Unwanted Discovery - Book One

By Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar

Sharon Cooper and her daughter, Callie, nearly bit off more than they could chew when they started to inventory Sharon’s mother’s estate. A series of unwanted discoveries begins when they find old letters in the attic. Hidden and locked away throughout the mansion are more secrets about Sharon’s family than she ever imagined. How could Sharon have grown up here and not be aware of the mystery, intrigue and scandal within these walls?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312238930

Book preview

Unwanted Discovery - Book One

Unwanted Discovery – Book One

Second Edition

Copyright © 2013 and 2014 Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar

Book, Lamp and Chair LLC

Portland, Oregon

USA

All rights reserved.

ISBN- 978-1-312-23893-0

Also by Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar:

In The Unwanted Series:

Unwanted Discovery – Book One

Unwanted House Guest – Book Two

Learn more about this series at:

theunwantedseries.net

Cover art by Monika Kralicek

Editing by Shannon St. Hilaire

Photography by A C Denbo

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events have been created from the imagination of the authors. The heroine and her daughter are loosely fashioned after the authors but no other person is depicted in this work. Any character’s resemblance to a real person is strictly coincidental.

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors.  The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Acknowledgements

A personal thank you to Judd McDonald, Robbie Carver and Katya Amato: my professors who gave me the encouragement to pursue my dream.  - Tamarine

To all our family, friends and fans who gave us their feedback – you helped us create an even better story.  - Sandra and Tamarine

Preface - The Accident

Saturday, July 10

Dreading the coming confrontation with his dad, Andy rehearsed how he would explain why he was so late. I had a flat tire. Then when I took Tiffany home, her dad gave me the third degree. It wasn’t my fault. Hoping that explanation would be enough, he decided to call after turning the next corner. He diverted his eyes from the road for just a moment to reach for his phone. When he looked up, he saw a shocked face directly in front of him. He dropped the phone and slammed on his brakes, but the old woman went down anyway. Paralyzed with horror, he gripped the steering wheel for several seconds until he could think. Since the streetlight was burned out, he left the lights on, set the brake, turned off the engine and jumped out of the car to see if she was okay. She was lying on the ground just in front of his bumper. She was yelling at him, all he could focus on were her piercing angry eyes.

What have I done?! I could have killed you! He hurried back to his phone to call 911. He tried to help her stand up but that just brought on more yelling – this time with profanities and a swinging fist.

Andy paced until a squad car arrived, which took about five minutes. The officer got out, took a look at the woman and said, Alice Frainey? Remember me, I’m Officer Jackson. Don’t worry, the ambulance will be here soon. You just lie still and the paramedics will take care of you as soon as they get here.

She directed her curses at him. Knowing her, he took that to mean she understood. He started to pick up the spilled contents of her designer purse. Andy realized he’d been too distressed to notice her things were scattered everywhere. When he offered to help, Officer Jackson ordered him not to touch anything.

The ambulance arrived as Officer Jackson put her things back in her purse and made a call on the woman’s cell phone, which had fallen out. He told the person on the other end about the accident, put the phone in her purse and handed everything to the paramedics.

As the ambulance siren faded away, the officer turned to Andy.

I have some questions for you, he said.

Chapter 1 - Alice’s Attic

Monday, July 19

Sharon Cooper and her eighteen-year-old daughter, Callie, had just unlocked a trunk in the stuffy, cluttered attic. Sharon looked around. Let’s find something to sit on so we can see what’s in here.

There’s an old garden bench behind this pile of boxes over here. There’s a slat missing from the back but it looks sturdy.

That must be why it’s up here. It’s not perfect anymore. Sharon shrugged. Imperfection wouldn’t fit the grand image that Alice worked so hard to create in this mansion.

Callie shook her head in disbelief as she made her way over to the bench.

By looking around up here, you’d never know that I already removed a lot of stuff yesterday; there’s still so much.

Okay, I made a path.

Together they said, Where do you think we should put it?

Even though Callie was her daughter, they were more in sync than the best of friends. They often said the same thing at the same time and with the same inflection. When this happened, friends often looked at them strangely. Like when they were deciding where to put the bed in Alice’s new room – out of the blue, they pointed to the far corner and said in unison, How about right there? As always, Callie feigned indignity and looked at Sharon with mock anger as she said, Get out of my head! As usual, they both laughed.

