Short horror stories

The incident at Bella Vista

"Well, the house was built in 1868, shortly after the end of the Civil War. Built by the Bellomi family who were owners of a grain mill in nearby Jamestown, NY. Jamestown was at that time a large milling community in Western NY. The Bellomi family wanted a quiet area to live, somewhere outside the hustle and bustle of Jamestown. So they built this lovely estate in quiet Kiantone, NY, a home they eventually called 'Bella Vista' or 'beautiful view' as a celebration of their business success."

The realtor was quite the talker. Jim Haggerty fit the classic mold of a real estate agent. Anxious to show off the good features of any house he was marketing.

The out of town buyer walked casually down the gravel driveway as he scanned the property. Thomas Edwards was a skilled businessman and deal maker. The house was in need of work, a lot of work. But the list price for the house was appealing and Edwards was convinced that he could get a further price concession when closing the deal. But could he turn the house into a profitable bed and breakfast business?

"So why is the house vacant?" An obvious question.

Haggerty cleared his throat before answering. "Well, we just have not been able to find the right buyer so far. Jeromy Bellomi, the 4th generational owner of the estate, runs a business in California and can no longer live here. He is anxious to sell and I have been asked to move the process along."

Edwards nodded. A non-answer from Haggerty. Was something else a factor in the house being vacant? He wondered.

"Well, Mr. Haggerty, I would really like to see the interior. But that is not possible today. I have other business to attend to in Jamestown but I will be staying in the area for a few days. Could I have an inside tour tomorrow evening?"

"Tomorrow evening?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"Um, well, no. But we may have to do it by flashlight. The house currently has no electric power."

Edwards' eyes rolled. Issue #1. What state are the utilities in??

"OK. I understand. I will try to meet up with you by 4:00 PM tomorrow so that hopefully most of the tour can be done in daylight."

"Sounds like a plan. I will see you then Mr. Edwards."

The two men shook hands and parted ways as the last rays of daylight started to fade. Edwards looked at his road map inside his 2015 Buick before starting his rental car. Kiantone, NY was a sleepy little hamlet of fewer than 500 people just outside Jamestown. The entire "downtown area" consisted of a convenience store, a mom and pop diner, a family garage business and a small gas station. Could this area attract enough interest to support a B&B? Some doubts still were present in his mind. But the selling price still intrigued him enough to continue his investigation of this opportunity.

The Buick drove quietly down what was the main street in Kiantone and in a short period of time, Edwards was turning into the small parking lot of the "Big M" convenience store. He thought he would take a moment to talk to a few of the residents to get their take on the vacant Bella Vista property. Call in "local research" if you will.....

The old man behind the counter of the convenience store looked at the middle aged business man with suspicion. "You're not local are you?" asked the man as he reached into the cash register for change.

Edwards paused for a second before replying. "No, I am in town from Atlanta. On business."

The old man laughed. "On business in Kiantone? What are you interested in? Possibly buying the whole town? It will cost you less than the cigarettes and beer you are buying..."