Hidden

by Fern Michaels

  Colette picked out one of the Toy Story movies for him to watch. He had probably seen it a half dozen times, but he always wanted more. Colette tucked him into the bed next to hers. She was glad they had a double room. She knew she would be up for at least another hour mapping out her route for the next day. Once she got to Cranberry Lake, she would stop at a local market or gas station and ask if someone could direct her to Clive Dunbar’s cabin.

  She thought about her approach and did a personal inventory. She was a slender, attractive woman in her late twenties. She was dressed well and had a small son with her. Truly, no one would think she was menacing in any way. She would also explain she had something from her former employer, who died recently, to give to Mr. Dunbar. She wasn’t sure how much information she would have to give away to get his address, so she rehearsed what she would say. “Hello, my name is Colette Petrov. I am looking for Mr. Clive Dunbar. My former employer, Mr. Randolph Millstone, was one of his clients. He died recently, and I have something Mr. Millstone wanted to pass along to Mr. Dunbar.” That was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the request. If she were really lucky, they might have met Mr. Randolph on one of his trips to the cabin.

  She looked over at Max. His eyes were fluttering, and he soon drifted off to sleep. Colette lowered the volume of the television and pulled out the road atlas. There was an entire page devoted to the Cranberry Lake area. How she was going to find one cabin in the entire area would be a challenge. She pulled out her laptop and put Cranberry Lake/Food into Google. Several results popped up with virtual pushpins. She wrote down the names and addresses of a few of them. She would plug the information into her GPS when they got in the car in the morning. Colette got up, turned on the light in the bathroom, and closed the door halfway in case one of them had to get up during the night. After a day like the one she just had, waking up in a strange place could be quite disorienting. She switched off the television and the lamp next to her bed, and hoped she would be able to get some sleep. She had to be on her best game for the next part of this “adventure.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Stillwell Art Center

  Two weeks after the grand opening

  The ebb and flow of attendance was still hard to predict. There was a huge turnout on the opening weekend, which is normally the case. And the following weekend was also bustling. New place. New stuff to see. New stuff to buy. The center hours were eleven to seven Wednesday and Thursday; ten to ten Friday and Saturday; and noon to five on Sunday. The shops were at liberty to make their own hours, but Ellie encouraged them to be open when there was a regular flow of people. She knew she had to find more support staff for the busier hours, but they hadn’t been open long enough to figure out exactly what hours those would be.

  The local university had a community-credit program that allowed students to earn credits for working at certain nonprofits in a number of disciplines. Ellie Stillwell was delighted when they assigned her one student for each artist, and four as pages. Having an apprentice or student would enable the artists to continue to work while someone minded the store, so to speak.

  It would be a wonderful opportunity to learn about art and business. A delicate combination. Many artists have no interest in the business end of things.

  It was early Friday morning. Luna was unlocking the doors to the café when she spotted Ziggy and Marley coming over to greet Wiley. Luna was thrilled that Wiley had others to play with during the day. The dog-park idea was genius, and made working at the center especially convenient. Luna looked at the calendar. They had been open for a week, and she was checking her inventory. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had sold out of most of the espresso blend. She wasn’t sure if such a robust cup of coffee would be popular, but it was. People especially liked the lattes, so she was sure to have more milk on hand as well. Good thing Cullen had a refrigerator in his shop. She might have to take up some of the space with her supplies. It was a good problem to have.

  Luna checked the calendar again. It had been almost two full weeks since she and Gaines had communicated. She wasn’t sure how to take it. Was he interested in her? Or was he not? Shake it off, girl. She stood still for a moment and put her thumbs and middle fingers together to form a small circle with each hand. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath and released it slowly. When she opened her eyes, it occurred to her Cullen still hadn’t moved the table. That was going to be next on her list. The past couple of weeks had gone by so quickly that she hadn’t had time to bug him about it.

  After she finished her list, she walked over to the Flakey Tart to place her order for the next day. “Hello, Heidi! Looks like everyone has been busy this week.”

