Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Ignatius and Claire Willow sailed from Liverpool, England, to New York, after which there was no sign of them until they landed in what would become Willow Lake. Amy’s research pointed out that immigrants arriving in New York often dispersed to Philly, Baltimore, New Orleans, or Boston. Could the couple have gone to one of those places before settling in Pennsylvania? The immigration records showed place of birth and nationality for both Ignatius and Claire as Limerick, Ireland. They both were Irish. Amy had found an Ignatius Willow from Limerick and because Claire was his wife she wasn’t required to give her maiden name. If only immigration was collecting maiden names in 1870, but that didn’t come into play until 1906. It would have made things so much easier. With no way of checking the information the immigrants provided, some of it could be false. Many a family learned through DNA genealogy that somewhere along the line an ancestor had been telling a tall tale or keeping a necessary secret. Could that be the case with Claire and Ignatius?
Amy found traces of Willows settling in America but had found no matches that connected any of them to Ignatius. That didn’t mean that there was no connection, just that there was a missing piece.
A lightbulb went off in my head… Stone.
If he gave a DNA sample, it could very well connect him to Ignatius and at least we would know for sure that Ignatius Willow was the man who had sailed to America with his wife and established the town of Willow Lake.
My brow puckered as I thought about that. DNA was an easy way of establishing ancestry so why hadn’t Stone provided DNA evidence that could possibly link him to Ignatius Willow? Though I suppose a biker wouldn’t want his DNA on file, or his claim was nothing more than a scam to try and get the supposed jewels.
It just didn’t make sense to me. Bikers were known for illegal activities. Treasure hunting wasn’t one of them. This mystery wasn’t an easy one to solve and mixing it with an old mystery made it even more difficult to solve.
My cell rang. “Hi, Mom.”
Mo’s head sprang up, ready to listen to the conversation and find out if he would get to spend the day with Grandma.
“Could I have Mo for the day?”
I was surprised to hear the tension in my mom’s voice. “Of course, you can take Mo for the day.”
Mo jumped to his feet and ran to get his vest.
“Something wrong, Mom?”
“Mayor Barrett is speaking at the senior center today and I think he has something up his sleeve. Of course, I can’t miss hearing what he has to say, and a visit from Mo is always a highlight for the seniors.”
“How about I go with you?” I offered, lending my support though feeling guilty since I did have an ulterior motive. It would give me a chance to talk with Charlie Gibbons again.
“That would be wonderful, Pepper.”
My guilt grew heavy, hearing how excited she was that I would join her.
“You can talk with Charlie Gibbons some more while you’re there. Meet you at the senior center in an hour. Toodles.”
There was never hiding anything from my mom. She always knew what me or my brothers were up to. It was like she had a radar that could track our thoughts. My brothers and I would come home from being someplace other than where we had told my mom we would be, and she would ask us if we enjoyed the exact place we had been. Then she would ground us. When I was young, I thought she had X-ray vision and could read minds, then I realized she was extremely observant and knew her children even better than we knew themselves. And she still did.
The senior center wasn’t as crowded as I expected when I arrived with Mo. He trotted off making stops by people he knew and got rubs, hugs, and kisses.
“The size of the audience ought to tell Mayor Barrett something.”
I turned, unable to hide my surprise at seeing Lara, from Star Diner. So, much for applying what I learned at Professor Swatcher’s lecture.
“Zelda sent me here to hear what the mayor has to say. I’d say with the poor turnout of seniors sends him a clear message.” Lara grinned. “The seniors are voting for your mom. And with how all of them adore Mo, I’d say he has a better chance of winning than Barrett.”
I chuckled since Lara was right.
Lara went to talk with a friend, and I looked around for Charlie and spotted him by the door as if ready to leave. I signaled him to wait, and he stopped. I went to my mom, parked in the first row—nothing like being inconspicuous—and signaled Mo over to me.