Read Online The Secret Manuscript by Edward Mullen - Free Book Online

Gladys.”
    “Thank you,
dear,” she called out from the kitchen. Moments later, she returned
with a plate of biscuits.
    “So how long
have you lived in this neighbourhood for?” Kyle asked.
    “Oh, let’s
see,” she said, taking a moment to think. “It’s been about thirty
years in this house. My husband and I moved out from Ontario. We
ran a shoe repair business in the neighbourhood. It wasn’t much,
but it paid the bills and put a roof over our heads.”
    “Are you and
your husband still together?”
    “In spirit
only. He passed away last August and it has been a really hard
adjustment for me.”
    “I’m sorry to
hear that,” Kyle said.
    “Gladys, did
you know Mr. Gringer?” Ben asked.
    For some
reason, that brought a smile to her face. “Which one?” she said, as
she chuckled a bit. Ben and Kyle looked at each other,
confused.
    “The one that
lived next door to you.”
    “I’ve known
Charles for thirty years. He’s a wonderful man; keeps to himself
mostly. He used to come by often for tea and biscuits. He and my
husband got along quite well. That reminds me, perhaps I’ll invite
him over this afternoon.”
    “Gladys, I’m
sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Charles Gringer passed
away recently.”
    Gladys did not
respond the typical way one would expect upon hearing such news.
Instead she looked down at the crumbled napkin in her hands, which
she had been fidgeting with ever since she sat down.
    “Can you tell
us about him? Did he have any kids, or grandkids?”
    “Charles? No,
he never married and did not have any children as far as I
know.”
    “Did that
strike you as a bit odd?”
    “Why are you
two so interested in Charles?”
    Ben looked at
Kyle, then back at Gladys. He decided to be forthright with
her.
    “Mr. Gringer
left his house to me in his will, and I’m just trying to find out
why.”
    Gladys took
another moment before she spoke. She opened her mouth at the
precise moment the water in the kettle began to boil. The sound of
steam whistled from the kitchen.
    “Please excuse
me,” she said, getting up from the couch and heading into the
kitchen.
    Ben and Kyle
chatted amongst themselves until Gladys returned. She brought out
three cups on a tray, accompanied by a pot with some sugar and
milk. She set the tray down and they each took a moment to sort out
their tea.
    “So, Gladys,
you were going to say something about Mr. Gringer,” Ben said.
    “Well, you
asked me if Charles’ behaviour seemed odd… I’ve known the man for
thirty years and the oddest thing about him was winning the
lottery.”
    “What was odd
about that?”
    “Charles only
played the lottery once in his entire life. I know this because he
would give me grief for playing. He always referred to the lottery
as tax for the poor. Then the one time he plays the lottery, he
wins.”
    “Yeah, you’re
right, that is a bit odd,” Kyle said, trying to goad her into
revealing more information. “What else did he do that was odd to
you?”
    Again, Gladys
took her time to respond. “Well…” she paused.
    “What is it?”
Ben probed eagerly.
    “Perhaps I
have said enough, I don’t wish to get involved any further.”
    “Gladys,
please.”
    “Whoever left
you that house looked like, sounded like, and dressed like Charles
Gringer, but he wasn’t the man I knew for thirty years. I know that
probably sounds crazy, and I don’t know how to explain it, but
trust me, it wasn’t the same man.”
    “Surely you
have some thoughts about it though, right?”
    “Oh I don’t
know, I guess it could be a number of things: split personality,
amnesia, alien implant…”
    “Alien
implant? Do you really believe that?”
    “I’m not sure
what to believe.”
    “You seem
pretty convinced it wasn’t the same person.”
    “Call it an
intuition or a gut feeling, but something was definitely different
about him.”
    “We appreciate
your help, Gladys.”
    “I’m sorry I
couldn’t be of any more service to you