Secret of the Staircase (The Virginia Mysteries Book 4)

by Steven K. Smith

  Secret of

  The Staircase

  The Virginia Mysteries Book 4

  By Steven K. Smith

  Contact the Author:

  Website: www.virginiamysteries.com

  Email: steve@myboys3.com

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  MyBoys3 Press

  Copyright © 2015 by Steven K. Smith

  Update Version Balboni, 2016

  ISBN: 978-0-9861473-9-5

  Editing by Kim Sheard of Another View Editing

  http://www.anotherviewediting.com/

  Cover Design by Ebook Launch

  http://www.ebooklaunch.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.

  The Virginia Mysteries

  Adventures with a twist of history

  Summer of the Woods

  Mystery on Church Hill

  Ghosts of Belle Isle

  Secret of the Staircase

  Midnight at the Mansion

  3 Book Box Set: The Virginia Mysteries Collection

  To Haley and Drew

  CONTENTS

  1. Chapter One

  2. Chapter Two

  3. Chapter Three

  4. Chapter Four

  5. Chapter Five

  6. Chapter Six

  7. Chapter Seven

  8. Chapter Eight

  9. Chapter Nine

  10. Chapter Ten

  11. Chapter Eleven

  12. Chapter Twelve

  13. Chapter Thirteen

  14. Chapter Fourteen

  15. Chapter Fifteen

  16. Chapter Sixteen

  17. Chapter Seventeen

  18. Chapter Eighteen

  19. Chapter Nineteen

  20. Chapter Twenty

  21. Chapter Twenty-One

  22. Chapter Twenty-Two

  ONE

  Sam tugged on the top button of his collared shirt. It was too tight. He wondered if it was possible to die from shirt collar strangulation. He’d never heard of anyone dying that way, but right then it seemed possible.

  He hated wasting a perfectly good Saturday shopping for dress clothes with his mom and brother, Derek. This wasn’t much better than fifth grade math class.

  His mom draped three brightly colored ties over the dressing room door. “See which one of these you like best.”

  “Mom...” Sam groaned. “Why do I need to wear a suit anyway?”

  “It’s going to be an elegant wedding,” answered his mom. “I need you to look nice for the pictures. Anita deserves to have special memories of her big day. I haven’t seen her since she moved overseas. That’s where she met Robert, in England.”

  “But I’m not even in the wedding. Why would anyone be taking pictures of me?” Anita was Mom’s college roommate. She was getting married in a week, and Sam and Derek were supposed to hand out programs before the ceremony. Derek had asked if they could charge money for each program, like at a baseball game, but Mom said no.

  “Why don’t you wear your birthday suit, Sam?” a voice called over the wall from the next dressing room stall. “That would make some really special memories!”

  Sam shot a dirty look through the wall as his older brother cracked up at his own joke. “Laugh if you want to, Derek, but you’ll be wearing a suit too, you know.” He stepped out of the dressing room and held the three ties up in front of him in a big, angled mirror. He could see every side of himself, and each one looked stupid in the suit.

  Derek walked out of his dressing room and stood next to Sam. “Yeah,” he said, running his fingers through his hair, “but I make a suit look good.” He struck a pose as if he were the coolest kid in the entire seventh grade.

  Oh brother, thought Sam.

  “The Jefferson is a very fancy hotel,” said Mom. “You’ll be expected to look your best.”

  Sam perked up at the name. “You mean like Thomas Jefferson? We’re staying at his house?” He grinned. That would be cool, suit or no suit.

  “No, not Thomas Jefferson’s house,” said Mom. “That’s Monticello, out near Charlottesville. This is The Jefferson hotel. It was named after Thomas Jefferson, but it’s in downtown Richmond.”

  “Never heard of it,” said Derek. “It’s fancy?”

  Mom nodded. “Very fancy, and very old.” She held the yellow tie under Sam’s chin and frowned. “And very expensive. That’s why you’ve never been there.”

