Maybelle's Secret Read online

  “Okay, then let’s go,” Mary said.

  She followed Maybelle up the narrow, tall stairs and finally reached the large attic. Mary stepped into the space and looked around. “This is huge,” she said, looking at the tall ceilings and open area.

  “The real estate agent tells her clients that it would be perfect for a family room or office space,” Maybelle said with a smile. “And I have a dickens of a time keeping them away from the back of the attic where I’ve hidden the files.”

  “What do you do?” Mary asked.

  Maybelle shrugged casually, but Mary saw that twinkle in her eyes again. “I just pat them on the shoulder or tug at their jackets,” she said. “Sometimes, if they are very curious, I might have to moan.”

  She moaned, and Mary felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. “You are very good at that,” Mary said. “And now I understand why your house hasn’t sold yet.”

  “Well, I couldn’t let someone get into the house without the reparations being completed,” she said. “That would not have done at all.”

  “What reparations?” Mary asked, following Maybelle to a small, hidden closet at the very back of the room behind a chimney stack.

  The door opened, and Mary could see three old metal filing cabinets standing next to each other and a huge, black safe across from them.

  “This is where my father kept the records of his evil deeds,” she said. “I’m ashamed to admit that, although I knew he was a selfish and evil man, I hadn’t realized how depraved he was until the year before I died.”

  “What happened?”

  “I was up in the attic, putting away the Christmas decorations when the box opened and one of the glass balls rolled away from me to this corner of the attic,” she explained. “I had never really ventured this far back because there was no need. When I located the ornament, I looked up and found this door. I opened it and discovered the files my father had kept from his business. I learned that day that my whole life had been a lie. The luxuries and benefits I’d had were paid for out of the pockets of hard-working men and women in the community.”

  “How?” Mary asked. “How did he steal their money?”

  “He advertised himself as an investment banker,” she said. “He told them he had ties with many of the powerful banking houses in New York. The houses that were financing the railroads, the Panama Canal, and even the fledgling car industry. He promised them that he could take their investment money and triple it in a year’s time. He told them that he could make them rich if they would only trust him.”

  “So, he didn’t steal it,” Mary said. “People gave it to him to invest.”

  Maybelle shook her head. “No, he stole it,” she said. "My father was a shrewd businessman and, perhaps, in the beginning, he did want to help make money for his friends and neighbors. He had been watching the growth of the market and was concerned it was growing too quickly. So, he started divesting money from stocks into gold. According to the records I found, he started in the early summer of 1929 and continued until October."

  “But, if he moved their money to gold, then they would not have lost it in the crash,” Mary said.

  “Exactly,” Maybelle replied. “But when news of the crash came, all of his investors assumed that all of their money had been lost, including my father's money. These people lost their homes, their farms, their businesses, and my father pretended that he too had been hit by the crash.”

  She glided over to the safe and shook her head. "He hid their money away, and we all lived meagerly for many years. But somehow, we managed to always make ends meet," she said bitterly. "While our friends starved, my father hoarded this."

  The safe opened, and Mary gasped. Inside the safe were five neat stacks of two bars each of solid gold. "Maybelle, that's over five million dollars in gold," Mary exclaimed.

  Maybelle nodded. “Yes, I know,” she said. “And that’s why I need you.”

  “Why?” Mary said. “The people who invested are dead.”

  “But there has to be somebody, Mary,” Maybelle pleaded. “Someone in their family we can return the money to.”

  Mary shook her head. “You can hire people for that,” she said. “People who know how to search people down.”

  “Mary, I’m dead,” she said. “I can’t hire anyone. Besides, I thought you were a private investigator.”

  “I am…I was…” Mary stammered. “But now…”

  “Mary, I don’t trust anyone else,” she said. “And I can’t rest until I know the money is in the hands of its rightful heirs.”