How about in this space next to the trunk? Sharon suggested, Sharon helped her move it. The bench creaked when they sat down and they rubbed their hands on their jeans to wipe off the dust.

Sharon smiled at Callie, This old trunk is the first promising thing we’ve found since we started this. Although Sharon’s strawberry blonde hair was in a pony tail, some stray hairs fell into her hazel eyes as she leaned forward. She brushed them aside with one hand as she eagerly reached into the trunk with the other.

Callie’s large green eyes focused on the first object her mother pulled out, a large, old hatbox. She smiled as she leaned in to get a better view and her long, wavy, red ponytail fell over her shoulder.

As Sharon went through the contents of the hatbox, she smiled, This is interesting. It’s full of old wedding invitations, birth announcements, death notices and cards. Oh, there are some newspaper articles at the bottom, too. As Sharon leafed through them, her excitement waned.

Do you know any of those people?

No. Her hands went to her lap as she continued, Alice never told me anything about our family history, so I wouldn’t know if they were related or not. A couple of the names sound vaguely familiar, though. She picked them up again to check again.

Why don’t we take them home and look up the ancestry websites? If they’re family, I’ll find something.

Sharon patted Callie’s hand. Thanks, honey, I’d love that. It’s a good thing you’re helping me.

Callie grinned. Well, yeah, you’d obviously be lost without me.

You stinker. Sharon chuckled and then smacked her on the arm. She cocked an eyebrow, waved a warning finger at her and then reached into the trunk to pull out a photo album. As she leafed through it, she sighed, I don’t recognize any of these people either. Then she picked up five framed photos and two framed oil paintings, More strangers. But then I guess I didn’t expect to recognize anyone. She sighed.

Next, she picked up a collector’s book of silver dollars. The dates ranged from 1920 to 1950 with most of the spaces filled. She set it aside, These might be worth something. We’ll have to get them appraised. When Sharon pulled out a shoebox with twine tied around it, her heart quickened and she paused. She looked at Callie and smiled briefly. Do you think these could be love letters?

Well, let’s look!

Anticipation shook her fingers as she opened the box with care. Well, they are old letters. When she looked at them more carefully, she paused. Letters from three strangers stared at her. They were all addressed to her dad and stored by date with the oldest at the bottom. The oldest letter, postmarked more than forty years ago, was written by a young child. With a sense of foreboding, she opened it.

What?! The air seemed to leak from her lungs. The bench creaked again as she leaned back to breathe. Her head slowly went back and her limp hands loosely held the letter in her lap.

Callie took her mother’s hand, looked at the letter and groaned, Oh, Mom.

Sharon croaked, Dad, how could you?

They stared at each other for a several seconds.

Sharon swallowed hard. Could Dad really have another family?

Let’s just read through the rest to find out everything we can.

Sharon nodded slowly.

The letters were from three little girls, all addressed to her dad. The youngest girl’s letters started about five years after the other two. At first, these girls begged their daddy to come back. After a few years, it seemed like they eventually accepted his absence and the letters became less frequent. The last letter was a short note from Arlene, the oldest, to tell him she was getting married. That was almost thirty years ago.

Sharon mumbled, Why wasn’t I ever told about them? She sat up like a bolt and Callie jumped. "Alice had to know about this! The key to the trunk was in her bathrobe pocket!"

Mom, let’s just ask her about it.

Oh honey, that wouldn’t work. When I first got the hospital last week after the accident, the doctor told me that he was more concerned about her dementia than her physical condition. Even the police officer said he thought she had dementia. That’s why we’re going to move her into our house and inventory everything in here. After a pause, Sharon added with a frown, But even if she didn’t have dementia, she still wouldn’t tell us anything.

Why not?

"She wouldn’t want anyone to get the hint of a scandal. People would frown on that. And her grand façade would be shattered."

Chapter 2 - The Mansion

Friday, July 16

Driving through the prestigious neighborhood with Sharon, Callie was surprised. Are you sure Alice lives here? These are really big houses. They pulled up to the wrought iron gate set between high stone walls and Callie exclaimed, Wow, is this the biggest house in the neighborhood?

Sharon nodded.

