Cold Case 8-3: World's Fair

[valrush]

COLD CASE:

WORLD’S FAIR

When the skeleton of a man is found on the site of the former Philadelphia World’s Fair, the team must investigate the murder of a man last seen in 1926. The man was a rising star and was the assistant to a member of the fair’s Executive Committee. They must open some old wounds for the victim’s living daughter, now in her eighties. Was the victim killed because of his poor business decisions, or was it something more personal?

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1

The following story is fictional and
does not depict any actual person or event

Eddie Cantor
“If You Knew Susie”


January 10, 1926

Four men were walking around an empty ground. Harry Finton was speaking to the others.

“The Sesquicentennial-Centennial International Exposition will put Philadelphia on the map” said Harry Finton “It will be a celebration of one hundred and fifty years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It will give people delightful associations of our fair city. The colorful event will leave imperishable memories in the minds of all that visit her.”

He paused, then pointed “Over there will be an eighty foot replica of the Liberty Bell. It will be the first thing people see as they enter the Exposition.”

Harry continued to walk along the site “Over there, the auditorium. On the opening day, we have speeches from the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce, guaranteed to bring a big crowd.”

The other men nodded.

“Just past there will be the Tower of Light. Further on will be the Exhibition palace for Agriculture. We will also be having a number of foreign exhibits from countries right round the globe.”

They walked down a street.

“We’re walking through the Forum of Founders” said Harry “This fair will not be only for Pennsylvanians. It will be for all Americans to celebrate our founding and our achievements. It is for all the world to see what a great nation we’ve become.”

“Sir, can you tell us why the committee decided that the best place to show the world Philadelphia was waste ground in the bad side of town?” asked a man, Mr Fredericks.

“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow, Mr Fredericks” said Harry.

“South Philadelphia, past Tenth Street” said Mr Fredericks “Filthy, abandoned. No self-respecting Philadelphia goes anywhere near the area. Why did the committee chose that area, when there are far more beautiful places?”

“This area will be- improved. Revitalized” said Harry, nervously. “The city will have a huge new patch of developed public land- it can be used long after the fair has finished.”

Mr Fredericks frowned. “Who will want to use it? Nobody will want to base themselves in this part of the city. I cannot understand why the committee didn’t choose Fairmont Park on the banks of the Schuylkill, or perhaps the botanic gardens near the University of Philadelphia. Surely, they would have been better choices?”

“Citizens would have lost access to those areas while the- the- fairgrounds were being built” said Harry, stumbling across his words “Choosing this area-”

“Stop” said Mr Fredericks. “Did you hear about the last World’s Fair? It was in Paris. How can this possibly compete?” He gestured around the fairgrounds.

Harry took a deep breath. He could do this. He believed in the fair.

“I think you’ll find Mr Fredericks, that Philadelphia is going to surprise everyone with this fair. Everyone will be amazed with the grand spectacle. Philadelphians, Pennsylvanians, Americans, and the World!” said Harry, smiling triumphantly.

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Late Returns”

The fairground was now empty. The area was covered in rubbish, including piles of dirty newspapers. The newspapers had headlines proclaiming “World Fair Failure” They blew past the body of Harry Finton, lying on his side, with a gunshot wound to the head.

In the office of the Philadelphia Police, a policeman filled in a missing person’s form.

He wrote in Harry Finton’s details, then put them in a folder reading ‘1926 Finton’.

[valrush]

Lilly Rush walked up to where Scotty Valens was standing, drinking some coffee. There was a large group of people gathered at the construction site.

“What have we got?” asked Lilly.

“A body. Think it’s an old one. The Eagles are expanding their training center. The construction crew came across some bones” explained Scotty.

Lilly and Scotty walked over to where the forensic team was gathered. A skeleton could be seen.

Lilly crouched down beside Frannie. “Any clues on the bones?”

“Male” said Frannie Ching “Adult. He was shot in the head” she said, pointing to a hole in the skull.”Won’t be able to give you an exact time frame on when he died until I get him back to the lab, but I’d say he’s been down here for at least seventy or so years”.

“Find a gun?” asked Lilly.

Frannie shook her head. She continued to examine the bones.

“He was well off” said John Stillman, kneeling next to Frannie.

“How can you tell?” asked Lilly.

