Little Black Notebook

When I woke up Saturday, I wasn’t looking for an adventure. Sometimes you find yourself going through everything that happened that week. My Aunt Eliza died Thursday. At seventy-two, she had been a bundle of energy. She worked part time at the local museum so she could chat with people. She claimed it gave her a little extra cash. It was the perfect job for her. She loved learning. She was a college librarian for twenty-five years. She got my brother, Marco a job as a security guard at the museum. He is spending time at our Mom’s house making sure she is okay.

Aunt Eliza moved in with my mom after her husband died. Mom and Eliza kept each other company. The hospital called and told mom my aunt had died. Eliza was healthy. I still expect her to walk through the door. Mom efficiently took care of everything. The hospital told mom my aunt had been poisoned. Who would poison her?

My aunt left me a cardboard box. It had my name Susie scrawled across the top. I go by Susan now, but Eliza always called me Susie. I took the small box my aunt had left me off the coffee table. I had been busy this week. I owned a small puzzle and bookstore that I needed to keep afloat. I needed fifteen thousand dollars to pay bills and open my online store. After Eliza’s death that seemed unimportant. I needed to tend to her wishes before my life could go on. Inside the box I found a small key, a little black notebook and a ticket for the museum where my aunt worked. What were these things? Why did she leave them to me? I picked up the notebook thinking that would explain everything.

This was written on the first page.

Dearest Susie,

People keep secrets. If you have this box, it means I am gone. There is a favor I need to ask of you.

Use the ticket and go to the museum. Tell Cindy, the dark haired lady at the entry booth, that I have died and you came to pick up my things. She will know what to do.

Tell no one about this notebook. I did not die of natural causes. Please don’t tell your mother. She will worry.

Things are not what they seem. Only you can help me.

I checked the time on my phone it was after twelve. The museum closed at four-thirty. I put the items into my overly large purse and headed out the door.

I arrived at the museum and saw a dark haired lady at the kiosk. I told her about my aunt. I was there to pick up her things. She said she was sorry. My aunt would definitely be missed. I could tell by the sorrow in her voice that she meant it.

She led me down a hall to the back of the building where the employee locker room was. I realized immediately that the lockers used the key. I felt around for the small key in my purse. Cindy led me to locker 303. She didn’t take the ticket, she told me to hold onto it.

“Take as long as you need.” She squeezed my arm and headed out of the room.

The key fit the lock perfectly. The locker opened with a squeak. I saw my aunt’s pink sweater and the haphazard organization that was her trademark. I felt a lump in my throat as I lifted her sweater out of the locker. Under the sweater I found a white bakery box wrapped up with a red ribbon. I found a flyer for the new Australian Animal Exhibit at the bottom of the locker. I lifted out the bakery box and the flyer. I felt around the empty locker. Nothing! I closed the door. I hid the bakery box and flyer in my hand under my aunt’s sweater. I left the locker room and headed towards the front of the museum.

I had an eerie feeling that I was being followed down the hall. A tall blonde woman in front of me was striding towards me. She walked with authoritarian forcefulness.

“ You are Eliza’s niece, I am Monique the museum office manager. I am so sorry to hear about your aunt, she was a lovely person. I see you have collected her things. Do you have any questions?”

I shook my head overwhelmed by her abrupt manner.

“I will have to ask you for her locker key. I am sorry but it is policy.”

“Of course.” I handed the key to her and tried not to cry at her complete lack of empathy.

“She didn’t have anything that belonged to the museum?”

“No” I blurted out. What a strange question, I wondered what this woman was really asking?

“Sorry, we have to ask.” I wondered if she was sorry.

I headed down the hall and left the museum. I ran to my car. I climbed in the car and put the bakery box and flyer in the back seat. I checked the sweater pockets. Nothing! I opened my purse and took out the notebook. The second page was about Alexander III, Tsar of Russia he had Faberge create fifty-two jeweled eggs for his wife Maria and his mother. These Beautiful eggs held surprises inside. The eggs had gone missing at the time of the Russian Revolution. The Third Imperial Egg had been recovered in America in 2012. It was found by an American scrap metal dealer. He was going to melt it for scrap until he realized it was worth thirty-three million dollars.

I had heard about the famed Faberge eggs. I knew some were still missing. Why was my aunt researching them? I was startled by a knock on my car window. I looked up and saw a little old man. He looked harmless, I rolled down the window.

“I am Fred Martin, museum curator, I just heard about your aunt. She was a dear friend.” He sniffed and took out a handkerchief. “Eliza was an amazing woman”

“We will be having a memorial service for her next Saturday.” I blurted out.

