Ghost Tales of Seattle

Ghost Chase Part 17

As Beth searched the trail of bank mergers to see where the safe deposit box might be, I realized there was another issue. Even if the safe deposit box still existed, what about the fact that no one had been paying the bill for it since 1889. I turned to Addie.

"Have you led us on a wild goose chase?" I asked in a whisper. "What do banks do with the contents of safe deposit boxes that aren't being paid for?"

"I think they go to the state and also if the person dies with no will, but I didn't want to put my legacy in jeopardy. The letter in the box gives the person who presents it, the right to the contents in the box, and as for paying it, I arranged for that too. I put money into a deposit account to keep paying for the box, even if I died."

"I've never met anyone who thought as far ahead as you. Do you have any psychic blood in your family? Did you know you would die and not be there for your daughter?"

"Maybe, I always wanted to be prepared for any eventuality."

Beth looked up from her phone. "I think I've found where the contents of the box might be. The oldest bank in Seattle is The Bank of California Building, which was built in 1924. It is the closest thing I can find to a successor to The London and San Francisco Bank. It seems that the safe deposit boxes from the original bank might have been moved there at some point."

"This is going to be an interesting call. Is the building still a bank?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, it's a KeyBank branch. It turns out there's a shortage of safety deposit boxes these days, so we'll be making someone happy by freeing one up."

"Well, give them a call," Bill said. "The suspense is killing me."

Beth rolled her eyes and made the call. "Hello, my name is Beth Bolton and I have a strange request. Do you still have safe deposit boxes? No, I'm not trying to rent one, I'm looking for one which is already rented under the name Adelaide Bolton. She put me on hold."

We didn't have to wait long. "You have a box in that name. Yeah, she was my ancestor. She left me the key for the box. I have a letter from her to the Bank of London and San francisco. How late are you open? We'll be there. They're open until six. Let's go."