“The scraps of clothing he was wearing” said Stillman pointing. “These are high quality clothes. He’s probably been here since at least 1933. That’s when this part of the Philadelphia Naval Hospital was built. Most of it was demolished ten years ago, but this outhouse remained.”

“Look like there’s something there” said Scotty. Frannie passed it over to him.

They all looked at the belt with its distinctive bell shape.

“That’s the symbol of the 1926 World Fair” said Stillman “This area was part of the old fairground”.

“Looks like someone went to the fair and never came home” said Lilly.

Cold Case Opening Them:

[valrush]

2

“Philly’s World Fair. Officially known as the Sesquicentennial-Centennial International Exposition” explained Stillman.

“Catchy name” said Nick.

They were all down in the archive room, looking at the files on people who disappeared during the fair.

“It was meant to revitalize the city and bring in trade and tourism.” continued Stillman “Ended up with much lower crowd numbers than expected. Had huge financial debts and ended up being placed into administration.”

“I think I have a match” said Kat “Harry Finton was an assistant to a member of the executive committee. He disappeared on the 18th of November 1926, shortly before the fair closed. He wore a belt with the distinctive Liberty Bell symbol”

She showed them a formal photo of Harry.

“Cops have any theories back then?” asked Lilly.

“They thought that Harry might have run away to avoid the shame of the failure of the fair.” said Kat, reading from the file.

“Eighty-five-year-old case, might be hard to find witnesses” said Lilly, hoping this case wouldn’t prove too difficult for them.

“He had two young daughters. Scotty, see if either of them are still alive” said Stillman, handing him the details.

Stillman looked back at the notes.

“A lot of young children went to the fair. They’d be in their eighties or nineties by now, which means some of them could still be around. Might be worth putting out something, seeing if we get any witnesses.”

“What about newspapers?” asked Lilly “They would have covered the fair quite extensively”

“Good point” said Stillman “Kat, you and Nick go to Penn University. Apparently the University has a large archive relating to the fair. I’ve got the name of the professor who’s in charge of it all. A Phillip Norbury”

He pulled out a piece of paper with the Professor’s details, and handed it to Kat.

The two headed off, Vera grumbling about hoping there wasn’t a lot of reading involved in this case.

“How’s Chris?” asked Stillman quietly, as he put the other missing persons folders back in the box.

“She’s okay” said Lilly “Has her good days and bad days.”

“Addiction can be like that” said Stillman.

“Ellie’s thriving” said Lilly “She’s got everyone wrapped around her little finger, Dad included.”

Stillman nodded and smiled.

Scotty came down the stairs.

“Find anything on the sisters?” asked Stillman.

“Good news” said Scotty “The oldest sister is still alive and living in a nursing home. Spoke to the nurse in charge there and she said she’s pretty sharp, should be able to interview her with no problems”

“That’s great news” said Lilly “We’ll be able to find out more about what Harry was like”

“You and Lil head over to the nursing home. See what the daughter has to say.” said Stillman.

[valrush]

Joan Peterson, formerly Finton, lived in one of Philadelphia’s most upper-class nursing homes. It was clean, with lots of beautiful furniture, and smiling staff who were more than happy to help Lilly and Scotty. They sat down in a private visitors lounge.
“Daddy was a very good man” said Joan. “I always knew he didn’t abandon us. He loved Emily, Mama, and me”

Joan was impeccably dressed. Her hair was set in curls and dyed a light blond. Joan was wearing a tan skirt and jacket combination.

“I know this may be hard, but can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt your father?” asked Lilly.

Joan smiled “Everyone loved him. He was the fair man. Our house was always busy with guests- men who wanted to invest or exhibit in the fair.”

She frowned.

“There was one man…”

[valrush]

Rudy Vallee
“You’re Just Another Memory”


Mary Finton walked out into the dining room, where numerous people were milling around drinking fruit punch. In the corner was a young man playing the piano. She hoped her black sequined flapper dress would impress people. She had strung two sets of pearls around her neck.

From the upstairs stairwell, Emily and Joan watched, hidden from sight. They had been told to go to their rooms and be quiet. Their nanny was busy washing their clothes.

“Hello Marjorie” she said to an older women dressed in a green dress “How are you and Marcus?”

