The Mystery of the Dead Band

Chapter 5

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            Verner came back and looked confused when Jay was gone.

"He said I should stay here and he should stay at the house…" I weakly replied.

"So can you tell me the truth?" Verner asked. I tilted my head unsure of what he wanted me to say.

"Come with me." He said leading me to his room and closing the door.

"That guy is not your brother he has an accent from here, you sound American."

"Oh, well, we are friends…not family."

"Then why lie about it?"

"I don't know…" I said shyly looking at the floor.

"Okay, well, is there anything else I should know?" Verner asked.

"No…" I said.

"Okay, tell me when you're ready. Anyways I have to get back to the shop; you can get a tour of the house from my mother." Verner said.

"Okay, thank you again for letting me stay here." I called to him as he left.

            I apprehensively walked into the kitchen, and the mother was cooking. She had blonde wavy hair with brown eyes. Vermeer had her eyes, but his hair was darker. She saw me and smiled.

"My name is Alma, your name is Justinia correct?"

"Yes. Thank you for your generosity and kindness." I said.

"It's no problem. This isn’t the first time Verner has offered people to stay in our house. He has a weak spot for people in need." Alma said smiling.

"Thank you anyways. What are you making? It smells good."

"It's an old family recipe. It's for dinner tonight. Since you are our guest, are there any dietary needs or allergies?"

"I can eat anything, but peppers." I replied.

"Alright, good thing I didn’t make peppers. Sit down, please, you look exhausted and…"

"Dirty?" I finished her sentence.

"A bit. Oh, here let me show you around the house." Alma said putting the flame on low before she escorted me around.

            The house was small, but quaint. It had a real sense of home. The family room had a couch with a coffee table in front of it. There was a small TV and two comfy chairs. There was the master bedroom, Verner's room, and the guest room. The guest room was quite nice for a simple house. It had a medium sized bed with a small closet and a walk in bathroom. It seemed so luxurious compared to the broken down house where the band lived.

"I hope this will do."

"This is amazing, it's so nice. Thank you very much."

"I will bring you a change of clothes and there are towels in the closet." Alma said before leaving.

            I immediately grabbed a towel and went in the bathroom. It was fully stocked with shampoo, conditioner, shavers, tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant, and soap. I slid my clothes off and hoped in the shower letting the water fall on me. I scrubbed myself down so hard I swore I took the first layer of skin off. I just wanted to get the awful feeling of being kidnapped off of me. Once I was clean and refreshed I stepped out of the shower, and found a pair of clean clothes lying on my bed. These must have been clothes from when she was younger. The dress that was laid out went to the knee and was a light brown. The dress was plain and simple, and in a way really pretty.