The Case of Pilgrim Hugh by Dean Wesley Smith

Author:Dean Wesley Smith [Smith, Dean Wesley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

3

WHEN THE TWO brothers came into the home, Pilgrim was drinking from a water bottle and leaning against the counter near the sink.

He had had Donna go to the limo to get him a bottle of water and to also research where Mary Ellen had bought her wine and how much she had bought.

It turned out, she had been a major customer of three different wine shops in town, often buying wine by the case and having it delivered. And she loved vintage wines.

Expensive vintage wines.

Pilgrim looked at some of her purchases and felt a little twist of envy. Mary Ellen had purchased wines he had only hoped to find a bottle of some day.

Both brothers came into the kitchen followed by Donna. Both were in almost matching dark blue business suits and clearly had come quickly from their offices. Pilgrim knew that both worked in corporate jobs in the downtown area close to this section of town and both were very well off. They actually didn’t need their mother’s money. They just wanted to get the estate taxes done and for the estate to close.

“That was surprisingly fast,” Brad said.

“Very fast,” Benson said. “We looked for two months for the hidden money room and you found it in an hour.

Donna raised an eyebrow and gave Pilgrim a smile.

“An hour and twenty-seven minutes,” Pilgrim said.

The two brothers both laughed.

“There will be more than money in the room,” Pilgrim said. “So prepare yourself for that.”

“Have you opened it?” Brad asked.

“I have not,” Pilgrim said. “But your mother was a major wine collector.”

“She was?” Benson asked.

“She and dad used to enjoy going to vineyards,” Brad said. “But I never knew she collected.”

Pilgrim nodded. “She had, it seems, very good taste in her collection as well. So where she stashed the money was also where she kept her wine safe and dark and at the right temperature.”

Both brothers looked at each other, clearly feeling stunned.

“So head on down to the basement,” Pilgrim said, “and we all will see this mysterious room.”

“We checked that basement a hundred times,” Brad said, shaking his head.

“The room is very well hidden,” Pilgrim said.

Brad and Benson went down the stairs and into the basement, followed by Donna.

Pilgrim stayed at the top of the stairs until they were turned around and looking back up at him.

“What day and month was your mother’s birthday?”

“April 14th,” Benson said.

Pilgrim shook his head. That won’t work.

“Your birthday?”

“October 1st,” Brad said.

Pilgrim smiled. “Your mother was very smart.”

Pilgrim looked at the four light switches at the top of the stairs. They just looked to be normal. The first one was already up, since the lights below were on. He left the second one down. Then he left the third switch down as well and flipped up the fourth switch.

There was a good seven-second delay, as he had expected so no one accidently would hit the combination by just flipping switches randomly. Then the entire landing wall swung inward with almost no sound and lights came up in the room beyond.

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