by S F Bose
Sykes nodded and continued. “Okay, then there’s also the subjective value you get when you have a buyer for a coin who really wants it. A motivated buyer will often pay much more than the appraised value of a coin. So when someone has quality coins and tokens they want to sell, I usually recommend selling through an auction house. Auctions often attract many motivated buyers and if they get into a bidding war, a coin can sell at a much higher price.”
“How much do you think all of the coins are worth?” I asked Sykes.
He shook his head. “I’ve only just started looking at the coins, but it’s clearly a multimillion dollar collection.”
At that point, Martha started crying and left the room. Peter looked startled and quickly turned to Sykes. “Thank you,” he said and hurried after Martha.
Sykes’ face turned serious. “This is an enormous event for them. I think it’s just sinking in. I spoke to Peter earlier and they have clear ownership of all the coins and tokens. However, there are a lot of legal and tax decisions they have to make to secure this windfall. It will be both life-changing and overwhelming for them.
We thanked him and went looking for Peter and Martha.
***
We found Peter and Martha at the front of the store behind the counter. Martha had stopped crying and was listening to Peter. Sam and I both slowed down and by the time we reached the counter, Martha was nodding.
“Um is everything okay? This is good news right? You’re both going to be hugely wealthy,” Sam said. They both looked at him with sad eyes.
I felt their heavy sadness. I shook my head but the feeling continued. Leaning against the counter, I let the feelings flow. The image of a treasure chest with the old Civil War letter and two teal Mason Jars flitted in and out of my mind.
“I think I understand,” I said and they looked at me. “Justin thought the letter was the prize. If Damian bought it, Justin could help both himself and your family financially. However, the real treasure was sitting in those Mason jars in the basement. He either never saw them or ignored them in favor of the letter.”
“Yes,” Martha said, blinking away tears. “If we had found the Mason jars sooner and had the coins appraised, we would have had more than enough money to help Justin, Joy, our grandchildren, and the Emporium. Justin would never have tried to sell that damn letter to Damian Fletcher. He’d be alive today. It was all for nothing.”
We stood in silence. Then I said, “I know it may not help, but searching for Justin’s Bible led you to the Mason jars. It was like Justin helped you to find the treasure.”
Martha smiled weakly and looked unconvinced. Peter hugged her.
“Martha, you can do great things with this windfall,” Sam said in a quiet voice. “Aside from helping your daughter and grandchildren, you can keep Justin’s memory alive in different ways. There are so many good things you could do.”
I nodded in agreement. “Sam’s right. For example, you could set up a scholarship fund in Justin’s name at the high school and at the University. He’d love that.” Martha and Peter both brightened at that thought.
“He would like that. We could keep Justin’s name and memory alive,” Peter agreed. Martha nodded slowly, as if she was working out the details. Then she smiled.
“That would be perfect,” she said. “I was thinking of the money as a burden, but maybe we could do some good with it too.” She looked at Peter and he smiled in agreement.
“If you put your heads together, you’ll come up with a lot more ideas too,” Sam said and smiled.
“You’ll keep the Emporium open, I hope,” I added.
“Oh absolutely,” Peter said. “That was one of the first things we talked about. Neither one of us likes change. This is our home and all our friends are here. We’ll live here forever.”
“Our lives are settled,” Martha agreed. “We can help our daughter, grandchildren, and others now. But we’ll never sell the Emporium. What the heck would we do all day?” Martha asked. Peter wiggled his eyebrows at her and she hit him in the shoulder. He chuckled and kissed her on her forehead.
Sam and I laughed. “We’ll leave you to your planning,” Sam said and we left a much happier Peter and Martha.
Chapter 62
Sam and I returned to the office. For a while, we talked about the treasure trove that had been sitting unnoticed in the Emporium basement for one hundred and fifty years.
“All that money…it’s mind-bogging,” said Sam.
“I’ve heard about the Fletcher Treasure for so many years. I can’t believe it’s real.”
