Joy to the Wolves (Red Wolf #1) - Terry Spear Page 0,97
the gate while they waited.
“It’s probably locked,” Josh said.
“Does Maverick have lockpicks?”
“Sure, but if it’s a combination type, we’ll have to cut off the lock. He’s got a bolt cutter in his truck for emergencies.”
“I might have a key for it, if it’s a key lock. I found tons of keys in Ivy’s desk but had no clue what they were for.”
Maverick turned and smiled at them, jiggling his lockpicks in one hand, the key lock in the other.
“Yes!” Brooke said.
Maverick tried to open the gate. Josh saw him struggling and left the car to help him. Brooke soon joined them to help too.
“We’ll have to cut back some of this brush later,” Josh said. They finally managed to pull the gate open, and they piled into Maverick’s truck because it could navigate the road better.
“Wow, I’ve never been here before,” Brooke said as they continued to bump along the road. “It’s beautiful with the creek and forest.”
The creek that ran through Josh and Maverick’s property also ran through hers. “We never had a fence between our properties because we’re all wolves, though we never trespass beyond our own borders.” Now that this was all theirs, they could start using the land too.
“This is wonderful. Maybe with some of the money from the vases, we could build a retreat. Cabins, hiking trails, fishing in the creek. Maybe a timber play-fort for the kids. We could have hot tubs, a swimming pool even. It could be rented out to wolves from all over. We could hire someone from the pack to manage the place,” Brooke said. “And I want to donate some money to the wolf reserve south of here.”
“I like the idea,” Josh said, Maverick agreeing.
“Look over there at the paved road that’s in mint condition, not like the beginning of this one from the gate,” she said.
“Somebody’s repaved it but didn’t maintain the beginning of the drive, as if wanting it to look uninhabited,” Josh said.
“There’s the house,” she said excitedly.
The two-story brick home didn’t look to be in too bad shape. It needed some fresh paint on the trim work, but the brickwork looked good. It could probably use a new roof too. The road would have to be repaved and widened.
“Depending on the condition of the house, we could renovate it and have it as lodging too. Or the wolf who runs the cabins could live there,” Josh said.
“Now that’s an excellent idea. So he and his family, if he has one, would live there free and keep up the place. I want to see inside the house, if you can use your lockpicks to get inside. But over there”—she motioned to a big red barn—“we’ve got to check out the barn first.”
Maverick parked the truck at the house, and they all got out to make their way through the tangle of shrubs that had grown all over the yard and finally reached the barn. It was in great shape, better than the house even.
“It looks like someone’s been coming out here and maintaining the barn,” Maverick said.
“Maybe my great-aunt hired someone to care for the vintage cars and the barn in memory of my great-uncle. It would make sense that if she had them, she wouldn’t just leave them to rust in an abandoned barn.”
“That would be good news.” Josh reached the barn first, his lockpicks out, eager to see if the vehicles were inside.
When he opened the door, there they were. Beautifully polished, looking ready to take a spin. “That one’s a ’57 red-and-white Corvette.”
Brooke quickly looked up the price. “It’s valued at between $80,000 and $140,000, according to auction sites.”
“Yes!” Maverick said, sounding as thrilled as Josh felt.
“And it’s in great condition,” Josh said, opening the driver’s door.
“Wow, I just can’t believe it. I can’t believe my great-aunt never told me about it. I never knew my great-uncle.”
“Now that’s a Ferrari,” Maverick said, opening the door and climbing into the car. “A 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 with sports alloy wheels and blue vinyl interior with only 13,000 miles on the speedometer.”
“That’s great. I can’t believe it!” Brooke was looking up something else on her phone. “Wow, for a 1966 Ferrari being auctioned off in Monterey, California, the price tag is $2,900,000 to $3,500,000.”
“You have a mint here,” Josh said.
Deeper in the barn, they saw a pickup truck. “That’s a 1940 blue Chevy pickup truck,” Maverick said.
“Worth”—Brooke was on her phone searching for a price—“between $35,000 and $40,000.”