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Millie had a chunk of ground with a small pink and white two-story house and one of those modern looking barns off to the back. Borr and Darlene had replaced the older barn ten years ago, tearing down the original rickety building for something much more water tight and secure.

The old woman had an open door policy and anyone was welcome to come see her. Not even strangers would be turned away but since Millie pretty much stalked the town on social media, she was well aware of who Zac was if only through his guardian the detective.

A short muscular man in scrubs answered her door, her nurse Jesus, and brought Zac into the living room which seemed to be heavy on the floral patterns. Collectibles dotted shelves and plushes sat along the top of the sofa, all with a similar theme- Beavers.

Millie had the TV on, watching American Ninja Warrior of all things, and sat on her sofa with her cell phone as she scrolled through instagram. At the sight of a visitor bring baked goods she perked, "Hello! Zac! It's about time we finally met. Sit down please."

"Jesus will only let me have one," Millie conspired just as the male nurse's head popped around the door frame suspiciously and then disappeared, "But I bet if I eat them fast he won't even know."

Millie patted a spot on her sofa for Zac, "How is the detective? He hasn't been around to see me in a while. I imagine it's busy.." What with poor missing kids and all the other things she'd heard on the news.

She was already waggling her fingers at the box of goods, "I don't mind questions if I can help. But you'll have to humor my company." Millie winked.

"Art?" Millie blinked. She wasn't exactly an expert but perhaps she'd seen it. The town was full of artists and she'd amassed a collection of discarded and forgotten amateur work in her barn.

"That's a unique name- do you have anything of theirs I can see?" The old woman chuckled, "Maybe I will remember it."

"Oh that's lovely-" Millie smiled, actually taking the phone from Zac's hand to adeptly scroll and zoom and move it around. She was apparently a phone savvy old lady.

"She looks a bit like you, no offense." She winked, "But now that I look at it it rings a bell. Though the extent of my art-going experiences is always visiting the high school and university student showings.. I feel like I've seen something like this- the ummm-" Millie idly smoothed and primped her braided hair as she thought, "The use of shadow and shapes."

The tiny woman hopped up from her chair, "Jesus I'm going to the barn!" She hollared into the house and heard an answering 'Alright don't forget to lock it!'

"Come with me." She waved for Zac to follow, moving through her floral papered dining room, past photos of her and her long dead husband, of Darlene and Borr smiling and young on their wedding day, of Millie near hanging off an oversized Harley with Darlene beside her. Millie picked up a set of keys from a hook before she led Zac out the back door to a smooth and large lawn that was finely mowed and manicured behind her home.

Something about her property was quiet and safe seeming. The roof of another building was visible behind the house and it seems that's where she was leading him.

"Oh I don't mind," Millie grinned cheerfully and waved a hand in easy dismissal of thanks, "I like visitors. Though everyone seems too busy to see me lately-" She took a faux tough tone and chuckled.

The back of the house had a small garden, mostly flowers and shrubs and nothing in the scale of vegetables. There was a patio set, covered until it was needed, and as Millie trudged down a laid stone path towards the back, the 'barn' revealed itself to be a very large very modern looking shed.

"Had a real barn once but it started to collapse in on itself and I lost some things. Borr and Darlene got me this one put it. It's nice and tight and dry for storage. I just hate seeing people's belongings get sold off or used and treated like garbage." The keys jingled in Millie's hands as they approached the door, "Those are people's lives and memories you know. A sin really."

A side door of the barn opened and it had that musty storage smell, but it was dry and clean and as she flipped on the light it looked a bit like a nicer version of an American Scrappers episode.

"Oh thank you. It's a b***h on the knees but I have the boys to help me." Which meant her slave labor of Jesus and Borr.

There was some loose organization to the barn. Large things leaned against the walls, old paintings and framed black and white family pictures that had been abandoned by their families, old signs from shops in town that didn't exist anymore. There were of course boxes and boxes of odds and ends and filing cabinets stuffed with papers that she'd found notable (or someone else had). Millie had a strong sense of lingering emotion and if someone else found it meaningful than she did as well. It was only right not to forget.

"I've got most of the yearbooks from the high school here. And the college." Millie shuffled a box of old glassware aside with her foot as she led Zac between some cabinets where large tupperware bins sealed in books so they didn't get damaged or rotten. "You're welcome to look through anything you want. I usually keep fliers and handouts from the plays and shows as well. They may be in the filing cabinets."

She gave him a grateful smile, "I'm glad someone can find a use for these things."

Over nine thousand? Well that certainly seemed like a lot. She didn't get the reference of course.

"You get started and I'll get us something to drink. I've some things I wanted to pack up for a rummage sale at the church next weekend." The keys were dropped into Millie's pants pockets.

"I'll bring down the goodies and maybe some lemonade, how's that sound?"