In November of 2005 I participated (sucessfully) in National Novel Writing Month. This year I didn’t participate, but I had hoped to. I think over the New Year’s weekend I’m going to sit down and read my novel from start to finish. Do you care to join me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Novel ~

MONDAY

It was a cool October day, not a cloud in the sky. I was driving down Lake Drive, which is a residential street that runs along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee. On the lake side of the road are huge, turn of the century mansions. They are built on a bluff, overlooking the lake, and are home to some of the area’s wealthiest people.

On the other side of the road are homes that are a wee bit smaller, and spaced a lot closer, right next to each other, yet still rather impressive to look at.

I slowed my car, a blue Cooper Mini, and turned from Lake Drive into the driveway of my newest client, Liz Wentworth. There were stone columns on either side of the drive, with the name LODGE ERIE engraved in one, and the address, 500 N. LAKE DRIVE, in the other. There was a six foot tall iron fence that edged the property, and an arched gate attached to either column. The gates were already swung open, perhaps awaiting my arrival?

I checked the address on the sheet of paper that I was holding in my hand, 500 N. Lake Drive. Yep, this was it.

I’m Kate Carson, and I’m a private investigator. I mostly work for myself, and my clients come to me through word of mouth. I have a college degree in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin, and instead of going to the police academy, decided to become a P.I. instead.

I do well with my job, and make a pretty good living at it. It pays the bills, and work is steady.

I slowed my car to a crawl, and looked down the long drive. It was lined with enormous oak trees, and kept going on for about a quarter of a mile before the house came to view.

The house, Lodge Erie, was a white, three story Georgian style mansion. It had a vast amount of windows, and from what I could see, two entrances, the grand front doors, and then a side door — perhaps leading to the kitchen for the groceries?

“Wow. Whatta house.” I said to myself. I could get lost in a house that size.

I parked my car, reached across to the passenger seat to grab my handbag, and in doing so I accidentally beeped the horn. At least Liz knows I’ve arrived, right? It was a small little beep, it’s not like I was laying on the horn or anything. That would be annoying.

I opened the car door; climbed out, and made sure I had everything I needed in my bag. Cell phone, check! Notepad, check! Pen, check! Ponytail holder, check! Tube of lip balm, check! I pressed the button on my key fob to lock up the Mini, tossed my keys into my handbag, pulled out my business card, swung my bag onto my shoulder, and headed up the steps to the front door.

I stuck my thumb out and pressed the door bell. Ding dong!

I don’t know why I expect Liz to be the one to answer the door. This is a lady who is married to one of the wealthiest men in the city; surely I knew she had a butler. Or maybe he likes to be called ‘doorman’? Whatever he was, he sure was rather dry in the personality department.

“Um, hello. I’m Kate Carson, Liz is expecting me.” I said in my best attempt at a perky, good morning voice, as I handed him my business card, which simply said ‘Kate Carson, Private Investigator’. What can I say, I get to the point. Of course, it had my contact information as well, phone number and email address, but there’s no need to share it with you here.

“She is.” He said, not making any attempt to be friendly. “I’m Miles, Mrs.Wentworth’s butler. She’ll be with you momentarily, and you may wait for her in the foyer.” And then he made a swooping motion with his arm, pointing in the direction of the foyer.

“Thank you.” I said, and walked through the doorway.

It was all I could do to keep my jaw from dragging along the floor; I was in such amazement of the hugeness of the foyer. It was as if it could swallow me whole. The floor was a gorgeous white marble, I’m certain it was imported from Europe. The walls were a blueish-gray, and reached all the way up to the ceiling of second floor. The woodwork was a deep cherry, and was simply breathtaking.

I stood before what was the largest mirror I’ve ever seen. It was at least five feet tall by five feet wide, and framed in a very glitzy silver frame.

I smiled at my reflection, then noticed that I hadn’t smoothed out my eyebrows this morning. Gah! I leaned forward so I could carefully tidy them up with my pointer finger. There, that’s much better, no need to scare my client. I took the opportunity to pull my shoulder length brown curly hair into a ponytail, and then stood back and smiled.

