Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 353: The Secret In The Portrait

The little gecko puffed out its chest. "I saw everything! The spot where the firefighters broke through is tiny, but there’s a small door hidden against the back wall."

It pointed a claw toward the villa's front door. "There’s a round, shiny thing on it. It glitters just like the lock on that door."

Nancy understood immediately. "There’s a door hidden in the gap, and it has a keyhole."

She stood up and went straight to Simon.

Simon looked at the chimney's structure. "Old villas like this usually have a maintenance hatch built into the flue."

"But when the firefighters were tearing it open," Nancy said, her voice low, "the old lady only cared about the house. She didn't say a word about a hidden door."

Simon nodded. "Faylin had no idea it existed, but her grandma didn't look surprised at all."

Nancy glanced toward the room where the old woman was resting. "She’s the one who’s lived here the longest."

She picked up the gecko and lowered her voice. "Do you know who put her in there?"

"The old lady! And a man was helping her!"

The gecko scrambled out of her hand and zipped up the wall, stopping right on the massive family portrait. It slapped a claw onto the face of Rudolph, Faylin’s cousin.

"That night, I saw a hole open up in the chimney and light shining through. Those two were panicking, trying to shove the body inside. The man kept saying, Hurry up, she’s almost home! Once they were done, they sealed the hole and ran. Not long after, I heard this woman’s voice in the hall."

The gecko moved its claw to Faylin’s face in the photo. "The person they were hiding from was her."

The pieces fit. The old lady and Rudolph had hidden the body, and the person they were trying to keep in the dark was Faylin.

Just then, the old woman tottered back into the room. She looked down and saw the pale face of the corpse.

She let out a blood-curdling scream.

"A ghost! Almond’s ghost is back!"

Faylin rushed to cover her eyes. "Grandma, don't look. It’s not a ghost, it’s…"

"It is a ghost! This house is cursed! Someone died here!"

The old woman grabbed Faylin’s arm, shaking. "Sell this place! We have to leave before the bad luck rubs off on us!"

Faylin held her steady. "Grandma, a woman died here. That’s exactly why we have to find the truth."

She looked at her grandmother, her voice heavy. "This house is where I grew up. My parents built it. I’m not letting it become a murder house without an explanation."

Nancy leaned toward Simon. "Did you catch that? Both the grandma and Rudolph are desperate to get Faylin to sell."

Simon tapped Snowball’s head as the weasel poked out of Nancy’s pocket. "The gecko says she was in that crawlspace. If she touched the body, there will be a scent. Time to put our detective to work."

Nancy lifted Snowball out. "Snowball, go get a scent from the old lady. See if it matches the body."

"Finally, my turn!"

The white blur darted to the old woman’s feet and started sniffing aggressively.

The grandmother recoiled, screaming. "What are you doing? Get this thing away from me!"

Faylin watched, stunned. She realized the weasel was one of Nancy’s animals, but her face turned defensive. "Ms. Nancy! You don't actually suspect my grandmother, do you? She’s nearly eighty! How could she possibly do something like this?"

As she said it, Faylin’s heart sank. Her grandma was eighty, but she was still strong. Just a few days ago, Faylin had seen her in the garden, moving heavy stone planters like they were nothing.