When we got back in the house, Milly bounced ahead of me, already filling her coffee and working on the big cedar chest from the loft. The lid was propped open, and her humming filled the kitchen. Faded documents lay across the wood table like a treasure hunt.
“You weren’t kidding when you said she kept records,” I said, setting my mug down.
“I know, right?” Milly’s smile was worth a thousand treasures. “She kept everything—documents, pictures, pressedflowers, even a silk scarf that was folded in an envelope.” Her enthusiasm sounded like she had found the lost city of Atlantis rather than an old trunk. “Receipts, postcards, a canceled check from 2009… and these.” She slid a bundle across the table.
I untied the twine. Inside were deeds—storefronts in town, a feed-mill share, even a rental house near the river. Several I didn’t recognize right away but might be stock or shareholder documents.
“None of that was in the will?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t but just making sure.
She shook her head. “Maybe she forgot—” She was ill in the end,” Milly tried to rationalize.
“Penny didn’t forget anything, Milly. Even when she was sick.” I thumbed through the pages. “She hid these on purpose.”
“If she wanted them hidden, why leave them for me and in the loft?”
“Because she wantedyouto find them, and not Harold.”
“Let’s call Browne,” she said finally, a little nervous.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Browne. He picked up on the second ring.
“Good morning, Austin. How’s it going?” I winked at Milly and nodded for her to take over.
“Good morning, Mr. Browne,” Milly began. “Um, I know it’s kind of early, but we found a few documents hidden in an old trunk in the barn. I don’t know exactly what they are, but they look… important. A packet of deeds, a few investment and stock papers. There are a few others too. All with signatures, stamps, and seals and stuff. Um, I feel that things could get pretty hairy if these fell into the wrong hands. Should we bring them over for you to look at?” Milly started to stack the papers absently.
“No, no,” Browne let out a knowing chuckle. “Ah,” he said after a pause. “Looks like the two of you have discovered the contingency plan. Those documents are genuine, all right,and only valid if they’re original, but they’re held in escrow until completion of your one-year term. Once the conditions of residence and operation are met, they’ll transfer into your name.”
“So she planned on an insurance clause,” I said.
“You could call it that,” he replied. “She wanted to ensure the estate could sustain itself if… external pressures arose. As you know, that’s a high possibility.”
“External pressures like Harold?” Milly asked, sounding unimpressed.
“I can neither confirm nor deny until the term concludes,” Browne said smoothly. “Keep them safe, Ms. Thomas. Penelope had faith you’d see it through.”
“But why leave them in an old trunk and not a safe?” I asked, knowing my training.
“Knew if there was ever a break-in, they would go straight for it. Besides, Penny was a little unconventional. Y’all have a good day.” Browne laughed as the line went dead.
Milly just stared at the papers as if contemplating her next move.
“She left me a safety net,” she said. “Like she knew Harold would try to break it.”
“She didn’t just leave you a net,” I said. “She left you leverage. The second those deeds go public, Harold loses every advantage—but until then…”
“Until then,” she finished, “he’ll want them.”
We both looked at the stack again. Ink, seals, and signatures—proof that Penny trusted her niece, and bait for anyone greedy enough to chase it.
Milly slid them back into the chest.
“If the safe isn’t safe, then what?”
“Safety deposit box,” I suggested.
“Good idea. I wonder why Penny didn’t use one,” she said. “I’ll open one in town when I go for chicken worms and supplies.” She caught my expression and smiled faintly. “Don’t look so grim. For once, we’re ahead.”
“Maybe.”
