The Lakeside Inn, Leeanna Morgan [rosie project TXT] 📗

rested his hands on his hips and surveyed the attic. Fresh white sheets were draped over a dozen pieces of furniture. One wall looked as though it had received a fresh coat of paint, and someone had scrubbed the floors. There wasn’t one cobweb, one dusty shelf anywhere in the room.

He knew Penny had spent hours up here, cleaning years of dirt and grime from every surface. She’d done a good job.

Barbara lifted a sheet off the closest piece of furniture. “We should look for anything with an ornate edge of wood along the top.”

“Or anything that looks as though it could have had one,” Diana added. “Someone might have removed the fancy trim.”

Wyatt helped Penny take another sheet off a bookcase. “What are you doing with the furniture after you’ve remodeled this area?”

“Some pieces will stay here and Barbara’s taking a couple of dressers back to San Diego. Mom and Dad don’t have room for anything else in their apartment, so we’ll probably sell what’s left.”

Diana ran her hand along the top of a mahogany table. “If we could turn the house into a Bed and Breakfast, I’d like to keep as many pieces as possible. Some of the furniture might have come from our great-great-grandparents.”

Barbara lifted another sheet. “We’re lucky it’s so dry up here. If the roof had leaked, it could have damaged the furniture. Has anyone found anything that looks like the dresser in the photo?”

Penny draped a sheet back over an old bookcase. “Not yet. What about you, Diana?”

“All I’ve found are small tables and a dresser that’s completely different. With all the work we’ve done upstairs, we would have found the dresser if it were here.”

Wyatt looked under the last sheet. The large dresser was beautiful, but it wasn’t what they were looking for. “Penny said the attic used to be full of furniture and old family keepsakes. Did your grandparents give anything away or store some of the furniture in another place?”

“Not that I know of,” Barbara said. “But we could ask Mom.”

Diana pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll call her now.”

While Diana talked to her mom, Wyatt helped Penny and Barbara cover the furniture. “The attic’s huge. Are you turning all of it into a honeymoon suite or just some of it?”

“We’ll use all of it.” Penny pointed to the far side of the room. “The walk-in closet and bathroom will be over there. On the wall facing the lake, we’ll add a large window with some pretty curtains.”

“We want whoever stays here to see the lake as soon as they wake up,” Barbara said.

Penny moved to the other side of the attic. “On this side, we’ll create a relaxing living and dining area. Diana has already found a really nice sofa and Barbara chose a few pieces of furniture from the house.”

“It will be amazing when it’s finished,” Barbara said. “Even the first coat of paint makes a difference to how it looks.”

Diana turned back to them. “Mom said to check the building that used to be the old steamboat museum. Granddad used to volunteer there and she thinks he stored some furniture in an unused room.”

Penny looked at her watch. “It’s too late to call anyone, but what if I speak to someone tomorrow?”

Barbara wiped her hands on her jeans. “Sounds good to me. If they’re happy for us to look through their spare rooms, I’ll go with you.”

“Me, too,” Diana said quickly. “I can’t wait to see what’s there.”

Wyatt had a lot of painting to do, but solving the mystery surrounding his neighbor’s great-grandfather and the key in the box was too good to miss. “If you want another person to help, I’m in.”

Penny’s smile was instant. “That would be great. I’ll let you know when we can go. In the meantime, does anyone want another hot drink?”

Diana flicked a sheet over a side table. “I do. What about you, Wyatt? Do you want to join us on the back veranda? Penny made Grandma’s special carrot cake this morning.”

“And the frosting is delicious,” Barbara added.

He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, but Penny and her sisters didn’t seem to mind his company. “I can’t resist delicious frosting. I bought some cookies from the bakery in town. I’ll get those.”

“You don’t need to,” Penny said. “We always have plenty of food in the kitchen.”

“I know, but that’s not the point. I’ll be back soon.” Before Penny could disagree, he left the attic and headed to his house. Even though they were a small step closer to discovering what happened to Penny’s great-grandfather, they were still miles away from knowing the truth.

And if the dresser didn’t give them any information, they’d be back at square one.

Later that night, Penny walked with Wyatt back to his house. “Thanks for helping us tonight.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“You found the picture of my great-grandmother and my grandma. And the key. That’s more than any of us have discovered since we started looking for my great-grandfather.”

Wyatt stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “This might sound strange but, from the moment I saw the photo of your grandma and great-grandmother, I’ve felt an odd connection to them. Even when I’m painting, it’s as if Margaret’s talking to me, describing her life and what it was like living in Polson one hundred years ago.”

“I don’t think it’s strange at all. After Grandma died, I could have sworn she was still in the house, watching what we were doing. It was like…” Penny tried to think of words that described how she felt without sounding too far-fetched. “It was as if her spirit was still here. Some rooms had a strange energy that wasn’t in them before she died.”

“Maybe she was there. No one knows what happens after we die. She could have been in an in-between place, figuring out where she belonged.”

Penny looked up at the stars and sighed. “Wherever she is, I hope she’s happy.”

“If your grandma was anything like you, your mom, and