
Somebody can keep a secret.
Either that, or a couple of people have no clue they're millionaires.
"Check your tickets," a sign advised for weeks at the service counter at Plymouth Meeting Mall.
That's sounding more and more like good advice.
Six weeks have passed since someone - the world is still wondering who - went to the mall and bought a Powerball ticket worth $46.6 million.
Cash.
Ben Bow's Package Store in Dover, Del., sold the only other Feb. 28 winner - and that person's identity is also still a mystery.
Together, those tickets are eligible to split a jackpot with an annuity value of $174.4 million.
But who?
Sometimes word leaks out before those tight-lipped lottery officials name names and present one of those oversized checks.
Not this time.
Google turns up no news outlets or blogs with speculations to share.
Customers keep inquiring at the mall, but no one's even heard a good rumor, said spokeswoman Melonie Messina.
"I'd want my money. Who knows?" she said. "Maybe they're just being really cautious. Hopefully, they didn't throw away the ticket."
Or leave it in a pair of pants that got tossed in the wash.
Most winners come forward within two weeks.
Pennsylvania has sold a Powerball winner a dozen times before, but only four took three weeks or longer to be claimed.
The longest time was taken by Edward Varley, 74, of Hatfield, Montgomery County, in 2002.
About two months - 66 days - passed before the lottery announced he'd collect $30.8 million in cash.
One of the quickest claims was made in October by 22 Philadelphia postal workers. They needed just three days to reveal they'd split $10.2 million in cash.
Maybe word gets out faster when groups win.
Delaware's only other Powerball win found a taker in just three days, when 33 coworkers from Seaford split $116.9 million cash.
And last month, just one day after a ticket in New Jersey hit a $216 million annuity prize, photos of the winning ticket were on the news.
Officially, though, it did take two weeks for the winners - 10 Hunterdon County insurance company employees - to claim their $140 million cash.
The Pennsylvania Lottery, which oversees Powerball in the state, was mum about whether anyone has even called yet to ask about the validation process.
"Whether or not we heard rumors, we wouldn't comment on them," said spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell.
The winner must present the original, signed ticket at lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County, she explained.
If the visit happens early enough, an announcement could come the same day, she said.
In Pennsylvania, winners have one year from the date of a drawing, or an instant game's final sale date, to claim a prize.
If by chance you bought tickets at either the mall or the Dover store, you might want to check them.
They should be dated Feb. 28, 2009.
You're looking for one with the numbers 3, 16, 20, 42 and 58, with a Powerball of 7.
Should you be so incredibly lucky, after you calm down, follow the official advice.
First, sign the ticket.
Then be sure to get good legal and financial guidance.
Even if it takes time.