“It appears to be a couple of inches wide and deep. But it still looks almost as good as the day it was put in the ground. Even the worms didn’t bother it. There doesn’t seem to be any writing on the plastic bag,” Lee said.
She pulled off her gloves and picked up the box between her index finger and thumb. She shook it.
“Nothing, I was hoping to hear a key rattle in it.”
“If there’s a key in there, it may be glued to the inside with rust,” he said.
He couldn’t believe their luck, now to get it open and see the contents.
Both of them were on their knees in a praying position looking down at the box Miranda now held in the palm of her hand, unwrapping the plastic layer by layer. When at last the box was exposed, there appeared to be a thin layer of rust coating the metal.
“Well, for heaven’s sake, open it.”
“Be patience, I don’t want the thing to fall apart look how rusted and fragile it seems to be, it’s been in the ground for who knows how many years.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off the box it was as though it would vanish if he did. Watching as Miranda turned it he saw a small latch. She sucked in her breath. “Cross your fingers.” With a gentle touch she tugged on it.
He stiffened holding his breath, then the lid popped, dropping rust and dirt on the palm of her hand, revealing a piece of clear plastic wrapped around a strip of paper that was about two inches long, he reached in taking out the contents,
“Be careful.”
“Kid, why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know unwrap the darn thing.”
Lee was unfolding the wrapping with slow measured movements.
“STOP, RIGHT NOW!”
Lee jumped and his heart started racing, he slid is empty hand inside his coat and put it on his gun. Before she looked up, Miranda put her hand holding the box behind her back. Lee slid the plastic into his front coat pocket.
“What are you two doing down there? You vandals come in all ages and sizes, don’t you?”
Lee turned to see who was behind him as Miranda looked up. Their eyes met the angry gaze of a big whisker-faced guy, as they stood at the same time.
“Oh, sorry, Miranda, I didn’t know it was you,” he said. “I didn’t know you had anyone buried in this cemetery.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Gus, you scared me to death, we were trying to clean up around this overgrown tombstone of my family friend.”
Lee pulled his hand from inside his coat, leaving the gun in the holster.
“As I said, I’m sorry. Some of us from the neighborhood have been taking turns watching this place because there have been so many vandals around here this last year. They don’t respect cemeteries like they used to.”
“Gus,” Lee said, “someone was standing in the parking lot over there across the street earlier and fired a rifle at us. Did you happen to see who it was or know anything about it?”
“No, sir. I don’t know anything about that. I was driving by when I spotted you two. You mean someone was standing in the parking lot over there watching you guys and shot a gun at you?”
“Yes,” Lee said, “then the person jumped in a car and sped away.”
Gus turned to the field across the river and pointed. “Maybe they were shooting at some of the deer that come out at the edge of the woods over there.”
“Well, why would anyone shoot right over our heads? We could have been killed,” Lee said.
“I don’t know, sir. It’s interesting that you would say that because there have been a lot of strange goings on around here lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“There have been a lot of strangers in town lately. They’ve been snooping around, asking questions. There’s this one old guy who must be in his eighties or nineties asking about some Lillian person.”
Lee exchanged glances with Miranda. He was sure they were both thinking the same thing.
Gus continued. “This old guy approached me at the park the other night asking me if I knew a Lillian somebody, I told him I never heard of her. I asked him what his interest was in her, he just mumbled, never mind, gave me the evil eye and walked to his car.”
“Why did he think you would know anything about a Lillian?” Lee asked as he shot a glance at Miranda.
“I don’t know, I was sitting at one of the park tables with my friend eating pizza when Milton brought up the murder of that Grayson guy from years ago. We were discussing it and what we thought happened, when the old coot sitting at the table next to ours came over and wanted to know if we knew this Lillian something. I can’t remember her last name.”
“What did he look like?”
“He was well dressed and walked with a cane. He had on a go fast hat with a scarf wrapped around his neck. As I said before, he looked to be about eighty-five years old or older, and he smelled like mint.”
“Was he alone?” Lee asked.
“When he walked toward the car, there was a man holding the door open for him. The old guy got into the back seat, the other man went around, got in the driver’s seat and the car drove north.”
“Are you sure that was all he said?” Lee asked.
“Well, that’s all I can remember right now if I think of anything else I’ll give Miranda a call.”
“Okay, thanks anyway,” Lee patted him on the shoulder, “you did a good job, Gus, thanks,” Lee smiled at him.
“Anyway,” Gus said, “sorry again for scaring you and your friend. Miranda, if I were you I would be careful out here. It’s hard to tell who might sneak up on you,” Gus said as he turned away and rushed back to his car parked by the side of the road. They watched him as he checked for coming traffic before he opened the door to his gray Buick and slid into the front seat.
Rust fell to the ground when he slammed the door closed driving and drove off.
“Gus is the guy in the neighborhood who watches out for everyone, he’s an old teddy bear well maybe more like a big gentle panda bear.
He acts and sounds gruff, but he’s as gentle as a lamb, with the heart of a lion who would do anything for anyone even you.”
CHAPTER 24
Present Day
“Come on, Lee, we can take this back to the house and look at it away from prying eyes.”
