Cluttered Attic Secrets (23 page)

Ms. Norris went back to finishing her email. Tina fidgeted, wondering what would happen next. Would the police be able to round up the human traffickers? Would Leslie be able to move back into her house?

“All done.” Ms. Norris gave Tina an expectant look. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

Tina checked her email on her phone, found Ms. Norris’s, and forwarded it to Hank. “I’m not really completely sure. Hank will be here in a few minutes. I’ve forwarded your email to him, and when he arrives, he can decide how much to tell you.”

“All right.” Ms. Norris looked resigned. “How did you and Hank meet?”

Tina laughed. “Our mothers know each other, and we went all through school together.”

“Really.”

Tina figured, no matter what his relationship with Ms. Norris had been, he’d never mentioned knowing Tina. But then, she and Hank hadn’t had more than friendship between them until she came back to Newport from Virginia. Although she sometimes wondered how long Hank had really been interested in her.

First Michele, possibly Ceclia, now Ms. Norris, all about ten years older than Hank. That thought gave her pause. Well, he’d always been mature for his age. Maybe that was part of it.

The doorbell rang, and they both jumped.

“Probably Hank.” Tina stood up and walked to the hall, Ms. Norris following her.

If Hank was surprised to see the Realtor, he hid it well. “Tina. Nancy. Everything okay?”

“Just dandy.” Tina looked to see ‘Nancy’s’ reaction to Hank. Well, at least she wasn’t panting. “Want to see the secret rooms?”

“There’s more than one?”

“At least two, with a hallway between them.” Tina turned toward the stairs. “We didn’t go any farther. I was afraid we’d get locked in.”

Hank laughed. “The voice of experience.”

“True.”

They reached the second floor, and Tina led the way to the bedroom.

“Who’s the owner, and where is he? Or she?”

“Sidney Emerson,” Ms. Norris said. “When Tina asked him, he said there were no secret rooms in the house. He left right after that.”

They’d reached the closet. Hank looked at Tina. “You asked him pointblank?”

“Sure. I’m a potential buyer.”

“You are? Since when?”

“You don’t believe me. Well, I decided I wanted a place of my own. With Ms. Norris’s help, I picked out six potential places. When I noticed this was so close to Leslie’s, I decided to look at it first.”

Hank turned his attention to Ms. Norris. “Don’t owners usually get out when a buyer is coming to look at a property?”

“Yes. His Realtor thought the house was empty, but when we arrived, he was here. Said he was checking on things.”

“And he stuck around while you were here?”

“He told me if I had any questions, he’d be glad to answer them,” Tina said. “Now, do you want to see the secret rooms?”

“Oh, yes. I called Lisbeth, but she’s not going to do anything right away. You sent me the email with the rest of the listings in the area?”

“Yes.” Tina felt around for the sweet spot, and after locating it, the door opened. She stepped aside for Hank to look.

“Not nearly as interesting as Leslie’s.”

“No.”

“Okay, you hold this door open, and I’ll go look at the other room or rooms. If I get locked in somewhere, I’ll call you. But don’t come to get me yourself. Call Lisbeth. Deal?”

“I guess so. Of course, I’m dying to see it all.”

“I know. Maybe later. Or you can just buy the place and remove all the secret locks.”

“There’s a thought.”

Hank shook his head. “From what little I’ve seen of the place, it will need a lot of work.”

“True. You should see the kitchen.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re impossible sometimes.”

“I try to be.”

“You don’t need to try; you just are.” Hank entered the room and stood looking around.

Tina and Ms. Norris watched him find the other doorway and go into the narrow hall. They heard his footsteps for a while, but then they faded.

“What do you really think about buying this house?” Ms. Norris finally asked.

Tina shrugged. “I don’t know. Of course, I want to see all the other properties we decided on, and maybe lots more. I don’t feel as if this is exactly right. I suspect I’ll know what I want when I see it.”

“That’s often what happens. Some buyers tell me that a particular property ‘speaks to them’ saying ‘buy me, buy me.’” Ms. Norris laughed softly.

