New Horizons

by Lois Gladys Leppard

  “We need to discuss this further with Mrs. Thomason,” Mrs. Dunnigan said. “In the meantime, our meal is ready, if you young ladies would like to freshen up.”

  The three girls went to the bathroom on the first floor to wash up and comb their hair and discuss the suggestions that had been made.

  Mandie decided they had to get to the bottom of this mystery.

  chapter 11

  Mandie and her friends did not get a chance to talk with Mrs. Thomason over the weekend because she was busy with new tenants checking into her boardinghouse.

  Monday morning the girls had to return to classes at the college. As Mr. Ryland brought their carriage to a stop in front of the school, Mandie saw George Stuart and his friend driving away.

  “I do declare, I believe that fellow hangs around here an awful lot,” Mandie commented.

  “He evidently drives his sister around, so he would be coming here a lot,” Mary Lou said.

  As the three stepped down from the carriage, Celia added, “His sister must need to be where we always are.”

  Even though the three were early entering the chapel, several other girls were already there. As Mandie, Celia, and Mary Lou sat down near the front, Mandie noticed George Stuart’s sister and another girl sitting across the aisle. The two girls saw Mandie sit down, then immediately bent their heads close together and began talking behind their hands, looking up now and then to smile and giggle.

  “I suppose we must be the topic of their conversation,” Mandie said under her breath to Celia and Mary Lou as they tried to avoid eye contact with the giggling girls.

  “They are acting very unladylike right here in chapel. I wonder if anyone will notice and take points off for their deportment,” Celia said.

  “That’s a very good question. We just need to ignore such behavior,” Mary Lou said.

  “That’s right. Let’s just pretend they don’t exist right now,” Mandie said. “I’m more interested in getting an opportunity to ask Mrs. Thomason about the keys to her house.”

  At that moment Mandie saw Polly Cornwallis and April Snow come into the room together, go directly to George Stuart’s sister, and sit down near her. The girl stopped talking to her friend to say something to Polly. April and Polly turned slightly to look at Mandie, then turned away when they saw they were seen.

  “So the two troublemakers are friends of George Stuart’s sister,” Mandie said to Mary Lou and Celia. “That might explain a lot of things.”

  “Yes,” Celia agreed.

  “I remember you said those two like to stir up trouble,” Mary Lou whispered.

  “And they know how to do it,” Mandie said.

  There was a soft tap on the pulpit at the front of the room. Reverend Coggins cleared his throat and greeted the audience. “Good morning, young ladies.”

  About half of the audience replied, “Good morning.”

  Mandie’s mind wandered over the problem at the boardinghouse, and before she realized it, Reverend Coggins was dismissing them. She had not heard a word he had said. She was ashamed of herself and resolved to pay close attention next time.

  As soon as classes were over for the day, the three girls hurried to the carriage. They would have to eat at the Dunnigans’ first and then go see Mrs. Thomason.

  Luckily the meal was over in a hurry, because Mr. Dunnigan had to return to his office to finish some work. Mrs. Dunnigan had visitors coming for afternoon tea, and she declined the invitation to go with the girls to the boardinghouse.

  “Supper will be promptly at six o’clock,” Mrs. Dunnigan reminded the girls.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they replied in unison.

  The girls walked around the block to the boardinghouse, and Mandie used her key to let them in. They found Mrs. Thomason in the office with Miss Flora doing paper work.

  As the girls stood at the doorway of the office, Mandie said, “We apologize for interrupting. We’ll just sit out here in the hall until you are free. We wanted to ask you some questions, Mrs. Thomason, if you don’t mind.”

  “I should be free in about fifteen minutes,” she told the girls. “There is fresh coffee out there on the buffet. Help yourselves, and I’ll join you shortly.

  The girls took cups of coffee and sat in the parlor. It wasn’t long until Mrs. Thomason entered the room with her own cup of coffee and sat down.

  Mandie was so eager to ask questions that she spoke immediately. “Mrs. Thomason, we’ve been wondering if you had the locks on the house changed when you rented it from the college.”

