The Key in the Attic(39)
“Yeah, next to nothing. But you’re right. Frank Sanders wouldn’t know about the clue we found or that this leads to anything of value. He wouldn’t have risked jail time based on this by itself. There must be more. Either there was something else in the secret cubby, or he knows something about Geoffrey and Angeline that we don’t.” Annie leaned back into the couch cushions and frowned. “He’s not likely to admit anything at this point, that’s for sure.”
“This clue talks about a key. Do you suppose he found a key hidden in the desk too?”
“He might have.” Annie picked up the paper again, and her eyes narrowed. “I’d sure like to see the original of this. There may be a lot more to it that he didn’t copy down. There has to be some way to find out what all he does know.”
“Sounds pretty hopeless. The police say they won’t be doing any more investigating unless I can come up with some new evidence against Sanders, and I sure don’t know what that would be.”
“We’ll just have to think of something then, won’t we?”
The corners of Mary Beth’s mouth turned down. “I guess I just have to let it go. It was just an old clock, but I did love it. It was such a beautiful antique.”
“And I was hoping we could solve Geoffrey’s little puzzle too. Still, whatever it led to in the 1860s might be gone now. I’m sorry things have turned out so disappointingly for you lately.” Annie glanced at her friend. “How are things going with Mr. Huggins? Is he still determined to sell out?”
“Still. He doesn’t really have much choice at this point.” Mary Beth sighed. “I’m running out of time, and the Burly Boy people are really pressing him to sell to them. Poor man, he’d do a lot better to sell to them than take what he’s asking me for the place. I just wish I had the money to do it. Actually, I wish he could keep the place and that his wife wasn’t so bad off.”
“I’ll keep them in my prayers.”
“They’ll appreciate that.”
Annie was silent for a minute, wracking her brains for some way to make Sanders reveal where he’d hidden the clock. The trees. There had to be trees out by the old Whyte place in Virginia.
“We’re not going to give up quite yet,” she assured Mary Beth. “As a matter of fact, I think, first thing tomorrow, I’ll drop by the mayor’s office for a few minutes.”
“The mayor’s office?” Mary Beth’s forehead wrinkled. “Why the mayor’s office?”
Annie grinned. “You’ll have to trust me on that one.”
13
The next morning Annie drove up Main Street and found a spot to park not far from Town Hall. After she got out of her car she took a moment to look down the charming street with its worn brick sidewalks and old-fashioned lamp posts. It was like a little piece of the past safely tucked away for everyone who lived in or visited Stony Point. She didn’t want to lose it to so-called “progress.” She wasn’t going to lose it, if she had anything to say about it.
She walked across the street into the Town Square, a planned green space in the center of town which was crowned by a crisp red, white, and blue flag snapping in the sea-scented breeze. She made a beeline toward Town Hall, went inside and strode into the mayor’s waiting room.
“Good morning, Mrs. Nash. How are you?” Annie asked Ian Butler’s secretary.
“Fine, thank you, Mrs. Dawson. May I help you?”
Annie smiled. “I was hoping to see the mayor for just a moment.”
“He’s not busy right now. Go on in.”
Annie walked over to the open door. Ian was seated at his desk, concentrating on something he was writing on a yellow notepad. He looked up when she knocked on the door frame, a sudden smile lighting his eyes.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite sleuth. How are you, Annie?” He got to his feet and pulled up a chair for her. “I hope you didn’t come over to talk about Burly Boy’s Burgers again.”
She returned his smile, feeling a little flush warm her face, and shut the door behind her. “I’ve been a real bear, haven’t I?”
“Nah, not you. You love Stony Point, that’s all. So do I. I still hope we’re going to have some eleventh-hour miracle before it comes to tearing up buildings on Main Street to put in a fast-food place.”
“I have an idea about something, Ian, and I need your help.”
He lifted both eyebrows. “About stopping Burly Boy?”
“Maybe.” She bit her lower lip. “Oh, I’m not sure. I don’t know if this will help at all, even if it works, but I have to try. And I can’t think of anything else.”