As I was about to turn away from the window, I caught sight of a figure in a grey hooded sweatshirt. He was standing at the edge of the canal, hands in his pockets, apparently watching a cautious driver edge into a parking space, the nose of the car hanging out over the water. Could he be the same man I’d seen the previous evening at the bar?
I waited, expecting him to look up at the house, but he never did. Once the parking show was over, he lit a cigarette and ambled away.
Still, unable to shake the feeling that the house was being watched, I set off up the hall to find Alex. The bedrooms were quiet and empty, so I climbed the service stairs to the next floor. When I reached the landing, I heard a faint murmur of voices. We’d noticed earlier that noise seemed to echo through the abandoned rooms, magnified like whispers in a church.
I moved towards the sound, hurrying past the shrouded furniture of the old salon. The voices stopped, and I paused. The sudden silence was oppressive.
“Alex?” I called.
She stepped out of a room about ten yards in front of me. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
I felt silly, embarrassed by my own nervousness. “No, nothing. Just checking you’re all right. Where’s Pieter?”
“We were just doing a walk around up here,” Alex said. “I was asking him if he knew anything about the false wall.”
Pieter appeared just then, brushing dust off his jacket. “I don’t,” he said. “I didn’t spend a lot of time here. Just a few visits after Uncle Tomas moved in.”
The two of them joined me, and we started walking back towards the stairs.
“I went to boarding school in Geneva and university in Lausanne,” Pieter continued. “And then I got a job and moved back to Geneva. I didn’t visit Amsterdam very often. But Uncle Tomas was always good to me. His death hit me very hard. I was shocked when I learned he left the place jointly to me and to Eline.”
Pieter’s voice rose over the clatter of our footsteps on the wood treads.
Back on the apartment level, we returned to the kitchen. I could hear Sam talking in the dining room beyond, still dealing with TBA’s legal counsel.
“Well, I’ll be off,” Pieter said. “I appreciate your time and apologize for arriving without warning.” He shook hands with us and made to leave. Then he turned back. “Oh, just one thing I almost forgot. Eline asked me to pick up some papers from her room. Something we need for the meeting with the lawyer. Do you mind if I go get them? It’ll save her a trip over later, she said.”
“I’ll come with you,” Alex said. “I can show you which room it is.”
She flicked a glance at me, and I nodded. Pieter might be co-inheritor, but I didn’t feel comfortable letting him poke around in Eline’s room by himself. Alex would keep an eye on him.
Less than a minute after they left the kitchen, Henk walked in. I wondered where he’d been. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to disappear and materialize at will. Not speaking to me, he took a mug from the cupboard and made himself a coffee, a break from his regular routine. He obviously hadn’t been pleased to see Pieter, but I couldn’t ask him about it; not knowing a word of his language made communication impossible. When the old man took his mug to the kitchen table and sat down without even glancing at me, I left.
I trailed up the corridor to Eline’s room to find Pieter and Alex talking quietly in Dutch as they sifted through a pile of papers on top of a chest of drawers.
“Did you find what you needed?” I asked from the door.
Pieter turned, a sheet of paper in his hand. “I think so. This should be it.”
Alex straightened the pile of documents and looked around the room, crowded with cardboard boxes piled against one wall, stacks of books on the bed, and several suitcases. “There’s still a lot of stuff here for Eline to move,” she said. “We should offer to help her.”
I nodded. “Good idea.”
“That’s very kind.” Pieter folded the document he’d found and put it in his pocket. “I’ll let her know when I see her later.”
A thought struck me as we walked Pieter down to the front door. “Was Eline shocked, too, to learn you were going to inherit half of the proceeds of the house?” I asked.
Pieter’s steps slowed. “I don’t know. But I don’t think so. She knew that Tomas had been like a father to me when my dad died. I assume that they’d talked about it before he drew up the will.”
I opened the front door, and we gathered on the pavement at the bottom of the steps. It was good to be out in the fresh air, even though it was chilly.
“And you jointly agreed to sell the house?” I asked.
Alex shot a look at me, eyebrows raised. I knew I was being rude, and that this should be none of my business, but I was trawling for information, anything that might cast light on the threat to Eline and Sam.
Pieter didn’t seem fazed by the questions though. “Actually, no. I was surprised when I heard she wanted to put it on the market. But it really was her choice. I could understand that she didn’t want to live alone in this.” He waved a hand up at the building.
“Did Alex tell you about the strange things that have happened? The falling chandelier, and the painting that crashed to the ground?”
Pieter glanced at his watch.
“We’ll walk with you for a while,” I said. “If that’s okay.”
Alex ran back up the steps to pull the door closed. I felt a twinge of anxiety at leaving Sam alone in the house, but I was getting desperate. A few more minutes with Pieter might be helpful.
“I told Pieter about those things,” Alex said when she joined us again.
“They sound like pranks,” he said. “Although I don’t see the point of them. Or who would execute them.”
“Henk?” I asked.
“I doubt it. Henk’s a fixture in the house. He wouldn’t do anything to damage it.”
