As Penny and Ron walked onto the front porch, Penny noticed the flower pots. “These colorful flowers add to the décor of the outside, but it seems like something is missing,” Penny remarked.

“The plants do add to the appearance of the house, but I do agree with you. Something is missing since yesterday.”

Ron and Penny ambled through the front door of their new home, Cedar Tree Mansion. They glanced around and sensed something mysterious, but they weren’t sure what it was. They knew that something was dissimilar from when they first looked at it with the Realtor yesterday.

They stood in the living room glancing around the perimeter of the room seeking to acknowledge what was so mystifying, and after a few minutes, Penny realized what was different about the house. “I figured out what’s changed in the living room.”

“What?” Ron asked, curiously.

“The pictures on the wall to the left and to the right of the fireplace weren’t there yesterday when the Realtor showed us the house.”

“You're right, but who could have put them there?”

“Maybe the Realtor did,” Penny suggested.

“It seems like he's the only one who could have put the pictures there because nobody else has a key to the house except Christy, Megan, Abby, you, and I.”

“That's true,” Penny agreed.

“Do you remember what Mrs. Jenkins, our neighbor who lives east of us, told us yesterday about the previous owners?”

“Yes, she said they abandoned the house three years ago and the bank took over the house and property,” Penny replied.

“She also said that because of the appearance inside the house, it looked like the FBI had been searching for something.”

“I recall Mrs. Jenkins saying that, but I wonder what they were looking for inside the house,” Penny commented.

“I don't know,” Ron replied.

“We don't even know if she was telling the truth.”

“That's true,” Ron agreed.

She might not be telling the truth, but if she is, I still wonder what the FBI would be searching for in this house.”

“It could be anything.”

“Maybe the previous owners were drug dealers or bank robbers and hid money in a secret place,” Penny suggested.

“Why would they run off without it?” Ron asked.

“Maybe they knew the FBI was about to catch up with them, and they had to grab what they could and relocate in another city where nobody would recognize them,” Penny replied.

“That's possible. Maybe this will be a mystery that you can solve in your book club,” Ron suggested.

“At least our house looks immaculate, so someone must have come in and cleaned it up,” Penny said.

“The Realtor probably had someone clean it up so it would look more attractive to buyers.”

“I agree, but the pictures were hung up before we bought the house, so I wonder who put them there,” Penny replied.

As Penny started to ponder over the possibilities, her eyes showed a far away look, and Ron began to wonder about her. “Penny, are you all right?”

“I'm okay, but I started thinking about Mrs. Jenkins.”

“What about her?”

“There's something about her that seems familiar, but I'm not sure what it is. She seems like someone I've seen before, but I'm not sure where.”

“Do you think she's from California?”

“I'm not sure,” Penny replied.

“Maybe she's using some kind of disguise,” Ron suggested.

“It's possible, but I hope not,” Penny remarked. “Do you know how long she'd been living in her house?”

“No. She didn't say, and the Realtor didn't say either. She just told me that this house has been vacant for three years.”

“If she knew that information, then she might have lived here at least three years,” Penny commented.

“Some neighbor could have given her that information, but the Realtor also mentioned to me that people have told him they haven't believed everything she's says.”

“Maybe it's my imagination. I might try and become friends with her since we're neighbors,” Penny said.

“That might be a good idea because you could become acquainted, but the minute you sense something suspicious about her, you need to excuse yourself and come inside."

"What if she's using a disguise?” Penny asked.

“That's why you need to be cautious. You don't know if she's using a disguise.”

“Sounds good,” Penny replied.

“I'm glad Abby, Christy, and Megan are going to stay with us, you need someone here with you while I'm working at the station or doing my photojournalism work since we don't know where Evan, Bob, or Annie are located.”

Penny started thinking about who could have placed the pictures on the wall. Finally, she concluded that the mysterious person had to be the Realtor. “Ron, it has to be the Realtor who gave us the pictures unless someone else has a key to the house and we don't know it.”

“Who else would have a key?” Ron asked.

