Sitting on a Fortune

by Becki Willis

  “Served him right for not coming around more often. He was your grandfather’s oldest brother, but you barely knew him because he stayed in his fancy house in the city all the time. It wasn’t your fault that you mistook him for a stranger offering kisses and candy. You kicked him where it mattered, just like I taught you,” Granny Bert said with satisfaction.

  “It didn’t hurt your feelings any, since he was your least favorite brother-in-law. But I’m pretty sure it hurt his. In more ways than one!”

  “That’s okay. He had no business divorcing his wife of forty years and marrying someone half his age. And don’t blame yourself for the second divorce, either. It may have been a coincidence that it happened shortly after his visit.”

  Her tone exasperated, Madison prompted, “What did the woman do after that?”

  “How should I know? That was a good thirty-five years ago.”

  “Not the second wife. The woman at your window! Did you call Brash?”

  “Why would I call the law? I handled things on my own.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “I’ve been working in my flowerbeds, soaking it down to get ready to put in some new plants. The sprinkler was still hooked up, so I eased over to the side of the house and cranked the water hose up on high. I still don’t know who the woman was, but she can sure run!”

  Madison laughed, until it occurred to her that her grandmother had locked the doors and was hiding behind the drapes. “I think you mentioned a car?”

  “I’d already noticed it once, before the sprinkler lady came by. It came by again after that. I’m trying to see if it comes by a third time. The windows are tinted, though, so I can’t see who’s inside.”

  “What color is the car?”

  “Black or a very dark gray.”

  Madison drew in a sharp breath. “I saw it when I left earlier.” She assumed the worst. “I think someone knows about the gold,” she said breathlessly.

  “How? I haven’t blabbed. Have you?”

  “No! Not even to Genny. Or to my husband.”

  “Then there’s no reason to think someone knows our secret. You’re just letting your nerves get the best of you, girl. Don’t get skittish on me now.”

  “But someone is following me! And now they’re stalking your house. You even have your door locked!” Madison pointed out, as if that fact alone were definitive proof.

  “The woman seemed a little too bold for my liking,” Granny Bert admitted. “I just locked my doors to be on the safe side.”

  “You’ll come home with me tonight.” It wasn’t an invitation.

  “I’ll do no such thing!” Granny Bert dropped the curtain and faced her granddaughter with indignation. “I refuse to be run out of my own house.”

  “But Granny, this is getting serious. Someone called me earlier.”

  “What did they say?”

  Madison relayed the message, but her grandmother wasn’t convinced.

  “I think there’s another explanation. I think that car out there belongs to Lamont Andrews.”

  “Lamont? Why?”

  “The man has a temper. And a mean streak, to boot. After your little confrontation in the parking lot yesterday, I had Sybil check out his story. She called her friend over in Temple, whose nephew went to college with Lamont at Howard. He confirmed that Lamont was kicked out of school for violently beating another player unconscious. The rumors about him were true. He served four months in jail.”

  “Now you tell me!” Madison wailed. “I knew the man was ornery, but I didn’t know he was dangerous. I’d have never broken into his barn if I’d known that!”

  “Well, now you know. And apparently, he knows, too. That you were there, I mean. And I assume he also knows I was checking up on him, a fact he doesn’t seem to view too favorably, judging from the way he keeps circling the block.”

  “It might not be him. It might be whoever called me earlier. They specifically mentioned the gold.”

  “Not necessarily. They used the word golden. It could have been an unfortunate choice of words. A coincidence. Or,” her grandmother pointed out, “it could have been Lamont’s attempt at being clever. He does own the Gold and Silver Exchange.” She emphasized the word gold.

  “Either way, we have to tell Brash about this. This is getting out of hand.”

  Granny Bert waved a bony finger in her face. “You promised me, girl. You agreed to three weeks, and it’s only been one.”

  “One and a half. And that was before the phone calls, and before the dark car.”

