It Started With A House: Lizzie. Book 1 (The Westport Mysteries) (8 page)

I wandered
around the store until I found the wines. There were bloody hundreds of them. Whenever
I went out with Scott, he always picked the wine because all I really know
about it is some are red and some are white. I also know you probably shouldn’t
pick it by the price, as I’ve tasted some of the cheap ones and the vinegar I
have in the pantry at home tastes better. As I was looking at all the labels
and thinking I really needed to find an assistant, I noticed a man with his
back to me. He was tall with blond hair curling very sexily at the collar of
his shirt. I was surprised to see he wore a tuxedo. It was only four o’clock,
so I thought it was a bit early to be this dressed up. I did love a man in a
tux though. A man in uniform is number one on my list of hottest men, but a man
in a tux closely follows. This man seemed a bit familiar though. I wondered how
I knew him.

Casually
walking around to the other side of the stack of bottles, I looked up and saw
the man was Riley. All the air in my lungs vanished. This man was drop dead
gorgeous in jeans and an old t-shirt. In a tux, he was earth shattering.

As I stood
there with my mouth hanging open—very unattractively if I may say so—he
looked up and saw me. A look of surprise and then embarrassment crossed his
face, but he quickly covered it with a smile.

“Lizzie, I
didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.

Was my speech
ever going to return? My heart was racing and my breath was coming out in
short, sharp spurts. My God, this man was gorgeous!

“No, I didn’t
either. Um…that is expect to see you here,” I stammered. “I’m here to buy some
wine, which I know nothing about, but if Danny and Andrew come over and there’s
no wine, they’ll complain all bloody night long.” Great, now I was babbling. He
gave me a self-conscious smile.

“You’re
probably wondering why I’m in a tux?”

“No, no, not at
all. What you wear is really none of my business. In fact, you could wear
nothing at all and I wouldn’t mind!” I cringed. I really needed a filter
between my brain and my mouth. I saw him blush.

“I have a
date,” he smiled shyly.

For some reason
my stomach had started to do this churning thing. That was an emotion I would
have to address later…when I was alone.

“Well, that’s
great!” I said over brightly.

“Actually,
she’s out in the car, if you’d like to meet her.”

No! Shit No! I
did
not
want to meet her.

Here I was
standing in my old denim jeans and thin jumper with my hair just a mass of
uncontrollable curls. I did
not
want
to meet some stunningly beautiful woman, with sleek hair; all dressed up to the
nines and looking like the perfect partner for Riley.

“That’s okay, I
really should just grab any old bottle and get home. Molly and them will be
there waiting for me. I should really get going.” I started to slink towards
the exit.

“No, it will
only take a second and you will love her, I’m sure of it.” Riley was smiling
and looked quite intent on me meeting his date. Oh well, better to suck it up
and get it over with quickly. After picking up the first bottle I could get my
hands on, we headed towards the registers. Riley stood behind me and, as he
leaned forward to put his wine on the counter, all I could smell was his
aftershave - rich, elegant and woody. God, he smelt good. I just wanted to turn
around and bury my nose in his neck, and stay there forever. I’m sure he
already thinks I’m strange so maybe I could get away with just a quick smell. Turning
towards him, I gave what I thought was a discreet sniff. He was looking down at
me, smiling. He smiled a lot, that’s why he had those totally sexy crinkles
around his eyes. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

“Did you just
smell me?”

The feeling of
his breath on my neck was totally orgasmic and along with his aftershave, the
slight minty smell of his breath and his mouth so close to mine, I wasn’t sure
if my brain would ever start functioning again. The burning of my cheeks
brought me back to my senses. My eyes left his mouth and moved to catch his. The
five o’clock shadow on his jaw and around his mouth seemed to make his eyes
look bluer than ever. Damn, he was sexy.

“Yes. You smell
very nice,” I stated breathlessly. With that I turned my back on him, paid for
my wine and walked to the door quickly, hoping the fresh air would clear my
head.

Catching up
with me, we walked outside together. Feeling really self-conscious, I took a
deep breath, smoothed my top down and followed him over to his truck.

Crap, crap and
triple crap. I hated meeting beautiful women. I felt inferior as it was without
being presented to a totally gorgeous, sophisticated and, I’m sure, intelligent
woman. But as he opened the passenger door, I looked inside and strangled a
gasp.