Not bad, Kate. Not so bad for sleeping through two alarm clocks this morning. I didn’t have much time, so pulled on the first pair of jeans I could find, clean of course, my favorite pink polo shirt, and a pair of flip flops. That’s the great thing about this job; I can wear whatever the hell I want.

I turned away from the mirror just as a lady, who I assume could only be Liz Wentworth appeared from around the corner. She was average height and quite slim. Her hair was a gorgeous silver gray, in a stunning cropped style that accentuated her delicate face.

“Oh hello my dear, you must be Kate.” She said to me, as she reached out to shake my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, call me Liz.”

“Hi Liz. Kate Carson.” I said, as I smiled and shook her hand.

“Please, come with me, we can have a seat in the sunroom. Would you care for a cup of coffee?”

“I’d love a cup, please, with sugar and cream if you have it.” And then as if on cue, the butler appeared out of nowhere. He startled me, I jumped and I’m pretty sure some goofy sound escaped my mouth.

Liz glanced at me, but didn’t appear to think anything of the fact that I just flinched over the sight of her butler. “Miles, please bring us some coffee. We’ll be in the sunroom.”

I followed her as she walked through the most elegant living room I’ve ever been in. It definitely was not a room meant for flip flops and blue jeans. Ming vases stood on side tables. There’s a baby grand piano in the corner. And forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m positive that’s an original Renoir painting hanging on the wall above it.

“So, do you play?” I asked as we walked past the piano.

“Hmmm, what dear?” She said, not missing a step.

“The piano, do you play the piano?”

“Oh that. No. Charles, my husband, plays though. He’s rather good.”

We entered the sunroom, which was way more my style. I could breathe in this room. It was friendly, and inviting, hosting huge windows on three sides, and French doors that led out to the stone patio overlooking Lake Michigan. The walls were a lemon yellow, and the over stuffed sofas and reading chairs were a contrasting sage green.

“Wow, look at that view!” I said, gazing out on over the lake. I could see for miles and miles.

“Isn’t it marvelous? This is one of my favorite rooms in the house.” She replied. “Please, have a seat, make yourself at home Kate.”

I choose the sofa, and Liz sat across from me in one of the chairs.

We made small chit chat for a while, you know, the weather and stuff like that. Then Miles appeared in the doorway with a tray and two cups of coffee, and set the tray on the ottoman between us. He made no small talk, not even a smile, just set the tray down, turned and left the room. Odd fellow, I thought to myself.

I was in such a hurry this morning that I didn’t get my morning cup. I chose a cup, pulled it up to my nose, closed my eyes and took a whiff. Ahhh, the smell alone was perking me right up. I turned my cup of coffee into my own little hot drink by adding the perfect amount of cream and sugar, did a little stir, and then sank back into the sofa cushions and took a sip.

“So, Liz, what is it that I can do for you today?” I asked, putting my cup down long enough to reach into my handbag and pull out my notebook and pen, knocking it off the sofa and spilling the contents on the floor.

“Oh gosh! Please excuse me, I’m such a klutz. I can’t believe I did that.” I reached down and started scrambling for my stuff, shoving items back into my black leather bag.

Once I had collected what I spilled, I zipped the bag shut, put my notepad in my lap, and held my pen, ready to write. I gave Liz the most professional look I could muster up, in an attempt to get over my embarrassment.

She gazed down at her hands, looking into her coffee, and hesitated. She looked up, past me, in the direction that Miles went. I assumed she was looking to see where he was, but since she didn’t say anything, I could not be sure. I swiveled my head around, followed her gaze towards to the doorway, and saw no one, so I turned back towards Liz.

She lowered her voice to a whisper, “I found a secret drawer, upstairs, in the floorboard in my bathroom.”

“A drawer? How did you find a secret drawer? What’s it for?” I asked her.

“And,” She added, ignoring my questions, “I found this inside.” Opening her hand, displaying a small tarnished key.

A key? I’m here because she found a secret compartment in her ancient house, and inside was a tarnished key. You must be joking, I thought to myself.

I reached out and took it from her. I ran my fingers over it. It was well worn, and had a raised flowery, lacy design to it. Okay, so perhaps I was a little hasty a moment a go, just holding it sparked my interest.

