He Killed Her Slowly (A Completed Steamy, Romance)

Part 3

The marble floors matched with the oak paneling, and the carved wood staircase was most likely beautiful at one time, but now it's dark, with blacked out curtains hiding the beautiful stained glass windows.

The room to our right was once my grandfather's study, and the formal sitting room to my left has plastic covers over the furniture. The double staircase ahead of me has beautifully carved dark stained wood, and both sets of stairs meet in the middle. One large staircase takes you to the second floor.

Greer looked up, and I followed her gaze to a large chandelier made from crystals of many colors.

"Don't let this house intimidate you. We will do some remodeling and make it feel more like home." I squeezed her hand to reassure her safety.

"Let me show you the first floor." I said.

We walked past the staircase and into another large hall. All the walls in this home are made of oak and stained a dark color, arched entryways made this house feel like a church, and the echoes of our footsteps don't help either.

The dining room was ridiculously large, with a fireplace in the back that is so big, the open space was as tall as me, and must be at least six feet wide. The table looked as if it was set for a fake dinner party, and I'm sure nobody has used this space in decades.

The kitchen has wood floors, stone walls, and enough space to hold an entire staff. The bay windows show nothing but an overgrown garden.

"Let's go upstairs and pick out our bedrooms." This time she actually nodded.

We made it upstairs, and the massive hallway offered many doors. This time the woodwork goes only halfway up the wall, and the rest is just white plaster that looks as if it has been needing a coat of paint for years.

As we walked down the massive hall, she pointed at another set of large wooden steps. "That's the way up to the third floor, would you like to see it too?" I asked.

She nodded again, so maybe I'm getting somewhere.

"Let's put our bags in our rooms, then we can go on an adventure until Clara Ann has dinner ready." She did give me a small smile.

There are several rooms to choose from, and all of them are exactly the same, other than the view offered. She stopped in front of a room on our right and looked up at me. "They're all the same?" She asked.

Her tiny little voice managed to once again melt my heart.

"They are, but there's one thing different about this one, and the one next to it. There's an adjoining door, so we can leave it open at night if you would like." I offered.

She gave me a very tiny smile, and nodded yes.

The rooms have their own bathrooms, balconies, and fireplaces. Mahogany carved king-sized beds that required a stool to climb up, and dark velvet bedspreads. It's apparent Clara Ann had these rooms cleaned prior to our arrival.

"Tomorrow we will gather your things from the apartment and do a little shopping," I said, but was not rewarded with any kind of reaction.

I helped her take out her things, but they just won't work for me. This child needs a whole new wardrobe.

I'm worried to find out exactly what kind of life my sister was living prior to her death. Today, I learned she was on welfare, and I can't understand why she didn't reach out for help.

"Are you ready for our adventure?" I asked.

She nodded, and reached for my hand. We walked toward the steps, and she paused looking up at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"No monsters?" She asked, and I gave her a warm smile.

"None, but probably a lot of old stuff and dust." We both took a step, then another, until finally, we came to another hall, but this one was much shorter.

All doors were open and we found a nursery, a few more bedrooms that resembled the ones downstairs, and a door that was shut at the end of the hall.

"I bet that's the attic, and that's where our adventure begins." I smiled down at her.

I opened the door, and that's exactly what was waiting for us on the other side. Old furniture, wooden trunks, sewing machines, hat boxes, and several items from the generations of family that lived in this house.

I'm sure at one point, this house was filled with laughter and good memories, but once my grandmother turned her back on my mother, it all ended.

I was raised in a middle-class family. We had a nice two-story house that sat on a cul de sac with kids to play with, and a stay at home mom. Dad was an engineer, and we didn't live anywhere near as high class as my mother was raised.

We stepped inside and she didn't let go of my hand. "Let's see if this trunk opens." I said.

She let go of my hand and I opened the lid, then we both gasped.

Inside was silk and crystals. I reached in and pulled out the most gorgeous satin gown, probably from the 1930s. "It's okay, touch anything you'd like." I told her.

She reached her little hand in, and pulled out another satin gown.

"We could have these beautiful gowns cleaned. They're timeless vintage pieces that can be worn again." I said.

We looked through the trunk, and there were several gowns. I was in heaven, and by the looks of it, Greer is right with me.

I opened another trunk, while she was still looking through the old ones.

"Greer, come see, these are beautiful," I said, and she set down the satin in her hand and walked toward me.

"These are little girls clothes." She said with a smile. Thank God she's starting to speak.

"They're princess dresses." I said as we pulled several out, and the smile on her face grew.

"I bet, a long time ago, they had dances, and the little girl got to go to them too." I said.

We pulled everything out, and at the bottom of the trunk was a box filled with costume jewelry.

"Look, they're all your size. Here, put on this ring. I think that's real gold and crystals." I slid it on her finger, and her eyes lit up.

"All of this is yours. We can take the jewelry down and put it in your room. You can wear anything you like, and tomorrow we will take all these dresses to the dry cleaners. Would you like that?" I asked.

She nodded yes, with a big smile on her face.

"Let's see if we find more and if you see anything you want, we can either take it to your room, or have it moved there, okay?" I asked.

"Really?" She asked with joy on her face.

"Yes, this is our house, right?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Oh, Greer! Sweetie look , it's a dollhouse replica of the mansion. Even the furniture matches, and there are tiny dolls." I pointed.

She knelt down next to it, and we blew off the dust.

"If you want this, we can have it moved to your room." I offered.

Her eyes lit up once again, and I can see we are on the right track.