“Something happened to that poor woman and I am not going to stop until I find out what it is,” said Joseph.
“We could try with Noah and Julia again,” said Eric. Joseph glared at him and Eric held up his hands. “Or not.”
“It’s too much, brother. The pain they both felt is not worth it.”
“Hi guys,” said Lily.
“Hey, Lily. What did you guys find?” asked Eric.
“We’re making calls to her customers now. They’re devastated by her death. Many had commissioned works from her before and were always thrilled with the outcome. The photography commissions were thrilled to hear that Ivy would be taking it over. They said they would donate the commission money to whatever non-profit we designated.”
“That’s great,” nodded Joseph. “What about the paintings?”
“We’re still working on them. Some are just wildlife and landscapes, so they’ll be a bit easier to take over. The portraits are a bit tougher. You saw them, they’re partially finished. We have to decide if we want to start over or continue with what she started.”
“What do the customers want?” asked Joseph.
“They want us to continue what she started. We just have to be sure we can do that. We have two customers that we can’t reach right now. A housekeeper at one residence said that they were in St. Louis for another week but would let them know we called.”
“Alright, well we can at least start some of these,” said Eric.
“We think the one you found behind the bathroom door is for the couple that are in St. Louis. We didn’t get to ask what or who it was supposed to be but we’ll figure it out. It is strange that she would keep it somewhere close to humidity and dampness.”
“Lily? If this is too hard for all of you, tell us. We’ll find another solution,” said Joseph.
“No. I think we all agree this is what we want to do. Cassidy and Ela will be taking on most of the paintings. I’m just going to help them with any background or research work. We’ll get this girl to where she needs to be,” she smiled.
Lily was the wife of one of the senior retired members, Bull. Kidnapped, beaten nearly to death, she was locked inside a metal shipping container before she was found by Bull. Their life together had been one of nothing but love, art, and song.
“Guys? We will solve this,” said Lily. “All four of our ghosts deserve to go home.” Eric smiled at the woman, nodding at his friend across the table.
“Amen to that, Lily. Amen to that.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Did you guys find anything?” asked Hex standing over the table of items. They’d brought back three boxes of things found inside the shack of Casimir Costello.
“Hardly anything,” said Torro. “We were thinking we’d fix that place up like he planned to do. Maybe the owner will let others that are down on their luck stay there.”
“Let’s do it,” nodded Hex.
The team drove the short-distance to the shack, calling the owner while they drove so he could meet them there. He was thrilled with the idea of securing the small space for others that might need a helping hand.
The small little place was only about seven-hundred square feet but it was enough for one man or woman to get back on their feet. Grant sent two men from his team to ensure the foundation was solid and they were relieved to hear that it was. Shocked. But relieved.
“Let’s shore up the walls and ceiling, then we can work on the roof,” said Tommy, from Grant’s team.
They watched the men work, much faster than they could have and then Tommy walked out with something in his hand.
“What’s that?”
“A bible. It was hidden under the sink,” he said. “It must have been important to him.”
Chase took the bible, tucking it into the backseat of their car. He’d look through it for any clues as to why it was so important to hide later. When the walls and ceiling were solid, straight, and secure, the men attacked the roof, replacing it in less than five hours.
“Well, that’s a great place to start,” said Hex. His phone rang and he looked down at the number. “Hello?”
“Yes, is this Legacy Security? This is Tamara Costello.”