  “But now we can go?” asked Derek. “Because of the wedding?”

  “That’s right,” answered Mom. “I like the blue one,” she said, decisively. “What do you think, Sam?”

  “Sure.” It was pointless to argue. It wouldn’t make a difference. If it were up to him, he’d wear his basketball high tops and a t-shirt to the wedding. The sooner they got out of this store the better.

  “Perfect!” said Mom. “Then I think we’re all done. Why don’t you boys change back into your other clothes and I’ll pay for all this.”

  “Thank goodness,” muttered Sam.

  “Unless,” continued Mom, “you want to keep shopping...” She raised her eyebrows at them hopefully.

  “No!” the boys said quickly. They’d been there too long already. Sometimes it seemed like Mom used events like this to make them try on clothes because she didn’t have any daughters to do that with regularly. Both of them rushed back into the cubicles to get undressed.

  Mom frowned, but seemed content with what they’d picked out. Her cell phone buzzed, and she quickly retrieved it from her purse.

  “Anita!” she exclaimed. “How are you? Have you landed?” Sam watched her hand grab the clothes he’d laid over the door of the changing room. He could hear her talking all the way to the checkout counter.

  “This is going to be a disaster,” said Derek, stepping out of the dressing room.

  Sam nodded his head. “Tell me about it.”

  TWO

  When they got home, the boys carried their bags from the minivan toward the house. Sam had a hard time keeping his long suit bag from dragging on the ground while also carrying two other bags that held shirts, a tie, a belt, socks and dress shoes. He felt like a pack mule. There had to be enough clothing for five weddings. He’d never been to one before, but he doubted that it could be worth all this.

  Sam shivered in the cool breeze. Even though it didn’t get as cold in Virginia as it had back in their old home up north, January was still brisk.

  Despite the temperature, Sam’s dad was standing in the front yard talking to their crusty old neighbor, Mr. Haskins. He was in his eighties and was nice enough, but a little kooky.

  “Well, well,” said Mr. Haskins. “Where are you boys off to? Did your folks finally wise up and decide to ship you off to military school?”

  Their dad laughed. “We haven’t gotten to that point quite yet.” He looked over at the boys. “But it could be something to keep in mind.” With a nod to Mr. Haskins, he followed their mom into the house. “Talk to you later, Jonas.”

  “We have a wedding,” said Derek, after their dad had gone inside.

  “A wedding, eh?” said Mr. Haskins, smiling. “You boys are a little young to be getting hitched, aren’t you?” He let out a dry cackle that sounded like a frog.

/>   Sam rolled his eyes. Mr. Haskins was always giving them a hard time. He liked to lecture about how kids these days don’t have any manners and play too many video games. Even though he wasn’t sure what getting hitched meant, he knew it wasn’t anything to do with them. “It’s our mom’s friend.”

  “It’s at The Jefferson,” said Derek. “Ever hear of it?”

  Mr. Haskins’ eyes brightened, and he let out another cackle. “Hear of it? Why, I’ve heard of it all right.” He reached his hands into his pants pockets, pulling out his wallet.

  “Are you going to pay us for going to the wedding?” said Derek, nudging Sam in the ribs with his elbow.

  “Oh, sure, how much do you want?”

  “Really?” said Derek, his eyes brightening.

  Mr. Haskins waved his hand in disgust. “Ah, you’d believe anything, boy. Those video games are melting your brain, I’ll tell you what.” He pulled a square piece of paper out of his wallet and held it in front of Sam. It was an old black-and-white photograph. The edges were crumpled from being in the wallet.

  “That’s at The Jefferson,” said Mr. Haskins. “A long time ago.”

  Sam glanced down at the picture, then leaned in closer. A tall man in an old-fashioned uniform stood next to a shaggy-haired boy in a fancy room.

  Derek crowded in to get a look. “Is that you?”

