Cluttered Attic Secrets (11 page)

They stood staring at each other, not moving, waiting. Nothing happened. Hank rapped on the wall again. The answering knock sounded, and Tina gasped.

“An echo,” Mr. Hall said. “Or something behind the wall that bangs against it when you hit that particular spot.”

Hank tapped around the rest of the area, and nothing happened. Then he rapped on the spot again, and they heard the answering knock. Hank pulled a pen from his pocket and made a circle on the wall. “I’d guess something is banging. An object hung on that spot, maybe.”

“Agreed. May I have a closer look?”

Hank nodded and stepped out of the way.

Mr. Hall ran his hand over the area, then just his fingertips. He shook his head. “I don’t feel anything that indicates a door.” He began rapping his knuckled in a precise pattern in the same area. “I’m pretty sure there’s no opening here.” He looked along the wall and sighed. “This is going to a devil to measure with all the clutter everywhere. And I can’t do a good job of tapping, either.”

“So Leslie and I will need to discard as much as possible and get this area clean before you can do anything more?” Tina asked.

Mr. Hall smiled. “I doubt there’s only one entry to the space, if there is one. Another might be in the library, and yet a third in the master bedroom. Or even a connecting passageway between more than one bedroom.”

Lisbeth raised her eyebrows. “Why there? And an even better question, why any at all?”

“It’s not too easy to find out why some of these spaces were made secret. The hidden passageways between bedrooms, for example.” Mr. Hall smiled. “Children loved them. Some were trunk rooms. Obviously not used for that purpose here.” He looked around and counted the trunks. Everyone laughed.

“What else?” Tina was fascinated.

“Gun rooms, and even just closet space. Back a couple hundred or more years ago, though, they were often used to hide people. Priest holes in Great Britain. Runaway slaves here in America.”

“Oh, my,” Tina said.

“You probably all know that Newport traded in slavery back in the day. Fortunes were made, and many of the founding families’ descendants still live here. But there were also people adamantly opposed to slavery, and it’s very possible some were hidden here on their way to other places. Some were brought here by their vacationing owners as slaves and escaped. But even if we find a hidden space, we will probably never know its original purpose.”

“What do you suggest we do next?” Hank asked.

“Since the attic will be difficult to work in in its present state, I suggest we look at the master bedroom.”

Everyone headed downstairs, and Tina showed Mr. Hall the walk-in closet in Leslie’s bedroom.

“I didn’t tell you this before, Mr. Hall,” Hank said. “A friend of ours was attacked in this room from behind. We were unable to find out who it was or how the attacker came to be in the room in the first place.”

“Mr. Silver.” Mr. Hill’s eyes twinkled. “I’m not so sure I’d want to be a friend of yours. They seem to get into the most peculiar messes.”

Hank laughed. “I’ve always thought of it the other way around. They get
me
into unusual, sometimes even dangerous, situations.” Hank looked at Tina.

“Who me? I live a very ordinary life.”

Mr. Hall regarded her with interest. “Well. Let’s investigate the closet. Is your friend all right?”

Tina nodded. “We think so. His sister, who owns this house, is with him, checking on him.”

“Brandon Young?”

“Yes. You know him?” Hank asked.

“Not well. We just bump into each other when we’re out and about on Bellevue Avenue. I also know of his good reputation as a defense lawyer.” Mr. Hall paused and looked around. “This is a nicely proportioned room. Let’s see, it’s over the library.” He walked through it to a doorway, into the sitting room, then opened the door to the bathroom. “And it appears the suite, takes up the whole space, front to back.”

In the bedroom, he opened the door to the rectangular closet. It took up the whole outside wall and was stuffed with Leslie’s clothes and accessories. “Hmm. I’m afraid we’re going to have to get some of the hanging items out of our way. Will she object, you think?”

“May I look?” Tina asked.

“Sure.”  Mr. Hall stepped aside so Tina could join him.

Tina wasn’t surprised to see that Leslie had arranged her clothing by type, then by color. Shoes were neatly lined up on two divided shelves on the floor, hats on hat stands on a rack over the rod, and handbags inside a hanging organizer.

“How about we remove some clothes in the middle of each wall and put them on the bed?”

