Once Upon a Summer

by Brooke Moss

  The screen filled with photographs of the bird box along with the key and a rectangle of yellowed folded paper.

  Harmony Tailor, a mechanical engineer, working in her father's antique shop discovered a key wrapped in a piece of paper inside an antique automaton singing bird box created by Karl Griesbaum in the 1920s. The box was taken to Tailor's shop to be repaired by its owner, Grace Billups after she purchased it online in an auction. How could Ms. Billups know her $3800 investment would become a means for her murder?

  Grace’s house flashed on the screen. It was replaced with side-by-side mug shots of the two men who had terrorized them last summer.

  Tomas Lopez and Matais Vera, two thieves living in Dina Huapi Argentina stumbled upon an abandoned house on the outskirts of San Carlos de la Bariloche. The modest Chateau style home became vacant when the owner of the house passed away in 2014. The woman's estranged daughter sold off most of the contents in online auctions. However, Lopez and Vera discovered something nobody else had - a secret panel hidden in the floorboards. Inside was a small cache of valuables and a dusty journal.

  It was the journal that would prove to be the most significant find of a lifetime.

  A woman in her mid-fifties sat at a table. Her glove covered hands slowly turned the pages of a book in front of her. As she read the brittle, yellowed pages, her voice could be heard.

  "This is the personal journal of Klaus Berger. In 1945, after the fall of the Third Reiche, he fled Germany to Argentina as many war criminals did at that time. They were welcomed by Juan Peron and the Argentine Regime as friends. The Bariloche territory was particularly attractive to these wartime collaborators given the resemblance to the Swiss Alps. Berger wrote extensive passages regarding the move and getting settled into his new home. He also documented the final days of the war and the attempt by the Nazis to salvage as much loot as possible by freighting it into Austria. His accounts confirm the rumors surrounding the night in Arrach when the treasure was buried in a massive vault deep in the Bavarian Forest. It also included a secondary location containing a smaller portion of treasure Berger had taken for himself. He intended to one day return to Arrach and retrieve his stolen goods."

  The woman turns the page to the back of the book and points to a half page full of very faded scrawl.

  "In 1963, Berger was diagnosed with lung cancer. Knowing his time was short, he tore out the reference to his treasure from the journal leaving behind only a faint reference of a music box holding the map and the key."

  The narrator continued.

  Berger's granddaughter did not know the history of her family. When she sold her grandfather's possessions, it included the Griesbaum box ultimately purchased by Ms. Billups of Meridian, Mississippi.

  When Lopez and Vera found the journal, they first thought it was not important. However, Lopez, who has a German grandmother of his own, was able to interpret the writings and soon realized the significance of the book. Upon closer inspection, Lopez found the final passages surrounding the Nazi Gold Train. Authorities believe the two were able to follow Berger's granddaughter to her home in Buenos Aires where they tortured and murdered her.

  A copy of the Buenos Aires Herald flashed on the screen with a picture of a woman and large letter headline that was translated below it into English -'Local woman brutally murdered'.

  It's believed Lopez and Vera were able to uncover the whereabouts of the missing box and followed it to the United States.

  The narrator went on to mention briefly the discovery of Grace Billups’ body, the break-in of the shop, and the eventual standoff between Hunter and Tomas which resulted in Tomas's death.

  In Hunter's lap, Harmony shuddered at the memory. Hunter grabbed the remote and paused the screen. "Are you all right? We don't have to watch any more of this," he murmured to her.

  "No, I want to see it." She rubbed her arms to warm them. "Really, I'm fine."

  "All right, but if watching this starts the nightmares up again, Jolly is going to skin me alive. I promised her not to let you get upset."

  She leaned in and kissed his jaw tenderly eliciting a soft growl of appreciation. "Then I guess after this is over, you'll have to make sure I'm so tired, I won't have any dreams at all."

  "That sounds like a plan." He nipped her bottom lip and sucked it gently. "You know, you were right earlier. We can record the rest of this and watch later."

  She pressed her body against him and whispered against his lips as she grabbed the remote from his hand. "Nope. You had your chance earlier. Now I'm invested in it. It took six months to make this documentary. I want to see it now. Time for playing later." With a smirk, Harmony pushed the button. Hunter threw his head back against the cushion and groaned.

  The narration continued.

  While Tomas Lopez kept Harmony Tailor hostage, his partner took her adopted father to retrieve the paper containing location instructions for the treasure in Germany from their house. City police intercepted the two as they exited the domicile, wounding Lopez and rescuing Tailor along with the journal page.

  The scene switched back to the excavation site in Bavaria. Harmony and Hunter stood on the side of the hole, both wearing hardhats and pointing into the void.

  Three months after the incident, a deal was hammered out with the German government and the landowner where the treasure was hidden. Miss Tailor, along with her friend and rescuer Hunter Masterson were on hand as the entrance to an underground cave was excavated. She was given the privilege of unlocking the door which led to the unearthed vault.

  Harmony pressed the key into the lock and tried to turn it. Nothing happened, and she laughed as a locksmith was called in to remove the lock.

  Hunter shook his head. "Was a bit of a stretch to hope the key would work. Those old locks were rusted tighter than Dick's hatband."