We stopped talking, separated for a few moments by a family of four walking abreast and taking up the pavement. Pieter crossed the street to walk along the side of the canal. When Alex and I caught up with him, we all stopped to admire a pretty painted barge gliding gently past us.
“I always wanted to have a boat,” Pieter said. There was a wistful note in his voice.
“Well, you still can, can’t you?” I asked, thinking about the money he’d make on the house sale. “If not here, then in Geneva, on the lake?”
“Maybe. One day.”
He turned away from the water and started walking again.
“Have you heard the rumors about the house?” I asked, quickening my pace to keep up with him.
“Rumors?”
“You know, stories about past owners who used it for gambling and smuggling. Unexplained deaths, that sort of thing.”
“Things that go bump in the night?” He weaved around a clump of parked bicycles and paused to let a small tour group pass. “Yes, I’ve heard the rumors, but they’re just fairy tales. Uncle Tomas never had any problems there.”
I sensed my questions were starting to irritate him, but decided to persevere a little longer. “Is Eline doing all right?” I asked. “She seemed a little…fragile.” I couldn’t exactly come out with the real reason for my concern. “I wondered if she’s ill, or something? Of course, Tessa’s death was a big shock too.”
This time, Pieter stopped and looked at me. “Tessa’s dead? I didn’t know. I haven’t seen Eline yet. We just spoke on the phone. She didn’t say anything about being unwell. But she’s mourning, you know. Tomas’s death was a terrible blow. So unexpected. We had no time to plan.”
His cheeks flushed pink and he turned away as I wondered what he meant. Did ‘we’ mean Eline and him? And plan what?
“We should go back,” Alex said to me. “Let Pieter get on with his day.”
I nodded. I’d pushed it as far as I could and I hadn’t learned anything useful.
7
Alex and I walked back to the Janssen house in near silence. I was running through everything I�
�d heard from Pieter, trying to dredge up the details to see if he’d said anything that would help me learn what threatened Sam and Eline. There was nothing. Apart from that strange comment about not having time to plan. Alex marched along with her eyes on her feet. I guessed she’d been embarrassed by my probing.
“I was just trying to get to the bottom of the pranks,” I offered by way of explanation. “I hoped Pieter might know something.”
“I can’t see how,” she replied. “He hardly ever visited.”
“But he cared enough to come by and say goodbye to the house,” I pointed out. “Which means he must have spent enough time here to feel some sort of connection to it.”
Alex moved away to avoid a woman pushing a baby in a pram. I shivered. We’d gone out without our coats, and the air was growing colder as black clouds thickened over a row of stately houses on the far side of the canal.
“What do you think Pieter meant about not having a plan?” I asked Alex.
She shrugged. “I suppose he meant they didn’t have time to talk much about selling the house.”
I wasn’t so sure. Maybe Pieter and Eline were planning to be together now that Tomas was dead. I almost made the suggestion out loud, but I could tell Alex wasn’t interested. She seemed out of sorts.
When we arrived back at the house, we saw Moresby on the doorstep, looking for his keys.
Alex frowned. “The grinch is back,” she whispered. But she smiled and used her key to unlock the door, waving Moresby in. Together, the three of us climbed the stairs to the living room where we found Henk vacuuming. There was no sign of the errant chandelier, apart from the bare wire hanging from the ceiling and a large plastic crate on the floor that held a pile of unbroken crystal drops.
Moresby was his usual charming self. “What the hell happened here?” he asked.
I told him about the chandelier falling and was rewarded with a look of utter disbelief.
“I probably shouldn’t have been swinging on it like that,” Alex said, her expression deadly serious.
It took a moment for Moresby to realize that she was making a joke. His brows drew together in a deep frown. “Very funny.”
“But it’s actually a serious problem,” I said. “No one was hurt, but what if one of us had been standing there when it fell? Or under that picture frame that came off its chains? There’s something odd going on.”
“You’ll be telling me the place is haunted next,” Moresby said. “Where’s Sam? We need to talk.”
Sam must have heard our voices. He came into the living room and motioned to us all to sit. “What can we do for you?”
“We have no time to deal with distractions,” Moresby said. “I thought we’d have something to show my Board of Directors by now.”
Alex snorted.
Sam shook his head. “We’ve been here for less than two days, Bill,” he said.
I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. I doubted anyone called William Moresby Bill.
If looks could kill, Sam would be dead. That thought sobered me up immediately and I got to my feet. “I’m getting back to work,” I said. There was no point in wasting time arguing with Moresby. “I can have some very preliminary drawings ready for you to by tomorrow, if that helps?”
Moresby attempted a smile. With all the effort of a weightlifter raising a dumbbell, the corners of his mouth turned upwards. “Thank you. I appreciate it. Listen, I want us to get along. I’m sorry if I’ve offended.” The smile disappeared. “There’s a lot of pressure from Head Office to get the final decision on this property. One or two of the board members think we should be relocating to Luxembourg, not Amsterdam, and every day that goes by gives them an opportunity to press their case. Personally, I like this building and the location. I want this to work. I just need the feasibility study wrapped up so I can present it, and then we’ll be ready to sign the purchase documents. I’m totally dependent on Sam here to get me what I need.”
