Chapter One

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Michael Larson asked his wife.

"This is what the map says." Rebecca Larson replied.

"It looks scary." eight year old Samantha Larson replied.

"You want to turn this into a hotel?" thirteen year old Jessica Larson asked in disbelief.

"If the caretaker allows us to buy it." Michael answered. "And then we'll clean it up."

"You do know that it is haunted, right?" Jessica stated.

"Where did you hear that?" Rebecca asked her oldest daughter.

"Kids at school."

"That's just a bunch of talk. There is no such thing." Michael replied as they all got out of the family car.

Samantha gripped her mother's hand as they stepped closer to the once beautiful home. Everything on the manor's property was dead, a notable sign of this being unwanted property. Michaels felt confident that he could get a great deal on the property. The family walked up the steps to the porch. Michael raised his hand to knock on the front door.

"Excuse me?" someone called out from behind the family. "Can I help you?"

The Larson family turned around. Standing behind them was a young man who could not have been older than twenty two. Michael looked over at his wife and grinned, subtlety meaning that buying the property was going to be easier than he originally thought. He stepped off the porch and held his hand out in greeting.

"Hi, I'm Michael Larson. I'm looking to buy this spacious rolling grounds." he explained. "Is the caretaker around?"

"That's me." the young man stated shaking the man's hand. "And I'm sorry but this land is not for sale."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"Just moved here."

"This was my great-great grandfather's place." Troy began to tell. "He has it in his will that this place has to stay in the family until the mystery of her death is explained."

"Who's death?" Rebecca asked.

"We'll talk inside." Troy said.

Everybody headed inside the house. Cobwebs and dust were on every surface. The house had not been kept up with at all. Troy turned on the gas lamps and the entry way was lit in an almost welcoming glow.

"This is my wife, Rebecca and our children Jessica and Samantha." Michael introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you." Troy replied. "Welcome to the Montez Manor."

Samantha and Jessica looked around the grand entrance. Despite the dust and the cobwebs, it was still very beautiful. Jessica noticed a portrait of a beautiful young woman. She had raven black hair that was done up in a style that was popular when the portrait had been painted. She was captured in a pose of her looking over her shoulder.

"She's so beautiful." Jessica commented.

"She definitely is." Troy agreed, almost lovingly. "Her kindness and generosity were like no one else's."

"You're acting like you know her." Michael observed. "This painting has to be over a hundred years old."

"She was the love of my grandfather's life." Troy explained. "My great-great grandmother knew that she could never replace her in his heart, but she was willing to be second."

"That is so sad." Rebecca commented. "What was her name? The woman painted in the portrait?"

"Her name was Gabriella Montez."

"Montez? The place is called Montez Manor." Michael pointed out. "How did the Bolton family get the property?"

"Because of what happened to her." Troy replied.

"What happed to her?" Rebecca asked.

"She mysteriously died on her wedding day. The cause of death was ruled a suicide, but my grandfather never believed it." Troy explained. "He put it into his will that this house was to stay in the Bolton family until the mystery solved. With Gabriella's death, her fiancé, with no living family, inherited the property."

"So, why was Gabriella's suicide a mystery?" Michael asked.

"Gabriella could not wait for her wedding day. Her diary is full of inscriptions of her love for my grandfather." Troy explained. "He did not believe she killed herself. Up until his last dying breath, he refused to believe it. He was the one who found her body underneath her balcony. He and many of their guests swore they heard a menacing laugh come from inside the house. Nobody was able find out whom or what was causing the laughter. Until this whole mystery is solved, the manor stays in the Bolton family."

"That is the saddest story I've ever heard." Rebecca said with tears in her eyes.

"That's the worst made up story I've ever heard." Michael stated.

"Dad!" Jessica exclaimed embarrassed.

"It's just a ploy to prevent us from buying this place."

"I assure you, Mr. Larson, that this is not a made up story." Troy stated. "This house cannot be sold until the mystery is cleared up."

"What needs to be cleared up? The girl obviously had some mental problem and she chose to dive off her balcony."

"Michael!" Rebecca exclaimed, shock at his disrespectfulness.

"She did not!" Troy shouted furiously, the atmosphere going from warm to frigid, before he once again calmed down. "This house has many unexplained occurrences taking place. It may be my grandfather trying to find clues to solving the mystery or it may very well be whatever laughed that day and does so very often here."

"This is such bull."

"I'll make you a deal, Mr. Larson." Troy announced. "You solve the mystery of Gabriella's death and I'll give you this place and all of its property."

"You'll just hand over this place over for free?" Michael asked in disbelief. "What's the catch?"

"No catch, my grandfather's soul will be at peace and I can move on and be free of this place." Troy explained holding his hand out to Michael. "Do we have a deal?"

"You're not going to back out of this are you?"

"I always keep my word."

"Then we have a deal." Michael agreed as the two men shook hands. "So, where is the balcony?"

"Gabriella's room was upstairs. I never go up there though, but the balcony is out front." Troy replied.

The Larsons looked around the downstairs and outside the manor. Rebecca was taking pictures for insurance purposes. Troy kept his distance, allowing them to work. The family then stood underneath the balcony.

"Is this the balcony?" Jessica asked.

"Yes." Troy agreed. "This is where she died."

"Girls, I think we should be off and start investigating this mystery, we have lots of researching to do." Michael said to his wife and daughters.

"When would have been their anniversary?" Rebecca asked.

"It would have been tomorrow." Troy answered.

"Becca, come on." Michael called.

"Thank you, for your time, Mr. Bolton." Rebecca said as she walked to the car.

"We'll be by again tomorrow." Michael told Troy as he started the car.

"Looking forward to it." Troy said as he watched them drive away.

"I'm surprised you agreed to his deal." Rebecca told her husband.

"I'm just humoring him., all we're going to do is look at the old reports and come up with the same conclusion." Michael replied.

"Michael!" Rebecca exclaimed. "If you are not going to honor the agreement you should not have agreed. You should do the honorable thing and back out of it."

"Like hell I will! This place will give us a fortune." Michael said. "I'm going to drop you three off; I have a meeting I have to go to."

"Again?" Jessica asked. "You've had business dinners almost every night this week."

"Daddy's got to make a living." Michael said. "Nothing but the best for my family."

Troy watched as the family drove away. He then walked back into the manor, locking the door behind him. A loud evil cackle filled the manor. Troy looked up at the ceiling where the laughter was coming from. He shook his head and walked over to the portrait of Gabriella Montez.

"Soon." he whispered.