C8 Why Is She Still Here?
2 AM arrives, and Beth can’t stand thinking to herself anymore. It’s time to break the silence.
“There’s got to be more to it?”
“More to what?”
“It still doesn’t make sense.”
Martin rolls on his side to face Beth. “What doesn’t make sense?”
Beth rolls on her side now to face Martin. “The price we paid for this house.”
“Christ, Beth; with all you found out today, you’re still hung up on the price?”
“Martin, those killings stopped in 1961. They kept the killings quiet all this time; so why sell this house so low?”
“Probably because of Mary.”
“I don’t think that would matter much.”
“Excuse me?” Martin sits up. “The ghost of a murdered girl doesn’t matter much? Who are you; and where is my wife?”
Beth sits up. “I don’t mean, necessarily, that it doesn’t matter…of course it matters…once you’re living here. But we didn’t know anything about this house being haunted before buying it; so why did the realtors sell it to us so cheap? There’s got to be more to it than that.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t know; but I’m going to find out.”
“And just how pray tell are you going to do that, Mrs. Lazinski?” Martin reaches over and holds Beth.
“I’ve got my resources, Mr. Lazinski.” Beth places her head on Martin’s shoulder.
“Do you mind if I ask what resources those might be?”
“No; I don’t mind. Actually, I’m waiting for Trish to give me a call back.”
“I see. And, just what is it you think Trish can find out?”
“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. She is in the real estate market…with contacts in the field. I asked her to see if she could dig up anything on this house.”
“Hmmm. Very clever.”
“Why thank you; I thought so.”
Beth sits up straight, crosses her arms in front of her chest and becomes quiet. Martin goes back down to his side, looking up at Beth. He waits a minute before asking…
“What’s wrong?”
“I think Anna’s mad at me.”
“Come on; Anna, mad at you? Right. She adores you, Beth; why would she be mad at you?”
“I told her I didn’t want her going out to the barn to play with Mary anymore.”
Martin teases, “Oh. You’re right; she’s gonna hate you for a long time. Well, at least she still likes me.”
“Martin!”
Martin laughs. Beth lightly hits in his arm.
“I’m serious. It’s not funny.”
Rubbing his arm, trying to hold his laughing back, “I’m sorry, I was just kidding with you.”
“Well, I’m not; I think she’s really mad. What do you think? Am I being unreasonable asking her not to do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Martin, please; I’m asking for your help here.”
“Beth, I’m sorry; I’m not trying not help you…I just honestly don’t know.
Look, I understand how you feel…I don’t like the idea our daughter hanging out with ghosts either…but, can we really stop it? I mean; how do you stop a ghost from communicating with someone? Let’s say Anna doesn’t go to the barn…Mary’s been in the house before; right…what’s to stop her from coming here whenever she feels like it?”
Beth’s silent for a moment before responding, “I don’t know.”
“Exactly. You don’t know; and I don’t know either.”
“So what are we suppose to do? And please don’t say you don’t know.”
“Beth,” Martin rubs the back of his head, “let’s try to put this into some sort of perspective. This is anything but a typical situation…to even say it’s strange would be a major understatement…but, if you think about it…what harm is it in letting Anna keep Mary as her friend?”
“What?”
“Beth, Hon’, I know it sounds creepy, but after all, Mary’s just a child herself; at least she was, before…well, you know.”
“Murdered. Murdered, Martin.”
Martin’s becoming uncomfortable with the discussion. “Yeah…that.”
“I don’t like it, Martin.”
“I said I didn’t like the idea either, but…”
“No!” Beth interrupts Martin, “I really don’t like it. There’s something wrong.”
“Wrong? Besides her being a ghost?”
“Martin, think about it,” Beth gets up, walks to the window and stares at the barn, “she told Anna she use to live here; right?”
“Right.”
“And she rearranged everything in the kitchen the way her mom had it because she missed her; right?”
“Okay.”
Still looking out the window. “Anna said Mary lives out in the barn.”
Martin gets up and joins Beth by the window. “Alright; what’s on your mind, Beth?”
“Martin, if this was their house; why is Mary living out in the barn? Why isn’t she staying here in the house…in her room?”
“I don’t know. Is that what’s really bothering you?”
“No, I’m just curious about that. I’ll tell you what’s really bothering me…If they were all killed together that night…and, if Mary misses her mom so much…why didn’t she move on with her parents? Why did she stay behind?”
