As she came out of the bathroom she yelled, "Rob, can you turn that down?" She didn't get a response, but figured he was just taking his time, so she went back to her bedroom.

She lay there for several minutes, but the volume of the music never decreased. She tried putting a pillow over her head, but that didn't work. She sent a text message to him, but never got a response. She finally dragged herself out of her bed again, threw a robe on over her nightie, and made her way down the hall.

The old house had, long ago, settled. A few of the doors throughout the...