Page 9 of Condemned By Secrets

Rosie chuckled. “Yes, but there’s more. Come on, keep going.” She shooed her hand at Anna, who couldn’t imagine anything topping that house.

Anna gave it one last look before continuing down the lane. The front porch may be hanging off, and part of the roof was collapsed, but the original timber and stone frame stood proudly. She envisioned the farmhouse completely refurbished and turned into a venue for . . . something. If there were more space, she could see it as a place for events or weddings. They’d need to clear out the brush and then build a large—

Anna gasped as the very thing she had just been thinking of appeared before her. A large red barn, its paint faded and worn away in spots, stood in a field beyond the house. Surprised to find the grass mowed around it, she was wondering if this was the society’s doing when Rosie broke into her thoughts.

“Grand, isn’t it?”

“Very.” Before Anna could say more, Rosie gestured for her to park on a patch of gravel next to the barn.

As soon as the car had stopped moving, the sprightly older woman jumped out. Anna, still a little dazed, followed more slowly. “How is this still here?” Anna asked in wonder, gazing around at the remnants of what had once been a thriving farm.

Rosie’s white head swiveled toward her, and a grin split her face. She shrugged as she answered. “That’s the beauty of this place, Anna. It’s haunted, so everyone leaves it alone.”

Anna couldn’t help but laugh. In her line of work, she was no stranger to the idea of haunted houses, but she didn’t believe in them. “Well, that’s good for us, I guess.”

Rosie laughed too. “Yes, it is.”

“So what’s the story with this place? I’m guessing the society owns it?” Anna twirled and shielded her eyes to look across the field at the house. Behind it stood a couple of smaller outbuildings—sheds, which were likely kitchens or smokehouses at some point, judging by the chimneys. A pile of haphazard lumber that had once been a building and a rusted piece of farm equipment lay abandoned nearby. The whole place smacked of neglect.

“We do. The last surviving relative donated it to us about a year ago. They didn’t live on the property, of course. No one has since before I moved to Rolling Brook, and that was in the 80s.”

“It’s got so much potential, Rosie. I can see it all fixed up. It’d be the exact thing Rolling Brook is missing—a large event venue.”

“It certainly could be, dear, but we’ve had trouble getting an investor.” Rosie shook her head, and her coifed white waves bounced with the movement.

“Because it’s haunted?” Anna grinned knowingly at Rosie. “Why do people think that?”

“The rumor is this place was the site of the largest bootlegging operation in the county during Prohibition.”

“Oh! I’d love to be able to corroborate that.” Anna perked up at the idea of research.

“Well, and you might be able to. We’ve only begun to look at records of the property. The massacre should be in the local papers,” Rosie mused.

“Massacre?” Anna’s jaw fell. She was having a hard time relating the idea of something so gruesome to the tranquil scene in front of her.

“Oh yes, nearly a dozen were killed. One of the gangs out of Chicago came after the bootleggers. Not sure why. They destroyed the whole operation and stole all the stills they found.”

“So their ghosts wander here, waiting for revenge?” Anna smirked.

“If you believe in that sort of thing.” Rosie smiled in response. “I’m not saying there’s no such thing as ghosts, but I’ve never felt anything malicious here. This old place just needs some TLC.”

“Yes, it does!” Anna rubbed her hands together. “Can we look inside?”

“The barn we can. The house isn’t safe, though. Not in its condition. Going to need an engineer for that one.”

Anna couldn’t help a little squeal of excitement at the thought of exploring the barn. “Okay, let’s open her up!”

Rosie pulled a massive set of keys, which had to weigh as much as she did, out of her purse. How she kept them all straight, Anna wasn’t sure. She’d talk to Sandy about getting some realtor locks placed on the society’s properties, so the huge keyring wouldn’t be necessary. Rifling through them, Rosie landed on a large barrel key and used it to open the ancient-looking iron lock on the barn’s side door.

Leaving the lock dangling, Rosie grasped the handle and struggled to pull the door open. Anna was about to help her when it gave way and sent Rosie flying backward into Anna’s arms.

“Rosie!” Anna stumbled back a step but was able to keep them both upright. Luckily, the older woman was petite like Anna and weighed next to nothing.

Rosie burst out laughing, and Anna joined in. When they’d settled down to the occasional giggle, Rosie told her, “Thank you, Anna. I’d for sure have broken something if you hadn’t caught me.”

“You’re welcome, but we better be careful. Do you want to come in or wait out here?” Anna glanced into the darkness of the barn’s interior, eager to explore what lay within.

“You go on without me. I know what’s in there. If you open the main doors, you’ll have some light. Otherwise, you need a flashlight.” She smacked her hand to her forehead. “I completely forgot to bring them. My memory’s not what it used to be.”

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