“Very well, thank you” said Marjorie “Marcus is very impressed by the idea of a World Fair, here in Philly. Think of all the business it will bring! Marcus of course, is planning to have an exhibit of his knitting mill”

“From what Harry says, there will be room for plenty of exhibits.” said Mary “Have you seen the size of the grounds? South-”

She was interrupted by Harry, with a man in tow.

“Darling, I’d like to introduce you to Mr Sydney Branson” said Harry “He’s going to help us bring the Curtis Organ to the fair. It’s one of the world’s largest pipe organs”

“Giant pipe organs, Liberty Bells- everyone will be talking about this fair for years” said Mary.

“Well, we hope so” said Sydney “There’s been some disappointment with some aspects of the fair- the planning-”

A man’s raised voice led them all to turn around.

“Harry!” said the man “Harry! You won’t even let me in your house?”

Harry walked up to the man. The hired butler was trying to keep the man at bay.

“Clarence” said Harry “What are you doing here?”

Clarence looked around “You’ve sure gone up in the world. Too good for people like me, aren’t you? Won’t even help an old friend out”

“Clarence” said Harry in a low voice “I told you. We simply aren’t able to hire you”

“Because I ain’t a rich man” said Clarence “We used to be best friends, you and I. You think those people really like you? As soon as they’re done with you, they’ll cast you aside. You’ll never really be one of them”

The crowd had all turned toward Harry and Clarence. They murmured amongst themselves. What a scene!

“Clarence, I made a case for you with the head of engineering. Unfortunately, they simply already have enough men”

Clarence shook his head “I’ve heard all about the sweetheart contracts and the kickbacks. Your precious fair is a mass of corruption! Why, you people would rather hire Negroes than a hard-working man like me”!

“You’re making a scene. I won’t talk to you any more about this. Please escort this man out” Harry said to the butler.

“I’m not done” said Clarence “You’ll regret treating me like this!” he yelled as he was lead outside.

[valrush]

“Man sounded like he meant business” said Scotty.

“That was Clarence” said Joan ” He and Daddy grew up together.”

“ So your father didn’t grow up in that world” said Lilly “Sounds like Clarence resented him for that”

“Our father’s parents were poor but hard-working” said Emily “Daddy worked very hard to get a job in our grandfather’s firm. He met Mama and fell in love. Our grandparents didn’t approve, but then they both died in a shipping accident on their way to London. Our parents were married the next year”

“So this Clarence thought your dad owed him a job” said Scotty.

Joan nodded.

“Did you know Clarence’s last name?” asked Scotty.

“Terrence, no- Travers” said Joan.

“Thank you” said Lilly “If we need to talk to you again, we will”

“I always knew he was dead. I’m glad we finally have a body to bury” said Joan.

“We’ll release it as soon as we can” promised Lilly.

[valrush]

“Well, this is most exciting” said Professor Phillip Norbury “The Sesquicentennial International Exhibition is my specialty. I wrote my thesis on the social impact of the fair on the city. Usually, the only people who come visiting are grad students in history and Sesquiphiles. You say you’ve found the body of someone who was killed during the fair”

Professor Norbury was a middle aged man with a neat thatch of grey hair. His office was covered in memorabilia from the fair- the Sesquicentennial Newsogram, daily programs, posters, newspaper articles, and coins. On his desk was a large shell with engraved with the dates of the fair and a small liberty bell.

“We believe that the body was that of Harry Finton” said Kat “An assistant to a member of the executive committee of the fair”

“Harry Finton- the name rings a bell” said Professor Norbury.

He walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a large red volume. He flicked thorough it until he got to the Fs.

“Ah yes. Harry Finton. Promising young lad. A real self-made man. Worked very hard to get where he was. Tragic disappearance. So it turns out he was murdered. Well, I always thought Edward Summers had something to do with his disappearance.”

“Who’s this Edward Summers?” asked Vera.

“Harry’s manager” said the Professor. “Believed in Harry until it became apparent the fair was not the success they’d hoped. Took out a lot of his disappointment on Harry”

“That’s an awful lot of blame to put on one man” said Kat.

Professor Norbury walked over to a set of boxes by the window.

“The Philadelphia Department of Commerce undertook a project in the 1960s to get everyone’s memories on the fair. I thought they would be especially useful to your investigation, so I checked them out of the archive.”

He looked at the boxes, found the one he needed, and then went through the transcripts. He found what he was looking for and took it out.

