Valise in the Attic Read Online Free PDF Page A

taking part in this. We’ll have fun.”
    “We’ll freeze!” Annie said, and then she smiled. “But in the most enjoyable way, I’m sure.”
    “So,” Alice said as she finished up her form, “when shall we search Betsy’s attic for luggage? You’ve seen my attic at the carriage house. There’s one steamer trunk and that’s about it for luggage. No one has the kind of stash Betsy did.”
    Annie smiled. Her grandmother Betsy Holden had never thrown away anything she considered valuable. And Betsy’s kind heart and loyalty meant she ended up storing more than a few things for others as well. The attic of Grey Gables was crammed with years of memories—and more than a few mysteries. Annie definitely remembered having seen some small suitcases up there. “We’ll take a look whenever you want,” she said.
    “Let’s do it early tomorrow morning,” Alice said. “I’ll bring over something good for breakfast, and then we’ll head up to the attic.”
    “You know I’m always in favor of Alice MacFarlane’s baked goods,” Annie said. “I think that’s a great idea. But not too early; I don’t want you falling. Wait until the sun is bright enough to melt the icy patches.”
    Alice laughed. “That might be spring.” Then she held up a hand as Annie started to comment. “No, I know what you mean. I’ll be over after nine; does that sound OK?”
    “That would be just perfect.”
    Annie and Alice stood and moved toward the door. It was a slow process since the excited crowd kept stopping to form small groups and chatter. More than once, someone tugged on Annie’s arm to whisper, “Isn’t this amazing?”
    Finally, they handed in their clipboards. They stepped out into the icy wind and gasped at the cold. “Whew! Every time I do this today, I wonder why I’m going along with the movie idea,” Annie said.
    Alice grinned as she wrapped her long scarf tighter around her neck. “You’re doing it for the adventure.”
    “Right. Adventure.”
    “Oh, you might as well admit it,” Alice said. “You like adventure as much as I do. And I think you’re even more curious. You’d be miserable if you were left out.”
    “Probably,” Annie admitted. “See you in the morning.”
    The two women hurried through the parking lot separately. Annie was glad her car heater warmed up quickly. By the time she pulled out of the lot, she could already feel her fingers again. She had a fleeting hope that she simply wouldn’t be picked to be in the movie. But then she had to admit that Alice was right. She really wouldn’t want to miss finding out what it was like to be a movie extra. And she did wonder a bit about which actors might be in the film.
    Annie spent the rest of the day cozy at home. She finished Joanna’s scarf and the cute little shark for John. She slipped a wrapped candy into the shark’s closed mouth, and then tied him on the outside of the package she’d already wrapped for John. She’d found him a perfect captain’s hat in his size and knew he would be crazy about it.
    Annie laid the pink fluffy scarf in a bed of white tissue embedded with pink sequins inside a long box. Then she wrapped the present and put both of the gifts into the larger shipping box along with LeeAnn’s present.
    Annie had spent months on the crocheted coverlet for LeeAnn. It was a simple granny square pattern done in black yarn with jewel-tone centers. The result had been striking and Annie knew it would be a perfect complement for the daring colors LeeAnn had used to decorate their home. Annie only wished she had a gift idea that matched as perfectly for Herb. She made a mental note to ask LeeAnn about Herb’s taste in books.
    Annie looked back down at the mostly filled shipping box. She wondered if she should go ahead and seal the box so she could get it in the mail. She could always ship Herb’s separately. At the rate she was going, at least LeeAnn and the kids would have their gifts on time. Annie dashed off a quick