“That’s a good idea, but we need to go into town even though I’m still shaking a little from being shot at and startled by Gus. If we get this part of the research finished, we’ll have accomplished a lot today. As much as I want to see what’s in that paper it can wait until we get back from town.”
Miranda rolled her eyes and stared at Lee. “Are you kidding me? How can you wait? We’ve found lost treasure.”
“Grow up. It’ll keep until we get back. I feel the information we’ll find at the library will be just as important as whatever is in that plastic wrap, which we hope is the key.”
“I could take it out of your pocket.” Before she finished the sentence she pulled it out of Lee’s pocket and unwrapped it. Lee watched as the key dropped into Miranda’s hand.
“Wow, who would have thought that it would be there?” Lee looked around checking for prying eyes, then back to Miranda who was staring at the key.
“The key has been here all this time, but is it the key to her safe deposit box in Florida?”
“I think you’re jumping to conclusions. It could be to a bank here in town. How would we know?” Lee said.
“There is one way to find out. We are going to that bank in Florida, besides all that I checked with the banks here in town and none of them listed a box to her,” Miranda said.
“It might be a wild goose chase,” Lee said.
“I’m booking us on a flight to Florida for early tomorrow morning right now, she pulled out her phone.” Miranda rushed toward the car, but before they got in, she opened the trunk, put the shovel in and closed the lid.
Lee put the key back into his coat pocket then gave it a pat before getting into the car.
After getting into the car, she turned toward Lee looking him square in the eyes. “I think you’re right. Our every move is being watched, but by whom and for what I don’t have a clue. It may be about the letters, I don’t know. Or it may be about the money and jewelry or all three. We’ll have to be patient. Maybe by stalling we can flush out whoever it is, but this I know; we should guard the letters, and now the key this thought keeps rolling around in my head. How did they, whoever they are, know that we were coming to the cemetery? Has my house been bugged? Maybe there’s a bug in this car. What do you think?”
Lee shrugged. “Well, if there’s a bug in this car we shouldn’t be talking about it now. Oh, sure so now you’re admitting I have been right all along. And maybe Robert Mason is here and having us watched to get the letters or the manuscript. Lilly said he hounded her for the information. But why? What’s in the letters that would be of value to him?”
“I’m not admitting anything Lee it’s my intuition kicking in that’s all. But I think from this point on we need to be extra careful where we go and what we say. And yes I’m beginning to think it’s been Robert Mason all along and we were thinking it was the police or someone in the local government.”
“Listen, Kid, I think there are two things going on here. One, I think the police are involved and don’t want us to uncover the real murderer because it will expose one of their own, two I think Mason is after the letters but the question is why?”
Lee put his foot to the gas pedal and eased the car up to the road, while Miranda turned up her sixties music humming as Lee drove south toward town.
He reached over, and turned down the music. “It’s a shame this town has seen its better days look at it it’s been neglected like the cemetery.”
Benson had a charming, old-fashioned, yet forgotten look, it was a dying run-down place. The streets still had the original red brick from the 1800s. The brick mills closed down in the mid-1900s causing major layoffs and the town never recovered from the loss of its second largest employer in the county. The abandoned railway station that was now home to animals, homeless people, and drug dealers, was once an important stop on the rail line from Bridgetown to Harrisburg. The library was small but easy to locate on the corner of the only busy intersection, it was housed in one of the few new buildings in town.
Lee parked in the small lot and they entered the building. They were the only people there except for the young librarian. After Lee explained what he was looking for, she pointed him in the direction of the yearbooks as a place to start searching.
From the 1930 yearbook, Lee found Lilly’s senior picture. She was a nice looking petite girl with short dark hair at least it looked dark in the black-and-white picture. Listen to this Lee said.
“Lilly Sanders: Happy go-lucky all day long, if she isn’t chattering something is wrong.”
“Now that sounds like the Lilly in the letters,” Miranda said.
“Oh, listen to this, she was a contestant in an oratorical contest. You’ll never guess who the coach was. The junior oratorical contest of the class of 1930 was held in the auditorium of the Methodist Church on May 3, 1929. The contestants were ably coached by Miss Sara Dowell.’”
“At last we’ve found Sara.”
“She has to be who Lilly spoke of in the letters and Winslow talked about,” Lee said. “So it would seem Lilly kept in contact with her through the years. Finding her might answer a lot of our questions.”
“Yes, if she’s still alive. Flip back to the faculty section so we can see what Sara looked like,” Miranda said.
Lee flipped the pages. Sara taught English 2 and 3. She graduated from college, Upper New York, A.B. She taught at the high school five years.
“Yuck. She sure didn’t get any awards for good looks.”
“Lee what a mean thing to say she couldn’t help the way she looked.”
Miranda walked a few steps behind Lee as he carried the book to the librarian. She made copies for them and Lee paid her.
They were adding information hourly about the Grayson murder and the people involved with it and in it.
After getting into the car, Lee programed the GPS. “I put in the address of the house Lilly grew up in. I want to see what it looks like.”
