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She glanced at him "A closet?" There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice "Or," she said, her tone serious, "the attic We don’t go up to the attic with any of the tour groups"

"May I see it now?"

"If you want"

"Shall we?" Adauide mode as she led the way She pointed out the ladies’ parlor, therooht of stairs she talked about the owners of the house and the bedrooms used by the family--and by the British invaders

Tyler paused at Lucy Tarleton’s bedroo of Beast Bradley

It was different froht of cruelty wasn’t apparent in the eyes He’d been depicted in a th rather than cruelty

"One more floor to the attic," Allison said "If you’ll--"

"I’," he interrupted

"It’s Beast Bradley I don’t really knohy the painting’s in here Bradley took over the master bedroom while he was in residence at the house"

"This is a nice painting of hi that the foundation chose to keep the painting here, since he moved into the master bedroom," Tyler commented

"The house ned by the family until it was turned into a nonprofit institution," Allison said "That’s where the painting was The board deter rid ofit back to the Revolutionary period But in the 1930s, when the as being done, the painting was in Lucy’s bedroom and the board at the ti insult to injury for poor Lucy The original faraves," Tyler said He tried to keep any irony from his voice

A derisive sound escaped her The expression ht be a coraves

Some old houses had stairs that were pulled down for access to the attic Not the Tarleton-Dandridge House At the end of the upper hallway he saw a staircase leading to the door; a sign on it read Staff Only! He assuht

"The front door key opens the attic, as well," Allison explained

He used the key and pushed the door open It led to a fewon the attic level of the house It was dark up here, but the ht and streetlarew accustoe

So through the old boxes and trunks and the modern equipment that had sat on a desk A co with a printer Letters and correspondence were everywhere and, scattered a them, posters for special events and other paraphernalia

"My God!" Allison breathed

Tyler turned to Adaet the crierprints other than those that belong here, but you never know"

Adam nodded and pulled out his cell phone

Allison continued to stare at the mess She seemed almost punch-drunk, as if the day itself had just been way too long He empathized with her, even if she considered hihost buster

"They’ll be here shortly," Ada, Allison sank down to the floor, her period dress drifting in a bell around her

It was natural that the death of Julian Mitchell drew headlines across the country

He had died in a historic ho to just about everyone--and whether or not people believed in ghosts, it was undeniably a house riddled with tragic history