So here starts the sequel. Callie Morton gets a call to investigate a nearby home to check on her client's elderly sister. With the help of Chet and the Hardys, Callie finds herself in the middle of a case that seems to make no sense.
-1-
Callie looked down at her phone with a perplexed expression. The caller ID displayed an Out of Area message. She tapped the accept button and turned on the speakerphone.
"Hello?"
"Is this Callie Morton Investigations?" The elderly voice inquired. Callie blinked a few times, then remembered the voice from the previous time she received the call from an out of area location.
"Yes, it is. How can I help you?"
"I need your assistance." The voice continued. Seeming to be that of an elderly female. "My sister has disappeared." Callie made a face towards Chet and Aimee.
"Well, ma'am, have you contacted the local police?" She asked, assuming that would be a logical first step.
"Yes, and they attempted a well check. But say they can't do anything more." Callie's eyebrows perked.
"Can you advise where you are calling from, ma'am?"
"I live in Savanah Georgia, deary." The voice crackled with impatience. "Please, now, the police can't help, and I need to hire a private investigator. I believe my sister is in grave danger." Callie looked again at Chet with a somewhat confused expression.
"Does your sister live in Bayport, ma'am?" Callie asked calmly.
"Of course she does, deary." Callie managed a wry smile at the a matter of fact tone the woman had.
"Can you tell me her name, please?"
"Melanie Daniels. She lives at 609 Rutger Road."
"Rutger Road?" Callie repeated looking over at Chet. Rutger Road was a private road that was less than a mile north of the Morton farm. She had a vague recollection of the road from when they were kids and had explored the road and homes on it.
"That's right, deary. 609 is the address." Callie looked down at the phone.
"And what is your name, ma'am?"
"Marnie Daniels." Callie signaled to Chet to get her something to write on. He quickly ducked inside the house and retrieved a pad and pen and handed them to her. Callie started writing down the information.
"Alright, Marnie. Can you tell me why you think your sister is in danger?"
"Well, because much like myself, Melanie is somewhat incapacitated. She is 79 years old and spends at least part of her time in a wheelchair as she has a bad hip. I tried calling her a few weeks ago and she never answered. I didn't think too much of it at first, but the next day I tried again. There was no answer. So, I called the police and asked them to do a well check on her. They said that they made contact with the resident and she was fine."
"Well then." Callie shrugged to the others. "Didn't that make you feel better and convince you that your sister was in fact safe?"
"No!" Marnie snapped. "It did not! Melanie still has not contacted me and has never answered her phone. I think something strange must be going on because we have talked several times a week for as long as I can remember. It has now been over three weeks since I've heard anything from her, and the police refuse to check on her again. They think I'm nuts." Callie smiled and looked down at the phone.
"Well, what is it you want me to do, Marnie?"
"I want you to go over there and check on her. Do something more than the police are willing to do! I just know something isn't right. She must have been taken…or worse!" Callie noticed Chet's eyes roll in amusement. She herself felt like the woman was overreacting. Still, she knew it wouldn't take much to do a simple check herself so she could allay any fears the woman had.
"Alright then, Marnie. I suppose I can do that for you. Can I get your phone number?"
"Yes, 912-667-3029. Please check on her and if she is there ask her why she isn't answering my calls."
"What is Melanie's phone number?"
"507-239-2077." Callie finished writing and looked back down at the phone.
"Alright, Marnie. I will do what I can and get back to you."
"Please." The elderly voice implored. "Do so quickly. I am frightfully worried that something has happened to her."
"I will. I will be in touch."
"See that you do, my dear." The voice creaked and the line went dead. Callie turned the phone off and looked at Chet and Aimee.
"Well, that was interesting." Callie commented, still not sure what to make of the call. Chet's eyebrows perked up with interest.
"I knew you had your license back, babe, but didn't know you were advertising yet." Callie shrugged.
"Funny thing is I really am not. After I got my license, I got a referral for some busy work from Collig a few times. But I've never really advertised."
"Maybe Chief Collig is giving your info out to people asking for a private detective." Aimee suggested. "Maybe this old lady bothered them so much that they gave out your number to them." Callie shook her head doubtfully.
"Not sure how that would be possible in this case. This area, including Rutger Road which is just up the road a piece is in the county. It's not in the city limits of Bayport, so Chief Collig wouldn't have been the one with jurisdiction. If anyone did a well check, it would be the county sheriff's department." Chet nodded his agreement.
