H.J. Gaudreau - Jim Crenshaw 02 - The Collingwood Legacy by H.J. Gaudreau Read Free Book Online

couldn’t remember having ever seen anyone on the property when she had vacationed at “the farm” as a child. Being landlocked the property hadn’t generated a great deal of interest when it went up for auction. It was a fairly simple thing for Sherrie and Gerry to make the purchase. Included on the property was a barn made of brick. The barn was of unknown age.
    The lawyer who had represented the state had been unable to supply any information on the building or its contents and had insisted the purchase be made “as-is.” Gerry half expected to find a barn full of cow manure.
    The purchase complete, Gerry was now assessing the property, intending to lay out a new orchard. He referred to several pages of a soils report he held in one hand. In his other hand he held a soil pH test probe. He took several pH samples and began to walk the length of the orchard. Gerry only went ten feet and stopped. The task was impossible. Before he could begin, Gerry had to satisfy both his own, and Sherrie’s, curiosity.
    Here Gerry ran into his first problem with the new property. Try as he might Gerry could not find a way into the barn. For the third time he walked around the building. It was long, and somewhat narrow. There were three doors, all firmly locked. A set of, what appeared to be, steel garage doors on the narrower south side and an individual door centered on both the west and east sides. Each door was constructed so that the hinge was on the inside of the building. Gerry found this a bit odd. Around the top of the walls, just below the tin roof and protected from the rain by the overhanging rafters were eyebrow windows. Spaced two feet apart each window appeared to be painted over with black paint. The paint was thin in some areas. Gerry wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw heavy gauge wire mesh against the inside of a few of the windows.
    Returning to the large garage doors Gerry examined the inset door lock. It was clearly a heavy gauge, solid deadbolt. Gerry thought that a bit odd for a barn. The lock stood out in a round circle of reddish orange. Even if he had the key he doubted the rusted lock mechanism would work.
    Disgusted, Gerry returned to his pick-up truck and bounced across the back of the field, opened a gate, passed into the edge of his orchard, found the lane between trees and eventually stopped at his cherry processing shed.
    Sherrie walked to the side of the truck and leaned in the open window. After a quick kiss she asked, “Well, did we make a good deal? Or, are we the proud owners of a toxic waste site?”
    Gerry grinned. “The land is beautiful. I’m not finished confirming all the soil tests, but the reports are perfect. We’re going to have a nice orchard in there honey. But, that damn building. I can’t find a way in!”
    Sherrie’s eyes lit up and she started to laugh. “This is cool! It’s like we’re on a game show.”
    “With Bob Barker asking what’s behind Door Number One?” Gerry laughed.
    He parked the truck and they walked to the house. “I think the only way in is to cut a big hole into those doors.”
    Sherrie looked puzzled. “Why can’t you just break a window and climb in?” she said as the screen door banged behind them.
    “Can’t. The windows are all at the top of the wall and, you won’t believe this, but I think there’s heavy wire mesh on the inside.” Gerry walked to the kitchen sink and began to wash his hands. Then, without turning around said, “Jim has an acetylene torch doesn’t he?”
    “I have no idea…and don’t even think about using my clean towels to dry your hands. Use a paper towel.”
    Gerry grinned, “Yes ma’am.”
    Sherrie picked up her cell phone. “We haven’t talked to Jim and Eve in a few weeks. Let’s give ‘em a call.”
     

 
    Chapter 12
     
    Jim stood at the kitchen counter and listened to the phone message. “Hi guys, it’s your loving sister Sherrieeee…” He grinned, this woman was always excited.
    “We need a