เข้าสู่ระบบHistory student Alex Palmer is thrilled when his girlfriend, Claire Ryan, buys an apartment in Belle Vue Manor, formerly a Victorian lunatic asylum. But as Alex begins to discover the dark truth about the asylum’s past, he, Claire, and their friend Marianne find themselves on a nightmarish journey. Each will face the deadly consequences of the evil that began with the construction of the first Belle Vue Manor by an aristocratic French émigré in 1789, as well as the cruelty and satanic practices that continued when it became an asylum for the insane. As the two strands—past and present—unfold, Alex uncovers a supernatural mystery where revenge is paramount and innocence irrelevant—without being aware of the price he, and those around him, will pay. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing
ดูเพิ่มเติมSuara lengguhan terlontar dari bibir merah Arumi, saat ia merasakan sentuhan hangat dari seorang pria, yang terlihat samar di kedua manik mata bening coklatnya.
Kedua jemari lentik sang gadis yang baru genap berusia dua puluh satu tahunan itu, spontan menahan dada bidang menjeda aktifitas sang pria yang tidak bisa dia hindari lagi. “Hentikan!” Arumi memohon dengan suara serak parau dan netra berkabut saat kesadaran dirinya perlahan mulai menghilang berharap sang pria mengabulkan permintaannya. Namun nihil bukannya berhenti, pria itu malah semakin menuntaskan hasrat yang menyelimuti dirinya saat ini. Buliran air mata membasahi wajah Arumi. Saat merasakan hal yang sangat berharga dalam dirinya telah hilang di tengah-tengah ketidakberdayaannya. Beberapa kali Arumi berusaha meronta, namun tenaganya tak sebanding dengan sang pria. Hingga membuat pandangannya yang jelas perlahan menjadi buram dan.. Suara desahan dan erangan memenuhi kamar hotel dalam suasana pencahayaan temaram saat kedua insan itu tengah sama-sama di kuasai pengaruh alkohol yang di iringi derit ranjang berukuran king size semakin terdengar nyaring, seolah menjadi saksi bisu insiden satu malam penuh gelora. Sampai keduanya merasakan getaran surga dunia yang tak bisa terlukiskan oleh perasaan dan tak bisa di ungkapkan dengan sebuah kata-kata, peluh bercucuran menyelimuti hingga mereka tertidur lelap dalam satu ranjang yang sama. Malam berganti pagi, cahaya matahari menyinari gordeng masuk ke dalam celah-celah jendela. Suara burung berkicau seolah memperjelas suasana dingin pagi itu. Arumi yang masih terjaga, perlahan mulai membuka kedua pelupuk mata lalu mengucek dengan kedua tangan, netranya yang buram perlahan menjadi jelas. Melihat langit-langit kamar yang terasa asing, membuat ia terperanjat kaget lalu menggeserkan tubuh dan bersandar di ujung ranjang. “Akh, kepala ku sakit sekali, di mana ini?” Arumi mendesis, seraya mengedarkan pandangan, saat seluruh tubuhnya terasa sakit dan remuk seperti telah tertindih sesuatu yang berat. Nafas Arumi seolah tercekat di tenggorokan, saat mendapati seorang pria asing terbaring di bawah selimut yang sama dengannya. Beberapa pertanyaan mulai menyeruak dalam benaknya dengan apa yang sudah terjadi. “Dia siapa? Da-dan apa yang sudah terjadi?” Arumi tercengang, wajah cantik seketika memucat saat melihat jelas ternyata pria di sampingnya bukan Daniel sang kekasih hati. Tangan Arumi gemetar, ia mengumpulkan keberanian untuk menyingkap selimut sampai keringat dingin pun membasahi seluruh tubuhnya. Kedua bola mata sipit Arumi membulat, jantungnya seperti berhenti berdetak saat melihat tubuh polos-nya tanpa sehelai benang pun serta jejak-jejak tanda-tanda merah menghiasi leher dan beberapa bagian tubuh lain membuat ia semakin syok dan panik, hatinya hancur berkeping-keping setelah kehilangan mahkota suci yang selama ini dia jaga, demi pria yang sangat ia cintai kini seolah telah pupus sudah. Sungguh ia tidak mengerti bagaimana bisa dirinya tidur bersama pria asing yang tidak ia kenal, padahal semalam jelas-jelas merayakan birthday party bersama teman-teman dan sang kekasih. Kesucian yang telah di jaga bertahun-tahun seharusnya di berikan pada calon suaminya Daniel, tapi tadi malam malah terenggut begitu saja. “Tidak! Kenapa bisa jadi seperti ini?” Arumi bertanya-tanya dengan suara isak tangis seraya merutuki diri sendiri dan menjambak rambut dengan kedua tangan, beberapa kali wanita cantik itu berusaha mengingat insiden semalam, namun