Maybelle's Secret

by Terri Reid

  “Okay,” she said, but she paused when she got to the door. She turned just before Bradley was about to put on a fresh tee shirt. “Um, you might want to wait on that.”

  “What?” he asked, the tee shirt above his head.

  “You might want to wait on getting dressed,” she said.

  He grinned at her. “Really?” he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

  She nodded. “Yes, really,” she replied, lowering her voice, so it was low and seductive.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because you have poop in your hair and you really need to shower.”

  She closed the door behind her and laughed when she heard Bradley’s response. “Oh Mikey,” she said to the baby. “Your Daddy really shouldn’t use words like that.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “It has to be him,” Mary said. “Henry Carmichael. The name is perfect. His dad was Michael Henry Carmichael but was born Michael Henry Johnson. And he lives on the farm, and that’s what they said, the farm.”

  Alex looked across the dining room table at Mary. “Who said?” he asked.

  She took a deep breath and shrugged. “Well, actually, I don’t know, but I think it was either Mabel or Elmer Johnson,” she said. “And last night, when I was in the house across the street, someone whispered ‘the farm.’”

  Sitting back in his chair, Alex crossed his arms over his chest. “So, you want me to give…” he paused and looked down at the notes he had taken, “over a million dollars in gold to a guy on a farm because a voice told you that it was him?”

  Putting her elbows on the table, she leaned towards him. “Gold that the ghost of a little old lady told me about that’s hidden in the house across the street from me,” she added.

  Alex sighed. “Okay, yeah, when you put it that way, it almost makes more sense.”

  Bradley chuckled. “Welcome to my world,” he said. “So, how do we do this? If this is the right guy?”

  “And how do we remain anonymous?” Mary asked.

  “There are not too many dealers around the area,” Alex said. “So, if we start selling gold bars on a regular basis, we might run into a little trouble.”

  “Like what?” Mary asked.

  “Well, like the Patriot Act,” Alex said. “That regulates any amount over $10,000. So, we want to work within the law, but we don’t want to attract any attention.”

  Mary nodded. “Okay, so I called Linda at the Clerk’s Office, and she is going to check his birth certificate and tell me if he’s our guy.”

  “Why couldn’t you just go in and check, like you did before?” Bradley asked.

  “Because he’s alive and I would need his permission,” she said. “And Linda is not giving me any information, just telling me if my conjecture is true or false.”

  “Sneaky, Mary,” Alex said. “It’s a good thing that you are one of the good guys.”

  She smiled. “I think you’ve said that before,” she said.

  He shrugged. “It’s still true,” he replied.

  Mary’s phone vibrated, and she looked down at the screen. “We have a winner,” she said. “So, how do we give this guy two gold bars?”

  “You could dress up like Ed McMahon and hand it to him,” Alex suggested.

  “Ed McMahon died several years ago,” Mary replied.

  Alex studied her for a long moment. “And that’s a problem for you because…” he asked.

  “Very funny, Alex,” she replied. Then she thought about it. “You know, we could pretend he won some kind of lottery.”

  “But then he would have had to buy a ticket,” Bradley said. “So, that could get weird.”

  “Too bad he just couldn’t stumble across buried treasure,” Alex said.

  “Yeah, like a pirate’s chest in his back forty,” Bradley added.

  Mary looked slowly from Alex to Bradley and smiled. “That’s not such a bad idea,” she said.

  “A pirate’s chest?” Alex asked.

  “No, buried treasure,” Mary replied. “Lots of people buried their money or stashed it away after the Depression because they didn’t trust banks anymore. Maybe Elmer and Mabel stashed their treasure away too.”

  “But they didn’t,” Bradley said.

  “But they could have,” Mary replied. “When I was up in the attic across the street, I saw some old metal boxes. They looked like safety deposit boxes or cash boxes. What if Mabel and Elmer buried gold in one of them?”

  Bradley suddenly understood where Mary was heading with her idea. “And what if a couple of kids with metal detectors trespassed on the old Johnson Farm?”

  She smiled at him. “Exactly,” she said.

  “Ahhhh,” Alex said. “And they found this box and then decided they felt guilty for taking something that didn’t belong to them.”

  “And they turned it in to the Chief of Police,” Mary added. “Because, really, where else would you go with two gold bars?”

  “And they turned it in and asked to remain anonymous,” Bradley said. “And we agreed.”

  “Who wouldn’t believe a story like that?” Alex asked.

  “I wouldn’t,” Mary said with a smile. “But, if believing means getting a million dollars’ worth of gold, I’d convince myself to believe.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Henry Carmichael looked up when he noticed the flashing lights coming through the window. “Maisy,” he called. “The police are here.”

  Maisy hurried from the kitchen and peered out the front window. “What in the world?” she asked and then she turned to her husband. “What can they want?”

  Henry shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said. “But we’re going to find out. Someone’s coming to the door.”

  He hurried to the door and opened it before Bradley had a chance to knock.

  “Henry Carmichael?” Bradley asked, holding a cardboard box in his hands.

  Henry nodded. “Yes, that’s me,” he said. “How can I help you?”

