Invoke

Chapter 6

He looked at her, then at his watch. "I reckon we have a few minutes till Jimmy arrives."

Scarlett blew out a breath. "Thank you. I guess I should have researched myself, but for some reason, I just didn't care." She smiled. "It was like it was mine already."

Mr. Connor raised his brow, a bit taken back the admission. Scarlett blushed, raising her hand up. "I know it sounds way out in left field. But have you ever just gone with your gut on something?"

He cleared his throat and lifted his brow. "I'd have to say, yes. But going with just your gut on a house is a whole different ball game. If you were my daughter, I would have steered you toward something smaller and newer."

"That's what my best friend Grace said." Her hands gripped the porch rail, tightly for a moment. "She calls this place a dump."

"Sounds like you have a wise friend."

He looked over the expanse of the yard. One thing he thought was nice were the old oak trees that lined the drive. "As I've told you, it's an expensive job to restore this place. It will take a lot of work, but I can do it. By the time it's done, your friend Grace will be impressed."

She looked over at him and smiled. "That's exactly what I want to hear."

He inclined his head to her. "I can fix the shell of your house, but as far as anything else, you may want to get a priest."

Scarlett was aware something was amiss, but that sentiment was insane.

"Okay, let's have it," Scarlett spewed. "I have your worker doing Hail Mary's, now you're telling me I need a priest." She rolled her eyes. "Please just tell me what the hell is wrong with my house?" She threw her hands up. "And as an FYI, I do not spook easily."

"Alright." He took a seat on the rocking chair, Scarlett following suit.

His eyes were steady as he began. Hopefully, he'd be able to recall exactly what his grandmother had told him.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He rocked in the chair and began the tale.

"Legend has it that there was a rival between two families. Both came from a lot of wealth, and both were no strangers to their greed. This house was built in the early 1800's by a cotton farmer named James O'Grady. Long story short, his wife died of yellow fever, he fell into bad debts and basically gambled away his estate. His crops weren't fairing well, and it was only a matter of time before he lost it all. Good ole' Jim Beam wasn't helping the man."

He laughed and looked at Scarlett who sat with her hands on her lap, intently listening.

He cleared his throat again, continuing. "He owed a lot to a fellow named Thomas Reilly, who was quite a successful merchant for the time. He and O'Grady were friends until bad blood separated the two. See, Reilly had a son who fancied O'Grady's daughter, so O' Grady thought that would be his out. However, that was short- lived. Reilly's son was not falling for the charms of O'Grady's daughter anymore.

This infuriated O'Grady, and he felt his daughter was dishonored. So O'Grady challenged Reilly's son to a duel. Reilly's son accepted the challenge and ended up killing O'Grady."

Scarlett cringed. "That's terrible."

"The deed was done out on the front lawn." Mr. Connor's eyes shifted in that direction.

Scarlett's eyes glimpsed there as well, chills raking her arms. "So that's it?" then continued. "That's why everyone is spooked around here?"

Mr. Connor got up and walked to the rail, leaning lightly on it. "No, that's not it at all," then carried on. "His daughter ended up losing the property. She couldn't make good on the debt that was owed. So who buys the place? Thomas Reilly...Years later, he gifts it to his son for a wedding present."