Читать книгу Legacy: The Mark of Merlin - Gerald Pruett - Страница 10
ОглавлениеHarris, Shannon and Avery spent most of Wednesday arranging for Tanya’s body to be moved to the airport on Monday, in order for Tanya’s body to be sent back to London. Harris had also planned to attend Tanya’s funeral in London, so he had to purchase a round-trip ticket for himself as well.
Allyson spent her Wednesday and Thursday doing what she could to prepare for Michael’s funeral.
Ellen helped where she could on both days, but for the most part Harris and Allyson had wanted to involve Ellen with the arrangements as little as possible, which gave Ellen a lot of free time from Tuesday evening to Thursday evening.
Ellen had used her free time to read as far into the first Legacy volume as she could. She had made a deal with Shannon to read the first three Legacy volumes before picking up the books on incantations, and as to how captivating she found the first volume to be, she found that deal easy to keep.
When Friday morning came, Ellen ignored the Legacy volumes as she, Harris, Allyson, Avery, Shannon and Jane prepared themselves for Michael’s funeral services.
The turnout for Michael’s funeral services was better than Ellen imagined. Michael’s friends, some of his co-workers and Tanya’s friends had showed up for it.
Ellen didn’t prepare a eulogy for the services nor did she want to speak out to the mourners; however, when the clergyman called her up to say a few words, she went with very little coaxing.
Ellen spoke longer than what she had intended, and when she was done, everyone was surprised to learn that the eulogy she gave wasn’t prepared.
Once the funeral was concluded at the funeral home, the mourners got into their respective vehicles and went to the cemetery.
The mourners were there for only a few minutes, listening to the clergyman before Ellen, Harris and Shannon felt the presence of others from Merlin’s descendants. When the three looked, they saw two fifty-year-old men who looked very much alike.
“Do you…?” Harris was only able to get out as he faced Ellen and saw that Ellen had hurried away towards the two men.
Harris quickly followed Ellen, and after a slight hesitation, Allyson, Avery, Shannon and Jane had followed as well. The clergyman and the mourners just looked to see where the six were going.
As Ellen was approaching the two men in half the time it would normally take, Mitchell, Ellen’s biological father, questioned, “How are you doing, Ella?”
“My name is Ellen, you worthless pig!” she angrily shot at him.
“Hey-hey now,” Mitchell calmly said. “A little respect for your father.”
“Father?” Ellen laughed without humor. “I have no father, and neither did Michael.”
“I know you wish that to be true…” Mitchell was only able to get out.
“You’re not welcome here!” Ellen shot at him before he could finish. “Now get out and take your friend with you.”
“He’s your Uncle Brandon,” Mitchell informed.
“I don’t care who the hell he is; you two aren’t welcome here!” Ellen retorted.
“Ellen…!” Harris uttered before he was cut off.
“I want them gone!” Ellen hissed towards Harris.
“Yes,” Harris agreed. “You’d made that perfectly clear, but this is a big cemetery…”
“This city isn’t big enough for the both of us!” Ellen shot back.
“An old American Western had just flashed through my mind,” Avery commented.
Ellen indifferently glanced at Avery as Harris continued with, “Ellen, today is the time to set aside grudges and for love ones to mourn…”
“He’s no love one!” Ellen again interrupted with. “He killed my brothers and sister.”
“That was a tragic accident, Ellen, and I’m truly sorry for what had happened,” Mitchell told her.
“Save your remorse for Judgment Day!” Ellen shot at him.
“Yes, well, according to you I’ve been judged and found guilty,” Mitchell said.
“You are guilty, you prat!” Ellen retorted.
“Ellen!” Harris uttered to get her attention. When Ellen looked, he continued with, “Ellen, you can be the better person here.” He then glanced towards the staring clergyman and mourners. “And at the moment your brother’s friends are seeing you as not being the better person.”
Ellen glanced back at the clergyman and mourners for only a second before hissing at Mitchell, “I will never forgive you! Never!”
