Nerves cramped my stomach and nausea swirled. Today was the day of the auction, and my sweaty palms were threatening to drown me. Twirling in front of the mirror, I took in my appearance, hoping I at least looked like a woman filled with confidence.
Before she left for work, Molly loaned me a dress that was nothing like I usually wore. It was crimson, skintight, and hovered just above my knee. For the first time I thought we actually looked alike.
She’d also loaned me some strappy high-heeled sandals, and I just hoped I didn’t break my ankle before I even made it to the car.
I’d applied some shadow to my eyelids, upped the mascara, and added a slash of red to my lips. Danny had promised to do my hair before we headed to May Street, but as I checked my watch, I realized he was cutting it fine. My unruly mess took time to straighten, and time was not in his favor. I was just considering calling him to see where he was when my phone trilled.
“Danny, where are you?”
“Sorry, Lizzie. I’ve had an urgent treatment come in,” he whispered. “This woman tried to perm her own hair, and the results are disastrous. I’m not going to make it in time.” He sounded genuinely pained, but I wasn’t sure if it was because he was letting me down or offended someone would do that to their own hair. Actually, I knew exactly what had upset him the most.
I sank back onto Molly’s sumptuous mattress and picked at the skin around my fingernail, wondering if this was a tactic for Danny to stop me from buying the house.
“Who even has a perm these days?”
“Maureen apparently. I just don’t know what on earth possessed her to attempt it herself.”
“Can’t Andrew do it instead?” I whined.
“Sorry, he has a doctor’s appointment.”
Disappointment pushed my butterflies aside. “I’ll try Molly.”
“Good luck. I’m pretty sure she has a client meeting this morning, and the client is super cute, so I doubt very much she’ll postpone it to help you buy a crappy house.”
I knew what Danny said was true, but I still had to give her a chance. After all she could have had a cancellation in her schedule and would now be free. However, as her phone rang out, my brow furrowed, and I allowed my shoulders to slump. Heaviness sat in my heart as I pressed my lips together and flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
What was I going to do? Monday was Mum’s day away from Grandma, doing her own running around, and God help anyone who interrupted that. Dad was taking a class at the Men’s Shed. Molly was unavailable, and Danny had to restore some poor lady’s self-esteem. That just left Scott.
I sat up and flipped my phone between my fingers. Scott didn’t like to be interrupted at work, but on the off chance he was free he might still get here in time for the auction. And I did like the idea of him seeing the house before I purchased it. It may bring him around to my point of view.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit his number and chewed my lip waiting for him to answer.
“Elizabeth, you do know what time it is, don’t you?” Irritation played in his tone.
“Hi, Scott. Sorry, have I called at a bad time?”
“It’s Monday, and I’m at work.”
“I kind of meant, did I interrupt a meeting or something?”
His long sigh made me cringe. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, today’s the day of the auction, and I was wondering if there was a chance you could attend it with me.”
“Have you spoken to my secretary about scheduling it in?”
I heard the distinct tapping of computer keys, and I could imagine the worried look in his soft grey eyes thinking he’d missed an appointment.
“No, of course I didn’t speak to Belinda about it. I just had the thought that maybe you’d like to do this with me. We could go out and celebrate later today and you could stay the night.” It had been a few weeks since we’d spent any quality time together, and I missed him.
“Elizabeth, you know how I feel about this. I understand why you want to move back to Westport, but you need to purchase a new build. Something that needs very little maintenance.”
“But you should see this house,” I whined.
“I’ve seen the photos. That was enough.”
“They don’t do it justice. If you walk through the halls, it’ll enchant you.”
“I very much doubt that.”
Fair point. Scott did like things neat and tidy.
I released a deep sigh. “So does that mean you won’t come with me?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have a client meeting in a couple of minutes.”
“All right. Well, thanks for the chat.”
“Oh! Before you go, did the dry cleaners get the stain out of my Ralph Lauren trousers?”
I knew when it was time to end the call. “Sorry, Scott. I have another call coming in. I think it might be the office needing info about a client file I was finishing up. I’ve got to get it. Talk soon!’
I hit the end call button, and as silence reverberated back to me, I threw the phone on the bed and stretched my neck. I hated lying to Scott, but I had my fingers crossed so that made it okay, right?
