No one in the neighborhood knew what really went on in Miss Jefferson’s old white house. For years, she hadn’t let anyone in. Miss Jefferson was hiding something from the world, and when her neighbors found out what it was, they could never look at the old woman the same way again.
The mystery began in 2018 when Taylor and Joe moved to their new house, which was next to a white house where a 96-year-old woman lived. The old white house was about 80 meters from theirs. It looked quite old, as if it had not been maintained for some time. Taylor and Joe wanted to meet her. Joe knocked on the old wooden door. Shortly after, they heard someone approaching.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” they heard the old woman say.
“We’re your new neighbors, and we’d like to get to know you better,” Taylor responded.
“Okay, but you’re not coming in. I’ll go to your house. I’ll be there in 15 minutes,” the woman replied. She seemed irritated.
Shortly after, they saw the old woman approaching their house. She was wearing dark clothes, and her face looked like she hadn’t smiled in years. Actually, the conversation with the old lady was very pleasant, but everything changed when Taylor asked her if they could go to Anna’s house sometime.
Anna flatly replied, “No, never, and I don’t want you to ask me that question again.”
Joe and Taylor looked at each other and sighed. Had the move been a big mistake? They would have liked to have a good relationship with their neighbors, but it was only the first day, and it already seemed that their relationship with Anna was destroyed. But one thing was for sure—they had to find out what was going on in the house.
Taylor decided to start keeping an eye on the neighbor a little more, and he began to notice strange behavior. What surprised him most was a black van that arrived every week on Saturdays and parked next to the house.
The neighbor took some bags and boxes out of the van and put some of her boxes into the van. The driver of the van never got out of it and never entered the house. Joe and Taylor decided it was time to come up with a plan to get into the house. They wanted to find out if Anna was involved in criminal activities.
Joe started asking around town to see if anyone had any information to give him. Meanwhile, Taylor tried another strategy. While Joe was away, she decided to break into the house. She knew Joe wouldn’t let her, that’s why she hadn’t told him before. She had seen Anna leave the house and thought she had at least three hours before she returned.
She dressed in dark clothes and headed to the house. She first tried to see if the front door was open, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. She then decided to try her luck at the back of the house. Taylor found two doors at the back of the house, but they were also locked. She was disappointed; she hoped things would be easier. She was about to give up and walk away, but then she saw that she had hit the jackpot. She noticed that there was a small window open. She thought that with a little luck she could get in.
The window was on the first floor, so Taylor couldn’t get there alone. She would have to find something to climb. She looked around and noticed an old barrel in the garden. Taylor rolled it over and placed it just below the window, but still, she couldn’t reach it. She had to be a little higher. Taylor was shocked and let out a scream. Luckily, she held on well; otherwise, she might have fallen badly. But she used all her strength to get up and crawl through the window. She would have to think of a new route back.
Taylor slowly crawled through the window and settled on the old wooden floor. She looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. She would have expected a more dilapidated look from the inside, but this was only the first room she saw.
She had no idea what she would find in the rest of the house. She saw that this room was practically unused. Everything was dusty, and there were only a few boxes of magazines and books. Taylor decided to move on to the next room. She had wasted a lot of time trying to get into the house, so she would have to hurry up if she wanted to find out the truth about Anna.
Taylor quickly but quietly headed to the next room. It was a very large bathroom. Taylor had never seen such a luxurious bathroom. This space contrasted with the previous one, which was full of dust. The old house turned out to be full of surprises, but then Taylor saw something that made her heart beat in her throat. At first glance, the bathroom seemed normal—very luxurious but normal nonetheless.
But then Taylor realized something shocking. She saw two pieces of everything in the bathroom: two toothbrushes, two bathrobes, etc. Could Anna have kept her husband’s things all these years, or was there something more than that?
At that moment, Taylor realized that there was a possibility that Anna was not alone in the house. Just the thought sent a shiver down her spine. She knew that now she had to be more careful, but it also gave her hope, and she began to know Anna better and better.
Meanwhile, Joe scoured the city looking for more information about Anna, her house, and her past. He soon discovered that almost everyone knew Anna, and that everyone who knew her had strong opinions about the old woman. She and her husband had an interesting past, full of intriguing events. In a library, Joe found an old man willing to tell him more about her past. He told him that for many years, Anna and her husband were some of the most important people in the town. Everyone knew them for their generosity and great impact. They helped with community projects and assisted everyone they could.
