Mysteries of Holt House - A Mystery

by Marja McGraw

  We were in the waiting room at the doctor’s office when I remembered it was Christmas Eve. “I don’t want to be too sick to enjoy Christmas Day.”

  “Maybe the doctor can give you a shot and get you started on medication so you’ll at least feel good enough for tomorrow. It’ll work out, honey.”

  “Right.” I was miserable. I ached all over, my head hurt and my eyes were burning, not to mention I felt like there was a concrete brick sitting on my chest. It didn’t even perk me up when I realized Mike had begun calling me honey.

  “Kelly?” the nurse called from across the room.

  I stood and followed her.

  “You look terrible,” she said. “How long have you felt like this?”

  “I started coughing a couple of days ago. I’ve never had anything hit me so hard or so fast before.”

  “Well, let me check your temperature and blood pressure, and then Dr. Warren will be in to see you.”

  Dr. Warren had been my doctor since I was a child. I waited for only a few minutes before he stuck his head in the door. “Good morning, Kelly. You sure picked a fine time to get sick, didn’t you?”

  “Believe me, it wasn’t my choice.”

  He checked my throat and ears, and listened to my chest with his stethoscope.

  “I hear you had some excitement out at your place,” he said, picking up my chart. “What happened?”

  “Someone pushed one of the boarders down the stairs, and he died. Funny how simple that sounds when you say it out loud. It’s almost like saying someone fell and skinned their knee. Too bad that’s not what happened.”

  “Wasn’t there another death out there not too long ago? Someone said a woman fell out of her bedroom window.”

  “Yeah, it’s been… I don’t know, it’s just been a mess. I’m surprised the boarders haven’t started moving out. I won’t be surprised if there’s a mass exodus after New Year’s Day. Of course, initially they all thought Ruth Bell’s death was an accident.”

  “Wasn’t it?” he asked.

  “At this point, your guess is as good as mine.” I didn’t want to go into details. Besides, talking was making me cough.

  “It’ll work itself out.” He stopped talking and wrote something on my chart.

  “Dr. Warren, I’ve never felt so sick before. Nerves couldn’t do this, could they?”

  “No, although what’s happened may have helped lower your resistance. You’ve got bronchitis, and if you’re not careful it could turn into pneumonia.”

  “I had a feeling you might say bronchitis,” I said. “My chest really hurts.”

  “I’m not surprised. I’ll start you out with an injection, and I’ll give you prescriptions for cough medicine and antibiotics. Take the antibiotic four times a day, and the cough syrup three times a day. When you get home I want you to stay inside and stay warm. Get lots of sleep, and be sure to take all of the medication. Don’t stop just because you feel better. I’ll send Margaret in to give you that injection. Have a Merry Christmas,” he added, patting my back.

  “You, too. Are the kids coming down this year?” I’d gone to school with his two sons, Ed and Brian.

  “Not this year, I’m afraid. Brian’s wife just had a baby girl, and Ed can’t get away from his job.”

  “Well, congratulations, Grandpa. When you talk to Brian, tell him I said congratulations. And Merry Christmas to Mrs. Warren, too.”

  After a few minutes, Margaret came in and gave me my shot. I wished her a Merry Christmas when I left, and she told me to take care of myself.

  I found Mike reading a magazine in the waiting room.

  “Let’s go home,” I said.

  “What did he say?”

  “I’ve got bronchitis. We’ll need to stop at the pharmacy before we leave town.” I made a point of not mentioning what the doctor had said about being close to pneumonia. Mike was worried enough already.

  “Okay. I need to pick up a couple of things while we’re in town anyway.”

  Mike drove to the pharmacy and had me wait in the car with the heater running while he got my prescriptions filled. The pharmacy was located across the street from a sporting goods store. I looked through the window and thought I saw J.T. I hoped I was mistaken, but it appeared he was looking at guns. He paid for his purchases and the salesman handed him a large bag before he turned and left the store.