“What do you suppose it opens?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t fit any of the locks in the house that I could find. I was hoping you’d investigate the secret drawer, and this key. Please Kate. Are you up for it?”

I handed it back to her. This is way too putzy, I thought to myself. Didn’t she want me to follow her husband and take pictures of him on a rendezvous with his secretary or something? I like the smaller scale mysteries, the kind that can be solved by catching someone in the act. There was no act to be caught here.

She took it from me, placing it back into her pocket, “My dear, I can pay you in advance if you’d like. The curiosity is killing me! I have to find out what it’s for. I simply must know.”

Oh, what the hell. It’s not like I’m going to be shot at trying to figure out what the key is for, right?

I followed Liz upstairs to the second floor, where I was told that there were three bedrooms. Two of them were guest rooms, the third was the master bedroom suite. There were a total of four bathrooms, a sitting room, an office and a three-season porch, the latter two being a part of the master bedroom suite.

She led me into the burgundy and cream colored suite, which housed a large four-poster bed, rich cherry dressers and bedside tables. Near a window were two wingback sitting chairs, with a sewing kit between them. To my left was the walk-in closet, straight ahead was the three season porch, and to my right was the bathroom.

The bathroom was about ten feet by fifteen feet. There were two adjacent sinks, ‘His’ and ‘Hers’ I assume, a tub, a separate walk-in shower stall, and a private room with just a toilet in it. With a bathroom this big, I guess I’d want a small private potty stall too.

Liz had been explaining that she was getting ready for a dinner party a few nights ago, when she dropped one of her diamond earrings. She got down on her hands and knees and found it on the floor, by the baseboard.

“That’s when I noticed this.” She said, pointing in the corner. “See this piece of woodwork right here? It’s got a lip on it. You can’t see it if you are standing up, but if you get down on your knees and look real close you can.”

I knelt down and looked at where she was pointing.

“Well look at that.” I said in disbelief.

She gave the board a slight tug towards us, and out slid a drawer, right there from the baseboard. It was about one foot square and made of wood. The drawer itself was empty.

“That’s where this key was.” She said, handing me the key, “Right there, inside the drawer.”

I took the key from her, and peered inside the slot where the drawer came from but it was too dark to see.

“Do you have a flashlight?” I asked her, getting a little more excited.

“I’m sure I’ve got one somewhere, I’ll be right back.” She said, as she stood up and brushed herself off.

I was left alone in the enormous old bathroom. I took another look around the room as I sat there with the secret drawer in one hand, and the mystery key in the other. The room was clearly not remodeled in a long time. The pedestal sinks were newer looking, and most likely not original to the house. The ceramic tiled floor was a creamy white color, and while I didn’t think it was original, it most likely was at least thirty or so years old. If anyone had retiled the floor, they might have noticed the false woodwork, so I’m thinking that either the secret drawer was original to the house, or was put in at the same time that flooring was.

I looked at my hand, the one that held the key. I’d really only glanced at it before, so this time I took a closer look at it. It was an elaborately designed key, slightly tarnished, but looked like it used to be silver. It didn’t have a key chain, or a tag of any sort, and it looked to be rather old and worn. Other than that, there really wasn’t anything special about it, no identifying features that screamed ‘I’m the key to the whatever’. It was a little bit smaller than a house key, yet larger than a safety deposit box key.
Well, this ought to be an adventure, I thought to myself. I wonder what it opens.

“Found one!” Liz announced, as she hurried back in to the bathroom, handing me the flashlight, “I had to go all the way down to the coat closet by the kitchen entrance.”

I turned on the light, and shined it into the slot where the drawer came from. “I don’t see anything in there; the slot is fully enclosed inside the wall. Hmmmm, this sure is odd. Have you checked all the other baseboards? You know, in case there are more of these secret drawers?” I asked Liz as I turned the flashlight off and set it down.

“I looked, but I didn’t find anything. I didn’t do a thorough search though, as I didn’t want to raise suspicion with Miles and the rest of the staff.”

