Forsaken Repose: The Restless Dead Read Online Free

began to acquire other businesses. Rivals
and those who resisted wound up dead. The family grew in wealth and
political power. They were a terror to the town. It wasn't long
before the family decided to find a place where the whole clan could
permanently set up shop.”
    “The house,” Jenna mutters. “ My house.”
    Ian nods. “It's rumored the foundation of the house was set
along with a ring that Derick used to wear around his neck.”
Ian shrugs. “I think the ring was a gift from his grandfather
or something. Either way, the ring was too big for his finger, so
Derick wore it on a chain around his neck. When Derick died, his
parents carried it around until setting it along with the foundation
of their new house.”
    “For the longest time,” Ian continues, “everything
ran smoothly at the new house. Things changed somewhere in the
nineteen-sixties, when four black guys showed up in town and -”
    “Is it really important to point out that the guys were
black?” Jenna snaps.
    With a look of confusion etched on his face, Ian responds, “Yes.
This was the Sixties and the people in the town,” Ian pauses
and waves a hand around the area, “ this town, were
pretty conservative. They still are. Do you recall seeing anything
other than white people ever since you arrived here? I know you came
down here to register your son for school before you moved in. Do you
recall seeing anything other than white people then?”
    “Uh...no,” Jenna replies, casting her eyes downward.
    “This town has never been a haven for diversity,” Ian
continues. “Back in the Sixties, it was even less accommodating
to anyone who wasn't white. When four black guys showed up, claiming
that they had eliminated all the members of the Klein family -”
    “Wait,” Jenna says, holding up a hand. “How many
members of the Klein family were there back then?”
    “About fifty,” Ian answers.
    “And these four guys killed them all,” Jenna
inquires, “even though they had the help of Derick?”
    “Yes.”
    “How?”
    Ian slowly shakes his head. “I'm not sure. It's said that
one of the four guys looked pretty normal. Nothing special about him
at all. One of the four had a dog with him – a Dalmatian, if
I'm not mistaken. The last two guys were each carrying a sword
strapped to their back, and they -”
    “A sword?” Jenna interrupts, arching an eyebrow at
Ian.
    “Yeah,” Ian laughs. “That's what I heard. I'm
not sure of the names of the first two, but the name of one of the
sword-wielding guys was Joe, while the other was called Louis. From
what I'm told, Joe seemed to be the leader, while Louis might have
been his younger brother, or maybe just his younger friend.”
Ian shrugs. “Either way, Joe told the townsfolk that they'd
killed everyone in the woods and in the main house. Joe urged the
people to head up there and destroy the main house – everything, including the foundation. He assured them that
would end all their woes with the Klein family. Destroying the house
would be a big job, but if the entire town was in on it, Joe figured
it wouldn't take very long. After that, the four guys piled into a
van and raced away.”
    “So what happened?” Jenna asks.
    “Despite that everyone in the town was suspicious, if not
outright terrified of the Klein's and whatever it was they did in the
woods,” Ian replies, “the townsfolk were not going to be
told what to do by black people. As far as the townspeople were
concerned, the black guys were the villains who rolled into town and
slaughtered a bunch of white people. Rather than level the house,
they let it stand. The main house didn't remain vacant for long. It
wasn't long before someone showed up in town to buy that house.”
    Jenna's mind works furiously to put the pieces into place. “The
man who bought the house was a relative of the Klein's.”
    “Right,” Ian agrees, nodding. “All Derick needed
to do from there was to rebuild his family.”
    “What happened to the