AllFreeNovel
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No one had ever discovered the identity of the man who’d found the last lost egg, but this situation was different. She held no illusions the news would stay secret—not when her fatherwould go on trial. All the news about the egg would have to be revealed, but at least the egg would be out of her control.
Brian rose. “The last missing egg sold for thirty-three million dollars, but it had the surprise in it. Still, it was in 2014, so this egg without the surprise may still bring close to that sum. We will see, but I’m appraising the egg at twenty million. If you find the surprise, that estimate would bump to forty million. Thank you for trusting us with your exceptional piece.” He glanced at his watch. “I have an online meeting and must run back to my hotel. I’ll see you tomorrow. Call if you need anything.”
While Brian made his way out of the bank, Carly and Lucas put the egg back in the safety-deposit box. The surprise had to be at Elizabeth’s house somewhere. “Could we take another look at the pictures in the chest we found at Aunt Elizabeth’s house?”
Lucas shrugged. “Sure. It’s still in the living room. I think Elizabeth and her family are going back home today. I’m sure you’re as exhausted as I am after the debriefing with the police last night.”
She nodded and they went to his truck. The interrogation had gone on until after nine. No one was certain that all the guilty parties were accounted for. Smirnov likely wouldn’t talk, and unless Kostin regained his memory and spilled what he knew, they might never know for sure. Kelly’s condition had worsened, and Carly had a rock in her stomach at the thought of Caroline losing her mother.
They found the family gathered around Amelia, who was sobbing on the sofa in the music room with a sister on eachside of her. The older women hovered close, and so did Lainey and her husband. Carly dropped her purse on the table in the entry and rushed to join the group. She knelt by Amelia. “What’s happened?”
“I-I overheard Dillard talking to hisgirlfriend! He was trying to placate her about being gone and said it was only until he got his share of the egg auction money.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Carly leaned into an embrace with her. “What are you going to do?”
Mascara had left streaks of black around Amelia’s eyes when she pulled away and lifted her chin. “I kicked him out, and I never want to see him again.”
After consoling her sister a few more moments, Carly stood. “The egg will be auctioned in a few months—probably the end of the summer. I want to take another look around for the surprise.”
Lucas went to grab the chest and lugged it over to the chair where she settled. “I think you should search everything yourself. You’re the only one who knows what it should look like.”
Lainey dropped onto the floor by Carly’s feet. “Describe it to us.”
“It’s gold and round, not egg shaped. It’s supposed to be the egg’s yolk. Probably about two to three inches, though no one has seen it. And if the items inside happened to have been taken out, it would be a very small bejeweled hen with a sapphire pendant in its beak. There would be some kind of nest as well.”
“I’ve seen nothing like that,” Lainey said.
An image of the egg painted red flashed through Carly’s head. “It’s possible the yolk was painted.”
“What color?” her aunt asked.
“Could be any color. The egg was painted red. In its natural state it could be darkened with age and use and look more like brass.”
The frown on Aunt Elizabeth’s face cleared, and she smiled. “Like brass?”
“You have something in mind?”
She nodded. “Maybe. I think I have a picture.” She scrolled through the pictures on her phone. “My mother loved painting furniture. She would strip pieces she liked and refinish them and then paint birds or other wildlife on them. I love hummingbirds, and before she died, she renovated a bedside table for me. It’s got a round brass pull on the drawer. Maybe it really is brass, but it’s the only thing I can think of that’s round like you describe. Ah, here it is.”
Carly took the phone and studied the photo of a Bombay chest with beautifully painted hummingbirds and flowers on the front of it. The top drawer pull was the only round one, and the ones on the other drawers were more ornate. The size looked right. She zoomed the picture bigger on the phone and studied it more closely. “It looks like there might be a crack around the middle.”
Her aunt nodded. “I always assumed it was from the mold when the brass was poured.”
Carly tried to tamp down her excitement in case she was wrong. “I need to take a look.”
“Of course. We’re heading home now anyway. You can follow us there now.”
“Let’s all go,” Gram said. “Just in case.”
The air of suppressed hope in the air was enough to get all of them moving quickly for the door.
***
Noah was beginning to fuss, and Lucas jiggled him while Carly squatted in front of the dresser. The painting was stunning, and she touched the very realistic hummingbird with awe. “Your mother was an amazing painter.”
Aunt Elizabeth spoke from her right side. “If you look through the house, you’ll see her paintings in nearly every room. She never sold them, but she could have made a lot of money if she did. They are exquisite.”
Carly stared at the drawer pull. She dug the screwdriver she’d brought out of her bag and detached the round ball from the drawer. “It appears to have been glued to the bracket. On the back side it’s still perfectly round and fits into an indentation on the bracket.” She brought out another tool and carefully pried it loose. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m disassembling it.”
