The Soul of Gordi Fitzsimons

By Terence Goodchild

A brother and sister go to an auction to buy a house built in the 18 hundreds, although the auction price is set at 400 thousand no one starts the bidding, the brother Shaun starts it at 50 thousand, no one else bids and he wins the auction, they later find out the house has a murky past, instead of taking two years to build it took six. The house has had many owners, a hotel, a brothel, and army headquarters and a squat for hippies, during its occupation, many deaths had occurred relating to the house, it holds a very dark secret, when Shaun and his sister Sylvia employ a builder they find he is somehow connect to them through the ages, and things start to happen when they try to renovate the house to use as a night club, the foreman on closing one night is locked in by an apparition that write’s on the floor (tell them to find me). Sylvia goes to the council for help, but on the way home, she is almost killed by a car crashing into a shop, a young policewoman saves her life, but the car has no driver and the owner does not even know the car has gone, the police officer is also involved in the search for clues to the house. They have the help of the council archive officer who leaves them with a pile of papers for them to read, When the glass floor is fitted the next morning there is a one hand print in the middle, and no one knows how it got there, now the race is on to find out about the history of the house so the club can be opened on time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terence Goodchild
• Release date: Feb 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310638794

Terence Goodchild

Terence J Goodchild I am an English writer born in Manchester in the north of England and now live in Tasmania with my wife on a farm with our horses. After travelling in Europe for many years my wife and I came to Australia for a holiday in 1981 and found that we could live in this country, so we migrated in 1988 to Melbourne, but now live in Tasmania. I have been writing for about 12 years, and have written 17 novels of fiction and about 100 poems that I may put in a book one day, I try and make my books somewhere the reader can escape to, and hope they enjoy my stories, I put in a few truths, just for spice to make it more interesting, and a few one liners, I put the characters in my stories of people I have met and places I have travelled to and write how I see things,

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Copyright Terence J Goodchild (2015)

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The right of Terence J Goodchild to be identified as the author of this work, has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

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ISBN 97811519751232 (paperback) Amazon

ISBN 9781310638794 Smashwords

THE SOUL OF GORDI FITZSIMONS

1

Silvia and Shaun Lethbridge arrived early at the auction they wanted to get a good seat, together they had read about a house for auction and were interested in purchasing it, they sat down and Silvia reads the pamphlet, while Shaun texted someone. "This is interesting, it used to be a brothel in 1912, then a small hotel, but firstly it was built has a home in 1818 for Sir Igor Courtaulds and his wife, lady Emmy, then in 1848, it says Ingrid and Paul Cleland owned the house because of an inheritance from Ingrid’s father, an Austrian diplomat Dieter Bornhoffen, who was killed while climbing a mountain in the Andes.

The body was never found and Ingrid was the only relative, she named it Wolfsburg House after the place her father was born, while building the house two workmen were killed and instead of taking two years to build took six years, it was plagued by strikes and weird goings on, they even had the church do an exorcism on the house but the priest was scared off." Silvia said.

Bullshit, you believe any of that crap, anyway we are here to buy it not live in it, besides all the night club patrons, we get in will scare the shit out of any ghost, that is if you believe in the hereafter, frankly my dear I don’t give damn. Then he smiled.

You are always the same, never believing in anything. Silvia replied.

I do, I believe in us, we know the music we know people and we know how to have a good time, this club will be fantastic you will see, anyway how much are we going up to for this house. Shaun asked.

It says here bidding will start at two hundred thousand and go up in five thousand lots, maybe we can go up to four hundred what do you think. Silvia replied.

We have six hundred so four for the house and two for decoration that should be enough, it won't be worth any more than that, but we will see.

The room started to fill up and after some while the auction started.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Brentwood auction house, my name is Thomas Brentwood and I will be auctioning Wolfsburg House, now who is going to start me off. Silence.

Come on surely someone must want to start, don’t let the name put you off, and it is only a name of a town in Austria after all. Still no one bid.

Fifty thousand. Silvia looked at Shaun.

You have to start somewhere. He replied.

Okay, fifty thousand, can I say sixty. The auctioneer said.

I thought it was going up in fives. Shaun asked. Silvia just looked at him.

Okay, fifty thousand once, fifty thousand twice, and the third time we will sell, fifty thousand for the third times, sold, congratulations sir.

Silvia looked at her brother and he looked at her and said.

You never know till you go. Then he smiled.

Did you know it was going to go for that sum? Silvia asked.

Of course I did, bollocks how did I know it was going for a small sum, but no one was bidding so I thought I would start it off, and now we own a big old house, which is going to be a great big club, so sis shall we go and sign for it.

The auctioneer shook hands with the brother and sister.

In all my years in the auction business, I have never known a thing so rare, I thought the bidding would start at least three hundred, but no it started at fifty and ended at fifty, you are one lucky man.

Now we are one lucky brother and sister. They signed the papers and left with the papers to take to the bank for the money to be released.

This calls for a drink sis.

They went to the bank and then the Sawyers Arms for lunch.

