Page 8

Lavender

Tiredly, I tossed on my bed as I thought about tonight. It hadn’t turned out the way I had expected, and I was disappointed. Warring with disappointment was confusion and trepidation.

There had been a light on in the tower. Chatter and I had both seen it, and yet when we arrived at the entrance leading to the tower, it had been firmly locked. I’d headed back down, fetched the keys, and we had gone up. At the top, the widow’s tower door had been bolted. On opening, I had taken a deep breath and stepped into the darkness. Using my phone, we’d found a switch and discovered the electrics didn’t work up here.

What the hell had we seen? I didn’t believe in ghosts. Nope, not at all. But somebody had been up there. What, though?

Anxiously, I tossed and drew my duvet over me. I couldn’t settle. Ravenberry felt uneasy, and I was unsure why. It could be me transferring my unease, but something definitely seemed wrong.

A creak sounded from the room above, and my eyes flew open. It was three in the morning, and I’d still not fallen to sleep. Peering into the darkness, I listened intently. Just as I closed my eyes, somebody walked a couple of steps above me. That was fine, except the room above was jam-packed with dolls and locked. A loud groan came from above, and I shrieked and sat upright.

What on earth was going on? Jinx stumbled into my room, rubbing his eyes, and before I could speak, I placed a finger to my lips. In the moonlight, Jinx frowned and cocked his head. We heard a further three footsteps, followed by a thud.

Jinx’s gaze widened, and he mimed walking with his fingers. Concerned, I nodded as I clutched the bedsheets. We both flinched as someone ran across the wooden floor, and a door banged.

“What’s happening?” Emory demanded, wandering in. The students slept next door.

“I’m not sure. Was everyone in there with you?” I whispered.

“They’re still asleep, but I sleep lightly.”

We all jumped as we heard footsteps again. Emory worked it out, and her eyes went wide.

“Yeah,” I muttered.

“Stay here,” Jinx said. “Give me the keys.”

I rummaged around in the table next to my bed and pulled out the correct bunch.

“Pull Chance up in your contacts. If I’m not back in ten minutes, phone him. Meanwhile, lock yourselves in,” Jinx ordered. He held my gaze. “Lavender, do you remember my knock?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll use it again. If it is any different, call Chance,” Jinx demanded and left the room. I hurried over and secured the door.

“Emory, is your door locked?”

“I’ll go check,” she said and disappeared. She returned moments later.

“It’s secure.”

“Good.”

We both sat on my bed and kept our eyes raised. The creak announced the door opening, and then we heard Jinx’s footsteps. Seconds later, the door shut again, and we both looked towards mine. Jinx did his knock, and we let him back in.

“No one up there. And there’s no room to swing a cat,” Jinx explained.

“The Manor is not haunted. There have never been reports of hauntings here amongst the family,” I declared.

“Lavender, no offence, but how much history do you know about Ravenberry Manor and the Bloodsworth lineage? There could have been ghosts and nobody told you,” Jinx mused. I scowled and wanted to argue that, but I couldn’t.

“Let’s go to sleep. There’s nothing else we can do,” I suggested finally.

They nodded, and I climbed back into bed.

What was going on?

◆◆◆

To say I was grouchy was a severe understatement. The weird thing with the widow’s tower and then the strange happenings last night meant I’d not had a lot of rest. I was currently nursing a coffee and glaring at anyone who dared talk to me. Which seemed only Harriet was brave enough.

“Lavender. While takeouts are great, we’d like some home-cooked food, and the kitchen has nothing. We don’t even have cereal or bread and butter. We need to do some grocery shopping,” Harriet said with a glance at everybody.

“And we’ve scheduled a day for everyone to cook, including you, and left one night free for a takeout,” Heidi added.

Without a word, I slipped my card from the back of my phone and tossed it at them.

“Budget?” Harriet asked, and my eyes narrowed.

“How about we just buy everything we need?” Heidi chirped.

I agreed.

Emory wandered in, yawning. “Coffee,” she growled.

“Kelly and I will go after breakfast,” Harriet said.

I shook my head.

“Heidi and I?” Harriet amended, and I nodded again and yawned.

