Read Grace: a Cinderella Story :: Chapter Three Part Two

Ella pulled into the car park at Dave’s mansion and was greeted by Frank, who waved at her as she exited the vehicle, then disappeared. Ella looked around, surprised to see no one nearby. It was as if the car park had been intentionally deserted when the workers saw her pulling in. Still, Ella shrugged, figuring she was likely just looking too much into things. Dave was not nearby, which led her to believe she ought to start exploring on her own. Although nervous, Ella stood up straight and tried to act as though she belonged on the vast, elegant property. She felt like a fish out of water, but she held her head high, the way she imagined an illustrious art dealer might carry themselves when seeking out new clients. She walked briskly in no direction in particular, hoping she would remember how to get to the garden area at some point, and that she wasn’t just walking in circles. “Hey, what are you doing?” Ella was interrupted by a young male voice and stopped, turning to face a boy looking to be around the age of sixteen; a skinny, shorter boy with straight brown hair and big brown eyes. “Hi,” Ella greeted him. “I’m a private investigator, I was hired here to look into some missing gardening supplies.” “Oh.” The boy nodded. “Yeah, my dad hired you. He told me about it. I thought my brother was supposed to help you?” “He is, but I’m not sure where he is, and I don’t really want to bother him. He could be busy.” The boy laughed, blowing the hair out of his eyes. “It’s okay.” He winked. “I know my brother’s an asshole. You don’t have to dance around that.” Ella smiled. “He’s kind of a downer,” she admitted. “I’m Ella. What’s your name?” “I’m Peter. Do you need help? I don’t really have anything going on.” “Yes, actually, if you’re not busy. Can you show me around?” Peter led Ella through the property, explaining things as he went. “That’s where we keep the horses,” he explained as they walked past stables that were located at the edge of the property. “I used to ride horses when I was little. Do you like to ride?” “Not really. It’s kind of boring.” The pair made their way towards a screened-in area. “That’s the greenhouse,” Peter informed Ella. “Do you want to go inside?” “Yes, please.” Peter unzipped the entrance and led Ella inside; it was significantly warmer than the outside air, and Ella surmised it must be a heated area. Overhead windows allowed in sunlight, and the space was filled with flowers of all kinds: roses, daisies, lilies, marigolds and more filled the greenhouse, creating a pleasant floral aroma. Ella heard the buzzing of bees and felt the damp, humid air on her skin. “This is very well-cared-for,” Ella commented. “It’s very beautiful. Does your mother like flowers?” Peter shook his head. “My mom died when I was little,” he informed her. “Oh, I’m sorry. My mom died when I was little, too.” “Really?” “Yes,” Ella nodded. “That’s why I became a private investigator. To help other people find out what happened to their loved ones.” “Wow. You must solve a lot of murders.” Ella grinned. “I have solved exactly zero murders. In fact, I mostly just expose cheaters and insurance fraudsters.” “Oh. That’s kind of boring.” Ella laughed. “Well, maybe one day I’ll solve a murder. I’m only twenty, after all. I have time.” Peter led Ella to the gardening shed, but it was locked. “We’ll have to go inside to get the key,” he told Ella. “I think the shed is where my dad thinks the gardening supplies are being stolen from.” Ella followed Peter to the mansion in comfortable silence. She found Peter to be much more agreeable than his older brother. Upon entering, Ella was struck once again by the opulence of the residence. While alive, her father had provided well for their family, and the house he had purchased was nicer than those around it. Still, this mansion was grander than anything Ella could possibly imagine. It was as if the occupants had no limitations when it came to finances. “Hey, shouldn’t you be in school?” Ella asked Peter, the thought striking her suddenly. Peter shook his head. “I’m homeschooled,” he answered. “My tutor will be here later.” “Oh.” Ella nodded. “Were you always homeschooled? How did you make friends?” “I went to private school for elementary school, but that was it. I don’t really have very many friends.” “Well, if you went to school, I’m sure you’d have lots of