guess I have to be a girl to understand the allure of diaries,” Mitchell said while shaking it off.
Ellen shrugged before saying, “I guess we should let you get back to whatever it is you’re doing to your truck.”
“What I’m doing is trying to find out why it won’t start,” Mitchell said.
Ellen gave him the thumbs-up sign before saying, “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks, but I’m thinking that my truck is part elephant and had recognized this place as a cemetery,” Mitchell said.
“Okay,” Ellen said in a confused tone. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
“Elephants are believed to travel for a long distance to their burial ground before allowing themselves to die,” Mitchell explained. “Of course the old Tarzan movies are where I’ve heard that so that could be Hollywood’s doing.”
“Okay, well, again good luck,” Ellen told him.
“Yes, well, good luck with you on finding those diaries,” Mitchell said.
“Thanks,” Ellen said with a grin.
“Bye again,” Shannon said with a wave followed by everyone else.
Once everyone had said his or her ‘goodbyes’ Ellen and her group continued towards the SUV.
Once the six were out of earshot of Mitchell and Brandon, Brandon said, “Ellen isn’t telling us everything.”
“I know,” Mitchell said as he checked the tightness of his battery terminal. “I didn’t want to press the issue though.”
“I don’t have to be in Hannibal anytime soon,” Brandon began. “Perhaps we should help Ellen track down those diaries.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Mitchell said. “If I ever get this truck started, we can go to Saint Louis.”
Harris looked back at Mitchell and Brandon and saw that they were out of earshot before asking, “From your quick response, Ellen, to a question directed at me, am I correct to assume that you don’t want them knowing about Sonya?”
“I don’t,” Ellen confirmed quickly. “I’m afraid that I would be going to prison for patricide if he would do anything to harm Sonya.”
Allyson put her arm around Ellen before saying, “You and Sonya are now legally in my and Harry’s care. We wouldn’t let your father do anything to harm Sonya or you.”
“I’m afraid that, that might be easier said than done,” Ellen said.
“For a person who had never really been around her father growing up, you’re certainly a cynic when it comes to him, Ellen,” Jane pointed out.
“Yes, well, he frightened the hell out of me with his life story when he was trying to bond with me a few years ago,” Ellen said as they were approaching the SUV.
Allyson just gave Ellen a consoling hug before removing her arm from around Ellen and entering the SUV.
Minutes later, as Ellen and the others were returning to the house, they saw a well-dressed man with a briefcase and a middle-aged couple at the door.
“Who’re they?” Ellen asked as Harris was parking the SUV in the driveway. The three at the front door turned to look.
“We only know as much as you do, Sweetie,” Allyson told Ellen as the ones seated by the doors went to open the doors.
As the six were getting out of the SUV the person in the suit spoke out, “Harris Bradley?”
“Who’s asking?” Harris asked.
“I’m Jack; Jack Hart from the Hart Realty Agency,” he said as the six were walking towards the three at the door. “We spoke yesterday on the phone.”
“I think there’s a misunderstanding,” Harris began. “The house won’t be ready to be placed on the market for another two weeks. I thought I had made that clear on the phone yesterday.”
“Yes, you did, but when I had told these two that this house was preparing to come onto the market, they insisted to speak with you,” Jack said.
“I’m Doyle Stevenson and this is my wife Claudia,” the man said.
“I used to live here from the age of five to the age of fifteen,” Claudia added. “When I was fifteen, my dad took a job that moved us away, and I hated moving from this house.”
“So you two are moving back to Kansas City from where?” Ellen asked.
“Doyle isn’t originally from Kansas City, but we’re moving from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois,” Claudia said.
“I’m retiring from the air force after thirty-five years,” Doyle added.
“Cool,” Ellen said.
“Were you in the air force too, Mrs. Stevenson?” Jane asked.
“No. I actually commuted each morning to Saint Louis, Missouri,” Claudia said. “I worked downtown Saint Louis.”
“In the Saint Louis’s record office?” Ellen asked in a hopeful tone.
Claudia gave Ellen a curious look before answering with, “No.” A disappointed expression came across Ellen’s face. “You need information from the Saint Louis’s record office?”
“My great-grandparents were from Saint Louis… one set of them were anyway, and I was hoping to find out what house they had lived in,” Ellen replied.
“I actually had worked with someone who currently works closely with the mayor,” Claudia said. “So I may not know anyone who works in the record office, but my friend might.”
“I don’t want to impose on you,” Ellen told her.
“My husband and I are imposing on you folks,” Claudia pointed out. “So do you know your great-grandparents’ names and the dates they were living in Saint Louis?”
“Their names were Felix and Gloria Anderson,” Ellen began. “As for the dates, I don’t really know, but I’m sixteen, my father is fifty and my grandfather was about twenty years older than my father. So I’m guessing that my great-grandparents would’ve lived in Saint Louis around seventy to ninety years ago.”
Claudia gestured towards the door while asking, “So do you mind if I make a few phone calls?”
“Not at all,” Harris said as he took out the key to the front door.
As Harris moved towards the door, Doyle asked, “So what prompted you to put this house up for sale?”
Harris went to unlock the door while saying, “This house belonged to my sister and her husband. They were killed last Tuesday in an auto accident, and we had just come from my brother-in-law’s funeral.”
“Which