He thanked me, turned with a sad smile and walked back into the museum.

Something slapped the hood of my car. It was my brother Marco.

“ Hi ! “

“Hi! I was just picking up Eliza’s things.”

He nodded. “Did you know there was a rumor that Aunt Eliza was dating Fred. He seemed pretty broken up just now.”

“I invited him to the memorial.”

Marco smiled, hugged me, and headed back inside the museum.

I started the car but pulled over at the next block. I hadn’t opened the bakery box. Was it a Faberge Egg? I lifted the box. I pulled the string and the box opened. Inside was a museum gift shop stuffed platypus. I pulled it out of the box. I held it in my hand. Something was taped to the bottom. I turned the toy over. On the stomach of the little animal sat a tiny gold comb that had pink diamonds along the tiny handle. I grabbed the notebook. I found the answer on the third page. The Necessaire Egg was created for Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1889. It contained ladies toilet items inside the egg. Had my aunt had found the Necessaire Egg? Was this a clue where to find it? Had she trusted someone and they poisoned her? I looked at the flyer.The Australian Animal exhibit opened next week. My aunt had been preparing it. She had told me about the exhibit . Had she hidden the egg there?

I headed back to the museum, Cindy took my ticket. It was 2:30 pm. I had two hours to find the egg. I picked up a map and saw an area called new exhibit. It was located down the back hall. I had a creepy feeling that someone was watching me, so I meandered through the hall.

The Australian Exhibit was still being set up, but I could see a platypus shape inside the glass. There was a clear door at the side of the exhibit. I walked over casually and tried it. It opened. I quickly ducked through. The exhibit was dark, I needed my phone flashlight to see the nest with one white egg beside the taxidermy platypus. I was reaching for the egg in the nest when I heard the door to the exhibit open. I grabbed the egg and turned off my cell phone flashlight. It was too late she had seen me grab the egg. A phone light lit the space. Her face was illuminated, it was Cindy.

“That’s mine, I found it. I was in a hurry and stuck it in the drawer of the entrance desk. Your aunt found my hiding place, she didn’t know I had taken it. The museum never realized it was worth millions of dollars, if it went missing no one would have known. I recognized it when I saw it on a shelf in the exhibits room. I studied Russian art in school. I wish Eliza hadn’t gotten involved.I didn’t mean to kill her, I just slipped sleeping pills into her coffee. I just wanted her out of my way so I could find the egg. The money is going to change my life, I can pay my Mom’s medical bills and live the good life.”

I understood, that kind of money would save my store. The egg in my hand was too light to be Faberge. I tossed her the egg, she dropped it, the white ceramic egg shattered on the exhibit floor.

Cindy screamed “Where is it!”

She rushed me, and I tripped. My foot kicked the platypus and he fell sideways. Cindy scratched at me in rage. The door to the exhibit opened and Marco was pulling Cindy off of me.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“ I’m fine! “

“ I bugged you when I hugged you at the car. We have everything recorded.” Marco smiled.

Marco took Cindy out of the exhibit to a waiting police officer. I could see the platypus turned over on the floor. I turned on my phone flashlight to see better. There was a small hollowed out place on the platypus’ stomach. I reached out and touched the egg shape that was hidden on the bottom of the platypus. The toy platypus had been a

clue to exactly where the Faberge egg was hidden. I scraped brown paint off with my finger nail. Gold shone through the painted egg. Monique and Fred came through the exhibit door to see what was going on.

Moniques saw the egg “It is beautiful, Thank goodness Eliza recognized it.”

Fred looked at it sadly. “It is not worth Eliza’s life.”

I handed the egg to Fred. He pulled it open, it was filled with lovely jeweled toiletries. They were delicate and beautiful. I pulled the tiny comb out of my pocket and added it to the trinkets. I agreed with him. It is not worth a life.

I drove home in a strange mood. I was glad we caught the killer, The egg was beautiful. I still missed my aunt. I walked into my house and straight to the kitchen. I made some coffee and went into the living room to turn on my TV. The TV was already on. I turned and saw Eliza. I hugged her.

“ I wasn’t sure who to trust. So the police came up with this plan to set a trap. Marco followed you to make sure you were safe.”

“ Mom knows?”

“Yes, sorry Susie! The reward for finding the egg is twenty-thousand dollars. Will that be enough to save the store?”

I smiled, it was enough to save my Bookstore. More importantly, I had my aunt back. I hugged her again.