Hearthville Serial: Book 4 – Chapter 3

Excerpt:

Arthur said, “Hey George. What is happening?”

George looked to see Dioson approaching him on horseback. “I am being chased by the Witch Hunter Dioson Claws.” Jumping over the black wooden fence, George continued to talk into the phone. “The ghost of your grandfather told me that Paulster McCluskey is being held in a secret room in the Bare Family Mausoleum on the Bare estate. I was going to investigate when Dioson saw me. Dioson is the fake Jess.”

“You know about the fake Jess. You know who the fake Jess is! The ghost of my grandfather is talking to you! How did you get involved in this?”

“I don’t even know.”

“What is this about?”

Hearthville Serial 4
Book 4 (Title Undecided):
A Paranormal Suspense Gangster Horror

By Charles Peters

Copyright 2019

All Rights Reserved

Chapters

Chapter 3

Clouds had begun to darken the sky as George pulled his orange mustang through the columned gates of the Bare Family Cemetery. He looked around the grand, ornamental monuments to the deceased members and loved ones of the Bare family. He remembered how he had stood silently in the back of a large crowd of people as they had laid Donny Maxtone to rest.

George parked his mustang. “What am I doing here. I should leave.”

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He climbed out of the mustang and he walked to Donny’s grave that had fresh cut flowers on it. George heard a whisper in his ear. “Go to the Mausoleum.”

George looked around but didn’t see a Mausoleum. “Where? And who the hell are you?”

“Artorious.”

And another voice whispered from the other side. “And Nanny Ogleby. But know that we are weak. We need to return to our haunting place.”

“Why do you want me to go to the Mausoleum?”

Artorious stated, “Paulster is tied up in a secret room there.”

Nanny Ogleby said, “I have got to get back to the Ramsey Mansion. I am growing too weak.”

Artorious screamed, “The sword will open the door. I must leave.”

George spun around and threw his hands up in the air. “Where is the Mausoleum?”

There was no answer.

George thought a moment. “The Mausoleum probably would not be toward the mansion where Mayor Hollis lives or the barn that Johnny Bare converted into living quarters and offices. It would probably be toward the old Bare mansion and the Ramsey Mansion.” George began to walk toward the Ramsey mansion. Then he turned down a grown up path. “Maybe I should call Daniel Bare and give him a tip that he might find Paulster in the Bare Mausoleum. But he would recognize my voice and I don’t want to bring myself or Victor into this.”

There was a flash of light in the sky and a booming thunder. Sprinkles of rain began to fall.

“Oh fucking great. Just great.”

George reached the end of the path and there in front of him he saw the Mausoleum. It was covered in vines. Then off to the side he saw Dioson Claws (the fake Jess Smith) leaning against a tree at the Mausoleum. With a cigarette hanging from his lips, Dioson had his foot raised and kicked back against the tree. It was a sexy pose. He held his hand out to feel the sprinkles of rain. He dropped his cigarette and moved his foot from the tree to stomp out the cigarette. He then went inside of the Mausoleum.

George thought to himself, “Oh shit. Fucking hell. Son of a bitch. The last thing I want is for Dioson to see me. I am not up to fighting a damn witch hunter. I don’t have a gun. I don’t have magic bullets that can kill a space alien witch.”

George called Tabitha. He whispered into the phone. “You need to tell Arthur that there is reason to believe that Paulster is being held prisoner by the fake Jess Smith inside of the Bare Family Mausoleum.”

Tabitha asked, “How can I explain having such information?”

“I don’t know. Just tell him. Don’t mention me though.”

Tabitha moaned, “Okay.”

Suddenly, George saw Dioson looking his direction from the door of the Mausoleum. Dioson ran toward George and George took off running while screaming into the phone. “Dioson has seen me and is chasing after me. Oh God. Tabitha. I am in so much fucking trouble.”

Tabitha screamed into the phone. “Run, baby, run. I am going to call Arthur and tell him what I know.”

“Do that. I need fucking help. Tell Arthur he needs magic bullets. He will understand.”

“Magic bullets?”

“Just tell him.”

George looked back over his shoulder. He saw Dioson whirling a lasso. George moaned, “Damn. A lasso. I am not a cow! But I sure feel like having one.” George reached a black painted wooden fence. He jumped over it. Running in the direction of the Ramsey Mansion. George saw a beautiful white horse. He ran toward the horse.

