Free Silence of the Lamps by Karen Rose Smith Page B

the money was split and they received the balance. Jeanie used hers to go to business school and to buy her flower shop. She’s done quite well—except for an impulsive marriage after she graduated high school that was practically over before it started. After she bought Posies, she seemed to find her footing. At first, I thought Drew was going to waste all of his inheritance and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. He went through most of it quickly, buying an expensive car, taking vacations. He used the last of it to go to cooking school and he seemed to settle down after that. When he came back here, he was really kind to me. I had had a fall and broken my arm, so he came here to live to help out, and he stayed. I was so proud when he sold that barbecue sauce recipe. He even told me the secret ingredient,” she said with a shaky smile.
    “Can you tell us?” Nikki asked kindly.
    “Sure. I don’t know all the ingredients, but the secret one was the habanero sea salt. Just a touch. It gave the sweetness a kick.”
    “Did you ever make barbecue sauce?” Caprice asked.
    Rowena fluttered her hand. “Just the traditional kind, with vinegar, oil, and sugar . . . and a bit of tomato.”
    “Did Drew tell you about the expo he was cooking for?”
    “I just knew he’d be gone all day Sunday.”
    “I was there too,” Nikki said. “It was a wedding expo where prospective brides and grooms could study the kind of flowers they might want to use, or gowns, or food. Drew introduced a chocolate walnut cake. My nana said you used to make one of those. Did you give your recipe to Drew?”
    Rowena slowly shook her head. “No, I didn’t give him any recipes.”
    “Drew didn’t have access to them?” Caprice asked, keeping her voice light.
    “No, he didn’t. Years ago, a member of my canasta club tried to steal them. So I hid the more important ones where no one will find them. The chocolate walnut cake with the maple icing was one of those. Only Kiki knows where I’ve hidden them in case something happens to me.”
    Caprice wondered if the hollow tube around the cord of the lamp was one of those hiding places. That lamp could be heavy, but not so heavy that Rowena couldn’t tilt it on the floor and stuff a few papers around the cord. But she could see Rowena was tiring, and she didn’t want to upset her by going into more of it now.
    Kiki must have overheard some of their conversation, because as she swept into the room with a tray holding a coffee carafe and mugs, she explained, “Eventually Drew would have inherited the recipes as well as Rowena’s Tiffany lamps. They are Tiffany, by the way.”
    Rowena’s hands fluttered in her lap. “Those lamps have been in my family since the early 1900s. We always knew they were Tiffany because of the special glass and the Tiffany New York stamp on them with a number.”
    “Now half of one of them is missing, according to what the police are telling Rowena,” Kiki said. “We’re hoping they can find it.”
    “If you don’t mind my asking,” Nikki said, “if Drew was inheriting the lamps and recipes, what would Jeanie inherit?”
    “Jeanie was going to inherit my house, jewelry, and the rest of my belongings.”
    In other words, now Jeanie would inherit the house and everything else too , Caprice thought. Was that a motive enough for murder?

Chapter Six
    Caprice knew that some of her clients owned valuables, but she never knew exactly how much they were worth.
    She asked, “Most people don’t understand the value of lamps like yours. Did you ever have them appraised?”
    “They’d be worth stealing, maybe even killing over,” Rowena said with a frown. “I told the police that. Isaac Hobbs from Older and Better consulted a New York City contact of his who’s an expert authenticator. So I do know what they’re worth,” Rowena assured her. “It was after his appraisal that I set up a new will.”
    “Did Drew and Jeanie know about the new will? Did they