‘Flirt,’ Ava whispered, a small smile playing on her lips as she looked down at her dog and they walked companionably back to her truck. Ava ran her hand over the smooth shiny paintwork, then opening the door, she stepped back and allowed Bailey to jump up as she climbed in after her. Breathing deeply, she inhaled the scent of brand-new leather.
It was extravagant, she knew it, but she’d also never had anything brand new in her life. When she’d learned just how many zeros were in her bank account, thanks to her inheritance, she could admit, she’d gone a little crazy. She’d bought herself a brand-new truck, driven it straight off the forecourt of the nearest dealership. She’d thrown away all her worn tatty clothes and bought herself new ones. Nothing fancy, just jeans, t-shirts and sweaters. She’d even thrown away her battered old sneakers and now wore bright red converse.
In retrospect she really hadn’t spent that much, in fact she’d barely made a dent, a scratch even, but to someone who was used to counting every nickel and dime it still felt a little frivolous.
There was a slight bump as the ferry slid into the dock, which shook her from her thoughts and before she knew it, she was driving down the ramp and onto Midnight Island.
The dock bustled with unfamiliar sights and sounds. There were stacks and stacks of lobster traps, fishing boats returning and unloading huge crates of fish, and a flourishing market with people everywhere calling out loudly.
Usually Ava would have been fascinated, drinking in every new sound and smell ravenously but today she couldn’t focus, couldn’t think of anything but the house on the cliff. It was almost as if it was calling to her, singing to her blood.
She pulled out the directions she’d been given over the phone. Unfolding the paper against the wheel, without taking her eyes off the narrow winding road, she navigated her way through charming cozy little streets and past busy restaurants and quaint tourist shops.
Following the road up and away from the main part of town she passed into the quieter, more residential areas, past cute cottages and summer rentals. Feeling the tranquility of the island wash over her she relaxed, unaware of the small unconscious smile tugging at her lips.
Glancing every now and then at the little hand drawn map she followed the road. The houses and buildings slowly began to disappear until there was nothing left but empty road ahead of her, flanked by tall trees, which speared up into the sky with their twisted, gangly trunks and lush canopies. All her anxiety began to drain away and the feeling of peace once again washed tantalizingly over her. Finally, she reached the top of the cliff and the tree line opened up to reveal a huge gray building.
Courtney Keller climbed out of her mom’s Chrysler and smoothed down the skirt of her new suit. It was mortifying having to drive a minivan, she thought as she flipped her blonde waves over one shoulder with a careless toss of her head. It wasn’t like it was her fault what had happened to her own car. She just hadn’t seen the low wall while she was reversing, nor the trash cans as she’d tried to compensate and pulled forward sharply. It was also really unfair her parents wouldn’t help her out with the repairs, after all she’d only just gotten her realtor’s license and it was going to take some time for her to start earning decent money.
She glanced up at the grim looking house and shuddered. The place gave her the creeps and for good reason; having grown up on the island she was well acquainted with the history of the Lynch House.
She deliberately turned her back on the house, but the feeling persisted, sly spindly little fingers which skittered down her spine, causing a light perspiration to break out at her temples.
She glanced down at her watch, an expensive looking knock off one of her aunts had brought her back from a trip to Thailand, but she had to admit it was a pretty good fake. It had fooled most of her friends and that was all that really mattered.
She shifted as her heels began to sink slightly into the gravel, which was partially overgrown with moss, and tightened her fingers around the file she held in front of her like a shield. Wishing she hadn’t come out to the remote spot on her own she refused to turn and look at the house again, just in case…
Feeling an uneasy churning in her belly she once again glared at her watch as if it hadn’t only been fifteen seconds since she last checked. Where was the woman? The ferry was on time, she’d checked herself. It should have docked nearly half an hour ago.
She could only hope the stupid woman bought the rat-infested flea hole of a house. Not only would it get it off their books but would also earn her a nice commission and the respect of her colleagues. As the newest member of the team she was pretty darn low in the pecking order which is why she’d been sent out to deal with this house in particular. The simple fact was no one else wanted to deal with it and she couldn’t blame them. Still she was sick of getting all the jobs no one else wanted. How was she supposed to prove herself and earn any kind of decent money if they wouldn’t give her a chance?
She glanced up at the unmistakable rumble of an engine and the crunch of gravel beneath tires. Smoothing out her forehead, her smile widened showing off the pretty white veneers which had been her eighteenth birthday present. She once again smoothed down her red power suit and tucking the file under one arm, waited for the huge black truck to park beside her.
Ava climbed out of the truck, with Bailey jumping down behind her as she approached the young woman smiling at her like a toothpaste commercial.
‘Miz Cortez,’ the girl offered her hand politely, her smile dimming slightly as her eyes dipped to the big dog at Ava’s side.
‘Hi,’ Ava took her hand and shook brusquely. ‘Don’t worry about Bailey, she doesn’t bite.’
‘I’m Courtney Keller of Gillespie Realtors, may I be the first to welcome you to Midnight Island,’ she forced her smile up another watt. She really wanted this sale, even if it meant she got mauled by what looked suspiciously like a wolf.
‘Thanks,’ Ava murmured absently, her gaze already drawn to the towering building behind them. ‘It’s bigger than I thought.’
‘Twelve bedrooms,’ Courtney beamed enthusiastically, ‘and an absolute steal for a property of this size and location.’
Ava stared up at the house, it was pretty much the size of a mansion. It was at least three storeys. A flight of stone steps led up to a huge double entranceway above which was a balcony. Above that was a gorgeous old rectangular statement window and directly above that a smaller metal balcony and another massive rectangular window, this time topped with a steeply gabled roof.
To the right was a large circular section which looked like a tower. The second storey metal balcony continued to wrap around the tower to the back of the house. The third-floor windows of the tower were each framed with stunning brickwork arches and the whole tower was topped off with a tall cone-shaped roof.
To the left of the building was a slightly shorter squatter tower, which instead of being smoothly rounded seemed more angular, almost hexagonal. The windows were slightly less ornate, just plain sash windows, some of which she could see were either cracked or missing glass panes altogether. The roof was less conical than the other tower, with another more angular gabled roof.
The back of the building or at least what Ava could see of it, seemed to be a rectangular shape. The third floor once again had a small metal balcony like the front of the house and the third-floor window was framed by a brick arch which ended in a sloping pitched roof. Next to it, right at the edge of the main roof, sat a huge tall chimney stack.