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Matt broke the awkward silence in the room. "I like your cousin," he told Sady.
"Me too!" she smiled. "He invited me to come visit them in Oregon."
"Oh, are you going for the wedding?"
Sady laughed. "Did you learn nothing from our job with the wedding planner? One unexpected guest can throw off the whole seating arrangement. Erin has it worked out down to the last detail, and the last thing she needs is an uninvited relative showing up, expecting special favors. I'll wait until they're settled to visit."
"I forgot about the wedding planner. I thought she was just trying to run up a big bill with all those extras."
"She was, as far as the bill goes. But the extras? Most brides want all that, and more!" she told him as she poured them each a mixed cough syrup drink.
"Really?" Matt asked. "All those things are important when you get married?" He took a sip of his drink, grateful it was strong.
"Probably not to the groom," she admitted. "But they are to many brides."
Matt drained his glass. "What about you?"
Sady snorted and spit out her drink. "After years on the beauty pageant circuit? I'm wearing blue jeans in front of a justice of the peace... just because I can! I'm tired of gowns, and shoes, and jewelry, and special meals, and pasting on a smile when I'd rather punch someone. Oh, no! I wouldn't do it even if the wedding planner took care of all the details!"
Matt seemed surprised as he held out his empty glass and said, "Thanks," when Sady refilled it.
"I'm going to change for bed," she told him with a yawn. He laughed when she came out of the bathroom. Her over-sized T-shirt had a picture of a tent overlaid with a red slashed circle- the universal symbol for DO NOT. The caption beneath read 'City Girls DON'T Camp!'
"A gift from Amanda," she explained. "Are you going to be awake by eight?"
"I wouldn't miss the treasure hunt for anything," he assured her with a smile that made her heart race.
***
Sady opened her eyes in the morning to a pair of blue eyes staring at her. "You snored last night," she teased, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"How could tell over the scream of the springs?" he asked. "Besides, you drooled."
She giggled and rolled off the bed. "Then I get dibs on the shower. Sorry, but unless you got more towels, they might a little damp." She scampered off to the shower, and Matt flopped back with a smile, happy to have his Sady back.
A half hour later he pounded on the bathroom door. "If we're late, it's your fault," he yelled.
The door opened, and she said, "I know. It always is. Now hurry up because I'm hungry!"
She heard him fuming about the damp towels. "I saved you a washcloth," she yelled through the door. "That wasn't nice," she scolded on hearing his response.
He appeared a short time later, and Sady laughed at his half wet T-shirt. "Don't feel bad," she said consolingly. "It will look like that later, anyway. Today's going to be hotter than yesterday." Matt looked at her summer clothes and silently agreed.
Ryan knocked on the door. "Are you decent?" he yelled.
"Funny," Matt said, as he and Sady stepped out into the humid morning air.
They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and before they left Sady flagged down Ally. "Do you know where I can get some flowers? Legally? I don't want to get arrested for picking the wildflowers."
"What kind of flowers?" Ally asked.
"Something Beth-Ann Clayton might like."
"Miss Beth will love any flowers you bring," Ally assured her. "Stop in the park to see if the farmer's market is set up. They have a good variety."
With her thanks and a nice tip, Sady and the men left and walked to the park. The guys grew impatient as Sady looked over the flowers, carefully choosing the best ones. When Matt reached out to grab one she slapped his hand. "Your job is to pay," she told him. She heard Ryan say something under his breath and she turned to him. "Now you each pay half," she said with a smirk. "Any more smart comments?"
"No, ma'am," Ryan said with a salute.
The men complained again when Sady stopped at another booth. "But they have pottery," she protested. "In Michigan you only see it at craft shows, not farmer's markets. Now stop distracting me before I drop something expensive." The men backed away, and she shopped in peace.
"What, we don't have to pay for your clay?" Matt asked.
"Be nice," she warned. "The vase is for Miss Beth-Ann's flowers. There, don't they look nice? All she needs is to add some water." She handed the vase to Ryan and hugged Matt's arm as they walked to the Clayton house.
