Notes from the Past
by Tanya Reed
This one's just a short little connector scene. Not much happens, but it's necessary to the plot.
Disclaimer: Everything that you recognize from the show Relic Hunter is not mine. All that I own are the new characters and the story idea.
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Part 1, Chapter 5
After everyone had eaten breakfast, dressed, showered, and otherwise prepared to meet the day, Claudia announced that she wanted to go shopping. This was not surprising as Claudia always wanted to go shopping. She tried to cajole the others into going but, since shopping wasn't either Sydney or Nigel's thing, the only one who agreed was Karen. Sydney lent them the keys to her jeep and sent them on their way like two excited teenagers.
Once they were gone, Sydney couldn't believe how quiet her house suddenly became. As hard as it was to believe, it seemed almost empty without Claudia and Karen's chatter.
"So, Nigel," she asked, relaxing with Mafdet in her lap, "what was that whole thing with Claudia about?"
He glanced at her, his face coloring. "Nothing."
"It had to be something. There was almost bloodshed."
"It's stupid."
"Probably."
He gave a big sigh. "She caught me under the mistletoe, all right? I teased her and said if she kissed me, I'd pinch her. She did, so I did. It was a joke...obviously, she didn't find it funny."
"Wow, Nigel, two kisses in as many days. You're becoming quite the stud."
He grimaced. "How would you enjoy being the only woman in a house full of men?" Before she could answer, he held up his hand. "Never mind. I withdraw the question."
Sydney didn't know whether to be insulted or amused. She settled for ambiguously raising an eyebrow.
"By the way, Sydney." Nigel's face turned serious. "What exactly was it you found in your mother's music box?"
She paused before answering, ordering things in her mind. "Well, there was a letter from my aunt to my mother, a picture of the two of them together, and a coin."
"The mystery you mentioned?"
"My aunt disappeared twenty-five years ago. From the letter, I think the coin is the answer to what happened to her."
Nigel leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "What do you mean?"
Sydney quickly explained to him the contents of the letter and what was on the coin. He listened intently, not interrupting.
After she was finished, Nigel said, "Wow, Syd. How do you think the medallion got in there?"
"My mother must have found it. Aunt Melody did say that she would know where it was. It's obvious that she couldn't follow the clues any further. I'm not sure if it's because she hit a dead end or because..."
"She got sick?"
Sydney nodded as her stomach clenched. "Yes."
"Well," Nigel said, "if anyone can figure out what happened to your aunt, Sydney, it would be you. Can I see the coin?"
Sydney went and got it, bringing the music box and the rest of its contents as well. Nigel looked at the coin curiously, turning it in his fingers.
"This is amazing, Syd. I wonder what it means?"
"I don't know. All I know is that my aunt's disappearance has to involve this coin. I can feel it."
"What are you going to do?"
She leaned her elbow on the chair arm, cupping her chin. "I think I'm going to call Dad. He might remember something I don't."
"That's a great idea." Then, he paused before asking, "Are you going to show Karen and Claudia?"
She bit her lip. "Probably. I just wanted to give them an extra day of fun and relaxation before plunging them back into work again...well, Karen, anyway."
"Is this really work when it's so close to your family?"
She shrugged. "It's been twenty-five years."
"Yes, but it also has to do with your mum and her sister."
She smiled slightly. "Are you concerned about me, Nigel?"
"You're my friend."
"You're sweet."
"Well, I..."
Sydney cut off what he was going to say by getting up and saying herself, "I suppose I should make the phone call."
"Yeah."
She gave him the letter and picture, then sat down to use her land line. Her father was supposed to be at his in-laws for another day, so Sydney hoped she wouldn't be disturbing him.
The phone rang a couple of times before a young, perky voice answered, "Hello?"
"Hi, Jenny?"
"Yes, this is Jenny."
"This is Syd. Is Dad busy?"
"He's around here somewhere. Wait a minute. I'll go find him."
Sydney waited patiently, listening to the dead air and watching Nigel read over the letter. He wore the expression he always got when concentrating, one that made it seem as if his current task were the only thing in the world.
"Sydney?" She had been studying Nigel so intently that her father's voice made her jump.
"Oh, hi, Dad."
"What's up?"
"Have you got a few minutes?"
"I've always got time for you, Scoochie."
"Dad!"
"Sorry."
At Sydney's exasperated cry, Nigel looked up from the letter, but she just waved at him.
"Listen, I've got some pretty serious questions, and I'm not sure they are appropriate for the holidays. If you want to wait until after New Year's, I'll understand."
