by B J Richards
"Well, while you guys continue to do the police work, I'm going down to the basement and check out Jonas Billamore’s old office. I just realized I haven’t had time to check it out thoroughly since I found it," Sandra said as she stood up.
"I'm right with you!" Josephine chimed in, almost jumping out of her chair, glad for something more interesting to do,
"You girls have flimsy patience. Can't sit still for hours?" Nathaniel mocked.
"Nope," Josephine said and danced out of the office.
"What do you think we’ll find down there?" Josephine asked, as she and Sandra headed down the hall.
"I don't know. But I'm tired of secrets," Sandra said. Just then her phone rang and she smiled as she checked the caller ID.
"Let me guess… Dr. Stiles?" Josephine said with a wink and Sandra nodded.
"Hey you." Sandra said into the phone as she answered the call.
"Hey yourself. How’s my favorite patient doing today?" Josh's vibrant voice asked.
"I'm not your patient anymore."
"True… still doesn't mean I can't check on you. So how did the tunnel walk go? Did it help?"
"It did. But not in the way we expected."
"How then?" Josh’s voice took on a curious tone.
"It's a long story, actually."
"Invite him over," Josephine's whispered to Sandra. "Come on, it'd be fun."
Sandra contemplated Josephine’s suggestion for a second, while she talked to Josh. She’d been talking to him a lot lately, and she liked him. But was she ready to fill him in on all this or even get him involved?
"Do you want to come over? I'm at the museum with some of my friends. Explaining will be a lot easier that way."
"I'd love that. You’ve just saved my Sunday!"
"Happy to help," Sandra smiled and hung up.
"What's up? You look like the first time you were called into the principal’s office," Josephine teased.
"I don't know. I like him. I just don’t know about getting him involved in all these complications that have become my life. It feels kind of weird. You know what’s even weirder? Before I became curator here, I wouldn't have considered dating. I was too focused on proving myself… proving I wasn’t just a Peterson with money. I wanted this so badly. And then I got it and it's been... well, a challenge." Sandra paused. She’d never admitted that to anyone before, not even Josephine.
"And now I want something like you and Nate have. But my life is a complicated mess. There are people walking the streets right now who consider me a threat because I may remember something. I know Nate says not to panic, but I'm scared. I'm scared Jo, and I don't want to bring another person into this. I don't want anybody to get hurt because of me," Sandra confided as she turned to her friend.
Josephine dragged her into an embrace. "It's going to be okay, I promise. And Dr. Stiles isn't a baby. I'm sure he can handle himself. Besides, he was already involved from the first time he treated you. Everything will be fine. Those bastards might have caused you to lose old memories, but don't let them steal the chance to create new ones," Josephine’s said, her voice muffled against Sandra’s shoulder as they hugged.
"When did you become so wise?"
"Always was. You just weren't paying attention,” Josephine teased, hugging her friend even closer.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sandra’s cell rang and she hesitated slightly when she realized how giddy it was making her feel. She knew it was Josh before she looked at it. He was calling to say he was at the front door of the Hall and needed to be let in.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this. She silently reminded herself she hadn’t let anyone into her life for years due to her work, so in a way, this was almost like new territory.
“That’s Josh,” Sandra said to Josephine as she put down one of the ledgers she’d been studying in Jonas’ office. “I’ll be right back. Just have to run upstairs for a minute and let him in.”
“Okay. I’ll be here, trying not to inhale too much dust.” Josephine smiled, seeing how nervous Sandra was getting about having invited Josh. “And just relax. He’ll be fine with all this, you’ll see.”
“Either that, or he’ll think that knock on my head turned me into a complete lunatic,” Sandra mumbled as she walked out into the hallway where they’d found Annabel’s painting. “Only one way to find out.”
Butterflies in her stomach, she hurried up the basement stairs to let him in, double checking her hair and outfit in the reflection of one of the glass doors she passed. Silently complimenting herself on her choice of jeans and dark blue tailored blouse, she slowed her pace and headed toward the front door.
"Hey," she greeted him as she unlocked one side of the massive double doors. She was beaming, but hoped it didn’t show too much.
"So this is where you work?" Josh asked, looking around.
"This is it."
Josh automatically went over to the giant statue of the man in his raw animal state that had given Sandra such misgivings, and stood staring at it. She was grateful she’d made the decision to leave the statue there; it had turned out to be a favorite among the tourists, bizarre as it was.
"This is gorgeous and appalling at the same time," Josh said, turning and looking at Sandra.
She grinned. "Exactly what I thought when I first saw it. Are you an art lover?"
"My mom. She's an artist and I learned to appreciate it from her. Zero talent in that direction though." Josh moved from painting to painting, partly because he found art fascinating and partly because he was slightly nervous, too.
He paused when he came to Annabel's painting. "This is gorgeous. Who painted it?"
"Carrigan. Benjamin Carrigan… but he's mostly unknown."
"Um, the name sounds familiar. But I can't recall from where."
"Really?" Sandra's eyes lit up and Josh raised a brow.
"Yeah, why?" Josh looked curiously at Sandra. She had such enthusiasm in her voice, he could tell this was important to her.