“Unfortunately Edward Summers died before the project was able to interview him. Luckily, his secretary Annie Mayfield was able to be interviewed. I have her transcript right here” he said.

The Professor flicked through the book until he came across the page he wanted “Here- I think this part will be particularly useful for you”

Vera took the page and began reading “The strain of the Fair’s failures began to take their toll. I remember one incident….”

[valrush]

Josephine Baker
“Bye Bye Blackbird”


Edward Summers was in his office, writing. Annie Mayfield was busy typing.

Harry came into the room.

“Good morning sir.” said Harry “The weather’s good today”

“A rarity, I’m afraid” said Edward “Sit down, please Finton”

Harry sat in the chair.

Edward took off his glasses.

“Have you seen this?” he said, holding up a newsletter.

Harry shook his head.

“I will educate you on it then. This is the newsletter from the California branch of the Great Fraternal Order.”

“Yes, sir” said Harry, nodding.

“I hope you recall that last month, you were responsible for chauffeuring them around the fair”.

“Yes sir” Harry repeated.

Edward stared him in the eyes.

“What did you say to these people?” said Edward “You were meant to show them the fair was enthralling, a place for relaxation, education, and amusement. Instead, they’ve written that there’s ‘work still being done’, that it’s noisy, chaotic, full of confusion, and that building is still going on. They believe that the fair isn’t yet ready, and that people should postpone their plans to visit”.

“With all due respect sir” said Harry “They visited in the first week, there were areas that were not quite complete-”

Edward cut him off.

“It was your job to ensure that they didn’t see any of this! You should have concentrated on the completed exhibition palaces, the model houses showing the latest in technology, the colonial homes.”

“I understand sir” said Harry.

“There are over a quarter of a million members of that organization throughout this land. They’ve all gone back to their hometowns and spread the word that Philadelphia isn’t ready to hold this fair. This will cost the fair dearly”

“Once again, I apologize” said Harry.

“When I hired you, I thought you were a smart young man” said Edward, his voice rising. “I was willing to overlook your upbringing. Now I see I made a mistake. I should have hired someone who came from a better background. I should be all rights fire you.”

“I disagree” said Harry, firmly “While I perhaps was not as circumspect as I could have been with the Great Fraternal Order, I learned from that mistake. I have been showing representatives and potential investors around the fair, and ensuring they only see the best of the fair. I think you’ll find I’ve been very successful. The Chicago Tribune wrote a glowing review of the fair, after I spent the day with a senior reporter. The New York Post had a feature on the fair- again, after I had spent a great deal of time with their reporter. My contacts in Fishtown have brought in hundreds of dollars in subscriptions- from an area the committee believed we wouldn’t get a single penny of money.”

Edward sighed “Very well. I will give you a second chance. However, I am putting you on notice. Remember, I am a member of the executive committee” said Edward “If I want you gone, you shall be gone.”

[valrush]

“So old Edward wasn’t too fond of Harry” said Vera “Might have even threatened him”

“Maybe he carried through with it” said Kat “Do you have any more transcripts we can use?”

“Of course” said the Professor “I also have some other records that I think will be useful to you. How many boxes can you take?”

Vera and Kat looked at each other.

[valrush]

“Oh, I’m sure we can take the whole lot” said Vera, mimicking Kat’s higher voice, as he carried in three boxes.

“Hey, there might be a clue to this guy’s murder somewhere in all here” said Kat, carrying her own two boxes “Beside, if we didn’t take them now, we’d only have to come back”.

“You two look like you’ll be busy” said Jefferies, who was sitting at his desk.

“We’ll all be busy. You’re helping us sort through all this junk” said Vera.

“Not me” said Jefferies “I’m talking to little old ladies who went to the fair and had went on the Treasure Island Gladway”.

“Any leads?” asked Kat.

“The Treasure Island Gladway was fun” said Jefferies, rolling his eyes.

“Where’s the boss?” asked Vera.

“Talking to the new boss” said Jefferies, nodding his head towards Stillman’s office.

[valrush]

3

“So, let me get this straight” said Deputy Commissioner Joseph Lombardi “You’re investigating a case from 1926”

Deputy Commissioner Lombardi stood facing Stillman’s desk. He was a tall, grey haired man. He was dressed in his full uniform, having just come from a press conference on road accident safety.

