*****
Part II: Formation of An Alliance
Brenae says to Chloe over the phone, “Is it okay if I ask the Skater and my friend, the Accountant, to join us? The Skater thinks he can identify Spaghetti Kid. I already told you a little bit about the Accountant’s reputation. She is pretty good at what she does.”
“By all means, yes,” Chloe replies. “Invite them both. And Bre, you will not believe what just happened to me. I had the weirdest encounter with Mister Cheaply, my brother’s boss. I am pretty confident Mister Cheaply has something to do with the food fight and all this craziness that is going on.”
Brenae says, “What happened with Cheapskate?” Cheapskate is but one more nickname that Brenae, the Queen of Goofy Nicknames, has bestowed on a Claymore resident.
Chloe is peddling her bicycle as quickly as she can. She is less than two or three minutes from Colette’s house.
“I will tell you all about it later, Bre. Call Colette. Please tell her that I apologize for being late. Tell her something delayed me. Then call Diana Jane. Even though she was practicing, I am confident she is coming. I overheard her asking her mom for permission before I had to hang up on her.”
Hopefully, Diana Jane is already there. By the sounds of it, Colette is in desperate need of company!
“Will do, Champ,” Brenae replies. She chuckles. “Drive carefully!”
Chloe replies, “I will. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes, and Bre?”
“Yes, Chloe?”
“Please hurry. Tell the Skater and your accountant friend to hurry as well!”
*****
Part III: We are a Sextet!
“I am sorry I am late,” Chloe says as she hugs Colette. “Are you doing okay?”
“Aye, I am okay, thank you,” Colette replies. She smiles at Diana Jane. “Thanks to Diana Jane’s kindness, as she sat with me for the past few minutes, I am most relieved. Diana Jane told me she zipped as quickly as she could on her bicycle. I hate to think what would have happened to me if she hadn’t shown up when she did. I probably would have fainted straight away. What kept you anyway?”
Chloe replies, “My brother’s boss, Mister Cheaply, delayed me. He and I had, for lack of a more vicious, insulting description of the despicable man’s offensive threats, a thought-provoking conversation, at least it was thought-provoking at my end.” She looks at Diana Jane. “I thought you were going to practice tonight. What happened?”
Diana Jane replies, “Richard Moser couldn’t make it. He has to attend his grandfather’s birthday party. There was no point having a swordfight practice session without the Captain Hook actor, so the rest of us involved in the fight decided to cancel it. More to the point, it is a three-day weekend. After a bit of debate, we easily decided that the less school-related stuff we have to do during our three-day break the better.” She places her arm around Chloe’s shoulders.
“Your eyes are bloodshot, Chloe. Have you been crying?”
“Yes,” Chloe replies. “I couldn’t help it after what Mister Cheaply said to me.” She points to the street as a faded red Ford Mustang slowly pulls up in front of Colette’s house.
Goodness, talk about perfect timing! I am glad that they are here. I do not feel like explaining why I was crying.
Diana Jane shouts, “Oh, good! I think Bre is here. See? If I am not mistaken, that is her in the backseat. The other girl in the backseat must be her friend. She is the one Bre calls the Accountant.”
“The Accountant?” Colette says in a questioning tone. “What in the world would an accountant be doing here?”
“She is not a real accountant,” Chloe says with a laugh. “That is Bre’s nickname for her friend, the Accountant. As you will soon discover, Bre seems to have a nickname for everyone in town.” She giggles. “You will have one soon enough. You will see.”
“Ah, now I understand,” Colette says, “about your reference to the Accountant. It simply is a nickname. Whose car is that?”
“It must be the Skater’s car,” Chloe says. “Bre says he can identify Spaghetti Kid.”
Colette asks, “Who is Spaghetti Kid? That certainly is a funny nickname for a kid.”
Before Chloe can reply, Diana Jane says in an excited tone, “Really, that is the Skater? Wow, this is super cool. I hear he is a regular kind of guy.”