  She sighed and closed her eyes. Five million, she thought, that's a lot of money, but it really shouldn't be that hard to locate the descendants. And really, if it helps Maybelle crossover…

  She opened her eyes and looked at Maybelle. “Okay, I’ll do it,” she said.

  “Thank you, Mary,” she said. “Now let me find you the file.”

  Chapter Five

  "You mean to tell me there are five million dollars in gold bars sitting in a vacant house across the street?” Bradley asked, shaking his head in astonishment as he diapered his son on the living room couch.

  “Crazy, right?” Mary said, from the kitchen as she prepared lunch. “My jaw dropped when she opened the safe and they were just sitting there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bar of gold.”

  Bradley picked up Mikey, cuddled him in his arms and walked over to the kitchen. “And speaking of seeing,” he said. “How did you see Maybelle in the first place? Is your gift back?”

  She shook her head, as she picked up a piece of cucumber from the salad and bit into it. “No, I don’t think so,” she said.

  Mike appeared in the kitchen next to Bradley. Mike was one of the few spirits Bradley could see without help from Mary. “I don’t think so either,” he said, then he turned and saw Mikey in Bradley’s arms.

  “Hey, he’s awake,” he said. Then he leaned over and smiled at Mikey. “Who’s a big boy?”

  Mikey smiled back at Mike and kicked his little legs. Mike grinned. “I love it when he smiles.”

  Bradley shook his head. "And he seems to always smile for you," he said. "I try to get him to smile, and he fills his diaper."

  Mary laughed as she lifted the salad bowl to bring it to the table. “That’s because he’s showing off for you,” she said. “Lookie what I can do, Dad.”

  “Who’s a big boy?” Mike repeated, and Mikey smiled again.

  With a big grin on his face, Mike looked up at Mary and Bradley. “That smile melts my heart."

  Mary nodded. “Yeah, mine too,” she said.

  Bradley placed Mikey in his swing and then joined Mary at the table. Mike sat on the floor in front of the swing, making faces at the baby.

  “What makes you think Mary doesn’t have her abilities back?” Bradley asked Mike, just after Mike had bent forward and made raspberry sounds at the baby.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Mike asked.

  Bradley chuckled and shook his head. "One question, Mike. Then you can play with Mikey."

  Mike grinned. "I never knew babies were so much fun," he said, then he blew another raspberry at Mikey and was rewarded with a huge smile. "Okay, quick, before I get distracted again."

  “What makes you think Mary doesn’t have her abilities back?” Bradley repeated.

  "I would have been told," he said. "What's Mary's experiencing now are the residual effects of having her abilities for years. Her senses are more in tune with paranormal frequencies.” Mike looked over at Mary. “Did the ghost want you to see her?”

  Mary nodded. “Yes, she did,” she replied. “And we’ve had cases when people have had no paranormal abilities, but when the ghost really wants to get through, they can.”

  “Yeah, it was important for her to reach you,” Mike said. “And, because you were willing, it all worked.”

  “So, is it safe?” Bradley asked.

  "If Mary looks both ways before she crosses the street, I think she's good," Mike t
eased, and then he laughed when Bradley scowled. "Do I think the woman across the street has nefarious designs and is going to turn into a demon and lock Mary into a safe in the attic?"

  Bradley’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “Hold on, big guy,” Mike said. “No. No, I don’t think this is anything but what the old woman told Mary. She needs Mary’s help to right a wrong.”

  “Well, we still need to be cautious,” he said.

  "I agree," she said, taking a small bite of salad.

  “You do?” Bradley asked, surprised.

  Mary smiled. “Yes, I do,” she said. “First, we need to figure out how I can have access to the house without causing suspicion. Second, we need to be sure no one finds out about the gold, or the house will be teaming with treasure hunters. Third, we need to be able to give the money anonymously, so Maybelle’s estate isn’t pulled in to a bunch of lawsuits asking for more money than people are owed because of emotional distress.”

  “How could someone sue for emotional distress if this happened a hundred years ago?” Mike asked.