  I honked the horn, trying to get his attention, and he looked up – right at me. He quickly turned and walked away, acting like he hadn’t seen me. I wondered what he was up to.

  Mike came out a moment later. He handed me a small bag with my prescriptions in it, and put a big bag in the back seat.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Don’t be so nosey.”

  On the way home I told him about seeing J.T. and that it looked like he might have been looking at guns.

  “Are you sure it was him?”

  “Absolutely. I’m just not positive about whether or not he bought a gun.”

  “I hope you’re wrong. I don’t want those people to start shooting each other.”

  “I know. I can just see the headlines. ‘Crazed boarder shoots and kills ailing landlady.’”

  “Not funny,” Mike said.

  “I tried.”

  “I’ll look into it. Maybe I can find out what he actually bought.”

  I had to stop talking because it made me cough, so Mike did the talking and I listened. When we drove farther out of town and the roads got worse, he quit trying to entertain me and concentrated on his driving. I turned up the radio to hear the weather report. The weatherman said we could expect more snow, a white Christmas – surprise, surprise – and the temperature would get down to around twenty-five degrees during the night. Winds and possibly more snow predicted for Christmas Day. I sighed, leaned my head back and tried to rest my burning eyes. When I next opened them it had begun to snow, just as predicted.

  The roads were so bad that the normally forty-five minute drive took us over an hour and a half.

  When we pulled up to the house, I saw J.T.’s car. Since I was sick I had to consider that maybe, just maybe, I’d been wrong about seeing him buy a gun, but I was pretty sure I was right.

  Mike retrieved the big bag from the back seat before coming around to help me out of the car. He held my arm as we walked to the house so I wouldn’t slip on the snow, which was turning icy.

  As soon as we entered the house I made a beeline for the kitchen to take some cough medicine, and then I went to bed, hoping not to be disturbed. Mike brought a book with him and sat in the rocker while I drifted off. I slept until three in the afternoon. When I awoke, Mike was gone and Sharon was in his place.

  “Hi,” she said. “How do you feel?”

  I sat up and looked around without speaking.

  “Hello,” Sharon said. “Are you still with us?”

  “Yeah. I’m just surprised. I felt so bad this morning, and this afternoon I feel almost human again. That shot really worked.” I was lying, of course. Nothing, not even illness, was going to cause me to miss Christmas.

  “Feeling good enough to come out and join the crowd?”

  “Soon. Let me take a shower first. I think my fever broke. At least I don’t feel as hot as I did.” I climbed out of bed and my legs almost crumbled under me, and my breathing was labored. “I guess I’ll sit here for a minute first.”

  “You’re pretty sick. It’s going to take some time to get your strength back. I can see you’re having trouble breathing. While you’re in the shower I’ll fix some soup for you.”

  “Thanks, but do you think you could fix something more solid? I’m actually kind of hungry, and I don’t think soup is going to solve the problem.”

  “Sure. I’m glad you’re hungry. That’s a good sign, but don’t rush things.”

  I finally caught my breath and put on my robe, and headed for the bathroom for a long, hot shower. It was refreshing and I did feel better. I returned to my room where I put on
a pair of jeans and a V-neck sweater, but had to sit down for a moment after an attack of coughing, to catch my breath.

  Sharon knocked lightly on the door and stepped into my room. “You okay? I could hear you all the way down the hall. Are you sure you feel good enough to get up?”

  “Uh huh. If I sit quietly I should be okay, and if I get too tired I’ll excuse myself and go lie down. Is anything ready to eat?”

  “I fixed you some scrambled eggs, toast and hot tea. That’s probably the best thing for you right now.”

  “At least it’s more filling than soup.”

  We walked out to the kitchen and I ate most of what she had fixed. I took some cough syrup before we walked to the living room.

  “Well, look who’s here,” Josh said. “How are you feeling?”

  A beautifully decorated Christmas tree stood in front of the window. “Better, thank you. Who put the Christmas tree up? It looks wonderful.”

