The Total December Experiment

by J.T. Lewis

  “ That’s one of the reasons I called. I spoke with Sheriff Turner and he recommended a Stanley Brand. Stanley trains dogs for security purposes and also for the local canine unit. He thinks that one of his handlers, a young fellow, wants to make some extra money and he may be interested in taking one of the shifts as a guard. Stanley is still looking for two men to cover the other two shifts. He doesn’t think it’ll take long to find them though.”

  “ Thank you, that takes a burden of worry off my mind.”

  “ I’ll let you know as soon as it’s completely set up. I know you want to be able to go to Live Oaks whenever you want.”

  “ On the other matter, Manda, Grace and I have been unable to find any other information that will clear up the genealogy issues. We’re still working on it though. I’m sorry things seem to be moving so slowly.”

  “ Thanks, Mr. Lanier. Don’t worry , slow is more my speed, anyway.”

  “ I hope to call you later today with the news that the security staff is set up for you. Until then, have a good day, Manda.

  “You too, John.”

  ***

  “ Hi Mom, I told you I’d call.”

  “ Hi Sweetheart. Are you ok?”

  “ I’m fine, stop worrying.”

  “Manda, You know how I am. I can’t help but worry. That’s what Mothers do.”

  “ I know, Mom, but try to stifle it as much as you can.”

  “ I’ll try, but don’t expect too much. What have you found out, Manda?”

  ‘Nothing. Mr. Lanier is going to find all the information he can, but he didn’t know anything other that what the courthouse records say. There is no record of Grand mom’s birth and Granddad’s name isn’t right. His first and middle names are reversed. PLUS, his death is recorded as 1998.”

  “ That’s crazy, honey !”

  “ I know Mom. Will you do me a favor and find out everything you can about Dad? His family, etc.”

  “ I will, but I don’t know why it matters.”

  “ I don’t either. It’s just a feeling I have, Mom.”

  “ Let’s talk about something else, Manda. This is too bizarre!”

  “ OK, I mailed a bunch of pictures of the house this morning but you’re going to have to see it for yourself. The pictures don’t come close to showing how magnificent and huge it is. It’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen ! Is there a chance you can fly out to see it soon ?”

  “ I’ll try, but I have to save a little money first.”

  “Mom, I’m not sure yet but money worries may be a thing of the past.”

  “ Good Heavens, Manda. I don’t know if I can take all this in or not !”

  “ I feel the same way. Oh yeah, when Mr. Lanier read the will, he gave me two envelopes from Great Aunt Nanny May. I haven’t opened them yet. Maybe something in those will make some sense out of these mysteries.”

  “I hope so, honey. When are you going to read them ?”

  “ Tonight, Mom. I’m hungry so I’m going to wait until after supper. They’ll be this evening’s entertainment.”

  “ Well, let me know. I’m almost demented from curiosity. I’ll get to work on your dad’s family right away.”

  “ Thanks Mom, wish me luck. I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye, Mom…and don’t worry.”

  “Be careful. Love you Manda.”

  “ Love you too.”

  Chapter 30

  John pushed the door to the police station open and entered, heading for the front desk.

  Jenny looked up. “ Hey, John. What you doing here ?”

  “ I’d like to speak with Detective Haworth if he’s available.”

  “ He’s the 2nd door on the left down that hall. Anything wrong ?”

  “ I just have some questions for him. Thanks, Jenny.”

  “ No prob.”

  He walked down the hall and tapped on the open door. Detective Haworth was standing studying some pictures on the wall. He glanced toward the door at the tapping.

  “ John, nice to see you.”

  “ Do you have a few minutes, Gary ?”

  “ Sure, I need a break from this anyway. Want some coffee ?”

  “ No thanks. Do you have anything yet on the murder at Live Oaks ?”

  “ Nothing that I can share with you and there’s damn little of that.”