The call left me out of sorts. Scott only had my best interests at heart, and I could see where he was coming from in regards to the new build. But I was determined to transform the house into a thing of beauty once again. Well, I personally couldn’t do it but I had faith in the tradesmen that Google would find for me. I just had to get through the auction first.
With Scott out of the support equation that left me, myself, and I.
Could I do this alone? I wasn’t known for the best decision making, but I had managed to survive city life for nearly ten years now. I’d also managed to build myself a fairly average career. Sure, I could have been far more successful, but the problem was I had never really wanted anything. Not really wanted it. Not like this.
Every time I thought about the house and the life I could build for myself there, my heart beat just that little bit faster, my breath quickened, and a yearning behind my breastbone pulsed. So, was I going to give it all up just because I had no one to hold my hand? No way. Not today.
The fluttery feeling in my chest was pushed aside by my accelerated heart rate as I pulled myself up to my full height and stood.
Slipping on the black jacket, I grabbed my handbag before throwing my phone into it and striding toward the door. I could do this, right? I could buy a house on my own. It couldn’t be that hard. Didn’t you just wave your paddle around whenever you wanted to make a bid? Even I could do that.
Feeling encouraged, I was about to pull the door open and make my way into the sunshine, when my phone trilled from the depths of the abyss, AKA my bag.
“Hello,” I called after locating it among lost receipts and empty chocolate wrappers. How it had gotten that buried in such a short amount of time beat the heck out of me.
“Lizzie.” Grandma Mabel’s croaky voice echoed in my ear. “Danny just called me to ask about my night out with Eunice.” She chuckled. “It was a hoot. We met the hot barman that Molly told us about, and a lovely group of young men even bought us drinks.”
“Awesome.”
“Yeah, it was great until Eunice had a wardrobe malfunction and we were asked to leave the premises. Just don’t tell your mother about that bit, okay?”
“Umm, Grandma is there a point to this call?” I didn’t want to be rude, but I also didn’t have time to hear how her social life was better than mine.
“What? Oh, Danny’s upset that he can’t be with you today and asked me if I can take his place. I’d love to, but your mother’s gone to get her tax done, and your father’s not home. Can you come and pick me up?”
My sigh ruffled my hair.
“That was so nice of Danny.” Bloody brothers. If he thought that having Grandma along for the ride would put me off, he had another think coming.
“Yeah. He’s considerate like that. Now, can you come and get me? I heard that there’s going to be a big crowd, and I want to get a good viewing spot. Since we’re height challenged, we need to always be at the front or people won’t see us.”
That was true, and today of all days I did not want to be overlooked and not be visible to the auctioneer. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Thankfully, Grandma was waiting at the door when I arrived, so all I had to do was help her into the car and then put her wheelie walker in the back.
“You look lovely,” I commented, noting her knee-length black leather skirt that made her butt look non-existent, and the sparkly pink top accentuated the loose skin that once was an impressive cleavage. Thankfully, it was all hidden beneath her cable knit cardigan.
“I’m excited about this,” Grandma proclaimed as I nosed the car in the direction of May Street. “It’s not every day that I witness my granddaughter buy a house. And besides. I might just get on the news.”
I jolted. “What? Why do you think you’ll be on the news?”
“Because they were talking about this auction last night. It was one of those filler pieces. The reporter was saying how the house is cursed what with the first agent falling out of the window. Then that woman got run over out the front, and now the second agent has gone missing.”
Pulling the car to a stop at the red light, I snapped my head toward her.
“Hang on. Bob’s missing?”
“Apparently.”
“But he was only at the house on Friday. True he left suddenly, but I never thought he was missing.”
Grandma shrugged. “I’m just telling you what they said.”
“Well, did they say what they think has happened to Bob? Did he go on holiday? Did he go mad? Get abducted by aliens?”
“All I know is that they said the house is cursed. But I think that will go in your favor. It should keep the sane people away.”
“Are you saying I’m not sane?” The light turned green, and feeling slightly dizzy, I depressed the accelerator,
“You’re as sane as I am, Lizzie.”
Oh boy.
“Well, for what it’s worth I don’t think the house is cursed,” I added, adamant. “I just think it needs someone to love it.”
