On the Street Where you Live Read Online Free

broad shoulders and sandy hair. Dark blue eyes and a square jawline dominated his even-featured face.
    At their first meeting she had liked his combination of easygoing warmth and cautious concern. Not every lawyer would practically try to talk himself out of a job, she thought. He really was worried that I was being too impulsive.
    Except for that one day in January when she had flown down in the morning and back to Albany in the afternoon, their communication had been either by phone or mail. Still, every contact with him confirmed that Stafford was indeed a meticulous attorney.
    The Kiernans, who were selling the house, had owned it only three years and spent that entire time faithfully restoring it. They were in the final stage of the interior decoration when Wayne Kiernan was offered a prestigious and lucrative position which required permanent residence in London. It had been obvious to Emily that giving up the house had been a wrenching decision for them.
    On that hurried visit in January, Emily went through every room with the Kiernans and bought the Victorian-era furniture, carpets, and artifacts they had lovingly purchased and were now willing to sell. The property was spacious, and a contractor had justcompleted a cabana and had just started excavating for a pool.
    â€œThe only thing I regret is the pool,” she told Stafford as the waitress refilled their cups. “Any swimming I do will be in the ocean. But as long as the cabana is already in place, it seems a little silly not to go ahead with the pool as well. Anyhow, my brothers’ kids will love it when they visit.”
    Will Stafford had handled all the paperwork covering the various agreements. He was a good listener, she decided, as over breakfast she heard herself telling him about having grown up in Chicago. “My brothers call me ‘the afterthought,’” she said, smiling. “They’re ten and twelve years older than I am. My maternal grandmother lives in Albany. I went to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, which is a stone’s throw away, and spent a lot of my free time with her. Her grandmother was the younger sister of Madeline, the nineteen-year-old who disappeared in 1891.”
    Will Stafford noticed the shadow that came over Emily’s face, but then she sighed and continued, “Well, that was a long time ago, wasn’t it?”
    â€œA very long time,” he agreed. “I don’t think you’ve told me how much time you expect to spend down here. Are you planning to move in immediately, or use the house weekends, or what?”
    Emily smiled. “I plan to move in as soon as we pass title this morning. All the basic stuff that I need is there, including pots and pans and linens. The moving van from Albany is scheduled to arrive tomorrow with the relatively few things I’m bringing here.”
    â€œDo you still have a home in Albany?”
    â€œYesterday was my last day there. I’m still settling my apartment in Manhattan, so I’ll be back and forth between the apartment and this house until May 1st. That’s when I start my new job. After that I’ll be a weekend and vacation kind of resident.”
    â€œYou realize that there’s a great deal of curiosity in town about you,” Will cautioned. “I just want you to know that I’m not the one who leaked that you’re a descendant of the Shapley family.”
    The waitress was putting their plates on the table. Emily did not wait for her to leave before she said, “Will, I’m not trying to keep that a secret. I mentioned it to the Kiernans, and to Joan Scotti, the real estate agent. She told me that there are families whose ancestors were here at the time that my great-great-grandaunt disappeared. I’d be interested to know what if anything any of them have heard about her—other, of course, than the fact that she seemingly vanished from the face of the earth.
    â€œThey also know