“And yet I know you will need me at some point,” Mitchell assured her.
“You have nothing…” Ellen got out before thinking of something that she wanted to know.
When Ellen stopped talking, Mitchell chuckled. “See, there’s something you want… already.”
“All I want is an honest answer from you,” Ellen hissed. Mitchell just gave her a curious look. “What do you know about our family’s Legacy?”
“Our family’s Legacy?” Mitchell echoed in a confused tone.
“That’s actually the second time I’d heard those three words together like that,” Brandon added.
Ellen crossed her arms before asking him, “And when was the first time?”
“When your father and I…” Brandon stopped talking when he saw Ellen cringing as if his chosen words had stabbed her through the heart. “When Mitchell and I were seven, I found an old letter hidden inside the lining of our grandpa’s old briefcase and I took it to my mom. She read it aloud.”
When Brandon stopped talking, Ellen asked, “Can you remember what she read?”
“Hold on,” Brandon said as he was trying to remember. After a brief moment he continued with, “Our family’s Legacy is among the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis.”
“What does that mean?” Ellen quickly asked.
“Don’t know, but Saint Louis, Missouri is where our dad and his parents were born,” Brandon said.
“So I have relatives living in Saint Louis?” Ellen questioned.
“Not living ones,” Mitchell corrected. Ellen shot him a curious look. “Our grandpa… this is ridiculous. Your great-grandpa had died just after your Uncle Brandon and I turned seven.” Ellen just stared resentfully at Mitchell as he continued with, “But before that, I have a memory of him telling me that your great-grandma and her family were killed—all of them burned alive—just before your great-grandpa and grandpa moved here to Kansas City.”
Ellen and the others were suddenly drawn to the clergyman and the mourners when the clergyman loudly cleared his throat. Once the clergyman had everyone’s attention, he continued with, “Ms. Anderson… and friends. Should I continue?”
Ellen glanced at Mitchell and back at the clergyman before nodding. Ellen then casually walked back to join the mourners. The others followed suit.
Once everyone was focused on the clergyman again he resumed his services.
The funeral services lasted for another twenty minutes, and once it ended, each mourner gave Ellen, Harris, Shannon and Avery his or her condolences for their loss before he or she walked towards his or her car to leave.
Once everyone had left except for Ellen, Harris, Allyson, Shannon, Avery, Jane, Mitchell and Brandon, Mitchell and Brandon stepped closer to Ellen and the others.
Mitchell saw the hatred in Ellen’s eyes towards him as he approached her. Before Ellen could comment on anything, Mitchell questioned, “You really hate me, don’t you?” Ellen scowled at him while crossing her arms as a response. “I’ve made mistakes.” Ellen’s scowl deepened as she slightly tilted her head. “Okay, obviously getting your brothers and sister killed was the worst mistake anyone could make.” When Ellen just stood while staring at him as if he had lost his mind, Mitchell continued with, “Was asking me about our family’s Legacy the only thing you needed from me?”
Ellen thought for a second before asking, “How did you learn about Michael’s funeral?”
“Arthur Bennett went to high school with me and your Uncle Brandon,” Mitchell said. “He called me with the details.”
Ellen slightly grunted in disgust before saying, “Figures.”
“May I call you Mitchell?” Jane requested.
“That is my name,” Mitchell simply said.
“Okay, well, this is obviously none of my business, Mitchell, but I’m curious to know why you and your father kidnapped your children sixteen… seventeen years ago,” Jane said.
“It began with Megan… Ella’s mother kicking me out,” Mitchell was only able to get out.
“Stop calling me by that acronym nickname,” she hissed.
“Your initials create the name ‘Ella’?” Brandon asked.
“E-L-A, Ellen Louise Anderson,” she replied.
“You were saying,” Jane prompted for Mitchell to continue.