"Well, the name of the woman in the painting is Annabel Carson Billamore. She married Philip Billamore in late 1877. She was a distant cousin of mine. I've searched for the history of the painter online, but haven't come up with anything."
"Wow. That is interesting. Your ancestor married a Billamore."
"Well, that's not the most interesting thing about Annabel, but I don't think it's something you share on a first date."
Josh looked at her and grinned. "So this is a date?"
"Well… I meant... I was just..."
"Sandra Peterson lost for words. And I thought I was the babbling one."
"Well, you are," Sandra retorted and Josh grinned.
"Still, I don't mind hearing whatever story is behind it," Josh said, looking down the hall where her office door was standing open. He could see Dickson and Nathaniel talking in her office. "Those are the friends you talked about?"
"Yes… part of the long story. Jo is in the basement exploring Jonas Billamore’s private office, which is also part of the story. It's a rather complicated one, though.” Her voice dropped and got quieter at the end. Half expecting him to bail, she paused, wondering if his good sense would tell him to leave. But it was just the opposite.
Josh’s face perked up. "I don't know what’s going on here, but I have a feeling it's going to be the best part of my Sunday."
"Or the weirdest," Sandra countered, and led Josh down the basement stairs.
***
Sandra let Josephine fill Josh in on the whole tale from the beginning. Somehow it seemed even more authentic since Josephine was still covered in dust and cobwebs from poking around Jonas’ old office.
She knew how much Josephine enjoyed telling a story, especially one that included anything paranormal, ghosts in particular. Besides, she’d asked Josephine not to tell anyone about this yet. So Josephine was having an extra bit of fun with it.
"Wait. You actually felt Annabel take control of your body?" Josh asked, directing the
question toward Sandra as Josephine brushed some of the cobwebs off her arm.
Sandra shrugged. "Crazy, right?"
"A little. But I've read stories from psychiatrists discussing their patient’s feelings in near death experiences. In those circumstances, they also felt they had no control of their bodies. Except here, your long-dead cousin is reaching out to you."
Josh smiled in fascination. Then his voice dropped in concern. "What concerns me are the people out there who’ve tried to kill you and haven't been caught."
"That's what we’re waiting for. For them to take the bait," Sandra said. Now the whole picture was laid out, including the danger… and Josh got it.
"The bait being Jonas Billamore's treasure."
"Uh-huh.”
"What do you think he planned on doing with it? He didn't will it to anyone. Another descendant of his found it and stashed the whole collection into a chest and hid it. Why smuggle it in to start with?" Josh asked.
"That's what we’re hoping to find out in his office today," Josephine said as she continued her search. "Someone like him should have a journal. He was considered eccentric and didn't talk much. Writing becomes the only logical thing for him to do."
"Or paint. He's an art lover after all," Josh said.
"Of course!" Josephine paused and grinned at him. "You're a genius."
She ran over to the rolls of canvas she’d seen, but ignored, in the corner of the office. They were stuck in a large ceramic floor vase that was barely visible behind some old crates filled with books.
“Let me help with that,” Josh insisted. He could tell the crates were heavy. But so was the vase. It was filled with paintings all rolled up, then bound together with leather straps.
Sandra cleared the top of Jonas’ great desk. “Lay them up here, Josh.” Carefully she untied the straps that bound them and began to unroll the canvas layers.
"Check this out," Sandra said as she unrolled one of the paintings. It was a painting of men building a tunnel. "That's the tunnel underneath the museum."
"Yeah." Josephine’s eyes widened. She was completely fascinated.
"Here. This is a painting of him receiving gold at his private port," Josephine said, unrolling another one.
"He documented everything through painting!" Sandra exclaimed as they opened each one up.
"But what’s this?" Josh asked, having just unrolled a canvas that contained all the items of the chest underneath a tree.
"Huh. Why would he keep all those valuables under a tree?" Josephine asked.
"Isn’t that the oak tree at the Town Hall? Legend has it, the Billamores refused to let that tree be cut down when they built the Town Hall. They felt it held the essence of the town itself." Sandra knew a great deal about the town history from her studies since she’d become Curator at the Hall.
"The question still remains, why would he keep that kind of wealth there… under the tree?" Josephine asked completely befuddled.
"Guys, I don't think he was putting it under the tree. I think he was placing it in front of the Town Hall," Josh said, pointing to the angle of the items in the painting.
"That makes total sense!" Sandra agreed excitedly. She was starting to understand what Josh was pointing out on the painting.
"Are you going to explain or do I have to prod it out of you?" Josephine asked, her head cocked to the side with one eyebrow raised.
"This was the seventeenth century. There was a lot of animosity between the colonists and Britain. The whole country was headed for war. Smuggling was the only way Jonas could bring anything in without it being confiscated. I think that’s how he kept things afloat and built the town. And the gold and diamonds in the chest must’ve been all that was left after the town was built." Sandra paused and pointed to the painting,
"Look here. There are more diamonds and gold in the painting than there are in the chest. And the paintings that were in the chest are not on this painting; he kept those for himself. Art was an obsession for him. But the diamonds and gold are for the town. Philip must’ve found them stashed in different places and believed they belonged together. Guys, this is Jonas Billamore’s will," Sandra said holding up the painting. "His gift to the town. His town."
