Molten Gold Read Free

she in trouble?
    “Ms. Baker, did your uncle have anything…strange in his
personal effects?”
    It didn’t escape Adelaide’s notice that Jared had addressed
her more formally, by her title. Nor had she missed his slight hesitation
before describing whatever he sought so vaguely as “strange”.
    Her instincts were roused. Something was going on here. She
didn’t know whether it would be worth a story, or just a curious, interesting
tale to gossip about with her girlfriends later, but there was something interesting afoot. Uncrossing her legs, she scooted forward to sit at the edge
of her easy chair.
    “Well now, you’d need to clarify for me what would be
classified as strange,” she said in a sweet tone. Sugar had always gotten her
further in any conversation than pressing questions or hard truths delivered in
a blunt manner. “I mean, are we talking about the fact that Uncle Mark kept
every copy of Time magazine dating back to the early 1990s? Or the fact that
he had a box full of marbles and bottle caps that I assume was a cherished
relic from his and my father’s childhood? Strange is in the eye of the
beholder, sir.”
    “That’s a fair point,” he conceded. “Is there anything
you’ve found, then, that you feel should be turned over to the Army or other
relevant authorities?”
    For the first time since she’d seen him at her front door,
Adelaide wondered if Jared was mentally stable. He didn’t look like an axe
murderer—indeed she couldn’t see a weapon of any sort on him.
    “Uh, is there someone from your unit I could call?” she
asked in a low tone. “To check your credentials?”
    “I know I sound vague,” Jared apologized. “But I can’t be
too specific—this is classified information. If you wish to call my superiors I
can give you the captain’s number. He’ll confirm what I’m telling you.”
    Still a little on edge, but no longer really worried about
her safety, Adelaide felt her curiosity about the situation rise. Jared sounded
logical and sane, and he was clearly in control of himself. He was being
secretive, sure, but that wasn’t uncommon in the military.
    Besides, now she sensed that there could be a lot more to
this than idle curiosity on Jared’s part. If the Army really was searching for
something her uncle had had in his possession when he died, there could
definitely be a story in that. An interesting one.
    “Let’s shelve that for now,” Adelaide said. “Why don’t you
let me know what you’re after and why? My uncle passed away eighteen months ago
from a heart attack. He wasn’t rich and he certainly didn’t have anything that
I know of that would interest anyone except family—certainly nothing that could
have worth to the Army.”
    “Well, what sorts of things did he leave behind?” Jared
asked.
    She felt sure he was fishing and decided to respond in kind.
    “Well, he lived in a small bachelor flat. Having spent most
of his working years in the Army, he hadn’t accumulated a lot of the regular
junk people tend to.” Adelaide thought back to that miserable week when she’d
boxed up his things, moved them, and then scrubbed every inch of the four-room
apartment. “I donated his clothes to charity, and many of his books, though
some that I recall from my youth and that I felt held special meaning to him I
brought back here to keep. He had a filing cabinet that was very neatly kept.
All his taxes and finances pretty much went either to his lawyer—the same man
who handled my parents’ affairs—or to his accountant.”
    “And who is this accountant?” Jared asked as he leaned
forward.
    Adelaide felt he was very interested in her answer. She
replied with a sad smile, knowing it would burst his bubble.
    “Actually, his accountant is an old Army buddy,” she said.
“Aaron Goethe. I don’t think Uncle Mark served with him, but I’m pretty sure
they had a number of friends in common and that’s where their initial
connection came from. If