Cluttered Attic Secrets (21 page)

Tina found Uncle Bob standing at the counter watching the coffee maker drip when she came downstairs the next morning, rubbing her bleary eyes, and tying her chenille robe’s belt more securely around herself. She’s been too discouraged to get dressed just yet.

Princess nudged Uncle Bob’s thigh, and he turned to see why. His face broke out into a big grin when he saw her. “Morning, kumquat. Sleep well?”

“So-so. How about you?”

“I always sleep well. Don’t hear a thing after I take out my hearing aids, one of the very few advantages of deafness.”

Tina nodded, surprised her uncle mentioned his hearing loss. Usually he ignored the subject. “That coffee almost ready?”

“Any minute now.”

Tina poured herself some orange juice and popped an English muffin into the toaster. “You’re not making bacon and eggs again this morning?”

“Nope. I’ve decided to take a vacation. You’ll have to rough it with cereal.”

Tina smiled. Since Uncle Bob usually burned the bacon and undercooked the eggs, she was happy to “rough it.”

“I smell coffee.” Laura came into the room, dressed for the day. Tina felt like a frump in comparison.

Everyone said good morning, and after they fixed what they wanted to eat, sat down.

“You look tired,” Laura said to Tina.

“It’s been a rough few days.”

“What’s happened since we last talked?” Laura poured milk onto her cereal, not looking at Tina.

Tina debated how much to tell.  But once she got started, she couldn’t seem to stop. She glossed over the details about Sophie and didn’t mention the scary man she’s spotted, apparently following either Hank or her.

Laura shook her head and frowned when Tina wound down.

“Well,” Laura said, “I’ve been talking to a few of my friends about their houses--those who live in the historical ones. Several say they know of secret rooms or have heard rumors that the house had one, but they’ve never found it.”

“Are the ones who found them using them for anything in particular now?”

“Yes. One of the husbands collects guns and hides them there. Another woman has a lot of antique silver, plus some expensive, inherited jewelry. One just stores stuff in it. She says it’s totally unorganized. And one made a fancy panic room. It’s stocked with survival gear and food.”

“Do they know what the original purposes were?”

“No one is really sure, except Wanda Smalling. She says they found lots and lots of liquor bottles, some still full. They figure it was used during prohibition. But the space could be original, so no telling what it was used for before that.”

“How did all these woman find out about the secret rooms?” Uncle Bob asked.

“Some were told after they bought the houses. Katie Mathews lives in a house originally built by one of her ancestors, like Leslie. But in her case, the history was handed down. A couple of people have done renovations and found them. Not all of them are rooms. They’re just spaces between joists where small items can be stashed. No one I talked to had such a large space all along the whole side of the house like you found at Leslie’s.”

“Amazing.” Tina looked at Uncle Bob. “You been going around this house looking for a secret room?”

“How’d you guess?” He and Laura laughed. “I had your mother research how to find them on-line. Except for those hidden closets in the attic, nothing else so far.”

“How did you find out about those closets, anyway?” Tina asked her mother.

“The people we bought the house from came by after we moved in and showed them to us. They didn’t mention anything else, so I doubt we’d find more.”

“Was their family the original owner?”

“I think so.”

“You never know.” Uncle Bob stood up and began to clear away the dishes.

Laura smiled at Tina. “This’ll keep him busy for a good while.”

“What’d you say?” Uncle Bob turned.

“Nothing. Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that. Nothing is more annoying than being told someone said nothing when it’s obvious they said something. Now, what was it?”

Laura laughed. “I just told Tina that hunting for secret spaces will keep you occupied.”

“Really now. I’ll have the last laugh if I find one.”

Laura stood up. “If you find one, you can decide what to do with it. How’s that?”

Uncle Bob looked thoughtful. “That’s great. It would depend on the size of the space…”

“That’s true.” Laura turned to Tina. “I’m guessing Hank has told you to back off from the investigation. I hope you are doing what he says, if not what I say.”

“Well, it appears that right now I can’t do anything, and if he stops sharing information with me, that won’t help. I think I’ll go see Leslie. Find out how she’s doing.”

“That’s a great idea. I imagine she’s back at work.”

“I’ll call to make sure before heading out.”

Tina helped Uncle Bob clean up, then went to her bedroom to call Leslie. “What are you going to do today?”

“Hi, Tina. I’m going to the shop. It got busy yesterday, so I need to be here. How are you?”

“I’m good. Found out more about what went on with Hank in New York. We need to catch up. When do you plan to take a break? I can bring lunch, or we could go out. Will Amelia be there helping you?”

“Yes, she will, and has agreed to work some overtime. I promised Brandon and the parents that I would only come in for a few hours. I’m going to quit around three. Why don’t we meet then?”

“That would be fine.” But Tina wondered what she was going to do to fill up the time until then. Then she remembered her idea about moving out of the old family home. Maybe she’d visit a Realtor and see what was available. “Where should we meet?”

“That a good question. Before, we could meet at my house. I need a break from the parents, and I’m not sure I want to deal with answering questions from anyone else, like your mom or Uncle Bob.”

“I don’t blame you. How about a walk on Easton’s Beach? I haven’t checked the weather yet this morning, but since yesterday was so glorious, I have high hopes for today.”

“It’s cooler than yesterday, but great for a walk if we bundle up. How about I meet you there around three-fifteen?”

“Sounds like a plan. Now, tell me how you and Brandon are doing.”

“I’m fine. No after affects from the drug they gave me. A little more tired than usual, but that might be because of the emotional toll. Brandon called this morning, and he’s feeling about the same way as I do. We compared notes.” Leslie laughed. “The police searched his place yesterday, dusted for fingerprints. They were non-committal about learning anything to help find out who drugged him.” No laughter remained in her voice.