“Maybe Mrs. Jenkins,” Penny suggested.

“I doubt it. She wouldn't need a key to our house.”

“That's true,” Penny agreed.

“We’ll have to contact him so we can thank him for the pictures and let him know we appreciate his kindness,” Ron said, as he picked up his cell phone.

Since the phone company hadn’t installed the phone lines, their cell phones were their only way to contact people. He called the Realtor, and when he hung up, Penny could tell by the expression on his face that something wasn’t right.

“What’s wrong? What did he say?” Penny asked, before Ron could mention anything about his conversation with the Realtor.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Ron said, with a stunned look. “He informed me that he didn’t know anything about them.”

“Wow! That’s weird!” Penny exclaimed. “I knew something was mysterious when we entered the house.”

“Well, now you and Abby have a mystery to solve.”

“By the way, I forgot to mention to you that Christy and Megan are also going to become members of the mystery book club that Abby and I started, and we’re going to solve mysteries, too,” Penny said.

“That will be good for the four of you to work together. Have you thought of a name for your mystery book club?”

“I like the name, Cedar Tree Mystery Book Club,” Penny replied.

“That’s a perfect name since we have cedar trees surrounding the back yard, and that's the name of our mansion. Maybe the mysteries you read will help you solve the mysterious events of this mansion.”

“I don't know what we'll be reading, yet, but the stories could help us solve the mysteries in this house or another mystery we may investigate. Wait a minute - I just thought of something. If the Realtor didn't put up the pictures, then someone must have a key to our place.”

“You sure changed the subject quickly,” Ron said, with a smile.

“That's my nature,” Penny replied.

“I know,” Ron smiled. “Who would have a key besides us and Christy, Megan, and Abby?” Ron asked.

“I don't know. Unless someone made a copy of a key somehow, but I wouldn't know how they would get an original key.” “If that's the case, we might think about getting the lock changed on the front door. That's the only way someone could enter the house."

“That might be a good idea. I sure don't want someone intruding in here. I've had enough of that when I lived in the apartment.”

“I agree,” Ron said.

“Look at this picture to the left of the fireplace. It's interesting, but I don’t understand why someone would want to have a picture of people surrounded by their suitcases at a train station,” Penny commented.

“That does seem unusual unless the picture had some kind of meaning such as someone who left on a vacation or moved away.”

“That's possible. The gold and brown picture frames look like they are antique, and they are a little dusty underneath the glass, especially the picture with the suitcases. Why someone would want to have dusty pictures in a newly remodeled house? There's also some small writing down in the corner,” Penny commented.

“You’re more observant about the minute details than I would be. What does the writing say?”

“It looks like it says Mexico, but this isn't a scene of Mexico, so I don't know why that word would be there.”

“That is strange for someone to write Mexico on a picture that doesn't relate to it.”

“I know,” Penny replied. “Oh well, the color schemes of the pictures also blend in with the light pink walls, but there's something that seems unusual,” Penny observed.

“What?” Ron asked.

“Look at the picture to the right of the fireplace. It’s our mansion, but it seems like something is different,” Penny commented.

“You're right, but I don’t know what it would be, so this might be a good mystery for you girls to solve,” Ron teased. “By the way, have you thought about using the small house for your book club and office?”

“No, but that would be a super place for our book club and office.”

As Penny and Ron walked down the hall to the family room, Penny noticed there were pictures hanging on the wall in the hall too.

“Here are some more pictures that I didn’t see yesterday,” Penny said, as she studied them.

“Do you see anything peculiar about them?” Ron teased.

“I don’t know yet because I haven’t observed them enough to make a decision,” Penny smiled. “This picture seems unusual because it’s an office scene with a woman sitting at her computer typing an e-mail letter. It reminds me of Abby's and my e-mail letters, but I have a feeling there's something mysterious about this picture.”

“Maybe you'll receive some kind of mysterious e-mail that will give you a clue to something,” Ron said, with a smile.

“What kind of e-mail letter?”

“I have no idea. It was just a thought.”