  “This is a little irregular,” Bradley said. “May we come in?”

  “Of course,” Henry said, stepping back.

  “This is my wife, Mary,” Bradley said. “I hope you don’t mind if she’s here.”

  Mary stepped in and smiled at both of them. “We just had a baby six weeks ago,” she explained. “And our neighbor is babysitting for us. So, coming to see you is kind of like date night.”

  Maisy came forward. “Hello, I’m Maisy Carmichael, Henry’s wife,” she said. “And I don’t mind saying I’m a little confused.” She looked at Bradley. “Why are you here and why would you bring your wife?”

  “Those are both good questions,” Bradley said. “Let me answer the first one and then the second one will probably not matter to you.”

  Bradley placed the box down on their coffee table. “This is yours,” he said.

  “We didn’t report anything stolen,” Henry said, opening the box.

  “Well, something was stolen,” Bradley explained. “But you didn’t know it.”

  “Excuse me?” Mabel asked.

  “A few days ago, a couple of young men came into the station carrying the metal tin inside the cardboard box,” Bradley said. “They said they were playing around with a metal detector on your property and uncovered it.”

  Henry picked up the box, and his eyes widened. “This is heavy,” he said. “What is it filled with? Rocks?”

  Bradley shrugged. “Well, something a little more valuable than rocks,” he explained. “When they opened it, they decided that they needed to return it, but didn’t want to get in trouble, so they brought it to us.”

  “What’s in it?” Maisy asked.

  Henry put the metal box on the table and pressed the catch. The top lifted only slightly, so Henry had to push it back. “What in the world?” he gasped, shaking his head. “This can’t be real.”

  “They’re real,” Bradley said. “And they are each worth over half a million dollars.”

  “What?” Maisy exclaimed,
her eyes filling with tears. “What?”

  “Seems like one of your relatives must have hidden their savings in the ground,” Bradley said. “Savings that were meant for you.”

  Looking mystified, Henry stared at Bradley. “I get to keep them?” he asked. “I get to keep two gold bars?”

  Bradley nodded. “Yeah, they’re yours,” he said. Then he smiled at them. “Well, have a good night.”

  Still dumbstruck, Henry turned to his wife. “Maisy,” he said. “It’s a miracle.”

  Maisy ran into her husband’s arms and sobbed against his shirt. “I can’t believe it,” she cried. “I just can’t believe it.”

  Bradley wrapped his arm around Mary’s shoulders and led her out of the house. They closed the door behind them and walked, arm in arm, to the cruiser.

  “I loved this part,” Mary said. “It’s like a fairy tale, but in real life.”

  Bradley looked down at his wife and smiled. “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you too,” she replied, leaning against him. “Even when you have poop in your hair.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “Okay, champ, now that you’ve been fed and changed, it’s time for a nap,” Mary whispered to Mikey the next afternoon. She carefully placed the already dozing baby in his rocking bassinet and turned on the switch, so it slowly undulated in a rocking motion. “Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

  She turned off the light in the bedroom and headed for the stairs.

  “Mary,” she heard Bradley call as the door opened.

  “Shhhh,” she said, hurrying down the stairs. “I just put Mikey down for a nap.”

  “Sorry,” he replied. “But I have a surprise for you.”

  “Really?” she asked with eager anticipation. “What?”

  Alex came in the door. “Did you tell her?” he asked.

  “No, I was waiting for you,” he replied.

  Alex smiled. “That was nice of you, man,” he said.

  “Can someone just tell me what the surprise is?” Mary asked.

  “Well,” Bradley said. “You know how we worked with Alex to make sure the Finders Mansion is not going to be sold before we get all the gold out of there.”

  She nodded.

  “And you know how Alex spoke with the bank and got it off the market for a little while?” Bradley continued.

  “It took a lot of wheeling and dealing,” Alex inserted. “But, you know, I love you guys.”

  “Thanks, man,” Bradley replied. “We love you too.”

  Mary rolled her eyes. Were they ever going to tell her what the surprise was?

  “Yes, we all love each other here,” she said. “And so…”

  “Oh, yeah,” Bradley said, continuing. “So, remember when you said that we were going to have to move because this house isn’t big enough?”

  A pit started to grow in Mary’s stomach.

  “Yes,” she replied, a little hesitantly.

  “I bought it,” Bradley said.

  “You did what?” Mary asked.

  “I bought the Finders Mansion for us,” he said. “And I got it for next to nothing.”

  “The bank just wanted the back taxes,” Alex said. “So, I convinced them to sell it to Bradley for the tax bill.”

  “We own the Finders Mansion?” Mary asked.

  Bradley nodded eagerly. “And we can close on it next week,” he said. “Isn’t that great?”

  Mary looked at the two men in front of her, grinning like little boys and she just couldn’t share her concerns with them. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. “I am just overwhelmed,” she said. “I just can’t believe it. Wow! Just wow!”

  “I know,” Bradley said. “Pretty unbelievable!”

  She nodded and slowly sat down on a chair. “Pretty unbelievable is the word for it.”

