A century ago…
The clock had just struck midnight when a shadowy figure approached the Hosterman Manor. Virina Hosterman watched the figure slither up the street like a serpentine shadow. When the figure passed under a street lamp, Virina saw his blood-splattered jacket and the panicked look in his eyes. Who was this man? Why was he here?
Present day…
“Joanne? Are you paying attention?”
Joanne snapped her book closed and looked up, “Yes.”
The math teacher, Mr. Carson, scowled, “Reading fantasy novels won’t help you grasp the concepts of calculus, Joanne.”
“It’s not fantasy, it’s historical fiction,” Joanne grumbled under her breath.
“I don’t care. Put it away.”
Sighing, she put her old, well-worn paperback in her bag, and took out her math notebook.
A century ago…
The man knocked on the door, and Virina quickly slipped into a dress before making her way down the stairs. She stared through a tiny hole in the door to better see the man’s face and leaped back in fear. The man had his face pressed up against the hole, and his wide eyes gleamed in the light and his lips curled up in a twisted grin. A few seconds later, he burst out laughing.
“What’s the matter? Are you alright?” Virina whispered through the door.
“Yes, I’m quite alright. Would you please let me in?” The man’s words cut through the air like a knife.
“Why? Who are you?”
“My name is Joseph Goldstein, and you’ll never believe what I just did.”
“What did you do?” Virina was almost scared to find out.
“Open the door and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Present day…
“Hey, Joanne?”
Joanne turned to see Callum shifting from foot to foot in the hallway.
“Yeah?” Joanne smiled.
“I was…um…wondering if you were…free this weekend?” Callum’s hair fell in his face, barely covering his blush.
“I am.”
“Oh…great! Because I…need help with the calculus homework.”
“Why would you ask me? I never pay attention.”
“You don’t pay attention because you know everything already.”
“Dang it! You saw right through me.”
Callum smiled shyly, “That’s what I do best.”
A century ago…
It turned out, the man wasn’t evil. He was just someone seeking refuge, and Virina had woken her parents up so they could greet the man.
“Joseph Goldstein?” Mr. Hosterman shook the man’s hand.
“Yes, sir. I take it you’re this beautiful young lady’s father?”
Mr. Hosterman nodded, “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here? We’ve never met.”
“Oh, but we have.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Remember that meeting you went to last year? The one that was quite treasonous?”
Mr. Hosterman’s face flushed, “How do you know about that?”
“I was the host of the meeting.”
Mr. Hosterman looked from the blood on Mr. Goldstein’s jacket to the poorly hidden knife in his pants pocket. His eyes widened as he pieced the puzzle together, and Mr. Goldstein grinned.
“You don’t mean…”
“Yes. I did it.”
Present day…
“And that’s the last problem. You’re getting better at this.”
“Thanks, Joanne. But I’ll never be as good as you.” Callum smiled.
“Don’t talk like that.”
They smiled at each other as golden light streamed in through a window, casting soft shadows over the stacks of books and dust-speckled air. Joanne noticed they were sitting closer to each other than before. Callum was slowly but steadily closing the distance. All Joanne could see were his brilliant blue eyes and his long, curly blond hair that always fell in his face. Nothing could ruin this moment–
Just then, the bell rang.
“Oh shoot, I have to get to class.” Callum hurriedly packed up his backpack.
“Callum, I–”
“Thanks for the tutoring session, Joanne. See you tomorrow!”
Callum dashed out of the library, leaving Joanne staring at the place where he used to be. What had just happened? This was why Joanne didn’t like the real world. The world in books was much more interesting. She especially liked the book she was currently reading. It was called The Unexpectedly Expected Drama of the Hostermans, the Goldsteins, and the Carsons.
A century ago…
The next morning, Virina found her father sitting at the table reading the daily newspaper. The headlines screamed in big bold letters. Virina couldn’t read, but she knew what they said. Her father had told her what happened, and Virina knew she would never see Mr. Goldstein the same way again. The man was smiling and sitting across the table from Mr. Hosterman. He was still wearing his blood-stained jacket, but his knife had been removed from his pocket.
“Why did you do it?” Virina asked.
“You’ll understand when you’re older” was all Mr. Goldstein said.
“Will the police come after you? Will you get arrested?”
“Only if I’m caught. Don’t worry, I’m never caught,” Mr. Goldstein smiled with all his teeth.
Virina gasped and said in a low whisper, “What else have you done?”
Mr. Goldstein chuckled darkly, “Pray that you never have to find out.”
Present day…
“Mom?”
“Yes, honey?”
“Was there anyone in our family called Virina Hosterman?”
Joanne’s mother froze, “How did you know that?”
“Well it’s just a name in a book I’m reading.”
Her mother breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “You’re great-great-grandmother was named Virina Hosterman, but it’s probably a coincidence.”
“Was she friends with Joseph Goldstein?” Joanne persisted.
Joanne’s mother’s smile disappeared, “What book are you reading?”
A century ago…
“This is the police. Is Joseph Goldstein on this property?”
Mr. Hosterman rushed to the door and looked through the tiny hole while Mr. Goldstein made his way to the back door.
“Don’t even think of going out the back. We have you surrounded.” The police officer seemed to have seen right through Mr. Goldstein’s plan.
Mr. Goldstein hid in the cellar, and Mr. Hosterman opened the door for the police officers.
“I don’t understand. Who’s Mr. Goldstein?” Mr. Hosterman asked.
“Don’t play dumb. You’re hiding a criminal, Mr. Hosterman.”
“A criminal?” Mr. Hosterman put a shocked expression on his face.
One of the police officers pointed to the table, “You read the newspaper. You know about the death of the governor?”
“Oh, yes. How awful.”
“Do you know who did it?”
“Enlighten me.”
“Joseph Goldstein did it. He’s the murderer. Now do us all a favor and take us to him, now.”
Mr. Hosterman smirked, “He’s not here.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Joseph Goldstein is not on this property anymore. You can search this house and all my land. You will not find him. He is gone.”
To be continued…
The Roar 