Page 25 of A South Hill Christmas Keepsake
Hannah Leigh shrugged. “Even if there’s no big story, getting the locket back to a relative matters most. We’re close now that we have those names. This could be a special Christmas keepsake to someone.”
“I agree. And we have our RD and HB match.” Nate’s brow furrowed. “Maybe we start a list of other possibilities.”
She grinned. “Should we skip the post office altogether?”
“I’m not saying IbelieveBirdie Horn,” he replied, tugging his coat against the cool night air, “but I’ve learned to stop betting against her. I say we give it a one-hour glance. If we don’t come up with anything, we shelve it. Deal?”
He stretched his hand to hers, she grabbed his, and they shook on the plan. “I’ll text as soon as I get the key.”
A flicker of something unexpected filled Hannah Leigh. This small-town mystery had cracked something open. Curiosity. Connection. Maybe even…chemistry.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The next afternoon, they stood in front of the old post officethat had been shuttered for over twenty years. The wind whipped Hannah Leigh’s hair across her face, and she hugged her coat tighter. “It’s a little spooky, isn’t it?” She had the heebie-jeebies already, and they weren’t even inside.
“Afraid of ghosts?” Nate asked, deepening his voice and doing his best spooky impression.
Hannah Leigh crossed her arms, trying not to smile. “If that’s your haunting voice, you’d never make it past orientation. You’re a terrible Ghost of Christmas Present.”
“Guess I’ll stick to carpentry,” he said.
“Good plan. Now, spiders and mice? That’s another story.”
“I can handle the critters,” he said, grinning as he lifted a tarnished brass key. “Come on. It’s just an old building full of forgotten moments.”
The heavy door groaned open, echoing through the empty lobby. Inside, the air was cold and stale, thick with the smell of dust, wood oil, and old paper.
“Smells like something died in here,” she muttered.
“Adds to the charm,” Nate said, moving toward a stack of postal crates. “Old Mr. Dillard was the postmaster back when this place closed. The realtor said he was a real quirky guy. A hoarder who couldn’t stand the idea of tossing anything, even federally regulated mail. So he boxed up all the undeliverables, and stuck them in the storage shed out back. They forced him to retire when they moved to the new building, and he died a month later. No one has ever bothered to go in and do anything with any of that stuff.”
Hannah Leigh swept her phone flashlight across the dusty counters and rows of brass-front mailboxes with twisty combination knobs that no one ever seemed to master. “So,what? They moved what was important and left everything else behind.”
“Yep. Out of sight, out of mind. Folks figured he’d handled it.” Nate shrugged. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t common knowledge.”
“Birdie found out.”
“Well, she’s more capable than the CIA.” He walked through the space. “I would love to buy this place and turn it into something cool.”
“Maybe one day you’ll get your chance.” Hannah Leigh shook her head, amused.
“Not likely,” he said. “It’s way overpriced.”
“If South Hill is sentimental enough to give old mail a free twenty-year lease, I think there may be a chance they will eventually decide that building will be better off renovated than crumbling.”
They rummaged through drawers of yellowed paperwork and brittle envelopes until she lifted a green envelope from the pile.
“Look. This letter’s addressed to Santa Claus, South Pole. ‘Forward to North Pole if Found’ written on it.”
Nate grinned. “On this hunt, I half expect it’ll lead us there. Come on. There’s not much left in here. The boxes are supposed to be in the storage shed out back.”
She tucked the card in her pocket and followed Nate outside and down the cracked sidewalk.
He worked the key, and after only a brief protest, the shed door swung open. A string of jingle bells clanged wildly against it.
“Well, that’s not creepy at all,” she said. “Very festive for a ghost encounter.”
A bird burst from the rafters, scattering dust. Hannah Leigh yelped, then gathered her wits. “Where did that come from?” she said, catching her breath.
