I wasn’t quite finished with the story I was telling by the time 2025 ended and so decided to continue it until it reached an ending point. Then I will start a new one. Besides, I kind of want to see where Penelope ends up. And so we have…
Day 216: She shook her head.
She shook her head. “But that is for another time. For now, I wanted to leave this book,” Lenore said. She gestured to the paper wrapped parcel. While not labeled as such it is more or less a volue two for the book I sent yesterday.”
“Thanks,” Penelope said. “That really helps and I suspect I will do a lot more studying as I heal. Unless you know of a way to speed healing?” Penelope thought of her dreams.
“Afraid not,” Lenore said. “Magic just doesn’t do healing.”
Her comments reminded Penelope of the men lecturing Emily. She decided to keep her thoughts to herself.
“On another note,” Lenore continued. “I have wracked my brain trying to figure out where Jerome would have hidden whatever it was he won from Peter. I tried all his usual hiding places and been through them all. I can’t find a thing.”
“It was some sort of charm,” Michaelson said. “Small enough it could be anywhere and might easily have gotten lost in the intervening years.”
“I fear it might,” Lenore replied. “Which is a shame as it would be nice to know what Peter was looking for and what his friends were up to. He was running with some rather unsavory fellows if memory serves. No doubt after the charm went missing they found another way to do whatever it was they planned to do.” She shook her head. “It could be the key to solving an old mystery. I would like to think of myself as a mystery solver, yet here I am faltering at the starting line.” She laughed and seeing the coffee was ready, she poured out three cups.
“Actually, I think I found it,” Penelope said. “Hold on.”
She left the two in the kitchen and went to find the box. She returned to the kitchen and placed it on the kitchen island as she settled herself on the stool.
“That’s the box I sent over,” Lenore said. “Jerome’s odd charms. I looked through it to make sure there was nothing dangerous before I sent it.”
“I took everything out to look at them and compare them with the book,” Penelope said. “Because of the one hand I had to dump everything out on the towel and sort through it.”
“And I missed a charm?” Lenore frowned. “I thought I looked at them all.”
“Thee is a hidden space in the bottom,” Penelope told her. She lid open the lid of the now empty box and then pried up the base. The paper wrapped charm fell out when she turned it over.
“Would you look at that,” Lenore said. “Back on the cold case mystery solving team. May I?” she asked gesturing to the small bundle. Penelope nodded. Lenore unwrapped the charm and looked at the paper. “That is my brother’s handwriting and it does say he won it off of Peter.”
She passed the paper to Michaelson as she looked over the charm. “And if I had seen this I would have certainly removed it from the box.”
“What is it?” Penelope asked. “I tried looking it up but couldn’t really figure it out.”
Lenore laughed. “That’s because you are using beginner books. This is advanced. Far more advanced than I can manage if I am honest although I can make some guesses as to what it is for.”
She frowned and set the charm down. Lenore wiped her fingers on her trouser leg as though they felt dirty by association.
Ten til Midnight 