  "It's not always the winning or the losing," Bradley said. "It's more often the time and expense caused by frivolous lawsuits. I agree with Mary, and unfortunately, if people felt there was more money to be gained, they might use unscrupulous ways to get it."

  “But the first thing we need to do,” Mary said. “Is make sure the house isn’t sold out from under us.”

  “How can we do that?” Bradley asked.

  “I think we need to call an expert,” she replied.

  Chapter Six

  There was a knock on the door about twenty minutes later. Bradley opened the door and Alex Boettcher, the Stephenson County District Attorney, walked in. Alex had worked with Mary and Bradley on several cases and, even though he didn’t quite understand it, he had a healthy respect for Mary’s abilities.

  “Thanks for coming over so quickly,” Bradley said as he shook his hand. “We have an interesting situation on our hands, and we need to get some legal advice."

  Alex grinned, came into the house and shook his head. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you both are involved in an interesting situation?”

  “I have no idea, Alex,” Mary said, coming forward and giving him a quick hug. “I’m sure you must be thinking of someone else.”

  “Yeah, sure, someone else,” he said, giving her a wink. He turned and saw Mikey rocking in his swing. “Hey, the little guy’s getting bigger.”

  He walked across the room, through Mike, and knelt down in front of the baby. “Hey, big guy,” he crooned. “Going to say hi to Uncle Alex?”

  Mikey just stared at him, his eyes wide with wonder.

  Mike got up and glided over to Mary. “Uncle Alex?” he asked. “Who told him he gets to be an honorary uncle?”

  “Shhhh,” Mary whispered to Mike.

  Alex turned towards Mary. “Did you say something?” he asked.

  She smiled and shook her head. “No, nothing,” she replied.

  Alex turned back in time to see the baby yawn widely. “Well, it looks like I’m boring Mikey,” he said, standing up and walking back to them. “Story of my life. So, what’s up.”

  Mike went back to sit in front of Mikey and made a funny face. Mikey chuckled immediately.

  Alex turned around and looked at Mikey. “I could swear he’s looking at someone and laughing.”

  Mary put her hand on Alex's shoulder and turned him toward the couch. "Alex, you don't want to know," she said.

  “I don’t…” he began, glancing back over his shoulder to see Mikey laughing again. “Sometimes I don’t know when you guys are pulling my leg and when you’re serious.”

  Mary laughed and nodded. “Right?”

  He looked at her, then glanced at Mikey again and finally shook his head. “I don’t want to know.”

  “Smart man,” Bradley said. “Now, have a seat so we can tell you about something really weird.”

  Alex sat down and rested his elbows on his legs, steepling his fingers as he leaned forward to give them all of his attention. “Okay, what’s up?”

  “The house across the street has the ghost of its former owner and a safe in the attic that contains about five million dollars in gold bars,” Mary said.

  Alex stared at her for several long moments. Then he shook his head and threw himself against the back of the chair. "I don't know why I even try not to be surprised," he said. "Dead lady and gold?"

  Mary nodded. “Her father embezzled from people in the community just before the stock market crash in 1929. She didn’t learn about it until just before she died, so now she wants to return the money to his former clients, with interest.”

  “It’s never easy with you,” he said.

  Mary grinned. “But it’s always interesting,” she said. “So, what’s the first step?”

  “Well, the first step is to make sure the house doesn’t get sold out from under both of you,” he said. “Does she have any heirs.”

  Mary shook her head. “No, she doesn’t,” she said. “She never married, and she was the only child.”

  “Well, that doesn’t mean a distant cousin couldn’t appear out of nowhere and claim it,” he said. “So, let me place a call to the bank and see what I can work out.”

  “Now, about the money,” he said. “Gold bars in the attic?”

  "Yes, in a concealed room in the back of the attic," she replied. "You'd have to know what you're looking for to find it."