It was a beautiful old house, with a well manicured lawn, and a welcoming front porch. The guys pushed Sady to the door. "Chickens," she teased as she rang the bell.
An older woman wearing a starched apron answered the door. Sady explained who she was, and the purpose of their visit. "I'll see if she's up to having company," the woman said, closing the door. Sady wondered if she forgot about them and was about to suggest they come back later when the door opened.
"Miss Beth will be happy for the company," the woman told them, leading them into the house. "I'm Margaret, and I've been with her for many years." She stopped them outside a door. "Sometimes her mind wanders, and she tires easily," she warned them.
"We'll be respectful," Sady promised.
"I'll call the sheriff and have you arrested if you're not," Margaret threatened. With that, she took them into the room and introduced them to Miss Beth. Miss Clayton sat in a chair, her white hair done up neatly, and a blanket covering her lap. Her skin was paper thin and finely lined with wrinkles. She held out her hand to welcome them.
Sady took her the flowers and let her admire them before handing the vase to Margaret. Margaret finally smiled her approval, and Sady sat near Miss Beth. As a beauty queen, Sady spent many hours in nursing homes and hospital wards- all part of her duties. She learned to converse with people of every age. She complimented Miss Beth on her beautiful home and listened politely as Beth explained how her family came to Sinful.
"You must have seen a lot of changes through the years," Sady observed. Again she and the men listened to Miss Beth's stories.
"Miss Beth, do you remember a man named Louis Colbert?" Sady asked.
"Oh, my yes! The town was in an uproar for many years after he moved here. He worked for Huey Long, you know." Sady nodded, not wanting to interrupt. "Well, members of the Long family spent years trying to prove Louis had stolen from them. But I never believed it," she told them.
"Why is that?" Sady asked gently.
"He was a kind man, and generous. When he died he willed everything he owned to the town of Sinful. The library is built on land he donated for public use. Does that sound like a greedy man, one who would steal?"
"No, he sounds like a gentleman," Sady observed.
"My father was a gentleman." Beth-Ann giggled and put her hand over her mouth. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but when he was young, he was quite naughty. He and his brothers piled rocks on the railroad tracks and derailed a train. Thankfully, it was going slow, and no one was hurt, except my father and his brothers. They couldn't sit for a week!"
"He sounds like a special person," Sady smiled.
"Did you remind Margaret to put the cat out?" she asked, suddenly switching gears.
"No, but I'll make sure to do so before we leave," Sady said as she stood. She gave Miss Beth a gentle hug and thanked her for the visit.
"You're welcome, dear. I'm glad you came. I forgot your name," she said.
"It's Sady, and these are my friends."
"Thank you for coming, Sady. Oh, Louis once owned a house at the end of Bridge Street. If he hid a treasure, you might look there. Do you know if Margaret let the cat in?"
"I'll send Margaret to you and she can let you know. It was nice meeting you, Miss Beth."
"Thank you, dear. I wonder where that cat is now?" she asked as they left the room. Margaret hovered in the hall outside the room.
"I guess you heard," Sady said.
"We haven't had a cat in twenty years," Margaret said, shaking her head. "Thank you for visiting. It will be the highlight of her week." She seemed shocked when Sady hugged her as well and told her they'd see themselves out.
"Is she always that demonstrative?" Ryan whispered to Matt, who nodded with a smile. This time Matt took Sady's arm and drew it close as they walked.
"Where next?" Ryan asked. "The town hall to look at property records? There might be a record of other property Louis owned."
"You're the expert," Sady told him. "We're just along for the ride."
"I doubt that," he replied. "But for the sake of my ego I'll let it slide."
The suspicious clerk on duty, named Mary Jane, wasn't as welcoming of strangers as Miss Beth and Margaret. Sady hid her smile when Matt and Ryan teamed up on the poor woman. By the time they finished, she was ready to offer them a key to the town.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves," Sady reprimanded them in a hushed voice.
