No one answered her.
“Maybe I’ll just have some more eggs.” She scooped some onto a plate and returned to her seat.
“But now what does it mean? If he came back doesn’t that mean someone took his treasure? And how, exactly, will he get revenge?” Arlene asked.
“Maybe the opening of the wall has released his ghost,” Henry answered, eyes scanning the edges of the room, no doubt looking for Jed’s spirit. Would tourists want to stay in a haunted guesthouse or was that off-putting to most? Hopefully this would all be cleared up before word got out and Ihad to find out firsthand if having a ghost would be bad for business.
Mom and Millie had come in behind me, but the Biddefords were too engrossed in their conversation to notice us.
“If someone did take his treasure, that person is long dead, so good luck to old Jed for getting his revenge.” Earl popped a grape into his mouth.
“How do you know he even made it to Europe?” Arlene asked.
“He must have, because I remember seeing family letters he sent from overseas.” Bob poured a cup of coffee and slurped.
“But what about those rumors that he never came back? Wouldn’t people have noticed that he did?” Carla asked.
“I know!” Doris fed a scrap of bacon to Marlowe this time. “I bet you he kept it a secret because he had the treasure. He didn’t want anyone to know he was back because he wanted time to bury it.”
“But then someone came in and bashed him over the head and buriedhim in the wall!” Bob sounded almost gleeful.
“Yeah, but the question is, did he bury the treasure first or did the killer get it?” Paula asked.
Her question was met with silence as they contemplated this.
“I bet he buried it first. If he hadn’t buried it, then surely the family records would have shown someone spending a lot of money.” Earl turned to Doris. “There weren’t any rumors about a big influx of money back during that time, were there?”
Doris pressed her lips together.“Well that was a bit before my time, but I don’t remember anything about sudden wealth. If someone found it, they could have doled it out a little bit at a time. The family originally had a lot of money from Jed’s spice import business, but since future generations had to sell off the house, I’m gonna assume there was no treasure chest of riches found.”
Paula’s eyes lit up. “It could still be buried here.”
“Yeah, but where?” Bob glanced out the window.
“Maybe he didn’t bury it, maybe he hid it in the house somewhere?” Henry said.
Doris scowled at him as if he were dense.“I hope not. Most of the original structure from Jed’s time—aside from that one ballroom wall where he has been found—has been torn down and renovated. I remember my grandfather showing me that the only part that hadn’t been touched from the old house was that wall where Jed’s skeleton was. And there was no treasure in the wall with him, so if it was hidden somewhere else in the house someone would have found it by now.”
“Mom’s right,” Earl said. “Besides, I think I remember the curse having something to do with haunting anyone whodug upthe treasure—he must have intended to bury it. Our best bet is to look on the grounds.”
“So my question still stands,where on the grounds?” Bob said.
“I wonder if he left a map?” Arlene asked.
Earl put his arm around her.“That’s a good question, honey. You’re always thinking. Where would he have left it?”
“Hopefully not hidden in the house otherwise that’s gone too,” Doris said.
“Maybe he had it on him?” Paula suggested.
“In the wall?” Earl glanced toward the hallway. “We should go look.”
“Can’t,” Doris said. “The police are in there now. Besides, I looked in there pretty good and didn’t see anything but that ring and a bunch of bones. We all got there together so no one would have had time to take the map out without the rest of us seeing them do it.”
“Can we look in any of the family documents?” Bob asked Doris. “Did Grandpa Biddeford ever mention anything about a map?”
“He never mentioned anything to me.” Doris waved her hands. “You can look if you want. I’m not gonna waste my time looking for some map.”
“What if someone did find out and never said anything.” Carla tapped her fork on her empty plate. “There might not even be any treasure.”
“True, but what if it wasn’t found… then it could still be out there.” Doris gestured toward the window.
“Don’t any of you care who killed him?” I asked. I’d walked to the buffet and was bravely cutting into the pumpkin bread. One didn’t have to be a master chef to see it was a little dry. I’d have to work on that recipe, but for now copious amounts of butter should make it palatable.
The conversation stopped and they all looked at me, then at each other. Doris shook her head.
“Nah! None of us knew him and, besides, the killer is long dead. Whoever did it got what’s coming to him. That’s old news. What’snew news is the treasure, and I’m fixin’ to be the one who digs it up, my business depends on it!” She pushed up from the table and hurried out of the room.
“Hey, where’s she going?” Arlene asked.
Earl leapt from his chair and pulled Arlene up with him.“My guess is to scout out likely spots.”
Bob threw down his napkin and followed them out of the room.
Carla jumped up.“Come on, Henry. We’re not letting them get a head start!”
Paula remained seated at the table alone. She looked shell-shocked. After a few beats, she stumbled up from the chair and spun in the direction of the door.“Hey, wait for me!”
Meow.
Marlowe and Nero were at my feet looking up at me, probably waiting for a crumb of pumpkin bread to fall. Unlike most cats, these two would eat anything.
“Yeah sure, now that everyone is gone, you’re looking to me for food? I thought I told you two not to come in here when the guests were eating.”
Millie scooped Nero up in her arms.
“See they never listen to me.” I examined the piece of pumpkin bread in my hand. I’d put so much butter on it, it looked like frosting. Surely something with that much butter couldn’t taste bad.
“Now, dear,” Millie clucked. “Cats have their own rules. You have to listen tothem not the other way around.” She picked a dried leaf from Nero’s fur. “Have they been digging in the plants? Naughty. Naughty.”
Nero purred and rubbed his cheek against Millie’s while casting a see-that’s-how-you-treat-me look in my direction.
I took a tentative bite. Just as I suspected, it was dry and tasted like sawdust.
“Josie, I hope you’ve been watering those plants.” Millie put Nero down and picked up Marlowe.
“I have,” I managed to choke out while trying to swallow the pumpkin bread. Truthfully, I’d forgotten about the gigantic potted trees that Millie had bought at a yard sale last week. She said they’d go perfectly in the conservatory, which they would have if the room was anywhere near being done. Right now it was as dilapidated as the ballroom. I didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth so I accepted them and put them in the room near one of the windows that wasn’t boarded up. Hopefully they weren’t as dried up and dead as the skeleton.
Millie looked at the piece of pumpkin bread in my hand.“Is that what you’re making for the town celebration?” She must have noticed I was trying, unsuccessfully, to choke down that one little bite.
“It was a recipe I tried. It needs some work,” I admitted.
“Looks dry. Maybe add some more oil.” Millie was a whiz at baking. She’d generously left her recipes here when I’d bought the guesthouse. Lucky thing for me she also kept popping in to bake too. If it wasn’t for Millie the guests might have starved. Though I was a tad bit insulted she thought I couldn’t handle the cooking, I had to admit she was right.