work as well.
“ Mary?” she called out with confusion growing. She had been certain that Mary was still sleeping. But when she looked out of the kitchen window she saw her dear friend standing on the porch that overlooked the water. Her shoulders were rounded, her head slightly tilted down. She seemed to be savoring her time alone. Suzie decided not to interrupt her, and instead walked over to the kitchen sink to try the water.
“ It doesn't work,” Mary said as she stepped into the kitchen. “I used bottled water for the coffee maker,” she added.
“ Thank you so much for that,” Suzie said as she cast a smile in her friend's direction. “Too bad we have plumbing problems to deal with.”
“ Yes,” Mary sighed and shook her head. “That's one thing we can't handle on our own.”
“ Maybe not,” Suzie agreed. “But I don't have to be a plumber to see that there is something wedged in this drain. Will you check in the hall closet, I think I saw some flashlights in there yesterday,” she asked as she leaned down further trying to get a good look at what was stuck in the drain.
“ Sure,” Mary said as she walked out of the kitchen and to the hall closet near the entrance of the house. When she stepped back into the kitchen she had more than just a flashlight, she had a camera case in her hand.
“ Look what I found,” she said with a smile as she handed Suzie the flashlight.
“ A camera?” Suzie guessed with a slight smile.
“ Not just any camera,” Mary corrected her. “This is a very expensive model. Your uncle must have been a good photographer.”
“ From that photo on the mantle, I'd agree,” Suzie murmured as she shone the flashlight down into the drain. “Hmm,” she frowned.
“ Can we get it out?” Mary wondered as she glanced over at Suzie.
“ We're going to try,” Suzie replied. Then she began searching around for something that would allow her to fish the object out. She found an old knife sharpener that seemed to be the right size. After wriggling it around for a little bit and muttering under her breath each time she thought she had it, the object slid out of her grasp once more, until she was finally able to pull it up and out of the drain. Once it was out however, it didn't solve any mysteries. It only offered more questions.
“ It's a cufflink,” Suzie said as she turned the circular metal object slowly between her fingers. In big, bold, black letters on the surface of the golden cufflink the initials TR stood out.
“ Weird,” Mary mumbled as she peered at the cufflink. “But with the long history this place has, I'm sure that we will find many more surprises.”
“ Either way, we still need to get a plumber out here,” Suzie said firmly. She pulled out her cell phone and slid the cufflink into her pocket. She would take a closer look at it later just out of curiosity. Once she set up a time for the plumber to come out, she began thinking about the letter she had found the day before. She was wondering if she should call Jason and give it to him when her cell phone began to ring. She saw that it was Jason calling in.
“ Hi Jason, I was just thinking about calling you,” Suzie said quickly.
“ Can you meet me at the bank?” Jason rushed forward in a quiet tone.
Suzie was surprised by the sudden change in the tone of his voice. All of the certainty and logic that had c oursed through his words before seemed to have vanished.
“ Of course, I'll be there in a few minutes,” Suzie replied. “Is everything okay?”
“ Everything is fine,” he assured her. “Just meet me as soon as you can.”
“ Okay,” Suzie agreed and hung up the phone. “Mary, do you think you could handle the plumber while I meet Jason in town?”
“ Sure, no problem,” Mary nodded as she continued to shine the flashlight down the sink. “Just wondering if the other one is down there, too,” she laughed.
***
When Suzie arrived at the bank, Jason was standing
The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell