The Last Bequest — Lisa J. Lickel

Just how high a price does buried treasure command? When schoolteacher Judy Winters' aunt dies, Judy returns to the farm to figure out how to handle her handicapped inheritance, her glib boyfriend Graham, Aunt Louise's possible murder, the handsome farmboy next door who couldn't have done it, and one very opinionated cat. Midnight visitors, a job offer, and new friends, along with one special old one-Carranza, the cat-all figure into Judy's dilemma. As Judy explores the house, she finds and follows clues in Louise's mother's diary to unearth the buried treasure. But was it the treasure that might have been behind Louise's murder?