“I have no idea what a regular kind of guy is,” Colette whispers, “but goodness, he is handsome! We should go outside and greet them on the porch. Boys aren’t allowed in my home without my parents being present. My parents would go crazy if they ever found out I violated their house rules, especially when it comes to good-looking guys.”
As Colette turns away from the window, the two other girls cannot help but notice that she quickly glances in the wall mirror to check her appearance. Colette runs her fingers through her hair. Chloe and Diana Jane smile as they exchange knowing glances.
Once Brenae, James, and the Accountant are standing on Colette’s porch, Chloe takes command of the introductions. She nods at Brenae.
“Colette, you have already met Bre.” She gestures to James. “If I assume correctly, this is the gentleman we affectionately refer to as the Skater.” As she smiles at the teenager who she assumes is the Accountant, she says, “Also, Bre, I assume this is your friend, the Accountant?”
“Yes, and hello everyone,” Brenae says. “Everyone, this is James Lightlighter aka the Skater.” She points to the street. “He is the proud owner of that super cool Mustang.” A devious smile appears on her reddened face. “What is more, he is handsome. Am I correct?”
As she points out the others in the group, Brenae says, “Jay, I would like you to meet Chloe Brown. As you know, she is our investigative team’s fearless leader. This lovely young lady is Diana Jane Bower. Diana Jane goes by both her first and middle names, Diana and Jane. This divine young lady is Colette Campbell. As you probably know, Jay, Colette is a senior just like you. She originally is from Scotland and just recently arrived from Texas.”
Before Brenae can continue with her introductions, James reaches out to shake Colette’s hand.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Colette. I think you are in my French class. You sit in the back of the room behind Susan McDonald. Am I correct?”
“Aye,” Colette says, “I thought I recognized you as well. Comment allez vous?”
James bows as he gracefully sweeps his right arm in front of his body. He says with a warm smile, “Je vais bien, merci. et vous?”
Colette curtsies elegantly. She replies in French with her distinctive Scottish accent, “je suis aussi bien merci.”
Brenae crosses her arms over her chest. She feigns a dirty look. “Okay, I am sorry to interrupt you two French-fried speaking seniors. Now that you have proven your dialectal abilities, can I continue with my introductions,” she chuckles, “if you please?” Her good-humored comments cause her friends to laugh.
Colette says to Brenae, “s’il vous plaît faites. In English, that means, please do.”
Brenae rolls her eyes in reply to what Colette has said. She says lightheartedly, “Thank you very much for your support and undivided attention.” She places her arm around the shoulders of her friend, the Accountant.
“This lovely redhead with the most enchanting freckles in the whole universe is my dear friend Sophia Eleanor Paige, affectionately known as the Accountant, at least by yours truly. Sophia, I would like you to meet Chloe, Diana Jane, and Colette. You have already met our cute inline Skater, Jay.”
Brenae suddenly realizes she has said that James is cute for a second time. In an attempt to divert attention from her blushing face and unintended faux pas, she quickly says, “Like our two French-fried seniors, Jay and Colette, and, notwithstanding her youthful looks, Sophia is a high school senior.”
Sophia is a lovely teenager who appears much younger than the others. She has short red hair and, as Brenae had said, loads of freckles – on her face, lips, eyebrows, and even on her forearms. Sophia st
ands roughly five-foot-seven. She is thin but well-toned. Sophia is wearing pink glasses that seem to highlight the many freckles on her gorgeous face. She has a very pleasing smile that reveals two rows of pearly white teeth.
Sophia extends her hand to shake Chloe, Diana Jane, and Colette’s hands.
“I am pleased to meet all of you, and I thank you for inviting me.” She looks at Brenae. “Hopefully, my services will not be necessary, but if they are, I am confident I can be of assistance.”
Colette asks, “Why are you called the Accountant?”
Sophia shrugs her shoulders and gestures with a nod of her head at Brenae. “I haven’t the slightest clue. Ask her.”
Colette turns to Brenae. “May I ask, Bre, as to why you call Sophia the Accountant?”
