‘That’s it,’ Julie said, pointing at the house.’
‘Nice place,’ Erik nodded his approval. The house was set back from the road, with a newly paved driveway to one side. Like many houses in the area, it was built in the mission style, complete with tiled roof and stucco walls. The walkway to the front door was lined with California lilacs, and the Bermuda grass lawn was well kept.
Julie parked the Toyota, and she and Erik got out. At the front door, Julie entered in a code that popped open the real estate lockbox. The two went inside, and Erik took a quick glance around, ‘Might as well get started,’ he suggested.
‘Sounds good. I’ll just make some notes while you do the inspection.’
‘Okay.’ Erik put his home inspector’s kit and small stepladder on the floor of the small entry way, pulled out a flashlight and began to walk around, beginning with the living room. ‘Who’d you say is selling this place?’ he asked casually.
‘His name’s Leo Mason. He’s retiring, and he wants to move closer to his daughter.’
‘That’s nice. She live far?’
‘Michigan.’
‘Michigan? He’s giving up this climate for Michigan?’
‘It’s cheaper there. His retirement account and Social Security don’t go far here.’
‘There is that.’
For a few minutes, Erik worked in silence. When he was finished checking for evidence of insects, Erik returned to his inspection kit and pulled out his outlet tester. ‘When’d you say the house was built?’
Julie consulted her notes. ‘1990,’ she told him.
‘It looks pretty well kept up.’
‘I thought so, too, first time I saw it.’
Erik and Julie moved around the one-story house as Erik tested outlets, checked for insects in other rooms, and turned on the air conditioning/heating system. ‘Wow, this is top of the line,’ he muttered as he tested the thermostat.
‘Yeah, I think he likes his gadgets.’
‘Looks that way.’
In the kitchen, Erik turned on the oven and stovetop, examined the empty refrigerator, and ran the garbage disposal. ‘Everything’s working,’ he commented. He opened all the cupboards, opened the dishwasher, closed it, and pressed its ‘start’ button. As it hummed to life, Erik made a few notes that he’d use later for his report.
‘Well, the kitchen checks out. Nothing here that doesn’t work.’
Julie looked around. ‘It’s a nice size, too. My buyer really likes it.’
The next stops were the bedrooms. Erik opened the closet doors of the first bedroom. ‘Nice-sized closet,’ he murmured. Then he joked, ‘He had to have had a wife, right?’
Julie shook her head. ‘Very funny,’ she shot back. ‘Actually, I think he was married. I heard his wife left a couple of years back.’
Erik made a sympathetic grimace. ‘That’s rough.’
‘It’s hard.’
‘You know where she went? Sorry, I get curious.’
‘No idea,’ Julie shook her head as she spoke. ‘I’ve never actually met the guy. All I heard was that his wife left and after a few years, he decided to sell up.’
Erik nodded and continued to look through the closets. Then he turned his flashlight on and examined the bedroom floor. He stopped at one of the baseboards. ‘Nice paint job here,’ he commented. ‘People don’t always do a lot of painting.’
‘I know, and I sometimes wish they did,’ Julie replied. ‘A paint job can make a big difference.’
Erik nodded, straightened up, and moved on to the next room. Julie followed, scribbling in her notebook as she went.
The next step was to examine the bathrooms. There were only two, so it didn’t take long for Erik to check them. They showed signs of use, but there wasn’t any mold. ‘The bathrooms check out,’ he noted. “Funny, people usually paint bathrooms, but this guy didn’t. Oh, well, there’s no mold or anything. Guess he didn’t think it would matter.’
‘Anyway,’ Julie added, ‘Some buyers like to pick their own colors.’
‘Good point.’
Once the bathrooms were done, Erik said, ‘This house is on slab, right? No basement?’
‘Right,’ Julie confirmed.
‘OK, I’ll just test the voltage and do a few other things, and then I think we’re done.’
‘Great! I have a showing at another place in an hour.’
‘You’ll make it.’
For the next ten minutes, Erik tested the house’s current, examined the flooring, and checked the ceilings for water damage. Julie pulled out her phone to see if she had email. ‘I’m just going outside for a few minutes,’ he told her. ‘I’ll be back before you know it.’
‘OK,’ she said absently, without looking up from her phone.
Within fifteen minutes, Erik was back. ‘Foundation looks good,’ he reported. ‘The roof’s how old?’
‘Ten years, no leaks reported and no storm damage.’
Erik nodded. ‘Your buyer has about ten years to go, then.’
‘That’s what I thought.’
Erik glanced around. ‘I think I’m just about done here,’ he said. He and Julie headed back towards the front door, where he began to put his tools away.
Then, Erik stopped and muttered a curse. ‘Sorry,’ he said as he stood up. ‘I forget one thing.’
‘What’s that?’
‘I want to get into the main ductwork and take a look at the filter – make sure it’s not clogged or anything.’
‘You’re thorough,’ Julie answered.
‘Just doing the job.’ Erik picked up the stepladder he’d brought along and placed it beneath the air filter housing. He climbed up and carefully opened the housing. He pulled the air filter out. ‘This is clean enough,’ he said. He stepped down, laid it on the ground and climbed back up for a look into the ductwork. He reached in and pulled something from it. With a white face, he climbed back down and showed it to Julie.
‘What the hell?” Julie exclaimed.
‘It was just lying there.’
They both looked at the large knife with the rust marks on the blade. Finally, Erik spoke. ‘What’d you say this guy did for a living?’
‘Heating and air conditioning repair.’
Crime Writer Margot Kinberg 