friends,” Ella assured him. Peter retrieved the key from a drawer in the kitchen, and the pair headed back out to the shed. Once there, Peter tried opening the door, but the key wouldn’t fit. “Let me try,” Ella offered. She jiggled the key and tried it the other way, but it wouldn’t work. “I swear that’s the right key.” Peter sighed, shaking his head. “I guess we’ll just have to go back and try a different one--” “Looking for this?” Peter was interrupted. They turned, and there was Dave, standing with a key in his hand, presumably the key to the shed. He wore his signature sunglasses, and his face was devoid of emotion. “Where did you come from?” Peter asked, perplexed. “Never mind,” Ella stated, and walked towards Dave briskly. Before she could reach for the key, however, Dave had hidden it behind his back, smirking slightly. Ella sighed. “Are you twelve?” she asked. “Hand it over.” “Not unless you ask nicely.” “Fine. May I please have the key?” “Hmm. I don’t know. Let me think about it.” “You are such a dick. Why did you even come out here? Peter was showing me around just fine.” “Yeah,” Peter agreed. Dave rolled his eyes. “All right, all right,” Dave relented, handing it over to Ella. Ella turned to try the key in the knob. “You’re so annoying,” Peter muttered. “What?” Dave said loudly. “I’m annoying?” “Don’t forget immature,” Ella added, opening the door to the shed. “Oh, now it’s war,” Dave announced, tackling Peter to the ground. Peter laughed. “Let me up,” he demanded. “Only if you say sorry.” “No way!” Dave and Peter roughhoused on the grass while Ella ignored them and searched around inside the shed. She noticed there was an open window on the opposite end, and bags of lyme, mulch and fertilizer spread around. There were gardening implements lining the walls, with some tools simply lying about any which way. “Well, I think I have an easy solution to this problem,” Ella said, turning around to be confronted with Peter on the ground with Dave on top of him. They both looked up at her. “We’ll just install a couple cameras and watch to see who comes in and takes what. Peter, would you like to go to Walmart?” Peter nodded enthusiastically, but was interrupted by Dave. “Your tutor will be here in half an hour,” Dave said. “You’d better not. You don’t want to miss school.” He stood up, releasing Peter from his prison. “That’s all right, I’ll just go by myself,” Ella said, turning away. “Have fun with school, Peter.” Ella was halfway to the car park before she noticed Dave was following her. She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “And where do you think you’re going?” Ella asked him. “You know, you’re being very unfair,” Dave said. “We started off on the wrong foot, I’ll admit it-but now? You’re just being flat-out mean. I don’t appreciate it. In fact, I won’t stand for it.” “You won’t stand for it?” Ella questioned. “No way!” Dave exclaimed. “I won’t take this standing up or lying down.” “So what are you going to do about it?” Dave stepped directly in front of Ella, forcing her to look up to meet his eyes. He took off his sunglasses. “Sweetheart,” he said. “I’m going to make you wish you’d never been born.” Ella laughed heartily. “Yeah? How exactly are you going to do that?” Dave grabbed Ella’s arm harshly and pulled her towards the car park. “Hey!” Ella exclaimed. “I thought you wanted to find out how I’m going to ruin your life?” Dave asked, not looking back. Ella rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help the slight blush that crept onto her cheeks. She wasn’t exactly well-liked, and her only male friend, who also happened to be her only friend in general, would never have just grabbed onto her like this. In fact, Jack had barely managed to hold onto her waist when they danced together at prom. Dave stopped suddenly, resulting in Ella colliding into him. He turned around to face her, holding her arm to keep her from falling down. “Now,” he whispered, leaning down so he was nearer to her face, “Don’t tell me you’re falling for me already.” Ella pushed him back immediately. Dave bent over laughing, and Ella slapped him, fuming, and started walking away, making sure her face was out of his view. “You’ve really got to stop slapping me,” Dave called out. “I do what I want,” Ella mumbled, still walking. Dave caught up to her easily, his strides longer than hers. Before she could get to Lon’s car, he opened the passenger door to his Ferrari. