by Marja McGraw
I knew we were headed for trouble and I had to cut them off. “Pete and Stanley were just about to tell us about a discovery they made today.”
The two women snapped to attention, and my husband dropped his head and shook it vigorously.
“Wait for Stan,” he said. “How are Frank and Griz?”
Ah, he was trying to distract them, too.
“Frank is good,” Mother said. “He wished he could have come along, but the B&B is busy this time of year. We had to hire a cook and housekeeper to help him while I’m gone.”
My aunt smiled, a rare thing. “Griz is great. I’ve never been so happy in my life. We live off the grid and spend a lot of quality time together.”
She turned to my mother.
“You know we’re preparing for any contingency. They call us preppers, and yes, we’re prepared.” She settled back in her chair. “Of course, with your B&B being so far out in the desert, you and Frank could prepare, too.”
“Don’t worry about us, Martha.” Mother was beginning to sound miffed.
“So what’s this story you want to share with us?” Aunt Martha asked. “I surely hope no one has been kidnapped again.” Quite by accident, she’d been involved in a kidnapping case we’d handled, but that’s another story.
Stanley returned and passed out mugs of hot chocolate. “I’ve been listening from the kitchen. I think you’ll find our story interesting.”
Pete glanced at Stanley and narrowed his eyes. I got the distinct impression that he didn’t want to share whatever the discovery was with my relatives.
He sighed. “Stan and I took a walk earlier and – “
“In this weather?” My mother sounded astonished. “You were out walking in the middle of a thunderstorm? Are you nuts?”
To back up her question, we heard a loud peal of thunder. Clem was sitting with Aunt Martha and started licking her hand maniacally. My aunt gently picked her up and set her on the floor.
Pete cleared his throat. “As I was saying, we went for a walk. Yes, in this weather. We walked through a field and toward the back we found an overgrown trail.”
“Somehow it just seemed natural to follow the trail,” Stanley said.
“Yeah, somehow. Anyway, we followed the trail. We were about to turn back when I looked off to the right and saw an abandoned house.”
“Our curiosity got the best of us,” Stanley interjected.
Pete glanced at him and raised one eyebrow. “The house was surrounded by brush and foliage, kind of like when Sandi and I found that ghost town. Anyway, we pushed our way through it so we could get a better look at the house.”
“No wonder Bubba was so intent on sniffing you.” I glanced at Stanley. “He smelled where you’d been.”
Stanley nodded.
“So let’s get to the point,” Aunt Martha said. “Did you find anything interesting?”
“It looks like someone has been staying there,” Pete said. “We found a spot on the other side of the house where someone had been coming and going.”
“And there’s an old barn behind the house,” Stanley added. “There’s a vintage car stored in the barn. I mean a
really old car.”
“And the point of this story is?” Aunt Martha could be persistent when she wanted to be.
“Hush up, Martha, and let them finish their story.” Mother sounded annoyed.
Pete sighed. “All I can tell you is that something felt wrong about the place. I figured this might be something Sandi would want to check out. It’s not that far from here.”
“You’re on vacation.” Aunt Martha smiled at me. “Your mother and I, on the other hand, have plenty of time to take a look at this place. Will you please draw us a map?” She turned to Stanley, knowing he’d be more likely to try to please her.
“We’ll take you there, but not today,” Pete said.
“Not without me,” I said. “I’m going, too.”
Somehow I felt like a child asking to go somewhere with her parents. My mother often had the effect on me.
It was Felicity’s turn to sigh. “I’ll be fine. Just leave me here while you all go gallivanting. The baby and I will just loll around and get lots of rest. Maybe I’ll start reading a new book or something. Don’t worry about us.”
“Oh, sugar pie,” Stanley said, “I’ll stay with you. Never fear.”
“No, sweet pea,” she said. “Just be sure to take pictures so I can live through you vicariously.”
Was my closest friend turning into a drama queen? Certainly not. It was the hormones talking again.
My mother turned to me with a knowing look on her face, but didn’t comment.
Aunt Martha tightened her lips before speaking. “Do you mean to tell me that you two are still using those corny pet names? It must be true love.”
Felicity started tearing up again.
My aunt had a change of heart and backpedaled quickly. “Oh, my dear, I think they’re cute. I was trying to make a joke, although a poor one. Griz and I use terms of endearment all the time.” She stood and walked to Felicity where she patted her on the back, looking terribly uncomfortable and guilty.
I almost laughed. My aunt’s idea of an endearment was to call Griz an old buzzard.
In her own way, my mother tried to defend her sister. “She really was just trying to be funny,” she said. “It’s just that she doesn’t know how to tell a joke.”
Aunt Martha’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say a word, at least not about endearments.
“Let’s hear more about this abandoned house, and tell me why it got your knickers in a knot. I can’t imagine why an abandoned house way out here would be mysterious, though.”
Kaboom!
Could thunder provide sound effects for Pete’s story?
Clem climbed up Pete’s chest and onto his shoulder.
“Scaredy cat,” he said, pulling her down and handing her to me.
