The Missing Will by Wanda E. Brunstetter Read Free Book Online

knock something over. The metallic sound resonated throughout the basement, and he reached out to see if he could tell what it was. From the feel of the object, he was fairly certain it was one of the old milk cans Dad was so fond of. Grunting, Joel moved it aside. Trying to walk through the maze of clutter wasn’t working out too well, so he went down on his knees. As he crawled across the floor, he moved his hand around, searching for the flashlight. A chill went up Joel’s spine when he heard a noise behind him.
What was that?
    Suddenly, an intense light shone in his face, stinging his eyes. A deep voice shouted, “What are you doing here?”

C HAPTER 6
    M aybe I should be the one asking ‘What are you doing here?’” Joel blurted, when he realized the young man holding the flashlight in front of his face was Elsie’s son Glen.
    “I’ve been stayin’ here since Aunt Verna and Uncle Lester went home.”
    “Oh, I see.” Joel found his own flashlight and clambered to his feet. “How come the house is so dark? It was only seven o’clock when I got here. I doubt you were in bed.”
    “Just got back from havin’ supper at my folks. Sure was surprised to see your truck parked out by the barn.” Glen pointed his flashlight at Joel again but avoided his face. “What were you doin’ down here in the dark, and how’d ya get in?”
    “The basement door was unlocked, and not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve been looking for my dad’s will.”
    “My mamm and her sisters have been doin’ that. Do they know you’re here?”
    “No, they don’t, but even if they did, I don’t care.” Joel tightened his fingers around the flashlight. “This is my dad’s house, and I have as much right to be here as anyone else in the family.”
    “So, did ya find Grandpa’s will?” Glen leaned against a stack of folding chairs.
    “Not yet, but I’ll do more looking tomorrow.”
    Glen’s eyebrows squished together. “You’re comin’ back on Sunday?”
    “I won’t have to come back, because I’m already here.” Joel didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before, but since he was at his dad’s house and didn’t have to work tomorrow, he may as well spend the night. It didn’t matter that tomorrow was Sunday, because he had no plans to go to church. In fact, he hadn’t attended even once since Kristi broke up with him. What would be the point? He’d only be going to impress her, which probably wouldn’t work, since she’d no doubt be there with her folks. Since Kristi’s dad didn’t want Joel bothering his daughter, Joel figured he’d better stay clear of Kristi’s parents.
    “What are you saying—that you plan to spend the night here?” Glen stared at Joel as though in disbelief.
    “Yeah, that’s right. I’ll bed down in my old room tonight.”
    “There are a lot of boxes up there. You’d probably have to move some of ’em to get to the bed.”
    “It won’t bother me. I’ll do what needs to be done in order to make the room comfortable. Maybe I’ll look through those boxes before I go to bed.” Joel pointed toward the stairs that led up to the kitchen. “Let’s head on up.”
    Glen led the way, as he continued to speak. “You can do whatever you want, but it won’t do ya no good. I think the boxes in your old room have already been gone through, and no will was found.”
    Joel’s pulse quickened. This twenty-year-old man seemed determined to keep him from spending the night. But Joel wasn’t about to be dissuaded. If he didn’t find what he was looking for tonight, he’d continue his search in the morning.

    The following morning, Joel woke up to the sound of soft winds blowing against his bedroom window. He groaned, slowly pulling the covers over his head. It felt like a herd of horses had trampled his back. The mattress on his old bed was a lot harder than he remembered.
    He let out a few breaths, while slowly rising from the bed, then winced when his bare feet