“Breakfast first,” said Beth as she walked into the kitchen. After preparing a hearty breakfast for Aunt Marge and herself, Beth asked, “Why are you in such a hurry to move her things? We can have the men from the construction company come next week.”
Aunt Marge set her fork on her plate, “Janelle’s great-grandfather was a thorn in my grandfather’s side for years. He played on family sympathy and was finally allowed to add that awful apartment. I want it and the memories gone. Maybe when it’s torn down, his spirit will leave.”
The attic door slammed hard enough to rattle the windows. “That does it,” Aunt Marge’s voice raised. “We’re going to get rid of her things now. We can do the dishes later.”
Beth followed her aunt into Janelle’s apartment. Janelle, not the best housekeeper, had left a huge pile of newspapers on a living room table. “Perfect,” said Aunt Marge. “All we need are some boxes.”
Aunt Marge began in the living room wrapping anything small and breakable in newspaper and placing the objects in the boxes. Beth went into Janelle’s room and began to pack clothes into Janelle’s suitcases. After approximately thirty minutes, Beth heard Aunt Marge scream.
She rushed into the living room and saw Aunt Marge standing in the middle of the room. Three packed boxes were sitting on the sofa. “What’s wrong Aunt Marge?
“I saw a horribly ugly bug. It frightened me. I’m sorry if I scared you. We need to get these things into the shed and maybe we can get rid of any other bugs that are here.” Aunt Marge shuddered.
There was a moving dolly in the shed and Beth was able to move the three boxes and two suitcases with ease. When she came back from the shed Beth said, “Let’s take a break. There isn’t much left to pack and most of the personal bathroom items and kitchen cleaning stuff we’ll throw away. Evidentially, when Janelle wasn’t eating with us, she used paper plates and plastic utensils so there isn’t much to pack. We’ll finish later.”
When Beth and Aunt Marge returned to the kitchen in the main house, they found all their breakfast dishes shattered on the table.
“Seems like someone doesn’t want us to move out Janelle’s things,” Beth said.
“Maybe that someone caused the ugly bug to scare me. Look it up on your laptop, I’d like to know what it is.” Aunt Marge’s pale complexion worried Beth.
“Okay, as long as you relax. Let’s sit on the back porch.” Aunt Marge smiled and nodded.
“Exactly what did you see?”
“It was a black centipede with lots of yellow legs maybe three inches long.”
Beth typed “black centipede yellow legs” into the search box. A few links came up along with a picture that took Beth’s breath away.
“That’s it, that’s it,” Aunt Marge said.
“No, Aunt Marge, it can’t be. It says it’s a Peruvian or Amazonian Giant Centipede. They live in the warm climates of South America, and can be ten inches to a foot long. It isn’t what you saw. They are aggressive and toxic. The bug in Janelle’s ran away. You have to be mistaken.”
“Maybe,” mumbled Aunt Marge. “I know what I saw.”
########
While Aunt Marge and Beth disagreed about what Aunt Marge had seen, Kellie was deep into the microfiche files in the university library. Nothing new was found on the computer, but the microfiche file names were listed on the computer. She entered Albert Devenly’s name, and several files popped up. She copied the microfiche numbers and searched the microfiche room for the films she needed.
Seated in front of the microfiche projector, she scrolled through looking for any article about the Devenly family. She found several about Albert opening a business or going into a partnership with others. There were a few legal documents concerning business purchases and losses and a property purchase and foreclosure. Kellie couldn’t find anything that helped her or that she didn’t know.
Taking a deep breath, she mumbled, “There’s one more file to peruse. I hope this will help in some way.” She scrolled through and found an obituary for Arabella Devenly. She read the obituary twice to be sure she read it correctly. Arabella was 25 years old. She was married to Albert Devenly and the loving mother of six year old Robert. She died in childbirth. Arabella and her stillborn daughter were buried in the local cemetery.