Chapter Three
Aunt Martha preferred to get the heart of the matter. “You said something didn’t feel right about the place. Would you care to elaborate?”
“I can’t,” Pete said. “It just didn’t feel right. Something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.”
Stanley sat forward on his chair. “I agree with Pete. We peered through the window and saw empty food containers and bags, and a sleeping arrangement. There was a pad on the floor with a pillow and numerous blankets. There was – “
“You said the house looked abandoned,” my mother said. “I’m assuming there was no furniture? Well, of course not, or why would someone be sleeping on the floor? We need more details.”
“For once I agree with my sister,” Aunt Martha said. “Griz says to look up, look down and look all around. Did you do that?”
“Huh. Pete says the same thing,” I said.
“You must always be aware of your surroundings.” My aunt tried to sound like an authority on the subject. “You never know when a bad guy will crawl out of the woodwork.”
I could see Pete’s lips tighten, and the tiny scar at the
corner of his mouth turned white. “Of course we did. Between us, Stan and I could tell you everything that was within our field of vision. Right Stan?” He turned to his friend.
“Of course.”
Both of them sounded defensive.
Pete and Stanley have a rather unusual friendship. Pete is an ex-cop, and Stanley is an ex-greeting card verse writer. Pete is tallish and muscular, while Stanley is on the shorter side and very slim. Pete is Italian and darker complexioned, regardless of his surname of Goldberg, and Stanley is… I don’t know what Stanley is, but he’s light complexioned and has thinning brown hair. Pete has self-confidence, and Stanley is just finding his confidence. Pete has street smarts. Stanley tries, but he’s more formal in his speech and attitudes.
Interesting pair.
Aunt Martha wouldn’t let it go. “What room were you zeroed in on?”
“The living room,” Stanley
replied, “and we could see through to the kitchen.”
“And what did you see?”
Pete closed his eyes and I had a feeling he was picturing the scene. “Aside from what we already told you, there was a suitcase and two piles of clothing. There was a hallway off to the left, and like Stan said, we could see through to the kitchen.” He paused. “There was a fireplace and a door that probably led to a coat closet.”
Persistent, Aunt Martha asked, “Did the fireplace look like it had been used?”
“Yes,” Stanley said.
My mother had just about had enough. “Who do you think you are, Martha? Why all the questions?”
“Because if we visit the house, I want to know what we’re getting into.”
My mother looked thoughtful for a moment. “Right. Did the clothes look like they belonged to a woman or a
man?”
Pete sighed. “They could have belonged to either one. All we saw were jeans, shirts and sweatshirts. Beyond that, we weren’t close enough to come to any conclusions.”
“Oh, and there was a calendar on the wall,” Stanley said. “The kitchen looked empty, but there’s no telling if there was food in the cupboards or not.”
Felicity groaned softly and shifted her position on the chair.
“I think we’re probably wearing Felicity out,” I said. “Let’s go home and we’ll put something together for dinner.”
“Good idea,” Pete said. He looked relieved. “Let’s go home.”
“We’ll come with you,” Mother said. “I want to visit with my daughter before Martha and I go back to the bed and breakfast. I want to tell you about the woman who runs the place.”
“I know her,” I said.
“Some kinda nutcase,” Aunt Martha mumbled.
I asked Felicity if she needed anything before we left. She didn’t, and we headed to the farmhouse with the dogs following.
Pete decided to go out to the garage and “check out a few things” while we women visited in the kitchen. What a chicken.
I clucked at him softly when he turned away from us and headed toward the garage.
He shrugged.
I thought the dogs would follow him, but they liked the attention my mother and aunt gave them and they followed us.
Overall, Pete liked my mother and aunt, but they could be a bit overwhelming sometimes. I almost wished I could leave them in the house and follow Pete.
They sat down at the kitchen table and I started heating
water for tea.
“So tell me about Gloria. What makes you think she’s odd?” I asked.
“Don’t get me started,” Aunt Martha said.
Like she wasn’t dying to share her story with me.
“She told us all about a resident ghost when we first got there,” she said.
I turned to my mother. “When did you arrive?”
“I got here last night after I picked Martha up at the Portland airport. We decided in the interest of peace, we’d have separate rooms.”
My aunt looked at me and grinned.
My mother grinned, too, although she seemed to be centered on Gloria, her landlord. “I have to admit that Martha and I had quite a chat about Gloria after she left us alone. I swear, if she had the nerve I’d expect her to… “
“…stand at the end of the upstairs hallway with her hand cupped around her mouth and say, ‘Oooooooooooooo’ at the top of her lungs. She’s dying for someone to believe in her ghost.” Aunt Martha finished her sentence for her.
“She’d probably howl if she could get away with it,” Mother added.
“Now I remember,” I said. “When I was little the two of you often finished sentences for each other.”
My mother looked astonished. “Us? Finish each other’s sentences? Not likely.”
“We don’t think alike and never have,” Aunt Martha said. “I can’t imagine why…”
“…you’d think we do that.” Mother made a noise that sounded a little like a snort.
The two women glanced at each other and started to laugh.
