Cluttered Attic Secrets (Tina Tales) Page 7

  Laughing, he bent down and asked, “Does that answer your question?”

  “One of them,” Tina answered. “But it also leads to many more.”

  Hank got back into position with the hand and toe holds and stopped. “Leave it unlocked, or lock it, that is the most immediate question.”

  “Lock it.” Brandon’s voice was firm.

  “Right.” Hank did so, then came back down. He brushed off his hands and looked around. “We didn’t find any blueprints, so that was a wash. But we did learn a couple of interesting things. Tina, you look cold. Let’s go back upstairs.”

  “And get settled in the attic?” Tina walked toward the stairs and started up.

  “Yes,” both Hank and Brandon said.

  Tina fixed some snacks while the men got a quilt for her and pillows. They each picked out two books from the library. They also located three flashlights, in case the electricity went out. “You can have the chaise lounge, if you want,” Brandon said as they carried everything up to the attic.

  “Thanks. It all looks the same,” she said when she stepped into the attic and looked around.

  They stood, listening. Complete silence.

  Hank was carrying the tray with the coffee and snacks, and he put it on a table. Brandon placed the quilt, pillows, and flashlights on the chaise, and Tina set the copies of the genealogy and their books on the table.

  “I don’t think there’s enough light up here to read by,” Tina said.

  Hank walked over to a floor lamp. “Let’s see where the outlets are and move stuff around if we need to. I’m sure some of these lamps will still work. If not, we can use the flashlights.”

  After they placed everything to advantage, Tina smiled. “We’ll be as comfortable up here as anywhere.” She placed a mug of coffee on the table next to the chaise lounge. A lamp cast a soft glow over where her head would be when she sat down. Then she sneezed. “Except for the dust.” She sneezed again.

  “It will settle soon enough,” Hank told her. “At least we haven’t heard any more noises.”

  “Maybe the ghost is sleeping,” Tina said.

  “Do ghosts sleep?” Brandon asked.

  “Heavens, I don’t know.” Tina plopped herself down on the chaise and picked up one of the books she’d chosen from the table. The dust from the chaise made her sneeze again. “We should have brought a box of tissues.”

  “I’ll go get some.” Brandon headed toward the stairs. “Either of you need anything else?”

  “Can’t think of anything,” Tina said. “Thanks, Brandon.”

  “I’m all set.” Hank sat down on the flowery chair and put his feet up on the matching ottoman. “How’re you doing?”

  Tina smiled at him. “With you and Brandon with me, I’m doing fine.” Then she remembered what had happened, was it just last evening? She felt the smile fade, and Hank had that sad look again. Flustered, Tina picked up one of the books she’d chosen.

  A loud crash from below made them both jump.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Brandon!” Tina yelled. She and Hank ran to the stairs and clambered down them, two at a time. “Brandon!” she shouted again. When he didn’t answer, her heart thudded even harder in her chest.

  At the bottom of the stairs, they paused, Tina behind Hank. “Where is he?” she asked.

  “This way.” Hank ran toward Leslie’s bedroom.

  They found Brandon on his hands and knees beside an overturned nightstand, shaking his head.

  “What happened?” Tina rushed to him and pulled on his arm, trying to help him up.

  He managed to stand, then collapsed onto the bed. “Someone hit me from behind.” He rubbed the back of his head.

  Tina gasped and looked at Hank. He stood frowning at Brandon. “You need an ambulance?”

  “No. No. I didn’t lose consciousness.”

  “How would you know? You didn’t answer when I called.” Tina sat down next to him. “You need to see a doctor.”

  Brandon rubbed his head some more and winced. “I’ll be fine. If I start throwing up, I’ll go.”

  “Let me see.” Tina took his hand away from the bump that was forming. “Didn’t break the skin. That’s good, isn’t it?” She looked at Hank.

  “Yeah. Brandon, can you tell us exactly what happened?”

  “I figured Leslie might have a box of tissues by her bed. Which she did.” He pointed to a ceramic holder on the floor.