There was a pause, then a solemn, "What's this about?"
"I found some things in the music box, some things about Aunt Melody."
"Oh."
"I don't remember her very well, and her disappearance is downright blurry. I was just wondering if you could tell me your version of what happened."
"That was so long ago..."
"That's why I need your help. I want to understand what happened."
"I don't think anyone knows that for sure. The case has never really been solved."
"I remember that being hard on Mom," Sydney admitted. "She always looked so sad when she spoke of her sister."
"As hard as losing your mother was, I think it would have been harder not to know. How can you move on from something like that?"
She had to agree. She hated uncertainty, both personally and professionally, which is probably one of the reasons she had such a hunger to find answers. "What do you remember from the time?"
"Well, your aunt was married to that man. Do you remember your Uncle Nic?"
"Vaguely."
"Your mother didn't like him much, but she didn't make much of a point of it. She didn't want to push Melody away. Melody had fought with your grandmother over him, and they never spoke again."
"What did you think of him?"
Her father sighed. "He was a small time crook and a gambler. If there was a scheme around, he was in it. Nic didn't have much to redeem him—but he did love Melody...I don't know if you know this, Sydney, but her disappearance drove him over the edge."
No, she hadn't known this. Sitting up straighter, she asked, "What?"
"He went crazy. He came to your mother, babbling something about a coin."
"A coin?" Sydney's eyes immediately went to Nigel, who had finished reading the letter and was twirling the medallion in his fingers. At her words, he looked up and their eyes met.
"Yes. He demanded that Rosemarie tell him where it was if she knew because it was the key."
"Did she?"
"She denied knowledge of it. He then started pleading with her to forgive him. I wanted to throw him out at that point, but he broke down and Rosemarie felt sorry for him. In retrospect, I think he may have known more than he said about Melody's fate."
"And Mom?"
"Well, she had been feeling worried about her sister before Melody disappeared. She had received a letter, cryptic and sounding slightly paranoid, but Rosemarie said it made sense in hindsight."
"Did she tell the police?"
"They were convinced that Nic killed her and hid the body. They could never convict him, though. He went into an institution instead."
"Wow."
"Your mother was determined to find out what happened to Melody, but she ran out of time."
"One last question. Is Uncle Nic still alive?"
She heard the shrug in her father's voice as he answered, "As far as I know. If so, he'd probably still be in Shady Acres."
"Thanks, Dad."
"Can I ask what you found in the music box?"
"There was a letter from Melody and a picture of her and Mom together...and a coin sized medallion."
"A medallion?" It was his turn to sound surprised. "Does it have a cat on it?"
"Yes, and from what you tell me, I think it's the key to unlocking two mysteries."
"Be careful, Sydney."
"Don't worry, Dad. I always am," she replied, adding to herself, When I can.
Nigel was watching her as she hung up the phone. "What'd he say?"
Sydney quickly sketched for him the things she had learned from her father.
"So, both your mother and Nic believed the medallion was the reason for Melody's disappearance?"
"Yes," she said thoughtfully.
"Do you think that your uncle killed his wife and that doing so drove him crazy?"
"No, I don't. I think the medallion's the answer."
Nigel nodded as if he expected this. "Then what's our next step?"
"I want to talk to Nic."
Nigel's eyes widened. "But he's insane."
"I don't care."
"He may be dead."
This, she had to concede. "That may be true. We'll know soon because I'm going to call Shady Acres."
She didn't waste any time in doing so. It only took her minutes to find out that Nic Parker was indeed a resident.
When she hung up, she announced, "Tomorrow after the girls go home and we take down the decorations, I'm going to see that man. You coming?"
"I have a choice?"
"Well, it's not really a relic hunt, and, technically, you're still on Christmas vacation."
He pretended to think deeply before saying, "Let's see...Sitting home alone watching the snow or going on an adventure with you."
"Normally, you would choose the former."
"Are you kidding? We haven't been on a hunt in two weeks!"
Sydney laughed. "Okay, now I know you've been hanging around with me too long."
"I know. I think I need my head examined."
"We are going to the right place. Do you want to commit yourself while we're there?"
He made a face at her, which made her laugh again. "Oh, Nigel."
"So, how far is it to this hospital of yours?"
"From the directions she gave me, I'd say about three hours. We can drive—I don't think we'll have much trouble."
"Have you heard the weather forecast?"
"No. Why? Have you?"
A blizzard could prevent their investigation for another couple of days. Now that Sydney had a lead, she was impatient to get started.
"No," he answered, getting up. "But I will."