“Anyway, I should’ve known then that Megan was pregnant when she kicked me out,” Mitchell began. Ellen scowled confusingly at Mitchell. “Don’t get me wrong, El... Ellen. Your mom was a great woman, but I had a knack of getting under her skin, and when she was pregnant, she couldn’t stand to be around me.
“Anyway, I went to my dad’s place to let Megan calm down, and when I got there, I met my dad’s new neighbor who happened to have been a psychic. The guy took one look at me and rattled off some facts about my life, and the fact that particular birds are drawn around where Megan and I live had frightened him. He strongly felt that those birds around my house were a bad omen and that my kids were in mortal danger.
“Obviously the psychic’s warning had frightened the hell out of me, and when my dad and I went to warn Megan, Megan thought that my dad and I had lost our minds. I was desperate to keep my children safe, so when Megan refused to heed the psychic’s warning, my dad and I left with the kids… and I’m guessing that you know the rest from there.”
“Now tell them what you had told me when I had visited you in prison,” Ellen prompted. Mitchell gave Ellen a curious look. “How you would get under Mom’s skin.”
“I’m not the same person I was back then, Ellen,” Mitchell claimed.
“If you don’t tell them, I will,” Ellen challenged.
Mitchell sighed before saying, “I lied to Megan about my job and where I would go when I left her sight.”
“That’s sugarcoating things,” Ellen accused. “Now tell them the non-sugarcoated version.”
Mitchell stared unemotionally at Ellen before saying, “I told Megan that I clean things for a living… which wasn’t exactly a lie because I did clean things. My father and I cleaned up after Clayton Seawall…”
“Clayton Seawall?” Jane questioned quickly. “The drug lord-slash-weapons dealer who went to prison several years back?”
“Slash-gangster-slash-murderer,” Ellen added.
“He wasn’t a gangster per se, but yes,” Mitchell said. “He was who I had worked for, and although I had never deliberately killed anyone, my job consisted of disposing of bodies and making sure that those bodies were never found. When my kids were killed, the DA offered me a plea bargain. If I testify against Clayton Seawall and tell where I had disposed of the bodies, I would get an extremely reduced sentence, and that’s just what I did. I did thirteen years in prison. I’m now out and I have a legitimate job, working in a warehouse in Independence, Missouri.”
Ellen wrinkled her nose while rhetorically asking, “Ew, you live that close to me?”
“If you give me half of a chance, Ellen, I can help you,” Mitchell assured her.
“How can you help me?” Ellen quickly asked.
“You’re apparently looking for something that is called ‘our family’s Legacy’. I don’t know where it is or what it is, but I can check the records and find out where in Saint Louis my grandparents… your great-grandparents were living while they were alive.”
“I can do that myself,” Ellen pointed out.
“Do you even know the names to your grandparents and great-grandparents?” Mitchell asked.
“It shouldn’t be difficult to look up,” Ellen said.
“I know their names, Ellen,” Mitchell pointed out.
“I’m happy for you,” Ellen retorted.
“I can help you, Ellen,” Mitchell insisted.
“I don’t want anything from you or from your brother,” Ellen quickly said.
“You would rather take the long road than come to me for the answer?” Mitchell questioned.
“I would climb Mount Everest and ask Guru before I’ll ask you for anything, and I have no current plans to climb Mount Everest,” Ellen retorted.
“You’re just as stubborn as your mother.” When Ellen just stared apathetically at him, he sighed before he continued with, “Fine; you win. I’ll leave you be. But before I leave, here’s the information you’ll need.” Ellen just gave him a curious look. “Felix and Gloria Anderson are your great-grandparents from Saint Louis. Your other great-grandparents are Aaron and Katie Clancy—those two are from here. Alexander and Holly Anderson are your grandparents’ names, and of course you know my name.” After hearing the names, Ellen continued to stare apathetically at him. After a second of waiting for a response, Mitchell nodded. “Right. Bye, Ellen.”
Again when Ellen didn’t respond after a second of waiting, Mitchell turned and walked away into the cemetery without saying another word.
