Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 352: The Body In The Chimney

"What the hell are you doing? This is my house! Nobody touches anything without my say-so!"

The old woman glared at the firefighters and their sledgehammers, her voice cracking. "This is an old house. You're going to tear the whole place apart!"

She turned to Faylin, tears streaming down her face. "Did you forget growing up here? You used to curl up by this fireplace while I told you stories. You said you loved this house. Your parents built this place with their own hands. Your dad designed that chimney himself, and now they’re going to smash it to bits!"

Nancy tried to settle her down. "We think there’s something hidden behind the chimney wall."

"A hidden gap?" Faylin looked stunned. She’d lived there her whole life and had never heard a word about it.

She took her grandma by the shoulders. "Grandma, if the police say there’s something wrong, we have to let them look. If we find out what's really going on, you might finally be able to sleep."

Faylin gave the firefighters a quick nod. "Thanks. Go ahead."

The heavy thud of hammers echoed through the hall as they started tearing into the brickwork. Nancy and the others kept their eyes on the hearth.

With the gecko leading the way, they broke through in no time.

Suddenly, a muffled, horrified shout came from inside the flue. "Holy shit! There's a body in here! Ugh…"

A frantic rustling followed as a firefighter, hooked into a safety harness, struggled to lower a bundle wrapped in a body bag. The second he hit the floor, he bolted for the corner and lost his lunch.

Nobody blamed him. The gap behind the wall was so tight that when he broke through, he’d found himself nose-to-nose with a corpse.

Wiping his mouth and gasping for air, the firefighter managed to choke out a report. "The body... it was hanging inside the hollow space."

He took a jagged breath. "The noise at night? It was the wind. When the draft hits the chimney just right, it creates a slipstream in that gap. It moved the body enough that the shoes kept knocking against the brick. That’s where the tapping came from."

Nancy gave the pale firefighter a sympathetic look before turning toward the body. It was covered with a white sheet now, but the feet were still sticking out.

The corpse was wearing a pair of old-fashioned leather loafers.

They looked familiar. Nancy remembered seeing the maids in the kitchen wearing that exact same style.

The forensic tech moved in to start the exam. Faylin, wanting to spare her grandma the shock, had already rushed the old woman into a back room to rest.

When Faylin came back and saw the victim's face, she froze.

"That’s Almond! She was one of the maids!"

Faylin shoved her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "She was fired last month for stealing. How the hell did she end up in there?"

Simon was already down on his haunches by the body, his gloves on. He looked up at Faylin. "Fired for stealing? What did she take?"

Faylin searched her memory. "My cousin said he caught her red-handed stealing Grandma’s necklace."

Simon turned back to the body, checking the injuries. "The damage is all on one side, which fits with a long fall. The skull fracture and the broken neck were caused by one massive impact. At first glance, I’d say she fell down the stairs."

The coroner looked at Faylin, sounding puzzled. "The body is almost completely mummified. Have you been using the fireplace lately?"

"Yeah," Faylin nodded. "The weather turned cold and Gran can't stand the chill. We’ve had a fire going almost non-stop."

The coroner gave a grim nod. "That explains it. The body was hidden in that gap while the fireplace stayed lit. The heat turned that space into a natural dehydrator. It baked the moisture out so fast it created a mummy. Between the draft in the flue and the smell of woodsmoke, any scent of decay was completely covered up."

Faylin went white. "The ghost sounds started about three weeks ago. You’re telling me Almond’s body has been hanging behind that wall for nearly a month?"

She looked at the dark opening of the chimney, her voice shaking. "Who would do this to her?"

Just then, the gecko scrambled out of the flue. It zipped across the floor and climbed onto Nancy’s shoe, puffing out its chest.

"Did you see what happened in there?" Nancy knelt down and asked softly.

As a nocturnal hunter, the gecko’s night vision was top-tier. While most animals saw nothing but shades of gray after dark, the gecko saw the world in full detail.