“Well, this house didn’t do that for me.”

“And there’s a problem with the secret room or rooms?”

“Yes. That actually might be a problem for you, as a Realtor. I don’t know how much you have to tell potential buyers about the history of a house.”

“Legally, we only have to disclose what are called “material defects.” We don’t have to give the history of a house at all. Some Realtors, though, me included, as the buyer’s representative, would disclose such things as a murder, people believing the house is haunted, it’s being built over a graveyard, and so on, if we know about it. And if the buyer asks, any Realtor should be honest and tell them about anything like that. Secret rooms and what they’ve been used for? No, the disclosure law doesn’t cover that. But, I’m dying to know about these secret rooms now.”

Tina nodded. “Good to know about material defects. And I’m sorry, as I said, I’ll let Hank tell you what’s going on.”

Tina’s cell phone rang. She expected to see it was Hank, but it was Leslie.

“I’m on my way out the door. You going to be at Easton’s?”

Tina looked at the time. “Oh, no, I didn’t know it was so late. Give me half an hour, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll stop off at the drug store for a few items.”

“Good. See you then.”

They hung up, and Tina was surprised to see Hank come in the secret room from another opening opposite the one she’d found. “How’d you do that?” she asked.

Hank grinned. “I got to walk the perimeter of the whole inside of the house. Each closet has an opening to the area. The tunnels are beneath the windows. It’s amazing.”

“Were all the rooms empty, like this one?”

Hank came into the closet. “Yeah. How much you want to bet wiped clean of fingerprints, too?”

“Then, you think…”

“What you think. Nancy, I’d really like to explain all this to you, but I can’t do that right now. But when it’s cleared up, and I think it will be soon, I’ll come by and tell you all about it. I owe you that much.”

Ms. Norris looked disappointed. “That’s all right. What should I tell the listing agent about this, if anything?”

“Right now, nothing. Ask him or her to let you know, though, if there’s a potential buyer who wants to put a contract on it. We need to hold off on that for just a while.”

“Okay. Are we all leaving now?”

“Yes. I’m going back to the station to help coordinate how we’re going to search the other houses that suddenly went up for sale. Might be tricky to get warrants. How many are there, anyway?”

“Ten or twelve.”

Hank whistled. “That many.” He gave Tina a speculative look.

They left the house. Ms. Norris made sure the door was securely locked and said good-bye. Hank told her he’d take Tina back to her car.

Then Hank and Tina stood on the front porch regarding each other without a word for several moments.

Finally, Hank asked, “Did you really want to buy a house, or did it occur to you there might be more homes in the area that had secret rooms?”

“I really thought of buying one. The idea has been going through my mind off and on for months. It didn’t hit me until I saw this one listed so close to Leslie’s that more in the area might have secret spaces. But I am totally surprised this one does.” Tina glanced around the porch.

“I’ve been thinking of asking you to move in with me.”

Tina caught her breath, speechless.

“Maybe you don’t like my house. Too modern.”

Tina looked at him. “Your house suits you perfectly.”

“But it wouldn’t suit you?”

Secretly, she’d sometimes wondered what it would be like to move in with Hank. But she always pushed the thought aside. “I don’t know.” She looked away from him.

“You’re still mad at me?”

“Sort of. Hank, we’ve never even made love.”

She saw him draw in a huge breath of air. “I know. It hasn’t been because I didn’t want to.”

“You’ve never pressured me.”

“It has to be your decision. At first, you were still getting over Brandon. Maybe you’re still getting over Brandon. And the timing has always been off.”

She closed her eyes, swayed. He caught her, and suddenly they were holding each other tightly. His lips touched her hair, moved down to her eyes, then to her mouth. She melted into him, tinging all over. She never wanted to let him go.

He pulled away first. As controlled as ever. She loved that about him. But it also frustrated her.

“What did you think about the owner?”

The question caught her off guard. “I didn’t like him.”

