Chapter Two

Ben Blankenship sat nervously in the waiting room. He wasn’t sure why this law firm wanted to meet with him. He couldn’t imagine that he was in any sort of trouble, but it wasn’t every day that he was summoned to a lawyer’s office for a meeting.

Ben’s clients were all satisfied with his work, to the best of his knowledge, and he couldn’t think of any situations that had occurred that would leave him open to liability. He wondered if he should have brought his own attorney to the meeting.

He made eye contact with the receptionist, who smiled and said, “They’re just wrapping up. It won’t be much longer.”

Ben fidgeted nervously in his seat. Finally, after what felt like hours but had only been a few minutes, the receptionist said, “Mr. Webb will see you now.” She directed him to a small office in the corner of the office suite.

William Webb was a short, balding man of about fifty, dressed in a nice suit and tie. He looked like an accomplished attorney. He was sorting some papers at a large conference table and didn’t initially acknowledge Ben when he entered the room. Ben cleared his throat, and Mr. Webb looked up and smiled. His teeth were gleaming white and almost perfect—his top right canine was slightly tucked away behind the tooth next to it.

“Ben Blankenship! Welcome! Have a seat.” Ben sat opposite Mr. Webb at the conference table, his nerves still causing his stomach to jump around. The longer he waited to find out what was going on, the more he felt like he was going to puke

“Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here. Relax, it’s nothing bad.”

“Why exactly am I here then?”

“Well, first, let me make sure you’re the right Ben Blankenship. You’re the one who investigates the paranormal occurrences at these ‘haunted houses’ on YouTube, right?” Mr. Webb interlocked his fingers and rested them atop the pile of papers he had been sorting earlier. His eyes never strayed away from Ben’s.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Good. I can’t say that I watch your channel myself, but my client does. And he wants to hire you.” A small, smug smile started to line Mr. Webb’s lips, like he was already 100% certain of Ben’s eager acceptance.

While Ben was sure that Mr. Webb meant to look reassuring, all the lawyer’s smile did was make Ben more apprehensive. “Who is your client? And why does he want to hire me?”
“Have you ever heard of Silverwood Manor?”

“Well, yes. Everybody has. It’s supposedly the most haunted place in the country.”

“That’s right. It’s also the hardest ‘haunted house’ to book for a paranormal investigation, am I right?”

“Yes.” Ben had tried for months, knowing that the site would be just what he needed to take his channel to the next level, but without any luck. He was told that he would have to wait at least a year before he could even start the process of booking the dates.

“Well, Silverwood Manor is up for sale. My client has a client who is purchasing it and wants to convert it into a luxury hotel. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars here. The problem is, my client, the insurance company, isn’t happy with the disappearances there, and they want answers about the building’s safety.” If it was possible, Mr. Webb increased the intensity of his stare, relaying the seriousness of the matter.

“Are you asking me to do a paranormal investigation at Silverwood Manor?”

“Yes. But we need more information than the previous professional and amateur investigators have provided. We need to know what’s on the fifth floor and the cause of the disappearances there over the years. My client felt that you and your team had the best chance of getting us those answers.”

Ben didn’t miss the fact that Mr. Webb didn’t voice his own opinion about Ben’s qualifications. But he didn’t pay that much attention, not when the opportunity he had been after for months was suddenly knocking on his door.

“And what about publishing the results of my investigation?”

“We want legitimate, logical answers and proof that the mansion is safe for visitors. We want you to publish those findings on your YouTube channel. We’ll even chip in for advertising to help get the word out.”

The offer was beyond generous and one that Ben had no intention of turning down. Still, there was one burning question left that he needed answered before he could envision himself taking the job.

“What happens if I can’t find the legitimate, logical answers you are looking for?”

“The mansion will be demolished and a new hotel built on the site. Obviously, this would cost a lot more money than just remodeling the current building. We want to avoid that scenario, if at all possible. But look, most people don’t really believe in ghosts. You’ve spent your career up to this point debunking ghost stories and finding logical explanations for paranormal phenomena. That’s all we’re asking you to do here. And we’ll pay you one million dollars to do it.”

Just when the deal couldn’t seem to get any better, it did. That was what made Ben sit straight up as nervous suspicion started to creep down his spine.

“One million dollars?”

“Yes. You’ll spend one weekend on the fifth floor of Silverwood Manor. Come back with video, audio, and photographic proof that there is no paranormal activity there, and we will pay you one million dollars.”

Ben sat in thought for a minute. One million dollars was a lot of money. It would certainly solve a lot of his problems. It could prevent a lot of future problems, too.