  Hank upended the nightstand and began to put things back on top.

  Brandon continued, “I went to pick them up, and something hit me on the back of the head. Hard enough to send me to my knees. I didn’t see them, and I didn’t hear them leave. Doesn’t help the floor is carpeted. I have no idea where they went because I was stunned, I admit, and ended up staring at the floor for a while.”

  “So you don’t know anything about who hit you.”

  “’Fraid not.”

  “You need to see a doctor,” Tina said. “And shouldn’t we call the police?”

  “No.” Brandon stood up. “I’m not in any mood to be interviewed by the police. And I’m not hurt enough to go to the emergency room.”

  Tina didn’t like it, but she knew she couldn’t change his mind.

  “Okay.” Hank straightened the shade on the little lamp and set it down, and then looked around for anything else out of place. “We need to get out of here.”

  “What?” Tina stood up.

  “It’s too dangerous. We stay together, collect the food and papers and books from the attic, and leave.”

  “But we won’t find out what’s going on here if we don’t stay.” Tina’s mind whirled.

  “A man was murdered right outside,” Hank said, “and another one attacked inside. Until we find out more, we can’t take the chance of staying here any longer. We’ll all go to Brandon’s place.”

  “What?” Brandon looked up at Hank with a shocked expression.

  “You need to stay awake and shouldn’t be alone for the next twenty-four hours. We’ll keep you company. At least that should cure Tina’s sneezing. You did dust recently, right?”

  Tina and Brandon smiled. Brandon stood up, a bit shaky. “My housekeeper did.”

  “Okay, let’s get going.” Hank headed toward the door. “And let’s stick together.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Within half an hour, they entered Brandon’s condo. It looked the same as Tina remembered. She felt awkward with Hank standing next to her. She’d spent hours here. In the kitchen, in the living room, in the bedroom. But, she admitted to herself, it was a relief to be out of Leslie’s house. It didn’t look as if Brandon had changed anything. He had chosen to decorate in beach style, so the living room walls were painted light blue. There was wicker furniture, pictures of shore birds on walls and pillows, two glass lamp bases filled with shells, and a sisal rug on the highly polished blond wood floor. He had a nice view of Narragansett Bay and a small balcony overlooking it.

  “What are we going to tell Leslie about what happened tonight?” Tina asked.

  Brandon sat down, ran his fingers through his hair, and winced. “The truth. She needs to know.”

  “I agree.” Hank sat down across from Brandon.

  Tina went to put the food in the kitchen, which was open to the living room. “It’s going to be hard on her.”

  “The best thing to do is figure out what’s going on,” Hank said. “The police will talk to the neighbors, ask if they’ve seen anything suspicious. And we need to try to find a secret room.”

  “That means going back into the attic.”

  “We’ll stick together. And do it in the daytime.” Hank yawned.

  “What if there’s more than one person?” Tina came back into the living room. Both men stared at her. Hank was no longer yawning.

  “Good question.” Brandon frowned. “But who? A whole family?”

  Tina sat down on the couch. “I wouldn’t think more than two people, would you? And have we ruled out anything s
upernatural? If it’s supernatural, even having an army in the attic may not be enough to keep us safe.”

  Now Hank was frowning, too. “Sometimes you have too much imagination.”

  “Is that possible?” Tina grinned at him.

  “Yes,” Brandon said. “It’s most likely human. Ghosts, for example, don’t need to climb up walls to get out of the house through a window.”

  “True.” Tina shifted on the couch, suddenly aware of how tired she felt. “But all the noises we’ve heard have come from the attic. You, on the other hand, were attacked in Leslie’s bedroom, and the body was found outside. And can all supernatural beings go through walls? I don’t think so.”

  “You think we could be dealing with what, then?” Brandon was frowning again. “Vampires? Zombies? How about a werewolf?”

  Tina couldn’t help teasing Brandon. “Well, there was a full moon the night Leslie heard the first noise.”

  “Tina.” Hank’s tone sounded cautionary.

