Bodies & Buried Secrets: A Rosewood Place Mystery (Rosewood Place Mysteries Book 1) (8 page)

Dinner was awkward. They ate on the veranda where it was cool and relatively uncluttered, but they didn’t seem to enjoy the gorgeous view of the fields and farmland surrounding them. No one wanted to discuss the fact that Bessie was obviously right, but in the end, Devon had the best solution.

“Mom, hear me out. You dragged me out to the middle of nowhere to live and now suddenly there are like, dead bodies popping up everywhere. And this house has, like, secret tunnels and stuff.”

Annie looked at Bessie accusingly. “Go on.”

“So, what if that murdered lady and the dead guy in the barn were looking for something that was hidden here on the property?” He took a sip of his soda and pushed his plate away from him. “You said this house was really old. Maybe whoever owned it before hid something valuable here, like a treasure.” Devon’s face lit up as he spoke. Clearly, he’d given his theory a lot of thought. “You know those boring antique shows Grandma Bessie watches? Maybe that woman thought there were some serious antiques in the house and she wanted to get to them first.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Devon. I’m pretty sure the former owners would have cleared anything of value out when they moved. The house has only been empty for ten years, so lots of people probably lived here since it was built. I’m guessing the former owners would have taken anything valuable with them when they left.” Annie was happy that Devon was finally excited about the new house, but she just wished his excitement hadn’t stemmed from two unsolved deaths on the property.

“Okay, so what if they were looking for treasure? A real treasure, like a pirate’s treasure.” His sixteen-year-old face suddenly looked like that of a ten-year-old’s again. “Remember when I was little and I was obsessed with pirate stories?”

Annie nodded. She’d spent many hours searching all of New York City for pirate-themed gifts and decorations for his room, only to have him grow out of the phase a few short months later.

“Well, I read lots of stories about Blackbeard. He lived in North Carolina, that’s not too far from here. But he travelled all up and down South Carolina, too. And he wasn’t the only pirate who did, so one of them could have buried their treasure right here on our land.”

“Well, now,” exclaimed Bessie, setting her own plate down. She’d been holding the plate and eating in the wooden rocker on the veranda since the dining room table wasn’t yet put together. “That would be exciting, wouldn’t it?”

Annie stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, son, but I highly doubt that there’s any pirate treasure around here. We’re hours away from the ocean, and I doubt that any treasure hidden around here would have stayed hidden for that long.”

Rory nodded. “As much as I’d love to believe your theory, Devon, I have to agree with your mom. I’ve read a lot about pirates, too. I actually think Blackbeard’s treasure was a little different than most people think.”

Devon responded. “Let me guess, you read the theory that he was smuggling slaves up into North Carolina, and that was his real treasure, not a cargo full of gold and jewels.”

Rory was surprised by Devon’s knowledge about Blackbeard. “Actually, yeah, I did. And I think it makes good sense since most pirates spent all their loot on booze and, um, loose women.” He looked sheepishly at Annie, afraid he’d said something inappropriate, but she just sat there, listening to the conversation. “Don’t forget, pirates were mostly just stealing to get by, day-to-day. Some may have gotten lucky and got their hands on loot, but I’m guessing they spent most of that whenever they came onto dry land.”

Devon thought about this for a moment. “Maybe,” he relented, “but I’m still convinced that that lady was looking for something in this house. Whatever it was, it was valuable enough for someone else to murder her for it.”

Annie laughed. “Listen to you two! Suzy Anderson was not looking for pirate treasure when she was murdered, that’s just ridiculous. I don’t know why she was here, but the real reason she was killed has to be something a little less far-fetched than ‘she was looking for Blackbeard’s loot.’”

“Well, why else would she be so determined to get her hands on this property?” Bessie leaned forward and gave her daughter a questioning look. “Makes perfect sense to me,” she added before rising from her chair. “I’m going to wash up these few dishes and get me some shut eye,” the old woman continued. “Now that I’ve at least got a real mattress to lie on, I’m going to feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

There was a silence after her statement that made Annie uncomfortable, but Bessie just laughed. “Oops! I guess that really wasn’t the best choice of words, was it?” She disappeared into the house, leaving Annie alone with Rory and Devon. The guys kept debating the likelihood of pirate treasure being found on the property, and Rory offered to bring a metal detector to aid in their search.