I slid the drawer back into its place, then stood up and followed Liz out into the bedroom. “So, Miles doesn’t know about this. Right?”

“Correct.”

“And the rest of the staff, how many are there?”

“There’s Bill the caretaker, he does all the yard work and handyman jobs around the house. He lives in the apartment above the garage. Then there is Miles’ wife, Miranda, she’s does all the cooking and the cleaning. The two of them live in an apartment upstairs, on the third floor.”

“Is that it then?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“The key is very non-descript looking, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to figure out what it belongs to. You understand that, right?” I asked Liz, holding up the key. I hated the thought of taking this case, and not solving anything for her.

“You were highly recommended by my friend Golda, she said that you are amazing and that you can solve anything.” She said, slightly taken put off at the thought that I might change my mind and not take the case after all.

“Golda? Golda Stein? Is that how you found me?”

“Why of course, my dear, Golda is an old friend of mine; she was rather impressed with your sleuthing ability.”

Huh, I thought to myself, good ole Golda recommended me? What the heck is going on? Golda is a very nice lady whom I know. She owns The June Bug Art Gallery over on Broadway Avenue. She’s also incredibly snoopy, and can’t seem to keep her nose out of others people’s business. She’s the queen of information! Why would she suggest me for this job?

“Liz, don’t get me wrong, I’m taking your case. But I don’t want you to be disappointed if I’m unable to get anywhere with this here key. Okay?”

“You’ll figure it out, I trust you will.”

Liz and I made our way back down to the sunroom, where she proceeded to tell me about the house and how long her and her husband had been living there.

“We’ve only been here for a few years, prior to this home, we lived on the other side of Lake Drive, in Shorewood.” She said, “We jumped at the chance to move to the lake side of the street when this house came on the market a few years ago. There is nothing like taking a walk along the shoreline to clear your head.”

“Who did you buy the house from?” I questioned, as I picked up my pen and notebook to begin jotting down more notes.

“His name was George Schultz, and he lived here his entire adult life. The house was part of his estate, and we purchased it after he died. I believe it stood empty for quite some time before we came along.”

“Did you meet any of his children? They might know what this key is for.”

“No. Only the realtor. I’m not sure he had any family at all. The realtor and the lawyers took care of everything.”

“Ugh.” I said, this was disappointing. This is going to be harder than I had hoped. “Well, I can scratch that idea off my list. I hoped that I could go to the previous owner, and he could help me out…. but you know, that would be waaaay too easy.”

“Sorry love. Yes, that would be ideal now wouldn’t it.” She said, sticking her lower lip out in a pout, clearly mocking my disappointment.

“Can I take the key with me? Do you mind?” I asked, as I stuffed my notepad and pen in my handbag. “I’ll nose around a little bit, see if anyone recognizes what it might fit into.”

“Of course dear, that’s why I’ve called you, to find out what the key is for.”

“Okay then, I think I’m done for now. I’ll be in touch.” I told her. We stood and she escorted me to out of the sunroom.

Just as we came around the corner, exiting the room, I caught a glance of someone turning down the hallway into the kitchen. Was that Miles? Or perhaps Bill or Miranda, both of whom I had yet to meet. Did they hear what we were talking about? I don’t think Liz saw them, as she was facing me when we rounded the corner. There is always a chance it was coincidence. Yeah, that’s it, I’ll go with a simple, well timed, coincidence.

We reached the foyer and I had my hand on the door knob when I had an idea. I turned to Liz, “What about the blueprints to the house? Do you think I could get a copy of the blueprints?”

“Why?”

“I’m thinking that if there is one secret space, there’s sure to be more. Maybe if I look at the blueprints, I can see where extra space is, and then I’ll know where to look.”

I continued, “I mean, the key is important, but maybe there is more to be found if I look for it in the house.”

Liz gave me a look of uncertainty. And I really couldn’t blame her, it was a long shot that there would be more secret compartments, and an even longer shot that I’d be able to find them, but it was worth a try.

She put one hand on her hip, and the other on her forehead, “Do you really think that there are more hidden spaces? I hadn’t thought of that. My curiosity revolves around the key, but dear, I guess you’re right.”

