The Case of the Attic Door by Christopher Greyson

Author:Christopher Greyson [Greyson, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781683993773
Publisher: Greyson Media
Published: 2019-04-15T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

Finn stepped carefully around the blood and stopped beneath the rope hanging from the upstairs ceiling. He pulled it, the trapdoor lowered, and folding stairs swung down and opened, stopping four inches off the floor. He had to push down on them in order for them to lower completely to the floor. When he took his foot off, they sprang up slightly, bouncing up and down and tapping against the wood.

Great, a moving staircase.

He grabbed both sides of the stairs and started to carefully make his way up them. Because of his prosthetic, he needed to lift his left leg far back so his shoe would clear the riser. He bristled when Annie moved over and reached out to support his arm.

“My bad. Sorry.” She made a playful frown.

“It’s… I… Don’t worry about it.” Finn hurried up the stairs as quickly as he could.

The unfinished attic had a plywood floor covering bare joists that stretched off into darkness. The floor bounced almost as much as the hanging stairs, and Finn grabbed a crossbeam for support.

Annie climbed up after him. “We need light.”

He looked around for a switch, but Annie pressed a button on her phone to use it as a flashlight. Finn pointed, and Annie highlighted several boxes in the corner. Each had been labeled with a large black X.

“More decorations.” Finn reached forward to open the nearest box.

Annie grabbed his arm. “Careful.” She aimed her flashlight up at a thick ceiling joist that he had just narrowly avoided hitting his head against.

“Thanks, Annie. I would have…” His words trailed off as an idea began to form.

Annie’s light reflected off an object on the floor. “What’s that?” she asked.

Finn reached down into the shadows, grabbed the object, then held it up.

“It’s a headlamp.” Annie made a motion like she was putting on a hat. “Like bicyclists wear at night.”

Finn turned it over. The device consisted of a cloth band with a plastic plate attached to it. Clamped onto the plate was an LED light. The power switch was set to ON, but the light was off.

Finn rubbed the four plastic tabs sticking out of the plate—and his eyes widened. It was as if he was putting the last pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together.

“Oh, no way,” he said. “This wasn’t a home invasion.”

“Then how did Ralph get killed?”

He grinned. “You were the one who figured it out, Annie. Ralph was decorating the house for Christmas. There’s no light up here, so he used this.” Finn held up the headlamp. “He was getting the boxes of decorations out and smashed his head against the joist. Ralph was three inches taller than me.”

“That’s what made the scratches!” Annie yelled excitedly.

“Ralph smacked his head, and the lamp scratched his forehead as it came off. The lamp tumbled next to the box, and Ralph fell…” Finn looked down the stairs.

Annie shook her head. “But if Ralph fell into the hallway, the folding stairs would have still been down.”

Finn’s grin widened as he motioned for Annie to move away from the staircase.

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