‘I’m coming,’ she replied quickly as she turned and headed out. She didn’t notice as one of the glass fronted doors creaked and swung inward twenty degrees, revealing a tall shadow hovering behind her.
‘Killian?’ Ava stepped back into the foyer still holding the picture.
‘Over here,’ his muffled voice replied. ‘Careful there’s a small step down into the room.’
She crossed over toward the other side of the wide staircase. Following his voice, she watched her feet as she stepped down and found herself entering another huge, almost cavernous room. The ground didn’t seem to crunch under the soles of her sneakers this time, instead it felt like sturdy wood.
Once again lifting her flashlight she cast the beam around the space, but it was impossible in the near darkness to gauge the dimensions of the room. Stepping forward, she let out a small cry of pain as she rapped her knee smartly on something hard, causing the harsh screech of wood against wood to echo through the room.
‘Are you okay?’ Killian’s disembodied voice floated across the stale air.
Ava sucked in a sharp breath as the vicious pain in her kneecap dulled to a muted throb.
‘I’m fine,’ she replied gazing down at the piece of furniture she’d collided with.
It was a wooden table of some kind, with a hinged lid and an attached chair. Recognizing it as an old school desk she looked up, flashing the light across the room and sure enough there were several more desks all lined up neatly.
Ava tucked the photo frame carefully under one arm. Holding the flashlight in one hand she reached out and touched the worn wood, feeling the rough grain against the pads of her fingers as she traced the grooves and indentations.
Peter, she mouthed quietly. Someone, at some point had carved his name into the desk, only the ‘r’ was back to front and the rest of the letters were a mismatched assemblage of different sizes and capitals. The owner of the name had obviously been quite young.
‘Well everything looks pretty sound down here,’ Killian suddenly appeared next to her. ‘Do you want to come upstairs and check out the second level? The light will be better up there as the windows haven’t been boarded up.’
‘Sure,’ Ava nodded despite the fact he could barely see her.
They climbed the main stairs which forked halfway up. She quietly followed behind Killian as he went from room to room, checking floors, ceilings, window frames and walls. She didn’t pay him much mind; her gaze was taking in all the details of the house she hadn’t been able to see downstairs. The space had been flooded with light from the many windows, despite decades of dirt and grime on the panes which were still in place.
Plaster had chipped away from the ceiling in many of the rooms. The exposed floorboards, likewise, were in a pretty rough condition and in almost every room the wallpaper peeled and drooped down the walls in great swathes. Drapes hung tattered at broken windows, but the furniture remained in place.
One of the first things she noticed was the sheer amount of small child sized beds. Due to the large size of most of the rooms, they had easily fitted three to four beds per room. Each was still made up with graying sheets and heavy blankets in not much better condition than the drapes.
Still it was eerie. Children’s tin toys lay splayed across the floor, china dolls were propped on beds or tucked into chairs in the corners of the room. It was as if the occupants had simply walked out and left everything as it was.
A rocking horse suddenly creaked and shifted in the breeze from the broken windowpane. Ava stepped closer, noticing a small tin carousel with brightly painted, chipped horses. Reaching out with inquisitive fingers, it slowly began to turn, the ancient mechanism nudged into motion by her touch. The haunting lullaby filled the room in its stilted and uneven way, the music barrel obviously having been damaged over time.
‘That’s creepy,’ Killian shook his head as he turned to leave the room and Ava followed.
They moved up another smaller flight of stairs to the third and topmost floor, as they moved carefully down the corridor Ava stopped dead in front of a plain wooden door. She couldn’t say why she’d stopped, all she knew was her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, her mouth was dry, and her hands had involuntarily curled into fists.
Reaching out slowly, she pushed the door open with a loud creak of protesting hinges and stepped into the room.
It wasn’t anything special. There was a small fireplace along one wall, and a single, solitary window opposite. In the corner of the room was an old bed, the mattress long since rotted away and beside it a plain wooden chair.
