“Are they worth anything?” I asked.
Amelia gave me a rueful smile. “Only sentimental value, I’m afraid. Although there is this one set.” She put down her notepad and pen, then gently pulled open one of the glass-paned doors. Reaching over a yellow triangular set meant to look like cheese with eyeballs and with the words “Wis” and “Consin” written on each one, she carefully lifted a pair from behind them.
They were shaped like fluffy white cotton balls, the words “Lake Jasper, Alabama” painted in black on each one. She held them in the flat of her hand. “It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure that this is where Button’s family had their lake house back in the day.”
“They’re cute,” Jayne said generously. “Is there something special about them?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t usually carry this sort of thing in my shop, so I really have no idea. But I noticed on the bottom of these that someone had painted something.” Flipping them over, she showed us where someone had added on each shaker May 30, 1984. “I’ll ask Jack to research it, find out if the date has any significance. Perhaps they were souvenirs for a Woodstock type of event. That might up the value a little but not a lot, I wouldn’t think.”
“That would be great,” Jayne said. “Thanks. And no, I really don’t have any plans to hang on to this collection, as lovely as it is.”
“You’re very diplomatic,” Amelia said, carefully closing the cabinet doors. “It’s probably one of the reasons why you’re such a good nanny.” She led us back into the foyer. “I’ll give you a complete list of what I find and approximate values. You don’t have to do anything with it right now—take your time. But you really should get an alarm system. There are a lot of priceless things in this house.”
I frowned at Jayne. “I thought you were working with Thomas to get one installed.”
“Yes, I was. I mean, I am. He’s very tall.”
Amelia raised her eyebrows.
Jayne shook her head. “I mean, yes, he’s tall, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the alarm system.” She swallowed and took a moment to regain her composure. “What I meant to say is that we’re working on it. We just need to set up an appointment.”
“We work with a wonderful company at the shop,” Amelia said. “If you’d like, I could ask him to come look around here and give you an estimate. Would that work?”
Jayne nodded vigorously. “Yes, that would. Thank you. And I’ll tell Detective Riley that he doesn’t need to worry.” She seemed almost relieved.
“Have you seen the attic?” I asked Amelia.
“Yes, although I had been up there before, with Button. When sweet Hasell was still alive.”
“So you met her?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. A few times when I was visiting Button, she asked me to come say hello. That poor little girl was so lonely, and so desperate to see people. Her mother was afraid of germs, you see, and kept Hasell pretty isolated. I was only allowed up when Anna wasn’t home.”
“What about my mother?” I asked. “Did she ever come visit Hasell?” I found myself holding my breath, not wanting her to say yes. Because then I’d have to wonder why my mother hadn’t mentioned it to me.
Amelia tilted her head. “No, I’m afraid not. She wanted to, but she and Anna were not friends. Anna probably knew about me and a few others being sneaked into the sickroom, but if she’d found out that Button had let Ginette up to see her daughter, there would have been hell to pay.”
“Really? Is it because my mother was in love with Anna’s husband, Sumter?”
“She told you that?” Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No. She just said that she had a schoolgirl crush on him when she was in high school. And that she and Sumter were in New York at the same time and that he was kind to her. But that would have been after Hasell’s death and his divorce. My cousin Rebecca intimated that there was more, but I should know better than to believe her.”
Amelia was thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, well, Anna was very possessive. I’m not even sure why she tolerated me. She seemed to believe that every woman was competition for the affection of her daughter and husband and therefore couldn’t be trusted. I think she only tolerated her sister-in-law because Button was so kind and gentle, and a good friend to all who knew her.”
Amelia began leading us up the stairs. As I put my foot on the bottom step, I felt a quiver in the air around me, the way I imagined a bear opening its eyes after a long hibernation. I shivered, not sure if it was because the temperature had dropped or because we were heading upstairs toward the attic.
Amelia paused on the landing and rubbed her hands over her arms. “I suppose the air-conditioning must be on up here, because it’s definitely colder than downstairs.”