  She raised her eyes heavenward and sighed loudly. “Okay. You guys don’t believe it can have anything to do with the supernatural. So, what are we going to do?”

  “Right now, we’re going to relax. Read.” Hank leaned forward to pick up a copy of the genealogy.

  “What about the possibility of a secret room? We haven’t really discussed that.” Tina reached for her own copy. “Or talked to Leslie about it. I’d think, if there was one, that information would have been passed down the family line. Aunt Margaret would have told Leslie, if she knew.”

  “It possible Aunt Margaret didn’t know, though. Maybe someone died before they could pass the knowledge on.”

  “Okay.” Now Tina yawned. “There’s nothing else we can do while keeping Brandon awake, so might as well read.”

  So, they did. Tina glanced over at Brandon every once in a while to be sure he hadn’t fallen asleep. But he seemed fine. She figured he’d stayed up many a night in college studying, and now did it as a lawyer, preparing cases, doing research. She’d never seen Hank tired.

  Tina finished looking at the genealogy, then started on one of the books she’s picked out. After about an hour, she stood up. “Who wants coffee?”

  “I do.” Hank looked at Brandon. “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah. But I can use some coffee. Thanks, Tina. The pain is only a dull ache now.”

  Both men stood up and stretched.

  Tina walked to the kitchen, Hank following.

  When they came back into the living room, they found Brandon nodding off. Tina poked him on the arm. “Wake up. Coffee’s ready.”

  “Um. Thanks, Tina. This should help. I hope I can stay awake after drinking it.”

  “Me, too.”

  Hank’s phone buzzed. “Hello, Lisbeth. What’s going on? You’re working late.” He quirked an eyebrow at Tina. He listened, then said, “I’ll be right there.” After he ended the call, he said. “You two carry on.”

  “What did Lisbeth say?” Tina asked. She knew Lisbeth would be in charge of the homicide investigation. They met for the first time when Tina found a dead body in a client’s home. Lisbeth was pleasant enough, but Tina wasn’t happy they had to keep meeting under such circumstances.

  “Not much. Just asked me to come in to the station.”

  “They must have found out something interesting.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Hank put on his coat and left.

  Left Tina and Brandon staring at each other. He looked sad. She felt like hugging him but knew that was a bad idea. Tina cleared her throat. “Let’s go back to reading our books, okay?”

  “Yeah. I need a notepad and pen from my office, though. I found an old law book and want to take a few notes.”

  “I’ll get them. I know where you keep them.” Oops, shouldn’t have said that.

  If possible, Brandon looked even sadder. He nodded, picked up his book, and began to read. Or pretended to read.

  Tina jumped up and went to his office. It looked the same. Everything in the condo looked the same. Why would she think he’d change it? To erase memories of her? She walked around his desk and opened the middle draw. After she found a pen and a small legal pad, she looked at the desk and saw the picture of herself she’d given him for his last birthday. Her heart gave a little lurch. He wasn’t over her. He needed to find someone new. No matter what happened with Hank, she would not get together again with Brandon.

  Feeling depressed, both about Brandon and about Hank’s secretiveness, she walked back to the living room clutching the pen and pad. She gave them to Brandon, careful not to touch him.

  They didn’t speak, just began reading again silently.

  CHAPTER 21

  They were both yawning when a knock on the door made them jump. They both went to the door, and Brandon let Hank in. Everyone said hello.

  “I have news. They’ve tentatively identified the body in the yard.”

  Tina’s breath caught in her throat. “Who was it?” She walked to the couch and sank into it. Hank removed his coat, and he and Brandon sat down, as well.

  “A man named Joshua Young.”

  “What? That’s my father’s name.” Brandon looked totally baffled. “My father’s not dead! I just saw him a few hours ago. My God!”

  “No, no, I’m sorry, Brandon. I wasn’t thinking. It’s not your father. But he’s a man of about your father’s age.”

  “But I don’t have another relative named Joshua.”

  “That you knew of. Of course, your last name is rather common, so this Joshua Young might not be related. But what are the odds? He has your father’s name and was found in the yard next to or actually in your old family home.”