“This will come to a lot. You basically need everything,” Harriet continued. “I’ll try to get generic stuff to keep the price down.”

Miffed, I glowered. Did Harriet think I was cheap?

“You got two thousand, buy branded and whatever you want. Shut up,” I growled.

Harriet and Heidi exchanged amused glances as Kelly and Dan bent their heads and ate.

An hour later, I was in the room we were clearing and removing the final few dolls. The Peacock room was done, and Emory could now use it. It needed a good scrub, and I had a team arriving in five days. I wanted them to clean the hallways and the bedrooms that we had opened so far. It was the same company who’d cleaned the kitchen and adjoining rooms.

We had moved on to the bedroom containing the Eloise dolls, and they were the first removed. They were being locked into the family vault, which was situated in the cellar.

It resembled a bank vault with a heavy door. Luckily, I knew the combination, or we’d have been in dire straits. Aunt Aggie had drummed it into my head as a child, and I’d sworn never to tell anyone. It had been updated before Aunt Aggie died and now boasted a key lock, as well as the spinner and also a thumbprint scanner, which Slaughter had sorted.

Jinx headed down to the vault with Kelly and the other valuable dolls in this room and locked it under a security camera’s watchful eye. I knew Tatum had returned and was working with Chatter to clear the rest of the coins.

Tatum had approached me about his group whom I had heard of. They were exclusive and well respected. Tatum then offered me to join them, and I was considering it. Then again, it was unlikely I’d travel for jobs as I had many years of work in front of me here.

By midmorning, we’d packed and cleared the Ruby Room, and Harriet could move in now. After discussion, Emory, Dan, and Kelly picked a room for Heidi, and we started clearing it. This was the Moon room and everything in here was a light silver grey or shining opal colour. It was another stunning room. Ravenberry Manor was full of them. Each generation adding something to the house.

We began packing up the dolls—not as many in this room—and I kept an ear out for the girls returning. When they did, I ushered everyone out and locked the door. It would be unfair to let them unload the car alone.

I was shocked when I saw the SUV was packed with bags. “What the hell?”

“There is seven of us living here. And we eat a lot,” Heidi said flippantly.

“Seven?”

“You, Jinx, and us five. Plus, any visitors,” Harriet replied.

“Load me up,” I ordered, knowing I couldn’t argue their logic.

The boys went back and forth to the car with Jinx as we began putting items in the pantry and in the cupboard. An hour and a half later, we’d finished, and Harriet was making a platter of sandwiches.

“Lunch!” Tatum announced, entering the kitchen with Chatter on his heels.

“Yup. Help yourself,” I said as I bit into a peach.

I wasn’t hungry, so got up to check the gardens. It had been just over four weeks since I’d moved in, and the estate boundary walls had been completely repaired. The builders were now repairing, damp proofing, and re-roofing the ground structures. Such as the stables, garage, pool house, and greenhouse, for example.

A team of gardeners was working on the grounds. They’d started with the lawn in front of the rear of the manor. Historically, my family would have played bowls or croquet here or lounged around with a picnic. The gardens surrounded the lawn on three sides, with the fourth being the Manor itself.

A lot of work remained on the outside. At the top of the house on the third level, builders tackled the damp. It surprised me that the floor had it, yet the attic and cellars had been kitted out against it. Another mystery of Aunt Aggie’s thought process!

“Ma’am, would you mind coming to check this?” a guy asked as he approached me.

“Sure,” I commented, wondering what now. Surprisingly, he led me to a golf cart.

“It’s a short drive but a longer walk,” he said.

“Okay,” I replied, properly confused. As we pulled off, Chatter walked out, but I waved him away. There was an expression on his face that suggested he didn’t like me going off alone.

Refusing to consider what that meant, I frowned as a large building came into focus. “What’s that?”

“The second garage, Ma’am. The boss, Andy, didn’t think you knew this existed,” the guy commented.

“No, I’d no clue,” I murmured and got off the cart as we pulled up to a stop. “There isn’t a dead body inside?”

“No. But there’s a nice surprise,” he replied.

I sent him a dubious glare. What others called a nice surprise, I didn’t. And, oh shit, was I right. In horror, I closed my eyes. Stacked three high on strongly built platforms was a load of antique cars.