“Really? How come?”

“It wasn’t because he was spooky or anything. Just distant, unsavory.”

“Interesting.”

“What are we going to do now? Leslie and I planned to meet at Easton’s Beach a take a walk, catch up on things.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Any news about Sophie?”

“Mrs. Fitzgerald reports that she seems to be doing well. She loves the dog. And the parrot. The police are still investigating her background. It’s murky.”

“I wonder if she’s been enrolled in school.”

“They can’t find any record of her for local schools.”

Tina frowned. “That’s bad. Very bad.”

“I know.”

“What are you going to do now?” Tina climbed down the stairs and walked to Hank’s Jaguar.

“Take you to your car. Then drive around and look at the each of the houses that just came on the market.”

Tina glanced at her watch. “I’d love to do that with you, but I think it’s best if I go talk to Leslie for a while.”

“I’ll let you know what they’re like. Of course, when you get home, you can look them up on-line, too.”

He wasn’t going to ask her out to dinner. She figured he still didn’t know how angry she was. How mad was she? She wasn’t sure herself. She glanced down the street and saw Nichole’s car.

Scowling, Tina climbed into the Jaguar. After he got in and started the engine, she asked, “So how well did you know Nancy Norris? As well as you know Michele?”

Hank kept his eyes on the road. “I knew them both about equally well, at different times.”

“And you broke it off with each of them? How about Ceclia? It seems as if she knew you rather well, too.

He glanced at her, then looked straight ahead again. “Why do you think that?”

“They all seem to still like you.”

“Really.” Again the quick glance.

“Yes. So what happened?”

“None of them measured up to you.”

“Hank! While you were seeing them, I wasn’t even around.”

“I know. But I’ve carried this torch for a long, long time, doll.”

“Oh, Hank.”

He wouldn’t look at her. A muscle in his jaw clenched. “You mean poor Hank.”

“No. Yes. Maybe. How come I never realized, never knew?”

“I was afraid you’d reject me. I couldn’t take the chance.”

She was shocked he admitted that. Fleetingly, she thought of all the time they’d lost. She couldn’t bear to lose any more. They’d arrived at where she’d parked her car. “Pick me up at six. We’ll go out to dinner. And make sure your house is presentable for company.” She knew it always was, but she threw that at him so he knew what to expect.

She jumped out of his car and headed to her own, heart thrumming in her chest.

There were only three solitary people, one with a standard black poodle, walking on Easton’s Beach when Tina arrived. The waves pounded the shore, seagulls squawking overhead.

Tina climbed out of her VW and headed over to Leslie’s car, taking deep breaths of the salt air. She didn’t mind the slight chill. It felt glorious to be outside, at the beach, meeting her best friend, and anticipating seeing Hank later.

Leslie got out of her car when she saw Tina and hugged her. “There you are. I wondered if you got lost.”

Tina laughed. “Almost. I have a lot to tell you.” She took Leslie’s arm, and they headed to the sand. “But first, I want to know how things are going with you.”

“I’m doing fine. Maybe still in denial a little, but I don’t think so. It all seems unreal, like a dream. What happened to me doesn’t happen to people like us. I’m more worried about Brandon. Two attacks on him, and the last one so sneaky. I wish the police would hurry up and solve this whole thing.”

“I think they’re getting closer. Or Hank is getting closer.”

“How is Hank? How’re things between you two?”

“He fine. You ever know him not to be fine?”

Leslie stopped walking and watched a gull peck at a dead fish. She laughed softly. “You’re right, he’s always fine. But you didn’t answer my other question.”

“I think we’re going to be all right. We have a date tonight for dinner. If he doesn’t totally tick me off again, I expect great things.”

“Oh, Tina. You are so stubborn sometimes. I told you before, just love him. You’re both wonderful people, and he loves you so much.”

Tina sighed. “I know that now. I was never so sure of that until today.”

Leslie hugged her, and they started walking again. “So, what have you found out about the house?”

