Ava glanced along the roofline and from what she could see there seemed to be several smaller chimneys, perhaps half a dozen in all, leading her to surmise that there were real fireplaces in most of the rooms, typical of the time period.
She was desperate to get a closer look, but the ground level was all boarded up and the entire perimeter was surrounded by a metal fence, punctuated at intervals by signs warning, KEEP OUT and DANGER!
‘So,’ Courtney opened her file, although she needn’t have bothered. She’d already learned every detail about the house, determined to be the one to sell the ancient turkey and win the approval of her peers.
‘The house,’ she began, ‘was built in the mid-19th century by a noted architect from Boston; he liked to vacation here with his family. They owned the house for twenty years until he passed away and his son sold it to the Lynch family. It has remained in their family since then. Now the house hasn’t actually been inhabited since 1919 so it still retains all of its original features.’
‘I don’t suppose there’s electric or running water then?’ Ava mused quietly.
‘There are actually several bathrooms with toilets, however they do date back to the late 1800’s and would need some updating. I believe the property when it was last inhabited was lit by gas lamps so the electric would also need installing, but it’s a charming period property. There is a working water pump at the back of the building and it also comes with several acres of land and a private beach at the foot of the cliff.’
Courtney threw that in with a wide enticing smile.
‘Uh huh,’ Ava murmured, only half listening to Courtney as she studied the house. It was massive, what the hell was she going to do with such a huge property? It wouldn’t sell, judging by the length of time it had been on the market, especially not in its current condition. If she had any hope of selling it on it would need to be rehabbed before she could flip, it and that would take some serious dollars. She had no doubt, that even with the ridiculous amount of money it would take to make it livable she could afford it, maybe even make a profit on it. A sizeable one given the location and the private beach, but did she even want to sell it?’
Courtney’s heart started beating faster, she could see that the woman was actually considering it. She might actually pull this sale off. Her stomach clenched in excitement as she tried to school her features into the cool, aloof professional she was.
‘So, what do you think?’ Courtney asked after a moment of silence.
‘I think,’ Ava replied quietly, ‘that it looks sad.’
‘Sad?’ Courtney frowned.
‘Sad and neglected, like it’s been waiting for someone to bring it back to life, to make it happy again.’
‘Well,’ Courtney beamed, ‘well then, if you’re interested in making an offer, we can…’
Ava turned back; her dark eyes fixed on the girl.
‘An offer?’
‘An offer to buy the property,’ she confirmed. ‘As I said it’s an absolute steal at this price.’
‘I think there’s been some misunderstanding,’ Ava replied, ‘I’m not buying the house.’
‘Pardon?’
‘I’m not buying it because I already own it,’ Ava told her. ‘I just wanted to have a look at it, so it seemed best to call the realtors and have them show me around.’
‘Oh,’ Courtney frowned, ‘oh…’ she repeated flatly, any trace of warmth gone from her demeanor.
‘I understand it’s been on the market since the fifties?’
‘That’s right,’ Courtney replied sourly as she watched her commission disappear before her eyes like a fine mist.
‘And no one was interested?’
‘They came close, a couple of times in the seventies and eighties but no one actually made an offer.’
Ava turned back to the house her lips pursed thoughtfully.
‘Take it off the market,’ she decided.
‘Excuse me?’ Courtney replied.
‘Take it off the market,’ Ava repeated.
‘You’re going to live here?’ Courtney asked incredulously.
‘I don’t know yet,’ she shook her head, ‘but I do know that it won’t sell in this condition. Either way it needs a lot of work.’
‘Understatement,’ Courtney muttered under her breath.
‘I’d like to take a look inside,’ Ava turned back to her. ‘Do you have the keys, or something we can pry the boarding loose with?’
‘No, I don’t,’ Courtney shook her head. ‘The realtors don’t keep the keys to the property, not since…’
‘Since what?’ Ava asked curiously.
‘Nothing,’ Courtney swallowed uncomfortably, ‘um… Mr Pearson, the lawyer in charge of the estate keeps the keys at his office. You’ll need to see him.’
Ava’s eyes narrowed curiously. All of a sudden Courtney didn’t seem to want to look her in the eye and her lips were tightly pinched together as if she were holding something back.
‘Okay then,’ Ava answered slowly after a moment, realizing the girl wasn’t going to be any more forthcoming. ‘Well thanks for your help.’
‘You’re welcome,’ she muttered sulkily. ‘If you want to follow me back down into town, I’ll show you where his offices are.’
‘Thanks that would be great.’
‘No problem,’ Courtney responded trying to remember her manners.
Ava watched the girl stomp as gracefully back to her car as she could in those ridiculous heels which were already covered in dust from the gravel. She couldn’t have been more than her early twenties and seemed more like a kid playing dress up in her mommy’s dramatic red power suit. Driving a minivan wouldn’t help her get taken seriously either but each to their own.
Whistling for Bailey they climbed back into her truck and headed back down into town. As they drove down the Main Street, Courtney honked her horn and pointed to a glass fronted office with ‘Pearson Attorney at Law’ stenciled onto the window in a perfect arch of gold lettering.
Ava honked in thanks and pulled into a parking space directly opposite the building, watching as Courtney sped off in her minivan not paying much mind to the speed limit.
Ava headed into the office with Bailey in tow. A loud distressed squeal demanded her attention as the glass door swung shut behind her.
‘No dogs!’ The short rotund woman with a tightly curled perm practically climbed onto her chair. ‘No dogs in here!’
‘Oh um,’ Ava frowned, ‘I’m really sorry but it’s too hot out there to leave her in the truck. Honestly, she’s very well behaved. I know she looks a little intimidating but she’s a big softie, she won’t harm you I promise. I just need a few moments with Mr Pearson.’
‘Do you have an appointment?’ she demanded, her face turning red as she watched Bailey with beady eyes, as if she expected her to pounce and sink her teeth into her at any moment.
‘No, I’m afraid I don’t, I’ve only just arrived on the island, but we have spoken on the phone. My name is Ava Cortez.’
‘You can’t see him without an appointment, so you’ll just have to go back wherever you came from and take that beast with you.’