Sitting on the
seat was the most elegant lady I had ever seen. She sat with her hands neatly
folded in her lap, holding her purse and was wearing a pretty blue dress with
pearls strung around her neck and her white hair pulled back in an elegant bun.
When I looked at her face, I was surprised to see the most beautiful blue eyes
looking back at me. Riley’s eyes.

“Gran, I’d like
you to meet Lizzie Fuller. Lizzie, this is my Gran, Ruby Thomas. This is the
lady I’m doing some work for on the old Victorian over on May Street, Gran,” he
explained.

So his date was
with his Gran?

“Oh how lovely
to meet you, Lizzie. I’ve heard so much about you and your house. Riley’s been
telling me about the renovations you’re doing over there.” She had his killer
smile as well.

“Lovely to meet
you to, Mrs. Thomas,” I said extending my hand to her. She took it in both
hers, holding on to mine as if her life depended on it.

“Oh, please,
call me Ruby. Oh my, you really are quite beautiful, aren’t you? Riley wasn’t
exaggerating when he told me that.” I felt my stomach flip as I turned and saw
Riley was going a bit pink on the tips of his ears.

So he thinks
I’m beautiful? Well, that was interesting.

“I’d like to
take credit for the renovation but Riley’s doing all the work.” I smiled. She
was still holding my hand, so I moved a step closer to make the stretch a bit
less uncomfortable. “So, where are you two going then? Somewhere nice judging by
the way you’re both dressed.”

“Yes, Riley
takes me dancing every Friday evening over at the dance hall on Elm. My George
and I used to go there every week, but now Riley takes me.” I noticed her eyes
got a bit watery at the mention of George who I assumed was her husband. “I
can’t complain though. I’m the envy of every woman there with Riley on my arm. He’s
a pretty good dancer too, if I may say so.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling. She
was obviously very proud of her grandson.

“Well, we
probably should get going, Gran. You don’t want to be late.” I noticed Riley’s
ears were still a bit pink as he stepped away from the truck to allow me to pass.

“It was lovely
talking to you, Ruby. I hope you have a fantastic evening.” She gave my hand a
squeeze as I attempted to move back.

“Thank you,
dear. I hope to meet you again soon,” she said, finally letting go. As I walked
past Riley, I looked up and grinned. What a sweetheart.

“See you
tomorrow, Lizzie.”

“See you, Riley.”

Chapter
Eight

Most
mornings I tried to get out for a walk before I started work. Even though I
hadn’t officially started work yet, I felt it was time to get back into some
sort of routine.

If you followed
the river along towards town, it got more commercial with a boardwalk and lots
of restaurants and coffee shops. I had my usual walk mapped out and followed
the same path every day, finishing at my favourite coffee hangout. I figured
after walking for nearly an hour any calories I consumed with my regular Frappuccino
and muffin would be void. It’s funny how you see the same regulars every day. Now,
I know there are those of you who would think the main crowd down here would be
women but surprisingly enough, you would be wrong. It was mostly men. There was
the man with the glasses who wore his pants too tight and way too high, who
always sat with his laptop. He gave me the giggles. He would be sitting there
all alone, typing away and suddenly start talking all to himself. The first
time I saw this, I’d slowly backed away from him thinking he was crazy, but
soon realized he was talking on his phone. Then there was the Men’s Addiction Support
Group. One man seemed to be the leader of this group as he was always here, but
the rest of the group changed daily. And then there was the man I could never
quite figure out. He was younger than me, always perfectly groomed and smelt
divine. He always sat alone and read the same James Patterson novel he’d been
reading for the last 6 months. The book still looked brand new, so I’m not
quite sure what the hell he did but he was here every day, rain, hail or shine.
Most of all I enjoyed watching the business meetings. There’s this one lady who
is a total hippy, with her tie-dyed dress and dreadlocks, but she stands at the
head of the table and leads a group of men, all dressed in business suits,
through budgets and spreadsheets, all while her children sit next to her coloring
in.
You go girl! More power to you
, I
always think.

I also seem to
pass the same people on my walk. Some are elderly and always smile and say
hello. Others are there to get fit—like the man with the very tanned
skinned. Honestly the leather on my couch looks softer than his skin! Of course
I can’t forget the person who looks very asexual. This one has me totally
puzzled. He-she is always dressed in shorts and a blue t-shirt, has very short
hair and is a bit plump. I can’t tell if it’s a man with man boobs or a very flat-chested
woman. I’ve even said hello hoping the voice would give it away, but no luck
there either.