  “Mike and David and I did it,” Sharon said. “Lucy told me where you’d stored all the decorations, so David and I got a tree this morning while you were at the doctor’s office, and the three of us put it up after you got home. Lucy sat with you while we worked.”

  “I see all the presents are under the tree. I’m glad that shot helped, because I sure would hate to miss all of this,” I said, feigning good health.

  J.T. was like a little kid after I mentioned the presents. With a lot of effort, he sat down on the floor by the tree and started reading all the tags, telling us which gift was for whom. I watched J.T. and felt sure I must have been mistaken about the gun. I was sure he was the man I’d seen at the store, but this man wouldn’t have anything to do with a gun.

  Would he?

  Chapter Thirty-two

  “Where’s Mike?” I asked.

  “He had something to do,” Sharon said, smiling. “He’ll be down in a minute.”

  Hearing footsteps on the stairs, I looked up and saw him carrying a large package. He saw me and stopped, then continued down. “I didn’t know you were up. You look pretty good compared to this morning. Feeling better, huh?”

  “A little.” I was still lying through my teeth.

  Mike sat down next to me and put the package on my lap. It was obvious he didn’t know much about wrapping presents, but it was cute. Paper went from side to side and end to end with lots of tape.

  “This isn’t a Christmas gift. It’s more of a get well present. Go ahead, open it.”

  I gave him a kiss on the cheek and began unwrapping the package. The paper fell to the floor. He’d given me a stuffed animal, a black and white Panda bear.

  “I thought you could sleep with it, like a kid does, while you’re sick.” He shrugged his shoulders, looking embarrassed, but rather pleased with himself. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “It is a good idea,” I said. “It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.” I gave him a hug and kissed him again before remembering the boarders were watching. I pulled away.

  “Oh, go ahead,” J.T. said. “There’s nothing wrong with showing a little affection. Hell, we’re almost a family here.”

  “That’s for sure,” Josh agreed.

  Ted quietly watched us, not one to show his feelings.

  For the next couple of hours I sat quietly and listened to everyone talk. Lucy put on some Christmas music and the general mood was mellow. Even Ted joined in more than usual.

  I napped on the couch while they ate dinner, but by eight o’clock I was worn out. Everyone seemed to have unwound, the gentle Christmas spirit settling over them. I didn’t think they’d miss me if I went to bed.

  “Mike, I’m going to go lie down. I’m awfully tired,” I said.

  “Okay, I’m coming with you. Everyone thinks we’ve been staying with you because you’re sick. Well, that is why we’ve been with you, but it’s made it easier to protect you, too. This is working to our advantage.”

  “Gosh, it sure is convenient that I happened to get sick, huh?” He couldn’t miss my sarcasm.

  “Oh, come on. You know what I mean.”

  “I guess.”

  We stopped in the kitchen and I filled a glass with water to keep in my room.

  “If I fall asleep, wake me up so I can take my pill. By tomorrow I should feel a lot better.”

  “I hope so,” Mike replied. “The fact that your fever broke should help. At least, that’s what Lucy tells me.

  I was worn out from staying up so long. I was too tired to even change out of my clothes, so I settled myself on top of the bed, fully clothed. Mike brought an extra blanket from the closet and threw it over me. He sat down in the rocker with his book. We talked for a while, but I soon began to have trouble keeping my eyes open.

  “Take your medicine before you go to sleep,” he reminded me.

  After taking my pill I swallowed a dose of cough medicine and drifted off.

  I slept late the next morning and awoke to find Josh sitting in the rocker, dozing. I sat up and looked around, and was surprised to see an old army cot standing on end in the corner. I wondered if he’d slept on the cot.

  “Josh?” The simple act of sitting up made me cough, long and hard.

  He didn’t open his eyes. “I wasn’t sleeping, just resting my eyes.”

  “Yeah, that’s the excuse I used to give my mother when I’d fall asleep in front of the television.”

  “Guess you caught me.” He rubbed his eyes before opening them. “How do you feel this morning? That cough still doesn’t sound too good.”