nihil bayangannya gelap tidak ingat sama sekali. Mendengar suara tangisan Arumi terdengar jelas di gendang telinga, membuat pria berparas tampan itu perlahan membuka kedua pelupuk mata seraya berdecak kesal.”Ck, berisik!” Arumi terkejut saat sorot mata elang pria itu membidik ke arahnya. Kesal, marah berkecambuk dalam hati sampai ia memberanikan diri melontarkan beberapa pertanyaan. “Kamu siapa? Kenapa bisa berada di kamar ini dan berani sekali mengambil kesempatan dari ku, dasar pria brengsek!” Maki Arumi terlihat sangat kesal. Senyuman smrik tersungging di bibir merah pria itu, saat mendengar pertanyaan Arumi yang membuatnya tak habis pikir. “Kau bertanya seperti itu padaku? Seharusnya pertanyaan itu untukmu sendiri, ini adalah kamar ku lihat itu.” Tunjuk sang pria tepat ke arah pintu yang bertuliskan VIP enam. Seketika wajah Arumi memucat dan merasa kikuk, bagaimana bisa dia sampai salah masuk kamar. Padahal jelas-jelas semalam masuk kamar yang benar. “Benar-benar trik licik dan murahan, kau sendiri yang sengaja masuk ke dalam kamar ku kan? Katakan berapa harga yang harus aku bayar?!” Kata-kata pria itu membuat Arumi tersulut emosi, lalu dia membalas. “Tuan, jaga ucapanmu kamu pikir aku jual diri apa? Aku tidak butuh uang mu,” tolak Arumi lalu segera beranjak dan memunguti pakaiannya yang berserakan di bawah lantai. Tak ingin sampai ada orang yang tahu, atas apa yang telah terjadi, Arumi berjalan ke arah kamar mandi untuk merapihkan diri, lalu setelah beberapa menit setelah memakai kembali pakaian lengkap ia segera pergi tanpa menghiraukan pria asing yang tak dia kenal sama sekali. “Ck, sok jual mahal,” decih sang pria sembari memijat kening. Namun melihat bercak noda darah di sprei membuatnya terkejut. Dan tidak menyangka jika tadi malam adalah pertama kali untuk Arumi. Di sepanjang jalan Arumi terus merenung, bagaimana nanti dia bisa menghadapi Daniel setelah mengalami insiden satu malam yang tidak pernah dia bayangkan bersama pria lain. “Arumi tenanglah,” Arumi terus meyakinkan diri, dengan kedua tangan yang meremas ujung dress. Satu jam berlalu, setibanya di rumah Arumi terkejut saat Daniel, Rania dan kedua orang tuanya sudah duduk menunggu dari tadi. “Arumi! Dari mana saja kamu? Semalam aku dan Rania mencari mu, sekarang kau baru pulang?!” Daniel mencecar beberapa pertanyaan pada Arumi dengan rahang yang mengeras dan menatap penuh selidik. “Iya Arumi, aku sangat mengkhawatirkan mu,” sambung Rania, tersenyum penuh arti. Wajah Arumi memucat, tubuhnya gemetar ketakutan. Bibirnya seolah terkunci saat akan menjawab pertanyaan sang kekasih. “Maafkan aku mas Daniel, semalam aku..” belum sempat Arumi menjawab. Rania sengaja memotong perkataan sang Kaka. Bahkan Rania sengaja bertanya saat melihat banyak tanda kiss mark di leher Arumi, membuat semua orang tercengang terutama Daniel. “Astaga! Arumi anak gadis macam apa kamu pagi-pagi begini baru pulang? Penampilan mu juga sangat kusut, memalukan sekali apa kamu tidak tahu Daniel dan adikmu mencarimu semalaman?” cibir Marisa yang sengaja memprovokasi. Seketika Daniel naik pitam, kedua bola matanya berapi-api, lalu menghampiri dan mencengkram erat leher Arumi sampai tercekik. “Keterlaluan! Dasar wanita tidak tahu diri, berani sekali kau mengkhianati ku. Katakan padaku Arumi, pria liar mana yang telah menyentuh dan bermain gila denganmu?”EPILOGUEThe woman joined the queue serviced by a male immigration official. She’d already caught his eye as she sauntered across the concourse. Lucky break for her. The man had ‘dupe’ written all over him.After a tiresome wait, she was next in line. While he dealt with the elderly couple at his window, she reached into her bag and rummaged around: purse, brush, mobile phone, solicitor’s letter confirming she’d inherited, amongst other things, Moira’s apartment at Belle Vue and the two other properties it had been necessary to acquire for the plan to work. Her fingers kept moving until they felt smooth calfskin. She pulled out the passport holder and held it ready in her hand.The old-timers shuffled off to the next staging post and the man turned toward her. As his gaze met hers, she licked her lips ... slowly. She moved forward, pleased to note he wore an expression like all his Christmases had come at once. Perspiration ran down his face. With this air conditioning?
