by Bobbi Holmes
“Think about it. Let’s say you don’t have your telekinesis powers. But we are in a fire with Lily. Lily has a broken leg. Would you and I carry her out?”
Walt frowned. “No. I would tell you to run for it and then carry Lily out myself.”
“Exactly,” Danielle said.
They skimmed through the rest of the newspapers for that year yet found no news stories that hinted at any conflict between Alex and either of his two friends. When they finished going through the papers for 1904, they started on 1905.
“I found an article on Teddy’s second wife,” Walt told Danielle.
She looked up from the paper she was reading and asked, “What does it say?”
“It paints Teddy as a most tragic figure,” Walt told her.
“How so?”
“Their maid found Josephine at the bottom of the stairs when she came in that morning. Supposedly, Teddy was in town at the barber when it happened. They claim he had left the house just minutes before his wife fell to her death. Poor man, to lose both wives under such tragic circumstances,” Walt scoffed.
“Really? How convenient for him,” Danielle said.
Walt closed the book and looked up at Danielle. “Let’s go. I don’t think we’re going to find anything here. Perhaps I’ll learn what I need to know tomorrow from Bud.”
Just as Walt and Danielle stood up from the table, Millie scurried over to them. “Did you find anything interesting?”
“A few things,” Danielle said. “I’m just glad Ginny didn’t dump all the old newspapers in the recycle bin.”
“So true! And she has some wonderful old photographs. People thought Emily was a hoarder, but she actually had some very interesting things.”
“The museum’s gain, that’s for sure,” Danielle said.
“I don’t imagine you’ve heard about the gold nugget Emily donated before her death,” Millie said.
Danielle frowned. “Gold nugget?”
“Yes. Actually, it belonged to Emily’s daughter, Caitlin. Poor girl, died of a drug overdose. Always was a troubled child. They had passed it down in the family, a rather interesting story. According to Emily, what makes it so intriguing, it comes from a gold mine in one of the local mountains.”
“I don’t recall any mines in this area,” Walt said.
“No, most are south or east of here. But according to Emily, she had a great-uncle who prospected in the local mountains and hit gold. He didn’t tell anyone where his mine was; he was very secretive. He only told his sister. But she didn’t believe him, so to prove he had actually hit gold, he gave his sister one of his nuggets. That’s the one that was passed down to Caitlin. Although this is all a little awkward, especially with Ginny being one of our new docents.”
“Awkward, how?” Danielle asked.
“The board didn’t see any reason to make a press release until after the display case we ordered arrives and we schedule the official opening for the new exhibit. We thought a little luncheon would be nice. But when I mentioned something to Ginny about it the other day, she didn’t seem to know anything about the donation her cousin had made.”
“Did she know about the gold nugget?” Danielle asked.
Millie shrugged. “I’m not really sure.”
“What happened to this uncle?” Danielle asked.
“According to Emily, he disappeared. And his gold mine—and whatever gold he took from it—was lost forever. It will make a wonderful exhibit, don’t you think?” Millie grinned.
“You don’t know this uncle’s name, do you?” Walt asked.
“Of course. His name was Bud Benson,” Millie said.
Thirty-Four
“A gold mine makes more sense,” Danielle told Walt as he held the door open for her. Early afternoon sunlight flooded the museum’s entry as Danielle stepped outside, followed by Walt. He let the door close behind them as they walked down the steps to the sidewalk.
“More sense than a pirate treasure?” Walt teased. He took her right hand in his, and together they walked toward the Packard parked nearby.
Danielle let out a sigh and said, “He was up in those mountains doing something. And considering how he looked, I’d say he was up there for a while. A hidden pirate treasure made no sense to me, because why would they take it up there and leave it? My bet, whoever stole the carriage and horses took off on the horses after they left the carriage in the mountains, with whatever they brought with them.”
“That’s what I always assumed. I’d heard the carriage had a broken wheel when they found it, which would explain why they abandoned it. But the gold mine story, that’s a new one for me,” Walt said.
When they reached the Packard, Walt opened the passenger door for Danielle. Just as she was about to get in, she stopped and said, “Tomorrow’s Sunday.”
Walt frowned. “Um… yes.”
Danielle cringed. “Remember, Adam invited us to his house on Sunday for a barbecue.”
“We should be back by then,” Walt said.
“I don’t remember getting the time.” Danielle glanced at her watch and then looked back at Walt. “Since we’re over here anyway, why don’t we stop by his office. He should be there. We can find out what time we’re supposed to be at his place. I hope it’s not early.”
Cory’s intention had been to cruise by Marlow House to see if they were home. He worried they might decide to go up to the mountains on Saturday instead of Sunday. When he followed them up to the mountains—today or tomorrow—he wasn’t sure what he planned to do next.
He spied their Packard parked by the museum as he drove through town. Instead of continuing to Marlow House, he parked down the street from the museum and watched.