Since buying
the house I hadn’t had the chance to get down here, but this morning I had got
up early—Riley opens the door at 6.30 am anyway—and put my walking clothes
on. It felt really good to be out and away from all the mess at home. Riley was
making good progress in the attic but the rest of the house was still a mess. Even
though I couldn’t wait for it to be finished, I knew that when it was, Riley
would be out of my life. I was actually enjoying having him around. I knew I
shouldn’t be enjoying his company quite as much as I was, but still…I knew he
was never going to be interested in me, so what harm was a tiny little crush?

After finishing
my walk and dark mocha Frappuccino, I headed home to get ready for our meeting
at Allora Lodge. Riley was waiting for me when I walked in the door.

“You’re running
a bit late,” he said with a smile. I took a moment to enjoy the glow, before
hearing what he actually said. Looking at my watch, I realized he was right. Crap!
Time just gets away from you when you’re on holidays.

After such a
relaxing morning I did not need to hear another lecture on how I was always
tardy. But Riley was just looking at me, leaning against the counter, long legs
stretched out in front of him with that casual relaxed stance he has.

“Sorry, it was
so beautiful down there this morning I lost track of time.” I started telling
Riley about the man in the tight pants. “He must have been hot today because he
was in his summer outfit. Usually it’s his black jeans and black turtleneck top
with his belt pulled two or three notches too tight so it gives him a very big
muffin top. The summer outfit is pretty much the same but its black shorts and
black t shirt with the belt pulled two or three notches too tight!” I smiled. Riley
laughed. I was really going to miss his company when he finished working here.

* * * *

After
a super-fast shower, I put on a clean skirt, little camisole top and a
lightweight sweater, and headed back down stairs.

“We can take my
car if you like,” I suggested, pulling my keys out from the bottom of my
handbag.

Riley shrugged
in a
yeah whatever
movement and we
headed outside.

Now if I
haven’t mentioned it previously, I drive a Mini Cooper S. It’s adorable. It’s
red and has two black racing stripes running up the bonnet, across the roof and
down the back hatch. It’s also turbo-charged so it goes like the clappers. One
of the advantages of being thirty-one and single with no children is I got to
spend my money on whatever I felt like…until I bought a house that is.

Getting in, I
started the engine and waited for Riley. I watched as he folded himself into
the passenger seat, narrowly missing his head on the roof, his knee hanging over
the gear lever. As tight a fit as it was for him, I was enjoying every second
of it, changing gear more often than necessary as it meant I would have to
touch his knee.

It took about
twenty minutes to get from my house to the Allora Lodge Nursing Facility and I
will admit, by the time we got to our destination, I was one very happy girl.

As I parked in
the visitors parking I took a good look around at the buildings and grounds. It
was a very utilitarian-looking building, with pale bricks, a green tiled roof,
and very sparse gardens surrounding it. Inside it was quite depressing and—not
meaning to offend anybody—it smelt of old people. When the time came for
me to have children, I was going to be very nice to them in the hope I didn’t
end up in a place like this. Stepping up to the unattended reception desk, I
noticed behind it was a large, light-filled room, filled with the elderly, some
in wheelchairs, some in lounge chairs, but all playing bingo. What is it with
the elderly and Bingo?

Ringing the
bell, we waited until a nurse appeared. I asked for Lorraine Spencer, the lady
whom our meeting was with and it didn’t take long for her to arrive. She was a
small lady, about fifty, wearing a dark blue uniform with the Allora Lodge logo
on the left breast.

“Come into my
office,” she said using her arm to steer us towards the room on our left. It
was pretty small considering the size of her desk and all the paperwork she had
in piles around the room. “I apologize for the mess. I never seem to have
enough space for everything. I keep hoping one day we’ll get a large donation
and I might be able to get a bigger office.” She smiled. “Now, you mentioned on
the phone yesterday you had some questions about a previous resident here,” she
said sitting down behind her desk and clasping her hands in front of her.

“Yes, her name
was Avis Miller,” I smiled. “I bought her house recently and we found something
that would have belonged to her. I was hoping you could tell me if she has any
living relatives so I could return the item to them,” I explained.

“Well, as you
know all information about Avis is protected by the privacy act so I can’t tell
you too much, but I can tell you she had no living relatives. She came to us
after a rather nasty fall. She was only with us for four months before she
passed, but she was a very sweet lady. She was always friendly to the other
residents but didn’t really connect with anyone. It was quite sad that she
never had many visitors during her time with us,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s
not uncommon though. Do you have any idea how many family members put their
relatives in here and basically forget about them?” she sighed, looking at
Riley.