“Bye,” Brandon told everyone.
“Bye,” Jane replied. Everyone else, except for Ellen, gave him either a slight wave or a nod. Ellen just stared indifferently at him.
Brandon slightly nodded before he turned and hurried to catch up to Mitchell.
When Ellen looked at Harris, he told her, “As to how tightly you can hold on to grudges, remind me not to offend you.”
“I’m not forgiving him for what he had done,” Ellen quickly retorted.
“He’s obviously filled with remorse and regret, and most likely, he hasn’t had a good night sleep since it had happened…” Harris was only able to get out.
“Good!” Ellen interrupted with. “He doesn’t deserve to have a moment of peace over his actions.”
“Ellen!” Jane uttered to grab her attention. When Ellen looked, she continued with, “A renowned psychic had just told me that Sonya is going to die if she doesn’t leave that hospital right this moment.”
“That’s not funny!” Ellen shot at her.
“You’re right, it’s not funny,” Jane quickly agreed. “But what would be your honest reactions if it was true?”
Ellen stared annoyingly at Jane for a moment before saying, “I don’t know.”
“I believe you do know,” Jane accused. “I believe you would do what it took to keep Sonya safe. I believe you would do something similar to what your father had done.”
“I’m nothing like my father,” Ellen insisted.
“Putting your father’s criminal activities to the side, I truly believe that your father thought that he was doing the right thing for your brothers and sisters at the time,” Avery told Ellen.
“Sister,” Ellen corrected. “I would’ve had only one sister and four brothers.”
“Yes, well, I can understand your unwillingness to forgive your father…”
When Avery paused, Ellen said, “I feel a ‘but’ coming.”
Avery grinned before continuing with, “But harboring the amount of contempt that you seem to have for your father is unhealthy for you and the people around you. And I may be just a partisan to Merlin’s descendants, but I believe it would be dangerous for you to learn witchcraft as long as you are harboring those feelings.”
“Avery’s right,” Shannon agreed.
“I wouldn’t cast a hex on my father,” Ellen insisted. When she received incredulous looks from a few of them she continued with, “Okay, I might think that he deserves to be mentally tormented with guilt for what he had done, but I wouldn’t cast the spell to make it happen.”
“You’re not grasping the concept of magic,” Shannon told her. Ellen gave her a confused look. “You don’t have to cast a spell to put a hex on someone. With wizards and powerful witches just his or her ill feelings towards someone would be enough to unintentionally harm someone with magic, and the person unintentionally harmed doesn’t have to be the one who he or she feels contempt for.”
“So my feelings towards my father could harm Sonya… or make her sick?” Ellen questioned.
“It could,” Shannon told her. “Before you begin to learn witchcraft, you need to find it in your heart to let go of your ill feelings towards your father; otherwise the witchcraft that you want to learn that would protect Sonya could unintentionally harm her.”
Ellen sighed before grumbling out, “Fine, I’ll play nice with him for now on… if he would ever come back around, but I’m not promising more than that.”
“It’s a start,” Allyson said with a pleasant grin. Ellen just responded with a grin.
“Everyone had left the cemetery; so we should do the same,” Avery suggested.
“Let’s go,” Shannon said while gesturing towards the parked cars.
Before the group was able to get too far into the cemetery, Ellen announced, “I’m going to Saint Louis.”
“And how are you going to get there?” Allyson was the first one to ask. “You don’t have a car or a driver’s license.”
“A bus to Saint Louis shouldn’t cost all that much or take that long, and I still have a couple of thousand in the bank from when my mom’s life insurance policy had paid out,” Ellen pointed out.
“You shouldn’t be gallivanting across the country…” Avery was only able to get out.
“Saint Louis isn’t across the country,” Ellen interrupted with. “It’s not even out of state and I’m going.”
“It is on the very opposite end of the state and about four hours away,” Jane pointed out. “And a sixteen-year-old shouldn’t be wandering that far alone.”