Liz gave her shoulders a shrug and put her hands in the air, “I’ll have them for you this afternoon. Is that good enough?”

I gave her a big grin. “That’ll work. Call me on my cell phone when you have them.”

“How about this, I’ll have a courier service drop them off at your house. This is your address on your business card, right?” She suggested.

“That would be perfect. I’ll be in touch then.”

I turned towards the driveway and walked over to the Mini. It was still there, not that I expected it not to be, but the morning had already turned out to much weirder than I had hoped for.

I set my handbag on the hood of the car and dug around, in search of my keys.

Crap, where are my keys? I know I put them in here.

Duh, I said to myself. Slapping my forehead with the heel of my hand. The sunroom! I bet they fell out when I dropped my bag.

I threw my handbag over my shoulder as I hurried back up the steps to the house.

I’ll just tip-toe in, get my car keys, and be on my way. No need to bother anyone because of my clumsiness, right?

I peered in the window next to the front door, and when I didn’t see anyone I put my hand on the door knob and gave it a twist. I was in luck, it was unlocked.

I pushed open the door and peeked my head into the foyer. I didn’t see any sign of Miles or Liz, they must have moved into another part of the house. I thought to myself, I’ll just sneak inside, find my keys, and be out before anyone even notices.

Of course, a normal, sane person would have just rang the doorbell and explained that I didn’t have my car keys. However, there is something that you need to know about me, I don’t always do the normal, sane thing. In fact, a lot of the time I just fly by the seat of my pants and do whatever I feel like. This was one of those times.

I took my flip flops off so that I wouldn’t make any noise, sticking them in my handbag as I tip toed down the hallway towards to the sunroom.

I passed the Ming vases, the baby grand, and the Renoir, until finally I reached the sunroom.

I scoped the room for my keys, and when I didn’t see them from where I was standing, I dropped to my hands and knees. I crawled towards to the sofa, bending my face all the way down to the floor so I could see underneath.

Aha! Found them! I reached my hand under the sofa and wrapped my fingers around the key ring. I pulled them out and was just about to stand up when I heard voices coming down the hallway.

I flattened my body against the floor, laying perfectly still.

I said a silent prayer that I wouldn’t be discovered, and then I held my breath so that I could hear every word they said.

It sounded like Miles, and he was talking with a woman. It didn’t sound like Liz, so I’m assuming it was his wife, Miranda.

“Did you find out why she was here?” the woman asked.

“No, but they were in the master suite, and Liz came down for a flashlight.” he said to her, keeping his voice down.

“A flashlight? I don’t understand.”

“Miranda. Think hard. Did we miss anything in the master suite?”

Then the voices passed the sunroom, continued down the hallway, and I couldn’t hear anymore of what was said.
I got up and snuck over to the doorway, crept my head out into the hall to make sure the coast was clear. It was. So I bolted towards to the foyer, threw open the front door and ran to the Mini.

I clicked the key fob to unlock the doors, and slid in behind the wheel.

My hands grasped the wheel and I let out a breath, whew. I let my head rest against the wheel as I thought about the conversation I just overheard. Who are Miles and Miranda? And what are they looking for? Do they know about the key?

I looked up, half expecting to see someone staring at me through the windshield. Instead I saw the paved driveway, winding it’s way back the way I came, into the trees and out the other side to Lake Drive. I decided that leaving now would probably be a good idea. I found my flip flops in the my bag, put them back on my feet, stuck the key into the ignition, turned the car over and headed down the long drive.

Chapter 3 ~ Locked Out

I decided to go home, as the case had just gotten very confusing and I really didn’t know what to make of it. I followed Lake Drive south, turned into downtown Milwaukee and worked my way under the freeway until I pulled up to my condo in the Third Ward.

The Third Ward used to be a warehouse district in Milwaukee. It’s surrounded by Lake Michigan on the East, the Milwaukee River on the south and the West, and the Interstate on the North. All together it’s a very small parcel of land, perhaps a half mile by a half mile. A lot of the warehouses have been renovated into condominiums, so it’s a well populated area for the space it occupies. What haven’t been turned into condos are smaller now stores and galleries for artists, salons, restaurants, and antique dealers.