  “Why yes, dear, I did. That was my first priority when I leased the house,” Mrs. Thomason replied. “I had no idea as to how many people had keys at that time.”

  “So if someone used a key to get in here, it would have to be a key you had given them,” Mandie figured.

  “Why yes, and I only gave keys to people who were living here,” Mrs. Thomason explained. “I wanted to be sure that I knew exactly who had keys to my house.”

  “On the other hand, if someone had lived here and moved out, even though they would have returned the keys to you, they could have had a duplicate made, couldn’t they?” Mary Lou asked.

  “Well, yes, I suppose so, but why would anyone want to keep a key they no longer had any use for?” Mrs. Thomason asked, puzzled with this question, and then she dismissed it. “Well, I’ve only been here a short while, and there haven’t been that many people who have lived here while I’ve run this place, so I haven’t given out many keys.”

  “But you have had people rent rooms for just a short time, haven’t you?” Celia asked.

  “I try to rent to long-term boarders, so we don’t have a turnover too often, but there have been a few who stayed only a few nights,” Mrs. Thomason replied. “I see what you girls are thinking. You believe someone must have a key and came back to scare Sadie. Is that right?” She looked at the three girls.

  “I think someone has a key that you don’t know about. How else would they be able to get into the house?” Mandie asked. “And I don’t think anyone living here would dare play tricks like that.”

  “No, I would hope not,” Mrs. Thomason said thoughtfully. “Your reasoning could be the solution to this mystery. I suppose I should try to track down anyone who has ever lived here. But I am sure every ex-tenant has returned the keys when they left. That is our first request when anyone checks out.”

  “But if they had a duplicate key made, they could still get in,” Mandie said. “And I suppose there’s no way to check that out.”

  “We could go see all the key makers and ask if anyone who lived here had keys made,” Celia suggested.

  “But there must be lots of key makers here in this town,” Mary Lou said. “I don’t know where any are located, but in a town the size of Charleston, there must be quite a few.”

  “No,” Mrs. Thomason stated as she shook her head. “When I leased the house, I had to look for one to change the locks, and I found only one anywhere near here who could do the old-fashioned locks and give me new keys.”

  “Then they would have a record of your new locks and would know whether any more keys have been made, wouldn’t they?” Mandie asked excitedly.

  “If they keep records. They are a very small place, and I paid them cash. I know they didn’t give me a receipt,” Mrs. Thomason explained.

  “We could at least talk to them, though, couldn’t we?” Mandie asked.

  “Yes, I suppose so, but I would have to go with you. They wouldn’t know you, and I doubt they would give any such information to a stranger,” Mrs. Thomason explained.

  “Would you be able to go with us to see these people tomorrow afternoon?” Mandie asked.

  “I suppose I could arrange to leave the house that long. I don’t go out very often these days because of Sadie. I’m afraid she might just leave again if I don’t keep watch on her,” Mrs. Thomason replied.

  “I’ll ask Mr. Ryland to come back after our noon meal tomorrow, and then we’ll come around and ge
t you,” Mandie promised.

  “Fine,” Mrs. Thomason said, rising from her chair. “Now, I do have some office work that needs to get done.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” all the girls said, also rising.

  When Mandie and her friends got back to the Dunnigans’, Mary Lou took them in through a side door.

  “So we don’t have to go through the parlor where all those ladies are,” Mary Lou explained.

  Mandie could hear a slight murmur of talking and low laughter as the girls passed through the hallway and went to the back room where the piano was kept.

  As they sat down Mary Lou said, “I’m sure we can get some of the tea and sweetcakes my mother is serving if we slip back to the kitchen. Would y’all like some?”

  “Yes,” Celia quickly responded. “I’m absolutely tired out from all this excitement.” She laughed.

  “Come on. Let’s see what we can round up.” Mary Lou led the way back to the kitchen.

  The girls drank tea and ate sweetcakes while chatting about their visit with Mrs. Thomason and what they believed the next day held in store for them.

  *

  After the noon meal the next day, Mr. Ryland drove the girls and Mrs. Thomason to the street address Mrs. Thomason had provided.