“Well, I’m just glad you’re both okay. We’ll talk more on the beach.”

After they hung up, Tina got dressed, her thoughts whirling with worry about Leslie and Brandon. To distract herself, she went down to the office to look up Realtors on her computer.

She’d just decided on one when her mother entered the room. “What are your plans for the day? Did you call Leslie?”

Tina tucked the paper she’d printed out about the Realtor into her pocket. “Leslie and I are going for a walk on the beach mid-afternoon. What are you going to do?”

“It’s Lunch Bunch day, so that will take up a few hours. Then I’m going shopping for a new outfit.”

“Oh? What’s the occasion?”

“None. I just have a hankering for a new dress with all new accessories.”

Tina grinned. “I’m all shopped out. I need to find something to do with myself since the organizing business is not taking off. I know, I’ll work with one of those ghost buster teams.”

Laura did not look amused. “Seriously?”

Tina thought a moment. “I don’t think so—I just thought of it. But you never know.”

“Oh, Tina.” Laura shook her head and walked toward the hallway. “Have a nice day. Think of something more practical. Volunteer at the library or something.”

“Yeah.” Tina had another thought. Maybe she could learn to renovate old homes. Flip them. Her mother wouldn’t approve of that, either. Well, she wouldn’t dismiss that idea too quickly. See what the Realtor would come up with. She could still live at home while making the renovations. Her mother would approve of the part about still living at home. But she really should decide what she wanted to tell the Realtor before she showed up. She sat at her desk, thinking for a while. She decided to start by looking at some old Victorians. She grew up in one, and she’d always loved them. If one she wanted needed fixing up, to stay in her price range, she’d consider it.

She walked to the bottom of the stairs and called up. “I’m going out. Don’t know when I’ll be home.”

She heard her mother say something, but couldn’t quite make it out. Shrugging, she went to the hall closet to get a coat. She checked the weather on her phone and decided on a medium-weight dark blue jacket.

When she looked at her VW, she decided it needed a wash at the drive-through place, so she did that first, then went to see the Realtor she’d chosen on Bellevue Avenue. Maybe she should have called for an appointment. Well, she was here, so she parked and went inside.

The office was exquisitely furnished, down to the fresh flowers in three huge, strategically-placed crystal vases. An impeccably-groomed woman sat at a highly-polished mahogany desk in the reception area. She smiled at Tina, and looked her up and down. Tina hoped there were no loose threads on stains on her coat and that her hair didn’t look too wind-blown. Which was a frequent hope when you lived in Newport.

“May I help you?”

“Maybe I should have made an appointment, but I’d like to discuss buying a house with Ms. Norris.”

“I’ll see if she’s available. Your name?”

Tina told her.

“Thank you. Won’t you have a seat?

Tina sank down into a plush chair. She barely heard what the receptionist murmured into a headset. Before she could examine the room more thoroughly, a tall woman came through a door off to the side. She approached Tina at a brisk pace, hand outstretched.

Tina stood up to shake it.

“Ms. Shaw. I’m delighted to meet you. I know you’re a personal organizer, and read in the News about what happened to your next-door neighbor a few months ago.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Tina caught the startled look on the receptionist’s face. Tina gave Ms. Norris a weak smile and nodded.

When Tina didn’t reply, Ms. Norris said, “Please, come into my office. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, a soda?”

Tina followed Ms. Norris, murmuring “no thanks.”

When they settled in, Ms. Norris at a cherry-wood desk, Tina in a comfortable visitor’s chair, Ms. Norris asked, “What can I do for you? Are you looking for a place to live, a place to conduct business, or?”

Tina had never thought of opening an office. She put the idea aside to think about later. “Right now, I’m interested in a house. Or perhaps a beach cottage.” She really looked at Ms. Norris now. She was probably early forties and carried perhaps twenty extra pounds on her tall frame, had a square face, and wore subdued makeup. She had put on quite a bit of jewelry, and a pearl-gray suit with a frilly white blouse. Nice perfume—Tina wondered what it was.

Ms. Norris pulled a yellow pad closer and grabbed a pen. “Tell me more. Old or new? Square footage. How many bedrooms and baths. And so forth.”

Tina frowned. “You know, this was sort of impulsive, and I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I am leaning toward an older Victorian, but I’m wondering if one wouldn’t seem too large to live in by myself. And need a lot of work.”

“It depends on how much you plan to spend. Give me a ballpark figure, and we’ll go from there.”

“I didn’t even search for homes on-line, so, I don’t know how much they sell for here in Newport.”

“A modest home can go for about three-hundred thousand. A really nice one for a million. And up, of course.”

Tina’s mind whirled. She wondered how much her mother’s home might be worth. “Well, I guess I can afford more than a modest one, so let’s start looking at ones just under a million. I have to remember I’ll need money for taxes and insurance and upkeep every year.”

“Exactly. And the older the house, the more upkeep it will probably need. Are you handy? Could you do some of the work yourself? Or would you even want to?” Ms. Norris turned to her keyboard and after she typed in something, the huge monitor on her desk showed some homes for sale.

“I wouldn’t mind doing some of the work. Painting, for example. Minor repairs.”

“All right. I’m going to scroll through these. Tell me which ones catch your eye. The ones with curb appeal. Then we will looks at some pictures of the interiors. We’ll pick six to start with. Then I’ll make appointments for the ones that are still being lived in, but we can go look at one or two that are empty. How does that sound?”

Tina sighed with relief. “Great.”

“All right. Here’s the first batch.”

Tina pointed the one she liked the best. “This looks like an old carriage house.”