Dioson continued in pursuit. Dioson screamed, “You might as well stop running.”

George jumped onto the back of the white horse. Without a bridle or a saddle he began to clumsily ride the beautiful horse. As George struggled to stay mounted, he whispered in the mares ear, “Good girl.”

Suddenly the lasso vanished from the hands of Dioson. “What the freak? Who did that?” Dioson looked about with a dumb expression on his face.

Dioson attempted to use magic to stop George but his magic did not work. Witch hunters automatically have their powers limited when in pursuit of someone who does not have any magic available. The limiting of power is fairly automatic but often buggy. The system does not always know the level of magic available to the person the witch hunter is going after.

Dioson said, “Son of a bitch. I need to use magic.” Dioson attempted a hack spell to break the lock the system was putting on his magic. It did not work.”

Dioson thought a second as he saw George riding the white horse away. Dioson looked at a brown gelding that was munching grass. He was able to use magic to saddle the horse and put a bridle on it. He snapped his fingers to transport himself to be able to ride the horse in pursuit of George.

Reaching the fence to the Ramsey property, George jumped off the horse. George’s phone began to ring. George answered it.

Arthur said, “Hey George. What is happening?”

George looked to see Dioson approaching him on horseback. “I am being chased by the Witch Hunter Dioson Claws.” Jumping over the black wooden fence, George continued to talk into the phone. “The ghost of your grandfather told me that Paulster McCluskey is being held in a secret room in the Bare Family Mausoleum on the Bare estate. I was going to investigate when Dioson saw me. Dioson is the fake Jess.”

“You know about the fake Jess. You know who the fake Jess is! The ghost of my grandfather is talking to you! How did you get involved in this?”

“I don’t even know.”

“What is this about?”

“I don’t know. Honest to God, I don’t know. I don’t know if this goes back to what happened in New York or not but if Victor comes out in the middle of this and his memory gets triggered, you know what might happen.”

“I know but the main thing is to make sure the Witch Hunter can’t hurt you. I know it is sort of your job but you can’t worry about Victor right now. Where are you at?”

“I am on the Bare Estate and I am trying to get to your place. That is, I am trying to get to the Ramsey Mansion. Obviously, I am not trying to get to your place in Atlanta.”

“Sure. Look. That is good. Get to the Ramsey Mansion. There are magic bullets and a few guns in a secret room up in the attic where the piano is. Do you know where I am talking about?”

“I think I do. Well. Sort of. I don’t know about the secret room.”

George darted into some bushes to give himself cover. Through the bushes he ran down into a small ravine and a creek bank. “How do I get into the secret room?”

“Play the first notes of ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ on the piano and a door to the secret room should open. Hit the candle stick holder and the light inside the secret room should come on and the door should close. From inside the room the candlestick holder will open the door and turn the light back off.”

“Okay. Thanks Arthur.”

“I am going to call Alice Malokey to see if she will call off the hunter. After I talk to her, I am on my way. I am a few miles out from Hearthville in my helicopter. My magic does not work so I can’t get there as fast as I would like. I wish I knew someone to call to back you up but I am not really part of the witch community. For the most part I live as a mortal. Alice is the only person I know to call. She will either help or she will blow me off.”

“I understand.” Splashing shallow water beneath his sneakers, George ran along a rocky creek bed. “I am running in the ravine and creek bed right now. I don’t see Dioson but I hear what I assume is him.”

“Do you know where the cave is?”

“There is a cave? I don’t know where it is.”

“There is a bolder and some rocky steps. At the top of the rocky steps there is a small statue of a squirrel. Twist the squirrel around and an entrance to the cave should open.”

George continued running. “I don’t see.” George came into an area of massive overgrowth. “Shit. I need a machete. I have just run into a wall of growth.”

“I think you may be in the area of the cave.”

“God. Climbing through this growth is awful. Okay. I am getting through it. I see the steps. Okay. I see the squirrel. I am at the squirrel. Shit I can’t turn it. I can’t get it to budge. I am laying my cellphone down.”

“Okay.”

Gripping both sides of the squirrel statue George struggled to turn the squirrel to open the entrance to the cave. Finally, the squirrel began to move. Then George felt a hand on his ankle.

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