The House on Findlater Lane

by Helen Goltz

Holly was always trying to fix something.

  A tender heart

  Astrid Bellerose placed the necklace back in its red velvet box. She lined the pink diamond in the centre and gently brushed her finger over the pale pink pearls. At twenty-one years of age, she wasn’t really sentimental, yet. It was fair to say she hadn’t even looked through the boxes of photos or antique pieces that sat in the attic. They reminded her of better times, when her mother was alive, before the accident. She had been raised by a workaholic absent father and a procession of aunts. Like her father, when she came of age she had thrown herself into the family business – work was her life and her father was happy for the publicity and exposure she brought the business, with her glamour and increasing social media following. They had got closer now they had a non-emotional connection, something they both understood.

  But the necklace wasn’t about her father or her mother – it was a love story. As a child, every time her grandmother had put the stunning necklace on her elegant neck, Astrid had asked her to tell the story again… how her great-grandfather had presented it to his bride-to-be with love. Her grandmother only wore it on very special occasions, when she accompanied Astrid’s grandfather to balls and ceremonies. He always looked so handsome in black tie, a formidable figurehead for their family empire. Her grandmother called the necklace The Tender Heart and she promised that one day, it would be Astrid’s to mind for the next generation. It was her birthright. Handed down by her great grandmother, to her grandmother – it skipped her mother, who died before it could be handed down – and now, it was Astrid’s. All the women in her family had worn it at least once, even her Mum wore it on her wedding day and one day Astrid would pass it on to her own daughter.

  It was breathtaking, and she didn’t mind admitting that she looked gorgeous with it around her neck. Set off by her olive skin, raven shiny bob and pale green eyes, the necklace never failed to draw attention in person and on social media. And that was just how Astrid liked it.

  ‘These plans are wonderful,’ Holly exclaimed, as they pored over the designs. ‘I love it, I love this garden!’ She wished Alexander could be there to share his thoughts. She glanced around but could not see him, and then she felt a familiar cold brush against her arm and moved slightly to allow him a better view. He appeared before her eyes.

  Holly glanced towards Juliette and Luke but they couldn’t see him. She returned her gaze to Alexander as he studied the plans, and raised her eyebrow for his consent.

  ‘I’d forgotten these,’ he said, and smiled. ‘They’re great, let’s do it.’

  Holly smiled and nodded, then turned to see if anyone had noticed. Phew, no.

  ‘Your father had so much talent,’ Juliette was saying to Lucas.

  ‘True, although it’s been said I have more,’ he said.

  ‘Really?’ Juliette grinned, ‘And who says that?’

  ‘Me mostly,’ he replied, and Juliette and Holly laughed. He quickly added, ‘I’m just kidding, he was much more talented.’

  ‘I suspect talent runs in the family,’ Juliette said, looking up at him as he towered at least a head over her in height.

  Holly stood back, took in the garden and then returned her attention to Luke.

  ‘I want to do this, Luke, it would be wonderful… but it all comes down to budget.’ She sat down on the stone wall as he delved into his satchel.

  ‘I’ve brought three quotes. One is for Dad’s design as it is. The second is for a version of this design but with fewer established plants, which makes it a little cheaper but it takes longer for the garden to mature, and the third is a version of the second quote, plus you and your friends doing a little bit of the work as well to cut your costs.’ He handed them over. ‘Might be able to talk your resident ghost into doing some digging,’ he teased.

  Holly smiled. ‘I’m sure he’d be happy to get his hands dirty.’

  ‘Have you seen or heard anything?’ Luke asked, curious. He looked from one woman to the next as he asked the question.

  ‘No, but I’ve been on the alert,’ Juliette said.

  ‘I’m always open to company,’ Holly said, and grinned. Again, she had got out of answering without being forced to lie. ‘The three quotes are really thoughtful of you, Luke. Thank you. Can I have a few days to go over them and come back to you?’

  ‘Have as much time as you need, you know where to find me and Alfred,’ Luke said. ‘Those are a copy so keep them on you.’ He rolled up his own set of plans. ‘Oh, I forgot, I’ve got something for you.’ He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Holly.