  Mr. Haskins nodded. “I’m the little guy. My pap was the head bellman at The Jefferson for over forty years. When I finished school, I worked there for a spell too.”

  “No way!” said Derek. “You worked there?”

  Mr. Haskins nodded. “Yes siree. Quite a place, that hotel. And all kinds of famous people came through there...presidents, businessmen, celebrities…” He leaned down and looked at them with wide eyes. “Once, I carried the bags of Mr. Elvis Presley.”

  Sam scrunched his eyebrows. “Who?”

  Mr. Haskins placed his hand on his forehead. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, boy.”

  “Elvis, Sam,” said Derek. “You know…” He twisted his hips in a strange little dance and sang in a goofy voice. “I’m all shook up, uh-huh!”

  Sam just stared at him blankly. Maybe his brother had finally lost his mind.

  Derek grinned. “You’re a little young to understand.”

  Sam scowled at his brother as Mr. Haskins nodded. “I kid you not. 1956. He was playing at the Mosque Theatre. I showed him to his room.”

  “Wow. That’s pretty cool,” said Derek.

  Sam looked closer at the picture. There was something really strange about it. A fountain in the background had something large in the water. He knew what it looked like, but that was impossible.

  Sam pointed at the picture. “What’s that thing in the fountain? It looks like an alligator.”

  “Hotels don’t have alligators in fountains,” said Derek, laughing.

  Mr. Haskins chuckled. “This one did. The hotel kept them as pets over the years.”

  Sam focused on the fountain again. It was an alligator! It was stretched out in the water, looking like it could reach up and chomp on the boy at any moment. There didn’t seem to be a cage. Who would leave a real alligator loose with people around? That was crazy.

  “They were gone when I worked there,” said Mr. Haskins, “but a few were still around when I visited my pap as a boy. It was wild!”

  “You can say that again!” exclaimed Derek.

  Mr. Haskins smiled. “One of my favorite stories about The Jefferson was when an alligator wandered away from the lobby and into the library.”

  Sam’s eyes grew wider. “It did?” His stomach turned. He couldn’t imagine staying at a place where alligators roamed free. It was way too dangerous.

  Mr. Haskins nodded.

  “What did it do in the library?” asked Derek.

  “Well,” continued Mr. Haskins, “an older woman was sitting in the library reading, and she somehow mistook the alligator for a footstool.”

  “What?” exclaimed Derek.

  “She sat on it?” asked Sam.

  “Well, she put her feet on it, at least,” said Mr. Haskins. “Suddenly, her footstool started to walk away from her, and she nearly lost it.” He chuckled. “Must have been quite the scene, eh?”

  Sam nodded his head. “What did she do?”

  “Aw, she ran out of the library as fast as she could.”

  “I don’t blame her,” said Sam.

  “That’s crazy,” said Derek.

  Mr. Haskins grinned. “Like I said, quite a place, that hotel.”

  Dad stuck his head out the front door. “Boys, lunch is ready.”

  Sam took a breath, taking in Mr. Haskins’ story. “Alright, well…see you later.” He handed the picture back to his neighbor.

  “Yeah, thanks for showing us the picture,” said Derek. “We’ll tell you if anything like that happens at the wedding.”

  Mr. Haskins stepped toward his house and waved. “Good luck, boys. And look out for those gators.”

  THREE

  “Boys, come on. We’re going to be late!” Mom called up the stairs. It was early Friday afternoon and time to leave for The Jefferson. How could one wedding take all weekend? It seemed like such a waste. But Mom said that was part of the deal since it was a super-fancy wedding.

  “Most people would be happy to spend a free night in a luxury hotel,” she’d said.

  “Maybe a free trip to Yankee stadium,” Sam had replied, “but not at a wedding.”

  Mom and Dad had spent the entire morning out doing wedding-related things already. Mom went to a spa with the bride, Anita. They got their nails done or some other girly thing that she was all excited about. Dad played a round of golf at an exclusive country club that he hadn’t ever played at before. Anita’s fiancé had pulled some strings to get them in.

