The Attic

Part 18

After a few weeks of hard work in the attic, it was now cleaned from all the dust that had accumulated over the years. Jack and Betty brought over papers and pencils for us to jot down things we have learned or any clues we may have that could lead up to the mystery of Adaline McIntire. Fall is coming in, the crisp air that feels good in your lungs. The fallen leaves giving off a perfume that warms your insides. The sun has been hiding a lot more these days as the gray clouds bring in the autumn rain. The leaves changing colors so fast that its only a must to take a good look every day as they peak into golds reds, and orange before falling to the ground. The art has sucked the life straight from the stem. Its a bitter sweet season. The rain was splashing hard onto the ground, it echoed off the roof in the attic. Jack, Betty, and myself sat up in the attic just enjoying the rain, the soft thunder barreling in the distance. The rumble a quite shake of the house. The darkness from the outside world, kept the attic dim. Thankfully we found a couple of oil lanterns to use for light. The small circle the light filled we were in it, huddled together having fun. Yet, we knew that we had a job to do. Nothing new came to our attentions, it doesn't help that the entire town doesn't want to talk about what happened, or what they think had happened.

"We need to talk to more people who lived around here when all of this happened. We can get the whole story, the jist of it all. They could even tell us the rumors that were going around. Anything to give us an idea of what it was like 20 years ago." Betty was drawing pretty little flowers all over the blank piece of paper. Carefully she thought out each line she added with ink to the white sheet across her lap.

" We all know this Betty, and if it was so much easier we would of had a lead, or some kind of idea, but you said yourself Jack people aren't going to want to talk about it. Its not really good manner to start pressing strangers on events that we weren't around for don't you think."

Jack looked at me, the wheels in his head were spinning. You could almost hear his thoughts pouring out from his ears.

"That's what we're going to have to do ladies!" He sat up straight, his face smiled, his eye excited. Betty and I looked nervously at one another.

"Do what exactly? I'm not sure Betty and I are following you"

Jack raised to his feet, pacing as he finished his brilliant idea. Betty and I watched as he made circles around the wood floor.

"We can't just sit here and wait for a ghost to tell us what happened. We need to make an effort ladies! We need to be nosy and pushy if we want some answers. We need to ask people! If they don't want to tell us so be it, there must be someone in this town that remembers what happened. We could go to Richland County to the library to try to look at newspapers. We have a cold case here! We need to act like investigators." His face wild, I could feel his excitement race in my very own heart. He had a point. We needed to take action if we were ever going to let Adaline rest in peace.

I jumped to my feet and took Jack's side. Betty still on the floor with her paper flowers looking so unsure.

"He's right! Absolutely right! We must make a great effort in this! Who cares if we bug some people. Who cares if we are just a group of nosy young people. People in this town gossip all the time, they might as well let us in on it! I'm in "I took Jack's hand, looking at Betty hoping she would join our circle like the three musketeers."Come on Betty, we're going to need you! We need to be together on this."

Betty stared at the two us, unchanged in emotion.

"I don't know...I don't like the idea of prying strangers on their personal memories. It seems so rude."She looked down at her flowers, fixing the little imperfections that she noticed. "Besides there must be a better way."