“That’s a good idea,” Mr. Hall said. “But let’s just do one wall at a time. I’ll hand them to you, Tina, and you can place them carefully on the bed.”

“Sounds good to me. Which wall do you want to do first?”

Tina and Mr. Hall switched places inside the closet. “The one we think of as the outside wall.” He removed as many clothes he could from the middle of that space and handed them to her.

Tina placed them on the bed while Mr. Hall tapped around inside the closet. After a while he stopped tapping, but he didn’t come out. Tina, Hank, and Lisbeth exchanged glances, waiting.

They heard a click. Mr. Hall, his voice muffled, said, “Eureka.” A door creaked. “We have us a stairway.”

CHAPTER 29

Tina gasped. Lisbeth rushed into the closet, Tina close behind her. They could see Mr. Hall’s feet as he ascended the stairway.

“Mr. Hall, wait!” Lisbeth shouted. “You had better let me go first.”

“Too late. I’m already at the top. Nobody up here.”

“Are you sure? Is there a place for anyone to hide?”

“Good question, under the circumstances.” He stepped out of the way so the others could enter the room.

Tina gasped again. From the stairs the space appeared to go all the way to the back of the house. Long and narrow, maybe six or seven feet wide, the area was lined with three single beds. It took her a moment to realize there was a lot of light in the space, but no windows. She looked up and saw sunshine coming from some sort of opening.

Mr. Hall followed her gaze. “Ah, a belvedere cupola. It has slats across the openings, so from outside you can’t tell it also has window panes. Very clever.”

They walked to the end of the third bed. An armoire sat next to a half-wall partition, which separated the space. Three more beds lined up again in the second area. Another armoire and another partition separated a smaller living space with a battered couch and one chair. More light streamed in from above. Tina checked the ceiling and saw the same type of opening that was in the first area.

Then they came to a door.

Mr. Hall put his hand on the knob.

“Don’t you dare.” Lisbeth lightly shoved him aside. She rapped loudly on the door. “Police, open the door, then put your hands up.”

There was no answer. They waited. Tina realized she was holding her breath, and took a big gulp of air.

Nothing happened. Lisbeth repeated her command. Still silence. She unholstered her gun hidden under her suit jacket. Pointed it at the door. Then she turned the handle and pushed it open. She stood, feet spread wide, gun aimed into the room, then looked right and left. Slowly, she lowered her weapon and re-holstered it. “Clear.”

The room was a large primitive bathroom. Everything looked to be early nineteen-hundreds. White enamel sink, toilet and even a claw-foot tub. The plumbing was not hidden, and they could see where it came in from the back wall. 

“Amazing.” Hank stepped into the room next to Lisbeth. He pointed at the slightly rusted medicine cabinet. The mirrored door hung partly open. “This is the wall we were tapping on.” He banged the door toward the wall. “Could be what we were hearing.”

“Leslie’s going to be amazed.” Tina laughed. “She can accommodate at lot of overnight guests now.”

Mr. Hall looked about as shocked as Tina felt. “I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s obvious it’s been used recently. It’s clean, well-kept. No dust.” He ran his hand along the sink’s edge.

“Who. And why. Those are the questions.” Lisbeth turned to leave the space, then stopped to examine the contents of the medicine cabinet. It held the things that most did—Band-Aids, aspirin, toothpaste, and so on. “No drugs, legal or illegal,” she murmured.

“You’re not going to check the toilet tank?” Hank laughed.

Lisbeth gave him a look. “Probably should, but I imagine whoever is using this space doesn’t think anyone will find it, so no need to hide anything.” She took the lid off the tank anyway and glanced inside. Shook her head and replaced it. “Let’s have a look in those armoires.”

Lisbeth opened the one between the bathroom and living space. She jumped back when something fell out. “What was that?” Lisbeth grabbed for her gun, then laughed when she saw the cabinet had a drop down desk inside, and the writing surface had fallen onto its braces when she opened the door. “Hinges must be old.” She re-holstered her gun again.

Stored inside were paper goods, some canned food, snacks, and cleaning supplies. A can opener, a sharp kitchen knife and a cutting board were stashed in a drawer. In the right bottom area an apartment-size refrigerator filled the space. Lisbeth opened the door. Sodas, cheese, and some cut-up fresh vegetables filled it up.

