The Old Cape Blood Ruby by Barbara Eppich Struna

Author:Barbara Eppich Struna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, amateur sleuth, alaska, historical suspense, cape cod, drama suspense, provincetown, juneau
Publisher: Barbara Eppich Struna

40

Present Day Sunday

Provincetown

THE SOUNDS OF THE ROARING ocean affected my psyche as I scanned the pages of the sketchbook in the dusty attic. With each turn of the page, my curiosity rose higher. The incoming tide below the third-floor window of the old house matched my tension as it came closer to its crest. Who was this Abigail Ellis? I knew she was part of the family, but what was her life like? Female artists were not held in high esteem at the turn of the century, or even in later years. Was she persecuted for her talent or just labeled as strange?

I saw sketches of birds, houses, hands, and several practice drawings. In the middle of the book, individual pictures repeated, each one growing better than the first attempts. Two hands folded on top of each other were strong and yet, I could tell they were a woman’s. On the following page, a ring was drawn and after five attempts, watercolor was added. The large red ruby stone sat atop a golden band and then the beautiful ring appeared on the folded hands in another image. In the margin of this page the words Pigeon’s Blood was written. I remembered hearing about this prized ruby when I was researching the jewels and necklaces from the treasure I had found on our Cape property.

Outlines of a woman’s face came next. The woman’s hair was long and wavy. A few wrinkles showed her age, but her natural beauty overpowered the ugliness of whatever trials she may have encountered.

An ink drawing of what looked like the final painting was on a page by itself. In the margins were linear measurements – 24x20 inches.

Ally called up the stairs, “Lunch!”

I closed the book, eager to tell Ally about what I’d found and also to fill my growling stomach.

The wind got stronger and rain started to fall as we sat at the small table in the kitchen. After each bite and a few chews, I explained what was in the book.

“So, do you think the painting from the sketchbook might still be in the house?”

“I don’t know. It could be here.” I drank soda to wash my food down. “I was successful in finding the key.”

Ally smiled and began to clean the table. “Get back upstairs and keep looking.”

As I rounded the banister railing and stepped on the second step, I glanced over to the mantle, where images of the two paintings once hung. I had an idea. First, I must find a measuring tape. I asked Ally if she had one.

“In my purse,” she replied.

Having found the tape, I walked closer to the empty mantle. The smaller ghostly outline measured 28x24 inches. That would fit a 24x20-inch canvas with a two-inch frame. Perfect, I thought, just like the measurements in the sketch book.

Ally watched me from her stool in front of other boxes of books.

I turned to her with a big confident grin on my face. “Guess what? I’m sure the mystery painting once hung in this house.

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