Her dark eyes locked on the bed and her chest ached like a huge weigh was crushing her breastbone. A hot, hard ball of pain burned in the back of her throat and she couldn’t swallow.
‘Are you okay?’
Ava blinked and turned to find Killian staring at her oddly.
‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘why?’
‘You’re crying,’ he frowned.
Ava lifted her hand and felt the wetness on cheek.
‘It must be the dust,’ she muttered turning away in embarrassment. Had she been crying? Worse still, why hadn’t she realized it?
Killian stared at her silently, his expression unreadable as he studied her.
‘Come on,’ he said finally and nodded toward the door, ‘I’ve seen enough for the moment. Why don’t we get some fresh air and talk outside?’
She nodded mutely, not trusting her voice as she followed him from the room and headed toward the stairs. A static prickling sensation began to tickle between her shoulder blades causing her to momentarily pause and glance behind her but there was nothing there.
Shaking off the strange feeling she hurried to catch up with Killian as he stepped out of the main doors and into the bright sunlight.
As the warmth began to seep back into her body, she found herself closing her eyes, tilting her face toward the sun and drawing in a deep breath, the sad, lonely feeling she’d experienced earlier slowly dissipating.
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
Ava opened her eyes to find Killian holding out a bottle of water and watching her curiously.
‘I’m fine,’ she took the bottle gratefully and unscrewed the cap. ‘Such a lot has happened in such a small space of time, I guess I’m still trying to process it all.’
He nodded in understanding.
‘Well, I don’t know that my initial assessment is going to lessen the load or add to it.’
‘Lay it on me,’ she leaned back against the stone wall and took a sip of her water.
‘Well, she’s solid,’ he tipped his head back and took a massive gulp of his own water. ‘They sure don’t build ‘em like they used to. Don’t get me wrong there’s a shit ton of work involved, but the bare bones of her are sturdy and she’s a beauty. Early to mid-19th Century, there’s a lot of original features that can be saved, but just as much will have to be stripped out and replaced. It’s a hell of a job.’
‘How much hell are we talking?’
‘On the exterior alone,’ he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully, ‘it’s tough to tell until we’ve got some scaffolding up and can take a closer look, but from what I can see, some of the mortar between the brickwork is crumbling, that will need attention asap. All of the windows will have to be stripped out, you’d want to keep the originals, so they will need to be refurbished and all of the glass panes repaired or replaced. That alone will take a specialist craftsman.’
She watched as he leaned down and scooped a chipped roof tile from the long grass.
‘Can’t tell just how much damage the roof has sustained from here, but most likely that will need to be repaired and re-tiled. We can use newer ones, but in order for them to match we’ll need to see if we can get our hands on originals saved from other old buildings. All the doors will need replacing, all the chimneys cleaned and repaired. The balcony railings will need to be checked, but they’ll probably need to be replaced too. The whole place will ne
ed wiring as its never had electricity, plumbing, or heating. The drainage will need to be looked at and that’s just the basics. The interior is a whole other story. We’ll be able to get a better look at the ground floor once the boarding is down and we have some light to work with, but walls, ceilings and floors will all need replacing. The list is endless.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Ava replied absently as she stared up at the house.
‘Ava,’ he drew her attention back to him. ‘The house has been neglected for so long, we could quote you, get halfway through the build and find a whole host more problems. It’s a money pit. Given the age of the property it’s going to be a lot of conservation work. You’ll need specialist craftsmen and women, and that won’t come cheap.’
‘How much, ballpark?’
‘You’re easily looking at seven figures with a re-furb on this scale.’
She turned and looked up at the house again; this time she felt a very distinct tug deep in her belly.
‘Okay,’ she decided.
‘Okay?’ he frowned, ‘okay? Ava did you hear what I just said?’
‘Every word.’
‘You’ve seriously got that kind of money?’ he replied in surprise eyeing her target jeans and plain sneakers.
‘I’ve got more than enough; my inheritance will cover it.’
