Chapter 6 #3
“In short, yes. I mean, the estate itself doesn’t generate income, but the people who pass through our area because of the story surrounding it boost the economy of our businesses.”
“What’s your point, Mr. Wellington?” Jennie pressed.
“Only that you’re sure to come up against some resistance if you decide not to reopen Traeger Hall.
It’s been a point of division for years.
There are those who believe the manor still holds Traeger’s treasures and wealth.
The man was rumored to have had his hand in much more than just the sawmill and bank. ”
“You’re referring to the art.” Jennie’s statement made Percy’s eyebrows rise.
“You’ve heard the rumors, I take it.”
“That Leopold Traeger supposedly dealt in the fine arts? Yes.” Jennie couldn’t help but recall her mom’s journal, which was filled with notes on various works Traeger might have bought and sold, evidence both for and against the theory that he’d been deeply involved in the art world during his time.
That was what had intrigued Mom the most, and maybe if Jennie was in a different frame of mind, it would have captivated her also.
“You understand, then,” Percy concluded.
“There are those who want Traeger Hall opened to the public, who are looking to have their own Indiana Jones experience of viewing old, never-before-seen treasures. And there are others who want the manor to be left alone. They don’t care for the sort of tourism the Hall attracts, with it being the setting of a vicious, unsolved murder.
Even a century later, the murder that occurred there still has a distinct distaste for many around here, what with the superstitions and bad omens the crime has evoked over the years. ”
Jennie blew out a pent-up breath. “What I hear you saying is, while we wait to sort out this codicil my father has on file with your firm, I can either offend half of Newton Creek by opening Traeger Hall or offend the other half by leaving it sealed shut.”
“Yes.” Percy was unapologetic in his answer. “You’ve inherited a hornets’ nest, so to speak. It’s been made worse by what you discovered yesterday.”
“How is that?” Jennie’s stomach was in knots.
“Allison, Zane Harris’s deceased fiancée.
One of the contentions surrounding her disappearance was that Allison had been a local connoisseur of the Traeger legend.
She was convinced Traeger Hall held old artifacts, with other monetary wealth stored in a safe somewhere within its walls.
Allison was hellbent on figuring out how to get inside the manor.
Zane, on the other hand, took the opposing view.
As did his family. They felt Traeger Hall should be left alone. ”
“Because of its impact on Newton Creek’s economy?” Jennie leaned forward, curious as to where all this was going.
“That,” said Percy, “and because they’d helped to maintain the property just as it was.
They believe strongly that Traeger Hall has been sensationalized and has stirred up the kind of division that breaks down a community like Newton Creek.
It’s also been suggested that the Harrises are distantly related to a young woman who was once under Leopold Traeger’s guardianship—a Waverly Pembrooke. ”
“I see.” Jennie mulled over this new information.
“Some say Zane and Allison got into an argument, and Zane . . . well, there’s the question of whether he had something to do with Allison’s disappearance.”
“But what would his motive be?” Jennie asked.
“If there was a way the Harris family could legally prove they had some claim to the Traeger Estate through Waverly Pembrooke, then whatever was inside the manor would be theirs to share. They didn’t want treasure hunters gaining access to the place, and they didn’t want Allison digging up anything that might disprove they had any such claim to the Hall’s alleged treasure. ”
“Did they have any claim to Traeger Hall?”
Percy shook his head slowly. “Highly doubtful. But the rumors persist nonetheless. And by finding Allison yesterday, you just brought them to mind again with everyone in Newton Creek.”
“No matter what I do, I’ll be kicking that hornets’ nest.” Jennie leaned back in her chair.
“Actually, you’ve already kicked it. The only way now to avoid the worst of the fallout is to get Zane Harris and his family to support whatever you decide to do with the place—and that’s only if Zane is free of any further suspicion, or, God forbid, there’s no evidence he had a hand in Allison’s death. ”
“I don’t see why I need their backing. They’ve no legal rights to the estate,” Jennie protested.
“No. They don’t. But they have many of the townspeople on their side, regardless of the suspicion cast on Zane.
They’re longtime pillars of the township, and loyalties run deep in a rural community like Newton Creek.
We like our simple life, our happy little secrets and old stories, but once you make them real and wake them up?
It’s not simple anymore. People get angry.
Heck, they’ll fight over a two-foot difference in a century-old property line.
Imagine what they’ll do when Traeger Hall is finally reopened—or left alone?
Either way, people are bound to be upset. ”
Jennie wanted to leave, go back home to the Twin Cities.
But she couldn’t. Not now. Not with this codicil business hanging over her head, needing to be figured out.
If she couldn’t sell Traeger Hall or any other properties because of her father’s addendum, then she had to decide what to do with it.
It seemed as though her mom had been right about one thing in particular: Traeger Hall came with an entombed mystery that was still haunting Newton Creek today.
Life was never simple. In fact, it was downright complicated.