Lost and Found Read online

  LOST AND FOUND

  (Victorian House Mysteries – Book 1)

  a novel

  by Margaret Lake

  Author of

  historical, contemporary,

  and fantasy romance

  graphic novels

  http://www.margaretannlake.com

  DESCRIPTION

  On a lazy summer day, the sleepy little southern town of Joseph is rudely awakened with the news the body of a young man has been discovered in a nearby marsh … and there is no doubt that he did not die of natural causes.

  Now, several elderly patients dressed only in hospital gowns are found wandering the streets of Joseph; filthy, starved and with no memory of where they’ve been or who they are, and no one has come forward to claim them. Can there be a connection between the lost seniors and the murdered man? It’s too much of a coincidence for reporter Michael Broderick.

  But when an elderly woman is found sitting on the steps of a long-vacant Victorian mansion, Michael can’t help but wonder if she is the key to this puzzling mystery. Can she help him piece together what is happening or is she just as hopelessly confused as the other seniors?

  With the help of Anna, his former high school classmate, Michael hopes to unravel the mystery, but it is more complicated than he expected. Even more unexpected is his growing attraction to Anna; a distraction he doesn’t need.

  Michael must solve the murder, save the lost seniors and convince the woman of his dreams that, while he leaves her behind to pursue the story, he is worth waiting for.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Description

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Contact

  Copyright

  LOST AND FOUND

  Chapter One

  Mia stared hard into the mirror, hoping her reflection would give her the answer. It was the same pink-framed, heart-shaped mirror her mother had bought her when she was six years old and Mia still thought she was a princess.

  Mirror, mirror on the wall … but it hadn’t worked then and certainly wouldn’t work now. Oh, she knew what she had to do, but there was no easy way to do it. She’d have to decide on the best way to handle the situation, or at least the not-so-bad way to handle it.

  If she concentrated hard and sort of looked sideways, she could almost see her brother in the mirror. The same dark auburn hair, the same gray eyes, the same stubborn chin, although hers was softened by her mother’s gently rounded face. If she could fool herself into thinking she was talking to Michael in the mirror, maybe the right words would come.

  Mia had just about made up her mind to give in to the inevitable when she heard her name called. Not just called. Screeched like nails on chalkboard.

  “Mimsey, where are you? Mims!” he shouted when she didn’t answer right away.

  Quickly, Mia turned from the mirror and hurried to the top of the stairs before her brother could invade her privacy even further. She hated when he came into her room. Michael was a big man with feet that stomped rather than stepped. His voice, even when he wasn’t yelling, penetrated walls. Tight jeans and a tucked-in knit shirt only accentuated the breadth of his shoulders and the flatness of his belly. Still the jock, Mia thought.

  Okay, he didn’t really screech, but her touchy nerves felt like he did. And he wasn’t loud. He just had a strong voice and a larger-than-life presence that made it seem as if he stomped.

  “What is it, Michael?” Mia hoped her soft voice would calm him down. Not only was Michael physically large, but he had a correspondingly huge appetite for life, and everything was much more than just happy or sad.

  “They found another one!”

  “Not another body,” Mia whispered, her throat going dry.

  “A body?” Michael raised his eyebrows. “Nah, there was just the one and the cops are working on it. No progress yet, though.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. I mean that they haven’t found another body, but not that they haven’t found out who did it yet.”

  “Or even why,” Michael added. “Or who he was, for that matter.”

  Throughout this strange conversation with his sister, Michael just noticed that she hadn’t called him Mikey, not once, even though that’s what she’d called him ever since she could talk. She must have something on her mind, he shrugged to himself.

  “So, what did they find?” Mia asked, getting the conversation back on track. She descended the curved stairs rapidly, hoping as she got closer Michael would lower his voice.

  “Oh, yeah. Another old person wandering around. Doesn’t know who he is or even where he is.”

  “Oh, no,” Mia whispered, “poor man.”

  “Just wearing a hospital gown and a lot of goose bumps.”

  “What does Chief say?” Mia asked. Chief was technically their stepfather, having married their widowed mother several months ago, but both brother and sister felt they were too old to be anybody’s stepchildren. Besides, Chief had been their father’s good friend for many years, and he would always be like an uncle to them. Tall, distinguished-looking, and despite his status as the town’s ranking police officer, quiet-spoken and friendly.

  “Haven’t had a chance to call him yet,” Michael replied. “On my way there now, but I thought you’d like to come along.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Because he’ll talk to me like the reporter I am, but he’s got a soft spot for you,” Michael grinned.

  “Uh-huh. More like you think I can tie him in a knot until he answers your questions.”

  “Well, you are the Tae Kwon Do expert.”

  “Yeah, like Chief isn’t. He’s the one who got me involved and then taught me, remember?”

  “Aw, come on, Mims. It’ll be interesting and will get you out of the house. I don’t know why you’ve been moping around here like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you haven’t gone anywhere except to your job and school in ages.”

