Holly jumped in. “Maybe Mr. Verano died before he could sell the stuff and no one else knew it was there.”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, “when Holly and I came upon the big news story about the robbery, we started following Dino’s activities.” She laughed. “They used to report on everything people did in those days; Mr. Willoughby bought a new tractor, Mrs. Birdsall visited her sister in a neighboring town, Johnny Brown’s cow had a calf…”

  “So what did you learn about Mr. Verano?” Keith asked.

  Holly responded. “That a few years after the big jewelry heist, he boarded up the old house and left town. His wife had died by then and it was rumored that he went abroad. There was nothing in the papers about him for the next ten years or so. Then we came across his obituary and the news that his oldest son, Dino Junior and his wife, Isabella, had taken over the property.”

  Savannah nodded. “When Dino Junior died, one of his brothers moved his sister-in-law out and he and some of his friends took over. They’re the ones who headed up the construction of this tract in the 1990s.”

  “It appears that Dino and Vickie were next in line to live there when his uncle was sent to a nursing home,” Holly said.

  “So did you find out who Clyde was?” Michael asked.

  “No, not really,” Savannah said.

  “What do you mean not really?”

  “Well, there was mention of a C. Smythe who seemed to be an associate of the original Dino Verano. We thought that might be him.” More excitedly, Savannah said, “Oh, oh, oh, and as recently as the nineteen-nineties, the people who lived in that house were complaining about ghosts. They actually had a TV crew come out with ghost hunters and they went through the house with a fine-tooth comb.” She added, “They were looking for spirits, of course; not jewelry.”

  “So did they find ghosts?” Gladys asked.

  “Yeah, they claimed there were a few odd things in the house, but nothing earth-shattering.”

  Just then Cassie entered the room. “Mom, can we have a snack?”

  “Sure, honey. How about fruit leather?”

  “Okay,” she said, “Come on Bethany, Lily, let’s get fruit leather.”

  “Hi, Mommy,” Lily said, reaching to be lifted.

  Savannah picked her up and hugged her. “Hi, punkin. Love you.”

  “Love you,” Lily said, squirming to get down and rejoin her cousins.

  Just then the doorbell rang and Holly quickly stood up.

  “Are you expecting someone?” Keith asked.

  “Yes,” she said, “the police.”

  Chapter 6

  Holly ushered in a plainclothes detective and a uniformed officer. She introduced Detective Harold Milner and Officer Peters to the others, then invited, “Please sit down. Can I get you a cup of coffee, water, tea?”

  The two men took a seat, and declined the offer of a beverage. The detective spoke first. “So what is it that you ladies have uncovered? You said something about a seventy-year-old jewelry heist and threatening notes—maybe someone breaking into your house…”

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “My husband and I are renting the old Verano place in the center of the cul-de-sac,” she motioned with her head, “up the street from here. Our cats keep bringing us…”

  “Your cats, ma’am?” he asked, flashing a quick look at the officer.

  “Yes,” Savannah said rather impatiently. “We have a klepto cat.” She chuckled. “Maybe he needs to be interrogated, actually.” When the detective didn’t seem to appreciate her attempt at humor, she sighed. “We’ve found some exquisite pieces of jewelry in the house.”

  “Where? Hidden someplace?” Peters asked.

  She shook her head. “Out in the open, actually. I mean, it wasn’t hidden when we saw it.” When he seemed confused, she explained, “Our cat finds things and brings them to us.” She waited for the two men to digest that bit of information, then added, “We believe the jewelry must be hidden in the house, but we haven’t found where it’s coming from.”

  The detective frowned. “So you think there’s jewelry hidden in the house and the cat has found it?”

  Officer Peters laughed. “Sounds like we could use him in our line of work.”

  Savannah nodded, then continued, “And those threatening notes—we’re finding them in random places. I suspect that someone is entering the home and leaving them.” She paused. “And maybe the jewelry too. We…” she looked at Michael. “…well, I feel threatened.”