  “ Reason I ask is Nanny O’Neal’s great niece is in town. She inherited everything from Nanny. She’s staying at a hotel now because she’s terrified to be at Live Oaks until she has some security out there. I’m making arrangements for guards and dogs for her.”

  “ Well, I don’t blame her for wanting to be protected ! Can you give me some information about her?”

  “ Manda June Harris. She seems nice but overwhelmed about her inheritance. I get the impression that she’s never had much, financially speaking. She’s only 20, comes from northern Indiana and had no knowledge about any family here. I told her that you might be calling on her.”

  “ Where’s she staying ?”

  “ Harbor Hotel, room 210. Be easy with her, Gary. She’s the nervous type.”

  “ I’ll be Mr. Nice, OK ?”

  “ Good. The main reason I dropped in is to ask if you can put a regular patrol on the property ?”

  “ Did that…a car goes through there 3 times a day.”

  “ Great ! I’ll tell her right away. That’ll ease her mind too.”

  ‘ Thanks for coming by, John. I’ll visit her right away.”

  “ See you, Gary. Good luck.”

  Gary walked to the window to gaze out at nothing and jammed his hands in his pockets. This is just grand, he thought, something else to muddy the waters of this investigation.

  Chapter 31

  Manda dropped the two envelopes on the bed and stretched out on her stomach, propping herself on her elbows in order to examine the contents in comfort. Her pot of coffee sat on her bedside table along with her bedtime snack. She had decided that coffee was necessary to keep her alert for a while. Her ever ready tablet and pen lay at her side.

  She carefully opened the smaller envelope first. Inside was a letter signed by, glancing at the signature, Great Aunt Nanny May. It was written in bold script and dated October 11, 2003.

  This date thing is getting too, too weird, thought Manda.

  Dear Manda,

  I sincerely wish that we could have met, but for reasons you will discover in my journal, I didn’t think it was the wise thing to do.

  Obviously, as you are reading this letter, I have passed on and Mr. Lanier has contacted you. Trust him, Manda, he is a good and honorable man and he will do his very best for you. I’m sure he feels he has know you for a long time as we have had many discussions about you over the years. I have kept track of you and your family for practically all my life. Not in an intrusive way and not for hurtful reasons. I just wanted to make sure that you were safe and happy. I was afraid that any awareness of my existence would be harmful to you and your parents. I realize that all of this sounds very ominous, but it is necessary that you know this family’s history. The easiest way is for you to read my journal. I worked diligently to put everything that I knew into it for you to read.

  Now, on to some practical matters. I decided long ago that it was best for you if I disposed of the furniture in the great house, so I arranged an auction abut 5 years ago. The monies raised from it were put back into the estate. There is one small room in the house, however, that I left undisturbed. In that room, all of the children of the O’Neal family were born. I strongly advise, no-I command you to leave it undisturbed and locked. Do not enter the room.

  In the other envelope, you will find a key to my safety deposit box, in which I have kept my journal. You will also find detailed information about our family. Study it well. There is also an amount of currency, sufficient to establish yourself in comfort until such time as the will is processed. I took the liberty of including a list concerning my staff, should you choose to reinstate them as your st
aff. I hope you do. They are honest and hardworking. They have served me well. They are, of course, familiar with the house and it’s rhythms and will greatly simplify for you, the care and operation of the house.

  Contact Mr. Lanier if any problems regarding maintenance of the property or any financial problems arise.

  I hope with all my heart and mind that your life here will be a happy and trouble free life. As much as I am able, on my present plane of existence, I will guide you and protect you. Be careful, but fear as little as possible.

  Your loving,

  Great Aunt Nanny May

  Manda read the letter three times in an attempt to find comfort and excitement instead of anxiety and fear but failed miserably.

  “ Dammit…Dammit!” Why can’t this be a simple straight-forward inheritance from a beloved and loving relative. Why all the haunted house frigging smoke and mirror shit !”

  In a fit of temper, she swept everything onto the floor and jumped off the bed, grabbing the telephone. Glaring at a number jotted down on her notepad, she punched in a call to Mr. Lanier.

