Mysteries of Holt House - A Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

until I remembered they’d bought it
with the house.
    From the dining room you could either exit
onto the patio, or go into the kitchen. The kitchen also had a door which led
onto the patio. Looking out the door, I realized there was room for a swimming
pool between the patio and the garden. The little tiny wheels in my brain
started spinning again.
    At the rear of the kitchen there was a
small room which had been converted to a laundry room. Also at the rear of the
kitchen was a hallway leading to the servants’ quarters.
    There were four bedrooms for the servants.
They weren’t as big as the rooms upstairs, I was sure, but they were still
larger than normal, and there was one bathroom to accommodate all four rooms.
    We climbed the stairs and found there were
five bedrooms and three bathrooms on each of the upper levels, with a linen
closet at the front of each floor. There were two bedrooms on each side of the
hallway, with one master bedroom at the back of the house on each level.
    It was wonderfully roomy, and after I
opened the shutters at one of the windows, it was quite light and cheerful. It
wasn’t a spooky old house after all. It only needed some light.
    We took our time touring the house, then
returned to the living room and sat down to talk. I had questions for Jasper. I
was more comfortable with my decision as each question was answered.
    “Well, that’s it,” Jasper said. “What do
you think?”
    “I want it,” I replied. I knew I was being
too easy, but it was an auction so I didn’t need to worry about a Realtor or
owner jacking up the price. “When is the auction?”
    “It’s a week from tomorrow.” Jasper gave
me the details and told me if I had any questions to call him. We shook hands
and I thanked him for his time.
    The drive home was a quiet trip.
    “You know, at first I thought this was a
ridiculous idea,” Sharon said.
    I turned and frowned at her.
    “Well, I have to be honest, don’t I?” she
said. “But anyway, after seeing the place, I’m beginning to think maybe you
could pull this off. I don’t know if you’ll have boarders or vacationers, but
it’s a great house. Lots of atmosphere.”
    “I thought you said it was spooky,” I
reminded her.
    “I did. Some people might actually like
the spooky stories that come with the place. You know how people can be.”
    “No matter,” I said. “Some people want to
live out of town, and some want to get away for a vacation, and I’d have room
for both. I’ve really thought this through, and I figure I could have a pool
and tennis court installed, and add onto the patio. Enlarge it. And there’s
always hiking. I could even fill up the library for those who like to read. I
can make the rounds of the secondhand book shops so there will be all kinds of
books. And – ”
    “You think you’ve got this all figured
out, don’t you,” Sharon interrupted.
    “You have no idea how much thought has gone
into this. I’ve got pages and pages of ideas written down. When the thoughts
started coming, I just couldn’t stop them.”
    “You know? I’m feeling kind of excited,
too.”
    “I figure I’ll have to hire a housekeeper
who can cook and a handyman who can double as gardener. Of course, I’ll be
doing part of the housework and cooking myself.”
    “Of course,” Sharon replied. “I wouldn’t
expect less from you. I may have found your first boarder for you, too.”
    “You’re kidding!”
    “No, I’m not. I’d love to get out of town
and I think we’d have a great time. I’m not going to quit my job, but I could
help you out in some ways. I hate housework, but I’m a great cook and I could
do the meals, at least the dinners, on the cook’s days off.”
    “I knew there was a reason I liked you,
but are you sure about this?”
    “I’m absolutely positive. It would be fun,
and it would be cheaper for me, paying for a room instead of an apartment.”
    “Cheaper than you think. If you’re going
to help out, I’m not