“Gram’s, we promised we wouldn’t do that again.”
“I know, Ryan, but Puddles doesn’t understand.”
After lunch, they all changed out of their Sunday attire and into clothes that were a little more appropriate for rummaging around abandoned houses.
By the time Gloria made her way back into the kitchen, Andrea and the boys were already waiting by door.
“So where are those locks?” Andrea was not going to let it go.
On the way to the barn, they stopped by the garage and grabbed two heavy duty padlocks, a hammer and some barn nails.
They slowly pushed the large double doors open and stepped inside. Tyler was the first to make it through the door. He turned to Ryan. “C’mon, let’s go.” Gloria stuck her arm out so fast she nearly clothes-lined them. “Not so fast! We need to make sure there’s no one in here before you run off.”
Andrea walked over to the wooden ladder and slowly climbed to the top. “No one up here.”
Gloria made her way over to the milking parlor and stepped down. She let her eyes adjust for a moment as she carefully studied the room. “All clear.”
The boys scrambled to the top of a stack of hay bales. “No one back here, either,” Tyler announced.
With the all-clear, the boys headed for the loft as Gloria and Andrea made their way around the outside of the barn, checking each section carefully for loose boards where someone would be able to slip through and crawl inside. For the most part, the barn was secure but there was one section on the back side where a large board was hanging on by one lone nail. On closer inspection, it looked like someone had intentionally popped the nails out.
Gloria pulled a long metal nail out of her pocket and placed it firmly against the faded red plank.
“Can I do that?” Gloria looked over to see Andrea gazing at her anxiously.
“You want to?”
Andrea stepped forward and reached for the hammer. “Yes!”
Gloria handed her a couple nails before taking a step back. Andrea made quick work of securing the board. In fact, she put more nails in the board than was probably necessary but Gloria didn’t have the heart to stop her. She was obviously enjoying herself.
After checking the rest of the barn’s exterior, the two made their way back inside to check on the boys. It was awfully quiet inside. When Gloria got to the door, she could see the boys were still in the loft. Well, one of the boys was up in the loft. Her oldest grandson, Tyler, was swinging from a beam as Ryan stood at the ledge and egged him on. “Jump! Jump!”
Gloria eyes dropped to the barn floor. There was a loose pile of hay directly below where Tyler was hanging. It would more than likely soften the fall but not necessarily stop her young grandson from breaking something.
“Don’t you dare, Tyler Adams!” Gloria took a step forward. “Get down from there this instant!” she demanded.
Tyler recognized that tone and immediately started to pull himself back towards the loft when he began to lose his grip. His fingers slipped from their hold as he dangled by one lone arm. Andrea and Gloria watched in helpless horror. The seconds ticked by until finally, when he couldn’t hold on a second longer, he fell straight down and hit the hay with a loud thud.
Gloria rushed over to where her grandson lay sprawled out on the barn floor, a dazed look on his face. She leaned over his small frame. “Tyler are you OK?”
For a moment he stared up at Gloria, a blank expression covered his face.
Ryan scampered down the ladder and stood over his older brother. “Dude, that was cool!”
Tyler glanced over at his brother, his eyebrows drawn together, a confused expression on his face. “Who are you?”
Gloria started to feel light-headed. Tyler must’ve hit his head and now he didn’t recognize them! “Quick, we need to get him in the car and take him to the emergency room!”
Andrea made a dash for the door.
Just then, Tyler jumped to his feet and burst out laughing. “Ha-ha! Psyche!”
He brushed off his jeans. “Grams, I’m fine.” He looked up at the beam he’d just been dangling from. “Man, that was fun! I wish I could do it again!”
Gloria wanted to strangle her grandson at that very moment and give him a real reason to have to go to the hospital.
Andrea marched over to Tyler and grabbed his arm. “You nearly gave your grandmother a heart attack! Apologize right this instant!”
Tyler actually looked contrite as he reached for his grandmother’s shaky hand. “I’m sorry Gram’s. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Gloria took a deep breath and pulled her grandson close. “I thought you were really hurt.”
Ryan made his way over to her other side as he wrapped two small arms around her waist. “We’re sorry Grams. We won’t do it again. We’ll be good!”
Gloria held them tight as she sent up a silent prayer of gratitude to God neither were hurt. “Unfortunately for you two, that stunt means the barn is off limits for the rest of the time that you’re here,” she said firmly.
The boys let go and looked up at their grandmother glumly. She was using that tone. There was no sense in trying to convince her to change her mind.
The four of them made their way outside. Gloria pushed the doors shut and snapped the lock in place with a firm click.
Andrea could no longer contain her excitement. “Ready to go?” She dangled a set of ancient-looking keys from her fingertips.
Ryan reached up and touched one of the long, skinny keys. “Wow, those things look weird.”
Gloria walked over and examined the ring. “Why those are old skeleton keys.”
Andrea jingled them around on her finger. “I can hardly wait to find out if they work!”
The four of them hopped into Anabelle and rolled out onto the main road. Moments later they pulled up in front of the Johnson place. The place was in even rougher shape than Gloria remembered. Long vines wound around the rusty metal fence. The gates looked as if they hadn’t been opened in decades.