“You’ll have a team with you.” Mr. Webb said after the silence lasted a bit too long for his liking, judging by the way the lawyer’s lips morphed from an arrogant smile to an annoyed frown. “We have a security guy, ex-military, and a reporter from the Lee County Herald. We’ve already taken care of compensation arrangements with the other team members, so the million dollars is all yours.”

“Well, I don’t see how I can say no.” Though, he was starting to get the feeling that he should. But he couldn’t. Not when one million dollars was on the line.

“Good. Glad to hear it. I will need you to sign a waiver and a confidentiality agreement. You won’t release your findings until we’ve had a chance to review and approve your report. If you’ll just sign here and here…” Mr. Webb slid some papers across the table along with a heavy, probably expensive, pen. Ben scribbled his signature on the two forms before his lingering suspicion could sink its roots into him any further.

“Splendid. The team meets this Saturday morning in the front foyer of Silverwood Manor. You’ll need to clear out by 8:00 am Monday, and I’ll expect your report to be compiled and ready for presentation by Tuesday afternoon.”

“It will be. Thank you.”

“Your check will be ready upon delivery of your report. Thank you for doing this for us.” Mr. Webb turned his attention back to the papers he was sorting. Ben stood and pushed his chair back underneath the table. Mr. Webb did not look back up, so Ben left the conference room without another word.

On the drive home, the true enormity of the meeting he’d just had hit Ben full force. He was going to be a millionaire. But he was nervous about the job and all of the unintended consequences that might arise. Silverwood Manor. It was the crown jewel of haunted houses, one that carried many mysteries.

The house was currently abandoned. Ben had thought that would make it easier to investigate, but local law enforcement was pretty diligent about keeping people out. Ben would have to hope that Mr. Webb had taken care of that contingency.

When he arrived home, he noticed that Chase’s care was already in the driveway. It was unusual for his boyfriend to be home this early in the day. Ben parked in his usual spot and walked in the house. Music was blaring from the living room speakers.

“Honey, I’m home!” Ben shouted over the music. Chase did not answer.

“Honey, I’m home!” Ben tried again. Still no answer. Ben turned down the music and called out a third time. Chase did not answer him. Ben began walking through the house, looking for him in all of his usual spots. Chase was not in the kitchen, living room, or Ben’s office. The bathroom door was open, and it was empty. Ben walked into the bedroom and saw Chase sitting motionless on the bed.

As Ben entered the room, Chase looked up at him with shame on his face and said, “I got fired today.”

“What? What happened?” Ben asked. He laid a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“They said that it was downsizing. They cut four people from my department. What are we going to do?” Chase’s eyes filled with water, but he bit his lip and fought not to let them spill over.

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. You hated that miserable job, anyway. Now, you have a chance to do something that makes you happy.”

“Never mind that. How are we going to make the mortgage payment this month?”

Chase had been the breadwinner since they met. Ben’s job as a paranormal investigator yielded little money, and the work was sporadic. His YouTube videos generated a meager income through advertising, although it wasn’t enough to support the two of them, and it had waned lately since Ben had not produced any new content in a while.

“I got a job today, for this weekend. It pays one million dollars. We’re not going to have to worry about money for a while.”

Chase looked up at Ben, his face slack in shock. “Wh-what? What’s the job?”

“Brace yourself. Silverwood Manor.” Ben, with a broad grin, waggled his fingers to mimic Chase’s favorite dramatic gesture.

Chase did not share Ben’s excitement.

“Absolutely not. Not even for a million dollars. I would rather sleep on the streets than let you go there.”

“Chase, we need the money. And this could be the biggest investigation of my career. This would bring back the viewers, advertising money, the residual income. It’s only for two nights, and I won’t be alone. They’re sending a reporter and a security guy with me.”

“Who is ‘they?’” Chase asked.

“Some insurance company.” Ben replied.

Chase sat for a moment, waiting for more information, and when it was obvious that none would be coming, said, “No, I don’t want you to do it. It’s too dangerous.”

Ben sighed. Chase looked up at him with disbelief.

“You already agreed to it, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Ben admitted sheepishly.

“Dammit, Ben!” Chase roared. He stood up and stomped out of the room.

Ben wasn’t too concerned about the fight. Chase would come around. He always got upset when Ben was going into a dangerous situation. He didn’t believe in paranormal activity. Neither did Ben, for that matter. Ben wanted to find logical explanations for strange phenomena, while Chase thought that people should just grow up and stop being scared of the boogeyman.

Ben could hear Chase moving about the house. He knew the routine well. Whenever they had a fight, Chase would start cleaning the house, whether it needed it or not.

That night, as they lay in bed, Ben snuggled closer to Chase. He felt Chase’s arm around him, and Ben felt guilty as a single tear dropped from Chase’s cheek onto his own.