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“She shut everyone out,” said Piper in a quiet voice, as if the adult version of herself finally understood what had really happened.
Ms. Sully nodded. “She moved to another house, and if she went out, it was in disguise.” She licked her lips. “I should tell you that Margaretwashappy. The new home she lived in was beautiful and had more beautiful gardens and acres of property. The money she earned helped her live comfortably and travel abroad when she wanted to.”
“But she never wrote another book,” said Piper. It was more a question than a statement of fact.
Lisa Travers nodded and smiled. “You’re right. What most people didn’t understand was that Eric, her husband, also helped with the story. She said that his illustrations had inspired her, and without him”—Lisa held up her hands in a question—“there just didn’t seem to be any reason to write another.”
Dawson leaned forward. “The land she left us—it’s where she originally stayed, isn’t it?”
All three attorneys nodded. “It’s the land around the house you both visited in Beechwood Park.”
He scratched his chin. “I’ve gone by that place a few times. The gardens and greenhouses look a little rundown now.”
Mr. McNally looked at Dawson with interest. “You’ve kept an eye on it?”
Now Dawson looked a bit embarrassed. “Yes, I mean. I noticed some glass on one of the greenhouses had been broken and patched it up. The grounds are overgrown, but I didn’t think I’d be allowed to tidy them up—and to be honest I wouldn’t know where to start. I didn’t actually think Margaret Smith still owned it.”
“There has supposed to be a company maintaining the gardens and greenhouses. I’ll look into that.” Ms. Sully took a note on her legal pad. “As for if she still owned it? Well, she did,” said Ms. Sully with a certain finality. “And you both will. On one condition.”
“What?” For the second time, they both spoke in unison.
There was a hint of a smile on Ms. Sully’s face. She straightened her shoulders and looked at them both. “You are both familiar with the format ofThe Mistletoe Crown?”
Piper glanced at Dawson and they both nodded. “Yes.”
Mr. McNally produced two envelopes. “In order to inherit the house, you both have to solve clues.”
Dawson looked incredulous. “Like, in the story?”
The part ofThe Mistletoe Crownthat Piper had loved best as a kid was the series of clues that Amy and Joe solved throughout the story, eventually leading them back to where they’d started, where the mistletoe plant had grown into an intertwined crown, and Joe kissed Amy on the cheek.
“I loved solving the clues,” Piper said with a wave of nostalgia. “I felt like Nancy Drew.”
Lisa Travers looked her in the eye. “What you should understand, Ms. Davis, is that if you do not solve the series of clues that Ms. Smith left for you, then you won’t inherit the land, gardens, or greenhouses.”
Piper was still confused. “What will happen to it?”
Ms. Travers exchanged a glance with her colleagues. “We’re not at liberty to say.”
“This was what you meant earlier, wasn’t it?” asked Dawson, directing his question to Mr. McNally. “When you said that she’d updated the clues from year to year. It was the clues that we’re supposed to solve.”
Mr. McNally nodded, the smile that appeared on his face indicating that the words clearly brought back fond memories. His gaze fixed somewhere behind them. “The city changes from year to year. Clues had to be updated and amended.”
“The clues are across the city?” Dawson’s voice was tinged with disbelief.
All three attorneys nodded. Dawson gave Piper a quick glance—one that she would call a side-eye.
His gaze fixed on the two envelopes on the table. “Then, I guess I should get started.” He reached his hand toward one of the envelopes on the desk in front of him. He gave a confident look to Piper. “I’m sure I can solve these before my…” He struggled to find the word. “Rival,” he finally settled on.
Lisa Travers let out a gentle laugh and put her hand over his. “Oh, no, Mr. McLeod. I think you’ve missed the point of this whole exercise.”
Piper stared at the envelope in front of her on the desk. “Whatisthe point?” she asked warily. Her stomach gave a small flip, as she contemplated what the answer might be.
It was the first time she’d actually seen Dawson look worried.
“The will is very clear,” Ms. Travers continued. “The point is that there is no single winner. It’s both, or none.” She looked between them both. “Margaret was very clear that you had to work together on these clues.”
Piper’s stomach finished the flip-flop it had started. She’d known it before Ms. Travers had even said it.
