Chapter 1
I pulled up in front of the old house, sighing. What did you get yourself into, Remi? I pulled my van close to the porch and eyed the steps suspiciously. The realtor had assured me the old place was livable, but from the sagging porch and damaged roof, I had serious doubts. Letting out a frustrated breath, I grabbed my knapsack and cooler from the camper and headed inside.
I half-groaned, half-laughed to myself as I put my key in the lock, only to have the entire knob fall off in my hands, the door swinging open unceremoniously. “Welcome home, Remi,” I said out loud to myself, my voice echoing down the cobweb-filled hallway. Continuing to wander through the ancient house, I sidestepped several broken floorboards and was sure I heard the scuttling of tiny feet. I gritted my teeth as I pushed images of beady-eyed mice out of my mind. Reaching the small kitchen, I set down the cooler and turned on the faucet.
“Oh fuck,” I groaned, quickly covering my mouth as putrid brown liquid poured out. “What the hell died?” When the water failed to run clean, I turned it off and fought the urge to vomit as I pried open the back door. I let out a sigh as I spotted the old pump, “Well, let’s hope this has some fresh water at least.” After several pumps and a smashed finger, the water finally began to flow, a bit dirty at first, but quickly cleared. I caught a good sample and put it in the testing strips, shaking it vigorously. Lead and toxin-free - thank goodness. I felt like a little kid bending over to drink the cool liquid.
After pulling the van around to the waterspout and putting up the camper tent, I began hauling out debris and rotted boards until it was nearly dark. Using the mess to start a small fire, I cooked up a few burgers and sat sipping a soda as the stars began to dot the sky. I could hear the yips of coyotes and an occasional wolf howl along with a myriad of crickets, cicadas, and owls. Dousing the fire, I crawled into the tent, letting the night’s sounds lull me to sleep.
****
I bolted upright at the sound of a hand banging on the side of my van and a loud voice hollering, “Hey, can’t have no vagrants here. Best get to moving on!”
I wriggled into my jeans and undid the flap. “What the hell? Who are you?” I snapped.
“Caretaker. Now you need to be moving on before I call the sheriff.” The old man looked like he had stepped out of an old western with his straw hat and bib overalls as he sneered at me.
“Well, Mr. Caretaker, I’m the owner of the property, so bug off.”
His eyes got wide as he scoffed, “You don’t look like a Remington to me, little lady.”
I groaned, “I’m not. It’s Remi, not Remington, and for that matter, Mr. Morton never mentioned anything about a caretaker. Then again, he also said the place was livable…”
The old man was scratching his head, then took off his hat, wiped his brow, and grunted, “Well, is your mister around? Maybe we could get this all sorted.”
“Look, Mr. um…”
“Oh, Lentz, Hank Lentz, Ma’am,” the old man said, nodding his head.
“Okay, Mr. Lentz, there isn’t a Mr. It’s just little old me, Remi Barnes.” I smiled back sassily. His eyes darkened a bit as he nodded again.
“Well, um, are you sure you ought to be out here all alone, Ms. Barnes?” I noticed he kept scanning the area like he thought something was going to jump out.
“I survived the night, and other than the lack of running water or a sound house,” I snorted, “I suppose I’ll survive.” I paused, then asked, “Wait, are you really the caretaker, or did you just say that?”
He laughed, “Well, I ain’t exactly paid, but I’ve tried to keep it from falling apart over the years. Ain’t no one lived in that place since, well…I guess darn near fifteen years now. Did you say the water was off?”
“Not so much off as putrid. I had to come out and use the pump,” I replied.
He rubbed his chin and muttered as he walked away toward a small, shed-looking building. He dug in his pocket and produced a set of keys, then began trying to find one to fit the padlock. Pulling my hair into a bun, I followed him. When he managed to get the door open, he began cursing under his breath. The smell of rotting flesh reached my nose, and I gagged. “Well, there’s the problem. Critters got in and mucked up the well. Gonna have to pump it.”
“More like set it on fire and dig a new one,” I grumbled. He chuckled as I rolled my eyes. Caretaker my ass…