“This is weird,” Lisbeth muttered.

“You want to call in forensics?” Hank asked.

Lisbeth looked startled. Then she held up her hands. “What am I thinking? Of course, you’re right, Hank. Everyone out. Don’t touch anything.”

Mr. Hall appeared confused. “Why forensics? Just keep a watch near the cellar door.”

“What if they never come back? Fingerprints could lead to their identity within hours. Let’s go.” She made a shooing motion with her hands.

“Can’t we look in the other armoire, at least?” Tina asked.

Lisbeth hesitated. She appeared curious. Sighed. She pulled a pair of blue latex gloves out of her pants pocket and put them on. “A quick look. Remember, no one touch anything.”

They walked toward the first section. Tina paid attention to the beds this time. They were all neatly made. Each one had a different quilt covering and a fat pillow. The three in the section nearest the bathroom looked more used than the rest, she thought.

Lisbeth pulled open the cabinet door cautiously. Nothing fell out to startle her, and Tina heard her sigh. This one held clothing. Some for a man. Some for a woman. And some for a child. A ragged Teddy bear lay on a shelf next to a Bratz doll in great condition.

She looked at Hank. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. She wondered if he was thinking about the girl the O’Briens had mentioned hanging around.

“Curiouser and Curiouser,” Mr. Hall said.

“Yes.” Lisbeth shut the armoire door a little harder than Tina thought necessary, but she understand the other woman’s frustration. “Now we’re truly done up here. Everyone downstairs.”

“What are you going to do?” Tina followed Mr. Hall. “Don’t we need to call Leslie? It’s her house, after all.”

“I certainly need to talk to her.” Lisbeth’s heavy shoes clumped on the wooden stairs. “And her parents.”

“I wouldn’t mind being with you when you do that,” Hank said. “I know them pretty well, after all, and Mrs. Young is not in the best of health.”

They arrived in Leslie’s bedroom. Lisbeth left the secret door open and turned to Hank. “What does that mean, ‘not in the best of health’?”

Hank glanced at Mr. Hall.

Lisbeth caught the look. “Okay. Mr. Hall, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’ve been an enormous help, and I can’t thank you enough. However, this house has now become part of a murder investigation, and all civilians will be barred until further notice.”

Mr. Hall appeared upset, but he composed himself quickly. “I understand.” He faced Hank. “If I can be of further assistance, please don’t hesitate to call.”

They followed him downstairs and said good-bye at the door. Lisbeth told the techs who were finishing up in the office to go upstairs and do a thorough inspection of the master bedroom and the secret room. They seemed surprised, but only nodded, grabbed their bags, and went upstairs.

After they disappeared, Tina held her breath, waiting for Lisbeth to tell her she had to leave.

But Lisbeth ignored her and asked Hank, “Now, what do you mean by ‘not in the best of health’?”

“She’s a recovering alcoholic. All of this is probably going to set her off. My own mother won’t be very happy to hear about it either. Nor will Tina’s. These three mothers, plus two more, have a kind of support group. Combined, they worry a lot about their daughters.”

Lisbeth appeared baffled. “I understand that this could be hard for Mrs. Young. I have to think about how best to handle it. Let’s sit down.”

In the living room, Lisbeth looked at Tina. “Under the circumstances, I would like to ask you a favor.”

Startled, Tina nodded. “Sure.”

“I going to interview Mr. Young next, and his wife. I want you and Hank to come along. If you think it’s getting too much for Mrs. Young, I want you to stop me.”

Tina’s respect for Lisbeth rose. She’d admired her since they first met, but hadn’t seen much of a soft side. Not that she was exactly being soft. Kind. And smart. If Mrs. Young got too upset, Mr. Young would probably insist she stop talking to the police and might not be too cooperative himself.

“I’d be happy to help. What about Leslie? Do you want her there, too?”

“Good question.” Lisbeth looked at Hank.

“It might get too confusing with the three of them. I’m not sure what Leslie has told her parents. Better to do the parents together, then Leslie separately, if you even need to interview her again.”

“I certainly do. Remember, she didn’t tell us about the apparition the first time. I have to wonder what else she might have left out.”

“I doubt there was anything else. As Tina said, she figured you, meaning the police, would be extremely skeptical about the whole matter.”