  “I’ll have to let you know after I’ve been up for a while. Is there any food left?” The clock read ten minutes after ten o’clock.

  “No, but Lucy will fix you something.”

  “I’m hungry this morning.”

  “I guess that’s a good sign. I’ll leave you alone so you can get dressed,” he said, standing. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen. I want to talk to you while you eat.”

  “About anything in particular?” I asked.

  “Yes, but it can wait. I’ll see you in the kitchen in about twenty minutes.”

  I stood up and stretched, still not feeling great, but I was definitely better than I had been. I set out my pills and cough syrup so I wouldn’t forget to take them to the kitchen with me, and headed down the hall to take a quick shower. I put on fresh clothes and some make-up, hoping it would make me look healthier. By that time I was out of breath and had to sit down to rest. My lungs were still congested and I knew I’d have to take it easy for another day or two.

  Lucy was in the kitchen when I walked in.

  “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” she said, grinning at me.

  “No respect for the sick, huh? I’m going to get as much mileage out of this bronchitis as I can,” I said, starting to laugh. The laugh quickly turned into a cough.

  “I don’t think you’re going to have any trouble milking it with that cough.”

  She was standing by the window where I joined her. I peered out to see what the day was going to be like, and was overjoyed to see a blue sky, with just a few wisps of clouds. A perfect Christmas Day, I thought to myself. I wondered how long the clear skies would last, remembering more snow had been predicted.

  Lucy reached over and hugged me. “You know, you scared me. I think you squeezed about a week’s worth of sickness into two days, and I’m astonished to see you looking so well this morning. I didn’t realize just how fond of you I’ve become until you got sick.”

  “You’ve grown on me, too,” I said, returning the hug.

  Josh walked in from the dining room. “You girls sound pretty chipper this morning.”“I just love it when he uses words like girl around me,” Lucy cooed. I glanced at her in surprise. She sounded coy, which was out of character for her. She turned away from the window and started some pancakes cooking for my breakfast. The bacon was already frying and smelled so good it made my stomach rumble.

  I felt something brush my leg and looked down to fi
nd Jem sitting next to me.

  “Where have you been?” He was wet.

  Lucy flipped a pancake. “He’s been playing in the snow. I brought him in just before you got here. I’ll go get a towel to dry him off. He shouldn’t be in the kitchen anyway.”

  “You know,” Josh said, “yesterday you slept off and on all day, and Jem wouldn’t leave your room. Mike had to pick him up and carry him to get him to go outside to do his business, and when he was done he sat by the back door and whined until Mike let him back in. The only other time he’d leave your side was when he was hungry. I’ve never had a dog. I didn’t know they were so loyal to their owners.”

  “I don’t remember much about yesterday,” I said. I leaned down and scratched Jem behind the ear. He wagged his tail in response. “Good boy,” I said.

  I remembered sitting in the living room listening to everyone talk, and I remembered Mike’s get well gift. Beyond that, things were pretty much of a blur.

  Lucy returned with a towel and took Jem to the laundry room to dry him off. Josh checked on the pancakes, and finding they were ready, he piled them on a plate with the bacon and placed them in front of me with a small pitcher of syrup.

  “I’ll put Jem in your room,” Lucy said.

  “No, let him stay here. It won’t hurt anything, just this once.” Jem seemed to understand and stretched out quietly by my feet.

  Josh sat down across from me at the kitchen table.

  “What do you want to talk to me about?” I asked.

  “We need to talk about J.T. Mike said you saw him in the sporting goods store and you thought he might be buying a gun. Correct?”

  “That’s what it looked like. I honked the horn when he came out, but he pretended he didn’t see me. I know he did though.”

  “Okay. He’s been acting kind of strange since yesterday. I guess I’ll have to talk to him. I don’t want to see him going off half-cocked and shooting someone. I know he’s upset about Richard, but he can’t take things into his own hands.”

  “Be tactful, Josh,” I cautioned.