“Coffee please, plain, if it’s not too much trouble.” Burton sat down on the sofa.
Harry pressed gently on Glory’s shoulder. “Stay there. I’ll get it.” He handed Burton the coffee and sat on the other end of the sofa. “How did you find Glory? And why now? There’s been no word from – or about – Finley since he disappeared.”
“I knew my grandfather as Robert Brown, my father as Connor Brown,” Burton said. “I knew nothing about the family background until my father passed away several years ago.” He sipped his coffee. “I found Gloria through the Municipal Office, after convincing them of my identity.”
“How did you find out the family history?” Harry asked.
Burton grinned. “When I opened the safe to get my father’s legal documents, I found a journal inside, written by my grandfather. He’d written what he could remember from his father’s journal, and about his own life. Learning that my great-grandfather had been a pirate was a real eye-opener. I didn’t even know if I should tell the rest of the family, but finally decided they deserved to know the truth.”
“How did they take it?” Glory asked.
“Better than I expected,” Burton said. “Simone, the youngest, thought having a pirate ancestor was exciting. Anyway, I’ve had the pages scanned onto a flash drive, so you can share with any family members who are interested.”
Glory sighed. “Guess it’s a good thing I bought the computer after all.”
Rupert smiled. “I also had the pages transcribed and put into a PDF document, also on the flash drive. Plus, I also have a printed copy for you.”
“Is that how you learned who Finn really was?” Glory asked.
“Why was he called Finn?”
“Grandpa Connor said his mother didn’t want him to be called young Rupert or Junior, so she started calling him Finley right away,” Glory said. “Finn was the short version.”
“Makes sense,” Burton said. “How much do you know about him?”
“Not much,” Harry said. “The money in the bank was divided equally among all four children, but
Finley inherited the bar and the house. He kept the bar going for exactly five years, then sold it and vanished.”
“That’s right,” Glory said. “A condition in the will prevented him from selling it before then.”
“He made changes,” Harry said. “Burton’s Saloon became Burton’s Bar and London House became the London Inn.”
Glory nodded. “Private baths were installed in all bedrooms on the two upper floors. On the ground floor, the parlour became a lounge, the kitchen and large dining room remained as they were, and the foyer became the reception area.”
Burton frowned. “Wasn’t he supposed to live in the house?”
“He did. The library became a bachelor suite by using a divider to create a sleeping area and installing a private bath. Rupert probably didn’t read the books, but Finn devoured them when he wasn’t working,” Glory said.
