Clichés to look forward to: The cheesy warning ghostly voice! The mysteriously missing friend! The "Hey, let’s split up!" The mysterious reappearance of one of the missing person’s possessions! Oh... did I spoil the anticipation for anyone? ;o) 

-Bottou-chan

The Curse of the Baron Roderick
by Bottou-chan

Part Six

"Feeling any better?" Neon looked up from an antique photo album she was paging through as Caitlyn came in.

"Much better, thank you," said the maid, with a polite curtsey. "I didn’t mean to be so hysterical… but it was so frightening!"

"You should be used to it," reprimanded Harold lightly. "Goodness knows how many peculiar things tend to happen here."

"Do others know the manor is haunted?" asked Neon nervously. Prime real estate and haunted prime real estate were two different things.

"We try keeping it in the family," said Bronwyn placidly. "It would be difficult, finding good help to work here, if it was broadcast all over the county."

"Oi, when does Baron Roderick’s lawyer come in, to finalize the paperwork?" inquired Joker. This was only the second day of their two weeks’ vacation, but he had a sneaking suspicion it wouldn’t be hard to convince Neon for a little side-trip. Say, leave the estate in the capable hands of the lawyers to dispose of, while the three of them went to London or Dublin for a bit of fun. Anything would be preferable to being cooped up in a haunted house with malicious spirits lurking on the premises.

"Tomorrow, sir," said Harold. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Provided the storm doesn’t wash out the roads."

Neon’s nose wrinkled in distaste. Why couldn’t her uncle have paved the roads when he remodeled the house? Instead, she asked, "Where’s Raiha?"

"Didn’t he come back here?" Caitlyn looked blank. "We were in the kitchen for about five minutes, and I told him I’d be okay. So he left."

Neon and Bronwyn exchanged a look. "Mr. Raiha hasn’t been back here," said Bronwyn. "Are you sure he said he’d be coming this way?"

"What would he be doing in the rest of the house? There are no lights," replied Caitlyn practically. "But perhaps he wanted to change clothes or put on some socks or something like that. I don’t know."

"Raiha will be Raiha," replied Neon lightly. "Only Kurei can tell him what to do."

"Kurei? Who’s that?" asked Harold curiously.

"Our employer," explained Neon, and left it at that.

~an hour later~

"He’s not back yet," said Neon, looking uncomfortable. "Something’s wrong."

"Perhaps we should look for him," offered Joker. "Maybe he got lost on the way to the bathroom?"

Neon didn’t dignify it with a reply. "Let’s scour the house and see where he’s hiding. If he’s trying to frighten us, it isn’t funny."

"Shall we split up?" offered Peter. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Strength in numbers," advised Joker. "I say we stick together, so we know where everyone is at all times."

"Do you think someone’s out to get you?" demanded Peter, a triumphant smirk on his face. "You think the ghosts got Mr. Raiha, don’t you!"

Joker murmured something unpleasant under his breath in Japanese. But Neon nodded. "Split up," she suggested. "There’s probably a reasonable explanation for this, and the sooner we find him, the better. And the more ground we can cover in less time, the sooner we can put this stupid incident behind us. Joker, you and I can be a team. Peter, you and Bronwyn can be a team. Caitlyn and Harold can be the third team. Do you have walkie-talkies or any other way of communication?"

"I believe we have some battery-powered walkie-talkies," agreed Harold. "I use them to speak with Keefe when he’s out doing the gardening work. I’ll fetch them immediately."

But Bronwyn was shaking her head. "No," she said. "Why don’t I go with you, Miss Neon; and Harold can go with Mr. Hiroji? And then Caitlyn and Peter can be together. After all, we know the house better than anyone else would, seeing as we’ve worked here all our lives. If you and Mr. Hiroji were on your own, you’d only be wandering aimlessly. If you don’t mind my saying so, that is."

"Good idea," agreed Neon. "I see what you’re saying. Very well." She froze, however, when her sharp ears picked up a new sound. It was different from the moaning of the wind outside- it sounded more like a human voice. And then she could identify distinct words:

"Daughter of my blood… flee from this house! Escape the curse before it’s too late!"

The ominous warning was punctuated by a large painting falling from the far wall with a loud clatter. Everyone in the room jumped; Caitlyn and Bronwyn shrieked.

"They’re out to get you, Miss Neon!" whispered Peter, wide-eyed. "Don’t let them!"

"I can’t very well do that," said Neon, her nerves seriously rattled. "I’m sure… there’s a reasonable explanation… for this painting… and for us hearing things…" She went over to inspect the painting, but Bronwyn got there first. She hung it back up in its place, an unreadable expression upon her face.

"I heard the voices, too," said Joker, looking rather uncomfortable. "Why do you suppose they’re so angry at Neon?"

"Part of it’s because the curse is catching up with her," said Caitlyn solemnly. "She’s in more danger than anyone else at the moment."

"Then why did Raiha disappear first?" objected Joker.

Caitlyn merely spread her hands and shook her head. "I don’t know. But I think the second part of it-her ancestors are angry with Miss Neon for wanting to sell the property."

"What else would I do with it?" demanded Neon. "They’re not leaving me much of a choice- I can live here and die quickly, or I can sell the property and die even more quickly. And I don’t have any relatives or any children, so the house would pass out of my hands anyways."

Joker opened his mouth.

"NO." Neon scowled at him.

Joker clamped his mouth shut. ::Am I that predictable?:: he thought cheerfully to himself.

Harold returned with the walkie-talkies and distributed them. "Check in every five minutes with the others," he suggested. "Just to let people know what part of the house you’re in, and that you’re well. We’ll take the first floor."

"Miss Neon and I will take care of the second floor," nodded Bronwyn.

"That leaves the third floor for us," said Peter. He smiled. "No one killed themselves on the third floor, so it should be safe."

"You forget the maid who fell in love with the fourth Baron Roderick," Caitlyn contradicted him, and his face fell.

"Oh, yeah. Well… she’s not family… so maybe she doesn’t count." Peter scuffed his toe against the carpet.

"What a way to spend our vacation, h’m, Neon?" inquired Joker, smiling amiably. In Japanese, he added, "I wish we’d brought our madougu with us… I’d feel a lot better about it then. You’d be surprised at how many times ghosts turn out to be flesh and blood… especially blood…"

Neon nodded her head. In English, she replied, "You’re right. After we find Raiha, it would be nice to sit down in the kitchen and have some of those strawberry tarts we had for dessert last night. Mm, those were good. Well, let’s get going."

She opened the library door to take a step out, and almost fell over trying not to crunch an object underfoot.

"How’d this get here?" she demanded, paling considerably.

Harold looked at the object she indicated with her toe.

"That wasn’t there when I came in a few minutes ago with the walkie-talkies," said Harold, looking puzzled. Recognition suddenly dawned on him. "Ah, yes! That’s the object that Mr. Raiha had suspended from his belt!"

"Raijin," said Neon, picking it up and cradling it in her hands. "He’d never remove it from his person! Not to mention, leave it lying around like that! Something terrible must’ve happened!" She tied it to her own belt. Not that she knew the first thing about how to operate it, but its weight was reassuring.

Her expression hardened into a look of determined resolve. ::Raiha, wherever you are… we’ll save you.::

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