  “Oh, alright,” Mia grumbled. “You’re just not going to let this go, are you?”

  “Nope. Grab your hat. The sun’s pretty strong.” Michael cast a critical eye on Mia’s standard outfit of yoga pants and oversized t-shirt.

  Mia noticed Michael eyeing her clothes, but he clamped his lips shut without telling her she should spiff herself up a bit more.

  Glad they wouldn’t have that argument today, she sniffed. “Wimp,” she shot back. “It’s not even July yet.”

  “Just try telling that to Mr. No-Name with the sunburn.”

  It was a short drive to the station, but on that drive, Mia decided once and for all. It was time to move on and she’d tell Michael on the way back. That is, if the interview went well. Wimp, she chided herself this time.

  They were ushered right into the Chief’s office. Despite their close relationship, protocol stated that an officer had to accompany civilians into the working areas of the station proper.

  It was the same office Chief had taken over a decade ago. Same battered wooden desk, same dingy metal filing cabinets, same uncomfortable wooden chairs. At least there was a large window at Chief’s back that let in a lot of light.

  “A
lways good to see you, Mimsey. You, too, Mikey,” Chief Andy Sutherland greeted them, coming around the desk to shake Michael’s hand and kiss Mia on the cheek. “Dare I hope this is not official business?”

  “Not a chance,” Michael grinned. “It’s about the old man found wandering around.”

  “Is he alright?” Mia asked quickly.

  “He’s in the clinic and I’m sure Doc is taking good care of him.”

  “Any guess as to his age?” Michael asked, jotting down notes on his tablet.

  “Doc thinks mid-to-late seventies.”

  “Not all that old these days,” Michael observed. “Senile?”

  “Doc will be testing him for dementia after they get him warmed up and fed. And I don’t want to see the word senile in your write-up, Mr. Broderick.”

  “You won’t, sir,” Michael replied formally. It wouldn’t do to get on the wrong side of his major source of information, family or not.

  “What about the hospital gown? Anything there?” Michael asked.

  “No markings at all. Standard issue. Dirty, though, so he’s probably been wandering around for a while. We’ll send it off to county forensics. Maybe they can find something in the soil to identify where he’s been.”

  “Malnourished?”

  “Hard to tell since we don’t know how many meals he missed wandering around.”

  “But at his age, he wouldn’t have to miss a lot of meals to be in a weakened condition,” Mia pointed out.

  “True, and Doc is taking that into consideration.”

  “Was he mistreated? Any broken bones or bruising?”

  “Bruised knees, probably from falling. Abrasions on the palms of his hands, too.”

  “Breaking his fall, no doubt,” Michael observed. “Any connection to the dead guy?”

  “That’s about all we know at this point,” Sutherland pointed out. Or all we’re going to tell you. “But we’d appreciate it if you run this photo of the victim with your story. Maybe someone will come forward.”

  “Sure, Chief. Thanks.”

  Yeah, like anyone came forward to identify the other two, Sutherland thought.

  Chapter Two

  “That went well,” Michael observed, opening the car door for his sister. It was a habit he couldn’t get out of, and, independent as Mimsey was, she didn’t seem to mind the small courtesy.

  Mia waited until her brother got in the car and fastened his seat belt. Laying her hand on his arm, she stopped him from pressing the ignition button.

  “Michael, I have to tell you something,” she began. This wasn’t going to be easy. She loved the silly goof and he’d always looked out for her, but a girl had to start looking out for herself. She was twenty years old, for heaven’s sake, nearly twenty-one, and Michael was five years older. They both needed their space. Michael should be thinking about settling down, and he couldn’t do that with a little sister hanging around. She’d never say that to him, of course. He’d just laugh it off and once he did that, he’d laugh her off, too.

  “Tell me, huh? Not talk about. Mind if I start the car and turn on the air? I have a feeling it’s going to get pretty warm in a bit.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic, Michael. You’re always so over-the-top about everything.”

  “Okay, Mia. I can tell this is serious. Just go ahead and spit it out.”

  “Okay,” Mia agreed, taking a deep breath. “A couple of my friends want to get an apartment together. Or rather, we have our eye on one of those old Victorians right in town. We can rent it cheap since it’s been vacant for so long.”

  “Okay, Mia,” Michael agreed, thinking rapidly. No arguing. It would only get her back up and make her more determined than ever. “But do you mind if I check out this place? It’s liable to be pretty run down. If I find problems, you might want to put the repairs in the lease to be done before you move in.”

  “O … Okay, Michael.” That had been way too easy. Knowing her brother, he was liable to poke holes in the walls and pull up the floors in his zeal to find something wrong with the house. But checking it out was a good idea. Their realtor had done a pretty thorough job documenting the condition of the home, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a second pair of eyes.

  “I’ll drop you off at home and then I have to file this story. Deadline’s in two hours.”

