Page 95 of Tangled Up In You

He handed over the canvas bag.

She held it in her arms, feeling the weight of the large gold urn. "Before you go, Mr. Marconi, I wanted to ask you about a missing diamond."

"A missing diamond?" he echoed. "Something that belonged to Phoebe?"

"No, it belonged to her friend Caroline. Apparently, it's missing, and a few people seem to think Phoebe has it. Did she ever mention it to you?"

"She did not. I would have made note of that in the items that you were inheriting. We went over jewelry and other valuable objects, and she had no individual piece of jewelry that was worth more than a hundred dollars, and most of it was considerably less." He paused. "Phoebe and I spoke a few days before she died, after Ms. Montgomery's death, but before she had gone through the items that Ms. Montgomery left her. If there's a diamond, it would be in the boxes that she had not yet opened."

"I'm still going through those. Caroline Montgomery's ex-husband is also asking me to let him look through the boxes. Actually, his attorney is asking me. Do I have to let him do that?"

"Absolutely not. Whatever Ms. Montgomery sent to Phoebe became Phoebe's property, which in turn became yours."

"That's good to know. I'm sure the attorney will keep pressing. Apparently, the diamond is worth over three million dollars."

"Would you like me to speak to the attorney?"

"No thanks. Not yet, anyway."

"Let me know if I can help." He took a breath. "My wife stopped by the store on Saturday. She said it looked amazing. She brought home a bag full of items, and she's been drinking tea, meditating, and sleeping better than she has in years. For some reason, she always thought Phoebe was full of hot air, but she said when she stepped in the store and spoke to you, she felt inspired."

"I had no idea I spoke to your wife, but it was crazy busy that day. I'm glad she's feeling good. That's what it's all about."

"Phoebe would be proud of you," he said with a nod. "She said there was only one person who could keep her legacy going."

"I'm still touched that she believed that. We hadn't seen each other in a long time."

"She felt close to you, as she indicated in her note."

"I was wondering about that note. It felt like she knew she was going to die. But she had a sudden heart attack. It was unexpected."

"Perhaps not completely unexpected. She was having problems with her heart several months ago. When her friend Caroline was ill, Phoebe started thinking a lot about her own plans. We sat down about a month ago, and she made her decisions."

"So it was very recent." She looked down at the urn. "I don't know where I should bury her, though. I don't understand why she didn't just tell me where to put her ashes."

"I don't know, either. But she seemed to believe the universe would deliver whatever answer was needed."

"Great. What about a memorial service? People have been asking me if there's going to be one, and I feel like there should be, but I don't know what she would have wanted."

"She didn't care about big ceremonies. But she did care about her friends. I don't suppose that helps, but she trusted you to make the decisions, so go with your gut."

"I will. Sorry again for making you come over here. I had it on my calendar, and then I didn't look at my phone. To be honest, I wasn't that excited to get this. It feels weird to know her ashes are inside."

He gave her a kind smile. "But her soul is flying. That's what she told me. She said when she was gone that she'd finally get to fly the way everyone thought she already could."

"No broom required," she said with a smile.

He grinned. "That's correct. Have a good night, Ms. Trent."

"Thanks." As he walked away, she stepped back into the store and relocked the front door. Then she took the bag over to the counter where Drew was waiting.

"You could have gone home," she told him.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I appreciate that. I'm fine."

"So, what's in the urn, or do I not want to know?"

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