The Haunting of Sarah Riddle

By Mark Maynard

Sarah Riddle is an idealistic young lawyer from Minnesota. Not happy with her current position with the law firm she works for, she moves to Bristol, Virginia, and opens her own law office. The house she bought was built in 1884, she fell in love with the place. Over the next few weeks she had the house remodeled, and she had what was once the living room, into her office space. Everything was going great. 

A few wekks after moving in, she was cleaning out the basement and found a cloth wrapped object shoved up into the supports in the back corner of the basement. Sarah was disgusted to discover it was an old handmade Ouija board. She broke it in half and threw it in the trash. 

Soon, weird sounds could be heard, and rooms would become bitterly cold. One morning while showering, her shower curtain and rod and ripped down. In desperation, Sarah calls in a group of paranormal investigators. From there, everything went wrong. They discovered two ghosts in the house. And soon, what became a fight for ownership of the house, became a fight for Sarah's very soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Maynard
• Release date: Apr 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224556625

Book preview

1

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The young woman sat on a bench outside the courthouse in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, eating her lunch and listening to a wandering street preacher trying to save the souls of a dozen people who stood there listening.

Many people in this world believe in God and Satan! He paused for effect. They argue you can’t have good without evil or light without the dark! And you can’t have justice without injustice! he shouted, Then there are people like these! He shouted, pointing up at the courthouse, They presume they are the purveyors of the law! And that they speak for God Almighty! They should all drop to their knees and beg for his forgiveness! But they won’t, because evil is very real, and it comes in many forms! Greed and arrogance are just two more forms of the same evil!

The young woman looked up and watched two police officers approach the preacher. She doubted they would let him stay and continue public assembly without a permit these days. It was just a misdemeanor, and he was annoying. She does not believe even in God or Satan, or in the theory of good and evil. Sarah Riddle believes that everyone who appears before the judge should receive equal trial.

Sarah had spent 8 years in school studying to be a lawyer. She passed the BAR, then after returning home, she went to work for a local law firm. This was not what she truly wanted, but it was fine for now. What Sarah really wanted to do was open her own law office someday. She has always wanted to be her own boss and to not have to work for a bunch of stuffed shirts. Two years after graduating, Sarah worked as an attorney for the Anderson Law Firm. Even though Detroit Lakes was not the biggest town in Minnesota, she was constantly busy. So busy, in fact, that she barely had a social life, or even any time for her boyfriend Craig Collins, who was also a lawyer. She was so busy that she felt it was necessary to put her dreams on hold for now. Then it happened. After a long day in court, Sarah went back to the office to file a deposition when her boss, the senior partner, Mr. Anderson called her into his office.

This concerned Sarah, because in the two years of working for the firm, she had only been called in once following a court session. And that was because she had made the judge angry.

Ah, yes, come in Sarah, and close the door behind you, please. How are you doing today, Sarah? I’m doing fine, sir. Good. Well, the reason I called you, He picked up and opened a file folder on his desk to look at it before continuing, you have been doing a lot of pro Bono work lately. Yes, sir.

My partners and I have been looking at the books. Our revenue is down. I’m sorry to hear that, sir, but what has that to do with my work?

He looked at her over his glasses. We have decided that you will turn your pro bono clients over to another attorney. This firm will no longer handle free cases.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a slightly confused look. Sir? I’m afraid I don’t understand. This is a law firm, isn’t it? Yes, it is, but it is also a business, and businesses need to make money! So, from now on, paying clients only. Is that clear? Yes, sir! answered Sarah flatley. Good, have a good day miss, Riddle.

Sarah walked out of his office. She was angry, but she held her temper. This was not the reason that she had become a lawyer. Maybe she was an idealist, but she held the belief that everyone is entitled to representation, regardless of their ability to pay.

Sarah fumed all the way back to her office. She sat down at her desk and stared at the stack of files in front of her. If I didn’t need this job, I would quit right now,' she thought to herself. Sarah shook her head, picked up the phone, and spent the rest of the afternoon referring her clients to other attorneys.

Now, she decided, it was time for her to start her own office and get away from the firm she had worked at for the last two years. So, for the next three weeks, she looked at different offices during her spare time in Detroit Lakes and Fargo, North Dakota. Until her workload suddenly doubled, forcing her to hire a realtor to locate decent office space.

Even after hiring a realtor to find an open office for rent, she could not find a suitable space. So, Sarah ended her business with the realtor and did what everyone else did in their spare time. She got on the internet and used the Google search engine to find what she was looking for.