Kellie returned the microfiche film and hurried out to her car. On her way, she dialed information for the number of the local cemetery. A quick call confirmed what she read in the obituary. Arabella and the infant were buried together. She also learned the funeral home serving the family had been out of business for well over fifty years.
Driving back to her home, Kellie mulled over what she had learned which was more confusing than before she began her investigation. If the obituary was to be believed then the vital statistics records were wrong and vice versa. A home birth would be recorded by the doctor who filled out Arabella’s death certificate. Even if there were records stored away somewhere, they would say the same. No one at the cemetery would have more information, and if anything shady happened, it would have been between Albert, the doctor, and the funeral director. Any records would have been destroyed after Arabella’s death. She felt she had hit a brick wall.
Kellie decided she would attend the memorial service for Janelle. Not sure who else would come since Beth’s family was far away, she wanted to offer support. She also wanted to let them know what she had learned about Arabella and her child. Kellie hurried to shower and dress.
########
While she was dressing, Drew was pacing in the waiting room outside his psychiatrist’s office. Today was the day for a group session with his friends. He dreaded dealing with them, but he needed to attend the session. The sooner he complied with all the ridiculous rules, the sooner he could go home. “Man, I need a drink,” he mumbled.
Dr. Williams opened his door and invited Drew in for a short session before his friends arrived. Drew knew what the doctor wanted to hear and fed him what he thought would be the right answers. The doctor smiled.
Hunter, Taylor, Cole, and Andrea arrived a short time later, and the five friends entered into a conversation.
They focused on Drew’s use of alcohol and drugs and how they could help him and be there for him when he was released. They all agreed they wouldn’t have any nights out at the Pizza Pub. Drew loved the place and thought things were not going well. He needed sympathy.
Drew cleared his throat and began to explain all the reasons he felt he was in rehab. He then turned the conversation to the loss of the baby. “It was difficult to handle. I was sad beyond words. I felt completely alone. It was such a sad time for me.”
They guys nodded and Taylor grimaced at Drew. Andrea, the quietest person in their group said, “Drew Adamson, you’re a liar and a coward. There wasn’t anything wrong with you. Sure, you lost a child, but so did Kellie. She was also chased by a madman and fell down the stairs causing her to lose the baby. All you did was try and comfort her. She was so worried about you; she neglected herself. We all made sure you were all right. You turned to alcohol on your own. You counsel kids about alcohol abuse, but you thought you were smarter. You weren’t, and here you are. I don’t think you’ll ever change. It takes courage to do that and all you have are excuses.” She grabbed her purse, turned, and strode out of the office. She didn’t stop until she got to her car where she kicked her tire in desperation. “He makes me so angry,” she shouted.
“Me, too.” Cole’s voice behind her startled her.
“You didn’t have to leave. I was going to wait for you.”
“After listening to you, Hunter told Drew he agreed with you. They began to argue. Taylor burst into tears and walked into the outer office to wait. I made sure she was okay, and then I came to find you.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “I thought you’d be angry with me, Cole.”
“You said what we were all thinking and I was shocked you spoke up. Good for you.” He hugged her back.
“He’s playing
everyone just like when we lived in the mansion.”
“I know and I think Drew knows we figured it out. I could tell by the look on his doctor’s face that he knows what Drew is doing. Drew forgot we counsel for a living, and you saw through him, too. I hope he’s honest with the doctor now, but I doubt if there will be another friend’s session.”
They were about to get into their car when they saw Hunter walking across the parking lot. He was moving quickly, and his long legs made it hard for Taylor to keep up. Taylor waved at them and caught up to Hunter in time to get in their car and leave.
Cole looked at Andrea, “I think Hunter’s upset.”
“Can you blame him? You three have been friends since college.”
Cole shook his head and opened the car door for Andrea.
