by Connie Myres
Eddie closed his briefcase. “We’ll look for it when we tour the rest of the estate. So far, everything looks to be in good condition.”
“I’ll bring in the rest of your belongings, Mary, while you and the lawyer check out the rest of the place,” Moose said.
“Thank you, Moose. I can tell already that your help will be indispensable—with or without the Simmons.”
“Yes, ma’am. But don’t forget about Madisyn,” Moose said, walking to the desk. “If you have a paper and pen handy, I’ll write down her phone number and you can give her a call when you get a chance. I think the two of you will get along just fine.”
“Write her number on the calendar blotter; on today's date,” Mary said. She glanced at a few of the items that her great-uncle had written down. Horace’s handwriting was difficult to read but she could make out the electric bill and a note to call someone. She would examine it more closely later when she had time.
Moose scribbled Madisyn’s name and number on June sixth in big letters and numbers. “Make sure you call her, if you like, she’s always admired the place. She would ride with me when she was younger to help carry things that the Simmons needed. She hasn’t been here in a few years. She loves history and art and this place would help her delve into Anisteem’s past. She could even paint a picture of the estate for you. She’s very good at paintings.” Moose pulled a cellphone from the pocket of his khaki shorts, did a few swipes and held up the face of it so that Mary could see the picture of his pretty young niece, all smiles, standing next to a painting of a turn of the century farmhouse sitting next to a red barn with a cow standing in the open doors, surrounded by a pasture of tall green corn. “This is Madisyn when she came in second place in Anisteem’s annual art competition.”
Mary adjusted her glasses. “It’s lovely, and your niece has such long blonde hair. I will be giving her a call to help out around here. Would she mind living on the estate? It would be too much trouble taking a boat back and forth every day.”
“I don’t think that would be a problem at all.”
Eddie motioned for the library door. “Are you ready to inspect the rest of the estate, Mary?”
Mary smiled. “I am. Come on, Pickles. Follow us and please stay out of trouble.”
Pickles trotted after them as they walked into the entrance hall. Moose went out to the Daisy Dancer to bring in the rest of the luggage while Mary and Eddie did a quick walk-through of the reception room and the drawing room. Both still held all of Horace’s furniture, down to a cigar box sitting on the fireplace mantel.
“Is all the furniture and my great uncle’s belongings mine now, too?” Mary asked, opening the lid of the cigar box. She took out a cigar and examined it.
“Yes, everything here is yours,” Eddie said.
Mary sniffed the brown cigar. “Smells like wet soil.” She put it back in the box. “You can have these filthy things if you want them.”
“No, ma’am. You can keep them.”
“Maybe Moose will want them.”
“Let’s check the bathroom and make sure it is in working order,” Eddie said, walking out of the drawing room. “I’m told the plumbing is fine, but we’d better check it anyway. You don’t want leaking pipes and cold water.”
“You’re right about that,” Mary said, following Eddie to the bathroom between the reception room and the staircase.
Eddie turned on the water and flushed the toilet. “The water is hot and the toilet flushes fine. I suspect the kitchen will be in the same condition.”
“I suspect you will be right.”
They walked past the stairway and through a door that led to the dining room. A large wooden dining table sat majestically in the center of the room with a crystal chandelier above it.
“I wonder how many important people have sat around this table. It looks like it’s fit for a monarch,” Mary said, admiring the regal atmosphere.
“I have no idea but maybe that Madisyn can tell you if you decide to hire her.”
They walked through another door which led into the sitting room.
“There’s certainly no shortage of fireplaces around here, but where is the kitchen?”
“I believe we go through there,” Eddie said, pointing to another door.
It led into a passage and through another door that opened into the large kitchen.
“Not the most convenient location,” Mary said. “But I suppose they like to keep it separate in case of fire, or some such thing.”
“This end of the house,” Eddie said, walking to yet another door, “and this separate staircase is where the servants lived and worked. Their bedrooms are upstairs on the second floor.”
“I see,” Mary said, walking up to the refrigerator. She looked inside. “Must be the Simmons cleaned it out before they left, I don’t even see a bottle of ketchup.”
“Like I said, Mr. Stine sent some food for you. Moose should be bringing it in.”
“I certainly appreciate Mr. Stine’s generosity.”
“He can be a little gruff at times, but he does have a big heart.”
Pickles sniffed along the floor until he found something to eat; it crunched between his teeth.
“Don’t eat that Pickles,” Mary said, picking him up to see what he had in his mouth. He swallowed before she could see what it was. “Argh, you darn dog. That could’ve been old nasty food or even rat poison.”
“I vote for old nasty food,” Eddie said, opening the pantry door. “Hey, there’s canned food in here. Not so sure I’d eat it, though.”
“Quite right,” Mary said, looking inside the small room with wall-to-wall shelves. She took down a glass jar of canned peaches. She looked at a sticker on the side. “The Simmons even did their own canning and these peaches haven’t expired.”
“Eat them at your own risk,” Eddie said, watching Pickles follow his nose as he continued to explore the outdated tile floor.