Grandma’s teeth clunked as she swished them around. “I had a house like that once. It was the first house your grandad and I purchased. It was only tiny, but it fitted the two of us, and we were happy in it. It was our little love nest.”
“That’s so sweet. Do we have any photos of it? I can’t recall ever seeing it.”
“Nah. We couldn’t afford a camera back then. Cute little thing it was, though.”
“What happened to it? Did you outgrow it?”
“Termites ate the frame, and the roof fell in on us while we were sleeping.”
Oh geez.
I gulped hard as the butterfly circus in my belly started an award-winning performance.
“Grandma, do you think I’m doing the right thing buying this house? Everything on paper says I should buy a new build. It would need no renovation, and I can move straight in.” My voice cracked on the last word.
She reached across and touched my knee. “Lizzie, tell me why you love it.”
Taking a deep breath, I attempted to convey my emotions. “I feel a kindred spirit with this property. It’s like it’s calling my name.”
I expected Grandma to roll her eyes, but instead she nodded. “Then you need to buy it. The Universe wouldn’t send it to you if it didn’t have a purpose.”
“I never pegged you to believe in that universe stuff.” I smiled.
“I’ve learned a lot in my years, Lizzie. But the thing that stands out to me the most is never ever argue with the Universe. It knows what it’s doing.”
As I pulled the car to a stop outside the house in question and noted the crowd that had started to gather, I sure hoped it did.
“Hi, Bianca.” My heels dug into the dirt when I stepped on to the remains of the front lawn. I raised a hand, shielding my eyes from the bright sunlight.
“Oh, hi. It’s Lizzie, right?” She checked her tablet as her friendly smile radiated.
“That’s me.”
“Fantastic. Yes, I have it here that you’re registered to bid today, which is excellent. I think we’re going to have a good crowd, despite some of them being here out of morbid curiosity. I’m unsure whether the news piece last night was a hindrance or a blessing.” Her nervous laugh quivered on the breeze.
“I just heard about that. What happened to Bob?”
She rolled her eyes so far into her head, I wondered if she were passing out. “What would I know? I’m just the assistant. All I know for sure is that I received a phone call on Friday night from him stating that he was quitting on the spot and I needed to get to the house ASAP.”
“That’s when he disappeared?” My mouth dropped open and a fly nearly buzzed in. Yeww.
“Yes. Ever since he took over from Zac he’s not been coping with the stress of this house. We all thought he was going to have a weekend without a phone, but when his wife called us yesterday wondering when he was coming home from the retreat, we started to question what was really going on.”
“I’m guessing there was no retreat.”
“Nope.” She frowned.
“So, Bob has gone, and not even his family knows where he went?”
Her silky-smooth hair tumbled around her shoulders as she shook her head.
I bit my lip looking up at the house. “Did he say anything to Elijah before he left?”
“Nothing to indicate where he was going.”
“Why did he leave mid-viewing?”
“I honestly have no idea. He just called me in a panic stating there was a prospective buyer in the house, and he had to leave immediately. I was to get there as quickly as I could, but one of my kids was feeling unwell, so I called Elijah and asked him to go instead.”
“I think I was the person in the house, but if Bob needed to go so urgently, he could have just asked me to leave.”
“Don’t stress, Lizzie. Bob hasn’t been his usual self lately. I’m sure when this auction is over, he’ll come back with a smile on his face.”
“Well… I guess if no one’s worried then I shouldn’t be either.”
“Of course not! Bob’s never been a fan of hard work. Thankfully, I have Elijah for that.” Her grin was large and fast as we turned to look across the lawn at Elijah greeting some new bidders.
“He’s really, umm, enthusiastic.” I was going to say creepy, but that felt rude.
“That’s one way to describe him.” She beamed. “He just started with the company, and I don’t think they knew what to do with him.” Bianca shrugged. “He seems pretty interested in the house though, so that’s a good start, right?”
As I scanned the crowd meandering around the grounds, my stomach cramped. “Are there many registered bidders today?”
“Not as many as we originally thought. Honestly, they’re dropping like flies.”
Well, that was kind of good news.
She went on. “Everyone’s getting scared. They think the house is either cursed or haunted—which to be honest, if you’re thinking that now, it’s probably a good thing if you don’t buy it.”