‘You could easily blow through it and then some,’ he shook his head. ‘Don’t get me wrong I’m dying to get my hands on this house. A re-build like this rarely comes along but I don’t want you to commit to this and end up blowing through all your savings.’
‘I’ve lived without money before,’ she shrugged, ‘I can do it again.’
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he stared at her.
‘You’re serious about this aren’t you?’
‘Yes, I am,’ she replied quietly. ‘I don’t know what it is,’ she glanced back up at the house. ‘I feel… I feel like the house has been waiting for me. I guess that sounds pretty dumb huh?’
‘Not at all,’ he shook his head.
‘Okay,’ she blew out a breath and pushed herself away from the wall, holding out her hand, ‘let’s do this then.’
‘You sure?’ Killian’s eyes twinkled with boyish excitement and he reached for her outstretched palm.
‘I’m sure,’ Ava nodded.
Their hands clapped together, and they shook firmly. The front door of the house slammed shut so loudly and abruptly part of the wood frame splintered away making them both turn their heads to stare.
‘Man,’ Killian grinned, ‘Hope is gonna freak out.’
Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head.
‘So, what’s first?’
‘There’s so much to do,’ Killian trotted down the steps heading for his pick-up where he retrieved a tatty notepad with curling edges and a stubby pencil. ‘I’m not letting anyone else get their hands on this project, I’ll personally oversee every step myself. Fortunately, all the other work we’ve got on at the moment is fairly straight forward so I’ve got good guys I can put in charge. That’ll free me up. I’ll hire in extra crews from the mainland. We need to get the exterior done and the whole place weatherproof before the weather turns. It seems like we’ve got plenty of time now but when you factor in that I still need to hire crews, draw up plans, order in materials and equipment, we’re going to need to hit the ground running.’
‘Wow.’
‘Yeah,’ he nodded as he leaned against the hood of the truck and began to scribble notes. ‘A lot of the interior work can be carried out during the colder months, so we really want to nail down the basics first. I know a great architect over on the mainland. I’ll see if he can track down the original blueprints to the house and come out and meet with you. You’ll want to keep the exterior as true to the original as possible but inside you’ll be able to modernize, kitchen, bathrooms etc.’
‘I feel like my head’s spinning,’ Ava frowned.
‘That’s what I’m here for,’ he told her reassuringly. ‘I’ll get straight on this and come back to you with a plan and some numbers. Once you’re satisfied, we’ll get the contracts drawn up. You’ve already got a lawyer; you going to continue to use Dennis?’
‘I guess so.’
‘I’ll give him a heads up,’ Killian noticed the broken photo frame in her hand. ‘What’s that?’
‘Oh,’ Ava lifted it and stared at it thoughtfully now that she could see it in the bright daylight. ‘I found it in the library. I couldn’t help but notice that in the other room there was a load of old-fashioned desks and upstairs there seemed to be a lot of children’s beds.’
‘Well,’ Killian scratched his chin slowly, ‘the house used to be used as a school back at the turn of the century.’
‘Did it?’ Ava replied curiously.
Killian eyed the old black and white photo in her hand.
‘If you want to know about the history of the house you’ll want to talk to Bunty.’
‘Bunty?’ Ava’s brows rose.
‘Bunty McCarthy,’ Killian answered. ‘She runs a little tourist shop almost directly opposite the ferry, Bunty’s Boutique. She also happens to be the chairwoman of the island’s historical society. If you want to know anything about the history of the island Bunty’s your woman.’
‘Thanks,’ Ava murmured thoughtfully, ‘I might just do that.’
‘Okay well, I’m going to get going,’ Killian smiled. ‘I’ll have to break the news to Hope and then I have a lot of groundwork to do before we can get started. Where are you staying?’
‘Here,’ she glanced around as if it should be obvious, ‘it’s my land after all.’
‘Here?’ his eyes widened in surprise, ‘you can’t stay here? The house is in no way livable.’
‘Not in the house,’ she shook her head. ‘I slept in my truck last night, but I have a tent I’ll pitch tonight.’