“I’m going to Saint Louis,” Ellen insisted.
“You are a stubborn person when your mind’s made up,” Harris told her.
“I’m going to Saint Louis,” Ellen repeated in an unyielding tone.
“Yes, I believe you, and if you hold off a night, you and I can drive there first thing in the morning,” Harris told her.
Ellen gave him a look as if to ask, ‘okay, what’s the catch?’
“I’m not trying to trick you or talk you out of it, so don’t look at me like that,” Harris told her. “And if we leave around seven in the morning we can get there at least by noon.”
Ellen grinned before saying, “Thank you.”
Harris nodded with a grin before saying, “You’re welcome.”
“Being that Mike was my son-in-law, I knew him,” Shannon began. “But, Ellen, what were the names to your other siblings?”
“Oldest to youngest, their names were Mike, John, Christian, Rebecca and Andrew,” Ellen said. “Mike was thirteen years older than me. And Andrew was only one week away from turning two when he was killed.”
“And you had turned sixteen on July 21st?” Avery asked.
“July 19th,” Ellen corrected.
Avery shot Ellen a confused look before saying, “I thought your birthday was one day after Tanya’s birthday.”
“On our birth certificates, my birthday is one day before hers, but, in fact, our birthdays are on the same day and time,” Ellen informed.
“How do you figure?” Allyson asked.
“I was born on July 19th at 10:31 P.M., Kansas City time, and Tanya had pointed out that she was born on July 20th at 4:32 A.M., London time.”
Shannon grinned before confirming, “You were born on the same day and almost at the same time, but twelve years afterwards.”
“Your birthday will be easy for me to remember now,” Avery pointed out. Ellen just shot him a grin.
Mitchell’s seventeen-year-old blue pick-up truck was parked a few car-lengths from Harris’s rented SUV and had failed to start when Mitchell tried to start it.
As Mitchell was lifting the hood, Brandon was coming around from the passenger’s side. As the two were trying to determine the trouble, Ellen and the others were walking their way.
Mitchell and Brandon both looked back at the same time and saw the group approaching.
Mitchell was the first to look away and back towards the engine. As Brandon turned away, Ellen asked them, “Birds had never come to you?”
Mitchell and Brandon faced Ellen again before Mitchell asked, “You’re speaking to me?”
“I’m speaking to you,” Ellen confirmed as the group was walking up to the two. “Don’t birds come to you?”
“They do actually,” Mitchell said. “Is there a reason why you’re asking?”
“When that psychic had told you about the bad bird omen, didn’t you think that, that was a contradiction of your life?”
“El… Ellen, I don’t know why birds, rats or even squirrels would come to Brandon and me the way they do… or to your grandfather for as that matters, but between the time when Michael was born and your mother had become pregnant with you, the birds that were flocking around the house had more than tripled.”
“You naturally attract birds and animals… and so does he and so did grandpa,” Ellen began as she gestured towards Mitchell and Brandon. “I do too, and so did my brothers and sister. Now I’m just guessing here, but I’m thinking that the attraction that the birds and animals have for us is accumulative. As more of us are gathered, the more birds and animals are attracted to us.”
Mitchell thought for a second before saying, “That thought had never occurred to me.”
“No duh,” Ellen said barely loud enough to be heard.
Mitchell shot her an annoyed look for her comment before asking, “So why the change of heart?” Ellen gave him a confused look. “Why have you decided to speak to me?”
“My extended family had given me convincing arguments as to why my ill feelings towards you and your brother could be unhealthy,” Ellen said. “So my change of heart isn’t really a change of heart.”
“Hmm, are you always this blunt?” Mitchell asked.
“I have no reason to lie to you about it or spare your feelings,” Ellen replied.
“Okay,” Mitchell said before facing Harris and the others. “I guess I owe you folks a ‘thank you’ for…”
“I assure you that we didn’t do it for you,” Avery quickly interrupted with. “I fully understand her feelings towards you, but those feelings aren’t healthy… for anyone.”
