Cluttered Attic Secrets (7 page)

“You know where the stairs to the basement are?” Brandon asked Tina. “I just realized I don’t know. I was hardly ever anywhere in this house except the living room and dining room.”

“I’m not sure, but they’re probably in the kitchen or near the back door.”

“Let’s go.” Hank led the way to the kitchen, Tina behind him and Brandon bringing up the rear.

When they arrived, Tina looked around. “Over here.” She found a door, but it was to the pantry.

“Here’s another one.” Hank pulled open a second door, found the light switch and flipped it on. They saw the stairway. Again, Hank went first, and they climbed down the open, creaking wooden stairs to the unfinished cellar.

“It’s a bit chilly down here.” Tina shivered. She looked around. The area was not partitioned off. She noticed the wide walkout stairway at the back. Aunt Margaret had obviously updated the heating system because the unit looked similar to what the Shaws had replaced their old, original oil burner with. A sump pump was positioned near a rear window, and a washer and dryer took up part of one wall. A nearly empty workbench sat next to the walkout. No old garden tools, lawnmowers, lawn chairs scattered about. A vivid contract to the attic.

“Not many places to look for some blueprints,” Brandon said. He walked over to the washer and opened one of the cabinet above it. Laundry detergent, bleach, and fabric softener. A roll of paper towels. The rest was empty, and so was the cupboard above the dryer.

“Well,” Tina said, “except for the attic, Aunt Margaret certainly had no need of a professional organizer.”

“That’s for sure.” Hank walked up the cement cellar stairs and checked out the fold-out doors. He studied the long, sliding bolt that held the two doors together, then slid it open. “That was easy.” He slid it back and forth a couple of times, then turned to Tina and Brandon, looking thoughtful. “Got to wonder how often Aunt Margaret went in and out of this door. Wouldn’t think she’d do it that much, would you? If ever. Might have become rusty over the years. But it’s well oiled. Interesting.”

“Still,” Tina said. “No one could easily get inside, right?”

“Not from that. But they could get out in a hurry if they weren’t worried about anyone noticing the blot was drawn. Let’s take a look at the windows.”

The windows were in wells near the ceiling. Tina thought they were medium sized, not large, but not as tiny as some she’d seen, either. She considered one. Could a person climb in and out easily? How would they get to them? A ladder. And she saw one near the inside cellar door. Not an old rickety wooden one, but a new, aluminum one.

“One of you guys want to use that ladder to check the locks on the windows, if they even open?”

“I will.” Hank grabbed the ladder. “I expect they open.” He placed the ladder under the window closest to the walkout and climbed up. He raised the window with ease. “Again, interesting. Unlocked. The well is free of debris, too.”

He climbed down and chose another window. “This one won’t budge. It’s locked, and there are leaves, some trash and sticks in the well.”

“Well,” Tina said, grinning. “This is becoming suspicious, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.” Hank climbed back down and checked all the other windows. Some opened with effort, but others didn’t.

When he finished, Tina asked, “Do you think you could climb out of that window that was unlocked? Or is it too small?”

Hank stood looking at the window a moment. He studied the wall underneath it, and then put the ladder back where he’d found it. He walked to the window, reached up, grabbed something Tina couldn’t see, and climbed up the wall with ease. Then he opened the window and wiggled himself outside.

Laughing, he bent down and asked, “Does that answer your question?”

“One of them,” Tina answered. “But it also leads to many more.”

Hank got back into position with the hand and toe holds and stopped. “Leave it unlocked, or lock it, that is the most immediate question.”

“Lock it.” Brandon’s voice was firm.

“Right.” Hank did so, then came back down. He brushed off his hands and looked around. “We didn’t find any blueprints, so that was a wash. But we did learn a couple of interesting things. Tina, you look cold. Let’s go back upstairs.”

“And get settled in the attic?” Tina walked toward the stairs and started up.

“Yes,” both Hank and Brandon said.

Tina fixed some snacks while the men got a quilt for her and pillows. They each picked out two books from the library. They also located three flashlights, in case the electricity went out. “You can have the chaise lounge, if you want,” Brandon said as they carried everything up to the attic.

“Thanks. It all looks the same,” she said when she stepped into the attic and looked around.

They stood, listening. Complete silence.

Hank was carrying the tray with the coffee and snacks, and he put it on a table. Brandon placed the quilt, pillows, and flashlights on the chaise, and Tina set the copies of the genealogy and their books on the table.

“I don’t think there’s enough light up here to read by,” Tina said.

Hank walked over to a floor lamp. “Let’s see where the outlets are and move stuff around if we need to. I’m sure some of these lamps will still work. If not, we can use the flashlights.”