"Yeah, you're right about that. This is all Bayport County up here, not Bayport city."
"So, Rutger Road is close to here?" Aimee asked, still a bit confused. Chet nodded and pointed north.
"Yeah, it's a private little road off the main county road just up from the farm." He glanced over at Callie. "There are only a couple houses on that road, aren't there, babe? I was probably fourteen years old the last time I was up there." Callie nodded as she thought.
"Yeah, you and me both. Just a couple houses there. As I recall the one at the end was fairly big. Well, it seemed big to me when I was a kid anyway." Chet nodded.
"I think you're right. If my bad memory serves it might have been an old Victorian house. I have no idea who owned it. I remember it was a bit on the creepy side, so never got too close to it."
Callie walked into the kitchen and retrieved a glass of tea she had made earlier. She emerged and looked out at the garden thoughtfully.
"That is the second time she called. I don't know, but something seems strange about it all." Chet shrugged.
"Other than why she picked you out of the blue, it seems rather innocuous. Just some older woman probably overreacting about why her sibling isn't answering her calls. I suggest you just go over there and talk to this Melanie and tell her to make up with her sister if there is some kind of domestic issue." Callie shrugged a bit, then nodded.
"I guess so. I suppose I should contact the sheriff and ask them what happened when they went over." Chet waved her off.
"Probably won't tell you anything since you aren't really a party to the report. Not that there is likely anything to tell you anyway. Just run over there and see the sister." Callie inhaled deeply as she thought about it.
"Guess you're right. The sheriff doesn't give out info the same way Collig does. The sheriff's department probably isn't big on professional courtesy."
"Unless your Fenton." Chet snorted. "They are too afraid of him to say no most of the time."
"True, his name offers him carte blanche just about anywhere." Callie noted.
"So, are you really going to go over there?" Aimee asked, a bit intrigued that Callie had actually been offered an investigation of sorts. Callie shrugged.
"Maybe if my brave husband accompanies me." Chet tilted his head in her direction, then gave a half smile.
"Yeah, sure. What's a five minute drive?" Callie looked to Aimee.
"You want to, uh, stick around and keep an eye on them?" She asked, gesturing towards the garden where Maddie and Jaime were sitting next to each other on a concrete bench. Aimee rolled her eyes and grinned.
"What am I watching for? Something vile and sordid? I should remind you two that you both had your hands all over me not ten minutes ago, which was quite nice I might add." She perked her eyebrows at them. "And I am to make sure they don't do anything?" Callie looked down thoughtfully.
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. We probably should have taken that little show into the bedroom." Both Aimee and Chet couldn't help but glance at her.
"Well, I'm down for a rain check for when you get back telling this old lady to call her sister." Chet looked at them both. He knew anything he said could likely get him in trouble, so he cracked a nervous smile and raised his brows with a look of intrigue. Callie exhaled slowly and shook her head.
"Me and my big mouth." She muttered, then looked at Chet. "Come on, babe. Let's go tell this old gal to call sis. Then we can sort out any evening activities." Aimee giggled.
"Well, be careful you two. I'd like you to come back in one piece from this dangerous mission." Callie smirked and looked over at her.
"I'll try my best." She said with feigned anxiety. Aimee leaned over and kissed her intensely. Callie cracked a smile as she eventually pulled away from the exchange.
"Careful babe. Gonna restart my motor that way." Aimee smiled then turned to Chet, who grinned sheepishly at her.
"I'll try to make it back alive, too." He promised. Aimee in turn leaned over and kissed him with the same passion she had given Callie. Chet, taken slightly aback, recovered quickly as her electrifying kiss sent waves through him and he kissed her back with the same intensity. Callie was a bit surprised but stood there for several moments until she cleared her throat causing them both to break their embrace and look at her. Aimee couldn't help but smile even with Callie's surprised look.
"Just a good luck kiss, Cal." Callie grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him along.
"Well, he must be the luckiest guy there is today. Come on, lover boy." He followed her with childlike compliance. Aimee giggled as the two disappeared around the corner of the house.
Callie slammed the passenger door of the Bronco and looked peevishly at her husband, who still had a goofy look on his face.
"Did you like that kiss, hun?" Chet laughed nervously.
"Well, was better than a mule's nose." He admitted.