“Yes, well, regardless, thank you,” Mitchell said. “And since we are speaking, what are your folks’ names?”
“I’m Harris. Michael was married to my sister Tanya,” he began before pointing out the others. “My wife Allyson, my parents Shannon and Avery, and Ellen’s neighbor Jane.”
“Was Tanya here today?” Mitchell asked.
“Tanya was killed in the same auto accident that killed Michael,” Shannon said. “Avery, Harris and I will be taking her body back to London when we go.”
“I’m sorry for your loss as well,” Mitchell said sullenly.
When Shannon and Avery nodded, Brandon asked, “Since you are talking to us, Ellen, what do you know about our family’s Legacy?”
Ellen glanced towards her group before asking, “Should I tell them?”
“They deserve to know as well,” Shannon said.
Ellen nodded before telling her dad and uncle, “The wizard Merlin existed and we are his descendants.”
“You can’t be serious,” Mitchell replied.
“I’m serious,” Ellen assured him. “That moon-stars birthmark that grandpa had is called the mark of Merlin.” Ellen gestured towards Harris before continuing, “He recognized the birthmark and explained to me what it was.”
“Harris, how would you even see the birthmark?” Brandon quickly asked.
“I described it to him,” Ellen rattled off before Harris could respond. Harris and the others just gave Ellen curious looks. “And he recognized it because he, Tanya and Shannon are too descendents of Merlin.”
“Our common ancestor is too far in the distant past for us to be related though,” Harris added.
“Okay, well, assuming that we are descendants of Merlin, what does that have to do with our family’s Legacy?” Brandon asked.
“Our family’s Legacy is a collection of diaries that our ancestors had written out,” Ellen explained.
“Diaries?” Mitchell echoed incredulously.
Ellen nodded while saying, “Uh-huh, and I want to find them. I want to know our family’s Legacy.”
“I guess I have to be a girl to understand the allure of diaries,” Mitchell said while shaking it off.
Ellen shrugged before saying, “I guess we should let you get back to whatever it is you’re doing to your truck.”
“What I’m doing is trying to find out why it won’t start,” Mitchell said.
Ellen gave him the thumbs-up sign before saying, “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks, but I’m thinking that my truck is part elephant and had recognized this place as a cemetery,” Mitchell said.
“Okay,” Ellen said in a confused tone. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
“Elephants are believed to travel for a long distance to their burial ground before allowing themselves to die,” Mitchell explained. “Of course the old Tarzan movies are where I’ve heard that so that could be Hollywood’s doing.”
“Okay, well, again good luck,” Ellen told him.
“Yes, well, good luck with you on finding those diaries,” Mitchell said.
“Thanks,” Ellen said with a grin.
“Bye again,” Shannon said with a wave followed by everyone else.
Once everyone had said his or her ‘goodbyes’ Ellen and her group continued towards the SUV.
Once the six were out of earshot of Mitchell and Brandon, Brandon said, “Ellen isn’t telling us everything.”
“I know,” Mitchell said as he checked the tightness of his battery terminal. “I didn’t want to press the issue though.”
“I don’t have to be in Hannibal anytime soon,” Brandon began. “Perhaps we should help Ellen track down those diaries.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Mitchell said. “If I ever get this truck started, we can go to Saint Louis.”
Harris looked back at Mitchell and Brandon and saw that they were out of earshot before asking, “From your quick response, Ellen, to a question directed at me, am I correct to assume that you don’t want them knowing about Sonya?”
“I don’t,” Ellen confirmed quickly. “I’m afraid that I would be going to prison for patricide if he would do anything to harm Sonya.”
Allyson put her arm around Ellen before saying, “You and Sonya are now legally in my and Harry’s care. We wouldn’t let your father do anything to harm Sonya or you.”
“I’m afraid that, that might be easier said than done,” Ellen said.
“For a person who had never really been around her father growing up, you’re certainly a cynic when it comes to him, Ellen,” Jane pointed out.
