The Key in the Attic(61)
“I’m sure that’s true. Won’t that change things? As far as you buying the building and everything?”
Mary Beth shrugged. “I don’t suppose there’s much I can do about it.”
And Mary Beth didn’t say anything for a long while after that.
“What are you thinking?” Annie asked as they pulled up at Grey Gables. “Melanie still?”
With a rueful smile, Mary Beth nodded. “At this point, I’d rather just mail her a check and be done with it.”
“Well, once you sell it at a reasonable price, I don’t see how she could object.”
“Oh, you don’t know Melanie. She would be sure she could have gotten a better price. And no doubt I paid too much in commissions to whoever brokered it for us. How did I know I wasn’t cheated? How did she know I wasn’t cheating her?”
Annie shook her head. “Surely she wouldn’t think that of you. Would she?”
Mary Beth chuckled. “No, I don’t really think she would. But I’m sure I’ll do something wrong in handling the deal.”
“Why not let her do it then?” Annie asked.
“That’s the thing. If I ask her to take care of it, she’ll tell me how busy she is and ask me why I can’t handle the simplest of business affairs. Either way, she’s not going to be happy.”
“You know, some people never are,” Annie said, “and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to make them happy. All you can do is do your best and not let them keep you from being happy.”
Mary Beth smiled as she got out of the car. “I think that’s the best advice I’ve heard all day.”
****
There was nothing else to do and no use in putting it off. Mary Beth would just have to call Melanie and tell her about the jewels. She sat down on the couch and closed her eyes, breathing deeply and thinking peaceful thoughts.
I will be pleasant and not easy to upset. All I have to do is let her know what’s going on. We don’t have to decide what to do right this minute. We can figure out the details once we know more. I’m not going to be intimidated by my own sister.
She took a deep breath and punched Melanie’s number into the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Melanie. It’s Mary Beth. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Only a minute. I have a premiere to go to.” Melanie’s voice was brisk and businesslike. “What’s on your mind?”
“You remember the things Grandma Marie said were passed down to her from her grandmother? The clock and the desk and things?”
“Yes. Very nice in their way, of course, but you know I don’t like that fussy, old-fashioned stuff. And no, I don’t have any interest in buying any of it to bail you out. I’m sure there are all kinds of dealers around, though I doubt what you have would be enough to fix the mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“I’m not asking you for anything, Mel, I just wanted you to know something. I had the clock in being repaired and—”
“Mother gave all that stuff to you when she moved into that old folks’ home, didn’t she? Goodness knows, I didn’t want them. Anyway, they’re yours, and so is the responsibility for their upkeep. I know getting something like that done is expensive, but you should have gotten an estimate before you agreed to the repairs. I can’t really do anything about that, can I?”
“Melanie, I’m not asking—”
“It’s amazing to me that you’ve stayed in business even this long. You don’t have much of a head for practical matters, do you?”
Mary Beth said nothing. She merely waited.
“Mary Beth? Are you there? Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you, Melanie. Can you hear me?”
“Well for crying out loud, why didn’t you answer me? I told you already that I’m in a hurry.”
“I was waiting for you to give me a chance to say something.”
From the other end of the line, Mary Beth heard an impatient little huff.
“Go ahead.”
“I just wanted you to know that there was something hidden in the clock that’s worth a lot of money. It’s been in there for over a hundred and fifty years. Mom couldn’t have known about it. Even our great-great-grandmother who was meant to have it didn’t know about it.”
“What do you mean by ‘worth a lot of money’?” Melanie sneered. “A thousand dollars?”
“No. A lot more than that. A whole lot more. Five hundred and sixty-five thousand.”
Melanie didn’t say anything. “What … what exactly is it?” she asked finally.
“A really amazing necklace with pearls and rubies and diamonds, and earrings and a ring to match. It’s all gorgeous.”