Brenae smiles and says, “All of you will find out soon enough.” She points to the others one by one as if she is counting, and then she gestures with her thumb at herself. “In case you haven’t noticed there are six of us.” She looks at Colette. “This should remind you of home, Colette. Am I right?”
“Why of course!” Colette immediately exclaims. “There are six of us! We are the Sextet! We are a sextet just like my stringed sextet at home in Scotland. How curious.”
“Chloe says excitedly, “Should we refer to ourselves as the Sextet?”
Diana Jane says with a laugh, “Yep, I think we should. Doing so ought to keep the grownups wondering what in the world is going on with our Sextet.” The others laugh at her inference.
Brenae has a sly look on her face as she looks at James. She says, “Especially for our one and only male, Jay. He will be the talk of the boy’s locker room before he knows it.” Her suggestive comment invokes hearty laughter once more, not so much from James but definitely from the five females.
Chloe says in a commanding voice, “All in favor of calling ourselves the Sextet say aye.”
All six members of the newly formed Sextet investigative alliance say in unison, “Aye!”
“Okay, it is official,” Chloe says. “Now, we unofficially are the Sextet. I am fairly certain Missus Davenhill will not have a problem with Colette, Jay, and Sophia joining our investigative team. I had already asked her if we were allowed to have others join our team, and she said yes. Naturally, I will have to clear the names with her before it is official.”
“You asked her?” Diana Jane says in a surprised tone. “When did you do that?”
“About an hour ago,” Chloe says. “She texted me her phone number. I asked her then.” She smiles at Colette. “Since we had just met Colette, I figured I might as well ask. Anyway, I guess Missus Davenhill got my number from the school roster. She said to call or text her at any time regarding the investigation but only on weekends and only in case of an emergency. Otherwise, we should brief her as an investigative team when we are in school.”
“Wow, that is pretty cool,” James says. “A principal giving a student her phone number. I have never heard of that.”
“Yes, but she gave it to me on one condition,” Chloe says. “She said I am not to give it to anyone else. Missus Davenhill also said we should keep our phone conversations and text messaging to a minimum. She also told me she had texted my mom for permission to give me her number. My mom said it was okay.”
Colette says, “You should abide by her wishes to keep your phone exchanges to a minimum.”
Chloe replies, “Good advice, Colette, and I certainly will. By the way, you sound much better than you sounded when we were on the phone. What is this all about, anyway? Why do we have to go to the White Mansion?”
Diana Jane exclaims in a whisper, “The White Mansion! Goodness! Ghosts or other evil things are haunting the mansion! I am not going there even with a police escort!”
Colette says, “You must go, Diana Jane. There is something you and the others have to see. The more of us that sees it, the better.”
Colette descends the six stairs leading from the porch onto the stone pavement. She gestures with a wave of her hand for the others to follow.
“Tag along with me, my sexy sextet friends. We will walk. It is only a five-minute stroll. While we stroll, we can discuss some of what has been going on with our Sextet.” She smiles, and then she says excitedly, “Aye, prepare yourselves for the unexplainable because you are not going to believe what you are about to see!”
*****
Part IV: The White Mansion
The White Mansion, as it is commonly referred to by Claymore residents, is titled the Samuel White Estate. It dates back to 1919. The original owner, Doctor Samuel White, was assumed to be a prominent surgeon. Doctors, surgeons, general practice physicians, and academics would seek Doctor White’s expert council on all matters concerning human anatomy and surgical and medical procedures.
Doctor White was a mysterious individual. Townspeople referred to him as an anchorite. It was a common term employed in his era as an unflattering label for a recluse or outsider, someone who didn’t belong.
The enigmatic doctor never ventured beyond the gates of the mammoth, imposing, enormously high hedges of his sprawling, four-hundred-acre estate. There is no record of his attending church services, indulging in social ventures, visiting townspeople, or voting in local elections. He reportedly was unmarried which added further credence to his strange seclusion.