“I hope I don't hear from Bob, Annie, or Evan.”

“So do I,” Ron agreed.

“After Christy, Megan, Abby, and I ponder over the pictures or clues that we come up with, we might have an idea about the mystery that we're to investigate, “Penny commented.

“I have a feeling that you girls will become involved in a big mystery, and I believe that the clues you ponder will lead you to something that happened to you in California that you wanted to forget.”

“That's possible, but I'm not sure I want to remember what happened to me in California,” Penny remarked.

“Have you thought about the stories you're planning on reading?”

“Not yet. We have to wait until we have our first meeting. Let's look in the family room and see if anything mysterious is in there.”

“Good idea,” Ron replied.

Across from the front door, is the staircase to the second floor. The family room, which was the room on the right, had a slate blue plush carpet, and white walls. Light blue silk curtains were draped across the top and down the sides of the sliding glass doors, which led to the balcony and staircase outside to the backyard.

“This is going to be a nice and cozy room to watch television and relax in the evenings,” Penny commented. “I also like the color scheme.”

“Maybe we can all watch television or just chat when our furniture arrives and the girls move in here.”

“That would be superb. I'll enjoy a time when we can relax.”

“Let's look in the room across from here.”

They ambled through the door to the other room. “This bedroom would make a nice guest bedroom, there's even a private bathroom”. Penny said.

“You're right,” Ron replied.

“I like the color scheme in here, too. The lavender walls blend in with the dark lavender plush carpet. I also like the lavender silk curtains that are above the white blinds on the windows and drape down the sides.

“You're very attentive to color schemes, “Ron commented.

“I like houses that are decorated attractively and organized,” Penny replied, as she smiled.

“I know you do. I liked the way you decorated our house in California.”

“Thanks, Sweetheart. I enjoyed doing it.”

“Whoever decorated this house did a great job,” Ron observed.

“I agree. From what Mrs. Jenkins said, whoever decorated this house must have put in a lot of time and effort in redecorating it.”

“That's true. Let's go upstairs and see what the rooms look like up there,” Ron suggested.

They walked up the staircase, which was located directly in front of the front door. The steps had slate blue carpets that matched the living room carpet. When they arrived at the top of the steps, they walked down the hall and saw the master bedroom, which had a slate blue carpet, and light pink walls. The windows had white blinds and silk blue curtains over the top and draped down the sides. There was also a spacious private bathroom between their master bedroom and another room that Ron was going to use as his office.

Another room was across from the master bedroom. Penny wanted to use that room as her private office because there were bookshelves that extended across the wall from the ceiling to the floor. “I'm going to enjoy being in this room,” Penny commented.

“You'll have plenty of room for all of your books,” Ron smiled.

“True.”

Penny and Ron walked downstairs and outside so they could unload their vans and Penny’s trailer, and after two hours, they had the furniture that Penny brought with her and some of their clothes.

Then, they walked inside Penny’s trailer so they could get something to eat. Since they didn’t have much furniture yet, they planned on staying in the trailer that night. After Penny made hamburgers and fries, they sat in the kitchen area to eat and talk about their first day in the house.

“Ron, what are we going to do about our house and furniture in California?”

“I’m going to call the movers I know in California so they can meet tomorrow night. While they load the furniture, I'll box up our personal items.”

“When will you leave?”

“I’d like to leave in the morning if there's a flight available.”

“I’m glad you came to Lakeview to find me. Now we can be together, I really do love you and missed you during the time I was gone.”

“I'm glad I came, too. I like it here,” Ron said.

“I do too. I’m sorry I ran off without talking to you, but I just couldn’t deal with my present circumstances because they reminded me of my past.”

“That’s okay. Everything worked out for the best, and now we have a new place to live and can start our relationship over.”

“I’m glad because I like living in Lakeview, and I’m glad I finally met Abby. Now, I have two other friends, Christy and Megan.”

“That’s good. I’m going to call the movers, and then we can go back into the house and look around some more.”

