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

Diana nodded. “He donated some tools for the workshop. No one can believe how successful the project has become.”

A truck reversed and Penny waited patiently behind it for the parking space. “Has Wyatt found somewhere to park?”

Barbara looked over her shoulder. “He’s pulling into a space about five vehicles behind us.”

“That’s good.” Penny turned off the ignition and smiled. “Are you ready to look for a missing dresser?”

An excited grin lit Diana’s face. “I can’t wait.”

Barbara opened her door. “I haven’t been here in years. I wonder if the ghost of Old Man Biggins is still prowling the empty rooms?”

“I’d forgotten about Granddad’s friendly ghost,” Penny said.

Barbara shivered. “I’ll never forget. Granddad pretended he was the ghost one day and gave me bad dreams for weeks afterward.”

Diana frowned. “But he was a friendly ghost.”

“A ghost is a ghost,” Barbara stated.

Wyatt walked toward them. “I didn’t think it would be so busy.”

“It’s surprising where everyone comes from.” Penny held her hand above her eyes. “It looks as though someone’s tidied up the front of the building.”

The faded sign above the front door had been replaced with a new one. Pots full of colorful plants stood either side of the wide concrete steps and a new mailbox gleamed in the afternoon sunshine.

As they entered the large foyer, Pastor John came to meet them. “You’re on time as usual.” He looked at Barbara and Diana. “How are you finding being back in Sapphire Bay?”

“It’s almost as if we never left,” Barbara said.

The smile on Diana’s face faded. “It’s nice to be back with my family and friends. Thanks for showing us the storage areas.”

“It’s my pleasure. Unfortunately, we don’t have any information about individual items stored in each room or who put them there. All I can tell you is that quite a few rooms contain furniture. Are you ready to go exploring?”

Penny took a flashlight out of her pocket. “Ready and prepared.”

John smiled. “As much as I hate to admit it, your flashlight might come in handy. We’ve been busy fixing the work areas over the last twelve months. The rooms we’re not using haven’t been touched.”

Barbara and Diana pulled out their flashlights, too. “Don’t worry. Between us, we have enough light to brighten the darkest room.”

John led them across the foyer and down another hallway. “If you see any rats or mice, let me know. I bought a supply of traps yesterday.”

“It sounds as though we’re going to have an interesting time,” Barbara said hesitantly.

Penny hoped it was more than interesting. If they could find the piece of furniture the key belonged to, they might find another clue about their great-grandfather. And, if they were really lucky, it might unravel the mystery of his life.

Wyatt turned on the lights in another storage room and frowned. The single light bulb lit where they were standing, but the rest of the room was left in a murky shadow.

He knew the old steamboat museum was in a large building, but he’d never imagined how many unused rooms were hidden within the brick exterior.

In its day, the building must have been humming with events and activities. Some rooms they searched were small storage areas sitting side-by-side to accommodate all the equipment and tools the occupants needed. Other rooms were the size of his living room. Some held relics from the steamboat years. Others contained an odd assortment of decorations, furniture, and clothes.

Penny walked around him and shone her flashlight into the far corner. “I keep thinking we’ll find the dresser in the next room. But, so far, all we’ve found are bits and pieces of furniture that no one wanted to keep.”

“At least this room isn’t as crowded as the last one. We should know quite quickly if the dresser’s here.” Wyatt walked toward a canvas drop cloth covering a large, bulky object. “Can you give me a hand with this?”

Carefully, they lifted the cover off the object.

Penny coughed as a cloud of dust flew into the air. “We should have brought our face masks.”

“If it’s too much, I can ask John if he has any spare masks in the workshop.”

“I’ll be okay.” She looked at the writing desk they’d found. “It’s not the dresser, but it’s beautiful. I wonder how old it is?”

Wyatt ran his hand over the dark, gleaming wood. “I don’t know, but it’s the type of thing you’d find in an antique store. I’ll take a photo for John and let him know which room it’s in. He might be able to find a home for it.”

“That would be better than leaving it here under an old drop cloth.” Penny walked to the far side of the room. “There are only boxes of books and some old household appliances over here.”

He lifted the edge of a sheet and smiled. “Come and have a look at this. It matches the style of the desk.”

When Penny saw the small sofa, she smiled. “The pink velvet upholstery and dark wood make it look as though it belongs in a lady’s parlor.”

“You could be right. I wonder if there are any other pieces of furniture that belonged to the same house?”

After a few minutes, they found a matching footstool, a piano seat, and a small bookcase.

“Instead of solving the mystery of my great-grandfather’s life, we’re finding another family’s treasures.” Penny looked around them. “I think we’ve seen everything there is to see in this room.”

Wyatt pulled the covers over the smaller pieces of furniture. “I agree. Out of all the rooms we’ve checked, this is the most interesting. Can you give me a hand with the drop cloth for the desk?”

Barbara rushed into the room. “I think we’ve found the dresser.”

Wyatt and Penny looked at each other. Without speaking, they left the drop cloth on the floor and followed Barbara into another room.

“Be careful where you step. There’s lots of furniture in here.” Barbara wove her way through what looked like enough furniture to