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENMonday, 18 May Alex collected a torch, pen knife, and a box of matches to take with him to Belle Vue. Thoughts of Claire, and how she’d faced her death alone, darkened his mood. As did his uncertainty about giving Miss Bradigan’s words any credence.His journey to the chapel was uneventful. A few nods in the car park to a couple of residents he knew by sight, but no one he needed to speak to. The brightness of the afternoon sun lingered though it was past four. As he opened the heavy oak door, the gloom of the interior pushed its way out to the porch. He stepped inside, registering the drop in temperature. The chill made the hairs on his arms stand to attention. He moved farther into the chapel. Surrounded by silence, he stood alone at the back of the pews. His awareness of this solitude stretched his nerves further.Alex took out the scrap of paper on which he’d jotted Miss Bradigan’s instructions and scanned his notes. He walked along the central aisle, turn
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIXMonday, 13 December, 1869 Adelaide pulled her cape tightly round her shoulders and began the short walk from her residence to the main asylum building. The darkness and fog made it almost impossible to see. The gas lantern she carried was of little use. Like a blind woman, she edged forward relying on habit to find her way. If anything, her nerves rather than lack of sight slowed her progress. Every few feet she would stop to check nothing was following her. As she shuffled forward again, Adelaide turned her head one way then the other for the same reason.Mary Grady’s letter had chilled her to the bone. It arrived the day after she’d overheard Nottidge and Callahan talking. That night she’d gone to bed worrying so much Samuel had commented on her distraction. He’d complained she had barely said a word to him all evening and hadn’t given him so much as a goodnight kiss. Let him sulk, she thought. She had curled into a tight ball at the edge of the bed and thought
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVESunday, 17 May After a full day of revision and numerous rounds of beer in the Union bar, Alex and Paul sat at a corner table in the Bengal Tiger restaurant, waiting for their order to arrive. A contented hum from the many diners mingled with the low, but distinctive tones of the background sitar music. Two waiters drew up with a laden trolley and began placing numerous dishes in front of them.“I’ve got to say this, Alex,” Paul said. “When you started seeing Marianne, it was like I was pushed out of the picture.”Uh oh, this didn’t sound good, Alex thought, wondering what had triggered this topic. Conscious the delivery rate had slowed somewhat, Alex used eyebrow semaphore to signal Paul to hold until the waiters had finished. His mate, however, seemed oblivious of the additional audience and continued.“I’m friends with lots of girls, but to get a special spark is rare for me. You can sleep with someone, but you know something’s missing, and it’s that spar
CHAPTER SIXTEENSaturday, 24 July, 1869“Who could have done such a terrible thing?” The Reverend Theodore Croft’s nose quivered with righteous indignation.Bill Callahan stifled a yawn. Normally, he and Croft saw eye-to-eye since the vicar took it as one of his functions to strengthen the arm of autho
CHAPTER FIVESaturday, 29 NovemberStiff from spending the last three hours hunched over his desk, Alex tilted his chair back and stretched out his arms and legs. He stared out the window. At first glance, the afternoon sun evoked a summery feel. A deception: most of the trees in Verulamium Park t
CHAPTER FOUR Monday, 21 December, 1868Mary sat in the taproom at the Green Hog wearing her winter coat in vivid magenta. Her matching velvet bonnet lay across the chair beside her, and Bill occupied the seat opposite. She yawned, still tired from the night before and closed her eyes. The bar had
CHAPTER THREETuesday, 30 September PRESENT DAY“Hurry up, Claire.”“Coming. Won’t be a sec.”Marianne paced the hall and tried to quell the edgy feeling in her stomach. A few minutes later, Claire emerged from the bathroom dressed in a cropped jacket and jeans, long pale hair framing her ligh
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