“Yes, well, he frightened the hell out of me with his life story when he was trying to bond with me a few years ago,” Ellen said as they were approaching the SUV.
Allyson just gave Ellen a consoling hug before removing her arm from around Ellen and entering the SUV.
Minutes later, as Ellen and the others were returning to the house, they saw a well-dressed man with a briefcase and a middle-aged couple at the door.
“Who’re they?” Ellen asked as Harris was parking the SUV in the driveway. The three at the front door turned to look.
“We only know as much as you do, Sweetie,” Allyson told Ellen as the ones seated by the doors went to open the doors.
As the six were getting out of the SUV the person in the suit spoke out, “Harris Bradley?”
“Who’s asking?” Harris asked.
“I’m Jack; Jack Hart from the Hart Realty Agency,” he said as the six were walking towards the three at the door. “We spoke yesterday on the phone.”
“I think there’s a misunderstanding,” Harris began. “The house won’t be ready to be placed on the market for another two weeks. I thought I had made that clear on the phone yesterday.”
“Yes, you did, but when I had told these two that this house was preparing to come onto the market, they insisted to speak with you,” Jack said.
“I’m Doyle Stevenson and this is my wife Claudia,” the man said.
“I used to live here from the age of five to the age of fifteen,” Claudia added. “When I was fifteen, my dad took a job that moved us away, and I hated moving from this house.”
“So you two are moving back to Kansas City from where?” Ellen asked.
“Doyle isn’t originally from Kansas City, but we’re moving from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois,” Claudia said.
“I’m retiring from the air force after thirty-five years,” Doyle added.
“Cool,” Ellen said.
“Were you in the air force too, Mrs. Stevenson?” Jane asked.
“No. I actually commuted each morning to Saint Louis, Missouri,” Claudia said. “I worked downtown Saint Louis.”
“In the Saint Louis’s record office?” Ellen asked in a hopeful tone.
Claudia gave Ellen a curious look before answering with, “No.” A disappointed expression came across Ellen’s face. “You need information from the Saint Louis’s record office?”
“My great-grandparents were from Saint Louis… one set of them were anyway, and I was hoping to find out what house they had lived in,” Ellen replied.
“I actually had worked with someone who currently works closely with the mayor,” Claudia said. “So I may not know anyone who works in the record office, but my friend might.”
“I don’t want to impose on you,” Ellen told her.
“My husband and I are imposing on you folks,” Claudia pointed out. “So do you know your great-grandparents’ names and the dates they were living in Saint Louis?”
“Their names were Felix and Gloria Anderson,” Ellen began. “As for the dates, I don’t really know, but I’m sixteen, my father is fifty and my grandfather was about twenty years older than my father. So I’m guessing that my great-grandparents would’ve lived in Saint Louis around seventy to ninety years ago.”
Claudia gestured towards the door while asking, “So do you mind if I make a few phone calls?”
“Not at all,” Harris said as he took out the key to the front door.
As Harris moved towards the door, Doyle asked, “So what prompted you to put this house up for sale?”
Harris went to unlock the door while saying, “This house belonged to my sister and her husband. They were killed last Tuesday in an auto accident, and we had just come from my brother-in-law’s funeral.”
“Which his brother-in-law was my brother,” Ellen added as Harris was opening the door.
“We’re sorry for your losses,” Doyle, Claudia and Jack said.
“Thanks,” the six said before Harris gestured for Doyle, Claudia and Jack to enter before his group.
“So what is everyone’s name?” Claudia asked before walking into the house first.
Harris introduced everyone, and after the introductions were over, Claudia went to use the kitchen phone. The others went to the living room and talked.
Claudia had made a few phone calls before finding someone who could help her, and once she received useful information for Ellen, she left the kitchen.
When Ellen saw Claudia walking in, she asked, “Were you able to find out anything?”
