Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Now you’ve got me going, Pep,” he said, returning my chuckle. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Dusty old files,” I whispered, seductively.
“If I were there, you’d be in my arms right now, you got me so excited.”
That Ian was thrilled to examine dusty old files was one of the things I loved about him. I hurried to explain. “Millie at the rectory called. The Willow records are ready for us to review. I told her I would be there shortly.”
“Hold on,” he said and returned quickly. “I’m free for a couple of hours. I’ll meet you there since I have an important virtual meeting that I can’t miss.”
I was out the door in record speed and reached the rectory before Ian. Millie showed me to the room where I could view the documents and promised to send Ian to join me when he arrived.
I had just gotten through the first folder of documents when Ian showed up.
“Anything interesting so far?” he asked and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“Not really. That folder contains the agreement entered into with the church to see to the perpetual care of the Willow Mausoleum in exchange for the surrounding church land to be turned into a cemetery so that the Willow Mausoleum would always be protected.”
“Ignatius Willow made sure to protect his family in perpetuity,” Ian said. “He was wise in granting the land to the church and establishing a cemetery.”
“I wonder why he went to such extreme extent, securing the land so the Willows final resting place would never be disturbed and having his daughter’s tomb permanently sealed. One would think he had a secret he wanted kept.” The thought nagged at me.
I took photos with my cell of a few of the documents while Ian and I carefully perused the remaining files. I intended to upload them to my computer and add them to the Willow file so we could take our time and go over them.
“Disappointed, Pep?” Ian asked when we finished.
“Yes,” I admitted. “I was hoping to find a drawing of the mausoleum.”
“Revealing a secret exit?”
“That would have been far too convenient and easy,” I said, shaking my head and wishing otherwise.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was lost to time,” Ian said.
“Or purposely destroyed,” I suggested.
“Why?” Ian asked, perplexed. “The mausoleum holds nothing more than the final resting places of the Willow family, the beloved daughter of the family being the center of it, the very reason it was commissioned.”
“Then why suddenly the interest in it?” I asked and, but Ian had no answer and neither did I.
After we finished reviewing the documents and Ian left, I headed back home, then thought better of it and gave Amy a call.
“How would you like to search some documents with me at Willow Mansion?” I asked.
“I’m already on the road, I can meet you there,” Amy said.
I loved that Amy was my partner in crime since we’d been young. I had gotten her into endless situations, some laughable, some not so laughable, but she always stuck by my side.
She was waiting for me when I pulled through the portcullis, and I parked right beside her vehicle.
How Amy could make faded jeans and a pink cotton shirt appear elegant was beyond me. Maybe it was the rhinestone and amethyst butterfly pin on her collar or the pink rhinestone sneakers that were what did it, or the hot pink satchel bag that hung from her shoulder. I paled in comparison in naturally faded jeans and a plain blue, sky blue to be exact, knit top, and sneakers that I would need to retire soon.
“Is this where your mom got jumped?” Amy asked, looking around.
“Over there,” I pointed to two parking spots over from us.
“It is so open here. How could the guy get to her without her seeing or hearing him?”
“I don’t know, and she doesn’t recall much. She remembers feeling a sudden pain and then me speaking to her. You would think it was a robbery, but she was still wearing her rings and watch.”
“Maybe the guy didn’t have enough time to rob her.”
“Or maybe he was looking for something specific,” I said and turned my head to look at the entrance to the mansion.
“You think what happened to your mom has something to do with Willow Mansion?”
“There seems to be an awful lot of interest in the Willow family lately.”
“But what would he want from your mom?”
“I’ve been giving that some thought since my mom reminded me that I still had her keys to the mansion.” A picture of the keys on my kitchen counter popped into my head. “Possibly keys to the mansion. The question is why?”
“Maybe to find what couldn’t be found at the mausoleum,” Amy suggested. “What does your dad think of your theory?”
“I haven’t mentioned it to him yet. I only thought of it after my mom asked me if I had the keys to this place. Though I could shoot a lot of holes in the theory upon giving it further thought. Like why not just break into the mansion, though that would alert attention and how did he know my mom would have keys to the mansion?”