Sitting in his parked car, slumped low in the driver’s seat, Cory peered over his steering wheel and watched as Walt and Danielle got into the Packard. A moment later they drove down the street. Just as Cory was about to turn on his ignition, the Packard drove by Lucy’s Diner and then pulled over and parked again. He watched as Walt and Danielle got out of the car and then walked up to the front door of Frederickport Vacation Properties’ office. A moment later, they went inside. Instead of turning on his motor, Cory settled back in his seat and continued to wait and watch.
“Afternoon, are you here to see Adam?” Adam’s assistant, Leslie, greeted Walt and Danielle when they walked into the front office of Frederickport Vacation Properties.
“Yeah, is he here?” Danielle asked.
“He’s in his office.” Leslie glanced down at the phone; the line to Adam’s phone was not lit. She looked back up and smiled. “He was on the phone, but he just got off. Go on back.”
“Thanks, Leslie,” Danielle said as Walt gave the assistant a smile and nod.
When they reached Adam’s office a few moments later, they found the door open. Instead of walking in, they stopped by the doorway while Danielle knocked on the doorjamb and called out, “Hello?”
Adam looked up, and immediately his smile turned to a frown. “How dare you show yourself,” he called out.
Danielle walked into the office, Walt trailing behind her. “What did we do?”
“Trying to sabotage my barbecue?” Adam asked, sounding as if he was only half joking. “I just got off the phone with Chris. He asked when he was supposed to be there, and that he would get back to me after talking to you if he could still make it.”
“What time did you want us over there?” Danielle asked, now all the way in the office, Walt by her side.
“I was thinking of five. What’s going on? You having a party without me?” Adam asked.
Danielle glanced at Walt, who gave her a nod and said, “That will work.”
She looked back to Adam. “Chris will be there. So will we. In fact, that’s why we stopped by.”
Walt stepped toward Adam, who now stood behind his desk. Walt put out his hand and greeted Adam, who accepted the gesture. A moment later they all sat down, Adam at his desk, and Walt and Danielle in two chairs facing
him.
“So what’s going on tomorrow? What was I not invited to?” Adam asked.
“We’re driving up to where the kidnappers took Walt. But we’re only going up and coming right back down. Nothing particularly fun or social, I promise,” Danielle said.
Adam glanced at Walt and then looked back at Danielle. “Holy crap, you really found a treasure?”
Danielle and Walt exchanged quick glances, and Danielle asked, “What are you talking about?”
“I had breakfast with Bill this morning,” Adam began. He then recounted what Bill had said about a conversation Carla claimed to overhear.
“A treasure? She said they found a treasure?” Danielle looked at Walt.
“I think I know where that came from,” Walt said. “I quoted William Penn.”
Both Danielle and Adam looked to Walt, waiting for him to further elaborate.
“Brian and I were talking about our time in the mountains, and I said, ‘Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.’ It’s a quote by Penn.”
Danielle and Adam continued to stare at Walt.
“You would have had to have been there,” Walt said with a shrug.
“So you didn’t find a treasure?” Adam asked.
“No,” Walt said.
“Then why are you going back up there? I would think you’ve all had enough of the wilderness for a while.”
After a moment of silence, Danielle blurted, “Pictures.”
“Pictures?” Adam frowned.
“If you think about it, what happened to them was a rather monumental event in their lives. And they didn’t have their phones with them, obviously. And when we picked them up, we didn’t stick around to take any pictures.”
“I don’t know about you, but when something horrible happens in my life, I sure don’t want to capture the memories in pictures,” Adam snarked.
“It wasn’t all horrible,” Walt said. Adam and Danielle turned to him. “It was something of an adventure. Extreme camping,” Walt said with a grin. “And we’d like to get some pictures of the place. Where we camped, where we got water. The mountains change with every season, and before we get into fall, we’d like to get some pictures showing what it was like when we were up there.”
Adam nodded. “I get that. Yeah, makes sense.”
“One reason we wanted to go tomorrow, both Brian and Heather have the day off,” Danielle added.
“And Chris is going too?” Adam asked.
“He’s taking the pictures,” Danielle lied. “He has that really nice camera they use for the foundation.”
“I’ll be curious to see the pictures,” Adam said. “Make sure you bring them with you.”
“Um… I will…” Danielle muttered.
“And don’t forget to make the brownies,” Adam reminded her. “After all, that is the only reason I invited you.”
Danielle rolled her eyes and said, “I won’t forget.”
“By the way, I heard what happened at the museum with Heather and Ginny Thomas,” Adam said with a chuckle. “I always told Mel I wouldn’t want to piss off Heather.” He chuckled again.
“Who told you?” Danielle asked.
“Ginny told Cory, Bill’s nephew. You know they’re neighbors, and he’s been doing some odd jobs for her. Cory told Bill, and Bill told me this morning when we had breakfast together. What set Heather off?”
“I think it was just a misunderstanding. And if Heather had thrown anything, she didn’t hit Ginny,” Danielle said.
“Yeah, I heard that. About her not getting hit. Which made little sense to me. I’ve seen Heather throw the ball for Hunny. That girl had to have been on a softball team. She has a good arm and good aim,” Adam said. “And we’ve all played Frisbee with her. She doesn’t throw like a girl.”
“I think I’m offended,” Danielle muttered.
Adam shrugged and then asked, “So what happened?”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Danielle reiterated without going into details.
