Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery
Page 34
When the hubbub subsided, she made her way over to the Sheriff who was still holding forth as the hero of the moment. “Where did you find it? We thought maybe it was gone for good,” she asked.
“I suppose it might’ve been,” Midgett responded. “I got it when I went to the private hospital in Raleigh where Millicent Simon is receiving treatment. It seems that Mark had left it there as security until he could arrange to pay for her care.”
“Really,” Lin was amazed, “then why did they give it to you?”
“Well, since Mark won’t be standing trial, there is no need for us to retain any material evidence in his case; the jewelry he had in his safe deposit box is now part of his estate. It now belongs to Millicent, so she is taken care of. Apparently, Simon was honest about one thing; he was free of debt. By the way, his banker has been charged with aiding and abetting. He was helping him all along.”
“I seriously doubt if Millicent will ever be able to face charges. She’s almost completely delusional now, according to her doctors, anyway.”
“I have just one more question,” Lin said, “ Was all of the jewelry given back to the Simon estate? What about…”
Pete Midgett spoke before she could finish, “All except that one set—the pendant, earrings, and ring that were in the bag at the bottom of the box. I showed them to Billy Thornton, and he identified them as the same ones Liz Frazier showed him ten years ago. Said they were unique, and he was certain these were the same. That means they didn’t belong to Simon; they weren’t among the items returned. Strange, he was so proud of the way he conducted his business, but it all started with jewelry that was stolen. We haven’t had any luck trying to track down any possible family members—no one is actually sure exactly where Liz found the jewelry—probably the wreck of the Sandrift, but who knows, really. Under the laws of salvage the jewelry belonged to Liz. I took it to her mother yesterday. It’s really all that Liz had left.”
Lin struggled to find the good in all this. Mrs. Frazier faced a difficult time now, having lost both her daughters and in such horrible fashion. Perhaps eventually the legacy left by Liz could help make her life more comfortable.
“Grandma, grandma, come on,” Sam was tugging on her sleeve. “Tom is going to take our picture—all of us, Grandpa Neal too—hurry up!”
Lin wiped her eyes and went to join her family in front of Eloise’s beautiful fireplace. This was going to be a very special Christmas, indeed.
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Coming Next
Spring in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina promises to be a wonderful opportunity for Lin Hanna and her friend Sue Gray to reconnect while volunteering on the Blue Ridge Parkway. When their pleasant stay is interrupted by the work of a ruthless killer, they must confront new dangers which threaten the lives of parkway visitors and their own.
Look for the third book in the Lin Hanna Mystery series coming soon.
About the Author
Sharon Canipe is a retired educator. During her working career she served as a teacher and school administrator. Since her retirement she has worked part-time as an educational consultant, volunteer, and online university instructor and mentor to graduate students. Her volunteer experiences and her love of travel led to her interest in writing. The first book in her Lin Hanna Mystery series grew from her experiences at Wupatki National Monument in Arizona. The Outer Banks of North Carolina form the setting for this current work.
Sharon and her husband, Steve, divide their time between their summer home in Boone, NC and their winter place in Tucson, AZ. They love to travel and enjoy spending time with their two adult children and their two “chowbradors,” Lucky and Snoopy.
Check out my webpage: at canipe.net
Check out my page at: facebook.com/linhannamysteries