The Firstborn

“Of course I’m sure.”

He rattled the handle. “It’s locked now. Want me to break it open?”

Yes, she wanted to shout, but she couldn’t push the word past lips that felt numb. Someone had stood in that doorway only a minute ago. She was sure of it.

“I can force it open if you want me to, but are you sure it wasn’t your imagination playing tricks? It would certainly be understandable. Without light, this room is as dark as the inside of a coffin.”

To prove his point, he shut off the flashlight, plunging them into a total void. Hayley stifled a gasp. Bram went on talking.

“I’m standing right here and I can’t even see the doors, much less tell if they’re open or closed. It would be a shame to kick them in if you’re wrong. They don’t make interior doors of solid cherry anymore.”

Had the door been open? Was it possible her imagination had taken over? It had been a long day, after all. Hayley was tired from the drive and stressed by what she’d found here—to say nothing of how furious Marcus would be if she damaged something.

Why was she worried about that? This was her house, a tiny voice shouted inside her head. Still, she hesitated. Could she have been wrong?

“What happened to the electricity?” Bram asked abruptly. He snapped the flashlight back on, to her intense relief.

“I don’t know.” She cursed the quaver in her voice, but she couldn’t even control the shakes that rippled through her body. “Don’t you sense it?” she whispered before she could stop herself.

He regarded her steadily. “Sense what?”

The wrongness, she wanted to shout. Instead, she shook her head. “Never mind. The house feels…empty.”

“You just said someone was in here.”

“Forget it.” Thoroughly embarrassed, she turned back to the main hall.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I think we ought to see if we can get some lights on. Do you know where the fuse box is?”

Gratefully, she nodded. “There’s one in the kitchen, inside the pantry.”

“Show me?”

He moved to within inches of where she stood. She’d known he was a big man, but having him this close made her feel small and fragile.

“Don’t patronize me,” she warned him.

“That wasn’t my intention. Would you prefer I leave?”

“No! No,” she said more calmly, drawing a deep breath. “I’m a little rattled. I don’t understand what’s going on here, either. Where is everyone? Mrs. Walsh? Kathy? Someone should be here. Someone must be here. The front door was unlocked.”

“It was?” He appeared mildly surprised.

“Yes!”

He held up a palm. “Okay, take it easy. Are you always this defensive?”

“Only since—” Since she’d gotten the lawyer’s letter, requesting that she come home to discuss a problem. Hayley could hardly say that to a total stranger. “Since I got here and found everything changed.”

“I can see where that might be unnerving. I’m afraid I haven’t spoken with anyone in a couple of days now. I’ve been staying in the old barn by the forge while I complete the work your father hired me to do. I’m afraid I don’t know any of the people you just mentioned. I’ve only spoken with your parents since I got here.”

“My father and his wife,” she corrected. Then, not wanting to explain, and disconcerted from standing this close to him, she turned away. “The kitchen’s back this way.”

His light swept the hall ahead of them as she set off quickly. She wondered if he’d ever been inside the sprawling mansion before, and if he had, what he’d thought of the incredible rooms that stretched up to the huge skylights. Normally, moonlight would have made the interior clearly visible, but tonight clouds blocked the light and the house felt like some vast, empty cavern.

“Was your father expecting you?” Bram asked.

“I didn’t call to tell him I was on my way home, if that’s what you mean.”

Bram didn’t respond. If he was wondering about her relationship with Marcus, he didn’t ask. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was a little surprised he hadn’t demanded some sort of proof of her identity. She could have been lying. On the other hand, it wasn’t his job to protect Heartskeep—except by covering all the openings with metal grillwork. She should be grateful for his presence, or at least for the presence of his flashlight. And she was—it was just that she was having a strange reaction to being this close to him.

The kitchen was a dark, silent shell. The light switch clicked uselessly. “The pantry is right over there,” she told him, pointing to the closed door.

Funny. Growing up here she’d never viewed all this heavy, dark wood paneling as gloomy. The house had seemed a warm, comforting haven in her childhood. The feeling was gone now, just like her mother and grandfather.

Bram opened the pantry door and stepped inside. “Big place,” was his only comment.

Hayley couldn’t argue. The house was enormous. Rooms, closets—every aspect of the house was large. She watched as he studied the electric panel for a moment. Finally he flipped a large breaker. Nothing happened.

“Power lines must be down.”

“That happens when it storms, but it’s not storming tonight,” she pointed out. “At least, not yet.”

“No,” he agreed, “but a car could have taken down a utility pole or something. Maybe that’s why everyone is gone. Not exactly what you’d call a cozy place without lights. Have you got another place to stay for the night?”

Situated high above the Hudson River, northeast of Saratoga Springs, Heartskeep was a good distance from its closest neighbor and the small town of Stony Ridge. There were neighbors she could call, but Hayley hated the idea of imposing on people she hadn’t seen in years.

“Not really, but it isn’t as if I’ll freeze or something without electricity. I can always light some candles.”

“You plan to stay here alone? I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

Neither did she.

“What if someone else is in the house with you?”

“I prefer not to think about that.” Fear crawled around in the pit of her stomach. He was right. she had a decent imagination, but she was pretty sure she hadn’t imagined someone else standing out of sight inside the parlor.

“Have you eaten?”

Startled, she focused on Bram. “What?”

“I haven’t eaten dinner yet and I have a steak big enough for two. You’d be welcome to join me.”

“You cook?” She stalled, trying to picture herself sitting across a table from him, sharing a meal.

His eyes seemed to glitter. “Why don’t you be the judge?”

“No power, remember?”