Chapter 21 Haunted House
After leaving the temporary resting point, Rock suddenly thought of how to quickly settle down in Cape Town.
Because of British colonization, there were not too many Boers leaving Cape Town for the Boer countries, and before leaving, they would sell their assets at a low price.
Of course, it is too late to pick up a bargain now. Those assets that were sold at a low price have been bought by the British. What Rock is looking for are those confiscated houses. The Cape Town City Government organizes an auction every once in a while. Rock was not qualified to participate in such auctions before, and he did not have the capital. But now he does. Rock is already an official Cape Towner and has some spare money. It would be cheaper to buy directly from the police station.
It should be noted that the judicial system of this era is far less detailed than that of the 21st century. Although the decision to confiscate real estate is made by the court, it is executed by the police station, so all confiscated properties will be filed with the police station. Rock does not buy those conspicuous mansions, he just wants a wooden house that can shelter from the wind and rain. There are plenty of such houses in the police station, and there are still many that have failed to sell at auctions in the past. The British don't look down on such houses.
Back at the police station, Rock first went to Henry to report on his work, and then went to the archives department to find Haley Hart, the police officer in charge of archives.
Hayley Hart is of British descent. Although she was born in Cape Town, she is not classified as a Boer because both her parents are British. Many government employees employed by the Cape Town City Government are of this background.
"Confiscated properties? Of course there are. What kind do you want?" Haley knew that Rock had become a naturalized citizen and that he was the deputy captain of the newly established commando team, so she was very polite to him.
"Don't be too nice, I don't have much money. Don't be too mean, I don't want to live in a shack - and, Haley, is this what you lost?" Rock stretched out his hand to Haley, with a gold necklace in his palm, which surprised Haley.
As a patrolman, Rock used to have some gray income, but Haley, as a civilian staff, could forget about it. Apart from that dry salary, no one asked Haley to do anything for her, and naturally no one gave Haley gifts. Haley was just a 20-year-old girl and had never felt what temptation was.
"I, no, I don't know--" It was obvious that Haley was a little panicked. Her eyes widened like a frightened deer, not knowing how to respond.
"This necklace really suits you. When I picked it up, I knew it must be the one you lost. Can I help you put it on?" Rock didn't give Haley a chance to refuse. He lifted Haley's long hair, helped Haley put on the necklace, and then carefully helped Haley tidy up her hair.
"Thank you--" Haley turned around and looked at Rock again, and there was something indescribable in her eyes.
The next thing was very simple. Haley took out the files and let Rock choose. While Rock was choosing, Haley did not pay attention to maintaining social distance from Rock. The two were very close, so close that Rock could smell the faint fragrance of Haley's hair.
Uh, or maybe it's body odor, it really is there, and it's not the smell of pickled cosmetics. Rock didn't know how to describe it, because in his previous life, when Rock learned to distinguish girls' body odor, all he smelled was the smell of cosmetics and shampoo.
From Rock's perspective, among the more than 130 houses in the archives, there were a total of three houses that met Rock's standards. One was on Government Street, similar to the house that Rock had seen before and priced at 200 pounds. One was on Adderley Street, with a slightly lower price, but the condition of the house was also worse. The last one was a bit remote, at the foot of Mount Carbonell in the Cape District. However, this house also best met Rock's requirements. The house was very new and large enough, with an attached lawn area of more than 1.5 acres, almost ten acres in size. The previous owner was a Boer businessman who was executed by the government for smuggling gold. His wife and children committed suicide at home, and the house became a haunted house, so no one was willing to buy it.
The key point is that the house is a little far from the city center, but it is close to the police station where Rock works, and even closer to the pier .
"This house has been auctioned twice. The first time was two years ago and the auction price was 500 pounds. The second time was last year and the auction price was 350 pounds. Both auctions failed. This year the starting price of the house is around 200 pounds, but if you want to buy it, you will definitely not spend that much." The information provided by Hayley was very detailed, and the two pounds were well spent.
"It can't be that much, how much is it?" Rock must want a low price, preferably the lowest one possible.
Haley smiled at Rock, then quoted a price that surprised : "One hundred pounds, 50% off the reserve price."
From five hundred to one hundred!
Rock was really surprised and didn't know why the house was originally assessed at a price of five hundred pounds.
Rock soon found out and thanked Haley. Then he left the police station and went straight to see the house. Rock had already got the key in exchange for a pair of gold earrings, which made Haley very happy. If it wasn't yet time to get off work, Haley would even be willing to accompany Rock to see the house.
The house is indeed nice. The Boer businessman spared no expense in building the house, and all the materials used were marble. The all-white house is backed by Mount Carbuncle and in front of it is Table Bay. Table Mountain can be clearly seen from afar. It can be said to be a house with unbeatable sea views surrounded by mountains and water.
Pushing open the slightly rusty fence gate, the lawns on both sides of the path grew wildly because no one took care of them. There was a circular pool in front of the house with marble sculptures of Greek gods in the center. It looked like there should be a fountain, but of course it is no longer in normal use. It looked even more dilapidated when I walked in. There were a few dead fish floating on the surface of the pool and the water was full of moss, which looked green and lush, which made people feel creepy.
Rock touched the pistol at his waist, calmed himself, walked to the door and opened it.
A turbid smell of decay with warmth hit him in the face. Rock covered his nose and walked into the living room. There was a full set of sandalwood furniture in the living room, and sterling silver tableware was scattered on the dining table. Rock could feel the panic and desolation of a once prosperous family that fell in an instant.
Going up to the second floor, the situation was even worse. There was a large pool of blood on the floor of the master bedroom, and part of the floor showed signs of burning. Rock seemed to understand why this house was sold for only one hundred pounds. If it was intact, he might not be able to get it for even one thousand pounds, let alone one hundred pounds.
Opening the back window of the bedroom, outside the window is a garden and a large swimming pool. In the distance, there are lush green hills and the sound of waves can be faintly heard. Rock immediately fell in love with this place.
Buy it, you must buy it.