  The detective stared at Savannah for a moment. “Do you know who is allegedly threatening you?”

  She sighed. “No. But after doing a lot of research in old newspapers today, we discovered some things that we thought you might find interesting.”

  Holly tilted her head and asked, “Are you familiar with the jewelry store robbery in the forties?”

  “The 1940s?” Peters asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. They called it the Red-Handed Robbery.”

  “Yeah, because of the brazen technique the robber used,” Savannah explained. “And the fact that the holdup note had stains of blood on it.”

  “Whose blood?” the officer asked.

  “I’m guessing they weren’t sophisticated enough in those days to figure that out,” Savannah said. She leaned forward. “But last night my husband and brother-in-law found an old receipt with someone’s name on it and a hatband that looks really old and it has dried blood on it.”

  The detective scratched his head. “I was a young police officer in the nineties and I remember my colleagues being all excited about a cold case.” He glanced around at the others and said rather deliberately, “It was the Red-Handed Robbery. Something happened back then to cause them to reopen the case. I found it to be fascinating. But when the chief told us the case was over—that there were no new leads—we had to put it back to bed.” He grinned at the women and glanced at the men. “And here it is raising its ugly head again.” As if thinking aloud, he said, “Interesting.” He then asked, “Can I see the notes and the jewels you mentioned? In fact, I’d…” he cleared his throat, “…I mean we’d like to walk through the house, if we may.” He looked at Savannah. “You say you’re renting it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it’s an Airbnb.”

  Peters shook his head. “I hate those things.” When everyone looked at him, he explained, “There’s always a problem of some sort—loud parties, snooping- or pooping-Tom reports, petty theft, parking issues. Permanent residents, especially homeowners, don’t like to see strangers moving in and out of their neighborhood.” He gazed at the others. “But I don’t recall a report such as this one. This is a first.”

  The detective looked at Savannah, then Holly. “Where is the jewelry you found?”

  “Here,” Savannah said, handing him the pouch of rings and the necklace.

  He studied the jewelry, letting out a low whistle. Slipping it into an envelope, which he tucked into his jacket pocket, he then stood up, saying, “Well, Peters, let’s go check it out.”

  ****

  “Keith, I must say I’m not very impressed with your police department,” Savannah said, later that evening.

  “Why, hon?” Michael asked as he walked the floor with Teddy.

  She pulled Lily’s pajama top over the toddler’s head. “Well, they didn’t do anything.”

  Keith chuckled. “They pretty much did what they could under the circumstances, don’t you think so? They have to authenticate the jewelry, but first they must get permission from the Veranos before they can take anything from the property or break down the locked door.”

  “Yeah,” Michael added, “they said they’d study the articles you copied from those old newspapers and go through their own records—maybe see about reopening the case. All that takes time. That burglary happened decades ago.”

  “They also want to see if they can find someone named Clyde,” Holly reminded her. Just then her cell phone rang. She looked at it and gasped. “It’s Vickie Verano. Oh my gosh, what will I say to her?”

  “Say, ‘Hello,’” Keith suggested.

  “Hello,” Holly said hesitantly. “Hi, Vickie. How are you? Are the kids having fun visiting their grandparents and cousins?” She then responded flippantly, “What’s going on? What do you mean? With your house? Oh, my brother-in-law and his family have really enjoyed staying in your home.”

  As the others watched, Holly cringed and mouthed, Help me! She then said into the phone, “The police? Well, I don’t know why, either.”

  Keith stood up and reached for the phone. “Holly, let me talk to her, will you?” He walked into another room with the phone. When he returned several minutes later, all eyes were on him. He sat down, took a deep breath, and cleared his throat. “Well, I guess we’ve started a neighbor war.”

  “She’s mad at us?” Savannah asked. She then asserted, “We should be furious with them for subjecting us to threats and…and…all that other stuff.”