"Hmmph!" She grunted. Callie knew not to take the event too seriously. Given that Aimee had kissed her right in front of Chet, who had nary blinked an eye, she knew it would be quite hypocritical of her to get disjointed by the encounter.
"How about you?" Chet asked with a chuckle. "Did you like your kiss?" Callie looked at him with a serious expression for a moment, which yielded to a half smile.
"Well, I guess you're right. Was a hell of a lot better than a mule's nose." She conceded. Chet started the vehicle and looked over at her as he backed out of the driveway.
Chet turned out of the long driveway of the Morton farm and headed north along the county road. Just three short minutes later they came to a road sign on the left. The sign read: Rutger Road (Private). He turned the Bronco onto the narrow paved road. It seemed to be overgrown with branches from the unkempt trees that bordered either side. The road was strewn with fallen leaves. Chet guided the Bronco along at a slow pace to avoid the many tree branches that were growing into the roadway.
"I think this Melanie Daniels could use a tree trimming service." Chet observed as he attempted to dodge overhanging oak and maple tree branches. Callie nodded.
"Agreed." She said looking ahead on the road surface. "Doesn't look like any vehicle has been on this road. At least not for a few days or so. Hard to really tell since the leaves are still falling some." Chet nodded as he looked down at the blanket of gold, orange and brown leaves coating the road surface.
"You know, I never thought about it as a kid, but if you take out what I am guessing to be maybe a hundred acres of woods, our property borders that line of woods."
"True, as the crow flies it's a pretty short walk from the farm. Well, at least we won't have to drive far on this errand." Chet's eyebrows went up in amusement.
"Errand? Ha, I thought this was a full fledge missing persons case which would take us to dark and seedy places." Callie gave him a mock shove.
"Oh, quit teasing. At least we will be able to get the two estranged sisters back together. I can't imagine what may have caused this rift, but was no doubt something silly or trivial to keep a pair of old ladies from talking for a few weeks."
A few minutes later a small brick house could be seen on the left. Chet slowed down as he scrutinized the house, searching for a number. The humble looking two story brick house appeared to date back to 1890-1910 period. Chet pointed to a small weathered strip of wood over the door frame.
"Wrong house. This one is 606. Doesn't look like anyone lives there, does it?" Callie shook her head as she studied the closed shutters and apparent lack of upkeep around the property.
"Sure doesn't. I really don't remember this house. Obviously, it has been here well over a hundred years." Chet nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I don't remember it either. I think the other one at the end of the road was the really big one." He continued driving along and eventually another home came into view. This time Chet gulped as he looked up at the dark and foreboding structure. The pair looked up and saw a three story home that dated back to the middle 19th century. A cross between gothic revival and Victorian stylings.
"That place is every bit of 8,000 square foot, if not a lot more." Chet said, almost overtaken by the size. The home boasted at least four different type of bricks and was surrounded by a black iron fence. Callie seemed almost mesmerized by the property.
"Looks even bigger than it did when we were kids." The pair got out of the Bronco and stood in front of the gate. The ground was layered in leaves and the stiff breeze blew even more to the ground from the many nearby trees. The many windows of the home appeared dark and uninviting. There was no evidence of any vehicles. They assumed if there were any, they must be in the garage, wherever that was. Chet took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy gate which gave a weary squeak. He gestured to Callie, who reluctantly stepped forward. Both of them felt an eerie regression to when they were kids and had explored the property. Though at the time it was a brief visit, the home struck them as one which stirred fear. As such, neither Chet nor Callie had made it a practice of visiting the old mansion.
"Property is in decent shape, but I wouldn't say it has had regular maintenance recently." Chet observed looking around and taking in the exterior.
"A lot of older people don't want to spend the money to keep trees and shrubs trimmed and if they are in poor health, it just doesn't seem to matter that much."
"Makes me scared to see what the inside looks like then." Callie grunted as she ran her fingers along one of the large wood columns that was in bad need of refinishing and paint. The pair approached the main front door which appeared to be a work of intricately carved mahogany. The huge door had been coated in varnish several times over the years, so it was still solid and appeared quite secure. Chet reached up and pulled up on the large brass door knocker with a lion's face cast into it then let it fall back against its door plate. The sound was significant as they heard the sound reverberate through the door.
"This isn't at all creepy." Chet quavered uneasily. The wind was picking up, and the distant sound of windchimes could be heard. Callie looked to the left into a dense bank of trees as the rhythmic sound of clanging metal echoed through the forest.