  "And I take it that you don't want the former clients to find out you're doing this, right?" he asked. "You're not thinking about taking out a newspaper ad or something like that?"

  “We figured that we needed to keep this as quiet as possible,” Bradley said.

  Alex nodded. "Yes, you do," he said. "Not only because you don't want fortune hunters ripping that house apart or, worse, forcing you by gunpoint to show them where the money is, but also because you don't want to get caught up in the quarrels of all of the legal descendants about who deserves what."

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Mary said. “There could be dozens of eligible heirs.”

  "More than dozens," Alex said. "I have a friend from high school whose parents had seven kids. Right now, there are nineteen grandkids, and not all of the kids are married yet. And that’s only been in my lifetime. You go back to the twenties, and there are a lot of generations of procreation in there."

  Mary sighed and sat back on the couch, feeling overwhelmed. "So how do we figure out who best deserves it?" Mary asked.

  “Well, it seems to me if you try to find out about every single descendant, you’re going to be at this for years,” he said. “The idea is to return the money to the family. Once it’s back there, let the family member figure that out.”

  Bradley turned to Mary. “He’s right,” he said. “By the time we try to track down every eligible heir, another decade could have passed.”

  “This is going to be harder than I thought,” Mary said.

  Alex nodded. “I can help you track some of these people down,” he said. “I kind of like the idea of playing Robin Hood.”

  Mary laughed. “Or Santa Claus,” she said.

  Alex shook his head. "Robin Hood had a better outfit, and he got to use weapons."

  “And he got Maid Marian,” Bradley added.

  Alex nodded. "Exactly," he said. He stood up and stepped around his chair. "Let me protect the house, and then we'll see what step two is."

  He turned to Mikey. “See you later, big guy.”

  Mikey looked up and chuckled at Alex. Which caused Alex’s smile to widen. “Okay, that totally made my day,” he said, walking to the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Once the door closed, Mary turned to Mike. “That was nice,” she said, knowing Mike had caused Mikey’s laughter.

  Mike shrugged. "Well, it was the least I could do," he said. "He's a good guy, and he's really trying to help."

  “And we’re really going to need his help,” Bra
dley said. “More than we thought.”

  Chapter Seven

  Mary looked up from nursing Mikey on the couch when the front door opened, and Clarissa came running in. Clarissa was Bradley’s daughter from his first marriage. His first wife, Jeannine, had been kidnapped when she was pregnant, and Mary had helped Bradley solve the mystery and reunite them.

  “Hey, how was school?” she asked.

  "It was great," Clarissa replied. "I got to work in the computer lab today, and I wrote my first program."

  “Are you kidding me?” Mary asked, impressed with her daughter. “You’re not old enough to be writing computer programs.”

  Clarissa grinned at her mom. “Well, obviously I am,” she replied.

  Mary laughed. “Well, obviously,” she repeated. “And obviously you might be interested in the chocolate chip cookies I made today that are in the cookie jar.”

  Clarissa’s eyes widened. “Obviously I am!” she exclaimed, running towards the kitchen. “How many can I have?”

  “How about one?” Mary suggested.

  “How about three?” Clarissa replied.

  “How about two?” Mary countered with a smile. This was one of their favorite routines.

  “How about okay?” Clarissa replied with a giggle.

  Mary watched her daughter move the step-stool over to the counter, take a couple of cookies out of the jar and put them on a plate. Then she went to the refrigerator and took out the milk. Clarissa placed the carton on the counter and then climbed up on the stool again to get a glass. With the cabinet open, she turned to her mom. "Have you had enough milk today?" she asked.

  “Well…” Mary hedged.

  Clarissa pulled down two glasses. “That’s what I thought,” she said, filling both with milk. “What would you do without me?”

  Mary grinned, she adored her little girl. "I would be totally devastated without you," she replied.

  Clarissa carried the glass into the living room and handed it to Mary. “I’d give you a cookie, but I know that Mikey doesn’t like chocolate,” she said.