Really? She must have gotten a lot of money after you left.

Sharon blushed, making her fair skin glow. Actually, this is where I grew up. We always had money.

Callie whipped her head around to look her mother in the eye and her ponytail continued to fly over her shoulder. No way! You never told me you were rich!

We had money, but it wasn’t a home. There’s a reason I’ve told you all your life that money isn’t everything. Sharon looked at Callie’s saddened eyes and knew she felt her pain. I should’ve told you a long time ago, but I never knew how to say it. She pointed to the wrought iron gate with the custom-made name plate, Frainey, and said, The last time I walked through that gate was when I moved out at eighteen. Alice told me that if I left, she’d disown me and I could never come back.

Callie raised her eyebrows. Is that why you call her Alice instead of Mom?

Sharon looked down and started twirling her hair, "No. For as long as I can remember, I was never allowed to call her anything else. She always insisted I call her Alice. I didn’t even know it was strange until I started school and I heard the other kids talking about their moms. I suppose she didn’t want anyone to think she was old enough to have a child, or that she would have one at all. Eventually, I just stopped trying to get her to love me. She never acted like a mother, so I never felt the need to call her Mom. Besides, Dad more than made up for her coldness. She looked up at Callie and shrugged, So, Alice it was."

I can’t imagine not being close to you. And with you being an only child – that must have been awful.

She twisted her ponytail, When I moved out, she didn’t want the neighbors to talk about her wayward daughter. Looking out the driver’s window, her voice changed, Yeah, she actually said that. Dad said she told them some story about me going overseas, she huffed. Anything to save face. Heaven forbid anyone think I’d leave because she was mean. Sharon pulled some stray hairs behind her ear. When she felt Callie’s tender touch on her arm, she turned and smiled. But Dad was great. He secretly helped financially when I was on my last dollar a couple of times. Alice had an iron grip on the finances, so he couldn’t do too much. But it was way more than money… We would meet secretly so he could see you and Mark. Each time we said goodbye was almost harder than not seeing him at all. All we wanted was to spend more time together. He died when you were only three, you know. Mark was five and got to know him a little more. She looked out the driver’s window again and frowned, When I found out he died, that was the blackest day in my life.

Then she paused, tilting her head, I just remembered something. We had planned to meet at our coffee shop because he wanted to give me and your dad something. But his car was t-boned in an accident the day before. So I never found out what he wanted to give us. Since Alice wasn’t talking to me, the housekeeper called to tell me about the accident. She swallowed hard, He was my anchor in life when I was growing up. I wish you could have known him.

Callie smiled softly. He sounds awesome.

You have no idea. Taking control of her emotions with a huge sigh, Sharon said, It looks like we have a big job ahead of us. She reached for the remote to the gate and pushed the button. The gate faltered a little, but it worked. It looks like Alice must have been neglecting repairs. But then I guess we should’ve expected that.

Upon entering the property, the driveway curved left in a loop and back to the entrance. But on the right side, the driveway split and went straight ahead to the two-story, three-car garage that was farther back than the mansion.

Sharon parked near the front door and paused a moment before getting out. Nostalgia and dread made a peculiar combination; she wasn’t sure how to handle it.

The summer sun was already bright as they stepped out to look at the house. The three-story, white colonial had a two-story column on either side of the entrance. Wide granite steps led to a broad, arched door with the window set with cut crystal in a floral design.

Sharon shook her head as they walked up the steps. It’s still as intimidating as I remember. You know, I only ever had three friends come over to play. Alice put a stop to that pretty quick. She didn’t want children running around because they might break her things. But each one of them thought the president or a senator lived here. She laughed nervously.

Aw, Mom. I’m sorry.

Don’t worry about it; that’s in the past.

Looking around, Callie said, "The grounds seem a little unkempt for such a grand house isn’t enough… palace is too much… estate? What do we call this place? It reminds me of Tara, the plantation from Gone with the Wind."

Sharon pulled out the key to the door. The lawyer said we have to inventory everything. Are you ready?

I’ve got my camera and my laptop. It’s a good thing I took photography in high school. I can hardly wait to put my skills to work.

