Penny rearranged her grip on the box she was holding.“So far, we’re up to twenty.I’d better get this box into the garage before I drop it.”
Barbara followed her sister outside.Before they’d remodeled the inn, they’d spent a lot of time sorting through the treasures their grandparents had collected.The things they didn’t need were given to the church or the tiny home village.The rest was carefully packed inside the storage room or the large garage.
Using her foot and hip, Barbara pushed the door open.“We can leave our boxes on the shelves on the right-hand side.There should be enough room.”
Penny found some space and slid her box onto the wooden shelf.“What are we doing with this stuff?”
“I’m not sure.After you’ve remodeled the cottages, do you think the people renting them will need extra furniture?”
“They might.”Penny placed her hands on her hips and stared at the odd assortment of furniture, rugs, light fittings, and weirdly comforting toys.“I can’t believe Grandma kept our Beanie Babies.”
Barbara grinned at the two soft toys Penny was holding.When she’d stayed at her grandparents’ house, she’d loved playing with them.“She kept all the children’s books, too.”
“Goodness knows where they’ve gone.Are you ready to bring some more boxes out here?”
Barbara rummaged inside an open box beside the toys.“I’ll just look for the other Beanie Babies.They’ll get eaten by moths if we leave them out here.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll grab another box from inside.I’ll be back soon.”
By the time Penny returned, Barbara had found more than she expected on the shelf.“Look at this.”
“What is it?”
Barbara showed her an old shoebox filled with cards.“Grandma must have kept these when she cleaned out our great-grandmother’s house.This bereavement card was sent to Maggie from someone called Daphne Larkin.”
Penny read the message.“Dearest Maggie.My heartfelt condolences on the tragic death of your beloved.Know that you and your daughter are in my thoughts and prayers.Sent with an abundance of love and affection, Daphne.”
“There’s more.”Barbara handed Penny the newspaper clipping that was inside the card.“I think we’ve discovered what happened to our great-grandfather.”
With ink that was almost too faint to read, the death notice of Patrick James Kelly drew both of their heads together.
“He died in Whitefish in 1938,” Penny said with a hint of surprise.“What was he doing there?”
“Hopefully, trying to be close to his wife and daughter without being discovered.It said he died on Beaver Lake in a boating accident.”
Penny’s eyebrows rose.“But is it the truth?Our great-grandfather had a habit of reappearing out of nowhere.”
“I wonder if the librarian in Polson can help us verify his death.She has access to a lot of databases I’ve never heard about.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”Penny pulled out her cell phone and took a photo of the card, its envelope, and the newspaper clipping.“I’ll email her the images.Is there anything else in the box that might be helpful?”
Barbara glanced at the random assortment of cards she’d pulled from the box.“There’s nothing else that mentions our great-grandparents.We should probably send a copy of the photos to Chloe at the Smithsonian.It might help with their research.”
“Good idea.Let’s get this lot cleaned up and grab another few boxes.”
Carefully, Barbara gathered the cards and returned them to the box.Instead of leaving them in the garage, she took them into the house with the toys she’d found.
Her great-grandfather might have been more than a little reckless, but she had a feeling he loved his wife and daughter.It was just sad that her grandma had died knowing very little about him.
CHAPTER 13
Theo smiled at Barbara as she walked into the radio station.Her black trousers and pale peach top looked cool, elegant, and incredibly sexy—especially to a man who’d hardly slept last night.
“Guess what.”
Barbara grinned.“You won the lottery?”
“It’s better than that.”