Most of the residents are single 30-somethings, and retired couples who have sold their suburban homes, flocking to the city for a try at urban life. I’m in the first category.

My condo is on the fifth floor, overlooking the Milwaukee River. It’s a modest place, two bedrooms and one bath, the rest is what they call ‘open concept’, where the kitchen, dining room and family room are all one giant room. This is nice for when I’m in the kitchen making cookies and I want to watch TV at the same time.

I pulled the Mini into the parking structure located across the street from my condo. It’s rather convenient to be across the street, but it really sucks when I’ve got a lot of groceries, that’s when I swear I’m going to sell and buy a house with a garage in the suburbs.

I parked the Mini, grabbed my handbag, making sure I had the mystery key, and headed across the street, throwing my hand up over my head to beep the locks as a last minute thought on my way.

The lobby was empty, which is normal for 10:00 on a Monday morning. Most of the tenants in my building worked nine to five. I was one of the only ones that didn’t have an office to go to, this meant that most days I usually had the elevator to myself.

My cat, Fluffy, was waiting for me when I opened the door. She was a giant ball of long gray fur, close to the size of a small dog, and had a super long tail. Fluffy was not happy with me, and she let me know it too. Apparently, in my haste this morning, I forgot to open the curtains in her favorite window, so she’d been unable to sun herself while I was gone. Geesh.

I checked the answering machine, no calls. I proceeded over to my well worn oak desk, plopping my handbag on it. I clicked open my mailbox and while it checked my email I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

By the time I came back I could see I had four new emails. One from Cal, and three that were caught by my spam folder.

Cal Owens is my boyfriend. We’ve been together for about two years now. He’s a computer dude and does hi-tech computer stuff for a living. He lives in the Third Ward too, but he’s further up the river.

I read Cal’s email:
Kate, How about lunch? Noon, The Ale House.
Later, Cal

I typed back a quick reply that I would meet him there, and then went out to my balcony overlooking the river. I took a seat in my thinking chair, dubbed so because it was the place where I did a lot of thinking.

It’s an old Adirondack chair, originally painted a lively yellow, but now it’s rather weathered around the edges. I love this chair, and often come to it in the mornings to drink my coffee and watch the boats float up and down the river.

I took a seat, placed my water bottle on the floor next to me. Fluffy came waltzing out and took a spot in the sun, flipping her tail up and down as she gave me one of her ‘now I’m happy’ looks.

“Fluffy, do you know anything about secret drawers in old mansions, mystery keys, and odd overheard conversations?” I looked at my cat and asked her.

She didn’t seem to know anything, or if she did, she wasn’t sharing the information. Figures.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what the key could open, and what could Miles and Miranda be looking for? I wonder if Liz knew that they were searching for same thing? And, I wondered where they came from, if they’d been working for Liz very long. It wasn’t something that I had thought would be pertinent to the case, however, after overhearing them, now I think I should do some investigating.

I heard my doorbell buzzing, who could that be? I stood up, went back inside and walked over to the intercom, pressed it and asked, “Hello?”

It was a younger guy, snapping his gum as he talked, “Yeah, I gotta delivery for a Miss Carson, is that you?”

“That’s me, Kate Carson. Who is it from?” I asked.

“Uh, um,” He stuttered, “It says here it’s from someone named Wentworth.”

I pressed the button to let him up, and walked out in the hallway so that I could meet him at the elevator. The doors slid open, he didn’t even make sure I was Kate Carson, and just handed me a tube about three inches in diameter by about three feet long. The blueprints.

I thanked him, handed him a tip, watched the elevator doors slide shut, and then turned and went back to my condo.

Reaching the door I realized what had happened without even having to touch the knob.

“Shit!” I said to myself. “Please don’t be locked, please don’t be locked, please don’t be locked.”

I turned the doorknob, and of course, it was locked. I had managed to lock myself out of my condo.

I made a fist and pounded on the door. Why? I don’t know, but maybe Fluffy knew how to open doors and has been waiting for the appropriate time to show off her new trick.

“Fluffy, if you can open a door, now would be the time to show me.” I said to the door, as I rested my forehead on the peek hole.