My laugh danced on a ripple of nervous energy.
A vertical crease appeared between her brows as she bit her lip. “You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?”
I shook my head before smiling at her. “Of course not!” If I didn’t believe they were real then they couldn’t visit me, right? “Nothing about this house scares me. I’m just hoping I win the bidding and it will be mine!”
Bianca blinked rapidly as she sucked in a fast breath. “Lizzie, you look like a lovely person. Are you sure this is the place for you?”
Not another doubter.
“It’s fine Bianca. I know what I’m getting into.”
“I don’t think you do.” She moved closer as she lowered her voice. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but this house has a lot of problems. You should consider staying away.”
I laughed nervously. “You’re the agent. You should be professing the benefits of purchasing it.”
“I know I should. But I would hate for anything bad to happen to you.”
“Why would it?”
“Because, well, look at everything that’s happened so far. Wouldn’t you be better off with a new build? I have a list of some gorgeous apartments overlooking the river.”
If I heard that one more time…
“Thanks for your concern. But it’s nothing a good saging won’t fix.” I laughed, only Bianca stared back at me blank-faced. “You know… when you light the sage and allow the smoke to banish the demons.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, never heard of it. But honestly it doesn’t sound like it will fix what’s wrong with this place.”
“It was a joke. Never mind. I might go for a quick look around the grounds before the auction starts.” I wanted to distance myself from her before her nerves rubbed off on me and made me question my decision.
“Of course! You should check the outbuilding in the back yard. See what you’re really signing up for.” She looked at her watch. “We aren’t scheduled to start for another fifteen minutes, so take your time.”
She nodded toward the auctioneer as he chatted to the Westport Television News reporter. The last thing I wanted to do was be on the news. So I moved away from Bianca, my gaze falling to Grandma Mabel. I’d left her on one of the chairs set up under the large tree shading the front yard. She sat ramrod straight, her skirt showing more knee than I thought appropriate for an afternoon auction, and her smile was fixated on an elderly gentleman standing alongside the elegant blonde with the gorgeous Louboutins that I’d had a very intimate rendezvous with.
Grandma looked happy with her eye candy, so I headed for the side of the house, wanting to check out the building Bianca had referred to.
The garden was pretty sparse around the back, and even plants that had a strong will to live were mostly bare. Some I guessed were deciduous and affected by winter, but mostly they looked neglected.
That was fine by me. I wasn’t much of a gardener, barely keeping a desk plant alive. But I was willing to give it a go. And surely, I couldn’t make them look worse than they already did?
As I tiptoed across the dead lawn, attempting to keep Molly’s heels from being ruined, I noted the designer suit-wearing agent pacing. The dust he was kicking up clouded the shine on his black leather shoes. He was in deep conversation on his cell phone with someone about bidding strategies and why they should bid more than they were proposing. I should have stayed close by and eavesdropped, but the decrepit building lurking in the back corner of the garden caught my attention.
As I walked toward it, I saw the suited agent glaring after me, and a shiver ran down my spine. Thank goodness a shrub next to the side entrance of the garage shielded me from his stare. Any longer under its rays and I would have withered, given up on the auction, and run for the hills. I didn’t like conflict, and stopping someone else from reaching their dreams genuinely upset me, which was why purchasing via auction really wasn’t my thing. But anything worthwhile never came easy, right?
Hiding behind the shrubbery, I swallowed hard, took a moment to gather my thoughts, and had a good look at the building. It was made of the same timber cladding as the house, but unlike the white house, it had been painted gray at some point in time. What the two buildings did share was that the paint was cracked and peeling, and the guttering looked a bit wonky. The side door was ajar, and it creaked and groaned as I pulled it back and stepped into the darkened interior.
Blinking, I allowed my eyes to adjust to the inside as I flipped my phone between my fingers, enjoying the texture and allowing it to soothe my nerves.
My footsteps disturbed years of dirt, and I coughed against the dust particles dancing in the beam of light. My gaze skimmed the room, but there wasn’t a lot to see other than cobwebs, mouse dirt, and a snakeskin dangling precariously from the rafters.
I guessed this garage had never been built to house a car, more as a storage room slash workshop. But right now, the floor looked like it might just give way under my weight. I halted as the boards groaned.