  “It was also before you waltzed onto Lamont Andrews’ property and chopped down his barn!”

  “I didn’t chop anything. To be honest, I could hardly lift the ax. The best we could do was pry a board loose, which I’m certain can’t even be proved. For all he knows, the dog got loose on his own.”

  “Unless he has one of those fancy surveillance systems in place. He may have watched the whole thing unfold from the comfort of his store’s easy chair.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” Madison admitted, her mouth turning downward. “He has an elaborate enough one at the store…. And all those locks and chains around that old barn. I swear, the locks are worth more than the lumber!”

  “So, I see no need in tipping our hand about the gold, not until we know for sure who hid it in that chair.”

  “But… what about the woman?”

  “Could have been an over-zealous Jehovah’s Witness, come to save my soul. Or could have been Lamont’s girlfriend.”

  “I… guess,” Madison reluctantly agreed. “I suppose we can give a little while longer. Or until we know for certain who’s behind the calls and the windshield. But I’m warning you. If it’s not Lamont, I’m going straight to Brash and telling him everything. Agreed?”

  “You drive a hard bargain, but… agreed.” To seal the deal, her grandmother offered her hand.

  “You’ll still come home with me tonight, right?”

  “Not tonight.” Bertha Cessna shook her gray head.

  “Why not? The kids will love having you there.”

  “First of all, I’m not going to let some punk run me out of my house, just because he’s got his nose out of joint. I suspect he’s just throwing a little temper tantrum and will run out of steam soon enough.”

  “And second?”

  “I have two servings of jambalaya left, so Sticker’s coming over for supper tonight.”

  “Ah. The two of you are speaking again.”

  “If the man wants to talk about his shenanigans and explain this latest lapse in good sense, I’m willing to listen. I got nothing better to do while I’m eating my supper.”

  “That’s generous of you.”

  She seemed not to notice the dry note in her granddaughter’s voice. “I’m not about to throw that jambalaya out. I don’t want it a third time, and it’s not enough to even tease your son with. May as well give it to the old fella while he’s groveling.”

  “You don’t want Sticker seeing other women, but you won’t commit to a real relationship with him. One of these days, he’s going to get tired of waiting on you, you know,” Madison predicted.

  “And one day, pigs may fly.” Granny Bert peered out to scan the sky again. “But that’s not happening today, so why worry about it? Today, I’m offering to help you with the chair. Come on, girl. Let’s work on your man’s birthday present.”

  “Oh! I can’t believe I forgot what I came to tell you. I know how the chair disappeared from the Big House.”

  She relayed the story to her grandmother, who, after hearing it, shook her head and snorted. “That sounds like Hank. He was always doing odd jobs for Juliet. It would have been noble of him, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he only did it because he thought he would one day own the whole kit and caboodle. I guess when she passed, he assumed the chair was his, and there was no need to take it back.”

  “And when you were named heir, instead of him? Why didn’t he return
it then?”

  “I told you. We went through a rough patch there for a while, but we’d been friends for too long to let it come between us. I imagine he was miffed at first. Probably kept the chair out of spite. I have no doubt he forgot he had it after that. Like he said, after all those years, he probably felt silly returning a chair no one even realized was missing. I certainly never thought about it again.”

  “That makes sense,” Madison agreed. “But it still leaves a gaping hole in explaining the gold, and it doesn’t answer the biggest question of all. Who put it there, and did they do it before or after it left the Big House?”

  “I reckon you need to read those journals and find out.”

  Madison arrived home before Brash. Hurrying up to the second floor, she climbed onto the stool and leafed through the journals until she found the one dated 1933. Pulling the book free and sliding the panel back in place, she hoped to manage time for reading later that evening.

  She was in the kitchen, the journal hidden beneath an opened cookbook, when the twins came in.

  “This is a surprise. I didn’t expect you two home so early.” She smiled, accepting the kisses they dropped onto her cheek.

