Treasured Legacies (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery) by Terri Reid Read Free Book Online

could have killed me
right there on the spot.   Signed the contract and ‘poof’ just off the real estate broker.” She paused for a moment. “They still do say ‘off’ don’t they?”
    Rolling her eyes, Mary replied. “Yes, they do still say
‘off’ but generally only in the movies. And, Rosie, why would they kill
you?   They want you to sell their house.”
    Exhaling deeply, Rosie nodded. “That’s right,” she
exclaimed. “I’m not a threat. I’m just an innocent real estate broker.”
    She turned and grinned at Mary. “Well, maybe not that
innocent,” she inserted with a snicker. “But I’m not a threat.   I don’t know anything…Wait, I do know
something now.   I know they killed their
father.”
    “Rosie, you don’t know they killed their father because
their father is a ghost and people don’t believe in ghosts,” Mary said.
    “That’s right,” Rosie agreed, nodding her head
purposefully.   Then she paused and turned
to Mary. “But, really, we do believe in ghosts, right?”
    “Yes, we do. But they don’t. So we can’t tell them or
they will think you’re a kook and they will cancel the contract.”
    “And we can’t solve the murder case if we don’t have a
contract,” Rosie added.
    “Exactly,” Mary said.
    “So, should I be carrying when I show the house?” she asked.
    “Not unless you’re going to be showing it to gangsters,”
Mary answered.
    “Gangsters are interested in the house?” Rosie cried.
    Mary couldn’t help herself; she threw her head back and
laughed. “Oh, Rosie, I just adore you,” she said, then after a moment to pull
herself together she turned to her friend. “This is how we’re going to handle
this case.   You pretend like nothing is
wrong.   Continue to show the house and
keep the client updated, but don’t meet with them in person for now.”
    Mary knew her dear friend would have a hard time not giving everything
away.
    “Then, it would be very helpful if you could search back in
the real estate records to see how quickly the other parts of the farm were
sold off and who bought them,” Mary continued. “And if you happen to know the
broker who handled the sale, it would be great if we could get copies of the
sale.”
    “I’m sure I can find it,” Rosie said. “I’ll start looking
this afternoon.”
    “Great,” Mary said. “Let’s meet tomorrow morning at my
office and go through what you’ve found.”
    Rosie pulled her car into the parking spot next to her
office. “Thank you so much, Mary,” she said. “I had no idea it would turn out
this way.”
    Mary leaned over and gave Rosie a hug. “You were right, it’s
a wonderful home,” Mary said. “And it’s mostly filled with happy memories.   We just need to help Dale move on, and then
some lucky family can make it their own.”
    “You know, you and Bradley should consider it,” Rosie said
with a smile as she opened her door. “It would be wonderful for a growing
family.”
    “I don’t think we need to add buying a new house to our list
of things to do,” Mary said, joining Rosie on the sidewalk. “I think we have
enough on our plates for now.”
    “Well, if you change your mind,” Rosie called as she
unlocked her office door.
    “Sure, just don’t hold your breath,” Mary replied with a
smile, turning and walking back to her office.
    The red button on her answering machine was frantically
blinking when she opened the door.   She
dropped her coat and purse on the chair next to her desk and pressed the
messages button.
    “Hi Mary, this is Jodi from Union Dairy Ice Cream Parlor,”
the machine repeated. “I have an… issue here at the
store.   Something I need your help
with.   Could you come by today or
tomorrow so we could talk?”
    Union Dairy Ice Cream Parlor had been a Freeport
establishment since the early 1900s when Stephenson County was the dairy farm
capitol of Illinois.   Recently renovated,
the building sported a fifties theme with a bright red