“Peter and Martha won’t ever have to worry about money again. I’m happy for them.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “And they’re keeping the Emporium open, which is great.”
“You know what this means?” Sam asked.
“What?”
“Case closed!” He smiled happily and I clapped my hands. It was a relief to have an ending to the case of Justin Church’s murder. It wasn’t exactly a happy ending, but I hoped Peter and Martha felt some peace of mind.
Sam wanted to catch up on the cases he had farmed out to Adrian Rich. I went to my office and settled in. I reviewed my email and then updated the online case file for the Justin Church murder. The splint on my right hand immobilized my ring and pinky fingers, which made using the keyboard more difficult. It took me two hours but when I hit “Save,” I felt relieved.
I texted Chloe to ask if she or Olivia could drive me back to the coach house. She texted back that she’d be downstairs in ten minutes. I slid my laptop and other paperwork into my messenger bag, grabbed my parka, and headed into Sam’s office. He hunched over his laptop, typing away.
“The Justin Church case file is up-to-date,” I said, falling into my favorite chair in front of his desk.”
“Great.” He sat back and looked at me. “How’s your hand?”
I wiggled the splint and made a face. “No pain. But the splint gets in the way of everything.”
Sam laughed. “A few more weeks and you can kiss it goodbye. I’d stay away from the heavy bag for a while after that, though.”
“Good advice. Is it okay if I hit the road early? Chloe’s going to drive me back home.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Hey, are you free for dinner at the B&B? We should have some celebration at the end of a big case,” I suggested. Sam’s eyes lit up.
“What a great idea. Instead of eating at the B&B, how about I treat you to the best takeout you’ve ever had in your life? I can bring it to your place, if that’s okay.”
“Wait. Is this takeout food I would like eating too?” I asked thinking of Sam’s strange eating habits.
He laughed. “I guarantee you’ll love it. Afterwards I’ll show you how to play Slither.”
“Slither?” I narrowed my eyes.
“It’s a video game. It’s easier to show you than explain,” he said. I relaxed. Takeout and video games sounded like fun.
“Okay, I’m game. How’s 7:00 p.m. for you?”
Sam smiled. “Perfect.”
“What kind of dessert should I get from the B&B?” I asked.
Sam thought for a few seconds. “Ice cream. Definitely ice cream. Any flavor.”
“Yum I’m getting hungry already.” My cellphone buzzed and I had a text from Chloe. “Chloe’s downstairs.” I jumped up, threw on my parka and hat, grabbed my bag, and flew out of the office. I was really looking forward to dinner.
Chapter 63
Sam arrived at 7:00 p.m. on the dot, carrying three large pizza boxes and pulling a shopping cart with three huge shopping bags from Enzo’s Pizza.
“Sam…three pizzas?” I said in surprise.
“Sure. I thought your cousins might want to join us. Supreme, meat and cheese, and veggie pizzas. I also have chicken, rib tips, fries, mushrooms, cheese curds, and salads too.” Sam looked very pleased with himself.
“You’re amazing. It must have cost a fortune. I’m splitting this with yo
u.” I took the handle of the shopping cart and led him back to the kitchen.
“This is my treat, Liz.” When I looked back at him, he added, “Seriously.”
“Thanks, Sam. That’s really nice of you.”
“My pleasure,” he replied.
Both of my cats sat at the back end of the kitchen, watching us closely. Chloe and her boyfriend, Neville, were talking in the breakfast room, just off the kitchen. Sam put the pizza boxes on the center island and I parked the cart nearby. Then I introduced Sam to the cats. They were not impressed. Snap growled and Sammy hissed when he approached them. Taking off his parka, Sam looked at them warily.
“Well, it’s nice that you named a cat after me, but they both obviously hate me.”
“You’ll grow on them. And for the record I named Sammy long before I met you.” When I picked up his parka, he swept his Irish cap off his head and handed it to me.
“Are you sure?” I asked in surprise. He rarely took his cap off.
