Haunted House Flipper

Chapter 45

I forgot where I was at first. I was furious there was someone trying to sell me something early in the morning despite my no soliciting sign. I opened my eyes and saw that I wasn't in my home. Figuring the owner of the house would answer the door I sat up and opened my laptop instead of heading to the door.

My video had a lot of views in all of the places I streamed it. People had left tons of comments. Best of all, it looked like they all got bored and decided the house wasn't haunted after all. That was exactly what I hoped would happen. The knocking sounded again.

"Nick! There's someone at the door!" I yelled.

I didn't hear a reply. I got up and yelled from the entrance. Nothing. Then I remembered he had to leave early for work. He was probably already gone. I walked to the door and opened it.

"Hi. I'm sorry but Nick is..."

It was for me. Bill Baldock stood on the porch.

"What exactly do you think you're doing? Who do you think you are stealing clients out from under me?"

I could tell I was really under his skin. That made me smile.

"Excuse me," I said, "but that's exactly what you tried to do to me with the Pennwater Mansion. I learned it from you Baldock."

I took my time pronouncing his last name, accentuating the b and the d.

His eyebrows raised even higher and his jaw clenched. I loved every second of it. Until I heard what he had to say next.

"You don't want to make an enemy of me Mr. Cincinnati."

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah. I don't need someone trying to compete with me. What I'm doing is a good thing. Houses with ghosts in them need to go, and the only way to do that is to demolish them."

"But that's not true," I said pointing at the house I stood in.

"This place had an evil spirit living in it, but it's gone now. I got rid of it."

He ignored me.

"I'm going to keep offering more money to the owner of this place, and the Pennwater mansion, until they agree to sell them to me, Baldock said.

I had made him a little too upset. That would mess everything up.

"But Mr. Baldock, I..."

"Good day," he said turning from me and stomping back to his car.

I called after him, but he ignored me. I looked down at my feet. I had taken my socks and shoes off. I hate sleeping with socks on. The ground was going to be cold, but I didn't care. I ran after him and got to his car just as he shut the door. The concrete driveway was freezing under my feet. I knocked on his window. He looked over at me, but then looked away and started his car. I knocked again.

"Please just hear me out!" I yelled through the glass.

He rolled down his window.

"Thank you," I said. "Look. I'm sorry. I really need to sell these places. Is there anything I can do to convince you to let me have them?" I pleaded.

"No."

"Mr. Baldock I love the old architecture in these homes. They are works of art and tearing them down is something I just can't stand to see happen. I promise they're not haunted anymore. I have a way of getting rid of the demons."

"They're demons are they?" Bill said.

"Yes, I know it sounds crazy but they are. You believe in ghosts, or spiritual beings. What happened to you? How did you come to learn they were real?" I asked.