“Could you tell
us who her visitors were?” he asked, trying to keep her on track. He gave her
the killer smile, so anything he requested was pretty much going to be done. I
saw the dazed expression enter her eyes.

“Well…I...umm…umm...I’m
not supposed to give out that information,” she stammered, “but how about I go
and see what I can find out.” I could actually see her brain stop working there
for a moment. It was okay with me, I understood exactly how she felt. It goes
to prove any age bracket can be sucked right into Riley’s orbit.

“Wow, I’m glad
you’re on my side,” I said once she’s left the room.

“What do you mean?”

“Seriously, with that smile you can get
whatever you want, can’t you?” He just smiled back at me. He knew the power of
his talent.

Lorraine was
back in no time with a large black book in her arms.

“Now, let’s see
what we can find. Our computer records show what day she had the visitors and I
was right when I said she didn’t have many. Only two in fact. The first one was
a couple, Helen and Allen Maxwell, and the second one is a John Smith.” I knew
about Helen and Allen as they had told me about their visit, but John Smith? Seriously,
could he not have had a more common name?

“Do you keep a
record of addresses of visitors?” I asked, hoping this would give us some more
information. She shook her head.

“No…sorry. We
don’t have a need for that kind of information.”

“What about on
Avis’s records?” asked Riley. ”You must have someone listed as a contact for
her. Who was notified of her death?”

Lorraine
stopped for a second, looking at Riley before clicking a few keys on her
keyboard.

“I’m sorry, but
that information is protected. I can’t tell you even if I wanted to. Can I ask
what it is you found?”

I looked at
Riley. There was no harm in telling her.

“Riley was
renovating the attic and found a pile of love letters and an engagement ring
hidden under the floor boards . The ring looks very valuable, so I
thought it should be given either to a relative or back to the person who gave
it to her.”

“An engagement
ring?” Now we had her attention. “Well now, isn’t that interesting. Do you
think it belonged to Avis?”

“Yes,
the letters were addressed to her,” said Riley.

“Well, who
would have thought,” she said more as a comment than a question. “I know Avis
liked one of the nurses here named Susan. How about I give her a call and see
if she’s free for a chat.” Lorraine picked up the phone and pressed a few
buttons. Within a minute Susan was knocking on the door. Lorraine introduced us
all as Susan took a seat opposite us.

“Do you
remember Avis Miller?” Lorraine asked. Susan nodded. “Well, this lovely lady
and her friend have bought her old house and are renovating it. They found an
engagement ring that belonged to Avis—with some old letters—and are
trying to track down the owner,” Lorraine explained grinning. I think our story
was the highlight of her day.

“Avis was such
a lovely lady,” Susan smiled, remembering. “I got quite attached to her while
she was here but she never mentioned anything about ever being married or
engaged.” Susan stopped and looked a bit thoughtful.

“Did you ever
hear her talk about a William?” I asked.

“No sorry, but
I’ll give it some thought. Sometimes conversations will come back to me when
I’m least trying to remember them.” She smiled.

“Thanks
anyway,” I said. This was turning out to be a bit of a waste of time.

“You know
Susan, while you’re here I should get you to look at Mrs. Turner, she was
feeling a bit under the weather this morning.” Susan and Lorraine got up to
leave the room.

Well, that’s
strange. Is this the end of the meeting? As she walked out of the room I
noticed she glanced at Riley. Once they were gone, he got up and walked around
the desk.

“What are you
doing?” I whispered in a bit of a panic. I hate the anxiety I feel when
sneaking around, already my palms were sweating and my pulse had picked up.
Flashbacks of getting caught while sneaking a look at Christmas presents at the
age of seven were coming back to me.

“She was
signaling to me to look at the computer once she was gone.”

Seriously? He
got that from the look she gave him?

“She said she
couldn’t tell us who Avis’s emergency contact was because of privacy laws. Well,
this way she’s not telling us, is she?”

He looked quite
happy with himself. I have to admit that’s pretty clever really. Grabbing a
piece of paper, Riley took down some information. He’d just sat back down in
his seat when Lorraine came back into the room.

“Well, I’m
sorry I couldn’t have been more help,” she said with a smile. “But I hope you
did find your visit to us useful. Susan will let me know if she remembers
anything else and I have your number, Lizzie so I will contact you as soon as I
find anything out,” she said as she shepherded us to the door.

“You’ve been a
big help,” smiled Riley, giving her his killer smile again. I think that was
payment for her deception.