Free Just Above a Whisper by Lori Wick Page A

Greenlowe’s hard work. Thank You for strong bodies and capable minds. You’ve blessed us this day, Lord. Amen.”
    Food was being pushed in Reese’s direction when she said, “I’m at the Kingsley house.”
    Mrs. Greenlowe actually gasped, “No one’s lived there for years!”
    “That’s why I’m covered in webs and dust.”
    “Why are you there?”
    “I was told I had a week to clean it.”
    “A week?” Mrs. Greenlowe nearly came out of her chair, but a look from Reese stopped her. “All right, I won’t start on that bank manager, but only because I want to know what it’s like in that house.”
    Reese actually whispered, “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen such high ceilings, and the main stairway,” Reese paused to smile, “is curved and open and wide. Even the portraits are still hanging on the walls.
    “And in the dining room, the dish cupboards are built directly into the walls. That room is so spacious that it holds a table with ten chairs and still has room for the fireplace and fabric-covered chairs in three of the corners.”
    “How many fireplaces did you see?”
    “I counted six, but I just did a swift walk through the downstairs.”
    “So you started upstairs?”
    “Yes. I didn’t want to track that dirt through a clean house.”
    “Good idea,” Mrs. Greenlowe complimented her. “What of the kitchen and buttery?”
    “The kitchen is on the main level, and it’s large.
    “And the buttery?”
    “It’s below.”
    “Three stories?” The older woman was astonished and stopped. “The property drops away to the barn and outbuildings on that side, doesn’t it?”
    “Yes, and the buttery’s huge! Two rooms to work in, plus extra storage, and so many built-in shelves and cupboards …”
    Just then Reese remembered she had no time to linger and tucked into her food. Mrs. Greenlowe opened her mouth to ask another question and knew it would have to wait. While Reese finished, Mrs. Greenlowe had an idea.
    “You might get hungry and thirsty this afternoon.” Mrs. Greenlowe’s attempt to sound casual failed miserably. “I might need to bring you something.”
    Reese’s shoulder shook with laughter as she said, “Don’t let Mr. Jenness see you.”

     
    “How far did you get?” Mr. Jenness asked of Reese, and she wondered whether he talked to everyone as he talked to her: never a greeting, just demands and commands.
    “Two rooms are completely clean. I’ve started on a third, and I think the rest is manageable. Are there certain rooms you want me to concentrate on in case I don’t get done?”
    “No, if you’re not going to finish, let me know with enough time to hire more help. I’ll come after dinner tomorrow to check your progress.”
    Reese nodded.
    “Are the windows getting done?” he suddenly asked.
    “I do them as I do each room.”
    “Are you finding mice or other vermin?”
    “No, nothing like that.”
    “Very well. Keep the key with you and go directly there in the morning.”
    Considering how stingy Mr. Jenness had been in the past, Reese took this as a compliment. She half-expected him to demand that she check in each morning. This was to her advantage. If she was up and around before the bank opened, she could get right to work.

     
    “Who’s moving into the Kingsley house?” Cathy asked of Maddie, who’d stopped in after she finished her errands in town.
    “I don’t know. I just learned that Reese is cleaning there.”
    “Do you think Reese knows the details?”
    Maddie looked as doubtful as she felt. She wasn’t privy to all the dealings in Reese’s life, but she somehow doubted that Mr. Jenness had confided anything.
    “Probably not,” Cathy complained, looking put out. Her voice was that of a spoiled child, and Maddie smiled.
    Cathy saw the look. “What?” she asked.
    “You have the greatest source of information about 30 feet away, but you ask me, and I live outside of town.”
    Cathy’s look was comical.
    “I assumed you’d been