A fast-paced thriller where every chapter leaves you wanting more!
Real Estate agent, Todd Brown, appears to be the epitome of success - a great career, family and a perfect life. But are things really as they seem? Things begin to unravel quickly as Todd tries desperately to hold onto the life he has always envisioned. Thrust into the middle of a crime investigation, Todd slowly realizes things may not be what they appear. Struggling to adjust to life-altering events, Todd finds himself faced with mounting decisions and forced to choose between right and wrong. Bad decisions compound quickly and Todd realizes he is running out of opportunities to remedy spiraling situations. Will Todd finally choose the proper path before he loses all signs of his once content life, or will each questionable decision push him to a point of no return?
Excerpt
The bright sun shone majestically across the small lake. The light breeze helped create abundant ripples which, when touched by the sun, appeared to sparkle like thousands of diamond carats, as if each stone was floating across the cool water. As birds took flight across the surreal image outlined by the dual-paned window frame from the first floor bedroom of the Tudor home, Todd smiled and stepped back to savor the scene. He wanted to print this image and post it on the company’s website to prove to those people unfamiliar with Tucson that even the desert can provide the most picturesque settings. Regardless of all the training and real estate courses he had completed, these moments could not be planned or designed. He nodded his head and turned to flip on the light-switch leading into the master bedroom. Nature was often the best salesperson created.
Todd made his way from room to room, careful to ensure each area presented the perfect image of both cleanliness and modern décor. Proper lighting and furniture placement was crucial to staging a home for viewing. He knew that even one small item, dirt smudge, or anything that might tarnish the image of perfection could sway a potential buyer away, regardless of the overall reality of how minor the negative item or spot was in the big picture. Years of working with some of the most critical and often frugal clients had taught him that every detail was crucial to completing more deals. Since the economy had crashed and remained sluggish, Todd knew he couldn’t take any chances. He took out his micro-fiber cloth from his dark grey slacks’ front pocket and wiped a small smudge located in the lower right corner of the full length mirror stretched across the large master bathroom.
“Hello?”
Todd placed the cloth in his front pocket and turned to exit the bathroom. He glanced at his watch. They’re ten minutes early. Not going to be able to finish staging the house, he thought as he picked up his pace and exited the master bedroom. “Hello.”
A middle-aged couple, dressed in jeans and t-shirts approached from the entryway, with the petite brunette, leading the man by a couple of steps. “Hi, you must be Todd Brown, the listing agent for this house?” She extended her right hand. “I’m Karen, Karen Smoltz, and this is my husband Frank.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Todd shook hands with the couple and took a step back. “I was just going through the home to make sure everything was perfect. I really think you’re going to love this place.”
The woman stepped toward the middle of the family room and glanced out the large picture window facing the front of the house. “I’m sorry we’re a bit early. I was just a bit excited to see that this house was on the market. We love this community and have a lot of friends who live around here.”
“Not a problem at all.” Todd grinned and basked in the helpful information this woman was so willing to provide with no effort on his part. A big part of his training was to gain the trust of new clients and ascertain as much personal information and interest he could gather while viewing a home. The more anxious and forward they were about the house and neighborhood, the easier it would be to get an offer out of them.
“Oh, and thank you again for meeting us here on such short notice.” Karen continued to stare out the front window as if memorizing every detail of the picturesque scenery.
Todd nodded and smiled. “Like I said, it is no problem at all. My office and home are both nearby. Shall we get started on a tour?” He stepped back and raised his hand across the area. “As you see it’s a two-story Tudor home, which was built less than ten years ago. The owner, who, by the way, is the original owner, has done a fantastic job maintaining this home. You’ll notice the extra attention to detail throughout this immaculate house. Since the house is already vacant, you will easily be able to see there are no flaws or additional items required to repair or attend to. This house is in move-in condition and in high demand as it just came onto the market a few days ago.”
After viewing the entire downstairs, including the large master bedroom, the group headed upstairs toward the additional bedrooms. During the tour, Todd worked his magic to obtain information about his new clients. They had three children and, from what he could gather, both worked and were around forty years old. Their current lease was ending in the next month and, since interest rates were so low, they decided it was time to purchase a home. The fact that this house was a four bedroom home definitely met their needs. Being married with two children of his own, Todd felt an immediate connection with this couple.
“Since you have teenagers, they will probably appreciate the fact that their room is upstairs, kinda like their own suite, so to speak.” Todd led the way as they approached the last bedroom at the back of the house.
“Honey, this house is perfect!” The high-pitched excitement in her tone was becoming more difficult to miss.
