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"Why does Mr. Larabee hate this house so much?" Sydney Crooks asked Mary after Chris stalked off.
"The Larabees have had a lot of . . . misfortune tied to this house," Mary said distractedly watching as Vin 'played'.
"Misfortune?" Crooks asked, trying to regain Mary's attention.
"Mr. Larabee's mother and brother died during a visit here in 1970, when Chris was only 3 years old. James Larabee, Chris' father, moved back to the family ranch shortly after the tragic deaths of his wife Sarah and son Adam here at the Folly. Kester, James' father, soon became Chris' father in everything but name, due to James' erratic behavior and heavy drinking that continued for a number of years. In the late 1970's, James seemed to recover himself. He married Salvia Blue Hawk in 1980. Kester converted the bunkhouse into a home for himself, then signed over the ranch to his son as a wedding gift and retired. Another son, Chayton, was born in 1982. The recovery seemed to be short lived and James' drinking became very heavy once more."
"Kester was very close to both of his grandsons. There was even a crib set up in the work shop for Chayton, or as everyone called him 'Elf', so that Kester could watch him while Salvia worked as a custom saddle maker out at Brody Saddles in order to support her family. The ranch business fell off steadily, prompting James' behavior to deteriorate even more. When Kester died in late 1984 at the age of 77, James Larabee seemed to suffer a breakdown of some kind. He started drinking heavily and was rarely sober. He became physically abusive towards Chris on at least two occasions."
"On the 11th of May, 1985, James called 911 confessing to having killed his wife and son. When the police arrived at the ranch, they found signs of a struggle of some kind, but James, Salvia, and Elf were not to be found. Determining that James' car was missing, an APB was issued and a car dispatched to get Chris from school. On June 14th, James' car was spotted here at the Folly. Upon arrival the police found James slumped down in a chair that used to sit right about where you are now standing, Professor. He had been dead for sometime, his throat cut with a broken wine bottle. The detective speculated that he had cut his own throat on May 11th, after killing his family. The bodies of Salvia and her son were never found. James' clothing was saturated in blood, both his own and another blood type matching Salvia and Elf. The inquiry found that James did indeed kill them and hide the bodies."
"Chris hired a manager for the ranch and then joined the navy two weeks later on his eighteenth birthday. I don't believe he has so much as mentioned his little brother since that time. Chris hates the house, blaming it for his family misfortunes." Mary said calmly a faint scoff in her tone.
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JD sat down beside Vin and watched for a moment. Casey came over and joined them.
"Do you think Vin would let me see Pony?" JD asked.
Vin pulled Pony close to his chest and began to rock.
"I doubt it JD. He'll barely let Nettie or me touch it," Casey explained.
"I wouldn't take it from him, I just want to 'see' it," JD sighed.
"Vin, would you let JD see Pony?" Casey urged. Casey took JD's hand and placed it against the carving in Tanner's arms.
Dunne's pupils dilated and he froze in place, momentarily. "Wow, I never had a flash that strong," JD pulled away, rubbing his temples.
"Are you alright?" Casey demanded.
"Yeah, it's hand carved, 'specially made for a little boy; by his father, I think. At least it was an older man doing the carving. At one time it was painted black." JD reported. "There was a lot of love between the two of them."
"It was made for Vin," Casey smiled.
"No, the little boy's eyes were green, not blue and it felt a lot older than that," JD corrected.
"So, where does Vin come in?" Casey asked curiously.
"I don't know it was like I 'slid' around anything connected with Vin," JD shrugged unable to explain the process.
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"Professor Crooks, when do you intend to tour the house?" Mary asked curiously.
"Well, I really don't see the need to wander around just stirring up dust," Sydney Crooks said shortly.
"Professor, just how are you intending to conduct an in-depth study without investigating the locations of the reported phenomenon?" Mary demanded.
"I meant tonight, Ms. Travis," Crooks answered huffily. "Tomorrow, after a good night's sleep….."
"Well then you can investigate several of the locations before bed since they occurred on the second floor, where the bedrooms are," Mary . . . ordered.
"That is what I was intending, Ms. Travis," the professor gritted.
"Will Vin require any special sleeping arrangements?" Mary asked as she walked over to where Tanner sat on the rug.
"Vin, Casey and I will be sleeping down here by the fire," Nettie answered flatly.
Nettie's eyes narrowed as Mary stroked Vin's hair with an almost possessive look on her face. Vin played with Pony, seemingly unaware of the undercurrents around him.
"Do you mind if I stay down here with you as well?" JD asked quietly.
"We'll have to find you some bedding," Nettie nodded.
"I brought my sleeping bag," JD answered.
"I've got this couch," Buck flopped down staking a claim.
"My house, my couch." Chris dumped Buck to the floor and took his place.
"You . . . 'talents' can argue over your sleeping arrangements while my team researches the house." Crooks sneered.
"Fine, we'll check things out down here." Buck smiled and stood up.
Crooks seemed torn; then it dawned on him that the charlatans would be out of his sight. "No! It would be best to stay together. That way my monitors won't be getting false readings," he spluttered.
"Like now?" Buck looked at the monitor next to the fire place. "This dohickey says there are 35 people in here," Buck laughed.