Oh geez, what if I fell through the broken boards? Would anyone know I was stuck?
Oh yeah, Grandma Mabel would notice me missing.
Placing my hand over my racing heart, I slowed my breathing and stared up at the unpainted ceiling clearly seeing the water marks from years of the tin roof leaking. The cracked windows were opaque with dirt, and the walls leaned precariously to the left. No wonder Bianca thought I should run away.
Worried that at any minute the building could fall on my head, I took three steps backward, ready to make my escape and head back to the auction when something ginger and furry jumped out from the shadows. It hit me in the chest.
“Argh!” I squealed, tripping over my own feet and falling onto my backside. Dirt ground into the flesh on my outstretched hands. My phone smashed to the floor and skidded to a halt somewhere out of reach.
“What the heck!” I yelled, wondering if the pain shooting through my chest was actually a heart attack. Spinning on my bottom, I scowled at a fluffy ginger cat sauntering toward the door, seemingly happy with what he’d done.
It took a moment to regain control of my bladder, before struggling with Molly’s strappy heels to get back onto my feet. She was going to kill me when she saw what I’d done to her dress. Rubbing my hands together, I tried to remove some of the dust before patting the dirt from my backside, and then searched for my phone. Thankfully it didn’t take long to find it against the far wall.
As I hurriedly picked it up, I tapped the screen, waiting for it to illuminate, when my attention was grabbed by the creaking of the door behind me.
I jumped and pivoted, noting the shadow filling the door frame, the sunlight silhouetting the figure of a woman.
“Hello?” If I was this jumpy now, how was I going to cope if I won the auction and had to live here?
“Lizzie, there you are!” Bianca’s voice was music to my ears. To be honest, the old garage had been giving off creepy vibes, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. “What are you doing? Is your phone okay?”
“A feral cat scared me, and I dropped it.”
“Oh no, I hope you didn’t break it.”
I pushed the button to start it back up, quickly realizing that even though it lit up, the screen now held a million cracks and showed me nothing other than a white facade.
“I’m never that lucky.” A deep sigh rattled my rib cage.
“That’s such a shame.” She pushed the door closed behind her, and the distinct sound of a lock clunking into place echoed through the gloom.
Well, that was weird.
“Umm, it doesn’t matter,” I replied, feeling wrong-footed. “I was due for a new one anyway. Do you have the time? I probably should be getting back to the auction.”
“Oh sure. But don’t worry, you’ve got ages before it starts. Oliver the auctioneer is caught up on the phone, so he’ll start late. That’s what I came to tell you.”
I still didn’t want to risk it. “I should check on Grandma too.”
“She’s fine. Busy chatting with Elijah.” Bianca moved across the floor and into my personal space. “I wonder what this old building was used for.”
“A workshop maybe.”
“Possibly.” She sighed, and an awkward silence filled the space between us.
“Well, maybe I’ll go and find a seat before the auction starts. There’s nothing to see out here anyway.” I moved forward, ready to step around her, but was blocked as she changed direction and stopped in front of me.
I giggled and stepped to the right. She followed, and for a few moments we played the game of stepping into each other’s path.
“I’m so sorry.” I laughed again, taking a large step backward.
“It’s no problem,” she said, following me, her unsteady breath tickling my cheek.
“Umm, Bianca, what are you doing?” My stomach churned as my fingers began to tingle, and a buzzing sound started inside my head.
“Stalling for time.”
“But I’m going to miss the auction.”
“That’s the point.”
I instinctively backed up, hitting the wall behind me. “Why would you want to do that?” My tongue suddenly felt three sizes too big as all the saliva in my mouth dried up with my adrenaline spike.
“Because the man I work for wants this house for himself, and it’s imperative no one stops that from happening.”
“Westport Property Sales wants to buy it?” That made no sense at all.
“Of course not!” she snapped. “My other boss. He whom I shall not name.” Her chuckle danced down my spine, causing some very unpleasant goosebumps to erupt.
“I’ll give you your due though, Lizzie. You’re persistent.” When she glared down at me, I was suddenly aware how much taller she was. “I thought you’d back off after Zac fell out the window. I mean, the whole haunted house thing certainly put a handful of other buyers off.”