  “You ain’t kiddin’,” Heidi called back from behind the counter. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m going to need more scones for tomorrow. At least two dozen, a dozen blueberry muffins, and a dozen crumb-cake muffins.” Luna smiled at Heidi.

  “Can you believe it?” Heidi checked off the items on her pad. “I’m going to have to rethink my menu. Have a few different things but have a daily special. The oven is getting a workout!” They both chuckled.

  “I’m still amazed at how Ellie pulled off this Herculean task,” Luna said with admiration.

  “Right. And it was really smart to have a small selection of food. Keeps people here longer.”

  “Good thinkin’,” Luna replied. “I’ll be by to pick everything up around eight thirty. Thanks for offering to bring it with you. Saves me a trip.”

  “I have to come here anyway, plus I borrowed a van, so I don’t have to make more than one trip. Unless we sell out, in which case I’m going to have to wing it!” Heidi laughed.

  “Do you have backup in your kitchen?” Luna had never thought to ask before.

  “I keep some of the cakes in the freezer, but I don’t like to sell them. I usually save those for my son and his friends. They’re not very fussy. You know how adolescents can be,” Heidi noted.

  Luna thought back for a second. “Sure do. My brother, Cullen, would bring a bunch of guys over after practice, and they would scour the kitchen for anything edible.”

  “Must be in their genes,” Heidi joked.

  “For sure. Gotta run. Have a groovy day.” Luna smiled.

  “Groovy. Cool, man.” Heidi laughed at her own response.

  Luna checked the time. Cullen should be opening his shop shortly. She was preparing to pounce on him about the table when he walked in with his hands in the air. “I know, I know, I know.”

  Luna snickered. “You promised, and I have been a very good sister not nagging you about it.” She pouted in fun.

  “You are correct.” Cullen gave her a kiss on the cheek. Luna returned the gesture they had long established since they were in college. “Want to give a look now?”

  “We have about an hour before the center opens. Let’s do it!” Luna clapped her hands in excitement. “I’ll go turn on the coffee machine and be right back.”

  Luna buzzed into the café and checked the machine. Full. Clicked the switches to the ON position. Everything was ready for the first customer. But just in case someone came looking for her while she was next door, she put up a tie-dyed sign with an arrow pointing to Cullen’s shop. The café was also on the honor system.

  Luna scurried back to Cullen’s workshop. She was excited and anxious at the same time. She knew there was something about that table, and now she was about to prove it. She began to slip on a pair of cotton gloves.

  Cullen gave her an odd look. “What are those for?”

  “I don’t want to leave any fingerprints,” she said slyly.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Cullen gave her another odd look.

  “Kinda. I was hoping I could get one more week out of this manicure. I get them so rarely.” Luna held up her fingers. “See? Pretty, eh?”

  “Very.” Cullen never noticed things like that on his sister. Other women, yes. Luna, not so much. He figured if s
he wanted him to notice something, she would be quick to bring it to his attention. Not that he wasn’t aware of his sister’s good looks. But it was more her aura that he appreciated and took notice of. He had to admit she had looked stunning the night of the opening. Maybe it was the marshal who had inspired that glow. He smiled.

  “What?” Luna eyed him.

  “Nothing.”

  “Yeah. Right. Spill.” Luna nudged him.

  “When you mentioned your manicure, I recalled how pretty you looked at the opening.” He gave her a sideways glance.

  “Well thank you, Cullen. You looked rather handsome yourself. Us Bodmans clean up real good!” Luna snickered.

  Cullen wondered if he should ask her about Gaines and if she had heard from him. Then he thought she would have told him if she had. But then, maybe not. He took a chance. “Have you heard from the marshal?”

  Luna didn’t bat an eye. “Nope.” She went to one end of the table. “Come on. Move your heinie.”

  “All right. All right.” Cullen made a face and went to the opposite side of the table. “Ready?”

  “Yes!” She was practically screaming. “One, two, three!”

  They slid the table far enough away for Cullen to get around to the side where the drawer was jammed. He tried to pull it loose but it didn’t budge. “Hand me that putty knife.” He pointed to the wall where all the tools were neatly stored.

