The legacy in the attic
By: DeAnna Julie Dodson
Series: Annie's Attic mysteries -- bk. 29
Publisher: Annie's
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Berne, Indiana
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
Subjects: Inheritance and succession; Fiction; Sawmills; Grandchildren
Description: "The Last Will and Testament of Paul Maxwell Butler." How could those simple words come to haunt Annie Dawson and her friends in Stony Point, Maine? But when Annie discovers a will from 1920 in the attic of her home, Grey Gables, the document sets up a series of mysterious twists and turns that threaten the livelihood and legacy of Ian Butler, the mayor of the seacoast town and Annie's love interest. Nearing the end of his life, Paul Butler had disinherited Ian's great-grandfather and had left all of his estate to a Mayfield grandson. The will was sewn into the lining of an old purse and had gone undetected and had not been probated. Why? Had the Butler family purposefully hidden the will to ensure the family's continued ownership of a lucrative lumber mill? Annie and her best friend, Alice MacFarlane, set about to unravel the mystery, hoping to keep it from the law until they have more answers than questions. Meanwhile, the sawmill has become  the target of vandals who seem interested in disrupting the business. At first the mischief is only graffiti and broken windows, but then the mayhem turns dangerous when lumber is set on fire. Annie's investigation is hampered by the presence of her grandchildren, John and Joanna, visiting for a month from Texas. Just as Annie had visited her grandparents in Stony Point, the twins are spending a summer month with her. She hopes they will become closer to Ian, but the opposite is true of John. What has fostered this new surly behavior toward Ian?