"Don't knock it," Matt said. "It got us to the records, didn't it?"
"It probably earned you a one-way ticket to a place much hotter than Sinful," she stated. "Has Erin seen this delinquent side of your personality?" she asked Ryan. He nodded, and she said, "I don't believe you."
"Save it will you?" Matt suggested. "Let's start digging before she changes her mind!"
By noon they had the information they needed- the address of the house once owned by Louis Colbert. He had no other houses, only the parcel of land left to the town for the library.
As they left the heavy-set, plain woman behind the desk hinted that she was available for lunch. Over the murmured protests of the men, Sady invited her to join them at the diner. She looked delighted, and Sady gave the men a warning look.
Only once did Ryan complain when the clerk edged him down the booth so she could share the bench with him. A scalding look from Sady stopped it from becoming an issue. Over lunch, Sady treated their guest kindly. As a librarian, she'd known many women like Mary Jane, lonely and longing for a little company.
Sady carried the conversational ball, and soon Mary Jane warmed up to her. When she learned Sady had been a librarian they talked about books and authors, leaving the men out of the conversation. When lunch was over Mary Jane thanked Sady and told her to come back if she needed to look at any more records.
"Let that be a lesson to you boys," Sady told them. “Kindness works!”
Matt snorted, and Ryan laughed. "If you were a man, you wouldn't be saying that."
"If I were a man I'd take you out back and thrash you for your bad manners," she told them. "I've got Ellen on speed dial, Matt. And Ryan? I already added Erin to my contacts, so I expect you two to behave!"
"Is she always so bossy?" Ryan asked.
"Blame Amanda," Matt told him. "Her wicked influence has no boundaries."
"And your mom's spending the week with her," Sady reminded him.
"Thanks! The rest of my mom's visit is now shot to hell," he complained.
"Maybe we should check out Louis' house," Ryan interrupted diplomatically. "I looked through the property deeds. Louis left it to Sinful, and the town sold the house after his death. Through the years it changed hands several times. Now it's reverted back to Sinful because of unpaid property taxes."
"Our lucky day," Sady said. "Unless we get busted for B & E."
"I have that one covered," Matt told them. "While you were digging through the records, I schmoozed up to Mary Jane and told her I'm interested in buying the property. Ouch!" he griped when Sady slapped him. "Just for that I should make you crawl through the window, while Ryan and I enter legally through the door with the key." He waved the key in front of her. "Now what do you have to say?"
"I'm still going to call your mother," Sady replied. "After we've been through the house!"
They walked the few blocks to the outskirts of town and found the house Louis once owned. Long abandoned, it was run down and in need of a paint job, as well as several windows, now covered with boards.
"It's no wonder Mary Jane gave you the key," Sady snorted. "She's probably going to have you arrested for vandalism when you return it."
When Matt opened the door, it creaked like an old house door should. Inside, the floors were covered with layers of dust. Spider webs draped like curtains from every surface.
"What are we looking for?" Sady asked.
Ryan shrugged. "Try checking for loose bricks, wide cracks in the floorboards, anywhere a person might hide something."
“Ryan, do you honestly think we'll find anything?” Sady asked curiously.
He chuckled. “Don't be ridiculous! I'm here to soak up the atmosphere of the house because it will help my story. I thought you'd have fun searching for a missing treasure, while I take mental notes and imagine Louis living here. Okay, I'll have fun looking for secret panels and hidden rooms too. It's all part of the mystery.”
"And I'm here because..." Matt interrupted.
"You forced your way into our adventure. Plus, you brought the key, so stop griping," Sady told him.
"Do we start in the attic or basement?" she asked Ryan.
"How about the attic?" he suggested.
"You go first," she said, giving him a push. He shrugged and swatted the cobwebs along the entry, then up the stairs to the second floor. When he pulled the handle to lower the steps for the attic, a pile of dirt dropped down on them.