########
The memorial service was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Kellie had never attended a service that was so empty of people and flowers. There were flowers from Aunt Marge and Beth, a basket from Beth’s parents, and a small vase of flowers from Janelle’s employer. The only stranger there was a co-worker of Janelle’s. She sat in the back row with her arms folded. Kellie wondered if she lost the office pool and was the one forced to attend. She didn’t speak to anyone. Kellie learned who she was from the guest book entry.
The funeral home had done a nice job making a collage of Janelle’s pictures. It sat on one side of the urn holding Janelle’s ashes, and the flowers adorned the other side of the urn. Kellie thought it was a sad ending to a life.
Aunt Marge’s pastor arrived. He said a few words about Janelle, read a bible passage, the funeral director played a CD of a choir singing Amazing Grace, and it was over. Aunt Marge asked if the funeral director could arrange to have Janelle’s ashes scattered somewhere nice and he was happy to comply.
Aunt Marge insisted Kellie have lunch with Beth and her. During lunch, Kellie explained what she had learned about Arabella Devenly.
Aunt Marge sighed, “Then we’ll never know what happened to the baby or who the little girl is in the picture. It’s a mystery we may never solve.”
Beth patted her aunt’s hand. “That’s okay, Aunt Marge. Whatever happened we know both Arabellas are angels in heaven.”
Her comment made Aunt Marge smile. Aunt Marge said, “You’re right, they can rest in peace and tomorrow that ugly apartment will finally come down.”
########
Loud footsteps echoed through Aunt Marge’s attic. The spirit was well aware of her plans and angry. He would do what was necessary to stop them. Quiet sobs came from Janelle’s kitchen, but no one was home to hear them. It made the attic spirit’s anger turn to laughter.
Chapter Six
Randy and his crew arrived at Aunt Marge’s home shortly after eight the following morning. Kellie had arrived a few minutes earlier. Rufus leaped off the front porch and nearly knocked Randy off his feet. Randy laughed and asked, “I thought you trained him not to jump on people?”
“Maybe he thinks you’re wearing your play clothes. After all, you’re wearing jeans and a work shirt.” Kellie couldn’t help but giggle at Rufus’ reaction to seeing Randy.
“Funny,” Randy smiled. “My guys are going to move the heavy furniture and appliances out to the shed the way we discussed while I check what type of construction we’re facing. You never know when an amateur builds an addition what you’ll find.” Randy carried the ladder to the front of the addition.
Beth and Aunt Marge joined Kellie in the front yard to watch Randy pull a few of the roofing shingles off. He then climbed down and walked into Janelle’s apartment. He located a wall stud and pulled a few of the boards off the wall. He turned and looked at the women, “This will take a bit longer than I expected. This place was never updated, and there isn’t any drywall. We’ll have to remove each wooden plank one at a time. I also know why it lasted so long. Whoever built this place used sturdy lumber and about four times the amount of nails needed. We’ll start with the roof and expose the upper floor. From there, I can determine the best way to tear it down.”
Randy climbed the ladder again, and the women watched him begin to pull off the shingles and drop them to the ground. Soon he and one of his helpers were also pulling off wooden planks and dropping them to the ground. Two other workers picked them up and tossed them in the back of one of the empty pick-up truck beds.
Randy finished his assessment and spoke to Aunt Marge. “Normally, this would be an easy job. Your uncle didn’t put a lot of detail into the addition, but he did use a lot of nails everywhere. It will take a little longer and we need to be careful when we remove the wall attached to the house. I don’t want to damage the house in any way.”
Aunt Marge nodded, “Do what you have to do. I want it gone.”
The attic door slammed, but no one heard it over the noise of the deconstruction.
########
The three women decided to spend a few hours shopping. The noise from the demolition was giving Aunt Marge a headache. Randy had Kellie’s cell number, and they’d be in contact. As they pulled away from the property, Aunt Marge said, “I can’t wait to see what it’ll look like without that atrocious addition.”
