1843 19th Avenue

Some people swore that the house was haunted. Of course, it was 2010, and everyone was so damned crazy these days. ‘Some people’ swore the end was near — that President Obama was from outer space — Princess Di was still alive — and on and on.

The house should have been haunted, given the rape and the subsequent murder. But George Gibbons doubted that it was. Still, some people swore that it was, and that made selling it difficult, even before the bottom had fallen out of things.

Angelica Fornier issued the challenge. Anyone who sold the house would be brought on full-time with the Fornier Agency. George had never actually sold a house, though he had tried for more than a year. Going full-time would give him the edge — the leads he would need, he thought, to make it.

‘Haunted! Can you make that an advantage?’ Tom Bailey asked him over a martini. ‘Must be people who want a haunted house. Who’s the seller?’

‘Never met her’, George said. ‘Probably never will — though the story is the stuff of legend.’

‘Who is she?’

‘Claire Ribaldi.’

“The murderer?’ Tom asked. ‘She’s on Facebook. She’s a page or group or something.’

‘You mean you can ‘like’ Claire Ribaldi?’

Seems you could. When he got home, George ‘liked’ Claire Ribaldi on Facebook, as had 643 others before him.

On her page, he posted, Nothing would ever be the same if I could sell Claire Ribaldi’s house at 1843 19th Avenue.

Four minutes later: Friend Requests (1); Messages (1).

Claire Ribaldi — Nor would they be for me, if only you could sell the house . . .

Her personal profile was not visible without the Friend Request. George accepted. 37 Friends — no Mutual.

George to Claire: Thanks for friending. My boss, Angelica Fornier, will make me full-time if I sell the house.

Forty seconds later: Messages (2).

Claire Ribaldi — Angie’s a real ball-buster. Let me know if I can help.

Henrietta Rohas — I’d love to see the house. What do you know about it?

George to Claire — I may actually have a buyer. Can you tell me about the house?

Claire Ribaldi — It’s lovely. It was my grandmother’s. I grew up there after my father died — before mother remarried. Late 19th Century — wood floors — beautiful work, and a spectacular staircase. I still dream of wonderful parties there — even in the dining room. Of course, everyone knows what happened in the dining room. That’s why it’s still on the market.

George to Henrietta — It’s beautiful. Ms. Ribaldi is the seller. She’s still so fond of the place that she’s reluctant to let it go — despite everything. Are you interested in the neighborhood?

Henrietta Rohas — I’m interested in the house. Can you show it on Friday?

George to Henrietta — Certainly. Let’s meet at 1:30pm. My cell is 555–762–3098.

On Friday, George Gibbons showed the house at 1843 19th Avenue to Henrietta Rohas. Five bedrooms, three baths — no major alteration since it was built in 1893. Henrietta wandered through the rooms downstairs, the rooms upstairs, and finally returned to the dining room.

‘I’m sure,’ George said, ‘given the history . . . there’s some flexibility on price.’

Henrietta looked at him disapprovingly, but then smiled. ‘I’m fine with the history, and the price,’ she said. ‘You know I always thought he deserved it. This will be a fine place to raise my daughter.’

Three weeks later, George was walked to his new desk at the Fornier Agency.

That evening, Facebook Messages (1).

Claire Ribaldi — I thank you.

But for Henrietta and her daughter? Nothing was ever the same again after that.