  “Sure,” she agreed warily, wondering if he really didn’t mind her moving out or if he was already plotting a way to stop her.

  * * *

  Michael drove to Bankston, the county seat where the newspaper was headquartered. Not too many local newspapers were left in the state and he was lucky to be working there. But there was talk of cutbacks, maybe even going from a daily to a weekly, and Michael knew that as the most recently hired reporter, he’d be the first to go. His in with Chief might count for something, although there wasn’t that much crime in Chief’s jurisdiction.

  The wandering oldsters was the biggest thing to hit Joseph in years and Michael knew he’d better make the most of it.

  And maybe this thing with his sister was not so bad after all. If he had to move across country to find another job, at least she’d be able to take care of herself.

  They still lived in the colonial where they’d grown up. Mom had moved in with Chief when they’d gotten married, and Michael had given up his bachelor pad to move back home to help Mia. Now barely six months later, she was getting ready to move out. No doubt, she thought he’d stay in the family home, get married and raise five or six kids there. Well, that was a lovely dream, but with no job security … not to mention no potential Mrs. Broderick in sight … that’s all it was. Just a dream.

  Feeling frustrated, Michael found a parking space fairly close to the entrance. At least he wouldn’t have to walk too far in the heat. Michael checked his messenger bag to make sure he’d remembered to bring his tablet. Of course, he had. No tape recorders or notebooks for him. He typed directly into the tablet then downloaded his notes to his laptop and built the story from there.

  There was some research to be done. How many hospitals, clinics and nursing homes within a fifty-mile radius? Too far for the old man to have wandered, but there was always the possibility that a relative had dumped the old guy in Joseph. A very slim possibility, now that Michael gave it some thought. One maybe, but three?

  He’d also need stats on the number of elderly in the county and how many were able to live on their own. Probably not much data readily available, but he could mention it even if he found nothing. And what was considered elderly these days? Ninety for sure, but where was the cutoff? Seventy? Eighty?

  By the time Michael reached his desk, he had all but written the story in his head. Plug in the stats, add some color and human interest ... although the facts themselves had plenty of that. He had the Chief’s photo too, all ready to go and then he’d end with an appeal for information.

  * * *

  Mia was still wondering why her brother had given in so quickly but decided that she shouldn’t question an easy victory.

  “Jess,” she greeted her friend on the phone, “I spoke to Michael, and he said yes.”

  “No! Really? That’s great!” Jessica Banks was not one to get excited, but this was great news. One less obstacle in the way of their plans. “So, when can we get together with the realtor and sign the lease?”

  “Not so fast, my friend,” Mia laughed. “Michael did point out that the property has been vacant for a long time and might be in need of serious repair. He’s offered to check out the place and suggested that any necessary repairs be put in the lease.”

  “A catch. Of course,” Jessica sighed. “Did you tell that brother of yours we’ve already…”

  “No, he’s right. It’s a neglected old house and probably in need of at least a good cleaning and an exterminator. And it wouldn’t hurt for him to take a look in case we missed anything.”

  “Mice? You think there might be mice?” Jessica squeaked, sounding like a little mouse herself. Although she was f
ar from timid, she had a phobia about the tiny creatures. At the very suggestion of a mouse she could be as skittish as one.

  “Yes, Jess. Mice. Maybe even rats busily gnawing holes along the baseboards. When we saw the place, it was daylight and we didn’t bother turning on the lights to look in every corner. We just counted bedrooms and tried not to worry about only one bathroom with three women.”

  “It’s a huge bathroom, Mia,” Jessica pointed out. “We should just use it for bathing and … you know. At least that’s what my grandmother used to tell me. They always lived with one bathroom and did their hair and makeup in their bedrooms.”

  “Okay. I guess if we’re going to live in a hundred and fifty-year-old house, we should do things like they did back then.”

  “Great. Now call the luscious Michael to find out when he’s available. Then I’ll call Ash and the realtor so we can meet to inspect the property. By the first of the month … assuming rats and mice are permanently evicted,” she shuddered, “… we’ll have our own home!”

  “What do you mean by luscious? You haven’t even met Michael,” Mia demanded. As much as she wanted to see him settled, he was still the big brother she adored, and she was reluctant to turn him over to someone else. Even a best friend and all-around good gal like Jessica Banks. That was Banks of the Banks County Banks. The county had been named after Jessica’s ancestor who’d settled there some two hundred years or so before and the family had only recently sold huge tracts of land.

  “Now, Mia, don’t be jealous. You’re the one who’s talked about him as if he were a cross between Batman and George Clooney,” Jessica laughed. “Wait a minute. Didn’t George Clooney play the Dark Knight himself?”

  “Jess, please. This is my brother we’re talking about,” Mia replied faintly, shaken by her friend’s observations.

  “Okay,” Jessica laughed. “I’ve teased you enough. Let’s forget about it. I’ll call Ash so we can get this show on the road.”