Men black. Kids get brown. No one has any excuse for being late to an activity.”
I lifted the box lid. Inside was a white leather watch with a round silver frame and big bold numbers. I recognized it as the same watch Jaime wore.
“Thanks,” I said instinctively.
“You take care.” He gave me a nod, then walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and drove off.
I took out the watch, stuffed the box in my purse, and put the watch on, using the last hole to secure the watchband on my wrist. I had plenty of time to walk down Third Avenue to reach the bank for my appointment with Thomas.
A young woman escorted me to Thomas’s glass-enclosed office, which included a double bookcase, desk, and two chairs. An artificial ficus stood in one corner. Before I sat in one of the black leather guest chairs, I spotted a ledger, opened to page 20, on top of his desk.
“I have good news for you, Isabella,” Thomas said. “Your grandfather left a pretty substantial amount in his account. It now belongs to you.”
“You’ve kept the account open for seventeen years?” I asked, puzzled.
“It’s the Luster family account. It stays active for twenty years then reverts to the town’s fund.”
Once again in this strange town, I was having a conversation I didn’t quite comprehend. “That’s an odd rule.”
“This bank has its own rules. We’re not part of any other banking system in the world. Shadow Pines Bank is a single bank entity.”
Curious, I asked, “How much money is in the account?”
Thomas moved his finger down the ledger page. “You have five-hundred-fifty-three-thousand dollars and twenty-seven cents.”
I gasped. “How did my grandfather have so much money?”
“The original Luster founding father struck it rich in the gold rush. Kept a stash of gold bars that the Luster family used throughout the years. The town speculated your father took the remaining gold with him when he left Shadow Pines. No gold was ever recovered after your grandfather’s house burned down.”
Don’t worry about college. We have the money to pay for a good education for you. My dad had told me this a year before he died. Princeton had accepted my application, and I was ready to study marketing management. If my dad had any gold bars, he’d picked a good hiding spot. In the sixteen years since his death, I’d never come across any gold.
“You okay?” Thomas walked from behind his desk and sat in the black leather chair next to me.
All I could think was that this was something else my father had lied about. “Just a lot to take in.” Since I only had twenty dollars in my wallet, I asked, “Would it be possible to get a hundred dollars out of the account?”
Thomas laughed. “Yes, of course. But, there’s one more thing. A safe deposit box. Would you like to look inside?”
“Will I be as surprised as I was about the money?”
Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea what’s inside.”
I followed Thomas to the basement where he unlocked a metal cage. On the wall was a safe. He dialed a few numbers, opened the safe, and reached in for a key. Then he walked over to the bank of boxes, inserting the key in the third box of the second row.
Thomas said, “There’s an empty office in the back. You can have your privacy while you open it.”
I followed Thomas down the hall to a small room, where he turned on a light and set the metal box on a table. I sat in the chair, keeping my eyes peeled on the box.
“I’ll be waiting at the end of the hall. Bring me the box when you’re finished. Take your time.”
I didn’t look up, just said, “Okay. Thanks.”
I heard the door click shut. My hands trembled. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the latch. With both hands I lifted the metal lid then looked inside and found two items—a garnet ring and a folded piece of paper.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Friday, August 9, 2013, 10 a.m.
(day 4 in Shadow Pines—finding the gated entrance)
Standing outside the
I lifted the box lid. Inside was a white leather watch with a round silver frame and big bold numbers. I recognized it as the same watch Jaime wore.
“Thanks,” I said instinctively.
“You take care.” He gave me a nod, then walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and drove off.
I took out the watch, stuffed the box in my purse, and put the watch on, using the last hole to secure the watchband on my wrist. I had plenty of time to walk down Third Avenue to reach the bank for my appointment with Thomas.
A young woman escorted me to Thomas’s glass-enclosed office, which included a double bookcase, desk, and two chairs. An artificial ficus stood in one corner. Before I sat in one of the black leather guest chairs, I spotted a ledger, opened to page 20, on top of his desk.
“I have good news for you, Isabella,” Thomas said. “Your grandfather left a pretty substantial amount in his account. It now belongs to you.”
“You’ve kept the account open for seventeen years?” I asked, puzzled.
“It’s the Luster family account. It stays active for twenty years then reverts to the town’s fund.”
Once again in this strange town, I was having a conversation I didn’t quite comprehend. “That’s an odd rule.”
“This bank has its own rules. We’re not part of any other banking system in the world. Shadow Pines Bank is a single bank entity.”
Curious, I asked, “How much money is in the account?”
Thomas moved his finger down the ledger page. “You have five-hundred-fifty-three-thousand dollars and twenty-seven cents.”
I gasped. “How did my grandfather have so much money?”
“The original Luster founding father struck it rich in the gold rush. Kept a stash of gold bars that the Luster family used throughout the years. The town speculated your father took the remaining gold with him when he left Shadow Pines. No gold was ever recovered after your grandfather’s house burned down.”
Don’t worry about college. We have the money to pay for a good education for you. My dad had told me this a year before he died. Princeton had accepted my application, and I was ready to study marketing management. If my dad had any gold bars, he’d picked a good hiding spot. In the sixteen years since his death, I’d never come across any gold.
“You okay?” Thomas walked from behind his desk and sat in the black leather chair next to me.
All I could think was that this was something else my father had lied about. “Just a lot to take in.” Since I only had twenty dollars in my wallet, I asked, “Would it be possible to get a hundred dollars out of the account?”
Thomas laughed. “Yes, of course. But, there’s one more thing. A safe deposit box. Would you like to look inside?”
“Will I be as surprised as I was about the money?”
Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea what’s inside.”
I followed Thomas to the basement where he unlocked a metal cage. On the wall was a safe. He dialed a few numbers, opened the safe, and reached in for a key. Then he walked over to the bank of boxes, inserting the key in the third box of the second row.
Thomas said, “There’s an empty office in the back. You can have your privacy while you open it.”
I followed Thomas down the hall to a small room, where he turned on a light and set the metal box on a table. I sat in the chair, keeping my eyes peeled on the box.
“I’ll be waiting at the end of the hall. Bring me the box when you’re finished. Take your time.”
I didn’t look up, just said, “Okay. Thanks.”
I heard the door click shut. My hands trembled. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the latch. With both hands I lifted the metal lid then looked inside and found two items—a garnet ring and a folded piece of paper.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Friday, August 9, 2013, 10 a.m.
(day 4 in Shadow Pines—finding the gated entrance)
Standing outside the
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