Joe was surprised; it was a completely different impression than the one he had received from Anna. The old man said that Harold, Anna’s husband, was a well-known and successful banker. He had earned money and power by working hard, but also by not always being honest with the rules. He had made deals with the wrong people, which had made him very rich in the early years.
Harold was a feared man in the town. They knew they could achieve something with him, but they were afraid of the people he associated with. Despite his reputation, the authorities could not do anything against him; he had become too powerful. This gave Harold and Anna a bad reputation in the country.
But a few years and several million dollars later, everything changed. A new man had arrived in town who would have an even greater impact, disturbing Harold and Anna’s lives. The man was a pastor who took charge of the church in town. He soon learned of Harold’s reputation and the problems he caused in the town.
He realized it was a big problem and decided to make it his personal mission. Pastor Jack decided to visit Harold regularly. Jack was a charismatic man who easily came into contact with many people. Harold was also immediately impressed by this newcomer to town. They soon discovered that they shared many of the same hobbies, and an unusual friendship emerged.
During Jack and Harold’s numerous outings, Jack always took the opportunity to talk to Harold about the Bible. After all, he was a pastor; he couldn’t resist. Harold didn’t like it very much at first, but he had a soft spot for Jack, and at some point, Jack’s words began to have an impact.
Harold seemed calmer and decided to go straighter and straighter. After finally converting, he decided to leave behind all his bad deeds and focus on the good. He and Anna decided to use the wealth they had accumulated to make a difference in the town. In this way, they earned their great reputation in the following years.
But not everyone was happy with this. The criminals Harold worked with were obviously not happy that he had changed his life. This also meant that he had stopped working for them, ruining their plans. They wanted revenge and made sure that someone else who worked for them took Harold’s place. Thus, a cunning plan was born to frame Harold. The criminals were cunning and had the influence of like-minded people in the bank who helped them. Thus, rumors soon emerged and not long later an official accusation against Harold of large-scale fraud. Harold had the wrong people against him and lost the case. He was imprisoned for 45 years.
All this happened 20 years ago. Anna was heartbroken when she lost her husband. She was no longer that generous and happy woman; she began to live like a hermit. Since that day, no one has entered her house, and she has limited contact with the villagers. But there is a twist in the story, said the librarian. When Harold had been in prison for five years, the great news came that he had escaped from prison.
It was soon discovered that he had crossed the border, and the man had probably been living in South America since then. The old man explained that since that event, word had spread that Harold had returned to town to live with his wife. No one would have expected him to do something so risky, and authorities halted official investigations for years. But no one knew for sure, and they certainly didn’t want to talk to Anna about it.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Taylor wanted to move on to the next room. But as she left the bathroom and went up the landing to the next room, something happened that broke her. When she opened the door, she got the shock of her life. Suddenly, she found herself face to face with a strange man. Taylor let out a scream. Who was that man, and what was he doing there?
The man was very old, and he had difficulty walking, but he immediately tried to calm Taylor down. Fortunately, Taylor realized that the man meant well. Then the man said, “Please sit down, I will explain everything to you.” The man, who turned out to be Harold, pointed to a large leather chair in the room. Taylor sat down, and the man began to speak.
He told her the whole story. He convinced Taylor that he was innocent and had the best of intentions. Years ago, he had had to make the difficult decision to return, knowing that he would never be able to leave this house. Taylor was surprised but also relieved. Anna was not a criminal, and neither was her husband.
But how could they continue? Anna could leak the secret, and Taylor would have to explain why she had entered the house. And Joe? As far as Taylor knew, he obviously didn’t know anything yet. Meanwhile, Joe came home and saw a note on the table. It read: “Honey, I know you’d never leave me, but if you look for me, I’ll probably be at Anna’s.” Joe was surprised, and it got worse when he looked out because he saw Anna approaching.
She was almost at the door to enter, but when Anna opened the door and entered the house, to her surprise, Harold and Taylor were talking in the living room. She gasped and dropped everything she had in her hands. By then, Joe had also arrived at the door to see if there was any way to help Taylor.
How could they explain it? Fortunately, Harold quickly intervened and told Anna that he had motioned for Taylor to come inside. He said she badly needed human contact—a white lie mixed with the truth.
