Jonathan and Jennifer followed Jay to the safe deposit room.
"Ok, so this was a box that your father set up, about a year ago. If you will, sign here. You are the heir to his estate, so you can take the contents with you, or you can leave them in the box. He paid for the box through the end of the year, so if you leave them in the box, we will bill you in December."
She nodded.
He opened the box, and then slid it across to her.
She lifted the lid, and looked inside. Everything was in black velvet pouches.
There was a folded note at the top.
"My darling Jennifer-you did it. You figured out the entire thing from beginning to end. You always were a smart one, my sweetheart. In case I forgot to tell you these things, let me do so now. And if I did tell you these things-humor me and let me have my final daddy moment. Always keep an open mind. Always be generous, and always give people the benefit of the doubt-they might just surprise you. I love you, my sweetheart. Always and forever.
Now, a word or two about what is in these pouches. You were just a little thing, about 3 years old. Your mother and I left you in the care of your grandmother, and we went on a trip to Italy and France. I stumbled upon a little tiny art auction in Italy while we were there. The gallery was going out of business and they had put everything in trunks, and you were bidding on the trunks, sight unseen. You could also bid on collections. We bid on this collection for you. You see my sweetheart-everything I have given you is a collection. The sketches from your mother, they were her collection. The only collection of Suzanne Edwards originals that will ever be. The diamonds in the bottom of the jewelry box-that's a collection too. Those were the last of the Faulkner diamonds. Nobody else on earth has them. If you examined the paintings closely, as I have no doubt that you did, then I am sure that you realized that they are all in solid gold frames. The paintings were part of the collection that I bid on that day in Italy. It was titled "A Collection of Originals", with works from Monet, Picasson, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, among others. At the time, I had no idea what I was bidding on, and your mother liked to have killed me, but it all worked out in the end. And now here we are, at the final collection. The jewelry pieces that I have given you so far that have rubies and diamonds in them were the first part of this collection. Here is the second and final part. These are the jewels from the collection of Princess MarieAnn the second. She was an Italian princess, and she was killed shortly after she was given the title of princess. Some of these pieces she was never able to wear. The wooden box with the intricate ruby design was given to her by her in laws. Your mother and I had these pieces authenticated and we kept them in our storage unit, in Grandpa Edwards war chest. Now, for your final inheritance- I purchased you an art gallery. It's on Piedmont Street. I even got to pick the street number- I picked 1102, just for you, my sweetheart. You always made smart decisions, so I trust you will make another one this time, whether you run it or hire someone to run it. By today's market value, this collection of rubies has a value of $18 billion dollars. The paintings have a value of $10 million. I love you, my sweetheart, infinitely, and while I didn't always say it or show it, I have always been so incredibly proud of you. Love, Pa".
Jennifer wiped her tears and then opened the first pouch. All of the pieces were exquisite. There were bracelets, and rings, and necklaces, and loose stones. Everything was set in gold, and had papers of authenticity with it. The final piece was the most exquisite. It was a gold ruby and diamond tiara, that had never been worn. The diamonds and rubies on the tiara alone were worth over $15 million dollars.
"Jennifer, this is extraordinary. I have never seen anything like this".
"I can't believe it. I can't believe he bought this and I never knew anything about it".
"So, what do you want to do?"
"I want to leave it here in the bank, for now. I'll make a final decision in the coming days what I want to ultimately do with it. And I guess at some point, I need to go check out my gallery".
They put everything back in the pouches and packed it all back into the box.
Jennifer tucked the notes from her father into her purse.
They signed the paperwork to have the box closed and Jennifer put the key in her wallet.
Jonathan walked her out to her car and she put her purse in the front seat.
She turned and put her hands on his chest.
"Thanks for coming with me".
"I love you, I'll be home as soon as I can."
He gave her a long hug and several kisses and then she headed home.
She stopped at the grocery store on her way home and came in the house with 3 full bags.
"Here, Mrs. H., let me get those for you".
"Thanks, Max".
She went and called Walter while he took the bags to the kitchen.
"Hello Walter, it's Jennifer".