“Sounds okay to me,” Penny replied. “We also need to call the phone company and see when they can install our phones.”

“I was planning on doing that, too,” Ron said.

Ron called the movers and had them meet him later tomorrow, and then he called the airport to schedule a flight to California for tomorrow morning. He also called the phone company so they could have their phones hooked up tomorrow.

“Everything is set for tomorrow. I have a flight in the morning, and the movers are going to meet me there. Also, the phone company is coming over to hook up the phones. ”

“That's good. Abby, Christy, and Megan will be moving in tomorrow, too.”

“You'll have something to do while I'm gone,” Ron smiled.

“True,” Penny replied.

After they finished their lunch, they walked out of the trailer so they could go inside the house and check the basement. Abby, Christy, and Megan planned on living in the basement so that Penny and Ron could occupy the main floor and the second floor.

“They'll enjoy living down here because it's like an apartment,” Penny said.

“You're right. They will enjoy the spacious basement.”

“There are also hookups for a television and a phone in the living room. I've ordered a private phone line for the girls, too.”

“That's good. That way they can use the phone when we use ours,” Penny replied.

“I didn't notice the large navy blue sofa in here yesterday,” Ron remarked.

“I didn't either, but it does look like it's in good condition, and it's in a perfect location for watching television. We can put a lamp table beside it for the phone since the hookup is near the sofa,” Penny commented.

The finished basement had a large living room area with built in bookshelves along one wall. The floor had a rose plush carpet and the walls were light pink. There were three separate bedrooms, a kitchen with light pink walls, a utility room for a washing machine and dryer, a full bathroom, and a storage room with shelves.

“They will each have their own room, access to the bathroom, utility room, and kitchen.”

“They will like that, too,” Ron said.

“I agree. They can have their privacy of their own apartment, and we can have our privacy. We can also spend time with them.”

“That's true. We need our privacy like they do, and we can all socialize, too.”

“Look at the back yard,” Ron. It's spacious and looks like someone has taken good care of the yard even though we were told the house wasn't taken care of by the previous owners.”

“That's true, but someone probably cleaned up the back yard when they remodeled the house. We don't know what the house or yard looked like before we saw it yesterday.”

“You're right. I just noticed something. How are we going to get in and out of the back yard without going through the house? There isn't a gate in the wooden fence.”

“I didn't notice that yesterday,” Ron replied.

A tall wooden fence, without a gate, surrounded the back yard. The only way out of the fenced-in back yard was through the sliding glass doors through the basement, or by going up the staircase to the balcony that led to the sliding glass doors in the family room.

Several cedar trees were planted around the fence, and there were trees that surrounded the sides and back of the smaller house.

Besides the small house, there was a tool shed for a lawn mower and other lawn equipment.

They walked inside the small house and saw a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, a full bathroom, and a storage room.

“This will be a great place for our office and book club. We can use one bedroom as an office area with desks, chairs, and file cabinets and we can use the other bedroom for a workroom where we can have a table with my copy machine, paper cutter, and other small equipment. We can also use the shelves for paper supplies and other office supplies.”

“You have some great ideas for this house,” Ron smiled.

“Thanks. I'm eager to get this place fixed up as well as our house. I'm also going to enjoy the privacy of the back yard, but isn't it unusual for someone to have a fenced-in yard without a gate to enter or exit?”

“Yes. That's why I wondered why the owners built it that way?” Ron questioned, with a puzzled expression.

“Maybe they wanted their privacy if they were drug dealers or bank robbers. It's also obvious that nobody can climb over the fence because of the height,” Penny observed.

“That's true,” Ron agreed. I guess you'll feel safe here since nobody could enter the back yard.”

“I hope so, but if someone came through the front door, they could come through the sliding glass doors down to the back yard.”

“That's true, but if you kept the front door locked all the time, then nobody could enter the house,” Ron replied.

“You're right,” Penny said.

When they walked back inside the house and upstairs to the kitchen, they heard someone open the front door. “Someone is coming inside. I'm frightened, Ron,” Penny whispered.

Janet Blaylock