The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz

Author:Ellen Schwartz
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781770492677
Publisher: Tundra
Published: 2011-09-12T22:00:00+00:00

~TWELVE~

“A BOON TO THE ISLAND”

randma?” Alex said softly, opening the door a crack.

Grandma turned. Her hair was flattened against the pillow. Her skin was almost as pale as the sheets on her bed. Alex had the horrifying thought that if they didn’t find the deed, Grandma would just fade until she was taken away along with the cottage.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Even her voice sounded weak.

“Could we show you something?”

Grandma nodded, and the cousins entered the room, all walking carefully, as if afraid to make a loud noise. Alex held the four objects behind his back.

“Now, Grandma, these things are from Grandpa, and if you don’t want to look at them, you don’t have to,” he began. “But we think they have something to do with the deed. And we need your help to figure it out.”

“Let me see.”

Alex placed the paintbrush, the flashlight, the knitting needle, and the key on her lap. She took in a sharp breath, and her eyes filled with tears. Alex was afraid she was going to start crying, but she didn’t. She picked up the paintbrush, looked at the number on the tag, and laid it down again. She touched each of the other objects. “Tell me,” she said. Her voice trembled, but she didn’t cry.

And so they did – interrupting each other, backing up, and starting over to explain the confusing bits.

Tears rolled down Grandma’s cheeks as she listened. But, to Alex’s surprise, when they’d finished, she only sighed and said, “Oh, Sam, you dear, crazy man,” in a fond voice.

“Do you have any idea what these things are for, Grandma?” he asked.

“None.” She sighed. “Oh, if only I could remember what he said. It’s there …” She touched her head. “I can hear his voice … but then it’s gone.”

“I think maybe we can find the deed anyway, Grandma,” Sébastien said.

“Really? How?” For the first time, her voice held a spark of life.

“Well, I’m pretty sure the objects have something to do with it,” Sébastien said. “I think Grandpa put clues in the recipes so we would find these things, and he wanted us to do something with them. I just don’t know what.”

Grandma pushed herself up to a sitting position. “You know,” she said, “now that you mention it, I think Sam did say something about recipes. I was so confused at the time, I can’t remember exactly what he said, but I’m pretty sure …” She leaned forward, and there was a glint in her eyes that the children hadn’t seen since they’d arrived at the cottage. “Do you think … is it possible that these objects are leading to where the deed is hidden? That it’s some kind of puzzle that Sam set up?”

“That’s exactly what we think, Grandma,” Olivia said.

“So …,” Grandma said, her voice sounding more excited, “if you find them all … they might reveal the hiding place?”

“Right!” Claire said. She started bouncing up and down on her toes.

Grandma actually smiled. “Then there’s hope after all!”

“Yes,” Sébastien said.

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