The Murders of Cozy Hollow

Chapter 20 - Pillow Talk

It came time to retire for the night. None of the living males in the Stone house knew how this would all work. Would the Beaumont girls disappear into the walls or would they bunk in with each boy? Ed's primary concern was Charlotte. Would she continue to reveal herself to him? Ed wanted answers. He could not suppress his natural instincts as a detective irrespective of how beautiful she was in person. He had a bonafide whodunnit on his hands. Charlotte was the key in his mind. His link to the past. His link to answers.

Ed relinquished his worry when the boys and girls dispersed upstairs, each with their own spiritual buddy. He dispensed with any thoughts of conventional appropriateness. Instead, he kept his focus on Charlotte as she seemed to glide up the grand staircase. There were no good-nights to the kids that evening. He followed her into his room with his nerves in a tizzy. Charlotte proceeded to tuck herself into bed while still clad in her white dress. She had not uttered a word since dinner. There was no book of etiquette with ghosts for Ed to adhere to.

"Do you mind if I lay down?" asked Ed.

"Please do," said Charlotte. "I don't bite."

Ed killed the lights and slid onto the bed on top of the covers. He remained fully clothed but noticed Charlotte's dress seemed to disappear under the covers. Her bare shoulders glowed in the moonlit room. They both rolled onto their sides and faced each other. Ed became short of breath when he saw her beauty that close. It sucked the oxygen right out of his lungs. Whatever she was, she was real.

"How long will I be able to see you?" Ed asked. "I mean, will I wake up to an empty bed?"

"I don't think my girls and I need to hide from you anymore. Or do we?"

"No, we're not a threat."

"Is our secret safe with you and your boys?"

"Yes, I will talk to the boys in the morning. We'll need to talk to Willow across the street as well."

"Thank you. My girls are so lonely. We're tired of existing in the shadows."

"Are you lonely?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think you're still here in this house?"

"I don't know. No angels have come for us."

"Are you scared?"

"I'm scared of what exists beyond these walls. That's why I've forbidden the girls to leave the house. I'm afraid I'll lose one or all of them."

"Juliet ventured across the street and she came back."

"She should never have done that. She knows better."

"Are you afraid of Skullman?"

"Who?"

"Skullman. Cozy Hollow's infamous boogeyman."

"Skullman? I don't know who that is. We don't know much about what's going on in Cozy Hollow. Not since our lives were taken."

Ed was not sure if he believed her.

"Since you passed away, many girls have gone missing in this town. Some murdered. Skullman is the main suspect. He has been for years. He lurks in the woods in a suit and tie with a skull for a head. You've heard none of this?"

"No, but I'm sorry for those girls and their families. Cozy Hollow was once a safe place to raise a family."

"I'll be honest, a lot of people think your husband may in fact be Skullman."

That statement seemed to perplex Charlotte.

"Isn't Thad dead or at least in prison for life for what he did to us??" she said.

"You don't know what happened to Thaddeus Beaumont?" said Ed.

"No."

Again, Ed did not know if he believed her.

"He disappeared without a trace after the murders. His car was abandoned at the edge of town but he was never found, dead or alive. He vanished into the woods."

Charlotte seemed troubled by that revelation. Did she truly know nothing? Did she not hear any chitchat amongst the former living residents of the house? People typically talk about missing children and surely newspapers had been strewn around the house over the years, Ed thought.

"What do you think came over your husband that night?" asked Ed. "Were there any signs before it happened?"

Charlotte did not answer. Ed watched as her eyes closed. He wisely decided to let it rest for the night. Instead, he simply admired her angelic face. He thought about checking on his boys but he was so incredibly tired. His curiosity kicked in. He wanted to know what she felt like. Could he even touch her? How did a ghost feel to the touch? At that, he gently ran a finger down the side of her cheek. It felt cold but incredibly soft like cotton. It was transformative to him. He traced her face over and over until he too drifted away into a deep slumber.