Claudia gestured towards the door while asking, “So do you mind if I make a few phone calls?”
“Not at all,” Harris said as he took out the key to the front door.
As Harris moved towards the door, Doyle asked, “So what prompted you to put this house up for sale?”
Harris went to unlock the door while saying, “This house belonged to my sister and her husband. They were killed last Tuesday in an auto accident, and we had just come from my brother-in-law’s funeral.”
“Which his brother-in-law was my brother,” Ellen added as Harris was opening the door.
“We’re sorry for your losses,” Doyle, Claudia and Jack said.
“Thanks,” the six said before Harris gestured for Doyle, Claudia and Jack to enter before his group.
“So what is everyone’s name?” Claudia asked before walking into the house first.
Harris introduced everyone, and after the introductions were over, Claudia went to use the kitchen phone. The others went to the living room and talked.
Claudia had made a few phone calls before finding someone who could help her, and once she received useful information for Ellen, she left the kitchen.
When Ellen saw Claudia walking in, she asked, “Were you able to find out anything?”
“I have,” Claudia began. “Approximately sixty years ago… in Saint Louis, your great-grandmother was a math and gym teacher at the Roosevelt High School. There was an after-hours incident at the high school that involved your great-grandmother at which it is believed by the police that your great-grandmother was killed…”
“The police don’t know for sure?” Ellen interrupted with.
“People had witnessed your great-grandmother entering the high school prior to the incident, but not leaving it. When the police searched the high school all they could find was the clothes that your great-grandmother wore that day, which were blood-soaked and filled with dust.” Ellen noticed Shannon being drawn into her own thoughts. “Your great-grandmother’s body was never found.”
“What was the incident that took place?” Shannon asked.
“Since there has been no arrests made, that incident is still on the books as an unsolved crime so the officer I had spoken with wouldn’t discuss the specifics of the case with me,” Claudia said.
“So were you able to find out what her address was?” Ellen asked.
“I did; however, Interstate Forty-Four was built through that neighborhood and the house was demolished because of the highway,” Claudia said.
“Of course it had,” Ellen sarcastically said.
“Was there anyone else involved in the high school incident?” Allyson asked.
“There was actually,” Claudia replied. “There was a high school student injured in whatever had taken place by the name of Martha Starr.”
“Martha Starr?!” Ellen uttered. Claudia, Doyle and Jack gave Ellen curious looks. “The ‘stars of Saint Louis’ are a family.”
“What?” Claudia questioned in a confused tone.
“Last Tuesday I found out that my great-grandmother had kept diaries, but the only clue to those diaries was that they are among the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis,” Ellen explained.
“Which explains why you wanted to know where your great-grandmother had lived,” Claudia said.
“Uh-huh,” Ellen said with a nod.
“So Martha Starr’s relatives have those diaries,” Avery assumed aloud.
“If not Martha herself,” Shannon countered. When Avery shot Shannon a curious look, she explained, “If Martha Starr was a high school student sixty years ago then she would be younger than eighty years old today.”
“That gives us a starting point tomorrow,” Harris spoke out.
“You folks are going to Saint Louis tomorrow?” Jack asked.
“Ellen and I are,” Harris said. “Of course the others are welcome to come as well, but it will definitely be Ellen and me. Anyway, Claudia, since you and Doyle are here, would you two like to take a look at the house?”
“We would,” Claudia replied.
“While you’re giving Claudia and Doyle a tour, I’ll see if Martha Starr is publicly listed,” Allyson said.
“Martha could’ve gotten married after high school and changed her name,” Jane pointed out.
“Great!” Ellen uttered discouragingly. “Instead of being the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis, maybe we ought to be looking for the… the Hatfields or the McCoys of Saint Louis.”
“You do know that the Hatfields and the McCoys were two feuding families during the 1880’s?” Jane questioned.
Ellen shot Jane an annoyed look before uttering, “Yes; they were the only two names I could think of to point out how difficult it will be.”
“Don’t get discourage, Sweetie,” Allyson told Ellen. “We know that we are looking for a person now and not… whatever.”
“You’re right,” Ellen agreed.
“And we might get lucky and find that the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis are all related to Martha Hatfield or whatever Martha’s name had changed to after she got married,” Harris added.
Ellen nodded in agreement before saying, “You’re right.”
“Now getting back to that tour, Claudia; what would you like to look at first?” Harris asked.
“Do you mind if I lead?” Claudia asked.
“Not at all,” Harris said as he gestured.
As Harris, Doyle and Jack followed behind Claudia, Allyson went into the kitchen to use the kitchen phone.
During the passing minutes, Allyson had no luck with finding any listings for a Martha ‘Star’ of any spelling.
After the tour was over, Doyle had given Harris a reasonable offer for the house. Harris had once again reminded them that the house wouldn’t be available for another two weeks before accepting the offer.
When Claudia and Doyle agreed to not being allowed to move in for two weeks, Jack had both parties to fill out the paperwork, and once the paperwork was completed, Jack, Claudia and Doyle left the house.
Saturday, 5:25 A.M., Harris had been awakened by sounds from the kitchen. He got out of bed and got dressed without waking Allyson.
In the kitchen, Shannon had out one of the books on incantations and was copying spells onto the pages of a legal size lined notepad. She paused at what she was doing and looked towards the door seconds before Harris walked through it.
“I thought Ellen was awake and down here,” Harris told Shannon.
“As far as I know Ellen is sound asleep.”
“I take it that you couldn’t sleep,” Harris assumed before taking a seat next to her and noticing what she was doing. “And now taking up witchcraft.”
“I’m writing down the spells that you and Ellen will need,” Shannon said as she continued to write.
“Ellen and I are going to need certain spells?” Harris