by Eva Pohler
“I didn’t think you believed in that kind of thing.”
She winked and said, “Let’s keep it our little secret.”
“Speaking of secrets,” he said. “I have one of my own.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve never really liked cranberry sauce.”
They spent a lovely day enjoying the meal she had made, the desserts Jody and his wife, June, had baked, and the games of dominoes and rummy and pinochle they all played at various times in between. Jody’s little boys ran around the house like two wild pups, chasing Lane until Lane collapsed on the rug with exhaustion.
Then Alison called everyone to the window at the front room. “Hurry! Come see!”
They all gathered around in awe at the very unusual sight of a white Christmas in San Antonio. At least four inches of soft snow covered the ground, some of it even sticking to the branches of trees. It was still falling, too, coating the street out front so that it was difficult to tell where the yard ended and the street began.
The kids clamored for their coats and gloves and scurried out to play in it, and the clean lines were instantly ravaged by their footprints. Paul threw on his boots and joined in the fun, starting a snowball fight with their sons.
The ringing of Ellen’s cell phone brought her from the window and back into the kitchen, where she’d left it on the bar. She didn’t recognize the number, but who would be calling on Christmas day? It wouldn’t be a sales call.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hello, Mrs. Mohr. It’s Mitchell Clark.”
He was probably the last person on Earth she would have guessed.
“I’m sorry to bother you on Christmas day,” he said. “And I also apologize for getting your number from the Conservation Society and using it for personal reasons.”
“That’s all right,” Ellen said. “Has something happened?”
“Yes,” he said. “It certainly has. And I have you and your friends to thank for it. And I’m not talking about the gold, even though that’s part of it. My great-grandmother hasn’t visited my dreams since the day we found it.”
“If you’re not talking about the gold, do you mean finding Cynthia?”
He cleared his throat, and she could tell that he was struggling to keep his voice from breaking up. “I thought she was gone. My whole life, well…let’s just say it’s amazing to me that your life can be one kind of thing, and then one day, it can all change, and your life can be an entirely different thing.”
So he wasn’t the most articulate man. “I understand.”
“Amy came to see her today,” he said.
“What?” Ellen felt a surge of adrenaline course through her body. Tears, which had already formed in her eyes, spilled down her cheeks. “What happened?”
“I was there at the hospital, spending Christmas with her. I’ve been to see her every day since that day we went together. And I’m working with her doctor to get her released, possibly as soon as late January.”
“That’s wonderful news!” Ellen said, bringing her hand to her cheek. “And what about Amy?”
“Cindy and I were sitting together by the window in her room talking, just like we always do. We have a lot of catching up to do. Then we heard a knock and the nurse said she had visitors. My first thought was that it would be you and your friends, but it was Amy and her boyfriend, Jason.”
“What did Amy say when she saw you there?”
“She didn’t recognize me at first,” he said. “I shaved my beard and was wearing a suit and tie—not my usual attire. And as soon as she saw her mother, she didn’t see anyone else in the room.”
“I wish I could have been there,” she said.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the joint,” he said. “Even the nurses were crying, once they’d heard about it.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks so much for calling and letting me know. I wasn’t sure if Amy would find our note.”
“She brought the painting with her. She read us your letter. We all had another cry after that.”
Ellen struggled with her own tears. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. You have literally made my life. When Cindy’s released, she’s moving in with me. Amy and Jason are getting married, now that they can afford it because of the trust fund. Their baby is due in May. I’m going to help them find a house nearby so we can all be together. Things will probably be a little rough between me and Amy for a while—she hasn’t forgiven me for what I did to her cats, but at least she sees my point of view and understands why I did what I did.”
“She’ll forgive you, in time.”
“I wouldn’t have believed that before, but now I believe anything’s possible. And I owe it all to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Mr. Clark.”
“God bless you, Mrs. Mohr. Merry Christmas.”
Chapter Thirty: The Gold House Museum
“I think we’ve made my mother the happiest woman on the planet,” Sue said as she handed Ellen the “Now Open” sign to put in the yard at the Gold House. “She’s so excited to be all settled in. I’m actually jealous. Her bathroom is nicer than mine.”
Ellen took the sign and hammered it into the ground. “Well, she’s the best person for the job. She already knows so much about all the old equipment. And when Amy and Jason passed on our offer, your mother was the next best option.”
“And being right next-door to Millie will come in handy. They’ve become such good friends.”
“An answer to one of your prayers, I know,” Ellen said.
“I think the handsome male nurse my mom found for her sealed their friendship, don’t you think?” Sue said with a laugh.
“I bet so. I still can’t believe Millie agreed to that, though.”
Tanya stepped down from the porch and joined them on the front lawn. “Looks good,” she said of the sign. “I’ve got the lemonade poured and the cookies on platters. I think we’re all set.”
Ellen glanced at the time on her cell phone. “With ten minutes to spare. Shall we go inside?”
As they headed back toward the house, Sue asked Tanya, “Did the guys finish hanging all the paintings?”
“Dave said they got all that were in the back of Paul’s van,” Tanya said. “Was that all of them?”
“Those were the last of them,” Ellen said.
Tanya led the way up the front steps.
The big pots of wisteria beside each column added a nice touch to the front porch, even though the flowers wouldn’t bloom for another few months. The wreath Sue had made of silk orchids for the front door was also welcoming. But to Ellen, it wasn’t until you were all the way inside the house and appreciating all the details at once that the enormity of what they’d accomplished actually hit you.
“Your paintings are amazing,” Tanya said beside her in the living room. “Especially now that they’re all framed and hung on the walls.”