  Keith shook his head. “I don’t think they knew about any of that, Savannah.” He chuckled. “She thinks you Californians are lunatics and you’re making it all up so you can get your money back.” When Savannah sat up straight and set her jaw, he continued, “Of course I told her that you’re not crazy and that you aren’t fabricating anything—that your cat seems to have a talent for finding things and we suspect that he could be the culprit in the mystery.”

  Savannah insisted, “But he didn’t manufacture those bloody notes and he and Lucy didn’t make that jewelry or hold up an armored truck. That stuff came from someplace—either inside that house or…or…the Veranos have an enemy who’s trying to scare them or implicate them in something.”

  Holly leaned forward. “Maybe a neighbor doesn’t want the Veranos renting their house out as an Airbnb and they’re trying to run you out of there.”

  “That’s what I thought at one time,” Savannah said. “But now I’m not so sure.”

  “Hey, wait. That makes sense,” Michael said, sitting down with Teddy.

  Keith agreed. “The Airbnb is a controversial issue in this town. However,” he said dramatically, “who would plant fine jewelry in the house if running you out were his intent? Heck, if valuables were randomly appearing in a house where I was staying, I might want to keep them.”

  “No you wouldn’t,” Holly insisted.

  “Well, if I were that kind of person, like so many people are these days, I sure would.”

  After Savannah had finished putting Lily’s pajamas on her, she held her on her lap. “So what is Vickie Verano going to do? Will she give the police permission to search the place?”

  “I don’t know,” Keith said. “Maybe once she and Dino calm down a bit, they’ll see the value in doing so. Right now, they’re away from their home and they feel like things are going on behind their back. I tried to calm her down and help her to see that this isn’t a reflection on her and Dino, but that something might be going on in their home that should be checked out.”

  ****

  An hour or so later after the children were in bed and Gladys had gone up to her room, Holly’s phone rang again. “I don’t know who it is,” she said, looking at the screen.

  “Take the call,” Keith suggested. “It could be…”

  “Hello,” she said, walking into another room. She returned smiling. “That was the rental agency. They asked if Keith and I would open the Verano home and allow the police to do a search.” She grinned. “Evidently, there’s now a search warrant. I guess they have some sort of evidence.”

  “Why us?” Keith asked.

  Holly looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. “Who else? Vickie and Dino aren’t friendly with anyone and…” she giggled. “…they sure as heck can’t trust those lunatic Californians.”

  Savannah grinned briefly at her, then lowered her brow. “I’ll bet it has to do with Clyde.”

  “What has to do with Clyde?” Holly asked.

  “The new evidence.”

  “Maybe,” Holly agreed. “Someone is bringing me the key to the locked room.”

  Savannah bounced excitedly in her chair. “When are they coming?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Oh, good. We aren’t leaving until Tuesday—day after tomorrow.”

  “Now, Savannah,” Michael scolded.

  “We won’t get in the way,” she insisted. “Holly and I are just curious.”

  The two women exchanged giggles. When Savannah noticed Michael staring apprehensively at her, she asked sheepishly, “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said, unconvincingly. “I just hope you’ll keep your distance.”

  “From Holly?” Savannah grasped Holly’s arm. “My favorite sister-in-law?”

  “And partner in crime,” Michael snarked. He explained. “No, from the Verano house and the police investigation. That’s what!”

  The women glanced at one another and Savannah said, “Yes, Daddy.”

  ****

  The following morning Savannah walked into the kitchen with Teddy and found Michael and Keith chatting while the two little girls shared food with one another.

  “Lily,” Savannah scolded, “eat your breakfast. Bethany has her own bowl of…” She made a face and asked, “What is that they’re eating?”

  Keith smiled. “Blackberries on leftover cornbread.”

  She looked more closely into the bowl. “Well, it’s certainly indiscernible.” She frowned. “Looks like something you dug out of the trash.”

  Keith sat upright and slapped his forehead. “Oh no!” he shouted. “Did I mix up the garbage and their breakfast again? I do that all the time.”