Her TV was in another room, a smaller, shabbier, and more intimate room, since she wasn't much of a television watcher. He headed in that direction. While he was gone, Sydney went over to his chair and picked up the letter, picture, and coin. The letter and the coin went back into the secret compartment of the music box, but the picture replaced Santa on the mantle. Sydney had every intention of having it enlarged and framed. She only had a few pictures of her mother as a child, and this was her only one of her Aunt Melody.
Nigel was back in minutes to tell her that there was supposed to be some snow the next day but nothing heavy. This was a relief, and she found herself looking forward to the drive, snow or not.
Claudia and Karen were gone for hours. Sydney and Nigel spent the quiet time talking companionably, sometimes about the music box mystery, but mostly about other things. Mafdet came once more to sit comfortably in Sydney's lap, and Sydney patted her absently.
The busy holiday finally caught up with them, and they were close to dozing when the slam of the door brought them fully awake.
"Whew, Claudia, I think you bought out every store in town," Karen's voice came from the hallway.
"I know. Wasn't it fun? I love that skirt you bought. It's perfect on you."
"I think you made the right color choice on that dress—definitely blue over pink."
"Honey, we're home!" Claudia called a little more loudly.
"We're in the living room," Sydney called back, preparing herself for the furious storm that was Claudia.
Claudia entered first, flushed both from cold and excitement. A fashionable hat sat jauntily on her head, and her hands were covered by fuzzy mittens.
"Your driveway's getting a little deep, Syd."
She sighed. "I suppose I should shovel it."
"I thought that was the man's job," Karen teased, coming in behind Claudia.
In contrast to her friend, she was bare headed and bare handed, though she wore a crocheted scarf. She winked at Nigel before starting to peel off her outside clothes.
Nigel groaned but, to his credit, said, "Where do you keep your shovel, Syd?"
She got up, displacing a not so happy Mafdet. "I've got two in the shed if you really want to help. If not, I can do it. After all, you are a guest."
"I don't mind helping," he replied, also getting up.
"You know," Sydney commented as the two of them started dressing warmly, "I really should get a snow blower."
"Hey, Syd, what's this?" Claudia asked. Sydney looked up from zipping her black jacket to see her friend had gone to the mantle and was holding the picture of Melody and Rosemarie in her fingers.
"That's my mother and her sister," she explained. "I found it in the music box."
Claudia's eyes widened. "But it was empty when I bought it."
"Syd found a secret compartment," Nigel told her, pulling on his hat.
"A secret compartment?"
"Yup," Sydney admitted.
Karen asked, "Did you know it was there?"
"Nope."
"Definitely not," Nigel said at the same time, throwing Sydney a look that said he remembered her late night wanderings.
"Is this all that was in there?" Karen asked again.
"Not exactly." Sydney briefly explained the contents of the music box for Karen and Claudia, adding her conversation with her father and her desire to speak to Nic Parker the next day.
"It's almost like Nancy Drew!" Claudia exclaimed afterward.
"I think I'm a little old to be Nancy Drew," she argued, putting on her leather gloves.
"How about Miss Marple?" Nigel teased.
"Shut up, Bailey, or I'll make you clear the entire driveway yourself."
After she and Nigel finished shoveling the driveway, she took the letter and coin out to show Karen and Claudia. Claudia was extremely hyper over the fact that there were clues to a mystery hidden in her present. She even asked if she should postpone going home for a couple of days so she could help find out what was going on.
"...and can we come to the loony bin with you tomorrow?"
Sydney glanced at Nigel before saying, "I think it's best if just Nigel and I go. I'm not sure how many visitors they allow. Besides, are you sure you want to stick around? Don't you have to work on Monday?"
"What's Karen going to be doing?"
"Research to see if I can find out anything about the coin, right?" This was Karen herself.
"Right," Sydney affirmed.
"Well, two eyes are better than one, right?"Claudia said.
Nigel chuckled and answered, "I think you mean two pairs of eyes, Claudia."
"Yeah, whatever. I want to help."
Sydney threw up her hands. "If you're sure you won't get in trouble, you're welcome to stay."
A smile spread over Claudia's face. "My boss loves me. Let me go change my flight plans."
"Is this all right with you, Karen?" Sydney asked softly as Claudia hurried over to the phone. "Claudia's a good researcher, but she's easily distracted...and I didn't ask whether you minded working on your vacation."
"I'm going to do most of the research from home with one of my best friends. I think I can handle it."
"Why don't you two stay here? I have lots of room, research materials, and the Internet. Since I'm asking you to work, the least I can do is put you up and feed you."
"Accepted."