“That’s Mierette,” said Bean, almost laughing. “That was a madeup name. She wasn’t even French or Canadian.”
“You don’t say?” said Mrs. Carver. “She should be on Broadway.”
Mr. Carver resumed reading. “Michelle Cullahany ... here it is: ’of which sum Michelle Cullahany, who single-handedly rescued the paintings from oblivion .. .’ Single-handedly with poor Monty’s help, they mean,” he interjected. “‘Who single-handedly rescued the paintings from oblivion, will receive ten percent from the insurance company and the gallery as a reward.’”
“Ten percent of seventy-five million is seven million five hundred thousand dollars,” said Spooky proudly. “We figured it out with a calculator.”
“A calculator?” said Mr. Carver. “Why a calculator? All you have to do is move the decimal ... ” The look on their faces showed they were too excited for a math lesson. “Never mind,” he said. “I don’t imagine Monty’s going to see much of it.”
“He’s already bragging all over town how he helped find the paintings,” said Abby. “And how he’s going to sue Mierette ... Michelle, I mean ... if she doesn’t give him his fair share.”
“He’s lucky no one pressed charges, or he’d be bragging all over jail,” Mrs. Carver observed.
“Of course, there wasn’t really anyone who could press charges, was there?” said Mr. Carver. “The paintings were already stolen and, whether he knew it or not, he was helping return them to their rightful owners.”
Once they told the story, the kids took a few seconds to catch their breath while Bean’s mom and dad soaked it all in.
“Well,” said Bean at last. “I guess everything’s back to normal.”
Mrs. Carver sighed. “Gee. It’s going to be awfully boring around here for the rest of the summer, isn’t it?”
Just then there was a one-man stampede up the wood walkway as Spooky burst through the door.
“Don’t slam the—” Slam. “Door,” said Mrs. Carver.
“Sorry, Mrs. C,” said Spooky. “But you’ll never guess what just washed up on shore down at Indian Creek.”
But that’s another story.
The Secret of the Missing Grave Page 21