“But… but Zac’s fall was an accident. Why would that put me off?” I gulped as I tried to control my heart rate.
“It was no accident. He was pushed.”
“You pushed Zac out the window?”
“No! What do you think I am? Some kind of monster? That was someone else’s job.”
My hand shook as my knees became rubbery, and I held the wall for support.
“Wow, your boss must really want this house,” I whispered, scouring the room for exits.
It was her turn to sigh. “He does. Lord knows why, but my job is to ensure that he gets what he wants. You, however, seem the most persistent. I got that pesky neighbor to back off easily enough by reminding her of what happened to the previous owner.”
“What did happen to the previous owner?” I swallowed against the tremble in my voice.
“Let’s not get caught up on details, shall we. The point is you need to stay here until the auction is over.”
“But…but…”
“But nothing. I don’t like what’s happening any more than you do, but we all do what we have to do, right?” She bounced on her feet, wringing her hands together as her gaze darted around me.
“What exactly is… umm… happening?”
“Nothing! Nothing is happening. That’s the point. I don’t want anything else happening. So please shut up and stay quiet, and this will all be over soon enough. Even though…” Her eyes looked wild and slightly deranged as they turned and locked onto mine. “When this auction is over you won’t tell anyone that I stopped you buying it will you?”
“Umm…”
“Look, it was bad enough that I had to deal with Bob. I liked him, and I told him to stay away from this listing. There’s plenty of other houses in Westport that he could have sold and left this all to me. But he wanted the commission. It’s all he could think about.”
“Deal with Bob? What happened to him exactly? Did you scare him away?” I needed a way out and inched along the wall until I was able to turn my body toward the door. Now, if only Bianca wouldn’t notice.
She’d dropped her head into her hands and was rubbing her forehead furiously. “When I learned that Bob was showing the house to even more perspective buyers, I knew he had to be stopped. I called him Friday night and here he was—showing you and that blonde the house for a second time. I had to move to plan B. So, I called Elijah and said Bob had gone AWOL and he needed to be here to get both of you to leave. I didn’t need to worry Elijah would accidentally do a good job and sell the house to you. Poor Elijah isn’t that smart. The guy couldn’t sell ice in a heat wave.”
“But where is Bob now?” My blood pressure pulsed rapidly at my neck, and I shivered against the cold sweat dampening my brow.
“Nowhere you need to worry about. Life has been very stressful for Bob, and everyone will believe his suicide note.”
“You killed him?” Stifling my scream, I edged slowly closer to the door.
“Well, no, not me per se. Like I said, that’s someone else’s job. Don’t look so shocked. It was Bob’s fault! He just wouldn’t stop showing this house to more and more people! I told him to leave it alone. I had a buyer who would pay anything he needed to. What more did Bob want?”
I shrugged, stalling her until I figured a way out.
Bianca went on. “What he wanted was to see this house restored, and as you were the only registered bidder who wanted to do that, he was insisting you get a chance at winning the auction.”
God love him. “How did you get him to leave?”
“I told him there was a break-in at the office, he was needed, and I was sending Elijah to take over for him. After that, my associate stepped in and finished the job. Look, I don’t like it any more than you do, all right?”
“What about the blonde?” I croaked. “Looks like she’ll stop at nothing to win the auction.”
Bianca waved her hand dismissively. “She didn’t raise the required capital and is no longer a threat. She’s only here to spectate.”
“There’s still the suited agent. He looked pretty keen on winning for his client.” I was now only a few feet from the doorway. All I needed to do was unlock it, run, and I’d be safe. Could I keep her distracted long enough?
Bianca laughed nervously. “His client is my boss. He didn’t want to be here today, so he sent his representative. Of course, the client wants to follow along to ensure that the bidding looks legit. But if no one other than my colleague is there to bid, then my boss not only wins the property but gets it for an amazing price.”
She had it all worked out.
“Why does he want this house so badly he would allow people to be killed for it? And why would you do that for him?”
Bianca paled and swayed on her heels. “He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants, Lizzie. Nothing!” Weariness pushed her bravado aside, and fear trembled in her voice. “I have no idea why he wants it, but if I don’t succeed, my family is at stake.”
“But killing someone?”
