The Key–Chapter Five

Chris took a sip of coffee. “That’s good,” she said. “You make the best coffee, Val.”

I smiled. “Thanks, but what do you make of it? Why on earth would my cousins do such a thing? It’s beyond me.”

Chris lifted Miss Kitty onto her lap and frowned. “It’s a puzzle. Do you think these kinfolk are a bit–well, a bit barmy?”

I laughed. “No, I think they’re more than a bit barmy. They were so dismissive of their mother and so cold toward me. Then, this act of friendliness which was all just pretend. But, what do I do now?”

“And that purse was empty? My word! Well, I’d say that they are welcome to that empty purse. I’d just forget it, Val. That chapter is closed.  Forget those cousins. Let’s go eat.”

“No, no, wait a minute.” What was wrong with me? How could I not have thought of this before now? “The purse wasn’t empty. There was a tiny, very old key. Could they have been after the key? How would they even have known about it? It’s the key, Chris!”

Chris shook her head. “You lost me. What key? There was a key?”

“Yes, yes. The key. Wait right here. I’ll get it.”

Running upstairs, I grabbed the key from my bedside table drawer and dashed back to the dining room.

“There,” I said, panting, as I lay the key on the table. “That key was lodged inside the purse’s lining. That was all in the world that was inside the purse.”

Chris picked it up, holding it toward the light. “Hmm. Too bad it couldn’t have been a diamond ring or a secret message directing you to a hidden treasure. This key is nice, but what does it open?”

“I’ve no idea. But, the purse was important to Aunt Kezzie and she left it to me. And, the key is mine now and I want to know what it unlocks.”

“She kept the purse with her, you said? Maybe she told someone at the nursing home why it was special. Have you talked to the people there where she spent her last days?”

“No, of course not. I didn’t see a need, but maybe I should. Maybe she told somebody, a nurse or someone. Let’s go,” I said, pushing back my chair.

“Go? To the nursing home? It’s raining, Val, and I’m hungry and surely you don’t have to go right now, do you?” Chris sighed. “Yes, I guess you do. Okay, let’s head for the nursing home.”