“Meow.” Fluffy said.

Damn. I looked at my watch, 11:00 a.m., I had to meet Cal for lunch at noon. The Ale House was just down the block, so I could either shimmy up the fire escape to my balcony, which, I reminded myself, was five floors up. Or, I could walk down to The Ale House, taking the blueprints with me, and study them while I waited for Cal to arrive at noon.

Hopefully he’d bring both his wallet, and a key to my condo, with him.

Chapter 4 ~ The Blueprints

The Ale House was a bar and restaurant. It occupied the first floor of an old brick warehouse that had been converted into an office building a few years ago. Like my condo, it was located on the Milwaukee River, and sometime Cal and I would sit outside on the deck, enjoying the view and the fresh air while we ate.

Inside, the walls are a creamy colored exposed brick that is inside the restaurant, and large wooden beams run across the ceiling. It’s very rugged looking, yet, artsy at the same time.

By the time Cal arrived I’d had two lemonades, a basket of french fries, and I’d studied all the levels of the house, including the basement. The blueprints were unrolled and lying flat on the huge table I was seated at, with the salt, pepper, ketchup and an ash tray each holding down one of the corners.

He was a sight for sore eyes. Cal was about six feet tall, with an athletic build, not your norm for a computer guy. He had sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a consistent five o’clock shadow.

“Hi ya Kate,” he said, kissing me on the lips. “What’s all of this?”

“This,” I said, pointing to the blueprints, “is my newest case. I just got it this morning.

“It’s Lodge Erie, it’s the home of Charles and Liz Wentworth. It’s huge, and located on the very hoity toity Lake Drive, overlooking the lake, of course. Golda referred me.”

Cal made his signature ‘okay, whatever face’, and then slid beside me in the booth.

“I hope you brought your wallet, I kinda left my bag at home.” I said, biting my lower lip as I waited for him to answer.

“Sure, lunch is on me.”

“And….” I started.

“….and what?”

“Do you have my key with you? I’m kinda locked out.” I whispered that last part, mostly because I still can’t believe that I locked myself out.

“Really.” Cal said, sitting back in the seat, giving me one of his ‘you must be joking’ looks.

“Yep,” I sighed, “I sure did. I let the courier in and met him at the elevator to get these blueprints, and I kinda got locked out. I’ve been here for an hour.”

He rolled his eyes, reached into his pocket and took out his key ring. Pulled my key off and handed it to me.

“Thanks honey, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I said, giving him a small kiss and hug.

The waitress came over and took our orders. I was pretty full from the french fries, so ordered a salad, Cal got a burger.

“So, what’s the case about?” He asked, pointing at the mansion lying before us.

“Ironically, it’s about a key.” I said, looking up at him. “Can you believe it? And actually, today’s theme seems to be keys.”

I filled him in on what I knew, including the mysterious conversation that I overheard, and then we both got down to studying the layout of the house, searching for areas where there appeared to be more than the usual amount of space.

By the time we were done with lunch I’d marked up the blueprints with a few spots that I thought would be good places to begin searching for hidden places. I wasn’t counting on finding anything, but you never know with these old places.

As I was rolling up the blueprints I noticed the name of the architect in the lower right hand corner, G. Schultz.

Was it possible? Could it be the same George Schultz whom the Wentworth’s purchased the house from?

“Hey Cal,” I said, pointing at the name. “Check this out.”

Chapter 5 ~ The Engraving

Cal walked me home, gave me a quick kiss goodbye and then went back to work. I made my way up to my condo, unlocked my door, checked my answering machine, and then my email. No calls, and no messages.

I sunk down on my sofa, Fluffy jumped on my lap, demanding attention.

I was running ideas through my head about the case. I should really call Liz and inquire about the name on the blueprints. My best guess is the George Schultz was also the architect of Lodge Erie, as well as the previous owner. If she knew that though, she would have mentioned it already, right?

I should also address the conversation I overheard when I went back in to get my car keys, but, then I’d have to confess to sneaking back in. I decided that was most likely not a good idea at this point. It might ruin the aura of professionalism that I’ve got going for me.