  Bradley bent down and kissed her on the lips. “I knew you’d be thrilled,” he said.

  She nodded. “Thrilled is not the word,” she said.

  His smile widened. “Well, I’d better get back to work,” he said. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you too,” she replied.

  “I’m going to fill Mary in on some of the details,” Alex said.

  “Great,” Bradley replied. “Thanks. This is just great.”

  Once Bradley closed the door behind him, Alex pulled up a chair and sat across from Mary. “Okay, I’ve been a lawyer for too many years to not see right through this,” he said. “What’s wrong with the house?”

  “Well, I mean, I can easily repaint all the turquoise rooms,” she said. “That’s not a problem. And, really, the house is gorgeous.”

  “But?” Alex asked.

  She looked up at him. “I think the house is haunted. Really haunted.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Mary opened the door to the Finders Mansion and walked inside. During the day, the house seemed so much friendlier and much less spooky.

  “Maybelle,” she called.

  “Mary, dear,” Maybelle said as she descended the stairs. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine,” Mary replied. “How are you?”

  Maybelle smiled, a twinkle in her eye. “Well, I’m dead, dear,” she said. “So, I’m doing as well as can be expected.”

  Chuckling softly, Mary nodded. “I just wanted to let you know that we found Elmer and Mabel’s heir. A good man who was working hard to reestablish the family farm,” she said. “I understand that he has already put some of the money to good use in updating the milking parlor equipment.”

  “That makes me feel wonderful,” Maybelle said. “Mary, you did an excellent job. I knew I could count on you.”

  “I also wanted to let you know that we bought your house,” Mary said.

  Maybelle clapped her hands in delight. “Why nothing could please me more,” she said. “And now, with you living here, we’ll be able to work together and get all of the rest of the families reunited with their money.”

  “Well, now we have one down and…” Mary paused and met Maybelle’s eyes. “About three or four more to go?”

  “Oh, heaven’s no, dear,” Maybelle said.

  Mary breathed a sigh of relief. “I know there’s only about four million dollars’ worth of gold bars now,” she said. “So, most of it goes to a couple more families?”

  “Well, the gold in the attic belongs to just a few more families,” Maybelle said. “But then, dear, there’s the gold in the basement.”

  “What?” Mary exclaimed. “What gold in the basement?”

  “Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Maybelle asked.

  Mary shook her head. “No. No, you didn’t tell me,” she replied.

  Maybelle smiled sweetly. “You seem a little excited, dear,” she said. “Would you like a cup of chamomile?”

  Mary took a deep breath and released it slowly. “You’re right,” she agreed. “I’m probably overreacting.” She took another deep breath. “So, Maybelle, how much gold is in the basement?”

  “Well, let’s see,” the ghost replied, pondering for a moment. “I believe there are ten more safes down there. And because they are in the basement, they could hold ever so much more gold.” She looked up at Mary and lifted her shoulders in a perplexed manner. “Perhaps ten or twenty times the amount upstairs.”

  “Maybelle, there were five million dollars upstairs,” Mary said, astonished. “Are you saying that there could be one hundred million dollars in this house?”

  Maybelle nodded. “Well, if my math is correct and I remember things clearly,” she said. And then her eyes widened. “Oh, the vault. I forgot about the vault.”

  “There’s a vault?”

  Maybelle laughed, the noise sounding like tinkling bells. “Oh Mary, you are such a delight. I’m going to have so much fun working with you.”

  Then she faded away.

  Mary walked over to the oak staircase and sat on the bottom step, cradling her head in her hands.

  “Tough day?” Mike asked, app
earing next to her.

  Mary looked up at him. “She has a vault,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “A vault in her basement.”

  “Why didn’t I get cool stuff like that when I was growing up?” Mike teased, as he sat down next to her.

  “This is not funny, Mike,” Mary replied. “There are over one hundred million dollars in this house.”

  “Well, at least you won’t be bored,” he replied.

  She looked up. “What?”

  “Remember, the other night, you said you were bored and needed a new adventure,” he reminded her.

  “But I never…”

  He grinned, winked at her and began to fade away. “Be careful what you wish for,” he whispered and then he was gone.

  Suddenly the door to the parlor flew open and then slammed shut. Mary closed her eyes and placed her head back in her hands. “Well, crap!”

  The End

  About the author: Terri Reid lives near Freeport, the home of the Mary O’Reilly Mystery Series, and loves a good ghost story. An independent author, Reid uploaded her first book “Loose Ends – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery” in August 2010. By the end of 2013, “Loose Ends” had sold over 200,000 copies. She has sixteen other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series, the first books in the following series - “The Blackwood Files,” “The Order of Brigid’s Cross,” and “The Legend of the Horsemen.” She also has a stand-alone romance, “Bearly in Love.” Reid has enjoyed Top Rated and Hot New Release status in the Women Sleuths and Paranormal Romance category through Amazon US. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and German and are also now also available in print and audio versions. Reid has been quoted in several books about the self-publishing industry including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers – The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.”

  She loves hearing from her readers at author@terrireid.com

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