His two male servants – there may have been more, but no one knows for sure – were equally enigmatic. When they ventured into town on their wagons two or three times a year to purchase supplies, the servants would utter nary a word to passersby. That was a long time ago. Medical professionals no longer visit the estate nor do others.
Townspeople believe that someone lives inside the mansion. Neighbors swear they can see the dull, flickering of lights after dusk from inside the upper floor windows. The townspeople, especially the younger generation, believe something is haunting the mansion.
As far as the estate’s exterior is concerned, the gated, inner portion of the property that surrounds the mansion itself, about an acre, is maintained by the Sanders’ brothers. Their family’s grass mowing and bush-trimming business receives a certified check in the mail on the first of every month from a Wells Fargo bank in Chicago, Illinois. The Sanders’ family business has maintained the interior grounds for over a half-century. Others manage the vast acreage outside the gated portion of the estate as well.
By formal decree, signed by Doctor White in 1953, local farmers are permitted to bush hog the grass on the sprawling acreage outside of the gated portion maintained by the Sanders. They are allowed to gather the grass into bales and sell it for profit. Like the Sanders’ lawn and bush-trimming business, it has been this way for over a half-century. As long as everyone gains no one complains – and no one questions why it is what it is.
In brief, no one knows from where Doctor White came from, what he looked like, when he died, or his burial place. Townspeople naturally assume a relative or friend buried the doctor on his estate. Unsurprisingly, rumors and folklore persist to this day that Doctor White never passed on. Some townspeople swear that he is alive and well, dwelling deep inside the spacious halls of the three-story mansion. Other townspeople swear that a strange, little man lives in the estate along with a teenaged boy.
After crawling beneath the fence at the end of Hill Street and walking across the vast acreage of the estate, this is where the Sextet team members now find themselves.
“How are we supposed to get past the gate?” Chloe asks.
Colette replies, “We do not need to worry about the gate. There is a small opening in the hedges around back. It would appear that whoever maintains the inner portion of the grounds liberally applied too much herbicide. The opening in the hedges is all brown. The foliage is long ago dead. The last thing we want right now is for people to know that we are snooping around here. Therefore, come on; let us hurry around back before someone sees us!”
*****
Part V: Truth or Dare
The teenagers are o
n their hands and knees as they crowd close together near the wide opening of the hedges.
Brenae worriedly stares at the opening. She says at the top of her voice, “I do not think liberally applied pesticide made this gaping hole!” She scoops up a few dead leaves from the ground. “These leaves have been scorched. Something has burned them.” She sniffs the leaves. “Ugh! These leaves smell like the putrid odor of a dead mouse! Something dreadful has been here. Something awful made this hole.”
Colette whispers, “Shush, Bre. Too much herbicide was the only cause I could think of at the time. Then again, aye, I have to agree with you. This entire area stinks like something dead is nearby.” She vigorously rubs her arms and shoulders as goose bumps begin to cover them.
“Okay, everybody, listen up,” Colette says. She is still whispering. “We need to crawl through the hedge opening. If you cannot handle the smell, don’t breathe. That is about all I can offer. Once you are on the other side of the hedge, continue to crawl on your hands and knees. Creep to the line of tall grass lining the cobbled walkway. You cannot miss it. It is to our left. The blades of grass are well over three feet tall, so no one should be able to see us as we crawl through it. It will hurt your knees a bit as you slither on the walkway. That’s because there are pebbles strewn here and there on the ground, but you should be able to handle it. I have been here and back once today, so if I can do it, you can too. I will go first.” She jabs James on his shoulder.
“Jay, I want you to go last.” James gives her a curious look.
Colette says bluntly, “You are much stronger than us females. You can keep all of us safe if something or somebody comes after us from behind.” She points to Chloe, Brenae, Diana Jane, and Sophia in turn. You four can go in any order that meets your fancy. Just stay behind me and in front of Jay.
“I guess that’s about all I can recommend at this time. If you follow my directions, we should be fine.” She is just about to crawl through the opening when she looks back and whispers, “One other thing. As soon as you are on the porch, stay low. Remain on all fours. Whatever you do, do not stand up!”
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