Molly reached for the drawer but heard a floorboard squeak in the room above.
Tommy! Damn.
Unready to share her potential discovery with anyone, she shut the fifth compartment. She heard the upstairs bedroom door open and close.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Throwing the mallet, stationery, and postcards into one drawer, she stuffed it into its slot. She returned the second drawer to its space and tossed the pens into it.
Footfalls on the staircase. Her heart raced, and her hands shook.
“There you are.” Tommy stood at the library threshold.
“Hi,” she said, a pen still in her hand. “Have a Harrington House pen.” She pushed the drawer shut with the other hand.
He stepped into the room and took the pen. “Thanks,” he said, examining the gold lettering on it.
She crossed her arms to steady them. “Where are you off to this morning?”
He walked across the room to the mahogany bookcase and perused the titles on the shelves. “To check out more of the older homes you mentioned earlier, find some lunch, and then be back here this afternoon to explore the basement with Kevin.”
“If you want a burger and beer, go to the Mud Scutter. It’s right on the river, and that old place has lots of history.”
“I will.” He eyed the polished wood and came to stand next to her. “That’s a lovely desk. I think it’s called an Escritoire.”
She gave him an admiring glance. “Yes, it is. It originally belonged to my great-grandparents. Most recently, my mother used it. Now, it’s here in the library for guests to use.”
He picked up Elnora’s sepia-toned photograph, examined it, and gave Molly a slow side-eye scrutiny. “Halloween—a 1920s theme?” he asked, pointing to the fringed flapper dress.
She chuckled. “That’s Elnora Harrington, my great-aunt. It was the 1920s.”
His eyes widened. “Wow. The resemblance is uncanny.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“She’s a knock-out. No wonder my grandfather had a fling with her.”
“No one knows exactly how much flinging went on. My great-grandfather was reputed to have been very strict, especially with his oldest daughter. He was a prominent businessman in the community, and a scandal would have been bad. But I’ve also heard that Elnora was quite spirited.” If Tommy looked anything like his great-grandfather, she could see why Elnora may have been smitten with the young Kentucky moonshiner.
Tommy set the photo back in its spot. “Have a good morning. I’m looking forward to working with Kevin this afternoon.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“See you later.” He raised his hand to his forehead and gave her a little salute.
She returned a weak wave and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the front door close.
“Alone at last.”
***
Elnora had sat on top of the bookcase and watched with amusement as Molly tore apart the desk. She knew there were secret compartments, but she had never known how many there were and had only seen the one where her mother stored her letters and the one under the little door where her mother hid her favorite chocolates. When the young man they called Tommy arrived, she had moved to the sofa. He was handsome, like her long-lost love, but didn’t look much like him, except for the crystal-blue eyes. They were the same. Last night, she’d watched him sleeping and wondered why he had come here. It had to be more than family folklore.