Page 29 of Eldritch

As they moved around the rest of the exterior, he discussed his suggestions with her. His professionalism impressed her. She knew he understood securing a building, and it made her curious.

At one point, she asked, “How did you meet Clarice?”

He snapped a photo of the back of the house with that big phone. “I met Clarice when I moved into this neighborhood. She drove up to my cabin one day and introduced herself. She asked if I knew anyone who could do good security systems on houses. I thought she meant this one, but she was talking about her little place in Estes Park. I told her I could help and gave her my references. She hired me and there you have it.”

Sybil nodded, happy Clarice trusted him. “Awesome.”

They continued around the building. When they reached the back door leading into the kitchen, she used her key to let them inside.

Letisha stood at the sink, her hands on the countertop.

Letisha’s head snapped up as Sybil entered first, with Douglas following behind. She gave Sybil a wan smile, but she straightened up. “Hey. Pauline said you guys were surveying the outside.”

“We did.” Sybil frowned as they moved further into the kitchen. “You okay?”

Letisha put her arms over her head and did a stretch. “I’m fine. I just took my last painkiller. My fibromyalgia flared up.” She nodded at Douglas. “I’m Letisha Baker. Sybil’s business partner.”

Douglas shook her hand. “Very nice to meet you, Letisha. Douglas MacKenzie. Sorry to hear about the fibromyalgia. My mother and sister both have a bit of that.”

“Then you have an idea how it is.”

“It can be rough.”

“If you ever need anyone to talk to about it, they belong to this online group that’s really helpful. I’ll put you in touch with them.”

She grinned. “Thank you. I’ve been thinking about joining a support group.” She put her hands on her hips. “So, what do you think? Do we have a security problem around here, Douglas?”

“The windows and doors are in good shape. But I have some recommendations based on the outside of the house. Once I see the inside, I’ll have a better idea of what the house needs.”

“I’ll show you around,” Sybil said.

“Nice to have met you, Douglas,” Letisha said with a warm smile.

His smile reached his eyes. “Doug, please.”

“Doug it is.” Letisha moved stiffly across the room. “Later.”

Douglas said, “Hope you feel better.”

He turned away to look at the room.

Letisha waggled her eyebrows at Sybil as she left, and Sybil shook her head and smiled at her friend.

Douglas started making notes about the kitchen. Before long, they’d made their way to the parlor, where it was obvious Pauline had cleaned and dusted the room thoroughly. The room smelled lavender fresh. The parlor’s decoration was, like so many other rooms on this floor, a testament to Italianate and other Victorian influences.

One tall window to the left of the fireplace gave a view to the east. She looked out that window just as a man stepped into view outside.

For a second, both she and Douglas seemed frozen in place. The man looked into the window, his face a mask of horror.

“What the...” Sybil said involuntarily.

The man walked away and disappeared.

“Who is that?” Doug asked.

“I don’t know...I...”

“Come on.” Doug left the room quickly, and she was right behind him.

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