  Manda practically shouted when she heard the receiver lifted, ”Mr. Lanier, What the HELL is going on ?”

  After a few seconds of silence, “Who is this please ?”

  “Manda, it’s Manda!”

  “ Manda, what’s wrong?”

  “Everything is what’s wrong! I need to see you as soon as possible and I WON’T be put off !”

  “Manda, calm down and tell me what the problem is.”

  “Have you read this letter my Great Aunt wrote!”

  “No Manda, that is a personal letter from her to you.”

  “You HAVE to read it. It’s scared the hell out of me and I want to know what this is all about !”

  “ Manda..MANDA, OK….can you be at my office at 7:00 in the morning. I would see you at a more reasonable time but tomorrow is going to be a very hectic day for me.”

  “ I’ll be there…on the button!”

  Manda flopped into the easy chair and grabbed her pecan pie comfort food.

  ”Baby, you’ve got your work cut out for you tonight,” she muttered as she took her first bite.

  ***

  DECEMBER 2004

  Hovering silently in a corner of her room, Patrick and Megan had been listening and watching as Manda reacted to the letter and to Mr. Lanier. As Manda forked another bite of pie into her mouth and began to chew with a vengeance, they turned toward each other with delighted grins on their faces and giving each other a high five and a thumbs up toward Manda, they rose toward the ceiling and vanished. Whispers barely found Manda’s ears as they celebrated.” This one is very strong, Megan.”

  “She’s going to be fine, Patrick. She has SPUNK…in capital letters !”

  ***

  Manda glanced up as she thought she heard an infectious laugh and a faint but exuberant ”Yes !”

  Chapter 32

  Manda had barely slept and the bed linens looked as though they’d been tossed around at a slumber party. She grabbed her briefcase, whipped through the door and managed to reach the elevator before the door slid closed. As she bounced on her toes during the ride down, she realized that her agitation was as great, or even greater, than the night before.

  Disbelief, confusion and rage fought for supremacy.

  “Get a grip, Manda. Behaving like a child in a tantrum is not a good or productive thing.”

  By the time she parked her car by the lawyer’s office, the only visible sign of her feelings was a tautness of her muscles, giving her a rigid and unbending stance. Striding toward the office, she almost collided with her target.

  Mr. Lanier stepped aside to let Manda enter before him and signaling Grace to bring coffee, he followed Manda to the door of his office. She brushed past him after he opened the door, slinging her briefcase on his desk.

  “ Please open the briefcase and read the confounded letter,” she said abruptly, as she perched on the edge of a chair. Mr. Lanier shot her a quizzical look as he opened the briefcase and extracted the letter. His facial expressions were priceless as he read. Amusement followed consternation and ending with amazement.

  “Commands you not to enter the room!!,” he said as his eyebrows arched in disbelief.

  “ Manda, I don’t know what to say. I don’t blame you for your reactions to this. This is a very mysterious and frightening letter. It’s strange, your Great Aunt didn’t strike me as being an eccentric, paranoid person. She has always seemed to be very grounded and realistic. However, this letter seems to indicate otherwise.”

  “ How could you have come to the conclusion that she was well grounded? She was living in an empty house. She auctioned the furniture off 5 years ago!!”

  “ She didn’t live in the main house, Manda.”

  “ Where did she live,” Manda asked with surprise in her voice and on her face.

  “ In the old carriage house.”

  “ Excuse me ?”

  “ She had it renovated into a cottage A very nice little cottage, I might add. May I make a copy of this letter?”

  A few seconds lapsed before Manda’s mind caught up with the question.

  “ Of course,” she said with a rather blank look on her face.

  Mr. Lanier left the room and returned a moment later with the original letter, handing it to Manda.

  “ Mr. Lanier, I want to go to the bank as soon as arrangements can be made with the auditor. I want to get her journal.”

  “I’ll have Grace get on that right away and she’ll call you and give you the appointment time with the bank.”