Remember, first we’ll collect Alice’s personal things and bring them back to the room we set up for her at home. We’ll have to be selective, though. Even before I moved out, she had a lot of stuff. As Sharon unlocked the front door, she said, I hope her dementia will keep her from thinking about all of it. She sure isn’t in any state of mind to decide what to get rid of.

Shall we go through each room together? That way we won’t be crossing paths.

That’s a good idea. How’d you get so smart?

Callie grinned.

Well let’s make the best of it. Sharon walked through the door first, and held it open as she turned around so she could watch Callie’s reaction as she came in. Sharon always enjoyed watching Callie’s zest for life.

Sure enough, Callie’s jaw dropped. She took in everything and lived up to her red hair – not in temper, but in passion. Everything she did, she did completely. But her sense of responsibility was what Sharon counted on; she certainly needed her help now.

Callie mouthed an airy, Wow, as she gazed in awe. The oval foyer took up two levels. The Oriental rug was custom made to match the shape of the room. The focal point was an elegant, multi-tier, crystal chandelier. It hung from the second floor ceiling which was in the shape of a dome with multiple glass panels around it that allowed light to flood into the room. The sunlight caught the facets in the crystals, radiating a cascade of brilliant flecks around them.

The majestic staircase was anchored on the left, rising along the wall, curving outward and back again to the second floor. Ornately carved newels supported the broad handrail that seemed to lift the stairs up to the mezzanine. The rail continued to guard the walkway until it met the hall on the right.

Callie exclaimed, Wow! That would be an awesome ride down that handrail!

Sharon stepped toward her, Don’t you dare!

Oh, yeah. Your acrophobia. Don’t worry, I won’t. At least not while you’re looking. Callie brandished a devilish grin.

Sharon gave Callie a stern look as she playfully smacked her on the arm. Callie’s teasing reminded her how scary it was up there near the handrail when she was a child. Whenever she got too close to it, a dizzy, falling sensation pulled on her. Even though the rail was sturdy, she imagined it would give way, plunging her head first onto the marble floor. She always stayed as far away as possible from that looming drop.

Sharon forced herself to think of something else. Let’s go to the parlor, its right through the double-glass doors. Sharon walked to the right and opened them. This room was always showroom perfect. Every curtain had to be precisely opened to let in just the right amount of light. Every piece of furniture and artwork was chosen and positioned to showcase the décor perfectly. We were never allowed to have a family photo or personal item in here. Alice said it would cheapen the image and didn’t go with the décor. And she was convinced I would break something, so I was never allowed to play in here.

Callie frowned and shook her head. Every time you tell me something about her, it just seems to get worse.

Sharon looked around hopelessly, We might be able to fit some of the furniture at home. Then she paused. But I don’t know, it’s kind of pompous, don’t you think?

Callie nodded in agreement.

And your dad would hate it too. At least they’ll fetch a decent price. I’ll have to find private buyers to get the best deal. Or we could set up an auction with a dealer. She put that on her list of things to do.

Walking over to a lighted, curved display case, Sharon said emphatically, I am keeping this piece. Dad and I picked it out together and he promised that it would be mine someday. It was expensive, but that’s not why I want it. Sharon’s voice went up a notch as she reminisced. Dad and I wrote poems to each other when I was twelve. We never told Alice, but we wrote them on the underside of the bottom shelf with a Sharpie. Anxious to share, she almost begged, Would you like to read them?

Well, yeah!

Sharon opened the case and they lay down together on the floor to read. Sharon hugged herself, imagining Dad’s arms around her. Tears trickled into her ears as she choked out the words:

The Apple of My Eye

When I first held you, I knew my purpose.

You’re the answer to the question why?

You gave me strength and the will to live.

Because you’re the apple of my eye.

I guide you and teach you how to live.

Pride swells my chest as I hold your hand.

Your eyes are bright and yearn to learn.

Against the world, together we stand.

I clean up your scraped knees

and comfort you when you’re sad.

As I wipe tears from your eyes,

I’m honored to be your dad.

You are everything for me. I live

to be there for you when you need me.

You give me more than I can give you

My lifeblood, my being, my destiny.

You sustain me and nourish me.

Because of you, life makes sense.

I’ll live for you; I’ll die for you

You are my everything, my essence.

My Dad, My Hero

When the day has ended and I’m ready for bed

You come in for our talk of the night.

We discuss my