“It sounds like you’ve done your homework.”
“I have. It’s fascinating. And I’m totally psyched at the possibility of turning something that was creepy and morbid into a beautiful new place for Jane to expand her hotel empire.”
“If it’s as creepy as you say, maybe it’ll turn out to be haunted after all.”
“Oh, don’t say haunted . . .” We’d had enough of that already, thanks.
He grinned at that. “I know you’ll do an awesome job on the beautification, but I want to see it while it’s still creepy and morbid.”
“I can make that happen,” I said, with a snap of my fingers.
“Fantastic,” he said, and winked roguishly. “Creepy and morbid are my stock-in-trade.”
Chapter Two
The next morning I turned off the highway and drove up the hill for several hundred yards until I passed Big Hat Rock—so named because the huge boulder resembled a forty-foot-tall solid rock top hat—and turned left onto a narrow, one-lane road. I pulled the truck over to the right as far as I could get without scraping the chain-link fence that bordered the tall, thick hedges.
“You’ll have to get out on my side,” I said.
“No problem.” Mac glanced around. “I still can’t see a thing.”
“There used to be a thick concrete-block wall along here, but the developers who bought the property took it down and erected this temporary chain-link fence. These trees and hedges have always been here.”
“No wonder you can’t see anything from the highway.”
“Right. And it helps to have Big Hat Rock standing in the way, too.”
“Guess so.” He stared up at the rock. “Aptly named.”
For years, the bushes that bordered the Gables property had been wildly overgrown. But just recently the landscapers had begun the overwhelming job of trimming it all. Enough so that you could get a tiny peek at the place if you found the right spot between the hedges.
“They plan to cut back most of the brush before it opens.”
He nodded. “That’s good.”
“Let’s get out and walk.”
“Yeah.” Mac climbed down from the truck and walked to the other side of the road. He stretched up on his toes. “Hey, I can see the tops of the towers.” He stared for a moment. “Wow. They look like they belong on top of a medieval castle, not a hospital.”
“The original designers were really into impressive architecture. They believed it was essential for the security and recovery of the patients.”
“Interesting. So how do we get in there and see the rest of it?”
“This way.”
We walked farther down the road until I found the gate in the middle of the chain-link fence. “Here we go.”
Mac frowned at the black lockbox attached to the gate. “That looks like a serious lock.”
“It is.” I flipped open a panel and pressed in an elaborate key code. The gate swung open.
He grinned. “Abracadabra.”
“Magic.” I wiggled my fingers, then grinned back at him. “And Jane gave me the code.”
We got through the gate and then pushed our way through the tumble of bushes and tree branches until we reached the edge of a wide green lawn.
“Whoa,” Mac whispered reverently, taking in the overwhelming sight of the elegant yet long-dormant Gables. “You weren’t kidding, Shannon. This place is mind-blowing.”
“Sort of takes your breath away, doesn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah.”
In the middle of the lawn, a large billboard had been erected that spelled out the plans for the space.
Coming soon!
THE GABLES!
Luxury Shops * Galleries * Restaurants
World-Class Hotel and Spa!
Conference Center * Wedding Venue
Park, Walking Trails, Bike Paths, Picnic Area!
For information on leasing and investment opportunities, call
The Gables Development Company.
Two phone numbers were listed under the company name.
“That’s a pretty ambitious agenda,” Mac said, staring up at the sign. “I guess once they’ve cut back the trees and brush, this billboard will be more visible as you drive up the road.”
“That’s the plan,” I said. “Jane told me the developers signed the lease on the last available space just last week, so they’re hoping to make some headlines with their groundbreaking ceremony next week.”
We walked a few yards more to get past the billboard so Mac could have an unobstructed view of the rows of buildings. For a few minutes we just stood and stared at the striking Victorian edifice before us.
The Gables consisted of seven separate buildings in one long row across the top of the ridge. The main building—which I understood had once been the administration building and had housed a number of the permanent staff members—was in the center, and its tower stretched up several floors higher than the other buildings’ towers. Three identical buildings stood on either side of the central building. Each was set back about twenty feet from the one next to it, so the overall effect was meant to evoke the idea of birds in flight. At least in theory.
All of the buildings were three stories tall but appeared much taller because each of the floors had twenty-foot ceilings. Each building had the same gothic-style tower that speared up into the sky above the rooftops. There were also multiple chimneys, an overabundance of dormers, and row upon row of gabled windows, all classically Victorian touches.
And I knew that along with the fanciful bridges and arched breezeways, there were numerous underground tunnels, all connecting one building to the next.
“And this whole complex is less than a quarter mile from the highway.”
“Well, the rock and the wall and the trees have kept it well hidden for a long time.”
“Yeah, but still, I can’t believe I’ve never seen it. Never even knew it was here.” Mac slowly shook his head. “Mind-blowing,” he muttered again.
I was happy that the weather had cooperated with our field trip plans. The early spring day was already starting to warm up as the sun made its daily climb over the eastern hills. A light breeze ruffled the leaves in the surrounding trees. The air was clean and clear and the sky was bright blue, with tufts of white clouds scudding over the ocean.