Free Mysteries of Holt House - A Mystery by Marja McGraw Page B

with a book, while Sharon said she wanted to
write a letter to her parents, who’d moved back to Texas around the time my
parents moved to Florida.
    It was almost one o’clock. I sat down to
wait the for the mystery man who’d failed to give me his name. At five minutes
after one, the doorbell bonged .
    I opened the door and was surprised to
find Mike standing there. It suddenly dawned on me why the voice on the phone
sounded familiar.
    “Is this a joke?” I asked, smiling. “That
is, you are here about the room, aren’t you?” I hoped I hadn’t jumped to the
wrong conclusion.
    “No, it’s no joke. I told you I knew a guy
who wanted to move out of town. I just didn’t mention it was me.”
    “You can have any room you want. At least
that way I’ll know you’re going to be here for work every day. Which room do
you want?”
    He smiled at my little joke. “Second
floor, front. I start work early, so I won’t bother the other boarders too much
if I’m right by the stairs.” He’d taken the room next to Josh.
    “Good thinking. When do you want to move
in?”
    Mike looked down his nose at me. “Would
you mind inviting me inside?”
    “I’m sorry,” I said, embarrassed that I’d
left him standing on the porch while we talked. “Come on in.”
    “I thought I’d bring my things with me on
Monday morning before we start work,” he said, answering my question.
    “You’ll love living here,” I said. “All
you’ll have to do is walk out the door and you’ll be at work.”
    “Which is exactly why I want the room.”
    “Oh. You only want it until you’re done
with this job?”
    “No, I’ll still be here when the work is
done. This place is centrally located for me. I can get to all of the
surrounding towns with less traveling.”
    “By the way, Mike, I’ll need to have the
handyman check your door. I keep closing it and when I go back, it’s standing
open again. The latch must not be catching or something. Anyway, I’ll have him
take care of it.”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll check it
myself.”
    “Okay.” I decided not to argue the point,
hoping he was going to be this agreeable about everything.
    “Where’s Lucy?” he asked. “I’d like to
talk to her while I’m here.”
    “She’s in the kitchen.”
    He left my side and headed for the kitchen
while I climbed the stairs to check his room to see what it might need. By the
time I finished, Mike was gone.
    Ruth Bell showed up right on time. When I answered
the door I realized immediately that my assumptions about her had been right.
She was a timid little woman. She was small and thin, with mousy brown hair,
huge brown eyes, and she looked at the floor a lot. With those big eyes, she
looked fearful. Maybe she really was frightened. It did seem difficult for her
to talk to me. I had to practically lead her by the hand during our
conversation.
    “You must be Miss Bell,” I said,
encouragingly.
    “Yes,” she answered quietly, looking
everywhere except at me. She simply would not make eye contact.
    “Please come in. I’m Kelly Sanders.”
    She even walked timidly – slowly and like
she was walking on eggs. I didn’t know her and yet her attitude and shyness
tugged at my heart. I felt like I wanted to hold her hand and tell her she’d be
okay, which was ridiculous. She was only a potential boarder and she was an
adult who could handle things any way she liked.
    I pointed at a chair. “Have a seat and
I’ll tell you about what Holt House has to offer.”
    She sat down with her hands in her lap,
her knees held close together, and she stayed on the edge of the seat with her
back hunched. I thought if she practiced good posture and did something with
her hair, she might not be half bad. Well, a little make-up wouldn’t hurt
either, but it really wasn’t any of my business.
    I told her about Holt House – she flinched
when I mentioned the community bathrooms – and then told her of the additions I
was planning. She nodded her