Secret of the Laurel Crown

The note on the old shoebox read: "Carolyn, I bought this at a garage sale. I know how tough life has been for you these past months. I thought this might help a sad girl smile. Love, Gram." Carolyn lifted the lid and dumped its contents. Five hundred pieces of the jigsaw puzzle tumbled out onto the worn yellow wool blanket. As she pushed the pieces aside, a folded parchment-its edges ragged with age-caught in a small hole.

Picking it up carefully so as not to tear the creases, she unfolde...