  As he pulled the horse to a stop, Mrs. Thomason looked around and said, “This is a flower shop. We’re looking for a locksmith, Mr. Ryland.” She glanced at the address she had brought with her.

  “But, madam, that locksmith closed up sometime before Christmas. This flower shop was here all during the Christmas holidays,” Mr. Ryland told her.

  Mrs. Thomason showed him the piece of paper and said, “Do you have any idea as to where this locksmith, Sol Jacks, might have moved?”

  “As far as I can remember, I believe there was a sign in the window stating he was going out of business, and a notice was left for people to pick up any orders they had with him at that time,” the driver replied.

  “Oh dear, we are in a quandary now,” Mrs. Thomason said with a loud sigh.

  “Would it be possible to find where he lives?” Mandie asked.

  “I believe he lived in the apartment above this shop,” Mr. Ryland said. “I could ask among other drivers if they have any information concerning this man, if you please.”

  “Oh yes, please do. That would be most helpful,” Mrs. Thomason said. “Perhaps another driver knew him.”

  “I will check and let you know, madam,” Mr. Ryland promised.

  Mrs. Thomason had to hurry back to her work at the boardinghouse, and after Mr. Ryland dropped her off, he brought the girls to the Dunnigans’ house.

  At the supper table that night the girls told Mr. and Mrs. Dunnigan about their attempted visit to the locksmith.

  “Mr. Ryland promised to try to locate him for us,” Mandie said.

  “I believe that will be impossible,” Mr. Dunnigan said, clearing his throat as he drank his coffee. “I had Sol Jacks put new locks on my office right before Christmas, and he told me he was retiring and going to sail the seas awhile before settling down again. There’s no telling where the man is now.”

  “Oh no!” Mandie said.

  “I don’t know if there will be any way to find him,” Mr. Dunnigan said. “He said he was leaving on a ship as a crew member for parts unknown, as he put it.”

  “Do you suppose he took everything with him? Maybe he just left the paper work in the shop when he closed his business, since he wouldn’t be needing it any longer,” Celia said.

  “That is a good point,” Mandie said firmly.

  “But if he left any papers, what would the flower shop have done with them when they moved in?” Mary Lou wondered aloud.

  “You could always go back and ask the owner of the flower shop about this,” Mrs. Dunnigan said.

  “Let’s do,” Mandie agreed. “How about tomorrow afternoon?”

  “Tomorrow afternoon would be fine,” Celia replied as Mary Lou nodded her head.

  The next day turned out to be a cloudy, chilly day, but the girls decided to go to the flower shop anyhow after their noon meal with the Dunnigans. Mr. Ryland put the top up on the carriage, and the three were too excited to feel the weather anyhow.

  Mr. Ryland parked the carriage in an empty space directly in front of the flower shop.

  As the girls stepped down from the vehicle, Mandie stopped in front of the shop window and said in surprise, “Look, Grace is inside.”

  “You’re right.” Mary Lou sounded confused.

  “It looks like she’s moving some flowerpots around,” Celia said.

  As the three hurried toward the door, Mandie paused to say, “Do you suppose Grace is working here?”

  Mary Lou and Celia looked at her, and then the three looked at Grace through the window again.

  “Well, she’s definitely not acting like a customer,” Celia said.

  “Hm. Grace must be working here,” Mandie decided as she pushed the door open.

  “Hello, Grace,” Mandie said, as the girl came to the front of the shop.

  “Welcome!” Grace seemed surprised to see the girls there. “Are you interested in buying some flowers?”

  “You work here?” Mary Lou asked.

  “Yes, I work here after classes every day,” Grace replied, going to move some more flowerpots.

  “Do you enjoy working here?” Mandie asked, trying to think of something to say.

  “Oh yes, the owner is a wonderful lady and gives me full authority when I am here alone, which is most of the time. You see, Mrs. Poinsett is elderly and unable to do everything required to own this shop,” Grace explained.

  “So this is why we don’t see you at the sewing group anymore,” Mandie said.