‘You can’t stay here Ava; before long it’s going to be a very noisy, dirty building site.’
‘I’ve lived in worse places believe me,’ she shrugged.
‘You know,’ Killian shook his head in amusement, ‘you’ll have to come over to the house. You can have a beer and a burger and tell us your life story. I have a feeling it’s fascinating.’
‘Maybe,’ Ava replied.
‘Well okay, look if you’re dead set on staying here at least upgrade from a tent to an RV or something. You need something sturdier than a tent. Once we get the equipment and supplies in, there’ll be temporary rest rooms on site, but trust me, you don’t want to be sharing them with a dozen guys. They have habits that would make a monkey blush. You’re going to want some sort of temporary home with a bathroom and kitchen space. I’ll make some calls and see what I can come up with.’
‘Thanks,’ Ava smiled genuinely.
‘Cell number?’ he pulled his own phone from his pocket to save her number.
‘Don’t have one.’
‘You don’t…’ he broke off and sighed. ‘You’ll need one of them too, unless you have a deep-seated moral reason for not having one.’
‘No reason,’ she shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips, ‘just didn’t need one before.’
‘Well you’ll need one now,’ he told her as he climbed into his pick-up, ‘if for no other reason than Hope can call you twenty times a day to make sure I’m not being murdered by the ghosts.’
Ava laughed and held up her hand as he backed up and swung round, disappearing down the road. Alone once again she whistled for Bailey who came trotting over obediently.
‘Well,’ she hunkered down beside her best friend and stroked her fur as she stared up at the old house, ‘looks like we might have a home after all.’
5
Ava strolled leisurely down the winding street as the cool breeze rippling off the water tugged at her hair. It had taken some convincing, but Bailey stayed in the truck. After all, Ava couldn’t imagine anyone named Bunty who ran a boutique would want a huge German Shepherd lumbering around her shop.
It wasn’t even as if she could leave her at home, considering they didn’t currently have a home and she certainly couldn’t leave her in the small tent she’d set up for the night. Maybe Killian was right, Ava mused, perhaps she should consider a temporary trailer or an RV of some kind.
Ava stopped as the small store came into view. It was a sweet little building, painted pale blue with brilliant white trims. The sign above the shop read ‘Bunty’s Boutique,’ in an elegant curling script and inside the windows hung lacy white curtains.
Crossing the street to the front entrance Ava found herself grateful she’d left Bailey behind although she missed her furry shadow. Pushing open the door in a merry tinkle of bells, she stepped inside and glanced around. She’d barely had time to take in the neatly stocked shelves filled with all manner of pretty little items when an older woman suddenly appeared behind the counter, summoned by the dainty bell mounted above the door.
Her hair was almost pure white and styled in a smooth bob which curled under her chin. Her skin was softly lined and dusted with a fine sheen of powder; her lips were a pearly pink to match her nails. She wore a double strand of pearls at her neck and a pair of thin wire framed glasses hung from a gold chain over her blouse of ivory silk.
‘May I help?’ she asked politely as her violet blue eyes studied Ava.
‘Uh,’ Ava shifted slightly under the intense scrutiny of the immaculately dressed woman. ‘I’m looking for Bunty McCarthy?’
‘Well you’ve found her.’ She stepped out from behind the counter, smoothing her dove gray slacks as she offered her hand. ‘And you are?’
‘Ava,’ she stepped forward and took the woman’s hand, ‘Ava Cortez.’
‘Ava?’ Bunty’s eyes widened and her grip on Ava’s hand tightened so unexpectedly that she almost yelped. ‘Well, as I live and breathe,’ she smiled widely, ‘Hari’s granddaughter, all grown up.’
‘Who?’
‘Hari?’ Bunty repeated, her elegant brow folding slightly, ‘your grandmother, Harriet Wallace? God rest her soul.’
‘Sorry,’ Ava apologized in embarrassment, ‘I don’t really know anything about my grandmother.’
The Clockwork House Page 6
