She nodded. "About the fire, yes. That's why I'm here." She explained what she was doing. "I hoped to find stories from the past... what she was like and what she did."
"You're in luck." Taking a card from his pocket, he wrote something on the back and handed it to her."Meet me there at ten in the morning and I guarantee you'll get stories."
She turned the card over. "LADY Pinkerton?"
"A friend who knows more about this town's past than anyone else and I know she'd love to meet you."
"Thank you. I'll see you there."
Harry stood up. "Then I'll leave you to your work."
********************
Harry was waiting on Miss P's porch next morning, when Eliza rode up on a motorcycle. He walked down the steps to meet her. "Nice ride."
"It beats packing up the van whenever I go into town."
"That makes sense. Miss P is waiting inside."
"Why do you call her that?"
"He thought it was impolite to call an older woman by her first name." They both looked up to see Miss P standing in the open doorway.
Eliza walked up the steps and held out her hand. "It's been a while since I met a real lady. I almost feel like I should curtsy."
Miss P laughed. "Appearances only, my dear. Glory is preparing morning tea. Do you prefer tea or coffee, Ms Flannigan?"
"Tea, please."
"I'll let Glory know. Please escort Ms Flannigan to the living room, Harry."
Eliza followed Harry. Miss P went to check on Glory, and both ladies joined them shortly after. Miss P carried a tray of muffins, and Glory had the tea tray. As the trays were placed on the coffee table Glory handed Harry his mug of coffee.
Eliza looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I prefer coffee, in a mug," he said, reaching out for a plate and a muffin.
"I hear you're looking for stories about Aunt Lizzy," Miss P said.
Eliza smiled. "The name I'm most familiar with is Frizzy Lizzy. Her name was slso Eliza Flannigan, sister of my great-great grandfather. The name, and the red hair, has passed down through the family for generations, so every generation has at least one Frizzy Lizzy."
"Are you researching genealogy?" Miss P asked.
Eliza shook her head. "I'm studying folklore, working on a thesis to finish the course, and realized there was no better subject than Frizzy Lizzy. I questioned family members who had heard of her, and some villagers who'd also heard stories.
"She was always a little strange, with no interest in social activities, and no close friends of her own age. She preferred talking to and learning from older people. She wanted to learn all about medicinal plants and herbs.
"When she turned eighteen, she purchased a one-way passage to Canada with part of her inheritance. I know of only one letter, written the year after she left home. She was living with an elderly native woman, who was teaching her all about the native plants. She was never heard from again."
