"The more time that Claire spends in the museum, the better, as far as I'm concerned," Dean said.
"Well," Cynthia said to Fred, "in spite of how obnoxious Claire Quincy is, you ought to let her and her sister know about the notebook. After all, it's an important part of their family history."
"I suppose you're right," Fred grumbled. "But I've got a mind to let them stew, at least for a while."
"You could wait until they return to Boston and then mail it to them," Dean suggested. "Then you won't have to listen to Claire bitching about how you cheated her when that's just what she did to you. Better yet-sell it to her, for another three hundred bucks!"
"I might make 'em a copy, but the original stays in Ouray. This here stuff is history."
"The notebook's not all the news," Cynthia said. "Jerome Shipton is in town. That's why Sheriff Weller came by this morning, to let us know."
Dean explained how they suspected it was Shipton who had frightened Donnie on the ski slope in Telluride. "He must have either seen us leave Ouray with skis or followed us over there."
"You're probably right," Cynthia said. "Weller said Shipton knows where Edith is staying."
"Does he mean to make trouble?" Dean asked.
"Weller says Shipton claims he doesn't. He was sweet as sugar-just a concerned husband looking out for his wife's welfare."
"But Weller doesn't believe him?"
"That was how it seemed to me. He kept saying Bird Song isn't in his jurisdiction and any trouble Shipton caused would be the city's problem. But that doesn't mean he isn't nosy about what's going on."
Dean was emphatic the best course of action was to play leave-it-alone. The others nodded in agreement.
"The sheriff also saw Martha wasn't in school and asked Janet why," Cynthia said. "When Janet told him she was going to home-school Martha, Weller suggested rather firmly it might be a good idea if Martha went back to a more formal setting. He hinted Janet's teaching qualifications were a bit suspect."
"Good for him!" Dean said.
"He offered to drive Martha to school. It made Janet as mad as a hornet, but Martha's back in the classroom."
Fred smiled. "Riding in a police car is the next best thing to a fire engine. I hope he turned the lights and siren on!"
"The sheriff talked to Edith, too. He tried to get her to seek a court order against Shipton if she was in fear of him, or, at the very least talk to an attorney. Edith just withdrew and wouldn't even answer him. She spent the day in her room, in Annie's dress."