Bloody Murder by Cheryl Bradshaw

Author:Cheryl Bradshaw
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cheryl Bradshaw
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 2

After exploring the main level, Addison ascended the stairs, enlisting the same precautions she’d taken on the porch steps outside. At the top, she came to a door. It seemed like such a strange place to have one, but she assured herself it was probably common in older houses. She turned the knob, relieved when it opened with ease. She took a few steps forward and looked around, tapping the air with a finger. “One…two…three…four bedrooms,” she counted aloud. Including the ones on the first floor, there were seven bedrooms in all. From what little family history she’d received, Addison had learned an interesting fact: every generation bore only one child. Why then were so many rooms necessary, and what had they been used for?

A mirror in the hall offered the first glimpse of Addison’s disheveled state. Her auburn, shoulder-length hair hung in unruly wisps, some curling into her face, others shooting out in various directions, all courtesy of a long ride on a stuffy, overbooked plane. She removed a hair band from her wrist, twisting her hair around it until it formed a loose bun. It wasn’t tight, the way she liked, but it would do. For now. The smeared makeup beneath her bright, hazel eyes would have to do as well. Every one of her freckles dotted her face like bits of scattered glitter, something that usually made her very self-conscious. Right now, however, there wasn’t anyone around to impress.

Addison had just begun to look around when the hallway door slammed shut behind her, sending a jolt through her waifish frame and causing her to jump back. That’s strange, she thought. All the windows in the house are closed. And she hadn’t seen or felt a draft anywhere. She stared at it, considering whether or not to open it up again, when her attention shifted to another door.

The first bedroom on the left had a different door than all the rest. The slim sidelites to the left and right of the center piece made it look a lot more like a front door than an interior one. Oddest of all were the white, roll down shades that covered the sidelites, maneuverable on either side of the door.

She tugged the middle shade to retract it. Nothing happened. Stiff and brittle, the shade almost broke apart in her hand. She pinched the bottom of the shade with the tips of her fingers, lifting it gently. On the outside of the glass, boards had been placed, blocking her view from the room.

Why?

Her curiosity was piqued.

She twisted the handle, hoping to enter the room and explore it further. The door was locked. She pulled the key ring from her pocket and began testing the various keys at the lock. None of them worked.

Frustrated, Addison abandoned the first door and tried the next closest one. To her surprise, it opened. In fact, all the doors in the hall were unlocked—all except the first. Each room was simply adorned with mattresses stripped of bed sheets sitting atop stunning, ornate, metal bed post frames.

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