You see him?

Plants yes, Roger.

The two of them crouching behind the fence.

Shut up.

He's going to hear us, Roger Hist, pressing his eye to the splintry wood.

It was after sunset, and if their mothers realized they weren't home yet, the boys would

have been in big trouble.

They didn't care, though.

They wanted a look at this monstrous fella who lived in the creepy old house at the end

of the block.

The one who only came out after dark.

Thomas Baldu was known to almost everyone in Shambles.

There was a small town, a town built on coal and lumber, and the population was really

over 20,000.

As such, the large and foreboding house at the end of Fortner Lane stood out like a sore

thumb in a town of mostly trailers and ranch homes.

The house in question was Baldu's place.

They'd loom like a gargoyle at the end of the cul-de-sac.

No one knew how long it had been there.

Some of the kids had seen a picture of the manor and old paintings from the early days

of the town.

They say it had been occupied by the town's founder, and when he'd been arrested after

...