“I try to keep an open mind, Hank.”

“I know that. Leslie doesn’t. Her brother works the other side of the aisle, remember.”

Lisbeth sighed. “And I have to interview him about the attack, as well. What a time for John to go on vacation.”

Hank smiled. “Tina and I will help.”

Lisbeth looked at him askance. “Okay.” She drew the word out, then laughed “I’ll take what I can get. Tina has proven to be pretty good about figuring stuff out.” She stood up. “Let’s go see the Youngs.”

Tina left her car and rode the few blocks with Hank to the Youngs’ Victorian. “You have any profound thoughts about all this?”

He laughed. “Not at the moment. Not enough data. We can only hope that forensics will give us some answers about the people in the secret room. But, and it’s a big but, that’s doubtful. They have probably lived off the grid for years, maybe decades.”

“You think they were there when Aunt Margaret lived there? And if so, did she know?’

“We won’t find out the answer to those questions, I don’t think, until we find the people who are obviously hiding up there.”

“From the clothing and other stuff we found, it appears to be at least a mother and a young girl, and perhaps Joshua Young, though, right?”

“That would be my guess, yes.”

They’d arrived at the Young’s house, and Tina climbed out of the car with some reluctance. She did not think this was going to be a fun visit. She saw Lisbeth pull up behind Hank’s Jaguar. The three of them went up the walk together.

Mr. Young answered the door and seemed surprised to see them. He frowned, but then invited them in. Hank introduced Lisbeth, then asked, “Has Leslie come home yet?”

“No.” Mr. Young led them into the living room.

Tina felt at ease. She’d been in this house more times than she could count. Mrs. Young had updated the wallpaper and the rug, Tina noticed, but the furniture was the same stiff Victorian so many of the homes in this area of Newport had. Red velvet loveseat, gilt-legged chairs, fragile-looking tables with china dogs and cats, bells, and dolls placed on tops.

Everyone sat down, and Patty Young entered the room. Tina thought she’d put on about ten or fifteen pounds since she last saw her. She hoped that was because she stopped drinking and was substituting food for alcohol. Mrs. Young had always been painfully thin, so Tina was happy to see her with more weight on. But she noticed Leslie’s mother also seemed older and worn. About the same age as Tina’s own mother, Mrs. Young looked about ten years older. Or more.

Mrs. Young seemed even more surprised to see them than her husband had been. Her gaze fell on Tina. “What’s going on?”

Hank introduced her to Lisbeth and explained who she was. Mrs. Young looked alarmed. “Has something happened to Leslie or Brandon?”

“They’re both fine,” Tina quickly told her. “Bandon had a slight accident, but he’s okay now.”

“What do you mean accident? With the car? But if it was an accident, why is a homicide detective sitting in my living room?” Almost all the color left Mrs. Young’s face, and Tina was afraid she was going to faint.

“Not the car.” As gently as she could, Tina explained what happened to Brandon and what they had just found at Leslie’s house.

Brandon’s mother kept shaking her head in disbelief. When Tina finished, Mrs. Young closed her eyes. When she opened them, she stared at her husband. “You know, I remember Margaret acting strange after she moved into the house again. I even mentioned it to you, but you didn’t agree. I wonder if she knew about what was going on, and for some reason didn’t say anything to us.”

Mr. Young frowned. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t tell us. Or me, at least.”

“What would your reaction have been?”

Mr. Young looked startled. “I don’t know,” he said slowly.

“I think I do.” Mrs. Young pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one with jerky movements. “You would have first been disbelieving. Then you would have demanded something be done if your brother, Joshua, was one of the people living there. Maybe put him in an institution. In other words, you would have taken charge.”

“Well, maybe that would have been a good thing. Maybe Joshua Young would be alive today if he’d been institutionalized.”

Mrs. Young’s jaw slackened, and she slumped into the chair back. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?” She looked at Lisbeth and sighed. “I suppose you have some questions for us. As you can tell, I knew nothing about the secret room, and I seriously doubt my husband did either, or he would have taken charge.” She took a huge drag on her cigarette, then studied the end. “Please ask your questions so we can get this over with.”

For a moment, Lisbeth looked at a loss. She cleared her throat. “The first thing I need to establish is whether either of you knew of the existence of Joshua Young.”

