Wilmington, NC 04 - Murder At Wrightsville Beach

might not have lasted as long as she did if it weren't for those young men. She made sure they had good dinners and took an interest in them personally. You know, many spoke English and were educated. Marty told Grandpa Joe that she was looking after them in the hope that a motherly German woman was looking after William."
    "She sounds like a good woman," I commented.
    "She was. But I think Uncle J.C. resented the attention she gave to the prisoners; that's why he sounded so bitter last night."
    I looked around the room and asked, "Do you happen to know when this furniture was acquired?"
    "I do. Grandpa Joe told me, quite proudly, that he bought everything new when they moved into this house. He said he didn't want to bring old furniture into a new house. But when the farm was sold -- some developers bought it in the fifties to build houses out there and it brought a lot of money -- Grandpa moved things from the farmhouse in here, pieces that had sentimental value. He just couldn't part with them. That's why everything's so crowded and such a jumble. By then my great-grandmother Marty was gone and Grandpa didn't care much how things looked."

7

    Kelly and I moved from room to room and I made a list of the furniture we would refinish and those pieces we'd donate to Habitat for Humanity.
    "Art deco had a tremendous influence on the furniture designers of the twenties, whether intentional or unintentional," I told Kelly. "Suites of furniture became popular." I indicated the living room sofa and club chairs. "See how they all match. And they were designed to be multi-functional. Those arms open out to form end tables." I demonstrated.
    "But the upholstery is so scratchy," Kelly complained. "I used to avoid this room because of the scratchy upholstery."
    "It's mohair," I said. "We'll replace it. Today's mohair is as soft and lustrous as velvet."
    "Grandpa's favorite spot in the house was the library." She led the way across the center hall and into the library that was opposite the living room, and pointed to a leather club chair with a humidor positioned on a table to its right. "That was 'his' chair. Even after all these years you can still smell the cigar smoke. I used to sit in here with him after school and we'd catch up. He'd puff on those smelly cigars and relate the family history and recount what life had been like in the war years."
    One wall of the room featured built in bookcases and a fireplace. The fireplace had been converted to gas with gas logs. On the end wall, a door led out onto the screened porch.
    Then something caught my eye. "Oh, my. Look at this wonderful floor lamp." Positioned behind the leather club chair was a wrought iron floor lamp. The base of the lamp was a snake standing on its tail. Its head and neck were coiled and supported the glass globe.
    " Ooooh , I always hated that thing," Kelly said.
    "It's a gem," I said. "If you don't want to keep it, we can sell it to a collector in a heartbeat."
    "I'll think about it. I'm starting to see these things through your eyes, Ashley, and I have to admit they are looking better."
    "Do you have any ideas for the color palette?" I asked.
    "Well, I like what you did in Melanie's house. Something soft like that."
    "We used taupes and ivories, peaches and aquas in her house. In a place this size I think we ought to add some deeper tones, maybe some burgundies, so that the rooms don't appear to float. What do you think?"
    "Peaches and burgundies? Sounds pretty. Ready to see the upstairs?"
    Light from a clerestory window illuminated the staircase. On the landing I spotted a long jagged crack in the plaster that looked like it might be serious, and made a note of it on my pad. "We'll refinish the stairs and install new carpeting," I said. "I think a runner with brass rods on each tread would look good and serve well. Maybe a small pattern, in peach and brown."
    Kelly's fingertips had been trailing the rail and she turned to smile at me. "Ashley, I think I'm just going to leave those decisions to you. You know what you're doing, you don't need me second-guessing you."
    "Bless you," I whispered under my breath. The perfect client.
    There were four spacious bedrooms upstairs and one very large white tile bathroom. Each bedroom had a fireplace, making a total of seven fireplaces in the house.
    "I want you to see Marty's room. Grandpa kept it like a museum. They once shared it but after she died, he moved into the bedroom across the hall."
    The bedroom was