“Ahem,” Annie intoned, tapping her foot impatiently on the porch. “You two are going to be way too busy renovating this place to look for buried treasure. Rory, I’m going to need you to help me with the attic door tomorrow. I need to see what’s up there before I decide which rooms are going to be used for guests.” She gave Devon the quickest of winks. “If the attic is livable, that frees up one more room for paying guests, and I have a feeling we’ll need all of those we can get.”

Rory agreed. “I need to get up there anyway and check the wiring. Wouldn’t want an electrical fire to burn this place to the ground before you guys can get it back to its former glory.” He stretched out his legs and rose to his feet, wiping the dust from the veranda steps off his backside. Annie caught herself admiring the view a little too much, and quickly looked away.

Devon jumped to his feet. “I’m going in, Rory, Mom, I’ll take your plates for you. I know you have a lot of catching up to do,” Devon volunteered, reaching for Annie’s plate before she could reply. “And I really hope the attic is livable,” he added, hope filling his eyes. “It would be so cool to have my own attic room.” He didn’t press the matter, knowing full-well that Annie wouldn’t commit to an answer until she’d seen the room for herself.

Annie watched her son disappear into the house. “Did he actually just seem happy to be here?” She looked at Rory for a response, but he just shrugged. She took a deep breath and let it out with a long sigh. “This has been, without a doubt, one of the longest days of my life.” She looked at Rory and smiled. “Thank you for taking on all of this,” she gestured to the house, with crooked shutters and missing boards on the veranda’s floor. It definitely needed a lot of work before it would be comfortable, let alone be ready for use as a bed and breakfast.

“I just know that if we work really hard, we can transform this old place into something amazing.” In her head, she added,
and maybe I can turn my life into something amazing, too.

“I’ve always been enthralled by your optimism, Annie. You always had a knack for looking at a run-down thing and seeing the possibility in it.” He gave a lopsided smile. “I reckon you get that from your mother.” Annie nodded, and Rory changed the subject. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I think Devon’s right. At least, he’s right about finding out more about this place’s history. What did your realtor tell you about it?”

“Well,” Annie began, “she didn’t really tell me much at all. I gave her my budget, told her I wanted a place we could turn into a nice bed and breakfast, and she gave me a list of three properties. The other two were much nicer, but much more expensive. This one,” she waved her arm around like she was presenting the property as some sort of prize on a game show, “met my criteria. And the owners were dead, which helped speed things along nicely.”

Rory’s ears perked up. “Dead? I thought the old man who lived here last went to Florida to retire?”

“Oh, he did,” Annie replied. “Debbie, my realtor, told me that he spent his last years down there soaking up the sun, but he died two years ago. He had no family left, so the county was just sort of holding the property.” She leaned forward and whispered loudly, “I probably shouldn’t have been able to buy this property, but Debbie knows a guy, so we closed on it very quickly.”

“Well, it’s good to know people,” Rory replied, scratching the back of his head. “So the former owner, he lived here for a few decades?”

“I guess. I mean, I don’t really know. I do know that this place was called the Rosewood Plantation at some point, though I'm not really sure why. I asked my realtor but she didn't seem to know much about the place, either. It wasn’t a very successful plantation back then, I guess, and the house has been added onto throughout the years, so it’s not as traditional as some plantation homes. I guess that’s why no one wanted it but me.”

Rory nodded. “I remember when I was a boy, these fields were clear. Sometimes I’d see horses in them.” He scanned the surrounding lands in the dying evening light. The house was surrounded by brush grass, waist-high weeds, and brambles in most place. “You’ll need to get a bush hog up here to clear all this back,” he added. “I don’t have one, but I can drive one if you need me to.”

“Who knows what’s hiding under all this?” Annie agreed. “As long as it’s not another dead body, I think we’ll be good.” She stretched out her own legs, then stood and yawned. Her muscles were stiff from exertion, and the stress of the day suddenly seemed to hit her. “I’m going to tell the police to just wake me up if they need me,” she said through another yawn. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Rory nodded, and picked his way down the steps, avoiding the two that were missing boards. “Hey, Annie,” he called out, just before she disappeared into the house. “Lock the doors tonight, would you?” Annie nodded, and continued into the house, while Rory headed into his little camper trailer to try and get some sleep.

