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)
And just like that worry sparked in his eyes again.
I tried to reassure him again. “I’m not going to let anyone see it or know that I have it. It remains a secret.”
“Secrets can be dangerous,” Ian warned. “Text me when you arrive, while you’re there, and when you leave.”
I went to laugh until I realized, “You’re serious.”
“And so is the person after the treasure.”
“The historical society doesn’t have much information on Claire or Ignatius beyond their names appearing on a manifest sheet for a ship sailing from Liverpool, England, to New York harbor. I can’t find anything on them after that until they turn up in Pennsylvania with six-month-old Verbena. Without a maiden name for Claire, it is difficult to track where she came from. The manifest doesn’t even show a profession for Ignatius. It’s no wonder your aunt couldn’t find out anything about the couple. They had to have been commoners and probably left the poverty associated with their social status for a better life in America. Though where they got the money to build the town of Willow and the Willow Mansion is anyone’s guess.
“Ignatius was known for being a shrewd businessman but also for his generosity and kindness, and Claire was as well. She did much to help the less fortunate, starting with free meals for the children who attended school in the one-room schoolhouse that Ignatius had built. A smart move since many children attended so they could at least get a decent meal for the day and the town prospered by having so many educated people.”
“They sound too good to be true,” I said, pulling into a parking spot at the mansion.
“Or something in their past made them generous,” Amy suggested. “I intend to continue digging and hope to find something in the files I see today that might point me in another direction. With old documents found or made public through the years and genealogy so popular, I’m bound to find something somewhere that will reveal the Willow family’s past.”
“Don’t look so happy about it,” I said jokingly, her expression serious.
“It’s not that.” Amy sighed. “The Willow Lake Historical Society has remained far too long in the dark ages. They need to update badly to bring in more revenue. Their website is ancient, they have no marketing plan, do little promo—” Amy shook her head. “And worse, I’ve found evidence that Melvin Waters, the last president, may have embezzled a sizeable amount of money.”
“Wow,” I said, not expecting to hear that. I hooked my arm with hers as we walked to the entrance. “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”
“Are you kidding? You know how much I enjoy working with my clients on their finances and helping work through problems. It’s just breaking the news to Edna and Doris when it is obvious they and others work so hard to keep the society going.”
I left Amy with the two women in the mansion’s office, something we had agreed upon so that I could search for a lock that would fit the skeleton key and maybe reveal the treasure or at least point to its whereabouts.
I avoided areas where people roamed, though the snippets of conversation I heard proved Amy right about the lack of promotion for the mansion. Many of the visitors mentioned that they hadn’t known the place was here and how much they enjoyed stepping back in history.
Frustrated that I couldn’t find a single chest or door that remotely fit the key, I stood looking at the portrait of the Willow family as if they could provide an answer. Verbena sat happily between her mother and father, holding a cloth doll. She was even prettier than the first time I viewed the portrait, now having time to linger over it. She most likely would have grown into a beautiful woman just like her mother while stealing several good features from her handsome father. My eye caught the pearl choker necklace Claire wore, three strands with a teardrop pearl hanging from it. It was out of place in a town that was just forming. It had to have been costly and where and when did she get it? And where was it now? My glance drifted to the artist’s signature. It was difficult to make out but in a strange way it looked familiar. I was almost certain the last name read Lander. I made a mental note to research the artist.
Search of the second floor didn’t prove any better. I tried a couple of door keyholes and a chest in the library, but no luck. I stood at the top of the impressive staircase when I finished and glanced around. Something was off about this area, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, and it frustrated me. I was missing something, but what?