Garage Sale Diamonds (Garage Sale Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

seemed doable when you combined energies with this incredible person you loved so much. She smiled, encouraging Hannah to continue.
    “We talked with a developer who showed us how the fifteen acres could be divided into six two-acre lots and one three-acre. He suggested we keep the bigger piece for building our own house one day. According to him, our three acres and new house would be on the choicest part, which happens to be the site of the old Yates house where Ruger lived as a child.”
    “Oh?” Jennifer tried to hide sudden discomfort. Was Hannah’s failure to mention that Mathis also lived his early years there a glaring oversight?
    “Yes, because the land slopes in such a way that if we build near the top we’ll have gorgeous views in several directions and good water run-off. Adam’s already knocked down most of those old weathered sheds except for the barn and hen house.”
    Frightening images of the old house swam into Jennifer’s mind. The awful place where many had suffered and she’d expected to die after her capture. With conscious effort, she changed the subject. “After college graduation will you job hunt?”
    “Yes, I’d like one in the McLean/Tyson areas so we’ll both live close to work. That’s part of the new ‘green’ strategy. Rather than gas-guzzling, time-wasting, environment-polluting killer commutes, my generation hopes to work near home.”
     
    “Commendable. So you’ve prepared a resume?”
    “Not yet. My income isn’t needed at the moment, and I want time to work on our other plan.”
    “…your other plan?”
    “Mom, we’re going to move into the old Yates family house on the property. We’ll be on scene to make important decisions about where to build the new house before Adam decides which acreage to sell. We need that clearly in mind before he signs with a developer. Since Adam already owns the land, the price is right. We’d have all the benefits of the McLean and Great Falls communities but could still raise a few chickens, plant a garden and eat organic vegetables we grow ourselves. Control over food quality is important because we think the toxic stuff sprayed on plants and fruit bought in groceries explains a lot of illnesses and diseases. We could create our own special world. We’re so excited, Mom. It’s a dream we can make come true.”
    Jennifer felt as if she’d been punched. Her daughter and Adam in that wretched house of horrors day after day, week after week?
    Hannah paused her animated chat, fork in midair, to stare at her mother. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
    “I agree with everything you said about food quality—even though you didn’t warn me you were stepping on your soapbox.” She tried a nervous laugh then looked directly at her daughter. “I’m just trying to absorb this…this…. You…you’re not concerned about living in a place where such dreadful things happened generation after generation?”
    “Mom, you of all people don’t believe in haunted houses. It’s just an inanimate building—walls and a roof—with no control over who lived there or how they behaved. It isn’t infected with poison. We’d get rid of everything inside, which is right up your alley because we’d want to have a huge garage sale and then refill the house with quality second-hand furniture.”
    Jennifer drew a sharp breath. Should she share her apprehension with this daughter so focused upon a single course of action? What was her responsibility here? Each person deserved freedom to make decisions and learn from mistakes. But informed decisions stood the better chance of success. Shouldn’t a parent try to spare his child pain or danger when possible? The more puzzle pieces Hannah had, the clearer picture she could make.
    To avoid Hannah’s needing to repent later, shouldn’t someone warn her before she plunged ahead?
    8
    Thursday, 1:07 PM
    Looking across the table at her daughter, Jennifer wondered how best to explain her concerns. She composed