The next day was a Saturday, and it was a beautiful specimen of South Carolina springtime. Birds sang their little hearts out, a cool breeze blew the tops of the weeds in the fields, and the sound of nothing but nature greeted Annie when she stepped out on the back steps. No blue lights in sight, she sighed and hoped for a peaceful, productive day in her new home.

Annie beat Bessie at rising by a good twenty minutes, though she supposed her mother was hesitant to come downstairs first after her gruesome discovery the day before. Annie couldn’t help but notice that the floor in the kitchen was particularly clean. Bessie must have mopped it three or four times the day before, undoubtedly trying to clear up the memories of finding Suzy’s body.

A note was propped up on the top step of the little set of steps leading outside from the kitchen. Annie picked it up on her way back inside and opened it as she drank her coffee. It was from Delbert, asking her to call the station when she had a chance. Annie noted that he’d included his own cell phone number as well as the number for the station, and she suspected that this was a ploy to get her to call him personally. She sighed. The man was probably ten years younger than she was, and definitely not her type, but she didn’t want to hurt the poor man’s feelings. After all, he did come running twice when she’d called, and for that, she was grateful.

She checked her watch and figured that at six-fifteen in the morning, it was probably too early to call Delbert back. It was also too early to call the cable company back about having her cable television and internet services switched on, which didn’t bother her in the least but seemed to be aggravating Devon to no end. He’d complained about not being able to use his phone to stream videos (Annie simply wouldn’t pay for that much data, it was far too expensive) and with no television to keep him from being bored, Annie knew the best thing for him would be to spend time unpacking and settling into his new room. The problem with that was that she didn’t know exactly which room that would be.

Once Rory was awake Annie planned on putting him to work in the attic. That is, once they got the attic door to open. It was stuck tight, though the doorknob turned freely, and Annie worried that it was stuck because the door was warped. The roof did have some leaks, including one near the attic door. If the leak was bad enough, it could mean that there was a lot of damage to the structure of the home, though Rory had assured her that his assessment of the roof didn’t show any major signs of leaks or damage. Still, she supposed they’d know more once the door was opened and she could deal with any problems as and when they occurred.

A shuffling sound announced Bessie’s presence before she actually arrived in the kitchen, fully dressed and seeking out the source of the scent of coffee that now filled the antebellum farmhouse. “Oh, coffee! Wherefore art thou, coffee?” She chuckled to herself as she poured a mug of piping hot brew. “Good morning, Annie, dear!”

Annie cocked one eyebrow suspiciously. “You’re awfully chipper this morning. What’s gotten into you, and can I have some of whatever is making you so darned perky
before coffee
?”

Bessie waved her daughter’s comment away. “Stuff and nonsense, darling. I am a firm believer that we get what we send out into the world, so I try and be a positive influence whenever I can.” She scooped three spoonfuls of sugar into the coffee and poured in a dash of powdered creamer. “Annie, I do believe that I am going to go to the grocery store this morning. It’s time we filled this kitchen up with food so we can start living properly in this place, not just stumble around over boxes and eat whatever I can scrape up.”

Annie laughed. “You cooked fried potatoes and cornbread last night, mother. But you make it sound like you had to forage for the ingredients out in the field. You’re insane, woman.”

Bessie harumphed. “You won’t be saying that when you get to eat a proper meal tonight.” She paused for a moment, then added, “I was thinking of inviting Devon to ride with me. Do you think he’d like to accompany his dear old granny into town?”

Annie thought for a moment. “I’m really not sure. It would be nice for you two to spend some time together, but he’s a typical teenager, he probably won’t be up until noon unless I make him.”

Bessie laughed. “You were the same way. I remember your father used to say that all teenagers are like dead bodies until the sun was high in the sky.”

Annie grinned. “That’s not completely true. I was always up by nine...or ten, most weekends.”

Bessie peered out the window above the kitchen sink. “Oh, look, Rory’s up.” She waved her hand wildly for a few seconds. “He’s coming over. We can all have coffee together!”

