American Heroes Series - 03 - Purgatory Read Online Free PDF Page A

ghosts were quite another. But she caught
a glimpse of Nash smiling at her and she instinctively softened. It was hard to
maintain an angry stance with such a handsome face staring her down. She forced
a smile at him and extended her hand.
    “Well,” she said, somewhat
resolutely. “It was really a pleasure meeting you, Sheriff Aury.  I really
enjoyed the tour. Most of it, anyway.”
    She wriggled her eyebrows
ironically and he laughed softly, taking her hand again, this time just holding
it. “You’re welcome,” he said. “I’ll come back and tell you more once you’ve
settled in.”
    “You’re welcome anytime, whether
or not we’ve settled in,” she assured him. “This is your house, after all.
You’re always welcome here.”
    He just stood there, holding her
hand and smiling at her.  There were a few moments of silence as they gazed at
one another, perhaps sensing more than just common courtesy and amiability.  
Elliot could feel her cheeks grow warm, sensations from his handsome face and
gentle demeanor overwhelming her. It was startling, thrilling and frightening,
and she gently pulled her hand away before he could hold it any longer.
    “Thank you,” he said when the
action of removing her hand seemed to startle him from his starry-eyed stance.
“I’m glad the house is in good hands.”
    Elliot just smiled at him and he
took it as his cue to leave, something he was finding great difficulty doing. 
He waved a casual hand to Alec, wandering around the porch and inspecting the
broken furniture, and the young man waved back. 
    Elliot watched Nash climb into
his unmarked Crown Victoria sheriff’s unit and make his way out of the
driveway, spraying gravel as he went. She continued to watch him until he
disappeared from view and Louise, off the phone, approached. 
    “Sorry I took so long,” Louise
apologized. “Did the sheriff show you the rest of the house?”
    Elliot nodded, just the least bit
perturbed with the woman for a variety of reasons.
    “He did,” she held out her hand.
“Now, if you will give me my key, I think we’ll be okay from this point on. 
The moving van should be here shortly and we’re eager to start unpacking.”
    Louise had the keys in her jacket
pocket, handing them over. There were about fifteen of them, most of them very
old.
    “Here you go,” she was already
heading back towards her car. “Those keys unlock the front door, the front
gate, and any other locks you’ll find around here. I haven’t even figured out
where all of them go. Sorry to run off like this, but I have something I need
to attend to. Ya’ll have my cell number if you need me.”
    Elliot simply waved at the woman
as she jumped into her white Mercedes and sped off, fishtailing in the gravel
as the car gained traction. Elliot watched her go, turning to her son as the
young man walked up beside her, his gaze also on the fleeing Mercedes. When the
car disappeared from view, he glanced at his mother.
    “So,” he said, turning to look at
the grayish beast behind them. “Are you happy now?  I told you this place was
creepy. What was the sheriff telling you about pirates?”
    She put her hands on her hips and
squared off on him. “He told me that there’s a horde of pirates that haunt this
place and go after whining young men,” she pointed to their Jeep. “Go get the
stuff out of the car and bring it in. We might as well start doing what we can
to make this place livable.”
    “Can I stay in a hotel tonight?”
    “No,” she said flatly. “This is
home now. You’d better get used to it.”
    Begrudgingly, Alec headed for the
Jeep to grab the items they had packed into it, mostly clothes and some foodstuffs.
Elliot watched him unhappily drag himself out to the car before turning back
for the house.
    With Alec outside unloading the
Jeep, Elliot realized that she was alone in the house – no sheriff, no real
estate agent, and no son. She made her way to the central portion of the entry
hall