Nobody Agreed on What Happened to Evelyn
Over the next several weeks, Claire heard different versions of the story.
One neighbor said Evelyn Price had moved to Florida.
Another said she had gone to live with her sister.
Someone else claimed she had left town suddenly after her husband died.
Mr. Patterson insisted nobody actually knew.
According to him, Evelyn had simply stopped appearing one winter.
Her car disappeared.
The newspapers stopped accumulating.
Eventually, relatives came to the house and removed some belongings.
After that, the property sat empty.
Claire asked:
“Was she reported missing?”
Mr. Patterson shrugged.
“I assume so.”
That answer bothered Claire more than it should have.
Still, she forgot about it.
Until one Tuesday night.
At 2:17 A.M., the Porch Light Turned On
Claire was awake because her dog, Milo, had started barking.
She walked downstairs, checked the front window and saw nothing unusual.
Then she noticed the house across the street.
The porch light was on.
Claire stared at it.
She had never seen a light inside or outside that house.
Maybe someone from the bank was there.
Maybe maintenance workers had forgotten to turn it off.
She went back upstairs.
The next morning, the light was off.
She didn’t think much about it.
Until Wednesday night.
2:17 a.m.
The light came on again.