  “Since we didn’t have a game this week, Coach let us out of practice early and told us we were free,” Blake said, going to the refrigerator.

  “We’re done with our cheer project,” Bethani offered, “so there wasn’t much to do after school.”

  “Since we all have a free night, we wanted to know if we could have a few friends over,” her brother added.

  “A party? On such late notice?” Madison asked with dismay.

  “Not a party,” Bethani assured her quickly. “Just some of our friends. We could order pizza and watch a few movies. Please, Mom? We hardly ever have friends over.”

  “Megan—”

  “Is our sister and doesn’t count.”

  “Where is she, by the way?”

  “Helping her mom make brownies for tonight. But I see you have your cookbook out. You wouldn’t, by chance, be in the mood to make cookies, now would you?”

  Despite her daughter’s charming smile, Madison was able to resist. “Sorry, kiddo. Not tonight.”

  “Not tonight about the cookies, or the friends?”

  “Before you answer,” Blake broke in, “I volunteer to wash your car tomorrow if you say yes.”

  “Hand wash here in the yard, or take it to the car wash in Riverton?”

  This time, Blake offered the charming smile. “The car wash does such a better job than me, don’t you think? Fewer streaks.”

  “And gives you a chance to drive my car,” his mother pointed out. “Not to mention offers an opportunity to see Tasha.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think Danni Jo would like that very much,” Bethani teased, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

  “Danni Jo?” their mother asked. “Since when?”

  “Since Blake asked her to the dance.”

  Madison had trouble keeping up with the conversation. “Hold on. You’re just a sophomore. Since when are you going to the Jr.-Sr. Prom?” she asked her son.

  “Since I was voted doorman. They always invite two underclassmen to do the honors, and we can bring a date. I sort of invited Danni Jo.” He spoke around a mouthful of apple.

  Madison raised her eyebrows. “Sort of?”

  The youth shrugged. “I invited her. Oh, and I’ll need a tux.”

  “And I need a dress. Drew Baines asked me to be his date!” Bethani squealed, twirling around the room in a happy dance.

  “Madam, may I have this dance?” Blake approached his sister with an air of formality, offering his hand like a grand gentleman. As the twins waltzed around the kitchen, Madison smiled at their antics. It did her heart good, seeing the two of them exchanging laughter instead of insults. She suspected it was all part of their plan.

  “So, can we, Mom?” Blake asked, sashaying their way to where she stood. “Can we go to Prom, and can we have a get together tonight?”

  Dipped low over his arm, Bethani offered an upside-down smile. “Please? Pretty please?”

  Wavering, their mother asked, “Who did you want to invite?”

  Sensing she was softening, the twins stopped dancing and propped themselves against the bar to tag team her.

  “Not a lot of people.”

  “And we’ll clean up before and after!”

  “We won’t need a lot of food. Just a couple of large pizzas and the brownies. Maybe some chips and dips.”

  “I’ll make the dip, Mom.”

  “I’ll pick up the pizzas.”

  “We could get enough for you and Daddy D, and you wouldn’t have to cook tonight. You work so hard as it is.”

  At that, Madison sent her daughter a sharp look. “Don’t overdo it. And you still haven’t told me the guest list.”

  “Not a lot. Just Danni Jo, Drew, Megan. Maybe Connor Evans.”

  “Hmm. That sounds suspiciously like a triple date. Let me guess. Connor Evans invited Megan to Prom. He’s a junior, right?”

  Bethani sidestepped the question. “He hasn’t exactly asked her yet. But maybe after tonight…”

  “What about Jamal?”

  “He’s the other doorman, and he’s taking Latricia,” Blake offered. “They’ve been going out for a couple of months now.”

  “I know that. I meant aren’t you going to invite your best friend over for your party?”

  “It’s not a party. And Latricia has to work. She has that job at Aunt Genny’s now.”

  “If it’s a girl/boy thing, you can’t have it upstairs. You’ll have to stay down here in the family room.”

