For a moment, she eyed the spiral staircase that led to the Widow’s Walk, then turned to revisit her aunt’s old bedroom. Her gaze immediately moved to the picture on the wall as she walked in, and it seemed that the weight of Amelia’s sad gaze followed her slow progress across the room.
Charli stopped and stared at the old image, trying to imagine what it would take to make such a beautiful young woman leap from a three story building. Lost love, obviously. But it was apparent that Amelia was about to be married to a wealthy man based on the quality of her dress. She’d been so young and had so much to live for, even after she learned that her true love had died in a shipwreck.
Charli took a deep breath and turned her gaze toward the open hallway. After a moment, she made her way slowly to the spiral staircase. Reaching thebottom, she stared up at the opened hatch door that led to the very top floor.
Have you lost your freaking mind, Charli?
She let out a nervous giggle and rubbed her forehead—she probably was crazy for doing this, but strangely she couldn’t stop herself. After taking that first step, she moved carefully up the staircase until she stepped out onto the landing.
Her heart pounding in her chest, her gaze darted around for a moment, and then her shoulders dropped when nothing terrifying happened. She was surprised to find that it was a quiet, enclosed space with a door that led to the outer walk. The enclosed section was empty with only an ancient barometric pressure gauge screwed into the wall.
Stepping outside, Charli noticed the walk was designed to provide a full three hundred and sixty degree view as it circled the structure. While she could easily see the walk from her balcony across the street, standing here—inside the nest—was a completely different experience.
She smiled at the view. From this vantage point, she could see the ocean in every direction and ships dotted the horizon. Her smile dropped. This was both breathtaking and heart wrenching—in her mind, she could see Amelia out here every day waiting anxiously for any sign of her lover returning.
Charli moved back inside the enclosure and stood at the window facing due south. The thick, old glass was wavy and cloudy, making it tough to see through.
She began to relax and released the deep breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her eyes flitted along the walls, amazed at the decent condition of this structure considering its exposure compared to the rest of the house.
She ran her finger across the windowsill and grimaced at the layers of grime that came off.
“Ugh,” she mumbled as she wiped her finger off on her pants, making a mental note to change clothes as soon as she got home.
A sudden loud bang at the window made Charli jump and shriek as she stumbled backward. The heel of her sandal caught in a divot in the wood flooring, and she heard an ominous crack as she scrambled to regain her balance. She peered out the window and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a large seagull wobbling awkwardly on the walk banister.
That bird must have flown into the window...it wasn’t Amelia...
Shaken and holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart, Charli glanced down at the floor to determine the damage. She groaned when she found a large chunk missing, leaving a gaping hole in the floor board.
Great...just freaking great! How am I going to hide that? Jack and Gus are gonna throw a fit.
Kneeling, Charli peered into the hole, squinting her eyes to assess the damage. To her shock, an outline showed inside—of what she wasn’t sure.
“What the heck?” she muttered, as she ran her fingers along the edge of the broken board. She gasped as the panel began to lift and Charli stared in shock at what must have been a hidey hole. It had to be at least a foot wide. The board creaked on ancient and perfectly camouflaged hinges as she laid it back carefully on the floor, bracing herself for any spiders or other creepy crawlers that might come flying out.
Taking out her phone, Charli took several photos of the hole to show Jack. Leaning over, she shone her flashlight inside, and her mouth dropped at what she saw.
“Wow,” she exclaimed under her breath as she lifted out an oilcloth-wrapped bundle and noticed that there were more beneath the first one. As she unwrapped the first package, a beautiful wooden box with a decorative inlaid design on the top was revealed. She gently laid the heavy box on the floor by her feet, then peered back in.
“What in the world?” Charli pulled out two additional bundles and unwrapped the protective layers. She blinked in the light streaming through thewindows at what appeared to be several black, leather-bound journals—there were five in total.
Sitting back on her heels, she rubbed her forehead. It was like she’d found a treasure trove.
Charli picked up a journal and carefully opened the front cover and frowned at the handwritten title page.
The Diary of Amelia Brown
“Oh my god!” Charli gasped, covering her hand with her mouth. Obviously, the Widow’s Walk had not just been Amelia’s preferred place, but it was where she’d hidden her most private possessions.
Charli thumbed to the next page. Her mouth dropped at the date—1867...that was four years before Amelia committed suicide.
Charli shivered at the thought. She rubbed her hands on her arms as the warmth of the room faded into an icy chill.
When did it get so cold in here?
She jolted when a strange tingling sensation moved purposefully down her cheek and her blood chilled when she remembered Gus’s description of the walk when they’d last experienced paranormal activity. The hair on her arms stood up.
Amelia...