“Yep. Mom never lets me wear it at the dinner table when I go home to visit,” he replied and smiled. Score one for his mom, I thought and backtracked to the hall closet where I hung the jacket up and put the cap on the shelf.
When I returned, Chloe and Neville were walking into the kitchen. I introduced them to Sam. I noticed that he had replaced the dress shirt and bow tie he’d been wearing, with a gray Henley and blue jeans.
“Wow you look amazing!” I said to Chloe, checking out her outfit. She wore black leather pants and a dark gray, V-neck sweater topped with a short, black, biker jacket. Knee-high black boots completed the outfit. All eyes shifted to her.
“Stop looking at me,” she said nervously and folded her arms. Her eyebrows darted down into a frown.
When Neville chuckled, Chloe glared at him. Then he chuckled even more. I had met Neville many times and liked him. He had a quirky sense of humor and didn’t take Chloe’s guff. Neville also had a unique sense of style. He sported a short beard, wire rim glasses, and smaller earplugs. His thick, wavy black hair was cut in a Mohawk that faded to shaved sides and back. Neville loved plaid shirts, blue jeans, and motorcycle boots. He and Chloe were an eye-catching couple.
“Dude, there’s enough food here for an army,” Neville said, pulling a bag out of the cart and putting it on the floor. He started moving foiled containers of food to the island.
“Yeah, I went overboard,” Sam admitted. “But it’s for everyone. You guys have to help us eat all this food.”
“You bet!” Chloe said and Neville grinned. “I love a woman with a healthy appetite,” he said.
“You bet your booty,” Chloe replied and winked.
“Is Olivia here?” I asked her.
“No. She went to Madison with some friends,” she replied, moving the second bag of food from the cart to the floor. “
“Okay.” I pulled down four dinner plates and large bowls from the cabinet. “Oh we also have vanilla caramel ice cream for dessert,” I said. Chloe smiled and clapped her hands. Behind her, Neville grinned.
“What happened to your hand, Liz?” Neville asked, suddenly noticing the splint.
“Oh, I was hitting the heavy bag with just hand wraps on and hurt two knuckles.” I flashed an embarrassed smile. Although Neville smiled back, I wasn’t sure he knew what a heavy bag was. I felt bad that I couldn’t share the truth, but it was for the best.
I set places for everyone in the middle of the farmhouse table in the dining room. Chloe followed me with a bottle of Sobe, and three cans of soda and glasses. Neville ferried bowls of chicken, rib tips, breaded mushrooms, French fries, and fried cheese curds to the far end of the table.
I quickly cut up a piece of chicken in the kitchen and put it in the cats’ feeding dishes. They meowed in excitement and pounced on the food as soon as I put the dishes down. I smiled as I watched them eat.
“Pizza preference,” Sam shouted from the kitchen. “We have meat and cheese, Supreme, and veggie.”
“Supreme!” we all shouted back and laughed. Sam brought the pizza and set it at the far end of the table with the side dishes.
I followed him back to the dining room. I was starving and everything smelled so good! Sam and I sat across from Neville and Chloe at the long table.
“Cheers!” Sam said, raising his glass of Sobe. We raised our glasses of soda in response. “To friends and good food,” he said. We all repeated the toast and sipped our different drinks.
Then we got up and filled our plates with pizza, fries, fried mushrooms, rib tips, chicken, and cheese curds. I watched in amazement as Sam took a big slice of Supreme pizza, with everything on it, French fries, fried mushrooms, fried chicken, and three rib tips. He passed on the fried cheese curds. I was surprised that he was combining so many different foods in one meal.
“Sam, that’s all normal food,” I noted, as we sat down. I popped a fried mushroom into my mouth.
“You don’t eat normal food?” Neville asked, taking a ginormous bite of pizza and glancing at Sam.
“I’m a…selective eater.”
“He’s a picky eater,” I corrected and Sam made a face at me. I ignored him and took a bite of my pizza. I moaned. “Wow, this is great pizza, Sam.”
“Sure is,” Chloe agreed. “Thanks for sharing.”
“What do you normally eat?” Neville asked Sam.