  “ Is security arranged?’

  “ I expect to get a call today. When do you want them to start ?”

  “ Yesterday. I want to be able to go to Live Oaks and check out the cottage where she lived for the last 5 years.”

  “ I’m very sorry, Manda. I have no idea at all about what’s going on but I’ll do anything I can to help you find out .”

  “I’d appreciate that very much. I’ll expect a call from Grace very soon. I’m sorry to be so short with you, but I have no other target handy. I know I’m being childish, but it seems that something that should be simple and good is complicated and threatening instead. I’m really upset and angry about it.”

  “ I understand. I’m upset by the whole thing too. I’m sorry to seem rude, but I have to get to the courthouse. Try not to be too upset. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

  “ Yeah, we just have to find it,” Manda replied.

  When Manda reached the side walk and headed for her car, she noticed a restaurant about a half block away. She strode toward it thinking that breakfast someplace other than the hotel would give her a break from her present routine.

  “God knows I need one.”

  Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch…a cute name. She pushed the door open and entered. She stood just inside the door and looked around, noticing how neat and cheery it was with the morning sun high lighting the interior.

  An older woman approached Manda , her face brightened by a smile.

  “ Good morning, I’m Kate, is there a particular place you’d like to sit?”

  “By a window, please.”

  Kate directed her to a small table by one of the windows.

  “Would you like a few minutes to look over the menu.”

  “ I believe so but I would like some coffee as soon as possible. I haven’t had my morning fix.”

  Kate laughed,” Coming up. Do you take cream?””

  “ Yes, lots. Thanks.”

  Manda studied the restaurant again. It wasn’t very large but it was comfortable and inviting. The tables were covered with cloths of gingham, each in a different color with matching napkins. The seats of the hand carved wooden chairs had matching cushions. In the center of each table was a small wooden lazy Susan carved to match the chair, on which stood tiny hand painted pottery containers to hold the necessary spices and condiments.

  Instead o
f curtains, foliage plants in hanging containers softened the windows. The walls were decorated with charcoal sketches, watercolors and oil paintings depicting what appeared to be points of local interests. What looked to be explanatory plaques hung beneath each.

  “I’ll have to check them out before I leave,” Manda thought.

  There were perhaps a dozen customers. Several couples, several men seated alone and one large table at which sat three old timers enjoying what appeared to be a morning ritual of talking, teasing, and laughing.

  Manda glanced over the menu and chose a simple meal of eggs, bacon, biscuits and the ever present Southern grits.

  Kate returned with her coffee, none to soon. Manda ordered and then relaxed, gazing out the window and sipping her coffee.

  “This was a good idea…I needed to relax,” she thought to herself.

  No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when she felt a sudden slight inner jolt, startling her and causing a little coffee to slosh over the rim of her cup. At first, it felt a little unpleasant but quickly subsided. She felt a little more energized and decided her coffee had quite a kick to it.

  Kate brought her breakfast and Manda felt suddenly ravenous. The food was delicious and Manda decided that she would have to make this a weekly outing.

  Her table cleared, Manda leaned back to enjoy her second cup of coffee having forgotten entirely the sensation she had felt earlier. As Manda was placing the tip on the table, Kate walked over and told Manda that her breakfast was on the house.

  Surprised, Manda looked up at the older woman.

  “ If I’m not mistaken, you are a new resident of our little town and as the owner of this restaurant, and a neighbor, I want to welcome you.”

  “ Why, thank you so much. This is very nice of you.”

  “We enjoy spoiling our customers,” Kate said with a wide smile.

  “I’m very glad to meet you, Kate. My name is Manda Harris, and I think you’re going to see me here a lot. Your food is great and you have a delightful place.”

  “ Thank you. We do try hard to please our customers. Are you by any chance Nanny May’s great niece?”

  “ Yes, I am. How did you know?”

  “ Follow me.”

  Kate led her over to one of the pictures on the wall. Manda recognized it at once.