  ‘What’s this?’ she asked, opening it.

  ‘The original photos my father took on his first visit here,’ Luke said. ‘I’ve copied them, so I thought you might like the originals back. There’s a great shot of the couple that used to live here… the couple that commissioned the garden.’

  Holly glanced at Alexander who was sitting on the opposite wall, visible to her only. He froze – anticipation, sorrow, she couldn’t read him.

  ‘Wow, thank you, Luke, I’d love to have them,’ Holly said. Alexander was by her side in a heartbeat. She pulled the shots out and began to thumb through them.

  Juliette moved to look over her shoulder, pushing the Sergeant out of the way. He moved to Holly’s other side.

  ‘These are great, the cottage hasn’t changed much at all,’ Juliette said, taking one of the shots from Holly.

  Then Holly came to the shot of Alexander and Meghan. The Sergeant looked pretty much the same. He gasped beside her.

  ‘Cute couple,’ Juliette said, glancing over.

  ‘It’s Alexander – the Sergeant – and his wife, Meghan,’ Holly said. ‘They lived here once. She’s beautiful.’

  ‘He’s pretty hot, too,’ Juliette said. ‘Where are they today?’

  Luke glanced over Juliette’s shoulder. ‘They’d be pretty old now… in their seventies, eighties maybe, if they’re still alive.’

  Holly answered. ‘I’m not sure what happened to Meghan, but the Sergeant has passed away… his portrait is inside.’

  ‘Oh, that’s him! I thought he looked familiar,’ Juliette said.

  Alexander faded away beside her. It was just the three of them now.

  ‘Thank you, Luke,’ Holly said, again.

  ‘My pleasure.’

  ‘So, if you’ve lived here all your life, you must know the best places to go,’ Juliette said. ‘I’m only here for the weekend and Holly is new in town, too.’

  Holly gave her a slightly panicked look. Was she trying to set her and Luke up?

  ‘I qualify for that,’ he said, ‘but I don’t do nightclubs. I do know the best bar, pub and I’m not bad on the restaurant reviews, either. Looking for a tour guide?’

  ‘Thought you’d never ask. It is Friday after all!’ Juliette said, shooting Holly a grin.

  ‘Right then… how about…’ Luke began to make plans.

  Holly faded out of the conversation as she slipped the photos back in the envelope. She had to find Meghan, for Alexander’s sake and, more importantly, she had to find out how he died… so maybe then he could move on.

  Finders’ Keepers

  Alfred saw Lucas arrive back at the nursery looking pretty pleased with himself. He placed the last of the potted palms in Mrs Higginbottom’s station wagon and, with a wave, saw her off. Alfred, too, wasn’t without his admirers.

  He fell into step with Lucas as he re-entered the nursery.

  ‘So, did you get the order?’ Alfred asked.

  ‘No, but I will. I gave Holly three quotes and she made it perfectly clear that she was keen to accept one of them.’ He nudged Alfred as they walked. ‘You would have been very proud of me, Alfred. I was bordering on charming.’

  Alfred laughed. ‘Ah, I knew hanging around me would pay off.’

  Lucas smiled and rolled his eyes as they entered the office.

  ‘She’s lovely, isn’t she?’ Alfred said, with a smile.

  ‘She’s grea
t,’ Lucas agreed. Alfred noticed he tried to hide a smile as he thought of her.

  ‘I knew the first moment that I saw Holly, that you two would hit it off,’ Alfred said, congratulating himself.

  Lucas stopped and turned to Alfred.

  ‘Holly?’

  Alfred looked confused. ‘Yes. Weren’t you out quoting on Holly’s garden?’

  ‘Oh, sure. Yeah, Holly’s nice, but Juliette, she’s great. I’m taking both of them out on a tour of the town tonight. I’ll have to leave early to get prepared,’ he said, and wandered off towards the garden supplies.

  Alfred stared after him. ‘Juliette? Who’s Juliette?’