Then there’s the mystery key. If I called Liz now, I don’t have anything to tell her about the key, and that’s what she’s really interested in. I haven’t given any time to the key yet.

Who do I go to for a key? Is there such a person as a key expert? I suppose I could take it to a locksmith, they might be able to tell me something about this key, like what it might open.

Or I could try an antique dealer too. It is pretty old looking, and they might be able to tell me something about this intricate design on it.

My purse was on the desk, right where I left it. I grabbed it, and the mystery key, and headed out.

Antiques really aren’t my thing, however the Third Ward is home to a few antique dealers, so I was lucky in that regard.

My plan was to walk down to the first one I came to, show them the key, and see if they know what it might be for. I realized it was a long shot, but it was immediate results, versus driving to a locksmith.

It was a short walk, only two blocks, before I came to Old Tom’s Antiques. A bell jingled when I opened the door. I entered the shop, and a man whom I can only assume is Old Tom himself, walked out from the backroom to greet me.

He was a creaky old guy, probably well past retirement. He was balding, and had wire rim glasses, pushed real low on his nose.

“H’lo there miss.” He said, stopping at the counter to put down a stack of leather bound books. “What can I do for you t’day?”

“Oh hi,” I replied. “I’m hoping you can help me out. I’ve got this key here, and I’m not sure what it goes to, it’s pretty old and fancy looking. I was hoping that you might recognize what it’s for.”

I reached into my bag and pulled out the key, and set it on the counter.

“Hmmm, a key you say,” He said, picking it up gently and turning it over in his hands.

“It’s rather old looking, and the design is more elaborate,” I started to explain, before he abruptly cut me off.

“I can see for myself, young lady. No need to point out the obvious.” He said, looking at me over his glasses, then back down again at the key.

I was taken back by his tone, but since I was in need of his help, I did the best I could to not show it.

“Now, where did you say you got this from?” He asked.

“Actually, I didn’t say.” I corrected him, quickly adding, “It’s just a key that one of my clients has, and she’d like to find out what it’s for.”

“Client?” He asked, confused.

“I’m sorry. I’m Kate Carson, private eye.” I said, sticking out my hand. “I can’t really share the details at this point. Do you recognize anything about this key?”

He shook my hand, told me his name was Tom, just as I thought, and then pulled out a magnifying glass to get a closer look.

“See this here?” He said, pointing to the hole in the base of the key where a key ring would go. “Do you see the engraving on the inside of this key?”

I took both the key, and the magnifying glass from him.

“I’ll be damned.” I said, turning the key as I read the cryptic message out loud. “LE to LL GS”

“Huh. What do you suppose that means?” I crinkled up my nose, in an attempt to thinking harder, this made no sense.

“Rather mysterious.” He agreed, “I’d say you’ve got yourself a key to a safe, or maybe a chest of some sort. I can’t be sure, but from the looks of it, it’s probably from around 1930, or so.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the key from him. “I hadn’t noticed the engraving at all. So, you are guessing it’s to a safe, or a chest? I’d better call my client and she what she thinks. Thanks again.”

We exchanged business cards with each other, and he promised to call me if he found something out.

On my way home I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Liz. A lady answered, “Wentworth residence.”

“Hello, this is Kate Carson calling for Liz. Is she available?”

“Hold please.” And they she set the phone down and I could hear some talking in the background, then footsteps, until finally Liz picked up the phone.

“Kate, my dear, have you found anything yet? Did you receive the blueprints?”

“Hi Liz. Yes, I got them, thank you. Listen, I’ve found a couple of rather interesting things, do you mind if I come right over?”

Liz thought that would be fine, and I said I’d be over in about 30 minutes.

I had to go up to my condo to retrieve the blueprints, so I quickly walked the couple blocks back home and went upstairs.

Fluffy was waiting for me at the door, she was lying sprawled out and I had to take a huge step over her to get to the blueprints, which I had left on the kitchen counter.

She peeked open one sleepy eye, meowed at me, and then went back to sleep.

Ah, the life of a cat, I thought to myself, grabbing the blueprints. I left just as quickly as I arrived.