House at Road's End

by Peggy Staggs

  I hoped she wouldn’t tell people I was romantically interested in the Sheriff. I’d messed things up. Too much wine, too much stress, and not enough self-control led to one bad irreversible mistake. I needed to set things straight. It was only fair to her. And she’d always been straightforward with me. I gave her the best I could right now, a half-truth. “I want to understand Dad’s friends. What about his house?”

  “He inherited money. That’s what he said when I asked the same question.” She was considering me. “I believe him. There’ve been rumors. One said he was running drugs. Another, was he won the lottery. Some say he’s from a rich family back east. I figure he told me the truth and he’d tell them if they cared to ask. Some think it’s more fun to make up a story.”

  I could see an awkward moment coming about if I asked him. “It’s really none of my business. His house is very nice.”

  “Hm.” She poured me a second cup of coffee, deliberated and then said, “I think if you want answers, you best ask the man himself.”

  After the other night that wasn’t going to happen. From now on it was going to be Sheriff Trace. All business. I changed the subject. “I’m glad we called Crystal. Mr. Tyson’s men are supposed to be here this afternoon.”

  “It was nice to have all Ralph’s friends come, but with everything I’m not up to cleaning.”

  “Hello, Miss Jane.” Crystal walked in. “I guess you want me to change sheets and cleaning up. It’ll take a while with the washing and stuff. Where do you want me to start?”

  We told her it was up to her.

  “I’m going to strip the beds upstairs first. That way I can do laundry while I get the rest done.”

  “Already put a load in.” Jane said.

  Crystal eyed the cinnamon rolls.

  “Go ahead,” Jane said. “You’ve got to have energy to get everything done.”

  Crystal took the largest roll on the plate. Good, I thought, now I can’t eat it.

  “Jane,” I said. “We keep hearing the answer is in the attic. But when we were up there it didn’t look like anyone had been in there in a very long time.”

  “We always keep the decorations near the top of the steps. I’ll be right back.” Jane gathered some crusts of bread and a scoop of birdseed and went to the backdoor. “Maybe if you noisy birds have your mouths full you’ll be quiet.” She stepped outside.

  “Miss Jane, you know the ghosts are all in the other house,” Crystal called as she wiped icing from her chin and brushed a lavender strip of hair from her eyes. “She’s a nice old lady,” she whispered, “A little odd, but nice.”

  “I heard that Mazie Purdy. I am not old...yet,” Jane said as she passed through the kitchen on her way somewhere.

  “Sorry.” Crystal smiled as if she were humoring Jane.

  “Mazie?” I asked.

  “My real name is Mazie Purdy. I don’t like it much. My stage name is Crystal Dawn.”

  I remembered her last name from the town meeting. I wondered if everyone in the county was related in some way. “Is your dad Dave Purdy?”

  “No, he’s my uncle.”

  “Markus,” she tried my name. “Do you think Ralph would mind if I used it? He was a nice old guy. Susie Markus. I kind of like that. It sounds country.”

  “I’m sure he’d be honored.” As much as she seemed to change her name I didn’t think Markus would last long enough for anyone to notice.

  “How was the dance the other night?”

  “It was great. The little kids at the junior high really liked us.” She grinned.

  “What do you guys sing?”

  “Oh, County. I’m going to be the next Reba. She’s getting really old and someone has to take her place. I just need the right name.”

  I wasn’t sure the name would make any difference. She was a cute girl and who knows maybe she could sing? “Good luck in LA.”

  Jane returned with a scrapbook.

  “No worries. Paul’s uncle lives down there. We’re going to stay with him.”

  “It sounds like you’ve thought this through.”

  “Not all the way.” Jane said. “Mazie, you know Paul’s mama and dad have their hearts set on him taking that scholarship to Julliard for his piano.”

  Julliard. I was impressed.

  “Yeah, I know. They’ll change their minds when we’re all famous and rich.”

  “Do you know how many young people are down there to get fame and fortune?” Jane asked. “You should start around here.”

