Sight Unseen Complete Series Box Set Read online

  Sight Unseen Series: Books 1-8

  James M. Matheson

  Aberdeenshire Publishing

  James M. Matheson (c) 2020

  Aberdeenshire Publishing

  All the characters in these books are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Contents

  The Haunting Of Blackstone Manor

  1. Chapter 1

  2. Chapter 2

  3. Chapter 3

  4. Chapter 4

  5. Chapter 5

  6. Chapter 6

  7. Chapter 7

  8. Chapter 8

  9. Chapter 9

  10. Chapter 10

  11. Chapter 11

  12. Chapter 12

  13. Chapter 13

  14. Chapter 14

  15. Chapter 15

  16. Chapter 16

  17. Chapter 17

  18. Chapter 18

  19. Chapter 19

  The Haunting Of Knox Estate

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Coming Home

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  The Haunting Of Twilight Ridge

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  The Haunting Of Heritage Inn

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  The Haunting Deep

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  The Curse Of The Ivory Lady

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  The Haunting Of The Voodoo Queen

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

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  The Haunting Of Blackstone Manor

  Gratitude and thanks to Allen & Ellie Deever

  Chapter 1

  Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch. Silence. Scratch scratch scratch.

  Katie flung off her sheets and jumped to her feet by the side of the bed. At 4:44 AM, she'd had enough.

  "I'm gonna get you little buggers and send you back to your maker!"

  She stormed out the bedroom door into the dimly lit hallway, grabbed a six-foot 2×4 that was lying in the hallway and rammed it hard into the ceiling. The little noisemakers scrambled in every direction back to their hiding spots.

  Unfortunately, Katie was now covered in ceiling dust.

  "Fabulous," she said sarcastically. "Not like I damaged anything."

  Katie suddenly broke out in laughter. It was an old home, and the ceiling in the hallway had all but fallen in. The mice had probably saved her money because the contractors would have less of it to pull down.

  The old floors creaked as she headed back to her bedside table. She picked up her phone and dictated a message to herself: "Reminder: Pick up mouse...and rattraps."

  Sunlight flooded the huge old-fashioned kitchen. It was easily one of the two best-looking rooms in the old house. Sure, it needed restoration work and a considerable amount of paint, but it remained glorious.

  Katie enjoyed a bowl of porridge and a pot of tea. It took no time at all for her to put the dishes in the sink and h
ead to the family room to see what was behind the wallpaper.

  Everything in this house was big and bright. The family room was no exception. Except for the horrible wallpaper.

  Katie approached the job with a bit of dread, but she was surprised at how easily the wallpaper came off. It was almost like a snake shedding its skin. Probably due to the house having been vandalized, she thought to herself.

  Many years ago vandals had broken some windows, which were later boarded up. But not before rain and snow had damaged the room and the floor.

  "Mold. Great. Hopefully manageable," she said to herself. She had a lifelong habit of talking to herself. Narrating, as she called it. Drove her friends and family nuts. "I better make a note of--"

  A show tune started playing loudly from the kitchen. It was her cell phone. She dropped her tools and rushed to the kitchen trying to get it before it went to voicemail.

  The phone display said 'MEL.’ Her best friend.

  "Hey, chickie! How are you?" said Katie.

  "Fabulous. Did you get a good night's rest last night?"

  "God, no. My friends kept me up again. I'd just get to sleep and then just as I start to doze off they get to their scratching."

  "Maybe it's a ghost..."

  "Yeah, well, if it is a ghost he poops tiny pellets all around the attic!"

  They both broke out in laughter.

  "So, any regrets about moving down from Seattle to Colorado?" Mel asked.

  "Not at all. This will be, hands down, my most profitable flip thanks to you finding it for me. The bones of this house are incredible, it just needs a massive cosmetic update. If I could--"

  Mel interrupted, as she was prone to do. "Has the creepy owner been by at all?"

  "Yes. Mr. Watkin was by yesterday. He's a pretty nice guy actually, once you get to know him. He just seems to be devoid of emotion--"

  "Devoid? You been reading the dictionary again?"

  Katie ignored the jab. "He seems so relieved to have gotten rid of the place. I'm happy for him, but happier for me! I gotta say, though, he seems to have money. I still can't figure out why he sold it so cheap."

  "Well, rumors have it that he was--or is--ill and just couldn't keep it up. Other rumors said he lost his job and couldn't afford the upkeep. Who knows...and who cares? Finders keepers."