“We found out it was probably used as a safe house for abused women when your aunt lived there. Before that, it’s unclear, but maybe for runaway slaves. And Hank and other people are looking into it. I know they’ll tell you everything when they are sure.”

“I wonder why Aunt Margaret didn’t tell me about it. Or leave paperwork with her lawyer.”

“That is a puzzle.”  This time, Tina stopped walking. “Maybe she did. Maybe she left information about it with someone who didn’t give it to you when she died.” Tina stared unseeing at the waves.

“But who?”

“Whoever was running the safe house, or intimately involved. Maybe it wasn’t being used the way your aunt thought it was.”

“Well, what else could it be used for, Tina?”

“Illegals,” Tina whispered.

Leslie’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard,” she said slowly, “that Rhode Island is getting a lot of them now.”

“Yes.” She wasn’t going to tell Leslie about the possibility that those illegals were being trafficked. Time enough for that if it turned out to be true.

“But how would that tie into Joshua Young’s murder?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he got in the way. Was going to tell someone. I’ll bet he knew about the secret space. Maybe he was put there sometimes by his parents. Somehow he found his way back here. They traced him to a facility in Massachusetts. He left years and years ago. It appears he may have gotten married and had a child, a little girl. She’s about ten now, and functions, I’d say, in the three or four-year-old range.”

“Oh, my. You’ve talked to her?”

“Yes.” Tina told her everything she knew about Sophie.

“She’d be my cousin.” Leslie put her hand over her mouth. “Dad’s niece.” Leslie looked as if she might fall, and Tina grabbed her arm.

“Here. We need to find a place for you to sit down. Let’s go back to our cars. No more discussion until you’re sitting.”

Leslie nodded and held onto Tina as they walked back to the parking lot. Tina took the keys to Leslie’s car from her shaking hand, pressed the fob button, and helped Leslie sit in the driver’s seat. Tina walked around and climbed in next to her friend. “You all right?”

“I will be. My mind is whirling. What will my parents want to do about all of this? They don’t know where Sophie’s mother is?”

“I think they assume she’s no longer alive because Sophie only mentioned her once and doesn’t seem to know where she is. She talked a little bit more about her father, an aunt, who may not really be related, and a baby sitter.”

“The aunt could be her mother’s sister.”

“Yes. We know Sophie has been living with a woman one block over from your house. A Mrs. Hendricks. You know her?”

Leslie shook her head.

“She’s clammed up, won’t say anything to the police.”

“Where’s Sophie living now?”

“Social Services took over and placed her with a family in Middletown. I think I’ve given you too much information. You need to go back to the parents’ and rest. You okay to drive? If so, I’m going to follow you home.”

“Give me a minute. I’ll be fine.”

“Good. I know you will.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Leslie stared at the ocean, her eyes unseeing. Tina kept watch patiently.

Finally, Leslie started the engine. “I’m ready. I can’t believe, though, how my life has been knocked sideways in just a few days.”

Tina smiled. “You said before a ghost might have been less trouble.”

“Yeah. Remember, I was sure that’s what was making the noise?”

“I remember. And I decided to look at houses today myself. Even checked one out down the street from yours. It had a secret room, too, more than one, actually. But now, I’m thinking I’ll get a brand new house. One no one has ever lived in before.”

Leslie laughed. “Probably a good idea, although I’d love having you living just down the street.”

Tina realized Leslie hadn’t thought about giving up the house when this was all over. She certainly wasn’t going to mention it. She got out of the car. “I’ll follow you. Take it easy. I’ll let you know as soon as possible about further developments.”

“Thanks, Tina. You’re the best.”

Tina smiled and climbed into her VW. Leslie drove the speed limit all the way to her parents’ house. Tina kept checking her rearview mirror for that spooky man, but didn’t see any vehicle that looked like his. She and Leslie waved good-bye at the Youngs. Tina looked at her watch. She still had just over an hour before her date with Hank, and decided she needed a new dress. Maybe new underwear. So she headed for Bellevue Avenue.