Fireworks, Fog & Fatality (EBOOK)

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Having been left instructions for which room to use, Ellie now took time to look around the house. Strolling along the long hall, taking note of the gorgeous paintings on the walls she headed up the staircase to the upper floor. The room at the top of the stairs was clearly the master. It was huge and overlooked the lake. Respecting their privacy, though the door stood open, Ellie didn’t venture inside. It would feel like snooping, unlike the parts of the house that were free for her to use. There were several more doors and all stood open, so she took this as a sign she was free to investigate.
Opposite was a smaller bedroom and next to this another of the same size. A the end of the hall was another big bedroom on the left and another on the right. The lounge was large and looked toward the back. Next to this housed the dining room and a separate kitchen where she had already put her baking things.
The one on the left had a bundle of towels on the bed and was obviously intended for Ellie so she went inside and found a small ensuite and walk in wardrobe. Perfect. When she left the room she peeked inside the one opposite. It was clearly a man’s room. And it was messy. The dresser spilled clothes from each drawer. The floor was covered with bedding, pillows dotted here and there. A suitcase sat propped open under the large window which again looked out over the lake.
Ellie didn’t know what to think about this, and a shiver ran down her spine. Where was Ryan Sheldon? Why had he begun to pack, stopped and still left home? It didn’t make sense and she couldn’t think of a scenario that it might.
Slowly she retraced her steps ending back in the large sitting room.
Maybelle slipped past Ellie and climbed onto the windowsill. From there the cat had a perfect view of the dock attached to the small boathouse at the end of the driveway.
Ellie followed her gaze. The lake stretched wide and silver beneath the winter sky. A sprinkle of Snow dusted the roof of the boathouse and the narrow planks of the dock. It was idyllic and she could picture herself in a veranda chair watching the water flow when the ice melted.
Toffee walked to the French doors and began to growl.
Ellie blinked in surprise. Toffee never growled at scenery. “What’s bothering you, sweetheart?”
The poodle’s body was rigid, her attention fixed in the direction of the boathouse.
Maybelle stood, her tail puffed slightly as she watched the same spot.
Shrugging, Ellie made to unlock the door, but there was no need as it swing free before she could do so. Pushing it wider she stepped onto the veranda. Cold air brushed her cheeks as she gazed around the garden. The dock was empty. The boathouse door hung closed. With little breeze, nothing moved except for the faint ripple across the icy lake.
“There are birds out here,” Ellie told the pets, “and wood creaks, especially when it warms and expands.”
Toffee did not look convinced.
And for reasons Ellie could not explain, neither was she.