  Grace shook her head. “I don’t have time to go to Mrs. Wilkes’s anymore, but I take little garments home with me and in my spare time I work on them then. I try to help whenever I can.”

  “It’s so great that you have such worthwhile things to do while most of the other girls at school just loaf during their free time,” Celia said.

  The girls nodded their agreement. Then Mandie cleared her throat and asked, “Grace, do you know anything about the man who had the key shop here before it became this flower shop?”

  Grace looked puzzled. “I don’t know anything about the man. When Mrs. Poinsett opened this shop, I helped her clean out the mess he had left—papers everywhere, and it seemed like he hadn’t cleaned in a year—but I never saw him. He left before I met Mrs. Poinsett.”

  “What papers?” Mandie asked. “Did they look like records? And what did y’all do with all the papers?”

  Grace frowned as she replied, “The papers seemed to be a mix of orders and scrap paper. There were a lot of numbers and drawings. But we were in a hurry to get this place cleaned out, so we didn’t look too closely. Oh, and there were a lot of old keys stuck here and there.”

  Mandie glanced at her friends, then asked hopefully, “What did y’all do with all that mess?” She held her breath, hoping Grace would say they had saved it.

  “I’m not sure about all of it, but Mrs. Poinsett thought we should box up the papers in case the man came back for them someday.”

  “You saved all the papers?” Mary Lou asked excitedly. “Are they stored here in the shop?”

  Grace looked curiously at the girls and said, “In the attic and in the basement. I must say, you girls certainly are interested in this man. Did y’all know him or something?”

  The three looked at each other and then Mandie said, “This is very confidential information, Grace, and we ask that you not repeat it to anyone, but we need to see Mr. Jacks’s records because we believe someone might have had a duplicate key made to Mrs. Thomason’s boardinghouse. We need to find out exactly who had that duplicate made.” She paused. “You see, we think someone used it to go inside and frighten a girl who works there.”

  “Oh yes, I heard about that so-called ghost appearing in the boardinghouse, but of course I thought it was just som
e story someone was making up,” Grace said. “Do you mean to tell me that someone got inside the boardinghouse without permission and scared people? Why would anyone do that?”

  “We don’t really have any facts, but that’s what we think,” Mandie replied. “And we’ve discussed all this with Mrs. Thomason. I told her I believe someone copied a key and used it without her permission to get inside, maybe an ex-boarder, and she said she had all her keys made here when this was a key shop. So we are trying to track down a record of anyone who lived there, moved out and turned in their key, but had a copy of the key made so they could use it to get inside.”

  “Oh my!” Grace exclaimed. “Whoever would do such a thing? I can’t imagine anyone bothering to sneak back inside to scare people. You know, they say there have always been rumors about that house being haunted.”

  “Yes, we know all about it,” Mary Lou said. “I live around the corner from the boardinghouse, so we have always heard tales about a ghost, but we believed it was some devilish boys playing pranks.”

  “And the school boys seem to be the ones who are always telling the tales,” Celia added.

  “Do you think Mrs. Poinsett would give us permission to look through all those old papers that belonged to the locksmith?” Mandie asked.

  “I think so, but I’d have to ask her to be sure before I could allow anyone to do that,” Grace replied. “Should I tell her the reason for your desire to see the papers?”

  Mandie looked at her two friends and Celia and Mary Lou nodded. She turned back to Grace and nodded. “If you would please ask her to keep all this very confidential. If word got out about what we’re doing, I’m sure someone would find a way to stop us.”

  “All right then,” Grace said. “I’ll talk to Mrs. Poinsett tonight when she comes to lock up, and if y’all will drop by tomorrow I’ll tell you what she has to say.”

  “Thank you, Grace,” Mandie said. “Are you still living in the dormitory? We never see you except now and then in different classes.”

  “Oh yes, I’m still living in the dormitory. My scholarship covers that,” Grace replied

  “You know, I am on a scholarship myself,” Mary Lou told Grace. “It doesn’t cover living in the dormitory, but I don’t need it, since my parents live here in Charleston.”