They followed the directions to the address at 705 West Fifteenth Street, not far from the library.
“There it is,” Lee said. “Wow, it’s beautiful, what a great old Victorian house. It is a gracious looking place, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is, Lee. Turn the car around and let’s drive back out of town toward Jane’s real estate office.”
“Okay.” As Lee did a U-turn and pulled away, he took another look at the house. “Yes, I could picture Lilly living there,” he said, watching the house grow smaller in the rear view mirror until it was out of sight.
They drove through the underpass of the railroad bridge, the nursing home on the left had a few old people bundled up in in blankets sitting in wheelchairs on the pillared front porch. The town smelled like old people everywhere Lee went, he couldn’t get the smell out of his nose. He turned into the real estate office parking lot on the left there was only one car there, a new Buick.
He pulled into a space, as a whistle turned into a siren and fire trucks roared by. Lee watched them speeding up the street.
“There’s Jane’s car we’re in luck to find her here,” Miranda said.
He held the door open for Miranda. Jane was in the office to the left side of the reception room. Lee peeked around the door as she looked up.
“Lee, what a surprise how nice to see you it’s been awhile,” she got up, walked around her desk, putting her arms around his neck, giving him a warm embrace. Jane looked at Miranda, walked over to her, and gave her a hug.
“It’s always nice to see you Miranda.”
“Yes, it’s nice to see you as well we should get together more often.”
“Yes, we had some good times. Lee, how are you doing? It’s been what—three years since Joan passed?”
“It gets better with each new day, I don’t think that’s something you ever get over. I could never forget Joan, but life goes on. I still have trouble sleeping at night.”
“Yes, Lee, I know what you mean, I miss my sister terribly, but it’s time for you to move on with your life just as I’ve had to do since Reggie passed away. Life is full of pauses that break our hearts and leave us floundering around grasping for something to comfort us, but what we do with the fragments of time that are left reveals a lot about who we are and who we’ve become.”
“Wow, Jane, you said that so well it was as if you were reading my mind.”
“Lee, if you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to our little town?”
“Well, Jane, of course . . .” He shifted positions nervously in his chair. “I wanted to stop to visit with you for a while, and I have some questions as well.”
“Lee, that’s not the way I remember it, but never mind me, go on.”
He paused for a second knowing all t well what Jane meant, she understood what haunted him day and night.
Miranda spoke up, “Jane, about ten years ago Joan gave me some letters that were written when we were teenagers. They were from a woman who said she knew who murdered your Uncle Bert. She wanted me to take a look at them and if I had time snoop into what the woman said. I took the letters told her I would, but I was too busy to read them. I moved the letters from one spot to another always meaning to read them, but didn’t. In all the shuffling around they landed at the bottom of a box of my papers.” Jane nodded shifting in her chair.
“A while ago,” Miranda continued, “I was working on some long overdue cleaning when I came across the letters again. This time I decided to read them.” Miranda paused, and made a sweeping gesture with her hands.
“I couldn’t put them down. They were compelling reading. The lady who wrote them seemed a bit confused contradicting herself at times, but nevertheless they were compelling. They were
written by Lillian Grace and addressed to your Aunt Elizabeth. When I finished the last letter, I was so intrigued by what she said I contacted Lee.”
Without turning her head, Jane’s blue eyes moved to Lee.
“What did you think after you read them, Lee?”
“I was hooked. Miranda and I discussed them, and together we decided to investigate the murder on our own.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t get too wrapped up in the letters,” Jane said with a laugh. “That woman was crazy. She couldn’t have known Uncle Bert to say the things she said.” Jane paused. “What did she say that makes you think she knows what she’s talking about? Aunt Elizabeth gave the police copies of her letters. They said they checked out everything and none of it was true. They also said she was crazy, had delusions, and saw connections with all the murders that took place in Bridgetown to Uncle Bert’s murder. Did you know she was in a mental hospital for quite some time?” Lee stood pacing back and forth. “Jane, I can see why you would laugh, she does sound crazy, but we have worked on hours of research already and a lot of what Lilly said we’re finding out was true.”
“Jane, did you read the letters?” Lee asked.
“Yes, I did read them; well maybe I only skimmed the first letter and didn’t read it. I guess I didn’t look at any of the other letters either, but more than fifty years have passed since then, I don’t remember a lot of what I did read, except there were a few lines she wrote that gave me the impression she couldn’t have known Uncle Bert to write such silly things.”
“I have a question for you. Why did you give the letters to Joan?” Lee stopped pacing looking directly at Jane.
“I guess, like Miranda, I was doing some cleaning in the office one day and came across the letters in my desk drawer. Joan was in town that week for a visit. In fact, she was sitting in the same chair you are, Lee. I showed her the letters and told her the story, she said she’d like to read them, so I told her to keep them, they were of no value to me any longer.” Jane paused smiling at Lee.
“It would be nice to have closure on the murder, finding out who did it and why. At this point in time I think the why is probably more important than who did it, because after all these years the person or persons who committed the murder are probably dead by now; but you never know what could turn up.”
Secret Keepers and Skinny Shadows: Lee and Miranda Page 11