Annie groaned. “Mama, I’m not even dressed!” She still wore the same tshirt and shorts that she’d worn to bed, and her hair looked as though it had tried to run away from her head sometime during the night. She tried to smooth her hair down, but it was having none of that, so she gave up and plopped herself down in one of the kitchen chairs Rory had unpacked for them. The table stood against a wall, waiting for its legs to be located and put back on. Annie couldn’t wait until the house started to feel put together again. She hated being surrounded by boxes of things and furniture that was in pieces. She’d felt as though her life was on hold since the day her husband died, and she was ready to exhale the old, tired breath she’d been holding in so patiently ever since.

Giving herself only a moment in the chair, Annie swigged the rest of her coffee and stood up again, mentally preparing herself for the day. Her mother may have been a natural morning person, but Annie definitely was not. However, now that she’d armed herself with at least one cup of coffee, she did feel ready to at least deal with having breakfast with her mother and her former boyfriend.

Annie scurried back upstairs and dressed hastily, pulling on sweatpants and a clean shirt. Strangely, though she missed having access to her full wardrobe since they’d been “roughing it” in the unfinished house these past few days, she didn’t miss her New York apartment one bit. Yes, it had been nice, full of expensive furniture and it had looked like something right out of a home decor magazine, but it had never felt like home.

David had been the one to choose the apartment, its location (conveniently close to his work) and its decor. Ironically, the woman he’d been having an affair with when he died had been their decorator. It was all so cliche, so torrid, but it had not lessened the blow of David’s death. Although she was sure that she should feel traumatized by having to return to South Carolina to live with her mother, Annie was feeling quite the opposite. Every day back in Coopersville had left her feeling progressively stronger, more empowered, and hopeful for the future, at least until dead bodies started showing up all over her property.

Looking around the still-sort-of-dusty, needs-desperately-to-be-painted bedroom, Annie smiled to herself. No, she didn’t miss New York one bit, but there was someone who did miss it, and she kept up a silent prayer that he’d come around and learn to love the small town way of life as much as she had loved it growing up there.

Annie walked down the hall to the room where Devon was staying. She opened the door carefully, expecting to be attacked by one still-somewhat feral kitten. She was shocked to find her son wide awake, lying on his mattress, which now replaced the completely shredded and useless air mattress from the day before. He heard his door creak open, and looked up at his mom. She braced herself for a scowl but was pleasantly surprised to find him smiling up at her.

For a moment, Annie’s heart faltered. His face was so much like her own father’s, with a smile that could melt her heart. He no longer looked like the chubby-cheeked tween whose biggest worry had been which video games he wanted for his birthday. Now he looked more like the young man that he really was, with angles and shadows on his painfully beautiful face.

She yearned to ruffle his dark hair and tickle him until they were both breathless with laughter like she had so many times when he was younger, but she would settle for sitting beside him on the makeshift bed and spending just a few minutes of precious time with him.

“Morning, Mom.” He shifted the orange kitten from its comfortable spot on his chest, and he sat up in his makeshift bed. “Any more dead bodies this morning, or is it okay to go downstairs and get something to eat?”

Annie grinned. “Up before eight and ready to eat? Who are you and what have you done with my son?” She teased him playfully. “No dead bodies but your grandmother wants to know if you’ll go to the grocery store with her. I guess she just wants the company, you know?”

Devon thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I guess all this fresh country air just makes me want to wake up at the crack of dawn and embrace the day,” he said sarcastically. “TigerLily was up early, so I’m up early, I guess.” He paused long enough to scratch the kitty behind one ear. “Yeah, it’s totally cool to be seen shopping with your grandmother,” he added with a hefty dose of sarcasm. “Hey, do you think she’ll let me drive?” Devon had never taken his driving test in New York because public transportation meant he really didn’t have to know how to drive. Here in Coopersville, especially out here in the middle of nowhere, Annie knew he’d need to learn quickly.

“Let’s not rush the driving, at least not with your grandmother. I’ll take you out in the truck once we get everything unpacked and get some of the rooms painted.” She knew it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear when his eyes slipped into a familiar frown. “I promise, we will do driving soon,” she added, hoping that
soon
wasn’t a lie. They still had so much to do with the house before they could begin operating as a bed and breakfast, and Annie’s money wouldn’t last forever. She’d already been making a mental list of the furniture they’d need to buy to furnish the place and though the list was barely started, it was already a long one.

