Noise forgotten, I trekked across the dining room and entered into the small kitchen. For such a large house, one might’ve expected a bigger kitchen. But they weren’t popular when the house was built, so the room was quaint; usable, at the very least. A cheerful yellow paint coated the walls, and I could picture how happy the family who had lived here must have been. Oak cabinets lined each side, and at the end stood exactly what I was looking for–the back door.

I dragged my hand behind me, caressing the wooden countertops as I walked. Again, the lack of dust surprised me. I needed to know who the bank’s cleaning people were, and how I could convince them to stay on. I would never be able to replicate this level of quality, especially not once I filled the home with my antiques. Speaking of which, I was going to have to find space for them all. There was a hell of a lot more furniture left behind than I expected. Worn and well-used, but in good condition. I would have to scour through it all and see what was worth money, and what would be better off going right to the dump. Pots and pans filled the kitchen, along with the rest of the dishware from the dining room. I was tempted to keep the dishes for myself, because the color was stunning…

But first things first. Fixing the gummy front door. The back door should have opened out into the garden, and like the front door it was beautiful, though it needed some TLC. I gave the handle a quick twist, expecting the door to give easily, but instead it stayed in one place.

You have got to be kidding me...I stood on my tiptoes, looking out the window to see what was stopping the door from opening. The culprit was immediately evident–a large padlock chained the door handle to the frame. I guess the previous owner didn’t take any chances with break-ins. One of the keys on my new massive keyring had to open it, but it didn’t exactly help me now. I yanked my phone out of my pocket, ready to shoot off an angry text to Brynn, only to see I had no signal in the house. Of course.