Todd flipped on the light-switch in the bedroom and paused to admire the fresh vacuum lines evident in the plush tan carpet. Every room showed even better than he could have hoped for. He crossed the room and opened the wooden shutters, allowing the late afternoon light to filter into the meticulous room. As his eyes caught sight of the lake outside the window, Todd breathed a sigh of relief knowing this woman was ready to make an offer. In fact, he could probably get a full-priced offer out of her, or possibly a bid above the listed price, even though there had been no showings yet as this house had just come out on the market a couple days ago. Experience told him that the key to obtaining a solid offer was to get the female emotionally attached. Typically, the male would go along if he recognized his wife was already committed. Todd knew he had this couple all but signed on the contract.
Karen rubbed her husband’s back as they stepped closer to the window to gaze upon the sparkling lake. “Wow, honey, it’s just about impossible to find a bedroom window in this house that doesn’t look out across the lake.”
Todd, stepped back and savored the moment while his soon- to-be buyers appeared mesmerized as they stood side-by-side staring out the glass. This was one of those times when Todd knew saying nothing was his best sales pitch.
As the wife leaned in to whisper into her husband’s ear, Todd looked down toward the carpet and began to calculate his commission on a full-price sale of this house, although he knew one of the first rules of the business was to never count the money until escrow closed. He had experienced enough transactions that appeared to be done-deals until the last minute when the most unexpected scenarios popped up. He shook his head remembering the one where, days before closing, the buyers and their agent disappeared when it was discovered that they were illegal aliens and could not purchase any property legally. Judging by Karen and Frank, this would not be an issue.
“So, Mr. Brown…”
“That’s my father’s name, please call me Todd.”
“Oh, okay. Well, Todd, we both love the house and don’t want to miss out on an opportunity like this.”
“Okay,” Todd paused to allow all parties to process their thoughts. For a moment, Todd could hear the clanging of coins ringing in his head. He knew what was coming.
“We’d like to make an offer today – full price.”
As the couple nodded together as if attached to the same pull chords, Todd stepped back and smiled, making sure to maintain his composure. “We can do that. I just need to go downstairs and get some paperwork. In the meantime, if you want to enjoy the view from your soon-to-be upstairs bedroom, I can bring everything back up here or meet you downstairs in your new kitchen. Whichever you prefer?” He had used this technique so many times, he didn’t even have to think about it anymore.
Karen grinned and hugged her husband. She turned toward Todd, “How ‘bout in our new kitchen in a few minutes?”
“Absolutely!” Todd turned to exit the room. “I’ll meet you downstairs whenever you’re ready, but please feel free to take your time and savor this view.” He pointed toward the window and then exited the room, heading down the hallway. As he reached the wooden banister and began to descend the stairs, he paused to savor the moment. Even though he had made numerous sales on a large range of homes, every new transaction gave him a thrill and a sense of accomplishment. Of course, the large commission didn’t hurt either.
The loud shrill pierced his ears and seemed to rattle the entire house. Todd’s right foot slipped on the step as he tried to change his direction and return toward where the bloodcurdling scream had come – from behind him. He kept his grip firmly on the wooden banister and almost flung himself up to the second story landing. As the screams continued, without an additional thought, Todd sprinted across the hallway and into the far bedroom.
Inside the room, tucked in the far corner, just under the picturesque window, he could see Karen curled into a fetal position on the floor with her husband hovering over her. Todd rushed across the room. “What’s wrong?” Todd tried to remain calm but there was a slight crack in his voice.
Karen’s screaming continued. The sound was almost torture against Todd’s eardrums. He watched as Frank attempted to console his now hysterical wife to no avail. Todd wanted to throw his hands over his ears to drown out the noise. How can he not be bothered by this obnoxious sound, Todd wondered, but refrained from saying it out loud.
As Todd stood helplessly over the couple, he reached for Frank’s shoulder to offer some sort of support. “Is she okay?”
Without hesitation, Frank shook his head and reached his right arm outward, and pointed behind Todd. Suddenly, Todd could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he carefully turned around, almost expecting to be attacked by someone. As his eyes made their way around the room and toward the closet, Todd stood upright and stepped toward the dark opening. Something appeared to be inside the dark space, almost tucked behind the sliding door.
The piercing screams began to fade to a whimper. Todd reached the closet and leaned in. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, he squatted down and stared at the bundle tucked behind the door. Almost in a daze, Todd reached down to touch it. Whether it moved on its own, Todd could not tell but he jumped to his feet and staggered away from the door, over to the couple tucked away in the corner. Todd’s eyes glanced outside as he leaned against the window sill looking for something stable for support. As he worked to clear his head and calm his roaring stomach, the once picturesque lake now appeared lifeless. As the room became fuzzy, Todd could almost see the lake turning blood red.
Ireland 1945. Florence Kite finds a letter and her whole world crumbles. Marcus Fanning was her real father. But twenty-five years ago, Marcus Fanning vanished off the face of the earth.