Andrea swallowed hard. Keys in hand, she grabbed the door handle. “Guess I better unlock the gate.”
“I’ll go with you!” Before she could reply, Ryan scrambled out of the backseat and onto the side of the road. He bravely reached for Andrea’s hand as they made their way over to the gate.
She tried four different keys and none of them fit. She was darned near ready to give up when the fifth key finally fit. The rusty metal frame groaned loudly in protest as it reluctantly opened. Chunks of thick rust fell to the ground as the gate rubbed hard against the corroded hinges.
Andrea and Ryan dragged the door open, just far enough for Gloria to squeeze Anabelle through the gate and onto the bumpy gravel drive. Gloria turned the wheel and rounded the corner. Tall, majestic oaks lined the narrow path leading up to the front of the house.
Gloria grabbed a couple flashlights from the glove box and gingerly stepped down onto what was at one time a lush, manicured lawn. She shuffled through the thick weeds, praying there were no snakes in the near vicinity and came up behind where the other three were now standing.
The four of them had a clear view of what was once a majestic, stately home. Faded wooden shutters covered every single window facing the front of the house. There were several gaping holes in the sprawling upper deck where the floorboards were either rotted out or missing. Gloria looked straight up through the gaping holes at the clear blue sky above.
Andrea swallowed hard and took a step forward. “Guess we better go check it out, huh.” Gloria and the boys followed close behind.
The first key she inserted fit perfectly and surprisingly enough, the lock turned with ease. The door swung open effortlessly without a single, solitary protest.
The foursome stepped inside and gazed around in awe. A solid marble staircase flowed from both sides of the upper level, joined in the center and then continued down to the grand entry. The intricate wrought iron spindles were capped with a solid mahogany handrail.
“This place is perfect!” Andrea exclaimed.
Gloria had to admit it was pretty cool. The inside appeared to be in a lot better condition than she ever could have imagined.
The small group veered to the right as they wandered through the dining room, making their way to the back of the house. A generous-sized Butler’s Pantry connected the dining room to the kitchen.
Andrea pushed the heavy swinging door aside as she made her way into the kitchen. Gloria shook her head as she looked around. This house was loaded with surprises. The kitchen was filled with bright sunlight beaming in through large, leaded glass windows that covered two walls on the back side of the kitchen. The kitchen was definitely dated. Everything in it appeared to be original from when it was built but it was clean. Almost too clean.
“Didn’t you say the owners hadn’t been in this place for years?” Gloria walked over and swiped a hand across the tile countertop. “Not a spot of dust. It looks like someone just cleaned this.”
She reached over and turned on the kitchen faucet. Clean, clear water poured out. “If this hasn’t been used in years, wouldn’t the water be rusty?”
The Sherlock Holmes in her perked up. There was more to this place than met the eye. She glanced around the cupboards and poked her head inside the fridge. It was empty but something still wasn’t adding up.
Andrea looked around uncertainly. “You don’t think someone is living in here…”
Gloria patted her arm. “I’m not trying to frighten you. Just curious about some things…”
They circled around through the cozy library on the other side of the kitchen as they made their way into the large living room before eventually ending up back in the entry.
The massive staircase was wide enough for all four of them to climb the steps side-by-side. When they reached the center landing, they paused for just a moment before deciding to head to the right.
Tyler tugged on Gloria’s hand. He pointed to the opposite wing of the house. “Gram, can we go explore over there?”
She shook her head absentmindedly. “I’d rather you not do that. Not until I’ve had a chance to look around first.”
A quick tour of the right wing revealed several small bedrooms and baths, all filled with antique furnishings and original fixtures. They crossed over to the left hand side where there were two small bedrooms and an adjoining bath. Directly behind the two solid oak six panel doors at the end of the hall was a luxurious master suite. Andrea gasped when she saw how large and grandiose the room was. There was an intimate sitting area tucked into the corner. Windows on all three sides of the quaint sitting room looked out onto a private courtyard below. There wasn’t a walk-in master closet but rather a wall of closets that ran the length of an entire section. It even had a massive stone fireplace.
“Where’s the bathroom?” Ryan was hopping around on one foot. “I gotta go.”
They looked around the room. There was no master bath.
“Go use the hall bath but come right back,” Gloria warned.
Andrea was deeply disappointed. “Why wouldn’t they put a master bath in here?”
It did seem more than a little odd not to have one. That meant the owners would have to use a hall bath. Unless…
Gloria wandered over to the far side of the fireplace. She looked up at the ceiling. Intricate cream-colored crown moulding covered the perimeter. There was one spot where the detailing had a clean, straight line cut through. She followed the cut mark down the side of the wall.
She moved over to stand just below the mark. Maybe, just maybe… She pressed lightly on the wall. Suddenly, the wall swung open.
Ryan was already back from the bathroom break. “Grams found a secret door!” He rushed over to stand beside Gloria.
