Page 41 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“Street smarts,” I answered.

“Yes, street smarts. It’s possible Elma gave her the clues to find my grandfather, but why didn’t she tell me?”

I shrugged and explored the room. A wardrobe full of clothes. A stuffed carnival bear. A fluffy chair. A book on medieval torture that didn’t encourage me to find her.

“I’ve looked under the drawers, in pockets of clothing. Caiyan and I tore this room apart.”

“Caiyan?” I stiffened that he’d been here and not told me.

“Yes. And then Marco did the same. We’ve searched the entire estate. There is nothing.”

Where would I keep important information? My Mamma Bea hid her mad money under the wooden floorboards. I looked down at the floor. Stone. “No tile left unturned, right?”

Fredericka rolled her eyes but helped me search. After examining the hand-cut tiles and finding nothing disturbed, I focused on the French Aubusson rug under the bed.

“Help me push the bed.”

We pushed, and it moved easier than expected. I knelt and drew back the rug. “One of these tiles looks wonky-jawed.”

“What?” Fredericka wrinkled her nose at me.

“This tile has been ungrouted.” I pointed to the tile in question. “Do you have something to lift it?”

She rummaged through a drawer and came up with a letter opener. I used it to pry the tile loose.

Under it was a small jewelry box. It contained a rolled-up paper no bigger than a cigarette tied with twine. I unrolled and studied the torn section of a map. It looked like my Aint Elma’s map, and much like the drawing Marco sent me except this one had the island marked New Providence and the name Lidiya written at the bottom.

Fredericka bent over my shoulder, examining the map. “Lidiya was my mother.”

I handed her the box and the map, then stood. “Did your mother have the gift?”

“I don’t know. She wore a key, but she never spoke of it. I never saw a vessel. It skips a generation, yes?”

“Not always. What about your father?”

Fredericka’s face clouded. “He was a bastard, according to my mother. A sailor she met while he was on shore leave. A one-night stand. She told me never to ask about him again.”

She placed the box on the dresser and studied the map. “I recognize this map. My grandfather had it the day he died. He asked Sasha and me to leave the room so he could speak to Caiyan in private. When we returned, he held this small paper.”

I didn’t want to tell Fredericka about Ace’s discovery of the five maps, but why was the name Lidiya written on it in ballpoint pen? I took a deep breath and decided trusting her was the way to go. I explained about Ace’s grandfather and the torn-up map.

“Yes. That must have been what my grandfather spoke of before he died. He gave Sasha his map and told her we must all work together to destroy the King’s key.” She shrugged. “Caiyan thought he was delirious from the illness, then Gian-Carlo arrived with you, and you know the rest.”

“Is it possible your mother isn’t dead? Could she have jumped to the past to hide from the man who wanted to take you to America?”

“Why would your meddling aunt tell me my mother was dead, if she was not?”

“I’m not sure. It’s not her style to keep family apart.” I looked down at the map. “Maybe Elma hid your mother and Sasha the same way she hid you.” And maybe she hid an even bigger secret, like the location of the King’s key.

“My mother could be alive.” Fredericka’s eyes went damp. I lifted my arms and made a move to hug her. She stopped me short with an evil glare.

I took a step back and reviewed our theory. “And just maybe the bad man found them and Elma sent Sasha to Rogue for safety.”

The part of my theory I didn’t share was if Sasha jumped to 1718, she not only gets the King’s key, but might find her mother.

Fredericka did some mental math and nodded her confirmation. “If my grandfather knew where my mother was, why didn’t he go and get her?”

“Maybe Elma didn’t tell him your mother’s whereabouts.”Because it would give away the location of the King’s key, I thought. I pulled the corner of my lip between my teeth, chewing over the option to share my thoughts. My aunt always had reasons for her decisions. “Elma didn’t tell Rogue or Sasha about you either.”

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