Page 107 of Stay Buried

“It’s no trouble,” he told her. “I’ll come back tomorrow morning and we’ll see if we can get that sink to stop leaking. And I’ll take a look at the door to the attic too.”

“It sticks something terrible,” she said. “Sometimes I think the whole house is crooked. None of the doors seem to close right.”

“It’s an old house,” he told her. “They settle. Nothing’s square or level. That’s part of their charm.”

Josephine smiled at him, beamed at him really. “And you’ll think about my offer, Malcolm?”

“Of course,” he said. Then he leaned in and hugged her, kissed her on the cheek.

It was the way he used to say good-bye to Gram.

Ashley’s chest felt tight and she had to turn away, to remind herself to breathe. She headed out the door, Malcolm right behind her.

“Don’t forget the tobacco for Willy,” Josephine called after them.

“We won’t,” Ashley reassured her over her shoulder.

“It’ll be a nice treat for him,” Josephine said. “Maybe a cold sodatoo?”

“You bet,” Ashley said, trying to conceal her exasperation.

“He’s partial to root beer,” Josephine called after them.

They walked a little ways, and Ashley looked back. Josephine had finally closed the front door.

“So, what’s this offer she was talking about?”

“You’re not going to believe it,” he said, laughing a bit. “So she asked if I could stay with her for a couple of weeks, help her with all these little odd jobs around the house, get to know my ‘ancestral home.’ I told her I’d think about it—it’s not like I’ve got anything going on back home, you know? So then she says, she’s actually been thinking about turning the house into a bed-and-breakfast!”

“Shebrought it up?”

“Yes, I swear! She started going on about how it’s a shame for all these lovely rooms to sit empty, just cooking for herself in the big kitchen, wouldn’t it be nice for visitors to have an alternative to the motel—she called it ‘that grim little motel,’ actually.” He was smiling broadly. “Did I think you and I would be open to it, wouldn’t it be nice to make a little income off the property?”

“Tell me you didn’t agree to anything, Mal.”

“Of course not! I didn’t even let on that I’d been thinking the same thing ever since I laid eyes on the house. But it sure seems meant to be, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ashley said, thinking,A bittoomeant to be, actually.

“There’s a lot to think about, figure out, of course,” Mal went on enthusiastically. “But we can talk about it, right?”

She sighed. “Sure. We can discuss it later, okay?” She was placating him.

He grinned at her.

“I’m still trying to get my head around this whole thing,” Ashley said. “Gram grew up here with Josephine; she had this whole early life she never talked about. She lied to us, Mal. It’s one thing to leave your little hometown in the boonies behind for the big city, it’s another togo out of your way to lie to your kids and grandkids about ever having evenbeento that little hometown.”

Malcolm shrugged. “I mean, it’s strange, for sure. But she must have had her reasons.”

“There’s something else,” Ash said. “Mom was definitely here in Boone’s Ferry two years ago. The little girl, Mini, remembers her—I showed her the picture, she recognized her right away. Willy and Cheryl remember her too.”

“Wow. You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure! Willy’s wife was the town clerk. He told me she and Mom were looking into things they shouldn’t have been. And they both got the mark on their doors. The next day, the town hall burned, his wife was killed. And Mom vanished.”

Malcolm was silent a moment as they walked, processing.

“Did Willy tell you this, Ash? He is the town drunk, right?”