On the other side of the bedroom wall was a spectacular master bath. The walls were covered in crimson velvet wallpaper. A gleaming brass chandelier hung directly over an enormous jetted tub. Decorative ceramic tiles lined the walls surrounding the tub. An oversized walk-in shower was just to the left. The water closet was tucked away on the right. On both sides of the large room were solid marble vanities with shiny brass fixtures.
Andrea peeked over Gloria’s shoulder. “Oh my gosh! I’m sold!”
She walked slowly around the bath, running her hand across the counters in awe. “This place is amazing. Gloria, I’m going to buy it!”
Her eyes were shining as she looked back at her friend. “I’m going to restore this mansion to its glory days!”
It seemed like a lot of work to Gloria but Andrea was young and she apparently had the money to take on a project of this magnitude.
Still… “Maybe you should have a contractor come by here and give you some quotes. You know, just so you’ll have some kind of idea how much work and money a place like this is going to cost to fix up…”
Gloria could see her words were falling on deaf ears. Andrea was in love with this house!
Just then her cell phone beeped. Jill sent a text message asking her mom to call her right away. The signal on Gloria’s cell phone was almost non-existent inside the massive mansion. “I’m going to step outside and call Jill.”
“Great,” Andrea chimed in, “I’m going to take a walk around the property before we leave.”
The boys followed their Grandma outside as Andrea headed around the corner of the house, past the overgrown hedge that surrounded the home’s exterior.
Gloria dialed Jill’s number. The boys decided that swinging on the open metal entrance gate looked like fun. She shook her head “no” but the boys ignored her.
“Hey Jill.”
“Hey Mom, how’s it going with the boys?”
Gloria motioned at them to get down but it was too late. Ryan was hung up, literally, on the outside of the gate, his feet dangling in the air.
Gloria walked over and using her one free arm, gave her grandson a lift, helping free him from the metal pin. “Oh, we’re doing fine. Just hanging around.”
Tyler dissolved in a fit of laughter when he caught what Grams just said.
Jill sounded relieved. “We’re running a little late. We probably won’t be able to pick the boys up until after dinner,” she continued. “I hope that’s ok…”
“Oh, no problem. We’re looking at the old Johnson mansion…”
“Really – isn’t that place haunted or something?”
Just then, Andrea tore around the corner of the house, her eyes wide with fear. She motioned frantically. “Gloria, come quick!”
“Listen Jill, I have to go. I’ll see you later.” Gloria hung up the phone and made a fast path in the direction of Andrea. The boys were hot on her heels.
When she rounded the corner, she spied Andrea standing in front of a small garden shed. The door was wide open and she was pointing inside.
Gloria cautiously made her way over to the door and peered in. There was a large green tarp draped in the far corner. Dangling from the outer edge of the tarp was a hand. A human hand.
Tyler squeezed around his grandmother to get a look inside. “What’s that?”
Gloria clamped a hand over his eyes as she pulled him away from the doorway. “Ryan, don’t look in there!” she ordered.
Andrea slammed the door shut. She stared at Gloria, an expression of pure horror frozen on her face. “We need to call the police.”
Gloria nodded, her hand still tightly pressed against her grandson’s eyes.
It wasn’t long before the squeal of sirens could be heard. Seconds later, several emergency vehicles came to a screeching halt just outside the gate.
> Officer Joe Nelson was the first to make his way over to the shed.
Andrea pointed inside. “In there.”
Joe slowly pushed the wooden door open and peeked around the corner. He turned back around. “Maybe it would be best if you wait out front.”
Gloria nodded. There was no way she wanted the boys to see this.
As they made their way back to the front, the rest of the cavalry rushed to the back yard.
“Was that a real body Grams?”
Gloria slowly nodded. “It would appear so, Tyler.”
Officer Joe found them several minutes later, perched on the staircase just inside the door. He looked at the boys but spoke to Andrea and Gloria. “I need to ask you a few questions…”
“Boys, go outside and play for a minute – but don’t go anywhere near the shed. Stay out front,” Gloria instructed firmly.
Joe watched as the boys scampered out the door. He pulled a small spiral notepad and pen from this pocket. “Who found the body?”
Andrea raised her hand. “It was me.”
“Just curious, how did you two get in here?” He looked around. “This place has been empty for as long as I can remember.”
“I-I’m thinking about buying it,” Andrea replied weakly. “The owner mailed me the keys so I could take a look inside.”
“They live out of state,” she added.
Joe tapped his ballpoint pen on the open notepad in his hand. “From what we can tell, the body hasn’t been here long. Probably less than 24 hours.”
Gloria swallowed hard. What if they’d shown up earlier and come face-to-face with the killer leaving the body in the shed?
The girls caught a glimpse of the paramedics as they walked past the front door, carrying a stretcher. A shroud of white was draped loosely over the body.
One of the fireman took a step inside. “There were a couple personal items on the floor next to the body. Stuff that looks like it doesn’t belong in an old gardening shed.”
Joe flipped the pad shut and shoved it back in his pocket. “What kind of stuff?”
Grandkids Gone Wild (The Garden Girls Book 2) Page 3
