“Well, they’ll be wasting their time,” Tina smiled.

“So true. Oh, I did hear from Kit. She said she’d drive up there later tonight with supplies. Her exact words were, ‘Knowing the two of you, you are brining nothing but wine, cheese and crackers. You’ll starve yourself’. And guess what? She’s right. I only packed a few bottles of wine.”

Tina laughed, “I did bring crackers…and wine.”

“Damn, she knows us too well.” Alice reached behind her and grabbed a bag of chips from the back seat. “There’s nothing better than the junk food when we are on a road trip. Here’s Pepsi we can share, it’s still pretty cold.”

Soon Tina turned into a private road leading to the mansion. She parked in the driveway and they both walked around the house to make sure nothing was disturbed. The all-women private security company Kit hired to watched over the property proved to be the most excellent choice.

Alice was taking her suitcase out of the trunk when she noticed a large tube on the bottom.

“Hey, Tina. What’s in the tube? It’s heavy.”

“I thought I’d bring Bette’s paintings here. This is where she painted them. This is where they belong.”

“That’s a great idea. She can work on them when she gets back.”

Tina sighed and Alice added with conviction in her voice, “She will get back, Tina. Never doubt.”

After they unpacked and had a light snack, Tina was ready to begin their search. Alice was full of ideas, though Tina found most of them crazy. They were walking around the house in search of some obvious hidden places when Alice yelled suddenly, “Oh my God, Tina. This is it.”

Tina looked where Alice was pointing and saw an unfamiliar painting hanging on the hallway wall. It was a small drawing of the mansion’s back porch facing the grove. The oak trees were dimly lit under the silver moon, stars barely visible behind dark clouds. Tina stepped closer to see why the painting got Alice all excited.

The answer became obvious a soon as she saw a small inscription, Seek and you will find. She traced the writing with her finger and smiled, “This is Bette’s handwriting. She is sending me a sign.”