After they placed everything to advantage, Tina smiled. “We’ll be as comfortable up here as anywhere.” She placed a mug of coffee on the table next to the chaise lounge. A lamp cast a soft glow over where her head would be when she sat down. Then she sneezed. “Except for the dust.” She sneezed again.

“It will settle soon enough,” Hank told her. “At least we haven’t heard any more noises.”

“Maybe the ghost is sleeping,” Tina said.

“Do ghosts sleep?” Brandon asked.

“Heavens, I don’t know.” Tina plopped herself down on the chaise and picked up one of the books she’d chosen from the table. The dust from the chaise made her sneeze again. “We should have brought a box of tissues.”

“I’ll go get some.” Brandon headed toward the stairs. “Either of you need anything else?”

“Can’t think of anything,” Tina said. “Thanks, Brandon.”

“I’m all set.” Hank sat down on the flowery chair and put his feet up on the matching ottoman. “How’re you doing?”

Tina smiled at him. “With you and Brandon with me, I’m doing fine.” Then she remembered what had happened, was it just last evening? She felt the smile fade, and Hank had that sad look again. Flustered, Tina picked up one of the books she’d chosen.

A loud crash from below made them both jump.

“Brandon!” Tina yelled. She and Hank ran to the stairs and clambered down them, two at a time. “Brandon!” she shouted again. When he didn’t answer, her heart thudded even harder in her chest.

At the bottom of the stairs, they paused, Tina behind Hank. “Where is he?” she asked.

“This way.” Hank ran toward Leslie’s bedroom.

They found Brandon on his hands and knees beside an overturned nightstand, shaking his head.

“What happened?” Tina rushed to him and pulled on his arm, trying to help him up.

He managed to stand, then collapsed onto the bed. “Someone hit me from behind.” He rubbed the back of his head.

Tina gasped and looked at Hank. He stood frowning at Brandon. “You need an ambulance?”

“No. No. I didn’t lose consciousness.”

“How would you know? You didn’t answer when I called.” Tina sat down next to him. “You need to see a doctor.”

Brandon rubbed his head some more and winced. “I’ll be fine. If I start throwing up, I’ll go.”

“Let me see.” Tina took his hand away from the bump that was forming. “Didn’t break the skin. That’s good, isn’t it?” She looked at Hank.

“Yeah. Brandon, can you tell us exactly what happened?”

“I figured Leslie might have a box of tissues by her bed. Which she did.” He pointed to a ceramic holder on the floor.

Hank upended the nightstand and began to put things back on top.

Brandon continued, “I went to pick them up, and something hit me on the back of the head. Hard enough to send me to my knees. I didn’t see them, and I didn’t hear them leave. Doesn’t help the floor is carpeted. I have no idea where they went because I was stunned, I admit, and ended up staring at the floor for a while.”

“So you don’t know anything about who hit you.”

“’Fraid not.”

“You need to see a doctor,” Tina said. “And shouldn’t we call the police?”

“No.” Brandon stood up. “I’m not in any mood to be interviewed by the police. And I’m not hurt enough to go to the emergency room.”

Tina didn’t like it, but she knew she couldn’t change his mind.

“Okay.” Hank straightened the shade on the little lamp and set it down, and then looked around for anything else out of place. “We need to get out of here.”

“What?” Tina stood up.

“It’s too dangerous. We stay together, collect the food and papers and books from the attic, and leave.”

“But we won’t find out what’s going on here if we don’t stay.” Tina’s mind whirled.

“A man was murdered right outside,” Hank said, “and another one attacked inside. Until we find out more, we can’t take the chance of staying here any longer. We’ll all go to Brandon’s place.”

“What?” Brandon looked up at Hank with a shocked expression.

“You need to stay awake and shouldn’t be alone for the next twenty-four hours. We’ll keep you company. At least that should cure Tina’s sneezing. You did dust recently, right?”

Tina and Brandon smiled. Brandon stood up, a bit shaky. “My housekeeper did.”

“Okay, let’s get going.” Hank headed toward the door. “And let’s stick together.”

Within half an hour, they entered Brandon’s condo. It looked the same as Tina remembered. She felt awkward with Hank standing next to her. She’d spent hours here. In the kitchen, in the living room, in the bedroom. But, she admitted to herself, it was a relief to be out of Leslie’s house. It didn’t look as if Brandon had changed anything. He had chosen to decorate in beach style, so the living room walls were painted light blue. There was wicker furniture, pictures of shore birds on walls and pillows, two glass lamp bases filled with shells, and a sisal rug on the highly polished blond wood floor. He had a nice view of
Narragansett
Bay and a small balcony overlooking it.

“What are we going to tell Leslie about what happened tonight?” Tina asked.

Brandon sat down, ran his fingers through his hair, and winced. “The truth. She needs to know.”

