Page 45 of Halloween with a Daddy
Bethany: How are things going? Where are you at?
Edgar: I’m at the library with your grandfather. You should stop by. I think we may have solved the mystery.
Bethany: Really!? Okay, I’m on my way!
The thought of Edgar spending the entire day with my grandfather slightly concerns me. I thought it would be a quick trip to the library, and then they’d go their separate ways.
Did they talk about our relationship? Did Edgar say something he shouldn’t have? I don’t think he would, but my grandfather has a way of twisting the truth out of people. I never stood a chance with him when I tried to lie about stuff. He’d get the truth out of me in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, I’d confess to something I did before I even realized I was doing so.
I find a parking spot at the library and walk inside. My grandfather sees me first and waves me over.
“Hey, grandpa.” I walk over to him. “Edgar said you guys may have solved the mystery?”
“Yep, but I’ll let him tell you.” My grandfather points to where Edgar is sitting, but grabs my arm before I can walk away. “I like Edgar, by the way. He seems like a good guy. Hang onto him, alright?”
I tilt my head slightly and my grandfather winks at me. If Edgar has won over my grandfather, then they must have had a good day. That’s a relief.
I walk over to Edgar, and he pushes out a chair so I can sit down.
“Alright, check this out.” He turns the computer screen towards me, but waits for my grandfather to join us before continuing. “I initially thought that room was sealed off because of the fire, but after going through some historical archives and talking to some people in my family, I came up with something else.”
Edgar clicks a couple of buttons and an old news article comes up on the screen. It’s about a missing woman from the early 1900s, who was last seen near Grimwillow Manor.
“You think it’s her?” I raise a brow.
“I think so.” He nods. “My mom reminded me of a story my dad told about a missing girl in Willow Grove. I figured it was just another urban legend, but there might be something to it. The rumor was that she was having an affair with Lloyd Grim, who lived at Grimwillow Manor at the time with his wife Mildred. The two of them were getting older and didn’t have any children. But look at this.”
Edgar opens his laptop and shows me a family tree, pointing out Lloyd and Mildred Grim, along with their only child. A son that was born nine months after the woman went missing.
“My goodness.” I blink in surprise. “She was pregnant. They locked her up and…”
“Maybe.” Edgar says. “There’s no way to prove it. It’s been way too many years for them to find any evidence, but the timeline adds up.”
“This is crazy.” I shake my head and sigh.
“Oh, but there’s more.” My grandfather says. “Right, Edgar?”
“Yeah. Lloyd Grim is the one who initially drew up the trust agreement that keeps Grimwillow Manor in our family.” Edgar sighs. “He didn’t want anyone to find out his secret, which would obviously come to light if the house was ever sold.”
“Why not just get rid of the body?” I lean back in my chair. “Surely someone found it before we did if it was there before the fire.”
“I think you’re right.” He nods. “If you look back at the records before the fire. Your grandfather found this when I let him go through my family's archives, so he deserves credit. There were some renovations underway at Grimwillow Manor. Then the fire happened and that part of the house was completely sealed off.”
“You think someone found the trunk, figured out what was inside, and set the fire to get rid of the evidence?” I raise a brow.
“The fire wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. Honestly, when I was in that part of the house with you, I was surprised it was ever sealed off. I think the fire was just an excuse to hide what was back there.” Edgar shakes his head. “My family has been covering up this secret for generations.”
“Damn.” I look at the family tree and back to the news articles on the other screen. “That would explain the missing keys and all the secrecy.”
“Yeah.” Edgar nods. “We’re going to take all of this to the police and at least point them in the right direction, but there’s not much else we can do.”
Edgar and my grandfather starting printing stuff while I look it over. It’s a crazy theory and it’ll never be proven. Even if they can do DNA testing on the bones, it will be difficult to confirm the woman’s identity unless some of her family descendants are still around.
I’m sad that the mystery has been solved so quickly.
That means Edgar may not stay around as long as he planned.
Edgar
