Page 25 of Hoodoo House
Charlie knew he was no farther ahead in terms of finding out anything useful about Malcolm Tull and he needed to move the conversation in a different direction.
“Henry, I’ve come here with Declan to learn more about this old house and the writers who lived here. Are you going to take me on the rest of the tour now?”
“Is Declan your boyfriend?”
Charlie paused. “What? Uh…no.”
“Just wondering. I was watching him just after you came in. He looks at you funny. I sense things. He thinks you’re special. I just know it.”
Charlie tried to keep his expression neutral, and redirected the conversation. “So…do you have someone special that you like?”
“Nah. The only person around here is Gramma Carol and I think she’s a bit old for me.” Henry laughed.
“It must get lonely out here in the country,” Charlie said. “Aside from you and Gramma Carol, was Mr Tull the only other person who stayed here?”
Henry shook his head. “We had visitors, but they never stayed. It was supposed to be a quiet place for the writer.”
“And did you know the writer who died?”
“There’ve beentwowho died here, but Mr Pritchard, he was the first one, he died before I came here. I knew Mr Tull…sort of.”
“Did you like him?”
Henry went back to the puzzle, picking up a piece and trying to fit it in place. “He wasn’t very nice. He was always telling me off whenever I’d do things. He wouldn’t let me in the writing room unless I was bringing him something. Apparently I couldn’t even do that right. And…”
Henry stopped. Charlie sensed Henry was uncomfortable with the subject of Mr Tull.
“He doesn’t sound like a very nice man.”
Henry looked at Charlie. “I don’t think he liked people very much. He kept himself locked up in the writing room except when he joined us in the kitchen to eat. Even then, he’d usually take his food back to his room.”
“Maybe he was just busy writing and didn’t want to be disturbed?”
“All I know is that when he shut the door, no one was allowed to bother him. That was the rule. I broke the rule once and he threw a coffee mug at me. Just about took my head off.”
“Why did you go in?”
“Gramma Carol asked me to take him some dessert. But I showed him. I took it up to my bedroom and ate it myself.” Henry went back to the puzzle and started to search for another piece to add. He became quiet.
Charlie didn’t know what to do next, so he said, “Well, thanks for the tour.”
Henry replied, “Oh there’s more things to show you, but I was going to wait for the detective.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Well, perhaps you can show me first, and then if it seems important, we can get the detective to check it out.”
Henry stared at Charlie for a moment, then said, “Maybe. But you have to promise to show Declan what we’ve found.”
“I promise,” Charlie said.
Henry looked across to the velvet curtain. “First I have to give you the rest of the tour.” He got up and led Charlie out of the velvet-curtained room and across to the other side of the hall where they entered the second large space at the front of the house.
Henry said, pointing, “This is the writing room where Mr Tull died.”
“Would you mind if I took a few quick pictures of the space?” Charlie asked.
“The police already took some pictures.”
“It might help with our investigation,” Charlie explained.
