Chapter 32
Colette almost reached the manor when she stopped dead in her tracks. What was she doing? What had she been thinking? She had to change her whole plan.
She did not want to go back there. It was like a prison, two children waiting for her and a husband who thought that he was one as well. She was tired of it and she needed a change. But she had no where to go and didn’t have any money. What was she supposed to do?
Wait a minute. There was something else buried in the ground. She was sure no one else knew anything about it. And it wasn’t even in the mud hole. It was something that she knew would be worth a lot of money if sold or pawned off.
Their grandmother had given these two identical broaches to them. Colette and Nicole buried them in the ground with the idea of digging them up later and pretending that they had found buried treasure.
Silly childhood notion, she thought, but then, they had been just that, children. Colette wondered what would have happened had Nicole lived.
But right now, she needed this money and she needed to find those broaches.
She looked up and around and noticed the sky was brightening. It would be daylight soon. She was sure that someone would catch her digging. She dismissed the thought and shook her head. She was going to do this, regardless of the consequences.
“Well,” Laurent said, “that’s the last of it,” he set down the small chest in front of Auguste and Francis. “Thank you, Laurent,” Auguste said. “You and Francois should be proud of yourselves.”
“We haven’t opened it yet,” Francois said, “we don’t know if the broaches are still in there.”
Auguste smiled as he lifted the lid, reached in, and brought them up. He showed them to everyone. “They’re in there,” he said laughing. “For a minute, I had almost forgotten what and where they were.”
“According to this note,” Laurent said, “there is still something buried somewhere only I can’t make it out.”
Auguste smiled. “You don’t have to worry about that, Laurent. I have the rest of Nicole’s things right here in my possession.”