After several hours of browsing the quaint shops and having lunch in a lovely café, the ladies decided to return home. They were impressed by the amount of work Randy and his crew accomplished while they were shopping. The roof, second floor and front wall of the addition were gone.
Randy met the car when it pulled into the drive. “Hi, we were able to do a little more than I thought. We’re going to finish taking the side and back wall down today. I wouldn’t want them to fall. We will return tomorrow and remove the wall attached to the house. We need to be careful removing the boards, so the main house isn’t damaged. Then we’ll remove the floor. There’s no indication there was ever a basement, but there may be a crawlspace. Later next week, we’ll bring soil to even out the ground and lay sod or seed it. It’ll be your choice.”
Aunt Marge thanked him and watched the remaining demolition from a lawn chair in the front yard. With the removal of each board, the more excited she became.
########
A loud banging noise woke Beth and Aunt Marge at approximately three in the morning. Beth ran to her aunt’s room to be sure she was all right. She saw Aunt Marge sitting up in bed with her hands over her ears. “The noise is coming from outside, Aunt Marge. It sounds like a giant hammer. I’m going to look.”
“Not alone,” said Aunt Marge. She pulled on her robe and followed Beth.
Beth stopped at the top of the stairs. The entire staircase was covered with black velvet roses. “They mean death. Someone wants us dead, Beth.”
“We need to call the police. Someone was in here. It must have taken some time to haul in all these long stem roses. We could have been killed.” Beth held the handrail and kicked roses out of her path as she descended the stairs. Aunt Marge followed her. The noise was coming from outside the house where Janelle’s apartment had been.
Beth opened the door. The cool night air hit her, and the hammering noise stopped. She turned to speak to Aunt Marge and noticed the roses were gone. “This has to be Albert. He’s trying to frighten us. Why is he using the roses? I think we heard his ghost trying to rebuild the addition.”
A child’s sobs floated on the air and into the house through the open door. The attic door slammed, and the sobs stopped.
########
The noise woke Kellie. She thought it was an explosion, but the house was quiet. Rufus was sleeping soundly, and none of the alarms went off. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. None of the security cameras was showing anything. The house was empty and quiet. “What woke me,” she mumbled as she lay back down. A child’s sobs encircled her.
“Please find me.”
“I will, who are you? Where are you?” Kellie sat in the middle of her bed and listened.
“I don’t know where I am. It is dark. Daddy put me here.”
“I will do my best to find you. Tell me your name. It will help me.”
“Arabella,” the girl’s voice said and the house became quiet.
Kellie dropped back on her pillow. “Arabella,” she mumbled. “Did she die at birth and did Albert bury her somewhere?” She rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was a little after three. She closed her eyes hoping to sleep. She needed to be at the Devenly’s early in the morning.
########
Despite the strange occurrences the night before, Aunt Marge was in the kitchen early making coffee and toast. Beth wandered in wearing her robe and saw Aunt Marge dressed and drinking tea. “What makes you so perky this morning?”
“The rest of the apartment will be gone today. I made you coffee. You should have a cup, some breakfast, and get dressed. They will be here soon.” Aunt Marge set her cup down, “Beth, do you think people will think I’m a hateful old woman for tearing down the apartment so soon after Janelle died?”
“No,” Beth set her cup down and looked at Aunt Marge. “What makes you think that?”
“Janelle was family and while we didn’t get along, I never hated her. What happened to her I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”
“No one will. Everyone knows the apartment was an eyesore and could cause damage to the main house. People will understand.” She drank her coffee and grabbed a piece of toast. “I’ll get dressed and be back in a jiff.” She ran up the stairs.
########
Kellie’s SUV pulled into Aunt Marge’s drive a few minutes before Randy’s truck and another pick-up parked in front of the house. Beth met them on the porch. “Kellie, could I speak with you for a minute?”
Randy said, “Take your time. We’re going to remove the boards from the side of the house.”
BLACK VELVET ROSES Page 5
