AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Harper was about to put the phone back in her pocket when another call came through. “Dad,” she said as she answered. “How are you?”
“Doin’ fine, Sunshine. How are you? Your mother said you called.”
She had a sudden longing to go home and sleep in her parent’s house. “I’m okay. How’s the roof?”
“Fine. Not a big deal.”
“Glad to hear it,” she said.
“So what’s up? Your mother said you wanted to chat with me.”
She looked all around and made sure she was alone. “Dad, do you remember working on Everlasting Manor when I was a kid?”
“Sure do. It was one of my first jobs when I went out on my own and started my own construction company.” He chuckled. “In those days I’d do anything and everything.”
“Do you remember the green paint you used in the Manor and then let me paint one wall in my room with?”
“It was a deep green. I remember it. Your mother didn’t want to let you do it, but I convinced her it was better than the black you wanted.”
Harper bit back a smile. Her mother had told her the same thing only she said she had to convince him to let Harper use the paint. “How many rooms did you use the green paint in up at the Manor?”
He chuckled again. “Do you know how many years ago that was? You expect me to remember that? What’s this all about?”
She let out a sigh. It had been worth a try. “It’s not important, Dad, just an idea I had.” As an afterthought, she asked, “Do you remember anything interesting about the Manor?”
“That place was in dire need of fixing back then. It had good bones but had been left to wrack and ruin. I always thought it was such a blessing when old Peter Farnsworth bought it. He was keen to bring it back to its former glory. We did a lot of work on it. It needed a lot of electrical if I remember correctly. At least those tunnels made that easy to do.”
Harper’s breath froze. Tunnels? Fine sweat broke out across her upper lip. “Tunnels?’” she squeaked. “What tunnels?”
“Well, I guess you’d call them more secret passages although the one in the basement would qualify for a tunnel.”
“Dad, what are you talking about?”
“Well now, Sunshine, you can’t tell anyone. I promised Peter I wouldn’t tell his secret.”
“Peter Farnsworth has been dead for twenty years. I doubt he’d care now.”
Her father sighed. “I guess you have a point. Still don’t go spreading it around.”
“Spreading what around?” her voice rose in frustration, but she caught herself and lowered it again. “Fine,” she agreed, “I won’t tell the whole world.” She couldn’t say she wouldn’t tell anyone because she knew she’d tell Flynn.
“Well now, apparently back when the front part of the house was built in the late eighteen hundreds…or was it the early nineteen hundreds?”
She gritted her teeth and prayed for patience.
“Anyway, the original owner was a bit of a smuggler. He used to bring in booze among other things. He’d bring it in by boat. When he built the house, he dug a tunnel to bring in the stuff from the boats to the house and then he had secret staircases and rooms put in so he and his friends could drink. Peter found them and wanted to keep the secret so I promised him I would. He used them to play pranks on his friends when he first got the house but then he had a stroke and lost the ability to speak. I don’t think anyone else ever knew about the secret passageways and rooms.”
Harper’s knees went weak. Secret passageways, tunnels for smuggling, rooms hidden in the walls... No wonder people thought Everlasting Manor was haunted. She needed to check them out.
“Thanks for telling me. I won’t spread it around.”
“Okay, love. I’ve got to go. You be careful. A nor’easter is coming in the next few days. Make sure you’re prepared.”
“Will do,” she said, anxious to get off the call. “Wait! Dad, do you remember how to access the passageways?”
“Well now…it seems to me there’s a door in the basement, in the unfinished area. . . Also, there’s one in the kitchen if I remember correctly.”
“Thanks, Dad. Love you.”