  “That’s why we played at the dance the other night. Don’t worry, I won’t be one of those girls who gets down there and gets sucked in by some sleazy agent.”

  Jane sat down on the other side of Crystal/Susie/Mazie. “You best not. You know your daddy’s temper. You don’t want him going down there and doing something that’ll land him in a city jail.”

  “I’d never, Miss Jane.” Her eyes were wide.

  “See you don’t.” Jane opened the volume. “Here are some pictures of the house out back.” There were smiling faces of children. They marched up the years from three to six. Behind them stood proud parents. The back ground was the house I’d seen in the grove of trees when we’d found the Sergeant.

  As Jane turned the pages the children grew up. The last picture was very different from the first. The youngest was now ten or twelve. Her sad eyes set the mood for the rest of the family. The oldest boy stood next to his father. He was taller, but there was something wrong. His expression was twisted with anger. It seemed directed at the man next to him. There was a dark secret there. That’s when I noticed the background. I turned back at the first picture. In each photo the house appeared more care worn. As if it mirrored the turmoil in the family.

  “This one.” Jane tapped the last photo. “Was taken just before they were killed. Now they’re all ghosts living in that house.”

  “You said Dad lived out there until he closed the place.”

  “He did.”

  Mazie lost interested and said, “I hear the dryer. Sheets are ready.”

  When she was gone I said, “Could that be the attic he was talking about?”

  “Could be.” She tilted her head to one side. “Makes sense. You don’t want to go out there by yourself. I’ve seen some lights out there too.”

  “Did you tell the Sheriff?”

  “It could have been car lights.”

  I glanced at the wall clock. “We can’t pick the cats up for another hour. Let’s go have a look. What can it hurt? If anything happens we’ll leave.”

  “I guess if we can leave it should be okay. And it’s morning. Ghosts don’t come out in the morning.”

  “Good to know.”

  Flashlights in hand we climbed the steps to the front door of the house out back.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jane reached out and tried the knob. “No use, it’s locked.’

  I held up the key. “Neil gave me new keys.” The door swung opened. The inside was a wonderland of anonymous forms. I could see why Jane thought this place was haunted. Sheets covered every object, giving the place a horror film atmosphere. I could picture Bella Lugosi or Christopher Lee coming down the steps.

  From the outside, the house appeared to be a two-story affair with windows above giving the impression of an attic. Inside I tried the light switch. A chandelier lit the entry. “Let’s go upstairs,” I said and started up the curved staircase.

  “I’m not sure about this.” Jane didn’t move.

  “If you think the place has ghosts, why don’t you have your nana come over and get rid of them?” I wasn’t sure if ghost-extermination fell under the job description of a witch or not.

  “Now that’s an idea.” She joined me on the stairs. “She still gets around good. I’ll ask her.”

  We searched for an hour. “This doesn’t make any sense,” I said finally. “There’s nothing.” We’d tapped on every wall in every room and every closet. There wasn’t anything, anywhere.

 
“It’s up there. You can see it from outside,” Jane said.

  “Maybe they wanted it to appear there was an attic.” It didn’t make sense.

  “If you’ve got the space, it wouldn’t be any problem to put a hatch in or a set of steps and a door.”

  “Good point.”

  “We’ve got to go get those silly cats don’t we?” Jane asked. “That crazy vet will put them down if we don’t. He’s no good with pets. Just livestock. I’ll drive.”

  We climbed in her old pickup. I had to slam the door twice, hard before it latched. Door closed I reached for the seatbelt.

  “No use, the truck is older than seatbelts. Beside I don’t hit much.”

  “That’s reassuring.” I held on to the arm rest.

  She ground the gears into submission and backed up. The old truck backfired as she jammed it into another gear. We missed a large pine by a whisper. The truck lurched forward and wheezed as we drove down the road.

  Jane didn’t hesitate as she pulled out on to the main road right in front of a car. The driver laid on the horn. “Paul Clearly’s mom.” Jane waved at the woman. The woman shook her head. From her expression a greeting wasn’t the purpose of the honk. “He’s in Mazie’s band. The piano player.”