  Mom and Dad swung by to pick the boys up after they were done. The boys begrudgingly piled into the minivan with their suitcases. Sam let out a groan as they pulled out of the driveway. “There’s still time to change your mind,” he said to his parents.

  “Yeah, we could stay home by ourselves,” said Derek. “We’d be fine!”

  Dad laughed. “Oh sure. That would work out really well.”

  Sam knew his dad was probably right. Over the summer, their cousin Meghan had watched them for a week while his parents went on a trip to Paris. It got a little out of hand. He couldn’t imagine his parents making the same mistake twice.

  “Anita is one of my dearest friends,” said Mom. “I want us to be there to support her at her wedding.”

  “She’s your friend, not ours,” said Derek.

  Mom ignored their attitudes. “After all these years, she seems to have finally found the right guy.”

  “I’ll say,” mumbled Dad, from the front seat. “She hit the jackpot with him.”

  “Honey!” Mom shot a dirty look at Dad. “She says he’s a wonderful man.”

  “I’m sure he is,” said Dad. “But it doesn’t hurt that he’s loaded.”

  Sam turned his head. “Loaded? What does that mean?”

  Their mom looked back at them. “Anita’s fiancé owns a successful computer software business in England. So he’s very well-off.”

  “You mean, he’s rich!” said Derek.

  “Yep,” nodded Dad.

  “Honey...” said Mom, a look of exasperation on her face.

  “What? He is,” replied Dad. He looked at the boys in the rear-view mirror. “Which is not the most important thing or why Anita is marrying him. But it is nice that he’s putting the entire wedding party up at The Jefferson.”

  They exited the expressway and continued onto the narrow side streets of downtown. Mom turned around in her seat. “Dad and I are going to be very busy while we are there. I don’t want to have to worry about you two causing trouble.” Dad braked at a stop sign. “This is not a basketball court,” Mom continued. “It’s an elegant hotel. There’s not going to be any running around. Understand?”

  “No swea
t, Mom,” said Derek. “You can count on us.” He gave Sam a quick wink.

  “I saw that, mister,” said Mom.

  “Saw what?” Derek raised his palms in the air like he was innocent.

  Mom just shook her head, and then gave them both a serious look. “There’s one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”

  “Oh boy, here it comes,” moaned Derek.

  Sam didn’t know what Mom was going to say, but he could tell it was going to be bad. “What is it, Mom, do we have to sing at the wedding too?”

  “Maybe I could sing a solo,” said Derek, holding a water bottle up to his mouth like a microphone. “What’s a good wedding ballad, Mom?”

  “No, I’m not going to make you sing,” answered Mom. “But I do need you to be nice to someone.”

  “Who?” asked Sam.

  “Well, Anita’s fiancé has a son that’s just about your age.”

  “He does?” said Sam.

  “Yes,” continued Mom. “His name is Nathan, and you may need to spend some time with him.”

  “Do you need me to babysit him like I do Sam?” asked Derek, patting Sam on the shoulder like he was two years old.

  “Quit it!” Sam swiped the hand away. He was sick of his brother acting like he was ten years older than him rather than just two. Middle school seemed to have made his head even bigger than it normally was.

  “Derek, that’s enough,” said their dad. “Listen to your mother.”

  “Sorry,” said Derek. “So what’s the deal with this kid? Is he a loser or something?”

  “Derek!”

  “Sorry,” said Derek again.

  “Nathan has apparently been having a tough time accepting that his dad is getting married to Anita and that they’ll be moving to the United States,” said Mom.

  “So he’s angry?” asked Sam. That seemed understandable. He couldn’t imagine either of his parents getting married to someone else, although he heard that it happened a lot. He knew a bunch of kids at school whose parents were divorced. Some even had step-brothers and -sisters.