House on Cemetery Road

By Katherine Machado

When Carrie Jameson received the call she had long been waiting for, she was absolutely stunned. A freelance photographer, she finally landed the job she had been praying for. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that leaving New York City and moving to Boston, Massachusetts would be a decision that she would soon regret!
What was waiting for her there in that beautiful white Victorian house would change her life forever... the demons so long ago would make her wish she never received that phone call.
And what she would soon experience, would leave her paralyzed with fear!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664197114

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Copyright © 2021 by Katherine Machado.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/26/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

835879

This book is

dedicated first and foremost to my loving family

who never gave up on me and always encouraged me to

follow my dream of becoming an author.

Alicea, my daughter, you are the light of my life.

And most importantly, to the memory of my Mom and Dad,

who I wish could have seen this 37318.png

It was a

beautiful, crisp autumn day in New York City, and Carrie Jameson had anxiously been awaiting a telephone call regarding a freelance photography position she had interviewed for about a week ago. She figured she wasn’t getting it, so when the call finally came in, she thought she was dreaming. You are joking, right? said Carrie when she heard what the gentleman on the other line had said.

Absolutely not, Ms. Jameson, we are very serious about placing the right people in the right positions.

Still, she was stunned and felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. This was New York, she had been here her whole life, and the thought of leaving for some other place where she wouldn’t know anyone at all was plain terrifying to her.

Ms. Jameson, are you still there?

She had to catch her breath before she said something stupid and ruined everything. Yes, Mr. Markell, I am still here. I am just trying to absorb what you just told me, that’s all, Carrie mumbled.

Well, you know, my dear, time is of the essence, and we need an answer from you as soon as possible, so please consider the offer and get back to me.

Oh yes, sir, I will do just that, but if I may ask, when does the position call for someone to begin? asked Carrie.

Well, we would like to place someone in the Boston office as soon as possible. You see, we have many political dinners coming up that we are scheduled to cover, so we would like you there. Pronto. Again, there was silence on the other end of the phone. Also, Ms. Jameson, we will take care of all your moving expenses and also find you a place to live before you get there. Will that be sufficient?

Oh yes, sir, it’s just that the thought of leaving my home and family is a little bit hard, but the offer is so wonderful. I will be there. Don’t you worry, sir.

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Are you nuts? You are just going to up and leave everything and everyone behind and move to Boston on one day’s notice? Carrie’s best friend since grammar school was very loud and boisterous and always spoke her mind.

Listen, Geri, I have no choice. If I want this position, and I do, I have to move to Boston. I am not thrilled about it either, but I waited a long time for a job like this, and it’s what I really want, so please try to support me, okay?

Her friend didn’t feel very supportive right about now; she was very upset that Carrie would be moving away and that they would not see each other anymore. Well, when is the big day? grumbled Geri. You could tell there was no enthusiasm in her very low-toned voice. Geri was usually the life of the party, and you could hear her from a mile away, but not today.

Well, they want me in Boston as soon as possible. They are setting up my flight and living arrangements and will call me with all the details.

Keen, mumbled Geri.

Oh, come on, don’t make this more difficult for me than it already is. You know how much I am going to miss you. You are the only person I have here in New York who really means anything to me.

Carrie’s parents lived in West Palm Beach, Florida, and never really encouraged Carrie in the photography thing, so the closest person she had was Geri. She couldn’t even imagine what life would be like without Geri living down the street.

Oh well, said Geri, our phone bill will be enormous.

Hey, maybe you can come and spend some time with me when you get vacation! exclaimed Carrie.

Let’s just see how it goes, okay? said Geri sadly.

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Well, moving day finally arrived, and Carrie was all set to go to the airport. Only, it had begun to snow lightly, and she didn’t want Geri to drive her. You see, Geri was not the best driver under normal, dry weather conditions, so Carrie was not going to take any chances. She called Geri and told her to forget it and that she would call a car service.

No, besides, it gives me a chance to say goodbye to you, said Geri.

I told you, Geri, it is not goodbye. It is just See ya later, okay? Carrie said as she held back the tears that she knew were coming.

Anyway, they said their goodbyes over the phone, and before she knew it, she was in a speedy limo service heading for Newark International Airport. Her flight would leave at 2:15 p.m., and it was only 11:00 a.m., so she still had plenty of time to spare, or so she thought. It was a good thing she left when she did; the traffic was horrendous!

Finally, she boarded her flight and took off for Massachusetts. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to be living somewhere other than New York and was preparing for a wonderful job with a great company. It kind of all seemed too good to be true, and you know what they say about that, right?