Mary sat the peaches back on the shelf next to other canned fruits. “I’ll have to think about it because I’m sure they’re delicious.”
“Or a vessel to dispense botulism.”
Mary giggled. “Let’s check the servants living quarters.”
They walked through the open door at the far end of the kitchen leading to a smaller staircase than the one in the grand entrance hall.
Eddie tested the door that led into the backyard at the foot of the stairs. “It’s secure, but I’d change the locks soon. I can make arrangements for that to be done if you like; you never know who has keys to this place. You are isolated and alone out here—that’s not very comforting. Help can’t get here so easily and there are a lot of crazy people out there.”
“Good thinking, Eddie, but my great uncle doesn’t seem like the type to be handing out keys to people.”
“The Simmons could make copies of the keys; they haven’t turned in their keys unless they left them in the cottage; we’ll have to check that.”
Mary shook her head. “I doubt it. They sound like such nice people. I mean, they stuck around to help my dying great uncle, something no one else did.”
“But you don’t know them. You’ve never even met them. You’re too trusting, Mary.”
“Not necessarily.” Mary shrugged and followed Eddie up the narrow staircase to the second floor. The steps creaked beneath their feet. When they got to the top, Pickles was still at the bottom landing. “Pickles, you can come up here. Come on, it’s okay,” Mary said, tapping her thigh.
Pickles whined and then laid down, setting his chin on his front paws.
“I don’t think he’s budging,” Eddie said, walking into the first bedroom. He opened a curtain and peered into the backyard. “Moose’s niece can help you with the indoor chores, but you might need the Simmons—if they’ll come back—to take care of that huge yard for you. This is a big place for one person to manage.”
“We’ll see what happens. I might let it all grow to weeds; what does it really matter?” Mary walked ba
ck into the hall, past a bathroom, and into the other bedroom. There was nothing special about the rooms; a full bed with what appeared to be a hand-sewn quilt spread over top, a small fireplace, and a simple desk and chair. She walked back into the hall and looked at the staircase to her right. “These stairs only go up to the third floor.”
“That’s typical for servants’ quarters of the time. It keeps everyone separate. According to the blueprints, this staircase only allows access to the third-floor where there are more rooms for the staff, but no access to the rest of the house. Let’s check it out.”
Mary yelped when she heard a scratching sound.
Eddie stopped a couple steps up and looked back. “Are you alright?”
“I just heard a mouse, or God forbid a rat.” Then she gasped. “What is that?”
On the wall, next to the steps was a handmade doll the size of the stiff fibers at the end of a broomstick. Roughly tacked material wrapped unfamiliar dried plant stems, forming the arms and legs. Its head, also covered with cloth, hung forward like that of a criminal having been hung at the gallows. “That is some ugly doll. Who would display such an object on a wall?”
Eddie stepped down a couple steps to look. “You’re right, it is ugly. It reminds me of a voodoo doll.”
Mary wrinkled her nose. “It also has a rather pungent odor. I don’t like it.” She reached up and yanked the doll from the wall nail that was stuck in its back and laid it on the desktop in the second bedroom. “I’ll throw it out later.”
Chapter 4
Eddie continued back up the stairs.
Mary followed then stopped on the next landing between flights. “Where’s this door go to?” She turned the locked doorknob.
“That must go to the second floor of the rest of the house.”
“So there is a way to get through from here.” Mary fumbled for the lock. “It must be locked on the other side.”
“I’d keep it locked, you don’t want too many ways for a burglar to enter the house.”
“If I weren’t such a brave woman, Eddie, I’d say you’re scaring me.”
“Sorry, Mary, just worried about you. I hope you really are considering calling Moose’s niece to come out here and stay with you.”
“Are you married, Eddie?”
“Married? No. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just wondering. But Madisyn is a pretty young thing.”
“You’re not thinking of playing matchmaker, are you?” Eddie continued up the stairs.
Mary only smiled as she followed Eddie up to the second floor. Two small bedrooms, a sitting room, and a storage room completed the servants’ living quarters.
“Let’s move on to the rest of the house,” Mary said, making note that Pickles never did follow them upstairs.
By the time they had gone back downstairs and up the main staircase, Mary was out of breath. She looked back down at Pickles who refused to follow once more. “I guess he doesn’t like the upstairs.”
“I’m sure he’ll get used to it.”
Still breathing heavily, Mary said, “A person can get a real workout walking through this house.”
“No need for a gym membership,” Eddie said.
“Quite right. And I’m taking this first bedroom. But I fear, at some point, I might have to change one of the rooms downstairs into a bedroom if my heart or my knees begin to give out.”
“That would be easy enough to do. You can always call our office, or Moose for that matter, if you need recommendations.” Eddie motioned for Mary to enter the bedroom at the head of the stairs.
“Oh, this is much nicer than the servants’ bedrooms. It’s roomier and not stuffy at all.” Mary pulled the bed blankets to the side. “It looks clean. I shouldn’t have to wash it before I sleep here tonight.” She pulled the covers back across the bed and said, “You wouldn’t happen to know which room my great uncle slept in, would you? I’d feel rather—uncomfortable—sleeping in the same bed as he. The same bed he died in.”