  Holly had the house to herself for a few hours at lunchtime on Friday while Juliette explored a few local antique stores and introduced herself to the owners and potential clients. She had been commissioned to find and buy articles for many antique dealers and it didn’t hurt to network and press the flesh in person. Plus, despite the amount of luggage that she’d arrived with, Juliette was keeping an eye out for a new outfit for their night on the town.

  ‘What do you want me to do first?’ Holly asked, pulling a mug down from the rack. ‘Want a cup of tea?’

  ‘No, I’m good, thanks,’ Alexander answered, leaning against the kitchen counter in his solid form.

  Holly frowned. She wasn’t sure why she asked the ghost in her house if he wanted a cup of tea but it seemed normal.

  She continued. ‘Do you want me to find Meghan first or find out how you died? What happens if I can’t do either?’

  Alexander shrugged. ‘Then you’re not much good at your job, are you? How have you been making a living?’

  Holly’s jaw dropped open and before she could snap back a retort, he grinned at her.

  ‘Hmm, you’ll keep,’ she said, narrowing her eyes at him. ‘What if I find out things you don’t want to know?’

  Alexander sighed. ‘Well it’s got to be better than what I’m going through now, hasn’t it? Knowing nothing.’

  Holly sighed. ‘Okay.’ She finished making her mug of tea and took it the table, lowering herself behind the laptop. ‘You know, I thought that once you got to the other side, all would be revealed,’ she said, fishing for a response.

  ‘Did you now?’

  ‘I’m guessing since Meghan’s not with you, she’s still here,’ Holly continued.

  ‘I can confirm that.’

  ‘What happens if you tell me about the afterlife? Do you get thrown out? Oh, you have already been thrown out. Or are you here by choice?’ Holly asked.

  ‘Is that thing warmed up yet?’ Alexander said, looking at her laptop.

  ‘Fine then, don’t answer,’ Holly said, unimpressed.

  ‘Is that your official question that I’m allowing you to ask, or are you just throwing random questions at me?’

  ‘That’s definitely not my official question.’

  ‘Good, I won’t answer then.’

  She ignored him for a few minutes while she opened web pages and checked her email. Alexander paced in front of the table like a duck at a shooting gallery.

  Holly took a sip of tea and started. Normally, she would begin with official records, but she was worried that the results might be too quick and direct with Alexander lingering. She wanted to break any news to him slowly. So, she began with Facebook profiles… a basic search to see if Meghan Austen was on social media. She didn’t really expect her to be… but if she was anything like Holly’s mother, the “old girls” had a good, strong network going!

  Ten people with the name Meghan Austen came up, and of course there was always the possibility that Meghan had remarried or gone back to her maiden name.

  Alexander came around to look over her shoulder. Six of the Meghans could be eliminated immediately as they were clearly in the wrong age-group and one of them was alarmingly in-your-face with her assets.

  ‘Bloody hell, I can’t believe they put all that stuff up there for everyone to see!’ he said. ‘In my day, you’d buy the magazine and take it home in a paper bag.’

  Holly laughed. ‘Everything that was in that magazine is on here, if you want to go into the right… or wrong areas.’

  He shook his head. ‘Should be illegal.’

  Holly opened up another Meghan profile.

  ‘Is that her?’ Alexander asked, stopping his pacing as the profile of an attractive older woman with Meghan’s name appeared. ‘That doesn’t look like her. I suppose it could be her… no, can’t be.’

  Holly couldn’t see much due to the protections this Meghan had put in place; you had to be a friend to see more.

  ‘Do you know any of the friends in her list?’ Holly asked.

  Alexander lowered himself into the seat next to her. ‘Nope. Show me the photo again.’

  Holly blew it up, and they both agreed it wasn’t an older Meghan. Holly did that for three more women, but none of them was Meg.

  ‘How long will this take?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know… however long it takes. I’ve spent weeks on some cases, while others, I’ve sorted out in half a day.’

  ‘What if she’s not on there?’ Alexander asked.

  ‘Then we search for other records.’

  ‘What if…’

  Holly raised her hand and stopped him mid-sentence. ‘You know, you are going to get very tiresome, very fast. If you want me to continue, I think you should sit over there and chill out. I’ll call you if I find something.’

  ‘Fine,’ he grumbled and appeared at a chair at the opposite end of the table.