Several dozen online searches and months later, she still hadn’t found her office space. So, then she got the idea to expand her search to include small houses that could be used as an office. The first thing that came up was a 157-year-old house for sale in Bristol, VA. Bristol? She looked and discovered that she had failed to put in the search parameters.

Sarah was about to clear the search, but curiosity prompted her to read the description first. After a minute of reading, she decided it was a happy accident. The house was large enough for her to use as an office and living space. She pulled up the photos of the house the realtor had posted.

The more she looked at the photos, the more excited she became. This was her opportunity, so she went for it. Sarah called the law firm she worked for to make sure she could get the time off. When they approved it, she called the realtor and set up an appointment to view the house in the ad. Sarah's excitement grew as she made reservations at the airport and a hotel in Bristol, VA. 

The time moved slowly for Sarah, with seven days still before her departure date. She was in her room repacking her three bags. Sarah couldn’t decide if she should bring everyday clothes, or the type of business clothing she would normally wear at the office, or half and half. She finally packed everyday clothing and one suitable outfit for meeting the realtor. Halfway through the second bag, her phone rang. She stopped packing long enough to look at the screen on her phone and roll her eyes. It was her mother. She had been calling four times a day, trying to talk Sarah out of what she called a foolish idea.

Hello mom. Hi honey, are you busy? No, not really. I’m just unpacking my suitcases. Really? Have you finally given up this foolish idea about moving to Virginia? No, mom, I haven’t. I’m just repacking them so I can travel as light as I can, that’s all. Oh, I see, said her mother. Look mom, I told you, you can’t talk me out of this! Sarah heard her mother sigh on the other end of the phone. I know you did, Sarah. I just hate the idea of you moving 1,200 miles away from me, that’s all. I know, mom, but it’s not like we won’t ever see each other again. Don’t worry, mom, I will be back on holidays and on my vacations. I know, but what if I get sick? Who will take care of me? You know, ever since your father passed away, I have relied on you."

Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. She really hated it when her mother tried to play the guilt card. Don’t worry, mom, you’re going to be just fine! And if you ever get that sick, you know very well that I will jump on a plane and get back here as fast as I can! Sarah had had enough, Look, mom, I will talk to you later. I need to finish packing. Alright dear, I will talk to you tomorrow.

Sarah hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed. She knew that if her mother had her way, she would most likely still be living with her. She had always had a suffocating personality. The prospect of not only getting her own home, but opening her own law office, was a thrilling thought. It was an opportunity that she felt she couldn’t pass up.

2

When the day at last came, Sarah drove to the airport in Fargo, ND. After 30 minutes of fighting traffic, she finally drove her car into the long-term parking lot. Feelings of apprehension filled her as she took her bags out of the trunk and locked her car. Sarah hated to fly.

Gripping the handle of her suitcase tightly, she stopped to watch a plane take off, her anxiety about flying building. She tried to take her mind off of it by thinking of the conversation that she had this morning with her boyfriend, Craig, about what she was planning.

He wasn’t happy with the idea of her moving away, and it upset him. She had waited until the last second to tell him, but he understood and told her to be careful. He also told her he would support her decision if that’s what she really wanted. After giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, Sarah had grabbed her bags and left for the airport.

Still, it was not enough to keep her mind off the fact that she was going to be 30,000 feet in the sky, with nothing between her and the ground but air. Yet, she tried to reason with herself. A two-hour flight was faster and easier than a two-day drive to Virginia, and there was no chance of taking a wrong turn and getting lost. I mean, who can get lost on the interstate, right?

Apparently, her mother could, and did. She had taken a trip with her mother to Deadwood, South Dakota, last year. All they did was argue for the entire trip, and after stopping for lunch in Wall, South Dakota, her mother, who was driving, had somehow missed the interstate all together. They ended up over two hours north of I-90 West in McIntosh. A town on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, 45 minutes south of the North Dakota state line. They had not been very welcome.

She walked over to the shuttle bus and the driver took her bags as she climbed in and sat down. 10 minutes later, she was standing in line at the ticket counter, waiting patiently with a dozen other people. The check-in clerk’s attitude bothered Sarah. She was brusk with each person. Sarah had met many people like her in her few years as a lawyer. She had the personality of a woman who felt and thought that she was better than everyone. Someone who liked to think that everyone depended on her, that no one could do her job better than she could. Definitely not a people person.

The line moved quickly. Sarah knew how to cut her down a little. When it was her turn, Sarah stepped up to the counter. She didn’t give the woman a chance to be rude. Sarah slapped her license down onto the counter. I’m Sarah Riddle, I have a reservation and a prepaid ticket! Without another word, she bent down and slipped her bags into the baggage slot