Sam ate a breaded mushroom and shrugged. “Sometimes I’ll eat Caesar salads for lunch for a week. Or baked potatoes with barbecue sauce. One month all I wanted was scrambled eggs. Other times it’s fish. When I get tired of one food, I move on to another.”
“Interesting,” Neville said. “Your food choices are actually pretty healthy. You just keep it clean and simple.” We all nodded.
Sam smiled and bit into a chicken leg.
“You’ve been trying some new foods too,” I commented.
Sam swallowed the bite of chicken and washed it down with Sobe. “That’s because you’re a bad influence. Life used to be much simpler.”
“Ha!” I replied while Neville and Chloe laughed.
I watched as Sam bit into his slice of pizza. This would be a real test. He chewed and chewed and then he said, “Good. This is good.” I smiled and gave him a fist bump. He loved the pizza, fried chicken, rib tips, fried mushrooms, and French fries.
“You didn’t want any cheese curds?” I asked.
Sam shook his head. “I don’t like fried cheese curds that much.”
“I like fresh cheese curds much better,” Chloe said and I bobbed my head in agreement.
“Nothing like the squeak of a fresh cheese curd,” I agreed. “I’ll get you some,” I said to Sam.
“I love fried cheese curds,” Neville declared and looked at Chloe. “More please.” She smiled and passed him the bowl of cheese curds.
Despite the conversation, Neville offered the plate of cheese curds to all of us and we declined. “They’re all yours, bro,” Sam said. Bro? Neville happily transferred some curds to his plate and ate them with a dipping sauce. “Mmm,” he said happily.
Sam glanced at Neville. “What do you do for a living?”
Neville held up a finger and swallowed the cheese curd.
“I’m a writer. I got a degree at DePaul in film and television screenwriting four years ago. After that, I went out to L.A. for a few years, sold some scripts, made a bunch of money, and hated it. In my spare time, I was writing mystery and suspense novels and publishing them on Amazon. I loved writing them and people liked reading them. So I started looking into fiction writing programs and found the MFA at the University. They only accept six students, so I doubt I’ll get in,” Neville said.
“You’ll get in,” Chloe said quickly and he darted a smile at her.
“When will you find out, Neville?” I asked, moving another piece of pizza to my plate.
“Mid-March. Meantime, I’m living on savings and book royalties. I still write mysteries, so it could be worse.”
“Good luck. I hope you get in. Do y
ou live in Mystic Grove?” Sam asked. He stood and helped himself to two more pieces of pizza and more mushrooms.
“Thanks. No, I room with my brother in Madison. We’re originally from Appleton.”
“Are you giving up on the screenwriting?” I asked.
Neville was shocked. “Oh no. I enjoy writing screenplays, but I wanted some variety. I’ll do screenplays, write novels, and maybe teach. I also want to do documentaries too.” Chloe looked at Neville with open admiration. She loved ambition and hard workers.
“Chloe set up a website for me and I’m building my mailing list. She’s a marketing genius,” he said, with a shy smile at her. Chloe focused on another slice of pizza but she was smiling too.
“So what do you do?” Neville asked Sam.
“I’m a private investigator. I have an agency in Mystic Grove. Liz works there too.” Neville’s eyes lit up.
“I remember Chloe told me you were a PI,” Neville said, grinning at me. “That’s so cool!”
“Well, I’m just a PI intern,” I corrected him.
“Do you like it so far?” he asked.
I thought for a second. “I do. Each case is a different type of puzzle. I like solving puzzles and helping people. Plus I can carry a gun at work.”
Sam laughed. “A gun that she never hesitates to pull,” he said and I concentrated on my chicken. Everyone’s a critic, I thought. I saw Chloe and Neville exchange a confused look.
“He’s just kidding,” I said. Sam opened his mouth but closed it when I glared at him. Neville and Chloe smiled.
Chloe ran a finger around the rim of her glass of soda. “I think liking what you do is the single most important thing to look for in a career. Otherwise, what’s the point?”