Len left Nina and Rory with a lot to think about. The main topic of conversation that evening concerned the Hamptons and the undefined, damage, which had finally forced them out of the house. Rory had thought that they should have been told about the recent history of the house, but it was not something that would be covered by law.
The paperwork received, prior to buying the house, had dealt with a number of things. Subsidence, flood risk, furnishings and contents, were mentioned, but there had been nowhere on the questionnaire dealing with paranormal problems. As Nina pointed out, if you were trying to sell the house, why would you reveal a haunting.
Len had supplied some information, but there was more that they needed to know. Rory decided to call at the estate agents and talk to James. A face to face chat would be more effective than a phone call.
"Hi James, how are you?"
"Fine thanks, Rory. You're not thinking of selling the house, are you?" James looked concerned.
"No nothing like that. We have had some, well, strange things happening, though. Various people have told us that the previous owners thought it was haunted."
"You're right, I'm afraid. I had a real dilemma when you looked at the place. Should I tell you about the rumours, or write it off as a crazy story. You and Nina loved the house, so I just kept quiet. Obviously, I didn't think it was true."
"I understand, mate. If you had said it was haunted, it wouldn't have made any difference, we'd still have bought it. What we want to do is contact the people who had it before us. Mr and Mrs Hampton. We want to find out what they experienced and compare notes."
"You're not going to ask them for compensation or anything?"
"No, absolutely not. It's more a case of learning why they left and then seeing what we can do about the problem."
"It's a confidentiality thing. I shouldn't give you their details."
"We found a couple of boxes in the attic when we moved in. I think they belonged to the Phillips. What we could do is say I found some stuff, wanted to contact them to see if it was theirs and asked for their address. That would cover you, I think."
"Okay. It's still a bit iffy, but I'll go along with it."
"Thanks, James."
"Mrs Hampton said that things had moved and been broken. She didn't go into it all, so I can't tell you anymore. Have you had something similar?"
"A couple of odd things. Hardly that scary, but old Len was telling us that the Hamptons left when things escalated. Like us, they had stuff moving and lights coming on. Then there were breakages. We wanted to find out what, exactly, happened. Prepare ourselves or see if there is any action we can take."
"I hope you get to the bottom of it all. I can't believe that there is an actual ghost. I've sold a lot of houses and I've never had anything like this. I really don't want to have to sell that house again. Let me know if you solve the mystery."
"Will do. Thanks James. Next time I see you in The George, I'll get you a beer."
"No need, but I won't say no. Give my regards to Nina and good luck."