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s take this one.” “I’m fine,” Ella said stiffly. “Come on. You know you want to.” Ella stood still, trying to remain defiant. “It’s not often you get a chance to ride in a Ferrari,” Dave said. “Of course, we could take the Lamborghini if you’d prefer.” Ella walked to the Ferrari, careful not to brush up against Dave, and sat down in the passenger seat. Dave shook his head, grinning, and made his way to the driver’s seat. “The broads just can’t turn down the Ferrari,” he commented. Ella bolted up, reaching for the door. “Hey, hey,” Dave stopped her, grabbing her arm softly. “Just a joke. I’m sorry.” Ella looked up into Dave’s eyes, and was so surprised by his seeming sincerity that she sunk back down into the seat. He smiled at her, and she hesitantly smiled back, if only slightly. “Of course, it’s true--” Dave was cut off by another slap from Ella. “Okay, okay, you win.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Let’s get going.” Dave took off and drove well above the speed limit, which frightened Ella in a way, although she was careful not to let Dave know how she felt. She wanted to maintain an air of confidence and surety, and seeming scared by a little speed would put a damper on her well-constructed facade. The pair arrived at a technology store within only a few minutes, and Dave bolted up to hold open Ella’s door for her. “Thanks,” Ella muttered as Dave shut the door behind her, then took off in the direction of the store. Ella followed behind him. “You know,” she started casually, trying to make the trip not be too awkward, “I’m a little surprised your father didn’t think to buy security cameras before. Seems like the first thing one would think to do in his situation.”

“Well, my dad’s pretty busy,” Dave said simply as the pair made their way to the home security section of the store. Ella took her time perusing the different cameras. “I hope your dad doesn’t mind me charging him for the cameras,” Ella commented fretfully. Dave rolled his eyes and grabbed two boxes of the first cameras he saw, then started walking briskly toward the registers. “Hey,” Ella called, jogging to keep up with him. “I don’t like to spend a lot of time in stores,” Dave said pointedly, sliding his debit card to the cashier. He was still wearing his sunglasses, and had donned a baseball cap from his back seat; the cashier looked at him suspiciously, as if he might be inclined to start a robbery. Nevertheless, she rang them up quickly and Dave led the way out of the store, practically racing to his car. “Wait up,” Ella said, nearly out of breath from trying to keep up with Dave’s pace. He opened the passenger door to his car for her, and she slid inside. He was quick to toss his hat into the back seat, running a hand through his hair. “So,” Dave started. “Where to now?” “Don’t we need to go back to your property to set up these cameras?” Ella said incredulously. “Damn, you are just no fun.” “You’re the one acting like a fugitive,” Ella defended herself. “I figured you were in a rush to get home.” “I don’t like crowds,” Dave murmured. He sighed. “All right, we’ll go back to the house. You can set up the cameras.” “Don’t sound so defeated,” Ella said, wondering why she cared. “We’re catching the gardening supply thief.” “Oh, we are?” Dave grinned. Ella rolled her eyes. “Forget I said anything,” she muttered, turning away from him and looking out the window, trying to distract herself. Dave raced back; a couple sharp turns resulted in Ella’s stomach knotting up. It wasn’t long before they were back at Dave’s property. Ella was prepared to set up the security cameras on her own, but to her surprise, Dave was quick to open a box and start setting one up himself. “Um,” Ella began. “Shouldn’t we read the directions?” “I don’t need directions.” Ella rolled her eyes, and proceeded to set up the other camera, following the directions as she went. She went to look for a stool or chair to stand on to put the camera in the corner of the ceiling, but Dave grabbed it from her. “I got it,” he said, and set it up in the corner for her. He covered it partially with some nearby tools, enough so that, at a cursory glance, a burglar wouldn’t notice anything suspicious. There wasn’t much in the way of concealment, so Ella could only hope that the thief wouldn’t think to make any detailed inspections of the space.