“That’s a nineteen-twenty-four Rolls Royce Silver Ghost,” the driver said.

“Mark is right. And that is a nineteen-fifty-two Mercedes Benz 300 S Coupe. You’ve a nineteen-thirty-six Packard 1407 Coupe, and a nineteen-fifty-six Chevrolet Corvette C1 Convertible,” Andy exclaimed excitedly.

“And that’s a nineteen-thirty-one Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine. That is a Bugatti Type 41 Royale. Only three were ever in private hands,” Mark informed me, drooling over the car.

“And you’ve got a nineteen-thirty-eight Alfa Romeo 8c 2900b Lungo Spider, nineteen-fifty-five Jaguar d-type, and a nineteen-fifty-six Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti. There is a damn fortune sitting here in vehicles!” Andy explained at my befuddled look. “Lady, these vehicles are exceptionally rare and valuable. The Bugatti? Lady, fifty million bucks and over for that one alone.”

“Anything freaking else?” I muttered. Now I had another problem. I couldn’t leave these cars here unprotected. The Bloodsworth ancestors must have struck a deal with the devil for this to survive intact.

“There are even replacement parts for some of them, lady,” Andy announced apologetically. “And they look original.”

“Of course they do,” I complained. “Would someone mind going back and collecting the guy called Jinx, please?”

“I’ll go,” Mark offered.

“How many know about this?” I asked as soon as he disappeared.

“Currently, the three of us. We’re aware discretion is key. But you can’t leave these here,” Andy replied.

“No. Obviously not,” I said, gazing at them.

My family were bloody hoarders. Couldn’t blame Aunt Aggie for this surprise, not judging by the dates. A bad headache starting, I sighed and massaged my temples. The Bloodsworths were eccentric, I was convinced of it.

“Oh fuck! I’ll phone Fanatic,” Jinx exclaimed from behind me as I stood in silence and stared at the cars.

“Call someone!” I replied finally.

“Don’t worry, Lavender, we’ll sort this out,” Jinx soothed as he rubbed my back. “She’s in shock.”

Andy and Mark nodded. “So were we when we found this.”

The guys began wandering around the cars, making comments, when a Harley roared up.

“Jinx! I know I’m in charge of you, but don’t call me making deman—fuck me!” Fanatic stated, storming into the garage.

Fanatic took one look and continued speaking. “These aren’t safe here. We’re going to need to move them. The safest place I can think of is the Hellfire compound outside the clubhouse. There’re always people there, and it’s heavily guarded. Do we have keys for them?”

“How the hell would I know?” I muttered.

“Hate to say it, but they’re here,” Andy called, and I peered over at a wall.

“Could you bust it open?” Fanatic demanded.

“Fanatic, ain’t you glad I phoned now?” Jinx asked, coming forward.

Fanatic looked horrified. “Go elsewhere with your bad juju!”

“Nah, it’s fine, I been here a while—”

The lockbox fell from the wall and smashed open.

Fanatic rolled his eyes. “You were saying?”

“Jinx stays! I need him,” I demanded, finally finding my voice.

Jinx sent me a grateful look as I grabbed his arm and leant my head on him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Okay, no problem,” Fanatic said as he picked the keys up. He walked over to the Alfa Romeo 8c 2900b Lungo Spider and climbed in carefully. Fanatic turned the engine over, and it clicked but didn’t start.

“They’ll need jumping,” Fanatic murmured. He yanked his phone out. “Hey, Uncle Chance, I’m at that creepy house. I’ve got a problem here. Can you have Rooster bring the garage truck out as I gotta jump around thirty cars, and also, I want whichever brothers are at the clubhouse. Lavender has a serious car issue. I’ll send Jinx down to direct you.”

Chance rumbled something, but Fanatic refused to elaborate, and finally, I heard an agreement. Half an hour later, voices sounded, and then Chance walked in with a group of men.

“Holy fuck!” one exclaimed.

“Shit!” a second added.

“Explains why Fanatic is so hyped up,” a third commented.

“Where’s my truck? The batteries are dead,” Fanatic demanded.

