The Key in the Attic(58)

“That was Mom’s mother and her uncles,” Mary Beth said when Annie asked about them. “Grandma said her brothers were all killed at the battle of Château-Thierry in World War I.”

“None of them had children?” Alice asked.

“No. I think they were all very young.”

“Then, really, it seems to me that whatever was left to Angeline would be passed down to you, Mary Beth.” Annie smiled and handed the Bible back to her. “And you know Geoffrey intended the jewelry for her. I don’t think you have to worry about being entitled to it.”

There was worry in Alice’s expression. “I don’t know if Geoffrey’s intentions are enough to give you good claim to the jewelry, Mary Beth. A letter vaguely talking about providing for Angeline isn’t the same thing as a legal will.”

“But he didn’t have children when he died,” Annie protested.

“No, but he would likely have had brothers or sisters who did. No, wait, didn’t you say Geoffrey was the only son? Anyway, he may have had sisters, and it’s their descendants who might have a claim. With something as valuable as that necklace, you’ll have them crawling out from under rocks for a share of the money. And it might leave Mary Beth out entirely.”

“But it’s been in our family for a century and a half,” Mary Beth protested, and then she sighed. “But I suppose, if someone else has the right to it, he might need it as badly as I do—or worse. And honestly, I don’t want anything that really belongs to someone else.”

“Obviously, this isn’t going to be a simple matter to get cleared up.” Annie smiled at Mary Beth. “I think you need to talk to an appraiser and a lawyer, and find out what you need to do next.”

Alice picked up the necklace and held it up to her neck, admiring herself in the mirror over Mary Beth’s couch. “This red doesn’t really work with my hair, I suppose, but, ooh, isn’t it pretty?”

Annie laughed. “That’s not Princessa, you know. You’d better be careful with it.”

“I don’t think I want it in the house.” Mary Beth took the necklace back. “If even one of those stones is real, it’s worth a lot. I don’t know what kind of trouble I’d be in if something happened to it now.”

Annie checked her watch. “If we hurry, we can get to the bank before it closes. I’m sure they’d love to give you a safe-deposit box to keep that in until you can get it appraised and insured.” She laughed suddenly. “If only Frank Sanders could see us now.”

Mary Beth mouth turned up at the corners. “If only he had had all the pieces of the puzzle, he might have found the jewelry.”

“I guess Geoffrey wanted to make sure his mother didn’t know about Angeline,” Annie said, “or her name would have been in his diary and other papers. Then Sanders might have found the treasure after all.”

Mary Beth nodded. “I guess it helped that she didn’t live near the Whyte place either. That might have made her easier to trace too.”

Annie knit her brows. “She didn’t?”

“Oh no. Didn’t you say the Whytes were in Fairfax County? That side of our family came from Clarke County, a little west of there. Grandma always told us that’s where her family had been for five generations before her, and that’s where she was going to stay. I’m sure that’s where Angeline was from.”

Annie stood up. “You two had better hurry if you’re going to get to the bank before it closes.”

“We two?” Alice put her hands on her hips. “And just where are you off to?”

“You can drop me off at the library.” Annie grabbed her purse. “We’ll meet up at The Cup & Saucer when you’re finished at the bank.”





19

Less than half an hour later, Annie hurried into The Cup & Saucer and slid into the booth next to Alice.

“Did you two get everything taken care of?”

Mary Beth nodded. “I’ll be able to sleep tonight, and I know I wouldn’t have with all that …” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “… with all that jewelry. It’s all locked up in the bank until I can get it appraised and figure out what to do next. I don’t guess the whole town needs to know about it.”

Alice laughed. “They’ll know soon enough, I suppose. What about you, Annie? You look like you’re about to burst.”

Annie wanted to bounce up and down in her seat. “I’m so excited, I probably look like some kind of mental case at this point. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, though.”