“I’m Viola. What I hear is someone walking around in a long, full-skirted, satin gown, like they wore many years ago. The hems of those gowns were always sweeping the floor.”
“Ella, and I think it sounds more like someone walking in nylon snowpants, and the fabric brushes together with each step.”
Harry briefly closed his eyes and nodded his head. “What you’ve described is basically the same kind of sound, but it triggers different memories for each person.” They all nodded in agreement. “And you’ve all heard it more than once?” Everyone but Alice nodded again. Harry looked at her. “You’ve only heard it once?” he asked.
“I…” She swallowed. “I’m too scared to go in there anymore.”
Harry nodded and looked at Ida. “And you haven’t heard anything.”
She mumbled something and all heads turned towards her. “I said it probably isn’t loud enough for me to hear.” She sighed. “I don’t like to admit it, but I have a minor hearing problem. I don’t always catch low sounds such as you’re describing.”
“There are six bedrooms right?” Harry asked, hiding a smile.
“The original four are upstairs. When George and I were young, our parents added two more bedrooms on this floor, for when our grandparents came to visit.”
“Has anyone heard anything in any other part of the house?” He looked around the table but every head was shaking. He nodded. “Okay, next thing to do is examine the back pantry.”
Ida stood up. “Follow me.” She led him through the kitchen, opened a door at the end, and turned on the lights. “It’s mostly empty now, but that will change as we settle in.”
The room resembled a wide hallway with no window, and the opposite wall was filled with bins, boxes and shelves. Harry inspected the surface areas but found no visible signs of mice. Next he checked the exterior of the house but saw nothing to explain what the women were hearing… no loose siding or eave boards, no torn window screens where a small bird or bat might get trapped, no trees close enough to brush against the house… nothing.
“Everything seems to be normal,” he said, “but I’ll come back and do a more thorough inspection within the next couple of days. I’ll let you know when, and if anyone hears anything before I return, I want notes of the weather conditions, particularly the wind.”
Ida nodded. “We’ll do that.”
***************
Back at the office, Harry discovered that Bertie had been checking out the history of Black’s Farm. The previous owner, Jonah Black, had inherited it from his uncle Saul, who had no children of his own. “There’s no record of a marriage or children for Jonah – which rules out direct descendants – and no record of Jonah’s father in the area, just his uncle.
“In the digital copies of old deeds and bills of sale, I found a record of James Pinsent’s purchase of the place. He wasn’t interested in changing the name of the farm, said it was appropriate because of the Black Spruce trees along the north and northeast boundaries. And Mrs. Pinsent said it sounded more mysterious. I think she was right,” Bertie said.