  Harmony chuckled. "Yeah, but it was still kind of exciting to hope it would. The director said it added to the suspense."

  They returned their attention to the television.

  The locksmith finished his work and stood back. The door was removed and a flashlight thrust into the opening. Every person on site gasped as light reflected off of the piles of gold, silver, and diamonds bathed their faces.

  The estimated value of the total find is five hundred million dollars. As part of the deal, five percent of the horde's value will go to Miss Tailor as a finder's fee, five percent to Grace Billups’ estate as the owner of the music box, and ten percent to Hans Kroft, the owner of the land where the treasure was found. The actual pieces of the find were seized as artifacts by the German government and are on display at Deutsches Historisches Museum, the German museum of history in Berlin.

  We asked Miss Tailor what she planned to do with her sudden windfall.

  "I'm setting up a trust fund and scholarship program that will be used to provide educational opportunities to high-risk children in need. The Grace Billups Foundation will help gifted children who cannot afford to attend school the means to achieve their goals. Not everyone is as lucky as I in finding a wonderful, supportive family. I owe so much to my adoptive parents, and I want to pay it forward."

  As the program ended, Hunter turned the television off and laid the remote on the table next to the empty popcorn bowl. Harmony curled her arm around his back and sighed softly. "It was a good show."

  "It was. I'm surprised Jolly and Mickey haven't called." Hunter pressed his face into the shoulder-length tresses and inhaled. "I like your hair this length. Thank you for growing it out. I enjoy running my fingers through it."

  She giggled as he tickled her lightly. "You're welcome, and I expect they are giving us room tonight. I'm sure it'll be the talk of Jolly's diner in the morning."

  He kissed the side of her neck tenderly, running his lips over her flushed skin causing goose bumps to rise on her arms. "I expect so," he breathed.

  "So, you said something about wearing me out?"

  "That I did, Pix. And since we both have to work in the morning, I bet
ter get to it. I don't like you making that drive to Forest and back while tired." He grinned and gently slid her out of his lap.

  Standing, he took her hand and pulled her down the hall to the bedroom. They had just moved into the house less than two weeks ago and still had several rooms to furnish. That hadn't kept them from christening each one, though. Reaching their bedroom door, he swept her into his arms and carried her into the room. Depositing her on the bed, he looked down at her with so much love in his face it made her heart ache.

  "Hunter? Let's not wait any longer. I know we said we would do the big wedding thing in October, but I've changed my mind. Let's elope. We can get on a plane Saturday, go to Vegas and be done with it."

  Hunter stopped and stared at her incredulously. "You said you wanted a traditional wedding. What would Jolly say if you didn't get married in a church?"

  She chuckled. "Well, it's a little late for me to wear white. The only family I have is Mickey and Jolly. Your family is so scattered and busy I can't even get a date hammered down. Let's forget all the craziness and just do it. We can have a massive reception party in a few weeks." She lay back on the bed and spread her arms over her head causing her tank to rise and show her belly. "Think of it this way. If we go ahead and get married, we can start working on the future Olympic track star you are wanting."

  "I like the way you think, Harmony." He flipped the side table light off and climbed into the bed, peppering kisses on her belly as he lifted her shirt up and off. His lips followed his hands, causing her to gasp and squirm until he captured her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. When she was breathless and panting, begging for him not to stop, he slowly pushed her hair from her face and whispered, "I'll never stop loving you, not until the day I die."

  Her heart swelled with love for this amazing man who had never let her down. She cupped his check in her palm as she rose toward his lips.

  "And, I'll love you long after that."

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This offering would not have been possible without the help of several people.

  Ward Calhoun of the Lauderdale County Sheriff Department for his invaluable advice on law enforcement procedures. I may have taken a slight detour for artist purposes, but otherwise I tried to stay true.

  Jeff Jackson, one of my longtime friends and posting buddies. Thanks for letting me used the name of one of your characters from our interactive story days. Too bad I couldn't find a place for Sami as well.

  Lastly, a huge thanks to Charles Frazier of Weidmann's Restaurant in Meridian for allowing me to use the name, location, and menu items from his establishment. Aunt Jolly's Diner and Mickey's Treasures, Antiques and Estates may be fabricated for this book, but Weidmann's is not. The fried green tomatoes in 1870 sauce and peanut butter pie are to die for and may be a close to a religious experience. Thank you for allowing me to borrow them for Hunter and Harmony's first date.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Melissa was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and raised in Houlka, a small rural town forty-five minutes southwest down the famous Natchez Trace. She found a love of reading very early and devoured everything she could. Told repeatedly that she had a wonderful imagination, Melissa turned to scribbling her musings and wrote her first novel while in college. It was never published and has since vanished. The death of a close friend who aspired to become an author reawaked her own desire resulting in penning her first book, Shattered Dreams, published in 2013.

  Melissa now resides in Meridian, Mississippi with her supportive family – husband, Robert and daughter Rebecca. When she isn't writing, she enjoys reading and talking with friends spread across the globe.

  Website: https://www.mkclarke.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Melissakayclarke/

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaKayClark

  Blog: https://melissakayclarke.wordpress.com/

  Instagram: @MKClarke

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