“Livvie, maybe your daughter is smarter than we give her credit for.” Aunt Martha slapped my mother on the back.
Mother lightly punched her sister’s arm, for the second
time.
Aunt Martha stopped laughing. “Don’t do that again, Livvie. You know I’m bigger than you.”
That was laughable because they’re both small women. At five foot three, I’m the big one.
Mother looked like Aunt Martha had hurt her feelings, and I had a sudden thought.
“Mom, did you take your hormone pill today?”
She glared at me. “Sandra, would you please let go of the whole menopause issue? I’m a little tired of it.”
Uh oh. Her use of my proper name always meant trouble.
My aunt understood and changed the subject. “So when do you two want to go take a look at the abandoned house?”
“As soon as possible.” Mother seemed to calm down.
“It’s getting late, so how about tomorrow?” I suggested.
Aunt Martha glanced at her watch. “Sandi’s right. We’d better head back to the B&B or we’ll miss dinner.”
“You can stay here for dinner,” I said.
Mother shook her head. “No, we want to see what kind of cook Gloria is and we’re hoping she’ll tell more ghost stories. She’s actually kind of entertaining.”
“We’ll be back bright and early,” my aunt said.
“Not too early. I’m on vacation, remember?” I didn’t want them showing up at the crack of dawn, which wouldn’t surprise me.
Pete walked in from outside making me feel like he had some kind of radar. His timing was perfect since the women were leaving. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“We’re just leaving to go back to the bed and breakfast.” My mother picked up her purse. “We want to see what kind of mood Gloria is in tonight.”
“I wonder how her husband feels about all of this.”
Aunt Martha grinned.
“Phil? He takes everything she does in stride.” I remembered him well from our first visit to the area. I recalled him shaking his head in resignation quite a bit.
After they left, Pete and I sat down at the kitchen table and simply looked at each other.
“This is going to be an interesting trip,” he said.
“That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“What’s for dinner?”
“I have no idea. Why don’t you run back to the guest house and find out if Felicity and Stanley want to come eat with us.”
Pete glanced out the window. “It looks like the storm is letting up, at least for now. I’ll go check with them.”
He returned shortly with our friends in tow.
“So what’s for dinner?” he asked again.
“Um, I haven’t really had time to plan.”
Having heard stories about pregnant women and their cravings, I turned to Felicity.
“Does anything in particular sound good to you?” I asked.
She placed her hands on her lower back and rubbed. “Honestly? I’d dying for a hamburger. And onion rings.”
Pete glanced at me, picked up the keys from the counter and said, “Come on. I know just the place. We ate there last time we were here. It’s been a long day, so let’s go out to eat.”
He drove us to a place in town which, it turned out, had hamburgers that were to die for. Yes, we’d eaten there before, but I’d forgotten just how tasty they were. They didn’t have onion rings, but they did have strings of onions that were deep fried and delicious.
After eating we leaned back and relaxed, finishing our drinks.
Felicity burped loudly and giggled, putting her hand
up to her lips. “Sorry, it comes with the territory.”
Stanley patted her knee. “It’s okay, little dumplin’.”
She scowled at him and he smiled at her.
With tears in her eyes, she smiled
back. “I love you, Stan.”
Pete pushed his chair back and stood. “Okay, let’s go home and get some rest. Sandi’s mom and auntie are coming over tomorrow morning to go look at the abandoned house. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”
With one hand on her back and the other in Stanley’s hand, Felicity rocked herself out of her chair and headed for the front door.
“How big is that kid?” Pete asked quietly. “She looks like she’s ready to pop any minute.”
“The doctor told her to expect a good-sized child.”
“She won’t be able to go look at the house tomorrow.”
“No, she won’t.”
Pete stared at my midsection.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m trying to picture you in her condition.”
“Oh, good grief!”
I walked past him and out the door while he paid the bill.
I wondered what might be in store for us at the abandoned house. Another mystery?
Hopefully we wouldn’t find a dead body, which seemed to be something that happened to us a lot.
Chapter Four
Pete and I had just finished breakfast when my mother and aunt showed up. It was nine o’clock, and I knew they’d be chomping at the bit to get going.
They both wore jeans, sweatshirts and hiking boots, and they carried umbrellas.
“I see you two are set for just about anything,” I said.
“I had to lend Livvie a pair of my hiking boots,” Aunt Martha said. “The silly woman came with nothing but athletic shoes.”
“Don’t call me a silly woman, you twit.”
My mother turned to me.
“I had to borrow an extra umbrella from Gloria for Martha. Talk about coming unprepared. I told her it rains a lot up here. I’ll tell you some of the stories about Gloria later on.”
Pete glanced out the window. “At least it’s not raining now. I looked at the weather forecast and it’s supposed to start storming again by this afternoon, so let’s not stand around yapping.”
“Yapping?” Aunt Martha’s lips tightened and her eyes narrowed.
Before she could say anything to Pete, my mother
jumped in. “Yes, let’s get going. Is Stan coming with us? I hate to think of Felicity here all by herself.”