“That’s what we do” said Stillman “We work homicides, no matter how old”

“From 1926” said Lombardi.

“We only found the body today” said Stillman “Far as I’m concerned, it’s a fresh job”

“I’ve been reading up on your department” said Lombardi “You seem to spend an awful lot of time on very old cases. Surely the perpetrator is long dead?”

Stillman took off his glasses.

“We owe it to the family and the victim to find the truth” said Stillman “Far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter if the perp’s dead”

Lombardi sighed “That’s very nice John, but I have a budget to deal with. Noble notions like justice are all very well, but they don’t look good on papers. We need numbers arrested, cases solved quickly.”

Stillman narrowed his eyes “It’s rare that we get a case this old. Most cases we get, we catch the perp- alive- and throw them into jail”

“You know as well as I do, that it looks better to have a quick turnaround on solving a crime. Finding out who killed someone sixty years ago isn’t that impressive”

“It is for the person who was killed” said Stillman “My team has been doing this for over seven years, and I’m proud of our work. People have tried to shut us down, but I won’t bow down to pressure. Now if you don’t mind me, I have a case to work”

[valrush]

Lilly and Scotty were busy looking through records to find any mention of Clarence Travers. Scotty had found a death certificate for him in 1964, with the cause of death a heart attack.

“Nothing in the police records” said Scotty “No criminal record”

“Maybe he never got caught” said Lilly.

“The guy’s name was Clarence Travers, wasn’t it?” asked Kat

“Yeah” said Lilly, nodding.

“Got an employment record here” said Kat “He worked for the fair from March to October, working in construction”

“They must have hired him after all” said Scotty “That takes away motive”

“There was a huge construction boom in the months leading up to the fair” said Vera “They were really struggling to get the fair open by the thirty-first of May. There were calls for them to postpone it, but the executive disagreed and pushed on”

Everyone turned to look at Vera.

“Hey, I’ve been finding out a lot from Professor Norbury’s book” said Vera , showing them the cover “It’s really good”

“Well bookworm, better put it down” said Stillman, who had walked into the bullpen “I’ve found the address for Edward Summer’s grandson. You and Kat can head over there and interview him, see if he knows anything”

[valrush]

Vera looked around the plush office and at the middle aged Asian man in front of him.

“Mr Summers?” he asked, hesitantly.

“Yes, that’s right” said the man “Than Summers.”

“Detectives Vera and Miller, Philly Homicide. We’re here about your grandfather, Edward Summers. We think your grandfather may have had something to do with the death of a man who worked for him at the World Fair”

Than shook his head “That’s impossible. My grandfather was a good man”

“Even good men make mistakes” said Kat.

“I was raised by my grandparents, so I heard a lot of stories about the World Fair. It was my grandfather’s biggest achievement. He was always so disappointed that it didn’t meet its expectations, but he was still proud of what they had done.” said Than.

“Did he ever mention a Harry Finton?” asked Vera.

“Harry Finton- yes, he did. He worked for my grandfather. You say it was his body you found?” said Than.

Vera nodded.

“My grandfather was very upset over Harry’s disappearance. He always thought there was something suspicious, and wanted a bigger investigation”

“So why didn’t he do something about it?” asked Vera .

“Mary Finton stopped him” said Than.

“The wife” said Vera .

“That’s who you should be looking at. According to my grandfather, she and her husband had a lot of problems”

[valrush]

Gene Austin
“Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue”


Edward Summers picked up his coat and prepared to leave. It had been a very long day. Questions were being asked by the Mayor and Governor’s office about the success of the fair.

He heard raised voices coming from the alcove. He walked over.

“You told me you quit this organisation!” said Harry to Mary.

“I was planning on it, really darling. But I can’t. My parents were big members of the Temperance Union. They taught me how important it was. I agree with them, Harry”

“How can my wife be part of an organisation that’s protesting against the fair?” asked Harry.

“They’re not protesting against the fair” said Mary “Only against the fair opening on Sundays”

“Are you aware of how many visitors we’ll lose if we close on Sundays?” asked Harry “The executive thought very deeply about this issue. They didn’t make this decision lightly”

“But Sundays!” said Mary “People should be going to church, not doing something frivolous”

“You think the fair’s frivolous? A flight of fancy? Is that what you think of all my hard work?” said Harry, annoyed.

