House of the Forest
Page 22
He sat down, his face thoughtful. “It’s probably a crazy idea, but now that you mention it, I have to agree with Beth that she wanted you to find something.”
“Well, it’s the only way to put our thoughts to rest.”
They looked up In the Garden first and studied the words to each verse carefully but nothing seemed to stand out to them. She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t get any ideas from these verses.”
She then turned the pages to Great is Thy Faithfulness and when she opened the book to that hymn, to her surprise, a piece of paper and a flat, smooth key fell out in her lap.
“What is this?” She picked up the paper and unfolded it. Inside it said,
Stella Sorenson, First National Bank, San Bernardino Box 147
Laura stared at the paper and gasped.
“What is it?”
“Sam, Sorenson was my aunt’s maiden name.”
He shook his head slowly. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
She gasped. “What do we do now?”
Sam took the paper gently out of her hand and reached for the phone. “I’m calling the San Bernardino Police Department. Dave will know what to do.”
After a brief conversation with Dave, Sam put the phone down and whistled. “They’ll get a court order and open the safety deposit box. He’ll let us know what they find. If it’s the money, he’ll see that it goes back to the bank.” Sam chuckled. “We may even get a reward for its return.”
“A reward?”
“Yes, that’s pretty common in a case like this. The bank is just glad to get the bulk of the stolen money back.”
“Sam Matheson, we don’t know the money’s there yet.”
She got up and took their mugs to the kitchen then put Sam to work helping her unpack. They worked in companionable silence for an hour or two with an occasional comment from Sam or directions from Laura, but her eyes strayed anxiously to the phone from time to time, willing it to ring.
When it finally did ring, they dropped what they were doing and rushed to the living room. Laura felt like a flock of butterflies had taken up residence in her chest.
“Hello? Yes, he’s here.” She handed the phone to Sam and waited.
“Hello. You did? That’s pretty fast work. What did you find?” Sam paused, listening and then let out a whoop of delight. “You’re kidding. Great, keep us posted.”
He hung up the phone, turned picking Laura up, he swung her around the living room.
“Sam Matheson, put me down,” she cried in mock anger.
“They found it, all nine hundred thousand. The bank put a lock on her box because the rent was two months overdue. With a court order, they were able to access the box.”
He put her down and she sank back on the couch. “I can’t believe it. We actually found the money.”
She wrinkled her brow, cocking her head to one side. “You know, I don’t remember a bill from that bank for a safe deposit box. I paid all the bills that were outstanding.”
“Maybe your aunt misplaced it.”
“More likely she hid that too. She wouldn’t want anyone to know about that bank.”
“True.”
She shrugged. “I’ll look through her papers again. I was a little upset and could have missed it. In any case, I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“I think your aunt knew you would figure out her note eventually.”
“What I can’t figure out is why she didn’t just turn the money in herself.”
“Maybe she was afraid of your uncle and what he would do. If he were dead, and she had also died, she knew you would find the note and do the right thing.”
She shook her head. “I just can’t believe it. Wait until I tell Beth. I’ll never hear the last of it.”
He grinned at her. “I know someone else who will be surprised.”
“Deke?”
“Well, he’s doing all right and seems really happy. He’s a pretty different guy from the one who came to the memorial service.” He lowered his voice in mock confidentiality. “I think there’s a thing going on between him and the girl who works in the garage office.”
“Really? Good for him.”
He stood looking down at her, and his eyes were filled with warmth. “I would say the solving of this case calls for a celebration. May I take you to dinner Ms. Kingsley?”
She laughed softly at the ease between them. Oh Lord, what more could I be thankful for? “Yes, I’d like that, Sam.”