  We slid to a stop at the vet’s, climbed out and went inside.

  “Hi, Miss Jane. How can I help you?”

  “We came to get those cats.”

  “I’m sure they’re ready. I’ll check.” The girl picked up the phone and called someone in the back. To us she asked, “It’s the one with the broken leg, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Her eyes took on a sad hue. “The poor little thing. She is so sweet.”

  “She’s okay isn’t she?” I hoped I’d gotten her here in time.

  “Doc says you can take her home. She’s doing much better.”

  “Bonny, this is Doc Markus. She might be the new town doc,” Jane said.

  Leave it to Jane to weave everything in to a few words.

  “Patsy will be right out.”

  “Jane, don’t tell people I’m going to be the new doctor. I can’t practice here. I don’t have a license.”

  “You can get one can’t you?”

  “I could, but I don’t think I’ll be here that long.” Now that the words were out I didn’t like the sound of them.

  Patsy brought out the big cat first.

  “Oh, my Lord. Who washed that cat?” Jane started to laugh. “I don’t think I’ve seen an animal so mad...ever.”

  The big cat sat on the counter all fluffy and clean. He did not look amused.

  Next Patsy brought out a box with the tiny tabby in it. She lay on her side, an enormous cast on her petite leg. When she heard our voices she opened her eyes and tried to move.

  She reached out a little paw. Her helplessness broke my heart. “Jane, can we go over to that guy’s house and shoot him?”

  “It can be arranged.” Then Jane said, “I suppose we better keep them inside from now on. It’s a nuisance when they get hurt.”

  Under her crusty exterior Jane was as soft as I was. I remembered the day Jack and I had brought them in. A surge of regret had me hating myself even more.

  We got the cats home safely in time to greet Mr. Tyson’s men.

  With everyone settled, I took time to go over the police file and the documents again. Nothing popped out at me. I knew someone who could find all kinds of things on the internet. Unfortunately, she lived in DC. I told myself it’s the reason Bell invented the phone. I called Sophie, this time I was completely sober. I dialed. And if she got the information I wouldn’t have to face Jack.

  “Hello.” She answered on the second ring.

  “Sophie, it’s—”

  “Ensley. How are you?”

  “I’m okay. I need your help. Do you have time?”

  “I’ve got nothing but time. I’m on the same list you are. I can’t get anyone to even call me back.”

  Don March again. Monster. “Have you tried outside the beltway?”

  “I’m working my way west. What can I do for you?”

  I explained the situation to her. “Do you think you can find out anything? I can do research, but you’re a magician with the computer.”

  “This is interesting. I’ve never done anything like this. It should be fun.”

  I figured she was far enough away she wouldn’t be in any danger. Besides, no one would know I contacted her. I’d end up telling them at some point. Not for a while. She promised to find out what she could and e-mail it to me.

  “You know.” I could hear a note of excitement in her voice. “This might be a new line of work for me. Hey, research is research. I’m going to call my brother.” She paused. “Did you get your situation resolved?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “I know you. I know you, you’re avoiding it. That won’t help. Things like this don’t get better with time.” She paused. “I’ll get right to this. Bye.”

  “Bye.” I was too late the line was dead.

  »§«

  Jane wheeled the truck into the parking lot at the Hot Springs Bar and Grill. Judging by the lack of parking spaces Jody’s barbecue was outstanding. Inside we had to wait for an empty table.

  We ordered from a harried waitress named Barbara. “It’s going to be a few minutes.” She fluttered her hand over her shoulder. “We’re slammed. Wish they’d put on an extra person when Jody makes barbecue. Or prime rib. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

  True to her word she returned with a beer and a glass of wine.

  “You gonna have to learn to drink beer.” Jane took a sip. “Nothing better on a hot day than a cold beer and fired chicken.”

  Dinner was fun. I learned a lot about the town, the people. She didn’t say much about Dad or the B&B. I decided it was because the barbecue arrived before she got to them.

