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The room was large, given the size of the house and held a brick chimney, a small, wooden dining table, and kitchen area – which did appear to have been updated to provide access to running water.
I walked into the house through what was surely once the heart of this home. There was one bedroom off to the left of the larger room and a small bathroom next to that. The bathroom would have been a luxury not afforded to most individuals, of the time.
If this house truly did belong to the cook, as the boy said, it’s likely the cook held some sort of social status or significance to the family, possibly a favorite mistress – which, I mean, if he killed her that might mean this place is haunted too. Don’t go there.
This house is in immaculate condition, but everything appears to be just as it was over one hundred years ago. It’s like inside this house time stood still, it’s baffling.
Walking back out to the main living space, I searched for signs of modern technology anywhere at all, any freaking where. I was beginning to panic again when my eyes finally landed on a large black box stuck behind a woven, wicker sofa adorned with oversized white cushions.
Walking over to the sofa, I bent down to get a better look.
The house doesn’t have electrical outlets, we will have to change that the minute we can get an electrician out here, but this beauty…aha! Civilization, I see you. This box is my new baby daddy, we’re getting married and are going to bond for the next few weeks over the project of a lifetime. Relief washed over me immediately.
Yes! I’m no tech expert, but if this box does what I think it does, it’s my ticket to the outside world and…blowing my hair out.
Surprisingly satisfied with my living accommodations, given the circumstances, I stood back up and walked back out onto the porch to grab my belongings from the car and prepared to make myself at home for the next few weeks.
It’s not a penthouse suite, but considering the start of this journey, it could have been much, much worse.
Things are looking up, and I’m choosing to feel all the positive vibes…you know, instead of the scary ones that I’m sure are lurking around every corner if I look hard enough – which I won’t. Nope. Not looking.
???
Reid
I sat at my desk, feet propped up on the glass top, and made a quick phone call over to a Miss Laurel Chesire, personal assistant to Sylvester Wilks, to let her know the Chapman Group was in possession of keys for the Anderson House project, and she didn’t need to worry about sending anyone out to let me in.
Hell, my bags were packed and ready to go in the car already.
It was at that point that she informed me, although I was already well aware, that Holly Adkins was also on her way to the property and would be staying for the duration of the renovations as part of her contract.
At the close of my debriefing from the director, I spoke with my father about next level service, my dreams for the future of the Chapman Group…blah, blah, blah. He fed right into the idea that I would stay onsite for this particular claim and perform our damage assessments and paperwork while staying at Anderson House – not that it particularly matters, it’s all funny money anyway.
After wrapping up all of my loose ends at the office, I grabbed my keys and headed out to my SUV, having given Holly ample time to get to Anderson House and get settled in. According to Alex, Holly should already be there. She left her apartment earlier in the day.
From what I understand, there is currently no one occupying the main house, and the guest house has been converted into living quarters for Sylv and his guests, whatever the fuck that means, while he is on the property, which he won’t be for the next few weeks.
According to Alex, we’re starting to hear some chatter about the possibility of a shipment coming in. Rumor is we’re less than a week out. These tunnels are a big deal for the North American trafficking industry because they allow direct, underground access to the railroad tracks, which lead straight to the harbor. Direct access to the waterway is golden. The easier the transport, the less hassle, the greater the profit.
This question is, why not wait for the renovations to be completed before they attempt a transport?
I need to get there and see what condition the tunnels are in. Is there a holding area already set up? I can’t imagine they plan to use the house…unless they are planning some sort of onsite brothel. Actually, that makes sense, I need to ask Alex about that.
And why require Holly to move onto the property to complete the renovations? If she’s not involved, I would think that would only make her a liability for their operation. If she is involved, what exactly is her part?
I turned my SUV off of the main road and onto an overgrown path that I know leads to the old plantation home just as the sun was beginning to set behind the horizon.
The drive through the forest was dark, the dense canopy of trees not leaving much space for light to filter through.
Just as I was beginning to think the drive might go on forever, the forest opened up, and I slowed to a stop at the entrance to a long drive as I approached a large iron gate.
I stepped out of the vehicle long enough to find that the gate was only pushed closed and not actually locked. A horrible sound of rusted metal against metal burned my eardrums as I pushed the gate open wide enough to drive through. I stopped just long enough to close it back before driving up a long, straight drive that led to the steps of the plantation house.
The house held no lights, and I didn’t see Holly’s car, so I continued around a side path that led behind the house until her vehicle came into view.
A tiny replica of the main house sat just back into the woods, and I could see a light flickering in the front window.
Parking my SUV next to her car, I left my bags for now, I can come back for them later.