“Is anything going to happen to Heather? Cory told Bill Ginny went to the police station to file charges against Heather, but the chief wouldn’t do anything.”
“I think that’s because it was Ginny’s word against Heather’s. There wasn’t any proof that Heather threw anything.”
Adam arched his brow. “So Ginny lied?”
“I don’t think she lied,” Walt said. “There is just probably more to the story than any of us know. Frankly, I wouldn’t be too hard on Heather or Ginny. Hopefully, they’ll work out whatever differences they have.”
“And what differences are those?” Danielle smirked when she and Walt walked out to the Packard after leaving Adam’s office.
Walt shrugged. “I feel bad for both of them.”
“I’d better call Chris and the others,” Danielle said when they reached the car. Walt opened the door for her, but instead of getting in the Packard, she took her phone out of her purse.
“Reminding him to bring his camera?” Walt teased as he waited for her to get into the car.
“Something like that,” Danielle said as she stepped into the passenger side of the vehicle, the cellphone by her ear.
By the time Walt got to his side of the car, Danielle was no longer talking to Chris, but ringing up Heather. Walt waited for her to finish her calls before starting the ignition.
“Okay, that’s taken care of,” Danielle said as she dropped her phone back in her purse. “I told them both what I told Adam. Heather is going to call Brian and give him the heads-up so we’re all on the same page.”
“Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t mind taking some pictures when we’re up there,” Walt said. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Yeah, Chris thought that too. He’s bringing his camera,” Danielle said.
From down the street, Cory sat in his car, watching Walt and Danielle. They had been sitting in their vehicle for a few minutes and didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave. Cory glanced at his watch and then looked back at the Packard. A moment later, it pulled out into the street and headed south, toward Beach Drive. After they drove away, Cory turned on his ignition and headed up the street.
Adam looked up from his desk when Cory walked into his office.
“Hi, Cory, what can I do for you?” Adam asked.
Cory stood there a moment, absently chewing his lower lip when he asked, “Um, have you seen my uncle?”
“Yeah, I had breakfast with him. Why?”
“Um, I was looking for him,” Cory lied.
“Isn’t he answering his phone?” Adam asked. “Maybe he’s in the middle of a job and can’t answer. He said something about replacing shingles on one of the rentals.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it,” Cory said, walking all the way into the office.
Adam frowned at Cory. “Is there something else?”
“Are you friends with the Marlows?”
“Yeah, why?” Adam asked.
“I saw them drive off. I just think they have a really cool car. That thing must be worth a fortune.”
“From what I understand, it used to belong to the original Walt Marlow. It ended up with Ben Smith’s father. Remember Ben?”
Cory shrugged. “Yeah. Old dude who used to work at the museum.”
Adam nodded. “When he died, he left it to Danielle. That girl is always falling into money.”
Thirty-Five
A woman should be able to feel safe in her own home, Pearl Huckabee told herself as she parked her car in the driveway behind her house. But how is one to do that with homicidal neighbors? she asked herself. Pearl turned off the ignition, but instead of getting out of the vehicle, she looked over at Heather Donovan’s house and glared.
This afternoon at her quilting group, the women had been talking about how her neighbor had attacked a woman at the museum. From what they said, Heather had gone berserk and left the place in shambles. No charges were filed, probably because Heather’s boss paid for all the damages with a little somethi
ng extra to keep Heather out of jail. According to the women in the group, those two had a thing going on.
The next minute headlights pulled up the alley and turned into Heather’s driveway. A back porch light turned on a moment later, enabling Pearl to see the vehicle. It belonged to Officer Henderson. He got out of his car and headed toward the house, not looking Pearl’s way.
“That’s one busy girl,” Pearl muttered. “And dangerous.”
Heather held the door open for Brian as he walked in her back door carrying a paper sack, its contents jingled.
“Thanks for turning the light on for me,” Brian said as Heather shut the door behind him and turned off the outside light.
“Did you say hi to Pearl?” Heather smirked.
“Pearl?” Brian frowned, following Heather into the kitchen.
“Yeah, she pulled into her driveway a few minutes before you got here. She’s just sitting there. I was watching for you so I could turn on the light. Saw her still sitting in her car when you pulled up.”
“Really? I didn’t notice.” Brian handed Heather the sack he had been holding. It jingled again.
“Oh, thanks,” Heather muttered, taking the sack and looking inside. Glass jars—empty pickle jars, jelly jars and mayonnaise jars once destined for the recycle bin filled the sack.
“What do you need all those for?” Brian asked. Before Heather could answer the question, he looked over to the kitchen counter and noticed more than a dozen jars lined up, each filled with something that looked like paste.
“What are you doing?” Brian asked, walking over to the jars.
“Um… well… it’s my sourdough starter,” Heather said, sounding slightly embarrassed.
He counted the jars. “Sixteen? You need sixteen jars of starter? What are you going to do, open a bakery?”
“Yeah, I know it’s lame. But I just thought it was so wasteful to throw half away, like Lily told me to do. So I just figured I would move the discard into another jar, feed it, and then I’d have another jar of starter.”