The Key in the Attic by DeAnna Julie Dodson Read Free Book Online Page A

any access areas, in order to get a better idea not only of an appropriate purchase price, but also any potential assets or materials that could be salvaged before demolition of the building.”
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What was that?”
    The woman looked as if she wanted to roll her eyes. “With your permission, we’d like to do a brief review of the interior, including the basement and any access areas—”
    “I got that part. What I didn’t get is that you had actually made a deal to buy this property or that Mr. Huggins had given you permission to, what did you say? ‘Review the interior’?”
    The woman’s young assistant squirmed in his too-large suit coat, but he didn’t make a sound. The woman, on the other hand, did not look as if she were one to squirm at all. Ever.
    “I understand the final details are being worked out with the owner, Mr. …”
    She turned to glare at her assistant who was fumbling with some papers in a file folder.
    “Mr. Huggins,” he whispered.
    “Mr. Huggins.” The woman turned again to Mary Beth. “But, as you can well understand, Ms. Brock, it’s helpful to do a certain amount of planning even before the actual deal is agreed upon. I trust you have no objections to us merely looking at the property? We promise not to disturb anything or interfere with your customers.” She peered into the shop. “If any should actually come in.”
    Mary Beth managed to keep smiling. “I think, seeing as you don’t actually have a contract in place for this property, I would rather wait until Mr. Huggins—”
    “Get Huggins on the phone,” the woman directed her assistant. “He’ll be at that medical center number in the file.”
    He took a phone from his inside pocket and started punching in numbers. Obviously, neither of them cared that Mr. Huggins was at the hospital with his ailing wife.
    “No, wait.” Mary Beth exhaled heavily. “Don’t bother him now. If you really think you need to, come on in and look around all you like.”
    The young man secreted the phone in his inside pocket once more, and Mary Beth stepped aside to let him and his boss into the shop.
    “The back room is through there, and you’ll find the steps to the basement in there too. Still, I hate to see you wasting your time here if Mr. Huggins doesn’t end up selling to you.”
    The other woman smirked. “That won’t happen, Ms. Brock. I’ve been handling these demos for a lot of years. Some of the owners and residents squawk a little at first, especially in the smaller towns, but they finally come around. There’s no stopping progress. Come along, Greg.”
    The two of them disappeared into the back room. A few minutes later, they were back up again, the young assistant writing down his boss’s observations as quickly as she could fire them off.
    “Is that all?” Mary Beth asked when the woman appeared to be slowing down.
    “For now. That shelving in your basement. It looks relatively new.”
    “It is.”
    “Good. If you’ll have everything cleared out of it, we’ll arrange to have it picked up right away.”
    “Picked up?”
    “Yes. Picked up. Hauled off. No use having it bulldozed with everything else. It looks in good shape. It ought to bring a little money.”
    “Ms. …” Mary Beth looked at the business card she still held. “Ms. McMillan, those are my shelves. I put them down there. If you do end up buying the building—and that’s not nearly a settled fact yet—my shelves won’t have anything to do with your deal with Mr. Huggins.”
    “Our standard contract specifies that purchase of the property includes anything attached to the building. That would, of course, include any built-in additions.”
    Mary Beth managed to keep her tone of voice low and pleasant. “That may well be the case, but for one thing, those shelves aren’t built in. I ordered them to fit that space, but they’re not attached. For another thing, your standard contract isn’t applicable until and unless Mr.