"It is of course erroneous. Mr. Dunne suggested that heat impinges on the accuracy of the apparatus in question," Ezra drawled. "There are precisely 45 entities present at this time," Ezra announced while straightening the sleeve of his jacket.
"You're full of crap," Cedric Kilkenny sneered.
"I'd check my equipment if I were you," Nathan smirked. "The monitor over by the window said 41."
"Actually we've been joined by four more of our hosts," Ezra explained.
"Hey man, he's right, this monitor says forty-five," Bruce announced excitedly.
"Forty-five," Angel announced, looking at a readout.
"Forty-five," Tony said in disbelief.
"What did you do to my equipment, Standish?" Crooks demanded.
"At no time have I touched your precious equipment. I am in no way culpable if you sir, are incapable of maintaining said apparatus. Perhaps if you had conducted yourself in a manner consistent with an investigator and tested your equipment at any point this evening you would now have accurate information. Very shoddy technique, Doctor Crooks. Appearances are everything when establishing a con," Ezra Standish responded snidely.
"What would you know about a scientific investigation? Fancy words do not make an educated man, Mister Standish," the pompous Sydney Crooks sneered.
"Ezra Standish holds two masters, one in psychology and the other in military science, as well as a doctorate in law, Professor Crooks," Josiah Sanchez informed the flabbergasted man with a wide smile.
"He does not," Crooks denied childishly.
"I used part of his thesis on the abnormal mind when I teach classes at Colorado State," Josiah grinned even wider.
"Did somebody just wee-wee in your cheerios, Doc?" Buck asked the speechless man. "Some of us unedjicated hicks done went and got us a college edjamacation."
"Buck, how many times do I have to tell you, stop playing with your food," Chris sighed.
"Aw Chris, you're not any fun," Buck thrust out his bottom lip in a pout.
"Buck, how much schooling do you really have?" JD asked curiously.
"I guess you could say I'm a perpetual student, Kid," Buck said sheepishly. "Lots of women on a college campus." Buck waggled his eyebrows and grinned.
"Kid, meet Dr. William B. Wilmington," Chris snorted. "He has a degree in almost anything they teach."
"Not everything, Stud. The big guy and I have an agreement. I stay out of divinity school," Buck smirked.
Nettie watched Mary unobtrusively throughout the confrontation. Mary had never stopped 'petting' Vin's hair, a secretive smile on her face. The hair on Nettie's neck raised, for some reason it seemed as if Mary's shadow had grown darker.
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"Buck, would you tie the rope to the newel post and play it out as we go?" Mary asked.
"This central staircase is one of the few spots that always remains the same," Mary explained as she led the group up the grand spiraling staircase.
"Chris?" Mary hesitated.
"It's all a matter of record, go ahead," Larabee growled.
"Four different servants reported seeing Serena Larabee climb this staircase June 1st, 1940 and walk down the hall only to vanish. Rumors suggested that Serena ran off with a stable groom leaving her husband and 3 year old son behind. There was a police investigation, of course. There were suggestions that Kester Larabee had in fact killed his wife Serena. Then Barbara Petrie disappeared the 1st of January, 1941, in much the same manor as Serena. Kester was in Denver at that time, so the focus on his own wife's disappearance shifted. Kester never returned to Petrie's Folly. He was quite vocal in his claims that the house 'ate' his family. Not only his wife, Serena, and his brother Aiken, but his cousin John as well."
"Kester had already seen his brother drown from this window. He was eighteen at the time. In 1925, Aiken Larabee, age four, drowned in the reflecting pool in the back gardens. A truly tragic accident. The nanny, Anna Potter, swore the surface of the water hardened like glass and she couldn't break through to pull him out. She was found later that evening in her room on the third floor, dead. She had hung herself, most likely as a result of guilt."
"The blue bedroom to our right is the location of three deaths. The first, a Pinkerton Agent by the name of Stephen Poplar, committed suicide there on Sept 7th, 1895. He was investigating a rather mysterious case at the time of his death. Accusations that his death might actually have been a murder were never fully settled."
"The second was in 1910, two brothers, Keith and Tyler Larabee, came to the Folly with five very fine brood mares from their ranch in Denver that Barbara had purchased from them. John, Keith's oldest son at 22 years of age, died in his sleep during their stay. He seemed to be in perfect health and no cause was ever determined. That was the first of the tragedies for the Larabees here at the Folly."
"The third death in this room was in 1970. James Larabee accepted an invitation to meet with the lawyers handling Barbara Petrie's estate here at the Folly, despite his father Kester's protests. James, Sarah, his wife, along with his oldest son, Adam, age 10, came to the Folly for the weekend, leaving Chris in his grandfather Kester's care. On May 7th, Adam seems to have disturbed a hornet's nest out in the maze. He was stung over 70 times before he found his way out. Investigation indicated that Sarah must have discovered her son's body on the path. She promptly returned to the house and entered their room here on the second floor without informing anyone of her discovery. James found his son almost an hour later. It took almost another hour for Sarah's absence to be noted. Kicking in the door to the bedroom, James discovered she had broken a vanity mirror and slashed her wrists."