Eddie shook his head. “No, I don’t. But I wouldn’t concern myself with things like that because it really doesn’t matter. Horace is now in heaven, well at least I guess he is, so worrying about things like that are a waste of time. Besides, the master bedroom is at the end of the hall, I would suppose that would be the room he died in.”
“You’re right, Eddie. I shouldn’t worry about such things. You know,” Mary said, looking around, “this room is above the library, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I believe you are right.”
They continued their inspection, walking through the other rooms, a total of three bedrooms, a sitting room, a bathroom, and a few closets.
“Everything looks in order, Eddie. I’ll even bet that door by the stairs goes to the servants’ quarters?” Mary opened it, surprised to find a smaller room and a hall with a bathroom. She walked to the door straight ahead and unlocked it; it opened into the back staircase. “This is the door that was locked in the servants’ quarters. I must say though, I don’t like how this house is so compartmentalized. And what an odd place for a bathroom. I suppose this section could be opened up to the servants and the door by the staircase locked instead of this one.”
“Must be if the servants need more room they can open up this tiny part of the house to them,” Eddie said, making sure Mary had locked the door before leaving the area. “We have one more floor and then we can inspect the grounds.”
Mary climbed the steps slowly, fearing she would lose her breath like she had earlier. “This needs an elevator, I’m surprised my great uncle never put one in.”
Eddie stopped at the top landing and looked down at Mary as she crept up the steps. “You can always put one in. And...don’t take this the wrong way, but do you have heart problems or anything like that? If you do, I’d have Madisyn tend to this part of the house.”
Mary halted and looked up at Eddie. “No, I don’t have any such ailments. I’m healthy as a horse.”
“Sorry, Mary, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Mary began climbing again, this time at a faster pace. The doctor had diagnosed an irregular heart rhythm a while back, but it wasn’t severe enough to prescribe medicine. But truth be told, if old Doc Henley had prescribed heart pills she would not have taken them—too many side effects; and she was healthy, anyway. What really bothered her, was the time she almost died as a teenager after having a surgical procedure; that was what she hated to think about, let alone talk about. Even now she could burst out bawling, never really getting over the whole ordeal. Mary put the thought into a box and stashed it in the corner of her mind. “See, Eddie, I just need to get back in shape, that’s all. I’ll have Madisyn help me set up a walking path on the island.”
“Sounds like a clever idea.”
When Mary reached the top step, she forced herself to not huff and puff. “Let’s continue.”
Eddie’s concerned look did not change to a smile. “All right then.” He looked down the hallway. “There should be three bedrooms up here, along with a bathroom, a storage room, and the sitting room over here.” He pointed to the room directly to the left of the landing.
Mary and Eddie walked into the room.
“Oh, look, Eddie, the third floor to the servants’ quarters has a separate roof. There’s no way to get over there from here unless a person climbs out the window, across the roof, and then in a window on that section.” Mary walked to a window overlooking that part of the house. Bright sunshine reflected on sheet metal flashing before streaming in through the embroidered sheers. “This is the place to come and relax if one wants privacy.”
“I agree.” Eddie sat in a leather wingback chair. “If I owned this place I’d make this into my office. I’d be away from noisy kids—if I had any—and my wife would know where to find me.”
“Yes, this is the perfect house. Especially for a big family.”
“Or families,” Eddie said putting his feet on a footstool. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “
It would make a nice bed-and-breakfast. That’s something you could do, Mary, entertain people who are on vacation.”
“I don’t think so. I like my privacy and it’s not like I need the money any longer.”
“I’m with you on that,” Eddie said. “I’m not even sure I want a family; I’m too busy. Especially if I start my own law practice later.”
“You have your whole life ahead of you, Eddie. I’m rather envious.” Mary sat in a recliner next to the fireplace. “My life is coming to an end.”
They both jumped when they heard movement at the door. Moose was standing there smiling.
“I have everything brought into the house for you, Mary. I even put some of it in the kitchen cupboards and refrigerator.”
“Thank you, Moose.”
“Damn, Moose,” Eddie said. “I can’t believe you were able to sneak up on us.”
“It’s a well-built house,” Moose walked in and sat on an embroidered bench that creaked under his weight. “It has good bones—unlike this bench. Ender House needs a lot of work, but it’ll be here for years, nonetheless.”
“I suppose that when we’re done inspecting the grounds it’ll be time for you two to leave,” Mary said. “Then I’ll be alone in the house.”
“I can stay the night if you like,” Eddie said. “I’ll give Mr. Stine a call and I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”
“I can, too,” Moose said. “There are no other charters for the day.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to have to get used to being alone here.”
Moose cleared his throat. “If you don’t call Madisyn, I will. If that’s okay with you, Mary.”
“Don’t worry, Moose, I’ll call her in the morning. I can tell already this is going to be too big of a place to manage by myself.” Mary looked around the room. “I just remembered, there is no telephone here. I won’t be able to make or receive any calls.”
“You can use my phone.” Eddie reached into his pocket and extended a cell phone to Mary. “You can use it until you get your own.”