Anyway, she arrived at the airport and was greeted by a very short and chubby woman who only introduced herself as Hello, my name is Chai. Are you Ms. Carrie Jameson?

Carrie was shocked at the fact that this woman spoke in a voice that you could barely hear. She just didn’t expect her voice to be so soft and gentle. Yes, I am Carrie. It is a pleasure to meet you, Chai. Did I pronounce your name correctly?

Yes, that is correct. I was asked to meet you here. I am from the Morningside Realty Company. I will now take you to your new house.

House? The word kind of shocked Carrie for a moment. She figured she wouldn’t seem too surprised until she actually saw the place. They drove for what seemed like forever, probably because they had nothing to talk about because Chai was not much of a talker. Carrie tried once or twice to make conversation, but to no avail. The stubby woman would give one-word answers, and that was that. So Carrie spent a lot of time staring out the window, looking at the magnificent homes that were here in Boston. There was a lot of snow on the ground, much more than there was in New York when she had left, and it was so pretty. She couldn’t help but think of Geri and how much she missed her already. She really wished she had her best friend with her. She felt the tears start to well up in her eyes, so she had to stop them.

After about twenty minutes of driving, they started up a long and winding hill. It seemed to Carrie like this hill didn’t even belong here. It was so out of the way. Carrie immediately spotted an old white Victorian house on the left, and on the right, nothing but a huge cemetery that took up the whole right side of the block. When Chai started to slow down, Carrie felt a knot beginning in her stomach.

Well, here we are, spoke Chai, your new home.

Carrie stared in amazement. You mean, this whole house is for me? Carrie said.

Yes, isn’t it magnificent? said Chai.

Carrie thought it really was, but she was also a little nervous about living in such an old huge house all by herself, not to mention the fact that across the street was a cemetery! Are you sure that this is where I am to live? asked Carrie nervously.

The little woman seemed to get annoyed, Why yes, why are you so surprised? I thought you would be thrilled to live in such a historic house.

Wait a minute, Chai, what do you mean ‘historic’? asked Carrie.

Chai now seemed to get a little nervous and only answered by saying Oh, did I say historic? I meant old with a chuckle in her voice.

Now Carrie felt a bit uncomfortable, like there was a weird pit in her stomach. For some strange reason, she felt as if Chai were keeping something from her.

Well, would you like a tour of the house? Chai spoke with enthusiasm.

Yes, very much, said Carrie. But first, can you tell me where the bathroom is? After that long ride, I really need to go.

Right up the stairs and to the right, said Chai.

While Carrie was using the bathroom, the realtor’s cell phone rang.

Yes, she has arrived, and she seems to like it so far. Chai was speaking in a hush voice, and as Carrie emerged from the bathroom, she happened to hear her. Don’t worry. I guarantee you. She will not be leaving this house, trust me. Chai sounded a bit strange, and again, Carrie got that strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She started to look around on her own before she went back down the stairs. She entered a room that smelled like old mothballs and was unusually dark for a bright house with lots of windows. There was still furniture in this room, but very old antique stuff. Although some of it was very beautiful, most of it was ugly. She felt a little uneasy in this room and decided this would not be her bedroom. Chai called from downstairs, and Carrie jumped out of her skin.

Are you almost done, dear? I really must be going.

I’ll be right down, said Carrie. She came down the stairs, and Chai had a very strange smile on her face.

Did you enjoy your little tour of your new house?

Well, I haven’t really had a chance to look around much. The house is so big! It will take me all night, Carrie said with a laugh in her voice. It really is very old, isn’t it?

Yes, but you can always fix it up to your own liking, Carrie, and I’m sure after a few days, you will never want to leave.

Yeah, I guess you’re probably right. Carrie wasn’t sure about that, but she had no choice at the moment.

Well, I will let you get settled in right now and return tomorrow with all your paperwork, okay?

Yes, thank you so much for everything, said Carrie. I really am pretty tired.

All right then, you relax and get some sleep, and I will be here tomorrow around 11:00 a.m., okay?

Yes, that would be fine, said Carrie.

Good night, dear.

Good night, Chai.

After she left, Carrie felt so alone. She wanted to call Geri but realized her phone was not hooked up yet, and her cellphone had no bars left. She had to unpack her charger and plug it in, in case of an emergency. All of a sudden, a knock came at the door. Carrie jumped as usual. Everything seemed to make her jump these days. She went to the door and looked through the peephole. She didn’t see anyone at the other end; now she was really nervous. As she began to walk away, the knock came