"You'd better get more towels at the motel," she told Matt, coughing and sputtering. She shook her hair and dirt flew in every direction.
Then she sneezed as Ryan cautioned, “Watch out for the broken step.”
“Thanks,” Matt told Sady dryly. “I hope you feel better.”
She turned to stick out her tongue at Matt as she followed Ryan up the steps. A moment later she lost her balance and dropped like a rock down the steps. Matt, standing below, took the brunt of her fall and she knocked him flat, landing on top of him.
“Hey,” she yelled. “Those steps are dangerous!”
Matt groaned and said, “You killed me! Now get off and try listening. Ryan warned you about the steps.”
Sady looked at Ryan, who poked his head through the attic opening. He nodded, and Sady said, “Oops! Sorry about that.”
“Not as sorry as me,” Matt stated as she scrambled to get up. "Did you gain weight?” he asked.
Ryan's head disappeared and Sady bristled. “I don't know. Why don't we try it a few more times?”
“Just teasing, Sassafras,” he grinned. She gave him one last warning look, then turned to the steps while Matt rubbed his back. Once they were all in the attic, they spread out in different directions.
After a while, a shriek from Sady sent the men running to check on her. She was completely still with her eyes squeezed shut. "Something just fell out of the rafters," she whispered. "It landed on my head before it dropped off. Please tell me it's not a rat!"
Matt reached down and picked up a long dead, dried out squirrel to show Sady. She opened her eyes and screamed again, "What is it? Is it a rat?"
"It's only a squirrel, Princess," he assured her. "Didn't the cache of falling acorns give you a clue?"
"I was kinda busy worrying about rabies," she said. "Can I get rabies from that thing? Why are you still holding it? Get rid of it!" Matt flipped the dead squirrel across the attic, and she hollered, "No! Throw it out the window or something."
"Sady, it's dead and it can't hurt you," he said. "Let the little guy rest in peace." Ryan bit the inside of his mouth at the look on her face, and Matt went back to the other side of the attic.
Sady wore a 'well, excuse me!' look, and she bumped Ryan. She gathered a few acorns and with careful aim pinged one off Matt's head. He yelped and looked around suspiciously. She turned to him with an innocent smile, and his eyes narrowed. A minute later she pitched another one, this time hitting him in the neck.
Ryan interrupted Sady's fun by laughing. "Where did you get that aim?" he asked.
"It wasn't at the firing range," Matt snapped, rubbing his neck. Sady sniffed, then explained to Ryan about her week with a minor league baseball team.
"It was the runner-up prize in a beauty pageant," she told Ryan. "I threw the evening gown competition, because I wanted to go to baseball camp."
"Since you have time to play, I take it you didn't find anything," Matt said sarcastically. She yawned, and Ryan suggested they check the basement.
"I bet there are bats down there," Sady warned. "Bats carry rabies. Don't let them bite you."
"Wrong," Matt told her. "Any bats would have been in the attic. The basement's more likely to have spiders and rats," he teased. "Would you rather search the main floor?"
She nodded eagerly. "Thanks, guys! If you get bit, I'll call 911 for you. Just don't open the door and let them up here."
"I don't know how we'd get along without you," Ryan said dryly. Glancing at Matt he asked, "Are you ready?"
While they searched the basement, Sady checked the main floor. The men were still in the basement so she yelled down the steps, "Are you still alive down there? I'm going to the second floor."
Ryan joined her on the second floor. When they finished he went to the basement and Sady sat on the top step, waiting for them.
"You look about how I feel," she told them when they trudged up the basement steps, dirty and tired. "Whose bright idea was this, anyway? Oh, that's right- not mine! I'm going back to the motel, while you, Mr. Public Records, and your friend, Mr. Schmoozing To Get The Key, go tell Mary Jane you changed your mind about buying the house. Matt, don't forget to stop at the office for extra towels or you'll be out of luck. Give my regards to Mary Jane."