“I didn’t kill anyone! I’m not like that. I’ve worked hard to get where I am today. I’ve always treated people with kindness, and I donate to the animal shelter. But when a man turns up at my daughter’s day care and pretends to be her uncle, threatening me that next time he will take her and hurt her, I listen and do what I’m told. And all I did was arrange to have people in the right place at the right time.” Fear pushed tears over Bianca’s lashes, and she hurriedly swiped them away.
“You could have gone to the police and had them stopped.”
“You have no idea who we’re dealing with. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. Which is why I need to keep you from bidding. Bloody hell, Lizzie! Why didn’t you leave this all alone when my colleague left that note on your windshield? That tactic scared off three other bidders. Why not you?”
“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “I should have taken notice.”
“Yes! You should have. I quite like you, and it’s really going to pain me to make this call.” She swiped her phone open, ready to hit dial. I had no idea who she was calling, but I instinctively knew it wasn’t going to end well for me.
“You don’t need to do that! I’ll leave and wipe this from my memory. There’re plenty of other houses I can buy,” I lied.
“Really?”
“Of course.” I prayed my tone didn’t sound as fake as my smile.
“Hmm, why don’t I believe you? Maybe I should tie you up until my colleague gets here.” She lowered the phone as her gaze swept the room. “Up the back. That looks like a good place to leave you.”
I allowed her to take a few steps toward the destination before I diverted and ran for the door. My heart raced with every step, and adrenalin surged through my veins, but the heels slowed my movements and Bianca caught on a lot quicker than I’d hoped. She rushed toward me and grabbed my hair, pulling me deeper into the darkness. I screamed. She only released her hold when we reached the back wall and she grasped my shoulder, pushing me to the ground.
“That really hurt!” I cried.
“That’s the least of my worries. Now stop your whining and sit still so I can tie you up.”
Like that was going to happen. Scrambling to my knees, I attempted to crawl away from her. “You’re a maniac and involved with killing people. You need to be stopped!”
“Yes, and once this damned auction is over, it will stop. I plan on taking my family and moving far, far away so that my boss can never find us again!”
Movement over Bianca’s shoulder caught my attention, and as she scrambled through her bag, I allowed my gaze to stop on the side window.
I stifled a cry, relief flooding my body as Grandma’s face filled the dirty glass.
Last year she’d had her cataracts fixed, and since then she had the distance vision of a hawk. Now, if only hawks could see through dirty glass into a darkened room and figure out their granddaughter needed help.
Unfortunately, it seemed they couldn’t.
But Grandma’s presence had alerted Bianca, and as she whirled to see what it was, I took full advantage of the situation, kicking the back of her knee.
She cried as it gave way, and she stumbled to stay upright. However, I saw an opportunity and pushed up, launching myself at her, before knocking her to the ground.
She fell, her head hitting the boards with a loud crack as my full weight and momentum squashed her.
Hurriedly I rolled off, preparing my defenses, when I realized that she wasn’t moving.
Oh my goodness! I hadn’t killed her, had I?
I didn’t wait to find out. Instead, I sprinted for the door as fast as a skintight dress and high heels would allow. Unlocking it, I stepped into the brilliant sunlight and blinked.
“What on earth is going on?” Grandma demanded, her teeth nearly popping out of her mouth.
My hand shook as I pulled the door closed behind me and fumbled to relock it from the outside. Only as I heard the clunk did I look at Grandma, before giving her a hug.
“You, you saved me.” My voice shook, matching my knees as I gave Grandma the shortened version of events.
“I think I might have killed her.” Tears welled behind my lashes, as Grandma Mabel moved past me and peered through the glass.
“Nah. I can see her twitching.”
Oh, thank God.
“Now don’t you worry about her,” Grandma demanded, her thumb jabbing toward the door. “I’ll keep guard here. The auction is about to start, and you need to get there. I’ll call the police and tell them what’s what.”
I pulled her close for another hug. I didn’t have a lot of time, and after everything that had happened, I wondered whether I should forget the auction and buy something else. But then an image of Bob ran through my mind, and Bianca’s words played across it. Bob wanted the house to be restored, and even though I didn’t know the details, he’d lost his life because of it. I owed it to him to at least try.
“Okay. But you have to come with me. I’m not leaving you here in case she gets out and hurts you.”