Sam stood up. “We’re all on the same page then. For now, it’s probably best if you don’t mention these odd incidents to your directors. That might give them a reason to back out. Let’s hope we’ve seen the last of the weirdnesses anyway.”
I doubted that, not with the auras over Sam and Eline. And we weren’t even talking about Tessa’s accident.
“Assuming that all goes well, we’ll aim to get the study finished early.” He looked at Alex and me. “Can we get this done by Friday morning?”
Alex looked dubious. “It’s a lot of work. But I’ll do my best.”
For my part, I was thrilled at the idea of being done early. That way I could get Sam back to London and possibly out of danger.
“Definitely,” I said.
“Excellent.” Moresby beamed.
“However, if anything happens to jeopardize the safety of the team, I will strongly recommend withdrawing the offer to buy the building,” Sam continued.
Moresby’s habitual frown was back in place, but he stuck his hand out to shake Sam’s. “Understood.”
When he’d gone, Alex got to her feet, and we followed her to the kitchen. Sam opened a tin and showed it to Vincent who was prowling along the counter.
“Is there any human food?” Alex asked hopefully. Sam opened the fridge to reveal a half-empty bottle of milk and two bottles of white wine.
She picked up her puffy jacket. “I’m going to run out and buy food so we can work through lunch,” she said. “Can I take your orders?”
Sam asked for something called a broodje haring. “A herring sandwich,” he explained.
“Yuck. Gouda for me,” I said. “Or Edam, I don’t mind which. But definitely no pickled fish.”
As soon as the lift doors closed behind Alex, Sam’s phone rang and he answered, mouthed, “It’s Terry,” and wandered off to the dining room.
Left alone, I thought about my earlier conversation with Alex. She thought the incidents were significant, warnings intended to keep us away from the house. I wasn’t so sure, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched by the man in the grey hoodie. It was time to come clean with Sam, tell him about his aura. And Eline’s. And the fact that Tessa’d had one and was now dead.
While I waited for his call to finish, I scrubbed the counters and rinsed out Vincent’s food bowl, which he’d emptied completely. The physical activity helped to calm me. I was ready to do this. As soon as Sam came back to the kitchen, I threw the cleaning cloth in the sink and turned to face him.
“Sam, there’s something I need to tell you,” I began, but his damn phone rang again.
“Sorry,” he said as he picked it up. “It’s my grandmother,” he whispered. “What’s wrong, Gran?” The color had drained from his cheeks.
She seemed to talk for a long time before Sam’s features relaxed. “Okay. Keep me updated. I can come home if you need me.”
“Is everything all right?” I asked, anxiety knotting my stomach.
“Sarah had a fall but she’s fine. She tries to be stronger than she is and occasionally she pushes it too far. She has a few bruises. The doctor told her to stay in bed for a couple of days.”
“I’m glad she’s okay.” I squeezed Sam’s hand for a second. This was the ideal opportunity to convince him to leave. “If you need to go back, you should. Perhaps I can take over some of your work?”
Sam shook his head. “Thank you, but Gran said they were managing. I’ll get a flight home on Friday. We’ll be finished here by then.”
I took a deep breath. Henk was busy, Alex was out. It was now or never.
“I really need to talk to you,” I said.
His mobile rang again. “It’s Terry. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“No.” I put my hand on his arm. “This is important.”
Eyebrows raised, Sam declined the call and hoisted himself onto the counter. “Go on then.”
My cheeks burned as I explained how I could see auras that predicted death. To Sam’s credit, he didn’t interrupt or
laugh or mock me, all common reactions when I’d told people in the past about this bizarre gift of mine.
“The thing is, Sam,” I said. “You have an aura. And so does Eline. Actually, Henk does too.” I sighed, knowing how ridiculous this must sound to him. “Tessa did as well.”
Ignoring the look of disbelief on Sam’s face, I rushed on. “I think you should go back to London. My feeling is that the threat is somehow tied up with the house. If you leave, it’s possible that the danger will pass.”
Sam lifted his chin and gazed into my eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not and I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”
“But everyone dies. Don’t we all have these aura thingies all the time?”
“They only appear to me a week or two before… the end. They are a warning of imminent death. That’s why you need to fly to London. Right now.”
He jumped down from his perch on the counter and paced around the kitchen, before stopping and leaning with his back against the fridge. “Have you always seen them? When we were at university?”
“No, only for the last few years, since Mum died. That’s when it started. I had this… I don’t know what it was… encounter near Dad’s house in Tuscany. After the funeral. Mum appeared and talked to me. And then I met this nun, Sister Chiara, and she told me about my new gift and how I had to use it to help people.”
Sam’s eyebrows had disappeared under his mop of hair and he was biting his lip.
“I know, it’s all mad. You don’t have to understand it,” I said. “But you do have to believe me. Please. It could save your life.”
When he shook his head, I begged him. “Trust me. Please. Call Josh if you like and ask him. He’ll tell you about the other times. But I think you’ll be safer if you leave.”
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