“Darling, no!” said Mary “I thought you of all people would understand, but I was wrong. I thought you cared about more than numbers on the gate. I thought you cared about ensuring this city was safe for our daughters”

She walked off.

“Mary, wait!” said Harry, but she ignored him.

[valrush]

“According to my grandfather, that happened a lot. Mary was a strong supporter of the Temperance Union. Her parents had donated a lot of money to the union” said Than.

“And they were protesting against the fair. Bound to cause a lot of friction. Divorce wasn’t easy in those days. She had a lot of money” said Kat “Maybe she took things into her own hands”

“Well, all I know is that she didn’t want the police to investigate any further. She insisted he must have run away, and she didn’t want her daughters to go through all the pain of a police investigation” said Than.

“Suspicious” said Kat “Wouldn’t you want to know what happened?”

“Not if you killed him and buried the body” said Vera.

[valrush]

Lilly walked through the door of Chris’s apartment, carrying take-out. Ellie was crying and Chris was trying to calm her. She wasn’t surprised to see Finn there as well. Finn had quickly taken on gaining yet another sister in his stride. He had taken a shine to Ellie, and had taken numerous pictures of his new niece.

“She won’t settle” said Chris, exhausted.

“It’s okay” said Finn “She’s just cranky”

Ellie continued to cry.

“What’s wrong, baby?” said Chris “Why won’t you settle?”

“You look tired” said Lilly, wondering if the withdrawal side-effects were bad today.

“That’s what I’ve been telling her” said Finn.

“Ellie’s kept me up since two am” said Chris.

“You need to get some rest” said Finn “Here, I’ll take Ellie”

“He’s right” said Lilly.

Chris passed Ellie over.

“It’ll be okay” said Lilly “Get some sleep”

Finn began cooing to Ellie. Lilly gently put her arm around Chris and guided her to her bedroom. She saw that the bed had been freshly made, with clean pyjamas folded neatly on top.

“Looks good in here” said Lilly, impressed.

“Yeah, that was Finn” said Chris sleepily “He tidied up a bit. He’s been here all day. Bought leftovers from Celeste”

“Impressive” said Lilly. She was about to say more, but saw that Chris had fallen asleep.

She walked back out to where Finn was sitting on the couch, Ellie asleep in his arms.

She smiled.

[valrush]

“I thought you were through with interviewing me” said Joan, looking upset “I told you about that man, Clarence Travers”

“We’ve had some information that your mother prevented the police from investigating” said Lilly.

“My mother was convinced Daddy had abandoned us. She didn’t want Emily and I to suffer the shame” said Joan.

“But you and Emily thought differently” said Scotty.

Joan nodded “I guess we were right”

“We heard your parents fought a lot over his work” said Lilly.

“The Fair took a lot out of him” said Joan sadly.

[valrush]

Josephine Baker
“After I Say I’m Sorry”


Harry was sitting in their lounge room, staring at the fireplace. He looked dejected.

Mary walked up to him and put her arms around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry” she said “I love you”

“I love you too” said Harry, flatly “I hate this fair. Please don’t quit the Temperance Union on my behalf”

“No, I shouldn’t deny you your dreams. Don’t be ashamed of it” answered Mary

“The fair is a failure, and it’s all my fault” said Harry “We’ll be lucky if we get ten million visitors. They’re talking of shutting it down soon”

Mary crouched down beside him

“You’ve worked so hard. Sometimes things don’t work out”

“No” said Harry “”That’s not what they say. They’re all blaming me, especially Edward. He tells me I’m an imbecile. He’s right. I’ve been a fool. I’ve believed people when they have promised they would subscribe. I’ve believed mayors of far flung places when they said they would promote the Fair in their town”

“Sweetheart, you’ve put your heart and soul into this fair. Ten million people is still a huge achievement. Why, everyone I know thinks it is a huge success. All my friends are talking about it in glowing terms. I’m so proud of you”

Harry looked at her “Why?”

“Because you’re the kindest, most hard-working man I’ve ever met. And every day, I thank God that I’m your wife” she said, before leaning in to kiss him.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs” she said, taking her husband by the hand.

From the upstairs staircase, Joan watched.

[valrush]

Joan rooted around in one of her drawers “This is my mother’s diary. If you look in here, you can see how much my mother loved Daddy”

“Thank you for your time” said Lilly, taking the diary.