"Hi Miss Jennifer. I'm sorry to bother you, but I was just trying to make sure that you hadn't scheduled anyone to dig on the property."
"No, I haven't. But if something needs fixed-"
"I can't tell that they were fixing something, although it's a possibility. But I haven't noticed anything needing fixing."
"Where was it?"
"Back right, in the far corner. Under the magnolia tree".
"Interesting. I can't imagine what that would be for".
"Me either. But just to be safe, I put up some motion cameras in the tree. They left their tools, so I suspect they will be back. If I find anything, I'll call you".
"Thank you, Walter. I really appreciate it. I will be there next week for the estate sale, and the auction".
"Wonderful. I'll be in touch, Miss Jennifer".
"Thank you".
She hung up and headed to the kitchen.
She got busy making some of her mom's favorite recipes-baked shrimp dip, broccoli salad, and banana punch.
She took a plate of the dip and some baguettes to the living room and poured herself a cocktail.
Max kept checking on her, but didn't want to disturb her.
He couldn't help noticing that Jennifer seemed sad, and very depressed.
He went into his room and shut the door and called Jonathan.
"Mr. H., it's Mrs. H. She seems sad almost. She's not crying, but she made some shrimp dip and banana punch and a broccoli salad and she's just kind of mopey".
"She's probably sad that the scavenger hunt from her dad finally ended. She's really missing him. He left her some really nice things and she's probably overwhelmed. Just give her some space. I'll be home in a few hours, and if she gets worse, call me".
"You got it, Mr. H."
He hung up and went back to what he was doing.
Jennifer researched the collections and tried to figure out what to do with them.
She decided to call a few galleries and see if there was anyone interested in helping her design exhibits.
She just didn't know what to do.
About an hour later, there was a delivery. Max signed for it, and brought it to her.
"Someone sent you flowers, Mrs. H."
"Thanks, Max".
She dug for the card and pulled it out.
"Scavenger hunts sometimes have unintended consequences".
She picked up the phone and called Jonathan.
"Hello?"
"Hi. I just got a delivery that has me kind of freaked".
"What was it?"
"Flowers. And the card says "Scavenger hunts sometimes have unintended consequences".
"What in the hell does that mean?"
"I have no idea. But I'm worried about the pieces, darling. Will you call the bank and speak to Jay and make sure that nothing has happened to the safety deposit box? I'll call the gallery".
"Sure. And didn't you tell me that Chris was at the Hilton? Maybe I'll pay him a visit".
"Now darling, I don't think that's necessary".
"I'm not going to hurt him, I'm just going to talk to him".
"Jonathan-"
"I love you, darling. I have to go. I'll see you in a little bit".
He hung up the phone.
Jennifer called the gallery and was assured that nobody had done anything with the pieces and that everything was fine.
"Ok, thank you".
Jonathan called the bank and was assured that the contents of the safety deposit box were still intact, and undisturbed.
Jennifer got out the map of her father's property. The back right part of the property backed up to the woods. On the other side of the woods was the backside of the neighborhood. Chris Perkins' house was through the woods and to the left. Davy's, the girls, and Mark's houses were through the woods and to the right. There was a trail that she used to take Sweet Sue on, that led straight through the woods. It was wide enough that a truck could easily get through it.
Jennifer racked her brain but couldn't figure out what someone would want to dig up on her father's property.
She went and took a bubble bath and had just come downstairs when Jonathan came home.
"Hi, darling. I'm glad you're home".
"Not as glad as I am. I brought Chinese for dinner. And I even picked up some low-sodium soy sauce".
"Yummy".
She kissed him a few times and they headed to the kitchen.
"Hey Max, I brought Chinese for dinner".
"Great, Mr. H."
"Darling, what did Jay tell you?"
"That everything was perfectly fine".
"That's what the gallery manager told me".
They walked into the living room and he looked at the flowers. It was just a simple bunch of pink roses, pink carnations, and pink chrysanthemums, with white baby's breath.
She handed him the card. He read it and then inspected the vase and each flower.
