Letters From Al by Pieper, Kathleen (i am reading a book txt) 📗

she'd never get rid of them." Aunt Polly's suspicions made Maddy feel uneasy. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Aunt Polly nodded with a knowing look.

"That's what I'm getting at. Only Leland and I have been in here that I know of. Makes a body wonder what else is missing. Have you found her jewelry box yet?"

"Well, just this one." Maddy pulled an oriental, red-lacquered box from the roll-top desk. "I wonder what it's doing in her desk instead of her bedroom."

"That's not her jewelry box, at least not the one she showed me." A frown creased Aunt Polly's face. She looked up and down the tall bookcases on either side of the doors in the library, dusting as she went.

"Well, I don't know where this one came from but Madeline's was bigger and made of black leather. There were gold corners and a lock on it."

Gingerly Maddy snapped open the lock and lifted the lid. Only a tangle of pearls and some cheap costume jewelry lay in the bottom. The top part had a cameo set of a pin and earrings in it.

"I don't know where this cheap stuff came from, but this was her favorite." Aunt Polly said softly and picked up the cameo. "She told me her husband gave them to her, wore them all the time. There's a picture album around somewhere of him and her, and she's wearing them in the picture. She had a lot of nice jewelry, expensive, too."

"This is the only jewelry I've seen around." Maddy said uneasily. "What about her husband, did she ever talk about him?"

Aunt Polly handed her back the cameo with a sigh. She dusted slowly, her eyes soft as she remembered.

"She said she met him in Omaha back in the late 30s or so. They got married, never had any kids. He was drafted in World War Two and never made it back. It just about broke her heart and she moved here for a fresh start. She told me he didn't have any family and she didn't claim any." Aunt Polly shrugged, lost in her thoughts, "His name was Franklin, Franklin O'Keefe. That's all I know."

Maddy jumped out of her chair and went into the parlor where she recalled seeing a plush, velvet photo album in an old Victrola cabinet. Laying it open on the desk, she and Aunt Polly gazed at the old photographs.

"Here, here's the picture of Franklin and your Aunt Madeline. Nice looking couple, they were. She used to have this sitting on her dresser."

A handsome man sat with her Aunt Madeline. He was in an Army uniform and she wore a simple white gown with high neckline and lace veil framing her face. The cameo broach was centered at her throat and she had on the matching pierced earrings. Her own striking resemblance to her young aunt astounded Maddy. They looked alike, right down to the way she wore her short hair.

"Yep, you two could have been sisters." Aunt Polly nodded.

"That's incredible; we do look alike, don't we?"

Maddy smiled and touched the photo. "You said he died in the war. Then where is he buried?" Maddy closed the book carefully and looked at her friend.

"Yes, that war killed a lot of good men. I think Madeline said he died at Omaha Beach, she always thought it was ironic that a man from Omaha, Nebraska, should die in a battle with the same name. I think he was buried overseas."

They cleaned the rest of the afternoon in thoughtful silence, wondering about the lives Franklin and Madeline had in such a star-crossed time, ending so sadly.

They were stretched out on the wicker lawn furniture when Alec drove up after work, too exhausted to move. They simply waved for him to join them, pointing to a frosty pitcher of lemonade sitting between them. Maddy was on the lounger, her hair covered in a red bandana and Aunt Polly relaxed in a curved rocker.

"What do we have here? Two ladies too pooped to pop?"

Alec teased, sitting down at the foot of Maddy's lounger.

"For your information, young man, we've got the entire downstairs cleaned and sorted." Aunt Polly informed him and then yawned.

"My aunt was neat enough," Maddy continued, "but she saved everything." She poured a glass of lemonade for Alec and refilled hers.

"I'm glad you stopped by, Alec," Aunt Polly sat up straight and seemed to forget her fatigue. "Well, are you going to tell him, or am I?" She glanced at Maddy.

"Tell me what?" Alec looked from one to the other in anticipation. He placed an arm over Maddy's slim leg in a familiar gesture. His warm skin on her leg sent prickles up her spine. She liked it when he acted comfortable around her.

"Oh, Aunt Polly seems to think some of my aunt's things are missing." Maddy said uneasily.

"Well, are they missing, or not?" Alec took on a professional manner as he sipped on his drink and stared at them intently. "Tell me about it."

"Well, we came across a small, red jewelry box and Aunt Polly said my aunt had a big, black jewelry box with valuable pieces like a strand of pearls, ruby ring, diamond and gold broach. I don't know, I never saw them of course, but so far all we've found was some cheap costume jewelry, oh, and the cameo pin and earrings." Maddy shrugged, feeling uncomfortable.

"Are you sure, Aunt Polly?" Alec asked, his tone serious.

"Of course I'm sure. Oh, and don't forget the leather bound books, they're gone, too. She told me she'd never get rid of them. I wouldn't make that up."

He overlooked her sarcasm with a shake of his head when Aunt Polly sat back with arms crossed, rocking vigorously. Maddy and Alec exchanged glances and he patted Aunt Polly's knee consolingly.

She shook a finger and scolded him. "Don't you patronize me, young man, I may be old and I might be a little deaf but one thing's certain, I know my friend's jewelry. Except for the cameo set,