  Luna grabbed the smallest one and passed it across the table to Cullen. He began to wriggle it between the drawer and the table. “Whoever closed this the last time gave it quite a shove.” Cullen bent down and peeked under the table. “I think maybe you should get underneath so when I can get this blasted knife in the slat, you can push while I pull.”

  Luna twisted the bottom of her skirt and tied it in a knot. She grabbed a shop towel and put it on the floor and clambered to the spot. “Glad you swept,” she muttered mockingly from under the table.

  Cullen kept trying to wedge the knife. “I need a hammer.”

  “Get it yourself,” Luna grumbled. “I’m not budging.”

  Cullen slithered between the table and the wall until he was free. He grabbed the nearest hammer and slithered back. He jammed the knife with one hand and gave it a bang with the hammer. A few pieces of old paint flew off. Still, it wasn’t moving. He let out a big sigh.

  “What?” Luna mumbled from her position.

  “Nothing. I need a crowbar.” Cullen already knew he wasn’t going to get any cooperation from his sister and slithered once again to the tool rack. And back again to the stubborn drawer. “OK. I’m going to pull it out with this. Better get out from under there just in case this whole thing falls apart.”

  Luna made disgruntled sounds as her head reappeared. She stood and brushed the dust off her hair.

  “I’m going to push the table toward you, so move away from it,” Cullen instructed her. “I need some room to get leverage.” He shook his head. “I’ve never had this much trouble with a piece of furniture, ever. This had better be worth it.”

  “Maybe it’s a treasure map!” Luna’s eyes lit up like those of a child whose favorite uncle had just walked in holding a package.

  “Just as I said, it’s probably an old grocery list.” Cullen put one foot on the leg of the table and began to pull at the drawer with the crowbar. With a loud crack, the front of the drawer came off, but it still left the rest of the drawer stuck to the table. “Hand me a flashlight, please?”

  “Aren’t you Mr. Bossy today?” Luna kidded, as she reached for the torch.

  Cullen shot a beam into the dark space. He peered inside, then reached inside. He gently tugged at the paper he had seen. It was an envelope with a name written in cursive on the front.

  “Huh,” Cullen muttered. “An envelope. It just says ‘Clive.’ Wonder who he is.” He turned it over in his hand.

  “Give me that thing!” Luna reached halfway across the table, practically climbing on top of it. She snatched it out of Cullen’s hand. “We have to open it.”

  “Wait. Maybe we should try to find out who Clive is first.”

  “Oh yeah. That will be a breeze. I’m sure there are only a couple million of them in the United States.”

  “You’re the psychic. Maybe you can figure it out.” Cullen was really razzing his sister by then.

  “Oh shut it, you. I told you there was something about this table. See?” She waved the envelope at him. “Maybe the name of the owner is within the contents of this envelope,” she mused.

  “Maybe. Maybe we should have someone other than us open it,” Cullen suggested.

  “Why?” Luna asked with a smirk. “Finders keepers.”

  “Oh no, missy. That’s my table.”

  She reached in her pocket and pulled out two single dollar bills and placed them on the table. “Here you go. The table now belongs to me.” She folded her arms to indicate the conversation on the subject was over. It was technically hers.

  Cullen looked pensive. “I bought this table at an auction with a few other pieces.”

  Luna acknowledged him. “Yeah. It was a bulk sale. You had to buy the entire contents of the container.”

  “Correct. But I bought it from a dealer who bought it from someone else.”

  “So, the real owner of this envelope may be looking for it,” Luna insisted. “We may very well be doing someone a favor.”

  “I seriously doubt it. If they shoved it in this junky old piece of furniture, chances are they aren’t missing it.”

  “OK. But I’m still opening it. Aren’t you the least bit curious?” Luna looked at him wide-eyed.

  “Of course I am,” Cullen admitted.

  Luna tilted her head to the side. “I’m going to go get Chi-Chi. Then there will be three of us witnessing the ‘unveiling’ . . .”