  "Well, I like to think of it as win-win, but yeah, I'm going to do great with this. Hey, when are you coming to help?"

  "I'll be there tonight as promised. Just have to finish up another real estate deal. Five-ish?"

  "Thank goodness. It will be great having some company. New contractor coming this afternoon. Too bad the other guy flaked on me, he was hot!"

  "Single? Nice buns?"

  "Who cares. Couldn't commit to a job, so what good would he be in a relationship?"

  "I'm just looking for some tail--"

  "Bye, Mel! Take a cold shower and I'll see you tonight."

  As Katie was hanging up, she heard a vehicle pull up out front. Walking to the library she saw a huge black pickup with ridiculously oversized wheels come to a stop. An equally large man stepped down, first to a silver side rail and then to the ground. The new contractor had arrived: "Big" John Magnuson. Right on time. Refreshing, as the other contractor was useless.

  Katie scrambled back to the kitchen to grab her sweater. It was warm in the house, but wearing a white t-shirt and no bra, she wanted to cover up her 'damned headlights.' Her boobs were both a blessing and a curse.

  Swinging open the front door she caught Big John with his large hand in a fist, just about to knock. They both chuckled as he stood frozen in the pose in the doorway.

  "Ms. Pearson?"

  "Katie. You must be Big John?"

  "Yes, Ma'am," he said. An imposing figure, he stood 6'6" and his face looked weathered.

  "Come on in, John, would you like a coffee?"

  "That'd be great, Ma'am."

  "The kitchen is probably best. Let's go grab a seat in there and figure stuff out."

  The kitchen had original alternating black and white tiles, white cupboards and a multitude of windows making it bright and airy. An antique table sat in the center with mismatched painted white chairs. John sat in one while Katie got the coffee maker going.

  "When I was a kid we thought this place was haunted. Too bright and warm for spooky ghosts to haunt," John said. He laughed.

  "Did you have friends here, John? Have you been in the house before?"

  "Uh...no. No friends. House belonged to the Blackstone family, but nobody has ever really lived here in years. I think people come and maybe house-sit, or maybe use it like a cottage to stay short term, but that'd be about it..."

  Big John glanced around. “It’s bright in here. It sure was a beauty in its time but she sure is spooky at night."

  "Well, yes. I can see that. It's a bright house in the day, but when night falls this place sure does look spooky. I'll give you that. Which is why I plan to install lights to light it up and make it brighter."

  "It's a shame that this place has fallen into such disrepair. It woulda been majestic in its time. What are your plans? How can I help you?"

  "I plan to restore it completely to its original splendor. We'll change out anything like bad plumbing, electric, et cetera, but I want to restore as much as possible back to its original look."

  "That ain't gonna be cheap, Ma'am, you know that."

  "I know it. But that's why I've got you here. You have a wonderful reputation of being honest and trustworthy. But you know I'm doing this as an investment, right? I intend to restore this so that I can flip it to a new owner, so I need stuff done well and fast."

  John chuckled. "Ma'am, I'm 67 and been in the biz a long time. My boys have been subcontracting for me for years. I just need to know what and when and I'll have them snapping for ya fast."

  Katie was skilled at renovating but had never taken on a project as big as this one. John kindly and patiently drew up a plan that would get the jobs done fast and efficiently, "without the boys being on top of one another."

  "How soon can we start?" Katie asked.

  "Well, I can do a full inspection right now and have a full quote to you by tomorrow night. My contractors are available for tomorrow if you want them to start working on fixin' and repairin' the outside. Might be able to have a couple boys here to do some interior dependin' on what I find with the inspection--"

  "That's perfect! Let's do this, John," Katie said. She was anxious to just get going.

  John grabbed his notepad and gulped down his coffee. In spite of his huge size and age, he was off in a flash. He seemed happy to be doing meaningful work, and Katie felt very comfortable around him. He felt a bit like a father figure.

  Katie stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the window to the beautiful woods in the distance. A feeling of accomplishment overcame her, driven soul that she was. This is going to be an awesome and profitable flip. She was lost, daydreaming of the finished house, when John surprised her.

  Nearly two hours had passed and John was ready to go. "Okay, the exterior guys will be here tomorrow at 7:00 AM. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and have a good night's sleep."

  Chapter 2

  Katie returned home from town feeling jubilant. She had picked up a weekend's worth of groceries, six more bottles of red wine, and most importantly a dozen mousetraps.

  After putting the food in the fridge she grabbed the bag of mousetraps and headed upstairs to the attic.