“All right. But you go ahead, and I’ll follow as fast as my walker will allow.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Now get going or you’ll miss out.”
I kissed the papery skin on her cheek before giving her a weak smile. Adrenaline filled my veins as everything happened at speed, and I took off running toward the front of the house.
What I didn’t anticipate was the suited agent, standing in the driveway, still talking on his phone. As we collided, his phone fell, getting lost in the jumble of gravel, Italian leather shoes, and Molly’s stilettos.
It was only as the crunch of glass was drowned by his cursing that I realized my heel was wedged in the screen.
“I’m so sorry.” Scrambling to remove it, I checked for damage, but quickly realized that spiked heels were lethal. “I’m so, so sorry.”
He snatched the phone from me, calling me names I couldn’t repeat.
“Don’t you talk to my granddaughter like that!” Grandma yelled, as she marched across the grass. “She’s a lady, and that’s no way to speak to a lady. You need to learn some manners.”
I probably did deserve a few of the words he’d chosen, but I got her point and loved that she was on my team no matter what.
Choosing not to hang around to watch the fallout, I slowed my pace and continued to the front of the house, just as the auctioneer announced the auction had started and asked for the first bid.
I pulled to a wobbly halt at the front of the crowd, noting the WTN reporter frowning at me and the blood trickling from my dirty, scraped knees. Ignoring it all, I closed my eyes, adjusted my dress, took a deep breath and raised my hand.
“Well, that was an eventful afternoon,” said Grandma as Constable Jonathan Smith of the Westport Police department pushed Bianca into the back of his patrol car.
Grandma had her fifteen minutes of fame as she recounted events to the WTN reporter, but she was now safely sitting on the seat of her walker, glaring at nosy neighbor Hazel staring over the fence.
“What happened to the real estate agent? You know, the one whose phone you broke?” Danny asked.
Once the auction was over and the police had arrived, I’d called him to come and get Grandma. Besides, he never would have forgiven me if he’d missed all the action.
I shrugged. “I saw him slinking off during the auction. If what Bianca told me is right, then if I were him, I’d be packing my bags and moving interstate. Their boss didn’t sound like a nice guy.”
“What about the man with the scar?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t actually see him here today.”
“So, do you think the house is really cursed? As the new owner you’d want to be sure that it’s not,” added Danny.
I still couldn’t believe that I’d won the bidding, and that I now owned the house. Turning to admire it in the late afternoon light, I sighed contentedly.
“It’s not cursed,” I replied with a smile.
“Yeah, sure. Whatever gets you through the night. Now let’s go and have a celebratory drink,” called Danny, his grin large and fast.
“I’d love to join you, but I need to get home,” said Grandma. “Your mother will be missing me, and I need to make a few calls. The girls from Bingo aren’t going to believe it when they see me on the six o’clock news.”
“Would you mind dropping her home?” I asked. “I’d like to stay here for a few more minutes. You know, just to soak it all in.”
I wasn’t allowed the keys until the bank had transferred the money and all the legal stuff had been processed, but the auctioneer had kindly told me that I could hang around for a while if I wanted to.
“All right. We’ll meet you at the Grinning Dog in about half an hour.”
I stood on the footpath and helped Grandma into the back of Danny’s car, waving them goodbye until they disappeared down the street.
Only then did I turn to the house I now owned and released a gentle breath. Heat flushed my face as a delicious thrill flipped in my belly, and I leaned against the fence. My fence. It still didn’t feel real.
Despite everything that had happened, I’d done it. I’d faced the day and all its challenges, and I’d won. I’d actually won! Maybe Grandma was right and the Universe really did know what it was doing.
I gave an excited squeal, enjoying the colors of the afternoon playing across the windowpanes and imagining everything this house would be.
“You won’t be lonely anymore,” I whispered to it. “You’ve got me now, and I’m going to ensure that you will be happy once again.”
Only as the sun dipped below the rooflines, did I reluctantly move to my car, looking forward to an evening with my siblings and fantasizing about my new home.
I started the motor but froze as a shiver ran up my spine when a black Toyota silently pulled to a stop across the road, reminding me Bianca never did explain what happened to the previous owner, or why someone wanted the house so badly they would kill for it.
Dangerous Deeds
Lizzie ~ Book 1