Both Youngs shook their heads.

“And neither of you knew about the secret room?”

Again, head shakes.

“Mr. Young, was your father brought up in that house?”

“Yes, he was. His name was David. My mother was Catherine. After my father’s parents died, he moved back in with Catherine. It was always understood that Margaret, who loved the house, would inherit it, and I would get an equal amount of the value in cash and the rest would be divided between us.”

Lisbeth was taking notes. “Do you recall anything odd about the house growing up?”

Josh sat a moment, staring into space. “I realized that our back yard was much more private than most. Children could run from one to another, except when they got to ours. But it had always been that way. I certainly didn’t hear any strange noises or ever have any suspicion that anyone was hidden behind a wall. Never ran into a stranger in the house. Thinking back, it’s hard to believe that anyone
was
living there secretly. There were four of us, and we went from room to room quite a lot. It would be hard to sneak about.”

When Mr. Young stopped, Lisbeth looked up from her notes. “You never heard any whispered conversations about a brother with your name, or anything that puzzled you?”

Mr. Young shook his head again. “I’m sure if there were any, they were held behind my parents’ closed and locked bedroom door. The walls are thick—I never even heard a murmur from behind them. But, my bedroom was across the hall and opposite their bathroom, so hearing any conversations would be unlikely.”

“So, it’s possible even your parents didn’t know about the secret room.”

“I guess so.”

“Did any other family members live in the house, or even long-staying guests, while you were growing up?”

Josh frowned. “My Aunt Hannah, my father’s sister, lived with us off and on through the years. Never married.”

Mrs. Young had stubbed out her cigarette, and now she shifted in her chair, looking bored, Tina noticed.

Lisbeth glanced at Mrs. Young. “How long have you and Mr. Young been married?”

Mrs. Young looked startled. “Thirty-two years. I’m his second wife.” Her tone sounded defiant to Tina.

“How long had you known Mr. Young before you got married?”

“About two years.”

“So you know nothing, first-hand, about his childhood. How much did you and Margaret Young talk about family and the house?”

Patty’s eyes shifted toward the doorway. Tina thought she looked as if she wanted to escape. “We didn’t talk much. Actually, we didn’t get along very well.”

Lisbeth looked surprised. “Why not?”

Patty frowned. “Do I have to answer that?”

Lisbeth cocked her head. “Is there any reason why you shouldn’t?”

“Only that it’s uncomfortable for me to talk about.”

Mr. Young cleared his throat. “Margaret had a problem with Peggy’s illness. She didn’t have a lot of patience with people she thought, how should I put this, could straighten up and fly right. This hurt Peggy, of course.”

Lisbeth glanced at Tina. Tina guessed she wondered how far she should push Mrs. Young. Tina could tell Peggy was uncomfortable, but she didn’t seem to be in a lot of distress.

Tina gave Lisbeth a slight nod, indicating she thought she could go ahead with the questioning.

In a gentle voice, Lisbeth said, “I know about your alcoholism, Mrs. Young. Could you tell me when it began? I’m wondering if you knew Margaret before that and what your relationship was like then.”

Patty sighed. “It started about five years after we got married. Soon after Leslie was born. Before that, Margaret was very busy with her real estate business and traveling as much as she could. We didn’t see a lot of her. As she got older, she traveled less, and I noticed her attitude toward me was rather cold. We never talked about it, or much of anything. It ended up being a very superficial relationship.”

Lisbeth nodded and turned to Josh. “How was your relationship with your sister?”

“We always got along well. I didn’t like the way she treated Patty, but there was nothing I could do about it. She was never mean or outwardly disapproving. But it was obvious she thought Patty should just pull herself up by her bootstraps and stop drinking.”

Tina suppressed a sigh. If only it were that simple, everyone would do it, wouldn’t they? Mrs. Young caught her eye, smiled, and seemed to relax a little.
She must have read the sympathy on my face.
Tina smiled back, and nodded.
You’re doing fine
. She hoped the thought came through.

Lisbeth changed tact. “Could you tell us how much your daughter has told you about what she found at the house?”

“She gave us a copy of the genealogy.” Mr. Young tugged on his pant leg to straighten out the crease. “I pretty much knew the genealogy line, so the only surprise was her telling us about the first Joshua Young.”