“If I can drive I can get a summer job,” Devon countered hopefully.

“If you get a summer job I’ll need to hire someone else to help around here,” Annie returned, “and I might actually have to pay them,” she laughed. She’d already thought about paying Devon a small allowance for helping with the renovations, and if he seemed responsible enough, she’d just put him on her payroll here at the farmhouse. They’d probably still have to hire a caretaker and cook since Bessie couldn’t handle it all on her own, but she’d cross that bridge when it arrived.

“Let’s go downstairs and have some breakfast, then we can talk about this later.” Annie looked at her almost-grown son. He looked a lot like her own father had when he was a boy, and this was very comforting to her. Maybe he wouldn’t grow up to be as irresponsible as David had been.

Devon sighed dramatically. “If we were still in New York you’d be practically forcing me to go out and get a job.”

“Well, we’re not in New York now and it’s not summer yet. I checked with the high school and we can go in and enroll you next week.” Devon groaned. “You focus on settling in at the high school and I’ll focus on getting this place transformed into the best bed and breakfast in the state, okay?”

Annie didn’t wait for a response. She headed back to the kitchen, stopping only to peer out the window at the top of the stairs to admire the early morning sunrise. One more cup of coffee later, and she was ready to call Delbert about whatever important business he needed to discuss.

Annie dialed the number from the note and waited for a response.

“Coopersville Police, how may I direct your call?” The lady on the other end of the line sounded sleepy or bored, or maybe both.

“Hi, this is Annie Richards. I am calling to speak to Officer Plemmons. Is he in yet?”

The woman on the other end of the line yawned. “Oh, Ms. Richards, do you have any more dead bodies for us today?” Small town news travelled fast. “Delbert’s not in yet, but I can let you talk to Chief Barnes. He’s here now, will that do?”

Annie agreed and was put on hold for a brief moment. The person who picked up the phone sounded far too friendly to be the Chief of Police. “Howdy, this is Emmett Barnes. What can I do for you?”

Annie introduced herself and explained the reason for her call. Emmett listened, then divulged the reason why Delbert had asked her to speak with the police. “Well, you see, Ms. Richards, we found some unusual items on both the body of Ms. Anderson and the remains found in your barn. As a matter of fact, I have every reason to believe that the two deaths are related.”

Annie’s mouth fell open. “What? How can that be? That body in the barn looks like it had been there for years, but Suzy was just killed the night before last. How can they be related?”

Emmett sniffed and Annie could hear him blow his nose on the other end of the line. “Sorry about that,” he apologized quickly. “Darned allergies are driving me nuts this year. Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes, the body from the barn is believed to be that of Thomas Anderson, Suzy Anderson’s uncle, who has been missing for approximately eight years.”

Annie was shocked. “How do you know that? Did you get dental records or DNA results that quickly, on a Saturday?” It boggled her mind that science could work so quickly, but Emmett quickly explained how he knew the dead man’s identity.

“No, ma’am,” he chuckled amiably. “This isn’t CSI South Carolina; we looked in his wallet. His driver’s license, credit cards, and other identifying information were all inside.”

Annie felt pretty silly, but she pushed her embarrassment aside. “What was he doing in my barn? And do you have any idea who killed Suzy?”

Emmett didn’t answer immediately, and Annie felt suddenly anxious. When he spoke, there was no trace of his chipper friendliness from moments before. “We have some suspects in mind, Ms. Richards,” he intoned. “And for what it’s worth, I’m not entirely sure that your family is safe staying at the farmhouse right now.”

This last sentence made her skin crawl and her blood boil. “Why wouldn’t we be safe? Surely whoever killed Suzy won’t come back here, especially now that the police are involved. Chief Barnes, forgive me for sounding like I’m overreacting here, but I don’t have anywhere else to go. That house is my home, and soon it’s going to be my livelihood. If I can’t stay here and carry on with renovations, it’s never going to be ready in time for the summer tourist season.” As she spoke, her hand tightened on her phone and tears filled her eyes. There was no way she was leaving her new home, not even if someone had just been murdered in it. Her voice cracked a little. “I have to stay in this house.”