“I agree.” Hank sat down across from Brandon.

Tina went to put the food in the kitchen, which was open to the living room. “It’s going to be hard on her.”

“The best thing to do is figure out what’s going on,” Hank said. “The police will talk to the neighbors, ask if they’ve seen anything suspicious. And we need to try to find a secret room.”

“That means going back into the attic.”

“We’ll stick together. And do it in the daytime.” Hank yawned.

“What if there’s more than one person?” Tina came back into the living room. Both men stared at her. Hank was no longer yawning.

“Good question.” Brandon frowned. “But who? A whole family?”

Tina sat down on the couch. “I wouldn’t think more than two people, would you? And have we ruled out anything supernatural? If it’s supernatural, even having an army in the attic may not be enough to keep us safe.”

Now Hank was frowning, too. “Sometimes you have too much imagination.”

“Is that possible?” Tina grinned at him.

“Yes,” Brandon said. “It’s most likely human. Ghosts, for example, don’t need to climb up walls to get out of the house through a window.”

“True.” Tina shifted on the couch, suddenly aware of how tired she felt. “But all the noises we’ve heard have come from the attic. You, on the other hand, were attacked in Leslie’s bedroom, and the body was found outside. And can all supernatural beings go through walls? I don’t think so.”

“You think we could be dealing with what, then?” Brandon was frowning again. “Vampires? Zombies? How about a werewolf?”

Tina couldn’t help teasing Brandon. “Well, there was a full moon the night Leslie heard the first noise.”

“Tina.” Hank’s tone sounded cautionary.

She raised her eyes heavenward and sighed loudly. “Okay. You guys don’t believe it can have anything to do with the supernatural. So, what are we going to do?”

“Right now, we’re going to relax. Read.” Hank leaned forward to pick up a copy of the genealogy.

“What about the possibility of a secret room? We haven’t really discussed that.” Tina reached for her own copy. “Or talked to Leslie about it. I’d think, if there was one, that information would have been passed down the family line. Aunt Margaret would have told Leslie, if she knew.”

“It possible Aunt Margaret didn’t know, though. Maybe someone died before they could pass the knowledge on.”

“Okay.” Now Tina yawned. “There’s nothing else we can do while keeping Brandon awake, so might as well read.”

So, they did. Tina glanced over at Brandon every once in a while to be sure he hadn’t fallen asleep. But he seemed fine. She figured he’d stayed up many a night in college studying, and now did it as a lawyer, preparing cases, doing research. She’d never seen Hank tired.

Tina finished looking at the genealogy, then started on one of the books she’s picked out. After about an hour, she stood up. “Who wants coffee?”

“I do.” Hank looked at Brandon. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. But I can use some coffee. Thanks, Tina. The pain is only a dull ache now.”

Both men stood up and stretched.

Tina walked to the kitchen, Hank following.

When they came back into the living room, they found Brandon nodding off. Tina poked him on the arm. “Wake up. Coffee’s ready.”

“Um. Thanks, Tina. This should help. I hope I can stay awake after drinking it.”

“Me, too.

Hank’s phone buzzed. “Hello, Lisbeth. What’s going on? You’re working late.” He quirked an eyebrow at Tina. He listened, then said, “I’ll be right there.” After he ended the call, he said. “You two carry on.”

“What did Lisbeth say?” Tina asked. She knew Lisbeth would be in charge of the homicide investigation. They met for the first time when Tina found a dead body in a client’s home. Lisbeth was pleasant enough, but Tina wasn’t happy they had to keep meeting under such circumstances.

“Not much. Just asked me to come in to the station.”

“They must have found out something interesting.”

“Let’s hope so.” Hank put on his coat and left.

Left Tina and Brandon staring at each other. He looked sad. She felt like hugging him but knew that was a bad idea. Tina cleared her throat. “Let’s go back to reading our books, okay?”

“Yeah. I need a notepad and pen from my office, though. I found an old law book and want to take a few notes.”

“I’ll get them. I know where you keep them.”
Oops, shouldn’t have said that.

If possible, Brandon looked even sadder. He nodded, picked up his book, and began to read. Or pretended to read.

Tina jumped up and went to his office. It looked the same. Everything in the condo looked the same. Why would she think he’d change it? To erase memories of her? She walked around his desk and opened the middle draw. After she found a pen and a small legal pad, she looked at the desk and saw the picture of herself she’d given him for his last birthday. Her heart gave a little lurch. He wasn’t over her. He needed to find someone new. No matter what happened with Hank, she would not get together again with Brandon.

Feeling depressed, both about Brandon and about Hank’s secretiveness, she walked back to the living room clutching the pen and pad. She gave them to Bandon, careful not to touch him.

They didn’t speak, just began reading again silently.