  “Mo-om!” they wailed in unison.

  “You know the rules.”

  “What’s the point in having the whole third floor to yourself, with a huge old ballroom turned game room, if you can’t even have a party up there?” Bethani grumbled.

  Madison offered no explanation. She gave them both the Mom Look.

  “Fine,” Blake huffed. “But do you and Daddy D have to be in there the whole time?”

  “No, but just know we reserve the right to walk in at any given moment. Hands and buttons should remain in their proper location at all times.”

  “Eww!” Bethani pulled back with a horrified expression on her pretty face. “Mom, that’s disgusting. Parents aren’t supposed to say things like that!”

  “Then how else are we supposed to remind you to behave yourselves?” Madison smiled sweetly. “Those are the rules. Take ‘em or leave ‘em.”

  Rolling her blue eyes, Bethani realized it was the best they would get. “I’ll call Megan and tell her to call Connor.”

  “You must have been pretty sure of yourself, if Shannon is already making brownies.”

  “We know what a fantastic mom you are.”

  Madison accepted another kiss to the cheek before pointing out, “You don’t have to butter me up, Beth. I already agreed.”

  “Yeah, but you really are the best!”

  As the girl bounded out of the room, Madison looked at her son. “Speaking of Latricia and her new job… I hear you put in an application with Danni Jo’s grandfather.”

  “I promise, that’s got nothing to do with me asking her to Prom,” the boy was quick to say. “I’m not trying to be sneaky and use her to get to him.”

  “The thought never crossed my mind. I was just curious why you didn’t mention it to me first.”

  Blake shrugged. “I talked to Daddy D about it. He thought it was a good idea.”

  “Oh,” Madison said in surprise. “Okay.”

  He heard the halting tone. “Mom? You’re not mad at me, are you?”

  “For taking it upon yourself to apply for a job? No, of course not. I think that shows real maturity.”

  “Thanks, but… that’s not what I meant. I meant because I talked to Daddy D, and not you.”

  “No. No, honey, I’m not mad. I guess I’m just not used to you talking to someone else about som
ething before you come to me.”

  “I dunno,” Blake said with another shrug. “It just seemed like a father/son thing, you know?”

  Madison was touched, knowing Blake considered Brash his father. The two males had developed a strong bond, long before last month’s wedding. Even before his unexpected death, Gray had begun to alienate their son. But the teenage years could be difficult to navigate, and Blake still needed a strong male role model in his life. Madison was more than delighted that Brash could be that role model and father figure for him, but she also couldn’t deny the tiny sting that pricked her heart. It had more to do with the fact that her son was growing up than it did the fact he had turned to Brash first.

  She couldn’t think of a better example for her son than Brash deCordova. Trying not to turn mushy for the teen’s sake, she blinked away unbidden tears and kept her tone light.

  “Then I hope you and your father have worked out a way to get you back and forth to your new job.”

  “I haven’t gotten it yet, Mom. And it won’t start until summer.”

  “I doubt you have anything to worry about. You’re a fine young man, Blake.”

  As she folded him into her arms, he accepted the hug. “You’re not going to cry, are you, Mom?”

  Madison sniffed away the tears. “No. No, of course not.”

  Nineteen

  The teenagers were having a loud and boisterous time. After pizza and brownies, they started a movie, but it soon gave way to a board game.

  “I never knew a board game could be so noisy!” Brash commented. He and Madison were in the formal library, close enough to keep an eye and ear on the teens, yet far enough away to give them a modicum of privacy.

  “It’s one of those new ones. Interactive, they call it.”

  “A far cry from Monopoly,” Brash mused. “Although, my family could get rough and rowdy, particularly considering we were playing for cardboard real estate and fake money. We boys would gang up on poor Laura and bankrupt her before she even turned around.”

  “You meanies,” Madison teased. “I never had brothers and sisters to play with, but my cousins and I liked to play games whenever we were together.”