“I have,” Claudia began. “Approximately sixty years ago… in Saint Louis, your great-grandmother was a math and gym teacher at the Roosevelt High School. There was an after-hours incident at the high school that involved your great-grandmother at which it is believed by the police that your great-grandmother was killed…”
“The police don’t know for sure?” Ellen interrupted with.
“People had witnessed your great-grandmother entering the high school prior to the incident, but not leaving it. When the police searched the high school all they could find was the clothes that your great-grandmother wore that day, which were blood-soaked and filled with dust.” Ellen noticed Shannon being drawn into her own thoughts. “Your great-grandmother’s body was never found.”
“What was the incident that took place?” Shannon asked.
“Since there has been no arrests made, that incident is still on the books as an unsolved crime so the officer I had spoken with wouldn’t discuss the specifics of the case with me,” Claudia said.
“So were you able to find out what her address was?” Ellen asked.
“I did; however, Interstate Forty-Four was built through that neighborhood and the house was demolished because of the highway,” Claudia said.
“Of course it had,” Ellen sarcastically said.
“Was there anyone else involved in the high school incident?” Allyson asked.
“There was actually,” Claudia replied. “There was a high school student injured in whatever had taken place by the name of Martha Starr.”
“Martha Starr?!” Ellen uttered. Claudia, Doyle and Jack gave Ellen curious looks. “The ‘stars of Saint Louis’ are a family.”
“What?” Claudia questioned in a confused tone.
“Last Tuesday I found out that my great-grandmother had kept diaries, but the only clue to those diaries was that they are among the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis,” Ellen explained.
“Which explains why you wanted to know where your great-grandmother had lived,” Claudia said.
“Uh-huh,” Ellen said with a nod.
“So Martha Starr’s relatives have those diaries,” Avery assumed aloud.
“If not Martha herself,” Shannon countered. When Avery shot Shannon a curious look, she explained, “If Martha Starr was a high school student sixty years ago then she would be younger than eighty years old today.”
“That gives us a starting point tomorrow,” Harris spoke out.
“You folks are going to Saint Louis tomorrow?” Jack asked.
“Ellen and I are,” Harris said. “Of course the others are welcome to come as well, but it will definitely be Ellen and me. Anyway, Claudia, since you and Doyle are here, would you two like to take a look at the house?”
“We would,” Claudia replied.
“While you’re giving Claudia and Doyle a tour, I’ll see if Martha Starr is publicly listed,” Allyson said.
“Martha could’ve gotten married after high school and changed her name,” Jane pointed out.
“Great!” Ellen uttered discouragingly. “Instead of being the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis, maybe we ought to be looking for the… the Hatfields or the McCoys of Saint Louis.”
“You do know that the Hatfields and the McCoys were two feuding families during the 1880’s?” Jane questioned.
Ellen shot Jane an annoyed look before uttering, “Yes; they were the only two names I could think of to point out how difficult it will be.”
“Don’t get discourage, Sweetie,” Allyson told Ellen. “We know that we are looking for a person now and not… whatever.”
“You’re right,” Ellen agreed.
“And we might get lucky and find that the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis are all related to Martha Hatfield or whatever Martha’s name had changed to after she got married,” Harris added.
Ellen nodded in agreement before saying, “You’re right.”
“Now getting back to that tour, Claudia; what would you like to look at first?” Harris asked.
“Do you mind if I lead?” Claudia asked.
“Not at all,” Harris said as he gestured.
As Harris, Doyle and Jack followed behind Claudia, Allyson went into the kitchen to use the kitchen phone.
During the passing minutes, Allyson had no luck with finding any listings for a Martha ‘Star’ of any spelling.
After the tour was over, Doyle had given Harris a reasonable offer for the house. Harris had once again reminded them that the house wouldn’t be available for another two weeks before accepting the offer.
When Claudia and Doyle agreed to not being allowed to move in for two weeks, Jack had both parties to fill out the paperwork, and once the paperwork was completed, Jack, Claudia and Doyle left the house.