  ‘I’m going to go back to basics. The Birth, Death and Marriages records,’ Holly said. ‘Clearly we won’t be needing the deaths, or you would have run into her.’

  Alexander made a sound that resembled a hmph.

  ‘So, marriage,’ she continued.

  Alexander almost flinched at the thought, and it wasn’t lost on Holly. She stopped and looked at him with more sympathy.

  ‘I can do this at the library if it upsets you.’

  He shrugged, feigning indifference. ‘It’s fine, it’s been decades. Of course she married… probably has grown-up kids and grandkids all over the country,’ he said, his voice growing louder towards the end of the sentence. He threw his hands up in despair, and then disappeared.

  Holly exhaled. The poor Sergeant. All those years, and now he might find out the truth.

  ‘Right then, I’ll keep you posted,’ she said in a quiet voice, and returned her gaze to the screen.

  Running through her normal procedures, Holly identified that Meg was still alive and was now seventy-five years of age. She did marry, but kept the name of Austen… interesting. Meghan’s husband had died almost twenty years ago when Meghan was in her fifties. She had one child, also deceased. Holly would need to look into why, and who the father of the child might be. Was it Alexander, or her second husband, or someone else again? It obviously hadn’t been an easy life for Meg. Does she want to be approached or reminded of a painful time in her life? Holly wondered. She pulled the photo of Alexander and Meg out of the folder and looked at it again; they both looked so happy then. They had no idea what lay ahead.

  Holly went to the newspaper archives, her subscription giving her full access – it was a necessity for her job. She looked up death and funeral notices and found the notice for Meghan’s second husband. She now had a starting point of where she lived… she was in Salcombe then, when she was married… not that far away from Findlater House.

  Holly ploughed on, returning to the basics – the phone directory. It always amazed her how many people didn’t try the obvious first, but Meg was not listed there. She put Meg’s name into the search engine and found some relevant local entries. It was coming together … there was a Meghan Austen that played Bridge in that area, and was in a painting group – she was the coordinator of the painting group so she must have been into it. Her name was also listed for completing a two-day walk for charity with an all-female walking group.


  And then, her eyes widened and she held her breath – she found a group photo of Meg’s painting group at their Christmas party. She looked around but Alexander was nowhere to be seen, and she knew he wasn’t hovering nearby, she could sense that. Enlarging the photos, she didn’t have to search for Meg… there she was. Beautiful. Still slim and petite, silver hair cut to shoulder length, her little face and pointy chin… her sparkling eyes. She looked happy, and Holly was not sure she wanted to change that.

  Would that be jealousy?

  Alexander stood invisible, listening to the excited banter of Holly and Juliette as they prepared for their night out. Juliette turned to the left then to the right as she sized up her new dress in front of the mirror.

  ‘I thought…’ Holly teased, ‘… given that you came for two nights and brought three bags, that you had an outfit for every occasion.’

  Juliette laughed. ‘I didn’t really have a night on the town outfit. I had a pub dinner outfit, an off to lunch on Sunday ensemble, walk along the beach clothes, a “tennis, anyone?” outfit, a “meet the gallery owners” dress and…’

  ‘I get the picture,’ Holly said, holding up her hand. ‘Well, the sexy-night-out outfit looks fantastic.’

  Juliette twirled around. ‘There’s nothing like a new dress to make you feel great, and this little boutique I found is brilliant… I could spend a fortune there,’ she agreed, admiring her new blue fitted dress with a kick skirt that moved with her. Her heels were a little high for a seaside village, but Juliette insisted they made the outfit. Holly looked perfect in a crisp white dress complimenting her pale blonde hair. Finished off with gold jewellery, it said smart night-time beachwear.

  Alexander studied Holly. He realised with some annoyance that the niggling feeling overcoming him was jealousy!

  Pfftt! How ridiculous, he thought, watching her.

  I’m dead, she’s not.

  I’m happily married, she’s single.

  There’s a decent enough bloke hanging around who might be interested in her, with a good gardening business… good riddance to them both. And she might get an even bigger discount on the garden if they get together – brillo!