Four and a half hours later, Kerry got out of the limo, stretched and stopped dead in his tracks. He set his suitcase down and did a double take. I can't believe the size of this house. It looked like a hotel. It even had a huge water fountain out front. Now he wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into. He wasn't poor by any means, but this place looked like royalty lived here.
A tall, pale man in a black suit walked out the front door, carrying a small notebook. "Kerry, I presume."
Kerry nodded. "Yep, that's me." He held out his hand to shake.
The dark-haired man turned and reentered the house, ignoring the gesture. Kerry followed, gaping at the crystal chandeliers, the shining black-and-white tiled floors, the huge paintings and the antique furniture. And he was still only in the hallway. Two nearly identical maids dressed in matching black and white uniforms approached them. Both ladies were well into their forties. They looked to be both very professional and very intimidated by the man in front of Kerry, who spoke calmly. "Please allow them to show you to your room. I'll let Mr. Capwell know you're here."
Kerry followed them up the spiral staircase. The walls were covered with paintings of landscapes. He walked slowly, enthralled with the exquisite details each one held. Reaching the end of the hallway, the smaller of the two maids opened the door. "This is your room, sir. If you need anything, please let us know." The larger-framed maid pointed to her nametag. "My name is Penny, and that's Bonnie. Would you like us to put away your things?"
Kerry threw his bags on the bed. "Oh, no, thanks. I'll do that later." Penny opened the shades and drew back the covers while Bonnie made sure there were clean towels. Just as they were about to leave, there was a knock at his door, and Kerry opened it. The butler was standing there, a smug look on his face.
"You know, you never told me your name," Kerry remarked.
He changed to a bored expression, as if Kerry was bothersome. "My name is Drummond. Now please follow me."
They walked into a huge den filled with books. In the middle of the room was a rather large man; not fat, but solid. He wore plain slacks and a sweater. He held out his hand, and Kerry found it hard to see him through the shine off the rocks on his fingers. This person definitely liked jewelry. The man smiled. "I'm so glad you made it. Are they making you comfortable here?"
Kerry shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"Please call me JC." They sat.
Kerry looked around. "I've never seen a house this big. I swear, you could fit my entire house inside the living room of this place."
JC looked around and laughed. "It is rather large. Too large for us."
"So where's your little girl?" Kerry asked.
JC looked at his watch. "Well, it is about one, so she should be coming down anytime now."