Chapter Four

Ben woke early on Saturday morning to pack for his job. He ended up unpacking and repacking twice because he couldn’t focus. He kept thinking about Chase.

As he packed his cameras, voice recorders, and equipment into a large duffel bag, he remembered Chase’s words: “Absolutely not. Not even for a million dollars. I would rather sleep on the streets than let you go there.” Ben tried to clear his head. He couldn’t let his personal tragedy influence the investigation. There could be no emotion involved, no matter how much he was hurting.

At 10 AM promptly, Ben left the house. It would be about a two-hour drive to get to Silverwood Manor. Ben ignored the beautiful scenery as he drove through the countryside and grieved over his loss. He set his phone to play through the car speakers and tuned it to a love-song station. The sappy lyrics made him cry even harder. It only further reminded him of what he had lost.

When Ben reached the mansion, he slowed down. He found the front gate already open and drove his car down the bumpy, asphalt driveway to the front entrance. There were two other cars parked near the door. He checked the clock. 12:15.

“Shit,” he said out loud. He was supposed to have been there by noon. He quickly checked his face in the rearview mirror. His eyes were a little puffy from crying, but they were no longer red. Maybe no one would notice.

As he exited the car, Ben noticed the elegant, stone facade, the heavy, wooden doors, which he guessed were made of walnut, and the gold-plated hardware, faded and corroded over time. It wasn’t hard to imagine that this place was once the most elegant hotel in the country. After all, Ben recalled, it was modeled after Buckingham Palace.

Despite the elegance of the building’s appearance, Ben had a sense of foreboding. The air felt oppressive, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. There was something creepy about the old place, but Ben couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He took a couple of minutes to snap some photos of the exterior of the building. He did a walk-around to look at all of the windows and doors. They were all secure and intact. While he was walking the grounds, he took more photos, some of different angles of the house and some of the rose garden, now overgrown with weeds. A large oak tree on the north lawn caught his attention. He took a picture of it, although he wasn’t sure why.

Back at the main entrance, Ben pulled the heavy front door open. It slammed behind him, startling him. There were two people already in the main lobby. One was a tall, light-skinned black man. He looked to be about 6'2" and 220 pounds. He was muscular, wearing a tight, black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. His demeanor exuded masculinity, and Ben felt inferior immediately. The man turned toward Ben and offered his hand.

“My name is Cameron Rose. You must be Ben. I'm your security officer for this weekend.” Ben shook his hand and turned his attention to the woman. She was short, about 5'1", petite, with short, brown hair. She was wearing a baggy t-shirt and sweat pants. She was scrolling through her phone.

“You must be the reporter. I'm Ben Blankenship. It's nice to meet you.” She did not look up from her phone.

“Yeah, I'm Tara. I'm with the Herald.” She still did not look up. Was she shy or snobby? It was hard for Ben to tell.

Ben and Cameron exchanged glances. “Okay, then,” Ben said, “I guess we should take a look around. We'll start here on the first floor and work our way up.”

“Are you starting the investigation now?” Tara asked, eyes still glued to her phone.

“No, this is just an initial walk-through. The actual investigation will start tonight, after dark. Say 8:30 or so.”

“Okay, I'm gonna skip this part then," Tara said. She picked up her suitcase and then asked, “We're in rooms 501 and 502, right?”

“Yes.” Ben replied, though his tone made it sound like more of a question than a statement.

“Okay. I'm gonna take 502. You guys can have 501.” She started climbing the grand staircase, still without making eye contact with either Ben or Cameron.

Ben turned to Cameron and said, “Well, I guess it's just us guys.”

“I don't usually speak badly of people I'm supposed to be working with, but she's a bitch. Just saying.”

Ben laughed out loud. “Maybe not. Maybe she just has something important to handle on her phone. Anyway, let's get this walkthrough started.”

As they walked, Cameron asked questions about Ben's investigations. “What kind of evidence do you collect?” he asked.

“Well, I take photos, but they aren't the best evidence. A lot of things can show up in a photo. Like dust, for example. When the camera flash hits a dust particle, it can glow in the picture. I like to use video when I can, and I check temperature, EMF readings, and EVP recordings.”

“Okay, I get the temperature readings, but what is EMF?” Cameron quirked up an eyebrow and scrunched up his face in an overexaggerated look of confusion.

Ben couldn’t help but laugh, appreciating the other man’s efforts to break the ice. “Electromagnetic field detection. The theory is that ghosts or spirits put off an electromagnetic field that we should be able to detect. In reality, these things pick up any electromagnetic field, including the electrical wiring inside the walls.”

“So then, why use it?”

“Well, just like the photos, it's a tool. You have to know it's capabilities and limitations.”

“Okay. So, what's an EPV?” Cameron repeated the same expression, only this time with shrugged shoulders instead of a lifted brow,

Ben laughed out loud again. It felt good to laugh. “EVP is electronic voice phenomenon. It's believed that ghosts can speak, it's just at a different frequency that we can't hear. But it can be captured by an audio recorder, which then converts it to a frequency we can hear.”

“Oh. So, do you believe in ghosts?” Cameron looked at him from the corner of his eye as they walked, the rest of him facing forward. To scan his surroundings? Or to mask the expression? Ben couldn’t tell.

“No, not really. No. I believe there are plenty of people who do believe in ghosts, and I think my job is to help prove to them that there is nothing there to be afraid of. What about you? Do you believe in ghosts?”