“Let me guess, you’re planning to drive these back to the compound?” Chance asked. Fanatic held his gaze, and Chance turned to me. “Did you agree with this Lavender, or did my nephew steamroll you?”

“Both?”

“I can’t think of anywhere to store these cars right now that would be classed as safe except for the clubhouse. The security there is high, and they’ll be safe. If you’re comfortable?” Chance offered.

“That’s fine with me,” I said.

“Here, miss, these are the pink slips. I’ve checked, and there’s ownership papers for every car,” Andy explained.

“Thank you. I think I’ll go back to the house,” I muttered and left quickly.

◆◆◆

How much money had my family had? How much had they spent? It seemed obscene to me. I knew those cars were worth a fortune, and yet they’d stayed there for years, probably undriven and left to rust. I fully understood the trust held billions. The realisation hit me hard now. In a way, it was disgusting, this much money lying around, and in another, it was my family’s legacy, and I’d fight to save it.

But those cars. They were the tipping point for me. Stunned, I wandered back to the Manor, unsure what would hit me next. Without any set plans, I felt like I was aimlessly drifting, just going with the flow.

Something did bother me, though. I remembered playing dress up with Aunt Aggie’s jewellery. That was missing, and the collection was worth a fortune.

There was also the question of why all this hadn’t been destroyed. Teenagers should have broken into the house and wrecked it. Yet Ravenberry had remained untouched. Security hadn’t been provided, so something had kept the local troublemakers away.

I’d not been into town much, but maybe I needed to, to discover the gossip. Because there had to be rumours about the estate. Something had stopped people coming and ruining it.

“Lavender?” a voice inquired, and I jolted and realised I was back at the Manor.

“Yes?” I replied woodenly, looking at Chatter.

“Those cars were the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Chatter suggested shrewdly.

“A bit.”

“Give me ten minutes, and I will be back. I’ll take you for a ride. Being on the road tends to clear anyone’s mind,” Chatter offered, and before I could say anything, he disappeared.

“Everything okay?” Tatum asked from where he sat.

“Just more drama!” I murmured, and Tatum nodded.

“You’re overwhelmed here, aren’t you?” Tatum said shrewdly.

“Tatum, I didn’t grow up with this. I was meant to, but my parents had a falling out with my Great Aunt. This isn’t something I know what to do with, it’s completely confusing to me,” I replied.

“And you aren’t sure how to handle the sudden influx of wealth,” Tatum commented insightfully.

“Nope. I thought it was the estate, and everything else appeared. By now, Tatum, you’re aware there are other collections here.”

I wrapped my arms around my body, feeling overwhelmed and lost in the grand scheme of things.

“Lavender, you are handling it better than others. I’ve been called into places where the heir is selling everything and purchasing tacky shit. Or they’re going nuts buying crap and will bankrupt the estate within a few years. From what I’ve seen, Lavender, you want to preserve this. That is sensible, and not rushing out and selling everything also smacks of respect. My advice? Keep doing what you’re doing, and be proud of it. Although, your family were hoarders!”

I laughed at Tatum’s last words. “There’s so much truth in that statement I don’t know where to begin unpacking it!”

“One box at a time,” Tatum said and nodded to a guard. “Lavender, be careful who you trust. Once word gets out, thieves and fortune hunters will descend. Make sure security is as tight as possible and then double it.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. And please consider joining our group.”

“I will.”

Tatum disappeared inside, and I took the chair he’d been sitting on. A few moments later, Chatter roared up on a motorbike. He booted the kickstand down and headed towards me.

“Have you ever ridden before?” he asked as I walked down the steps.

“Yes,” I replied. Chatter nodded and led me back to the Harley.

Chatter held out a helmet and a riding jacket, and I took them. “They’re Chey’s, but I guessed you were the same size.”

“Chey?”

“Celt’s old lady.”

“Oh.” I shrugged the jacket on, and it was a good fit. I donned the helmet and waited for Chatter to mount the bike. As soon as he’d done so, I swung up behind him and wrapped my arms around him.

“Tap twice if you need me to pull over,” Chatter called.

I held a thumbs up. The bike roared, and I laid my head on Chatter’s back, and we headed down the drive.