Page 12 of The Silence of Hell

“Yes. On the front line. Several of my brothers were injured. But we were lucky, we didn’t have any deaths,” Chatter said.

The nightmare and horror in Chatter’s eyes was clear as he recalled some tragic memory. It was uncomfortable to be privy to it, and I squirmed.

“Sorry for your losses. From the reports, good men were killed,” I murmured.

Chance nodded, his eyes also having a faraway look.

“Heroes were made and lost,” Sunny added. Their pain was tangible, and I felt awful for making them relive that terrible experience.

“I’d never been a soldier,” Chatter said. “Not until that day.”

“Hell, I was a soldier and never expected that shit on US soil,” Sunny replied.

“Thank you for your service,” I stated and meant it. These were real heroes in front of me. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. I’ll make a call and amend the report.”

“That would be appreciated. The last thing we want is further notoriety,” Chance responded.

“I’d offer to show you the house, but the entrance hall is the least of it,” I murmured.

Chatter looked horrified. “There’re dolls throughout this place?”

“Every single room is crammed with them. Some are really valuable, others not so. Apparently, Aunt Aggie became a bit of an eccentric hoarder.”

“I need to leave!” Chatter exclaimed, peering around like he was about to be attacked.

“That’s gonna be a problem. Chatter’s gotta go back through the hall again, and I’m not carrying his lazy ass,” Sunny said.

Chatter scowled. “Ain’t going anywhere near those demon-possessed spawn.”

I bit my lip so I didn’t laugh and scratched my chin. We had to figure out how to get Chatter out.

“What if we cover Chatter’s eyes?” I suggested, and Chance shook his head.

“Tried that. Fucker took out five brothers when he swore there was the patter of tiny feet.”

Chatter paled at Chance’s words and drew his legs up.

Oh hell, he was bad.

“Shit, we didn’t think this one through,” Chance muttered.

“How about out of the window?” I proposed. “I left the boards up for security. However, we can remove it and let Chatter climb out. Otherwise, he’ll have to stay here until my team arrives.”

“Team?” Chance asked, ignoring my solution.

“I have several students coming that I teach to help pack up the dolls until I value them. Some are museum pieces. They’re that rare,” I replied.

“You’re a teacher?” Sunny inquired.

“Yes and no. I taught one day a week at my local university. There’s a lot of money to be made in dolls and I trained students who wanted to specialise in how to tell genuine from fake. And how to check for identifying marks and look at reputable sources. There’re some seriously good fakes out there, and when a doll can fetch six figures, it is a big business.

“I used to do a lot of travelling, but I plan to stay here now. If people want me to value their treasure, then they'll come to me. That sounds arrogant, and I don’t mean it like that. But I’ve seen most of the states and have travelled constantly for seven years. It’s nice to have somewhere to call home and put roots down.”

“Do you intend to teach here?” Chatter asked.

“In a way. I was thinking of working with universities and letting people lodge here. No more than six or seven. They’d come and stay as part of their course and learn what they needed to. At the uni, I taught one and a half days a week. A three-month program should be plenty. Several universities have shown interest, and I have loads of rooms here.”

“What about paying their way?” Chance inquired.

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