The old house - Story - Chapter 3

                          

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"Good afternoon" the man said and smiled.  Julia felt that it was safe to open the door. In the city she would have thought twice, but here in Litton everyone seems to be trustworthy.  

"Can I help you?" she said and smiled back. 

"You dropped this in the deli." He held out her drivers license to her. 

"Oh dear, it must have fallen out when I paid for the food. Thank you! I would have been lost without it."

"I'm Derrick by the way. Derrick Malone. I'm the lawyer in town."

"Julia Barkley. Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or do you have someplace to be?"

She invited him in as if it was the most natural thing to do. 

Derrick smiled. 

"I'm actually in a hurry to get home, but one quick cup can't hurt anyone."

She invited him to the kitchen and apologized for all the boxes standing around. She made the coffee and they took a seat at the table.  

"So what brought you to Litton? You must be desperate to have decided on a town like this."

She grinned. "Desperate and alone."

She told him a quick version of what happened and he smiled. "And then you got the offer here and decided to move." 

She nodded.  

"This is a magical town. You'd be surprised at what you find here." Derrick said and put his cup in the sink. 

"I need to go, but I would like to visit again. Would you mind?"

'There is not much to do in town on a Saturday afternoon. What if I come help you paint later today?  I'll bring dinner. Seems like you are going to be quite busy up to then."

"Well, I could use some help in the garage. If you feel up to it, then I'll really appreciate it."

He smiled at her and she walked with him to the door. 

"It was great meeting you Derrick. Thanks for the effort to bring my license back."

She waved at him as he drove away. 

She went back to the kitchen and started mixing the paint.  It was quite a disaster after a while, because she has never painted a day in her life. The fact that she didn't have a ladder didn't make things easier. 

She poured herself a glass of wine and then dragged a chair closer to paint the wall above the stove.  Julia misjudged herself and fell off the chair and banged her head on the side of the table. She was unconscious as soon as she hit the floor. 

The yellow paint fell over and spilled all over the floor. There was no one to help her, and no one knew what had happened. 

Just before five o clock Derrick stopped in front of the house. He sorted out everything he had to do, and he was rather excited to go back to visit Julia. It's been a very long time since he had felt this attracted to anyone, and he was looking forward to become better friends. In Litton there was no need to rush, but on various occasions he had seen things happen in Litton that he had never experienced before. 

He walked up to the porch and saw that the front door was open.  At first he wanted to walk in, but then he knocked softly before opening the door. 

"Julia, it's me. Are you in the kitchen?"

He pushed the door open and felt awkward just walking in but he felt as if something was wrong.  He put the food down on the dining room table and walked through to the kitchen.  When he saw Julia on the ground he had the shock of his life. She was covered in yellow paint and she lay still with her arm in a very awkward position.  

He checked her pulse, and saw the chair that fell over sideways on the floor.  He immediately realized what had happened and grabbed his phone to call an ambulance.      

To be continued