"I know what you mean, babe." She agreed as they waited for someone to answer the door. Several moments passed in silence. Chet looked to his wife, then reached up and pulled the knocker again.
"Woman must be hard of hearing." He muttered wondering how it could be possible not to hear the sound. Several more moments passed, and Callie gestured towards the east side of the house.
"Let's take a look around." She suggested with some hesitancy. The pair retreated from the main stoop and walked through the dried leaves looking the building over. They turned the east corner and noted the house extended back quite far.
"Did I say 8,000 square feet?" Chet said as he observed the length of the side of the home. "Make that 12,000. Damn, this place is huge!"
"None of the windows are low enough to look into either." Callie observed. They walked along until they finally reached the rear of the home. They observed a nearby service porch constructed on weathered clapboard planking badly in need of paint. A storm cellar entrance appeared as they walked along. Heavy iron doors were chained together at the handles. The chain and massive padlock appeared to show very little age as they stuck out against the aged patina of the old metal doors.
"Lock and chain are fairly recent." Chet commented as he reached down and felt the smoothness of the links. The metal was still shiny and not pitted. Callie nodded her agreement.
"Does stick out a bit, doesn't it?"
As they proceeded along the back, a large extrusion of brick caused them to take a few steps back. They looked up and noticed a set of windows about ten foot off the ground in a wraparound formation.
"Breakfast nook?" Chet speculated.
"More like a breakfast cavern." Callie grunted looking up. "Too bad none of these damn windows are low enough to peek in!" Chet nodded as he stood back and looked intently at the rear wall of the home.
"You know, there are a lot of big homes in Bayport, but this place is huge. This Melanie Daniels must have a few dollars." Callie ran her fingers through her hair and looked around the property.
"I suppose that is true." She turned and pointed to a small brick building near the tree line. "Guess that is the garage." She started walking towards it. Chet caught up and they came upon an oversized garage with a single car door and an entrance to the right. Both doors did not have windows. Chet tried the knob, but the door stood firmly in place.
"No getting in here." He grunted as he applied pressure to the door. Callie pointed towards the ground.
"No one has driven a car in or out of here in some time. I see no tracks and certainly the leaves would give an impression if they had been driven on."
"True." Chet nodded as he looked down, then sighed. "What do you think, baby?" Callie shook her head.
"Well, no one is home. I mean the house is big, but if they didn't hear that booming knock echo through the place, they must be deaf."
"Or dead." Chet quavered as he looked around uneasily. Callie glanced up at the house as the wind blew and the faint and eerie sound of the chimes broke the silence.
"No signs of life. Got to wonder if the old girl is a full time resident here. If she has the kind of money to live here, maybe she has a home elsewhere."
"Her sister didn't mention any possibilities of that." Callie shrugged.
"She lives in another state, and we can't exactly take what little she told us as the whole story." She looked all around the grounds. "Just something unsettling about this place." Chet nodded as he noticed the sky starting to darken as the early evening set in.
"I suggest we go home and maybe make a call or two. We are pretty much shooting in the dark here with the limited intel we have." Callie nodded slowly and was about to turn away when her head quickly retracted back to its raised position.
"Did you see that?!" Callie asked, her voice tense. Chet looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Did I see what?" Callie pointed towards a third floor window at the corner of the house.
"I swear I saw someone, or something flash in that window!" Chet followed her direction and looked up at the window. He did not see anything other than a dark window.
"Sorry, baby, but I didn't see anything but darkness." They both looked intently and the window, waiting for something to occur. Chet looked over at her and tilted his head.
"Maybe it was just the sun going down and it cast a reflection upon the glass." Callie looked doubtful.
"I don't think so, hun. What I saw was on the inside of the glass." She turned on her heel and headed back towards the front of the house. Chet followed as she went back through the front gate and stopped before the massive door. She reached up and pulled hard on the knocker and let him slam down on the solid brass panel. The sound echoed throughout the house. Callie looked nervously at Chet as they waited. The moments passed without further sound and Callie finally exhaled slowly. "Got to be in there." She muttered insistently. After two additional attempts without an answer Chet placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I think we better go, babe. We can make a couple calls and see what we can find out." Reluctantly Callie turned towards him and nodded.
"Yeah, ok." She looked back at the door but heard nothing. "Alright, let's go, babe." Chet nodded and led the way back to the car. Callie took one last glance at the house, then shook her head.
"Something definitely strange going on here."