  Cullen finished her sentence. “. . . of the secret grocery shopping list.”

  “Ha!” Luna barked. Wiley echoed her. “Come on, pal. Let’s go get Chi-Chi.” Luna placed the envelope on the table. “Don’t go away.”

  Cullen smiled. He had to hand it to her. She was right. There was something about that table. And now they would soon find out what it was.

  A short time later, Luna reappeared with Chi-Chi, Wiley wagging his tail. He was as fond of Chi-Chi as she was of him. In her melodious voice, she asked, “And what is the big commotion all about?”

  Luna pointed to the table and the envelope. “We found this. It was inside a drawer that was jammed shut.”

  “Why don’t you open it? Maybe it is important,” Chi-Chi offered.

  “See? I told you,” Luna teased her brother. She took the putty knife and used it as a letter opener. Her hands were shaking as she unfolded the paper and began reading out loud.

  “‘I, Randolph Millstone, of Millstone Manor, in the state of Massachusetts, do hereby declare this is my last will and testament and revoke all previous wills and codicils. ’” She stopped abruptly and handed it to Cullen. “Do you think it’s real?”

  Cullen looked at the last sheet where a signature appeared as well as a witness to his signature. “The signature is legible.” He placed the letter on the table. The room went quiet.

  “Randolph Millstone, the bazillionaire?” Luna said softly. “Huh. Didn’t he pass away a couple of months ago?” She pulled out her phone and entered his name in the search bar of her Internet browser. Within a few seconds, several news websites appeared with headlines, BILLIONAIRE MILLSTONE OF MILLSTONE ENTERPRISES DEAD AT 87. Luna leaned against the table.

  Chi-Chi was the next to speak. “Do you suppose this is the real last one and that there may have been others before?” She pointed to the sentence about revoking all previous wills.

  “What should we do?” Luna looked at Chi-Chi and Cullen.

  “Contact the family?” Cullen suggested.

  Luna picked up the will and began to read it. “I’m not so sure about that.” She continued to scan the pages. “It looks like Mr. Millstone is leaving his fortu
ne to various charities. There is nothing in here indicating that any money goes to family members.”

  “So what do we do?” Cullen asked.

  Luna’s face lit up. “I just happen to know someone in law enforcement. Perhaps he can advise us.” Her impish grin was amusing.

  “Oh, girl. I think that’s a splendid idea.” Chi-Chi was right there with encouragement.

  Cullen grinned. “It really is a good idea.”

  Luna took a few long inhales. She needed to center herself. Then she asked, “Text or call?”

  Chi-Chi did not hesitate. “Call.”

  Cullen gave a “Text!” rapid-fire response.

  “I think a phone call would be better. We may not want a trail of messages,” Luna said wisely.

  “You’re not going undercover, for heaven’s sake,” Cullen stated.

  Chi-Chi folded her arms and stared down at Luna. “Call him.” Luna’s phone was sitting on the table. Chi-Chi picked it up and handed it to her. “Now.”

  Luna started wiggling her shoulders and hips as if she were about to step into a boxing ring. Cullen burst out laughing. “What are you doing? Some kind of woo-woo jig?”

  Chi-Chi stifled a laugh. She knew Luna was getting her own chi energy aligned. Shaking off the cosmic dust, so to speak.

  Luna made a face at him. “Never you mind.” She scrolled through her contact list and found Marshal Christopher Gaines. She pressed her finger on his name.

  “Marshal Gaines.” He knew it was Luna, but he didn’t want to seem too excited to hear from her. Even though he was.

  “Hey, Marshal. Luna-tic here.” She paused.

  He chuckled. “Well, hello, Ms. Bodhi. And to what do I owe this pleasure? I trust all is well in your world.”

  “Marshal Gaines. I am doing well, thank you. And you?”

  “Well. Busy, but well. Trying to make the house habitable has been a challenge, but I’m fine. What’s on your mind?”

  “Remember the table you saw in Cullen’s workshop? The one we were both vying for? The one that I thought was special?”