CHAPTER FIVE
Nathaniel stood up from his desk at the precinct and stretched. It was almost noon on Monday and he was doing paperwork for Dickson, too. Dickson informed him that was the cost of making him stay at the museum to watch the cameras.
The cameras were also being monitored at the station and there were three undercover officers covering different shifts at the museum in various roles. But he and Dickson were in charge, and at least one of them had to be there at all times.
There was still no sign of the suspects, though. Nathaniel had worried that cops at the museum, undercover or not, would draw attention. This was Billamore and someone was bound to notice. But as long as the big boss behind the murders was relying on his thugs to be his eyes, Nathaniel knew they’d show up sooner or later. Whoever this mastermind was, he wasn’t hiring the best and the brightest to do his dirty work.
Hunger pangs were starting to get the best of Nathaniel. Heading over to the restaurant across the street, he gave Dickson another call. “Hey, it’s me. I’m heading out to grab some lunch. Want anything?”
“No, thanks. Sandra is having some lunch brought in. I think we’re having Chinese.”
“Okay. I figured as much, but wanted to offer. I’ll be over later to relieve you,” Nathaniel said as he hung up and walked into the diner.
Taking a seat at the first available booth, Nathaniel didn’t even look at the menu. He’d been there a million times and knew it by heart.
"Can I have a burger please, Shirley?" Nathaniel asked the waitress when she showed up with his customary coffee.
“Rough day, Detective? You look a little worn today,” the waitress noted. She was a middle-aged woman with no make-up and short brown hair that did nothing for her plump frame. But she was the best waitress you could find, and knew how he liked his coffee.
“Just another day,” Nathaniel lied. “With a lot of paperwork.” The last thing he was going to do was explain police work to his waitress.
Nodding in understanding, Shirley finished pouring his coffee, then left to get his order. In only a few minutes she was back, leaving his burger and fries and refilling his coffee.
As he bit into the burger, Nathaniel was quickly reminded he hadn't eaten all day. Before he’d had a chance to swallow his first bite, he heard a familiar high-pitched voice calling out to him.
"Detective Murphy!”
He turned around to see Cindy, the medical examiner who worked in the Forensics Lab in the basement of the police station.
"Hey, Cindy. You here for lunch?”
“Just getting a take-out order,” she said as she sat down in the booth opposite him. "You've been a hard man to reach. I've been to your cubicle at least three times in the last week trying to catch you," she said as she pushed her sagging glasses back up onto her nose.
"I'm sorry about that. I've been caught up lately," Nathaniel said smiling and waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, he went on, "Why were you looking for me?"
"Actually, I wanted to ask where you got the body tissue you gave Greg to analyze a few months ago."
"I'm sorry, what body tissue?" Nathaniel knew what body tissue she was talking about, but he asked anyway. Out of all the reasons he was expecting Cindy to be looking for him, he didn't expect Annabel to be one of them.
"Oh, you know, the preserved body tissue that was obviously decades old that you wanted Greg to test for any sign of poison." The entire lab was under her control, and that included all of Greg’s work.
"Oh, that," Nathaniel said, while munching on a fry and pretending to be aloof. He still wasn't aware why she was interested in the identity now. She hadn't asked questions then. Why now? "So why are you asking?"
"Well, it was positive for poison, but no arrest was made...,
" she was saying when Nathaniel cut in.
"Look, Cindy..."
"Let me finish. I don't care about that. What's more interesting to me is what I found out a week ago."
Nathaniel pushed his plate to the side and sat up, "What did you find?"
"Well, I was finishing up the paper work from everyone’s physicals from a few months ago, as well as the back-logged entries from the general lab work. I happened to have two screens open at the same time. And that’s when I saw it. The DNA correlations. The tissue sample you gave Greg is a twenty percent match with your DNA," Cindy concluded with her face lit up like a Christmas tree.
Nathaniel's face was confused for a second before he smirked. "That's impossible. Besides, how do you have my DNA?"
"From your physical… the blood work. I have the DNA of all working personnel at the precinct. It's protocol. When I saw the similarities, I ran some more tests. Whoever that body tissue belonged to is a relative of yours. A distant, but direct one. Like your grandmother or great grandmother depending on how old the tissue is."
This was not what Nathaniel was expecting to hear. His life had been strange ever since Sandra had taken that job as Curator at Billamore Hall. Which meant Josephine was involved as her best friend. Which meant he was involved as Josephine’s fiancé.
Nathaniel flashed back to what John Montgomery had said about heterochromia iridium and the two eye colors being an identifying trait of the Billamores. It seemed too much of a coincidence to have such a trait and now share DNA with Annabel Carson. Correction, Annabel Billamore. But still, he couldn't fathom it.
Nathaniel’s Dad had left Billamore to go to college out of state, married his mom and had a family. When he died, she didn’t bring them back to Billamore until Nathaniel was in the fourth grade.
