The Jewels of Sofia Tate by Doris Etienne Page A

of it amusing, though, if you care to go through it sometime. I haven’t made the trip up myself in a couple of years. The stairs are much too steep for me now.”
    Garnet felt a small flicker of excitement. Her mother said that old people often called their old things junk and sometimes they were, but other times they were treasure troves of antiques. “Oh, I’d love to look through it.Mom and I used to spend lots of Saturday afternoons rummaging through antique shops. Before she got so busy, that is.”
    â€œTell me, what does your mother do?” Elizabeth asked.
    â€œShe’s a manager at Prosperity Trust.”
    â€œShe must have a very important job that it keeps her so busy.”
    â€œWell, it’s not just her job. She’s also trying to search for her father.” Garnet went on to explain about the discovery of the divorce papers in her grandmother’s desk, and that her mother was trying to find out if the father she thought was dead all those years might still be alive.
    The grandfather clock in the front hall gonged twice, announcing two o’clock.
    â€œOh, time for my pills,” Elizabeth said.
    Garnet followed Elizabeth downstairs, waiting for her in the living room while she took her medication in the kitchen. Ginger had found a cosy spot to nap on the far end of the sofa, the slit of one of her eyes opening, as the hand-painted clock on the mantel chimed two. Garnet looked down at her watch. One fifty-five. It was running at least five minutes behind. She adjusted it, then picked up the silver-framed photograph on the mantel.
    They had been an attractive couple, Elizabeth and Albert. Though the picture was black and white, Garnet could see that Elizabeth’s shoulder-length hair had been dark and wavy, and her lips were tinted, so that she reminded Garnet of one of those glamorous movie stars from the 1940s. She wore a simple white hat and gown with her gold locket in front, and Albert, only slightly taller, looked handsome in an air force uniform and cap. Their eyes shone with happiness and anticipation, unaware that a life together would not be theirs.
    â€œOur wedding day,” Elizabeth said from behind her.
    Garnet looked up. “You’re wearing the same locket as in this picture.”
    â€œIt belonged to Albert’s mother,” Elizabeth said, clutching it. “Reginald gave it to her when Albert was born.”
    Garnet set the photograph back down, her eyes travelling to the silver angel on the other side of the mantel. She touched it lightly, admiring its workmanship.
    â€œAlbert’s grandfather made that,” Elizabeth said, taking a seat in the armchair. “You may pick it up if you like.”
    The angel wore a robe and was blowing a horn and fit easily into Garnet’s hand. Its wings were detailed, in layers, like the feathers on the wings of a bird. On the back of the angel was a tiny knob that appeared to bea button. Garnet pressed it. To her delight, the wings swung upward.
    Elizabeth smiled. “Yes, it’s quite something, isn’t it?”
    Garnet ran a finger along the opened wings, then squinted. “What are these markings?” She brought the angel over to Elizabeth and pointed at what appeared to be tiny writing.
    Elizabeth leaned forward, then waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, that. Yes. There’s another on the other wing. I believe they’re Bible verses. I used to think they might be a clue to the jewels because of what Reginald said on the day he died about the angel guiding me. But when I looked the verses up, I couldn’t think what they might have had to do with the jewels.”
    â€œWhat do the verses say?” Garnet asked.
    Elizabeth shrugged. “I don’t remember, exactly. It’s been so long since I looked.”
    Garnet tried to make out what the writing said but it was very small. “Do you have a magnifying glass?”
    Elizabeth nodded.