At Ben’s answer, Cameron fully faced him once more, a loose smile signaling that he agreed with Ben’s response. “No. I believe there is plenty to be afraid of, I just think it's the living, not the dead, that are the biggest threat.”

“I can agree with that. So, how did you end up with this gig?”

“I'm a Marine, I did two tours in Iraq. When I came home, I got a job with a private security firm. They assigned me to you for this weekend.”

Even if Ben hadn’t already known about Cameron’s military background, he could have probably guessed after raking one look at the man’s physique. “Oh. What kind of jobs do you normally do?”

“Boring stuff, mostly. I work concerts and fairs, special events. Sometimes, I rotate with other officers through factories and malls. I just go wherever they need me.”

“Well, I'm glad you're here. I could use the company.” They reached the end of the first-floor hallway and circled back to the grand staircase. Ben felt comfortable with Cameron, and there was an attraction. Ben thought he was picking up signals from Cameron that meant the attraction was mutual. He thought about Chase and then pushed the thought from his head. Chase was gone, and he chose to leave. Ben was free to do whatever he wanted.

He climbed the grand staircase to the landing and looked out the enormous window. The rose garden looked overgrown and dilapidated.

“I bet this was a spectacular view, back in the day.” Cameron said as he stood just behind Ben. They continued up the stairs. Ben studied Cameron's face as they walked. He was a good-looking man. He had a slight stubble on his face, as if he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. Ben felt his attraction to Cameron growing stronger. They talked as they continued walking through the second floor, then the third, and fourth, until they had finally walked through the entire mansion.

Ben saw nothing out of the ordinary; it just looked like an abandoned hotel. The rooms were still furnished, and the entire place was covered in several layers of dust, but there was nothing malevolent to hint at a haunting.

Ben checked his watch. “Okay, it's 4:30 now. We'll be up all night tonight investigating, so it's probably a good idea to take a little nap while we can.” Cameron agreed and retrieved their bags from the lobby. They climbed the final flight of stairs to the fifth floor.

Unlike the rest of the mansion, the electricity had been turned on to the fifth floor. Mr. Webb had made sure of that. The hallways were brightly lit, and Ben found room 501 just past the staircase. “This is us,” he said.

He unlocked the door and swung it open. The room was furnished with a single queen-sized bed, a chair, dresser, and a nightstand. The only light in the room came from a lamp on the nightstand. Cameron entered the room behind Ben, sitting their bags on the floor. They both unpacked, and Cameron went into the bathroom while Ben undressed and got into bed.

Ben noticed that the room was cold. So cold, he could almost see his breath. He pulled the blankets up to his chin in a futile attempt to trap in his body heat. He watched as Cameron emerged from the bathroom and peeled off the tight, black t-shirt he was wearing. He admired the other man’s well-defined chest and washboard abs. Cameron Rose was a good-looking man, indeed. Ben hoped that the light from the bedside lamp was dim enough that Cameron would not see him staring.

As Ben watched, Cameron removed his pants as well. His legs were long and muscular. Cameron lay down on the opposite side of the bed, pulling the covers up over himself. Ben felt the heat from Cameron’s body warming the entire bed. Cameron shut off the lamp on the bedside table, plunging the room into darkness. The heavy drapes shut out the sunlight.

Ben rolled onto his right side, facing away from Cameron, to get more comfortable. As he did, he pulled the blankets toward him. He felt Cameron switch sides also and sensed that Cameron was only inches away from him. He could feel Cameron’s breath on the back of his neck. As he heard and felt Cameron’s breathing slow, Ben rolled backwards slightly. He felt his body make contact with Cameron’s and stopped. Cameron draped his arm across Ben’s waist. Ben scooted backwards, making full body contact with Cameron. He nested himself between Cameron and the pillows and, finally comfortable, he drifted off to sleep.

Ben awoke to an uncomfortable sensation. The room seemed colder, and although he could still feel Cameron sleeping beside him, the bed felt colder. Ben’s underwear had been pulled down, and he could feel Cameron’s erection. It was so large that it was now between Ben’s own legs, lying directly against his own smaller, erect penis. Cameron’s breathing was still slow and regular, and Ben assumed he was still sleeping. Unable to stop himself, Ben reached down and grasped the massive penis. He was not able to close his hand around it. He felt it throb and pulse against his butt. It withdrew from between his legs, and he felt the enormous head pressing against his anus. Ben tensed and drew a deep breath, knowing that the moment of penetration was going to be painful.

With Chase, Ben had always been the top in their sexual relationship. He would have been happy to bottom for Cameron, but he could tell from the size of the enormous, un-lubricated penis that it was going to hurt. He thought about Chase for a brief moment, and there was a twinge of guilt for cheating, but then, he remembered: Chase broke up with him. The guilt was replaced by anger. He was free to do as he pleased, so why should he feel bad about enjoying himself?

Ben’s alarm sounded on his phone. He scrambled to the edge of the bed to silence it before it attracted attention. He fumbled for a moment and pressed the snooze button, causing utter, and almost eerie, silence to fill the air. Ben could no longer feel Cameron in the bed with him. He reached across the empty mattress, knowing that the moment was over. It was strange, though. He did not hear or feel Cameron getting out of the bed.

He gave a deep sigh, then stood to get dressed. In the darkness, he tripped over something on the floor. As he righted himself, he turned on the bedside lamp. On the floor, right in front of him, was Cameron, sleeping with a spare blanket from the closet draped over him. Ben was confused as he rustled around to put on his clothes. The noise woke Cameron, who appeared uncomfortable. He dressed silently and followed Ben out of the room.