2

On the way home called to see the house from outside, they stopped the car and looked up at the building, smiled and walked away, they did not see the person standing behind the blind in the window looking at them.

The papers signed and the keys handed over, Shaun and Silvia went to the house with a builder to look at what they had bought, the huge key opened the front door and they went in, the hallway was huge and dust sheets covered all the furniture.

This place must have been empty some years. The builder remarked.

It seems that way, what do we have to do to start the renovations. Silvia asked.

First of all you have to get rid of all this junk, I suggest a sale of some kind or get the salvation army to pick it up, then you have to get an engineer to look over the drawings that is of course if you have drawings, if not I will arrange for an architect to draw some up, I will arrange for him to meet you here and discuss how you want to start, then when all his papers are done and council permits have been sorted, then my team will start taking this place apart. Connor replied.

What is your time frame, Mr Ryland? Shaun asked.

Please call me Connor, and time frame six months, that will take you to April just in time for summer, as the papers and permits will take us up to October then machines will be shipped in and then start time is November, we will work through Christmas while everything is quiet and if we don’t have any hang-ups six months will be fine.

That is great we can open in May or June and have a club warming party. Silvia said.

The first thing is to get rid of the junk, I know, let’s get an antique dealer in and see if any of the things are worth something, you never know we may get the fifty thousand back." Shaun laughed, it had weird echo in the empty house, and seems to not end when Shaun ended the laugh.

What do you think of that Connor? Shaun asked.

"Acoustically this is going to be a great club, the echo feature is very different, and when you put the glass floor in it will be magic, as the sound will vibrate around the club. Connor replied.

It took just seven days for all the paperwork to be completed; Shaun met Connor on the door step.

Good morning Connor are you ready for the big Reno. Shaun asked.

Raring to go Shaun, my boys will be down in about two hours, let’s go inside and see the results of your clearing. Shaun opened the door and they both walked in, the place was immaculate no dust no furniture nothing.

My you did do well good on you. Connor said, Shaun looked at him amazed, he had got the antique dealer to look at the pieces and he said he would get them out and have his men clean up a bit.

Shit the antique dealer did do well his men have done a great job, we got fifteen thousand for all the stuff, so that is extra for the Reno, I must congratulate him later on, here are the keys Connor give me a ring if you need anything, I have to go to pick up Silvia, she is going to look at tables and chairs, good job we got the fifteen grand extra, you know what women are. He laughed and once more it echoed around the house, Connor looked at him. Acoustics. Then he smiled.

Shaun left Connor to walk around the house with his not pad the massif fireplace was a great feature, but would have to have a big gas fire installed, he noted that, he knew a gas fitter who would do a great job of that, the kitchen was small and would be refitted out for the chef, he measured up the kitchen and noted that down, then measured the floor for the glass to be fitted, it would have to be at least 65 mil thick and plate glass possibly be bullet proof not for the reason of bullets but it was the strongest glass ever made, he then went upstairs to measure for toilets and clock rooms, and had this strange feeling he was being watched.

3

Six weeks into the renovation the plasterer could not get a part of the wall next to the huge fire to dry, he got Connor over to have a look.

I have done his part three times and it will not dry, I took it off and put a waterproof membrane on the bricks, then plastered it again yesterday and today it is still wet. Paddy Brophy was no fool he had been plastering for nearly 30 years and had worked for Connor for 15 years.

Okay Paddy go and bring in the gas heater it may be the weather if it does not dry we may have to take the wall down and redo the brick work, that will put us back a few days that is all.

The gas heater was brought in and set up, the big machine went into action the heat was amazing.

That should cure you son a bitch. Paddy said.

By the end of the day and the next day the fire was started up and by the end of the second day the wall seemed to be dry.

You see modern technology wins out again. Connor said.

Yeah, right boss seems it does, now anyone for a pint. Brophy asked.

Shaun had just finished signing the papers for the extension money from the bank, but seemed a bit apprehensive about the amount.

Sis come here. Silvia came in from the front room they shared with their mother.

What I am drying my hair can you not see brother of mine.

Do you think forty thousand pounds is enough to get the club going it seems trivial, and besides the glass floor is 15 grand it seems like I say trivial.

Oh trivial is it just because you got the house for a small amount it does not give you cart Blanche to spend the rest on trivia, forty thousand gives us plenty to fall back on, and besides, you know some high flyers that may open the club, well that is what you claim, now you can prove it brother of mine, now it may seem trivial to you but my hair needs drying, can I go please master.

Oh piss off, you know what I mean and besides, you know more high flyers as you put it than me, what about that footballer, what was his name, oh yes Kevin Mathews what a prick he was.

I beg your pardon, Kevin is a nice boy, and besides, he kicked the winning goal for united, did he not. Silvia came back.

Of course, how could I not forget, he was still a prick. Shaun replied.

You are just jealous Shaun Lethbridge he was in your class at school and made something of himself. Silvia said sarcastically.

Okay rub it in, will I never hear the end of Kevin bloody Mathews, and he was a prick at school.

Shaun heard a scream and ran into the bathroom; the hairdryer was spinning on the bathroom floor but was