"Nothing suspicious, nothing out of the ordinary."
"Did you talk to Chris?"
"No, I decided against it".
"Good. Nothing good will come of that, darling".
They went and ate dinner and then came back to the couch.
They snuggled up under a blanket.
"Darling, Max called and said you were sad today."
"I'm not sad, really. It just….feels so final. He's really gone".
He wrapped his arms around her.
He held her for a long time, and just tried to make her feel better.
"I guess it was kind of like as long as there were clues still coming, he was still here, in a way. But now that there's not… When Momma died, I remember feeling this immense pain that I thought would never go away. And as painful as it was, I'm almost glad that she didn't do any kind of scavenger hunt or game with me for after she died. I was so alone, I wouldn't have been able to handle that. This has been fun, and I love what he left me, but it feels like losing him all over again".
He wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Darling, what if Hart Industries purchased your art gallery, and we displayed your collections there? We could have them insured, hire a security team, put all the measures in place, and that way we wouldn't have to worry about where they were, and you could see them whenever you wanted to. We could run the gallery for you, so you won't have to worry about that. And I promise, I'll never ever sell the gallery, or close it or anything".
"I like that idea. And we could have a special section dedicated to Momma's sketches".
"Sure, if you'd like".
He kissed her forehead.
"Thank you".
"Now, I can surprise you and plan the trip of a lifetime, or you can give me some ideas".
"I've never been to Amsterdam, or Austria, and I've never seen the Northern Lights. Start there".
She kissed him and went to change clothes.
About 20 minutes later, she came downstairs with the pouch of diamonds, and the ruby and diamond jewelry from envelope 3 of the scavenger hunt.
"Darling, do you think you could go by the bank on your way to work in the morning and have them add this to the safety deposit box with the other rubies? I want to keep it all in one place if I can. And I have no idea what to do with loose diamonds from a collection".
"I'd be glad to. And darling, I was just thinking-what if for the purposes of the gallery, we have an expert recreate the sketches your mom made? We can keep the originals somewhere else, that's fireproof. I would just hate for something to happen to the only original".
"That's a good idea. I've been toying with the idea of us getting a large safe here at the house."
"We can if you want".
"Wonderful".
They put the pouches in his briefcase.
Jonathan grabbed her hand and they went upstairs and he changed clothes and then they settled on the bed and watched a movie.
Just as they were about to doze off, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Jennifer, hi. It's Bridget. Is there anyway you can come in town next week? I have tentatively set the date for your estate sale as next Saturday".
"Yes, I can be there. How early do you need me to be there?"
"Just a few days. I would think if you could come in Wednesday night, then you and I can meet Thursday and map it all out, and that will give us Friday to finalize and set up. That should be plenty".
"Sounds great. I will do just that".
"Wonderful. Thank you, Jennifer".
"Thank you".
She hung up and then snuggled on to his chest.
"When are you going home?"
"Next Wednesday. I'll stay through Sunday".
"Want me to come with you?"
"I'd love it, if you can. If you can't I understand".
She kissed him a few times and then laid her head on his shoulder.
They watched the movie a little longer, and Jennifer fell asleep in Jonathan's arms.
He turned the tv off, and then reached up and turned the light off. He kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, darling. I love you".
***The next morning***
Jonathan woke up first, and grabbed a shower. Jennifer grabbed one right after him, and then they went downstairs for breakfast.
She walked him to the door and gave him several kisses.
"I love you, have a good day".
"I love you too. I'll call you after I leave the bank".
He gave her a couple more kisses and then left.
She was in the study, working on her article when Jonathan called.
"Hi darling, I put everything into the safety deposit box, and added it the items to the paperwork."
"Great, thank you".
"I also worked it out with Max that he is going to Vegas for 2 nights. You and I are going to have the house to ourselves tonight".
"Wonderful! Want me to make you anything special?"
"It's all taken care of. I will be home as soon as possible, and we are turning the phones off, and the gate off, and we are staying in the house, just the two of us".
"I love you, Mr. H."
"I love you, Mrs. H. And I'll show you just how much, tonight".