  Brandon stood up and swayed. Alarmed, Tina jumped up to grab his arm. “Easy.”

  Hank said, “Sit down, Brandon. Relax. I told Lisbeth about the genealogy we found, and she wants a copy. The police are trying to find out more about Joshua, but they can find no records. No driver’s license, criminal records, fingerprints in the system, anything.”

  “How did they identify him then?” Tina made sure Brandon got back in his chair.

  “Tentatively identified him. He had a tiny folded up piece of paper in the watch pocket of his jeans. It said, “My name is Joshua Young.”

  “That’s all?” Brandon looked astonished.

  Hank nodded. “Hard to believe in today’s world. The only other clue is the handwriting. Crude, block printing. Caps mixed with small letters. If the man wrote it himself, it indicates a very low level of education or possibly mental disability.”

  “Oh,” Tina’s breath caught. “Poor man.”

  “Did you tell Lisbeth about the noises in the attic?” Brandon asked.

  “No. I didn’t go into that. I decided it would be better if we continued the investigation on our own. We’re more open to looking into that area than the police will be. We all heard the noises. At least Tina and I are open. Not so sure about you, Brandon.”

  Brandon laughed. “Not to anything supernatural. But I’ve known a lot of lawbreakers in my relatively short time as a criminal lawyer. I might lend some insight to that aspect of our investigation.”

  “You mean you’ve defended guilty people?” Tina’s voice was teasing.

  Brandon shrugged. “Part of the job. They’re more often guilty than not, I’m afraid. Especially in today’s world when prosecutors have access to so much forensic evidence before they go to trial. Let’s see what we can find out about Joshua Young on my computer, if anything.”

  Tina studied Brandon for a moment. The frown hadn’t left his face for an hour or more. His usual carefully combed hair stuck up in a few places, and he slumped in his chair.

  “I think we should wait until we’re all less tired.”

  Hank started to protest, but stopped when he saw Tina look from him to Brandon. Hank nodded. “Tina’s right. Let’s have something to drink and talk about something else.”

  “All right.” Brandon didn’t push it.

 
“Come to think of it,” Tina said, “I wonder if the advice about not letting someone with a head injury sleep still holds. Our mothers believed that, so we do now, too. But you know how quickly all the medical advice of old changes. One of us should check it out.”

  “I’ll do that.” Brandon said.

  “No, you rest,” Hank said. “I’ll get on the computer and check out head injuries. Meanwhile, Tina can get us something to drink.”

  Within five minutes both Hank and Tina were back in the living room. Tina handed the men glasses of ice cold water, and sat down.

  Hank laughed. “We’ve been torturing you, Brandon. You can go to sleep. We should wake you every two hours to be sure you’re okay. They now say you probably need more sleep after a head injury than normal. Go to bed. We’ll stick around and wake you up in two hours.”

  Brandon closed his eyes. “I knew I should never listen to you two.” He opened his eyes and grinned at them.

  At that moment, Tina knew she still loved him. But not as a lover. She caught Hank studying her. Did he misunderstand her expression? It was her turn to close her eyes. Why was life so complicated?

  CHAPTER 22

  Brandon left them to go to his bedroom. Tina avoided Hank’s glance.

  “Let’s try to get some rest.” His voice didn’t give his feelings away. It never did, she realized.

  She finally looked at him. He sat as still as a sphinx. She knew he was waiting for her to make the next move. It was always up to her to do that in their relationship. And she realized she wished he’d do it. She guessed a lot of women would like the idea of the man waiting, and she had, too, at first.

  She was surprised when he stood up, walked over to her, and opened his arms. “Come here.”

  Wide-eyed, she rose and stepped into his embrace. It felt like home. She melted into him.

  “You know I love you,” he murmured into her ear. “I’ll always love you. Isn’t that enough?”

  Her eyelids drooped, and she let herself be held, let herself feel him against herself, knowing he was aroused. “Yes,” she finally admitted. “It’s enough. Hold me.”