Liam nodded slowly. “Chloe said something similar.”
“She’s a smart woman. You’re lucky she moved to Sapphire Bay.”
“Yeah, I am,” Liam agreed, a soft smile playing on his lips.
Steve nudged his arm. “We’d better keep moving before we freeze. On the way back, you can tell me about the Christmas events you’re helping to organize.”
Liam took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs. As they set off along the trail, he thought about Chloe and about his time in Montana. Whatever happened next could change his life.
CHAPTER 11
The familiar scentof old books and polished wood greeted Chloe as she pushed open the door to the Sapphire Bay Heritage Protection Society’s library. The large room was a treasure trove of the town’s past—shelves crammed with dusty volumes, black-and-white photographs lining the walls, and glass cases displaying artifacts from bygone eras.
It was one of her favorite places to take Oscar and, thankfully, he enjoyed it as much as she did.
“Mom! Look at this!” Oscar called, darting toward a display of antique maps.
“Be careful,” Chloe reminded him. “Some of the maps are really fragile.”
Liam appeared from between two bookshelves, balancing a stack of books and folders. “Hi, Chloe. How was your morning?”
“Busy. I helped Kathleen in the café for a couple of hours before coming here. It looks as though you’ve been here for a while.”
“I only arrived ten minutes ago. Percy found these records from the 1920s. They might tell us something about Eleanor.”
“I hope they do. It’s sad to think she could have lived her whole life here, and the only record of her existence are thesketches and murals.” Chloe followed Liam to a large wooden table by a window. Sunlight streamed in, making dust motes dance in the air. While he sorted through the information, she opened her laptop and pulled up a scanned copy of Eleanor’s sketchbook.
“Oscar and I drove to Polson yesterday afternoon and scanned Eleanor’s book,” she told Liam. “The staff at the library were really helpful. They even offered to look through their databases to see if she was mentioned in any newspapers or public records.”
Liam opened an old leather-bound journal, its pages yellowed with age. “Between all of us, we should be able to find something.”
Oscar climbed onto a chair next to Chloe. “Can I see the pictures again?”
“Sure can.” Chloe opened the folder she’d stored on her desktop and clicked on the first sketch. It was a drawing of the town square during a big celebration. Soft water-colored paints brought the scene to life and made it seem more real. “Remember this one?”
“That’s where the Christmas tree’s going!” Oscar pointed excitedly.
“Exactly,” Chloe said, giving him a quick hug.
Liam leaned in, eyes scanning the screen. “Eleanor had a brilliant eye for detail. Even though the town square has changed, the surrounding buildings are the same.”
“She was a talented artist,” Chloe agreed. “While I was looking through the sketches, I noticed something interesting.”
“What was it?” Liam asked, pulling up a chair.
She zoomed in on a tall man who appeared in several of the sketches. “This guy shows up more than anyone else. He’s in almost every crowd scene, always near the center.”
Liam studied the image. The man wore a sharp suit and a distinctive hat, his features strong and confident. “Do you think he was important to her?”
“Maybe,” Chloe said. “I dropped a screenshot of his face into Google Images to see if there are any pictures of him on the Internet. Look at this.” She opened another tab, revealing a black-and-white photograph of a distinguished-looking man shaking hands with the mayor of Chicago.
Liam compared the two images. “He looks like the person in Eleanor’s sketches. Who is he?”
“Samuel Hartman. He was a prominent businessman from New York City. He was involved in the railway expansion in the 1920s and became the president of The Great Northern Railway in 1931.”
“I wonder what his connection was to Sapphire Bay.”
“That’s what I’m hoping we’ll find out,” Chloe said. “When you spoke to Penny Terry, did she mention that her great-grandmother kept journals of everything that was happening in Polson and Sapphire Bay?”