  “This is amazing,” I said.

  “I keep telling him to open his own place.” Jane wiped her fingers and tossed the napkin over with the rest littering the table. “Course if he did this place would go under.”

  Back at the B&B we checked every door and window to be sure things were safe.

  Through the locked backdoor I watched her walk to the carriage house. The silence of the huge building punctuated my feeling of being alone. All alone.

  Only the cats to keep me company. At least they needed me. “Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself.” I don’t like self-pity. I was on the right track, I just had to keep going.

  The right track. Was I?

  Things were so ill-defined. The letter the lawyer had told us about said the answer was in the B&B. But Dad had said the attic. It made sense. He’d misdirected Lansky to the B&B. That’s why he moved back in here. It had to be in the house out back.

  What about the one here? True, nothing out there had appeared disturbed, maybe it wasn’t supposed to.

  I turned my attention from the old house to my kitty patients. They’d settled in nicely. The little one hadn’t done much of anything except sleep since we’d brought her home. The leg without a monster cast on it had been shaved and a pain patch applied. I could hear her snoring softly. The big cat sat in the window looked out at the stars. “No more outside for you two.”

  He looked at me as if to say. “Really, you give me a bath and now you won’t let me go outside. Fine. I’ll eat.” He jumped down with a very uncat-like thud and went over to the bowl of dry cat food.

  Rationally, I knew Jane was less than a hundred yards away. And there were four grown men staying downstairs. Logic failed to comfort me this time.

  “I’m a big girl,” I said out loud. “I’ve lived in large metropolitan cities for years. Where the murder rates are higher than the traffic tickets here. I have a gun. I can take care of myself.” I hurried through the kitchen and the dining room. “Yeah, but this is the first time I’ve ever been in a house where someone was murdered right out front. And out back.”

  I stop
ped at the bottom of the stairs. I had to get a grip. “Whoever killed Dad was after what he knew, or to keep him from telling anyone about it. And they were after the Sergeant, not me.” The steps vanished into blackness above. “It’s so dark up here in the mountains.”

  In the city there is ambient light from street lights, homes, and businesses. Here the few streetlights that graced the main street of Spirit Springs were blocked by pines, and what few leaves remained on the rest of the trees.

  I peered into the gloom. Somewhere up there was my bedroom. Well, I’m not going up there without lights. I began flipping switches. Lights popped on and off all over the main floor. This wasn’t doing me any good. Nothing above seemed to be wired down here.

  After enough deep breaths to make me light headed I climbed into the darkness.

  I pulled open the door to my room and switched on the lights I’d left a trail of illumination in my wake. If the bad guys erroneously thought there was a house full of people that was fine with me.

  I shut the bedroom door and locked it.

  To be safe I pulled a small dresser over in front of it. Secure in the knowledge they weren’t going to make it through the hall door before I got to my gun. I realized I was trapped. And the cats were in the kitchen helpless. This wasn’t working out on any level.

  I unblocked the door. “Stupid cats.” It wasn’t the cats. They were smart. I was the one who’d been less than bright. I was the one who hadn’t thought things through enough to bring them with me. Which brought to mind me piling the furniture in front of the door. What if there was a fire? I’d die of smoke inhalation before I could clear a way out, let alone get the cats. I should get a dog. Maybe a Malinois trained to German commands. What if it didn’t like cats?

  Then there was the thing with Jack. I hadn’t considered the consequences. But there weren’t any brain cells disturbed in that decision. Shit. At this rate I’d die of self-inflicted anxiety before sunrise. Jack was occupying too many of my thoughts. Forget him. “I’m leaving.”

  I picked up the little cat, who was fast asleep. She roused only enough to change positions and snuggle into my arms. “Great. What am I going to do when I leave? I can’t take you guys with me, Jane wouldn’t allow it. And I can’t leave you behind.” The big cat followed me up the steps. “Either of you. Well I won’t be going for a while. Next spring.”