The Lakeside Inn by Leeanna Morgan (ebooks children's books free .txt) 📗

after he’d drowned. Margaret spent a lot of time looking for her husband but, after the first sighting, no one else saw him.”

Diana reached for the corn. “I have a feeling we’ll discover what happened to him.”

Penny’s dad tapped the edge of his glass with a spoon. “On that positive note, I’d like to propose a toast.” He waited for his family to stop groaning before continuing. “I promise to keep it short. First, I’d like to wish Penny a happy birthday. We love you with all our hearts and hope you have an amazing year.”

Everyone clapped and cheered.

“And,” Allan continued, “I’d like to thank our girls for coming home. Your grandma would be proud of everything you’re doing. I’d also like to thank Wyatt for being here. It’s good to know there’s someone living beside my daughters who looks out for them.”

“It’s the muffins Penny takes to him each morning,” Barbara whispered.

Penny scowled.

Wyatt laughed and held her hand. “And I look forward to them each day.”

“You do?” Penny asked.

“I do.”

Her dad studied them with a smile. “May this year bring us all love, hope, and joy—and, if we’re lucky, a slice of your mom’s delicious apple pie after lunch.”

Mabel chuckled. “Wyatt isn’t the only man who enjoys his home baking. Let’s have lunch and then I’ll show you what I brought for dessert.”

Allan kissed his wife’s cheek. “I’m looking forward to that.” He raised his glass and smiled at Penny. “Happy birthday, honey.”

After the last glass had clinked against the others, Penny smiled at Wyatt. The day had started with a surprise visit from her sister and had only gotten better.

After lunch, Wyatt sat in the living room with Mabel and Allan. They’d been banned from the kitchen while their daughters did the dishes and packed away the leftovers.

While Allan told them about a fishing trip he was going on with some friends, Wyatt glanced at the dresser they’d found.

“Gordon is determined to catch a bigger fish than me,” Allan continued. “But he’ll have his work cut out for him. I’m taking my secret weapon.”

Wyatt frowned. “I didn’t know anglers had secret weapons.”

Mabel laughed. “I thought the same thing before I saw what Allan was talking about. Over the years he’s developed quite a knack for creating fishing flies that work. I keep telling him to get some kind of patent and sell them to other people. But he’s worried it would spoil his advantage when he goes fishing with his friends.”

Wyatt leaned forward. “I’m with you, Allan. I’d keep my secret safe for a few more years.” He frowned and turned back to the dresser. If he had something he wanted to keep safe, he wouldn’t tell the world about it, either. He’d hide it where no one would look, but somewhere that was easy for him to find. Somewhere like a hidden compartment.

He walked across the room and ran his hands along the back of the dresser.

“What are you doing?” Mabel asked.

“When Allan was talking about his secret weapon, it made me think about your grandfather. Penny said he didn’t have a lot of money, so this dresser would have been a special piece of furniture. If there were any papers or information I didn’t want to share, I’d hide it somewhere no one would think to look.” Starting at the top, he pulled the first drawer away from the frame.

Bending down, he looked through the cavity from the front to the back, then used his hand to pat the underside of the wooden top.

Mabel and Allan stood beside him.

“I never thought of that,” Mabel said. “How can we help?”

“There’s not a lot you can do at the moment.” It wasn’t until he reached the third drawer that he found something interesting. “I’ll get Penny and her sisters.”

When he walked into the kitchen, Penny was loading the cutlery into the dishwasher. “You should come into the living room. There’s something strange about the dresser.”

Penny dried her hands on the dishtowel. “What is it?”

“I think I’ve found a hidden compartment.”

Diane and Barbara looked at each other before dropping what they were doing.

“Come on, Katie,” Diana said. “This could be exciting.”

Wyatt tried to keep calm. The chance of finding any clues about Penny’s great-grandfather’s life was so remote it wasn’t funny. But, even so, he couldn’t help the excitement building inside him.

He followed the sisters into the living room. “Your dad was talking about keeping things safe and I wondered if your great-grandfather had secrets he didn’t want to share. I guess I’ve seen too many movies where there are hidden drawers and compartments in desks.”

He pointed to the third drawer. “Feel the base and then compare it to the others.”

Penny ran her hands over the wood, then tapped the base. Picking up another drawer, she did the same thing. With a frown, she repeated the same thing on the first drawer she’d tested. “That’s odd. The bottom of this drawer sounds hollow compared to the other one.”

Mabel held her hand over her chest. “Oh, my. This is terribly exciting.”

Penny studied the base. “I think we can remove the top layer of wood without damaging the rest of the drawer.”

Barbara rushed across the room. “Wait a minute. I’ll take a photo to document what we’re doing.”

“You’re right,” Mabel said. “I should video this for the community Facebook page. Everyone will want to know what we’ve found.”

Diana looked inside the drawer. “Whatever’s here won’t be very big. If there’s a compartment, it isn’t deep.”

“It could be a will or a passport,” Katie guessed. “Or maybe it’s money.”

Barbara frowned. “Did they even have passports when our great-grandparents were alive?”

“I don’t know,” her dad said. “But we’re about to find out.”

Standing over the top of the dresser, Barbara took at least a dozen photos. “That should do it. I’ll take some more when we see what’s inside.”

Diana looked at Wyatt. “You were the person who thought of a hidden compartment. You should be the one who sees what’s inside.”

Penny disappeared