  Savannah heard Holly laughing as she entered the room. When she realized Keith was joking, she slapped at him, saying, “Funny man.” She then asked Holly, “What time is the SWAT team arriving?”

  “SWAT team?” Michael repeated.

  “You know, the investigators.”

  Holly laughed. “The gal’s bringing the key before eight. The police will be here around eight thirty.”

  “And you’ll need me to help you unlock the doors over at the house, right?” Savannah asked excitedly.

  Holly giggled. “Of course.” She tickled Teddy’s cheek and gave him a kiss. “Hi, sweet boy. Have a good night?”

  Savannah snuggled with him. “He sure did. He let Mommy and Daddy sleep almost all night, didn’t you, Teddy bear?”

  “Ahem,” Michael said.

  Savannah looked askance. “He woke up? I didn’t hear him. Did you get up with him? I’m sorry, Michael. I didn’t hear a thing last night.”

  “Yeah, us guys got up and had a little guy time around two this morning.” He smiled at her. “I figured you needed your sleep. You’ve been awake so much lately worrying about what’s in that house.”

  “Yeah, I guess I have,” she agreed. “Well, thank you for taking over, hon.”

  “Sure. We had a good time. I’m glad you keep a few bottles of your milk in the fridge so I can bond with him too.”

  “And I appreciate getting a chance to sleep sometimes.”

  Once Holly and Savannah had something to eat and the key had been delivered, the investigators arrived. The two women left their husbands and Gladys to watch over the children. As they stepped out onto the Pettits’ porch, Savannah whispered, “There’s that Wayne guy looking out his window. He’s probably wondering what the police are doing here.”

  “You really believe he has an interest in the old place, don’t you? Why do you think that is? Could he be some sort of crime-history buff? Maybe he’s done the same research we did and he knows about the jewelry heist.”

  “But why would he?” Savannah asked. “Unless your neighbor or her housekeeper said something to him.”

  Holly shook her head. “I doubt that. All they know is that we found a couple of pieces of probably valuable jewelry in the house. It would be quite a leap for them or anyone else to make a connection to that ancient robbery. I mean, the cops seemed oblivious to it until we brought it up.”

  Savannah continued to gaze back at the house on the corner. She skipped a little to catch up with Holly. “Hey, what’s the deal with Wayne Morrison’s parents? Do you ever see them?”

  “Yeah, I see her puttering around in their yard sometimes. I see his father driving out of the garage once in a while. They appear to be typical urban dwellers. Wayne seems a bit strange, but nothing you can really put your finger on.”

  As the two women approached the Verano home, they heard someone call out. “Hi there! Did you find your cat?”

  They turned and Holly said, “Oh, hi, Barbara.”

  “Hello,” Savannah said. “Yes, we did. Thank you.”

  Barbara glanced at the officers as they milled around on the front lawn of the Verano home. She walked closer to Holly and Savannah and said quietly, “I read about the jewelry you’ve been finding in Vickie’s house.”

  Holly knitted her brow and asked, “You read about it? Where?”

  Barbara stared into her eyes. “In the newspaper this morning. They have a big story in there.” She gazed again at the officers. “Good God, that’s got to be unsettling. So they think the original homeowners were involved in that robbery?”

  Holly took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen the article.” She touched Barbara’s arm and excused herself. “Hey, I don’t mean to be rude, but those guys are waiting for me to open the door.” She started to walk away. “Let’s have lunch soon, okay?”

  As the women joined Detective Milner, Holly greeted him. “Ready for your search? I hear you have a warrant.”

  The ruddy-complexioned, slightly overweight man nodded. “We appreciate you getting those keys for us. I always hate to break down doors.” He looked sideways at her. “You do have the keys, right?”

  “Oh yes,” Holly said. She motioned toward Savannah. “She has the keys for the outside doors and I have the one to the locked room upstairs.”

  When Savannah moved forward with her key, a uniformed officer stopped her. “Just a minute, ma’am. Give the key to the detective.”