough to walk in.  At the end it turned to the right and went down a narrow set of stairs.  We must be back in the basement again Muffin.  She wrapped herself tightly around my leg again.

There was a door at the bottom of the stairs that opened to a small room, well lit with candles.  Someone is obviously living in this house Muffin and it must be that woman.  We looked around but couldn’t find anything that might help us.  There was another narrow door in the room.  Let’s see where it leads Muffin.

To be continued.

Steve and Muffin.

© 2020 Steve McLeod.