paper.”
Jack caught her eye and smiled, making her flush. He had darker hair than Brad and his facial features were similarly angular, only on him they had been arranged more precisely, more perfectly. But the eyes were the same.
Sweeney awkwardly murmured her sympathy and then Quinn told everyone to sit down before taking out a large photograph of the four pieces of jewelry laid out on a white background.
He nodded at Sweeney and she leaned forward to take the photograph from him.
“The first question, I suppose, is have you ever seen these pieces of jewelry before?” Sweeney asked them nervously, feeling that she was performing. “Are they something that Brad had ever shown you or told you about?”
She walked slowly around the room, showing the picture to each of them.
“What are they?” asked Melissa when Sweeney showed it to her. “It’s so strange.” She looked almost childishly curious and Sweeney was struck by her childlike beauty, her large blue eyes and straight, pale hair.
Jack looked up at Sweeney and she felt herself looking back into those familiar chameleon-blue eyes, fringed with thick lashes. “It’s mourning jewelry, isn’t it?” he asked. She nodded. “It looks kind of familiar. Is it . . . Mom?” He motioned for Kitty to come over and she leaned over the photograph.
“Oh my God,” she said.
“What? Have you seen any of these pieces before?” Sweeney tried to affect a note of total surprise.
“Yes, of course,” Kitty Putnam said. “They belonged to Andrew’s mother.”
Andrew Putnam came over and looked down at the photograph too. “Oh yes,” he said. “I haven’t seen these in ages. But I think you’re right. I think they were my mother’s.”
“That’s right. You used to have them in your jewelry box, Mom,” Camille said. “Drew and Jack would try to scare me with the necklace, tell me it was the hair of dead people.”
“It
is
the hair of dead people,” Jack pointed out, glancing at Sweeney.
“Had you given the jewelry to Brad?” Sweeney asked Kitty.
“No . . . at least I don’t think so. They must have been in some boxes of stuff up in the attic at the Newport house. Brad was down for the weekend a month or so ago and he asked if he could look around up there. He must have taken them.”
“But he didn’t tell you he’d taken it?” Quinn asked her. “Would that have been strange? For him to just take something that belonged to you and not say anything?”
Kitty looked up at him, impatient. “It wasn’t like that. It was just, you know, old stuff up in the attic. He said he was working on a project for school or something and could he look around up there and see what he could find. I said that of course he was welcome to anything he found up there. It was mostly things belonging to Andrew’s family, anyway.”
“What is it?” Melissa asked again. “Is it really made from hair?”
“Yes,” Sweeney said. “It was very common, particularly in Victorian times, to have jewelry made from the hair of the deceased. It was a way of keeping the person with you always, even after death.”
Melissa’s eyes grew wide.
Sweeney looked around at the rest of the family. “Now that you know where it came from, does it ring any bells? Do you ever remember Brad talking about the jewelry?”
“I don’t think so,” Drew said. He looked around at his siblings and they all shook their heads.
“He was interested in that kind of stuff, though,” Camille said quietly. “He liked graveyards.”
“He did,” Kitty said. “He liked graveyards. When he was little he liked to sit in them. He wasn’t scared at all.” She almost started crying again, and when she looked up at Andrew, Sweeney saw that his eyes brimmed too.
Her eye was caught by a framed family photo on Andrew’s desk and partly because she was interested and partly because she wanted to give him something to do, she said, “What a great picture.”
“Thanks. That was Jack’s
Jack caught her eye and smiled, making her flush. He had darker hair than Brad and his facial features were similarly angular, only on him they had been arranged more precisely, more perfectly. But the eyes were the same.
Sweeney awkwardly murmured her sympathy and then Quinn told everyone to sit down before taking out a large photograph of the four pieces of jewelry laid out on a white background.
He nodded at Sweeney and she leaned forward to take the photograph from him.
“The first question, I suppose, is have you ever seen these pieces of jewelry before?” Sweeney asked them nervously, feeling that she was performing. “Are they something that Brad had ever shown you or told you about?”
She walked slowly around the room, showing the picture to each of them.
“What are they?” asked Melissa when Sweeney showed it to her. “It’s so strange.” She looked almost childishly curious and Sweeney was struck by her childlike beauty, her large blue eyes and straight, pale hair.
Jack looked up at Sweeney and she felt herself looking back into those familiar chameleon-blue eyes, fringed with thick lashes. “It’s mourning jewelry, isn’t it?” he asked. She nodded. “It looks kind of familiar. Is it . . . Mom?” He motioned for Kitty to come over and she leaned over the photograph.
“Oh my God,” she said.
“What? Have you seen any of these pieces before?” Sweeney tried to affect a note of total surprise.
“Yes, of course,” Kitty Putnam said. “They belonged to Andrew’s mother.”
Andrew Putnam came over and looked down at the photograph too. “Oh yes,” he said. “I haven’t seen these in ages. But I think you’re right. I think they were my mother’s.”
“That’s right. You used to have them in your jewelry box, Mom,” Camille said. “Drew and Jack would try to scare me with the necklace, tell me it was the hair of dead people.”
“It
is
the hair of dead people,” Jack pointed out, glancing at Sweeney.
“Had you given the jewelry to Brad?” Sweeney asked Kitty.
“No . . . at least I don’t think so. They must have been in some boxes of stuff up in the attic at the Newport house. Brad was down for the weekend a month or so ago and he asked if he could look around up there. He must have taken them.”
“But he didn’t tell you he’d taken it?” Quinn asked her. “Would that have been strange? For him to just take something that belonged to you and not say anything?”
Kitty looked up at him, impatient. “It wasn’t like that. It was just, you know, old stuff up in the attic. He said he was working on a project for school or something and could he look around up there and see what he could find. I said that of course he was welcome to anything he found up there. It was mostly things belonging to Andrew’s family, anyway.”
“What is it?” Melissa asked again. “Is it really made from hair?”
“Yes,” Sweeney said. “It was very common, particularly in Victorian times, to have jewelry made from the hair of the deceased. It was a way of keeping the person with you always, even after death.”
Melissa’s eyes grew wide.
Sweeney looked around at the rest of the family. “Now that you know where it came from, does it ring any bells? Do you ever remember Brad talking about the jewelry?”
“I don’t think so,” Drew said. He looked around at his siblings and they all shook their heads.
“He was interested in that kind of stuff, though,” Camille said quietly. “He liked graveyards.”
“He did,” Kitty said. “He liked graveyards. When he was little he liked to sit in them. He wasn’t scared at all.” She almost started crying again, and when she looked up at Andrew, Sweeney saw that his eyes brimmed too.
Her eye was caught by a framed family photo on Andrew’s desk and partly because she was interested and partly because she wanted to give him something to do, she said, “What a great picture.”
“Thanks. That was Jack’s
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