Paul was straightening the final painting on the living room wall. He climbed down from the ladder, noticed Ellen across the room, and winked.
“Look at all those faces,” Sue said. “All these women are finally visible after being hidden away in these walls for decades.”
“Bravo,” Penelope Williams said from the foyer. The president of the Conservation Society was the first member to arrive to their special grand opening. “That’s all I can say. Bravo.”
“Wait till you see the rest of it,” Sue said. “We have the rooms upstairs fitted out with all the equipment, looking exactly as they would have in the asylum.”
“People will finally get to see firsthand how these women were treated,” Ellen said.
“And maybe seeing it will prevent something like this from ever happening again,” Tanya said.
The End
***
For free ebooks from Eva Pohler in both young adult fantasy and adult mystery/suspense, including The Gatekeeper’s Sons, Vampire Addiction, The Purgatorium, The Secret of the Greek Revival, and
The Mystery Box, please visit: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/e4o8n7
Please enjoy the first chapter of the next book in the series, The Case of the Abandoned Warehouse (Mystery House #2: Tulsa):
Chapter One: La Quinta Tulsa
“What in the world is that?” Sue asked as she entered Ellen and Tanya’s hotel room. Her full figure filled the entryway, where she pointed at the floor.
Ellen thought Sue looked surprisingly perky and refreshed, given what she’d been through the day before.
“Tanya’s butterflies,” Ellen said.
“Not butterflies.” Tanya pushed her blonde hair behind her ears before she picked up the three-foot by three-foot dome-shaped net that sat on the carpet near the door. About two dozen tiny green cocoons clung to the underside of it. “Chrysalises. I didn’t want to leave them behind, just in case they hatched.”
“You brought them on the train?” Sue’s brown hair brushed her shoulders as she bobbed her head in disbelief. “Dave couldn’t let them out?”
“He’s flying to D.C. tomorrow,” Tanya said. “I couldn’t have them trapped if they hatched while we were gone.” Then she added. “And I really didn’t want to miss it.”
“I think it’s pretty cool.” Ellen hadn’t thought so at first, especially after all the looks she’d had to endure from the other passengers on the train from San Antonio; but, she found herself bonding with the little chrysalises over the past few days, as if they were newborn puppies or kittens. And it had been…surprising.
“Well, then you better not pay too much attention to the windshield on your rental car,” Sue said as she sat on the end of one of the double beds. “Tulsa has been swarmed with butterflies lately, and many of them have met an untimely death.”
“Oh, stop.” Tanya moved the net to the other side of the room, near the sliding glass doors to the balcony, which overlooked their spectacular view of the parking lot.
“Don’t be crass, Sue,” Ellen whispered.
It seemed to Ellen that Tanya looked thinner than usual and more fragile. It had been just over a year since Tanya’s mother passed last September, and Tanya hadn’t been able to shake off her depression. Ellen had begun taking antidepressants after her own mother had died last November, and she felt they were helping; but, Tanya wanted to avoid medication and was trying things like hatching butterflies and taking vitamins and drinking herbal tea.
In fact, Ellen had been worried Tanya would bail on her at the last minute and not attend Sue’s daughter’s wedding.
“What made you decide to hatch butterflies anyway, Tanya?” Sue asked.
“I was looking for something new to try, something fun.”
“I could have saved you some trouble and taken you to that new Mexican food restaurant near our neighborhood. I hear they serve delicious margaritas,” Sue said with a giggle.
Ellen frowned. She doubted Sue could understand the depth of Tanya’s despair. Sue didn’t belong to the Motherless Club. Sue didn’t understand the loneliness that tugged at the heart of a motherless adult child.
“I’m surprised you’re here early.” Ellen slipped on her shoes and searched around the room for her purse. “Aren’t you exhausted after the wedding?”
“Yes, but I’m also starving, and my hunger won out.” Then she pointed at Ellen’s black capris and emerald green top. “We could be twins today. We must be on the same wavelength.”
“I guess so.” Ellen laughed. Tanya was wearing a baby blue top with blue jeans.
“The wedding was beautiful, by the way.” Tanya sat in the small chair near the desk to buckle on her sandals. “We didn’t get a chance to talk to you much last night, but we enjoyed it.”
“Yes. It was nicely done,” Ellen said. “Is Tom flying back today?”
Sue shifted on the bed. “Yeah. He offered to fly with my mom so she wouldn’t have to travel alone. I’m sure they’ve landed by now. And Lexi and Stephen are probably landing in Vancouver within the hour. Lexi called from the airport this morning to thank me for all I did.”
“That was nice.” Ellen found her purse and pulled the strap across her shoulder. “Especially considering how hard it was on you—having the wedding here in the groom’s hometown instead of back home in San Antonio.”
“Well, like I said before, her college friends are here,” Sue said. “And my mother is our only family back in San Antonio. Tom’s mother and brother live in Stillwater. It just made sense to have it here.” Then Sue added, “It means a lot to me that you girls made the trip to be there.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Ellen said.
“Of course not.” Tanya stood up and checked her reflection in the mirror over the desk.
“It’s too bad Nolan couldn’t make it,” Sue said of Ellen’s oldest son, in medical school at OSU in Oklahoma City.
“He wanted to, but he’s an intern now, and his hours are crazy.”
“You must be so proud of him,” Sue said.
“And you must be so happy for Lexi,” Ellen said.
“Yes, I am. But right now, I’m anxious for lunch. Are y’all ready to go?”
“Ready,” Tanya said. “And after we hit the casino, Ellen has something interesting in mind for us.”
Sue climbed to her feet. “Oh? What?”
“It’s a surprise,” Ellen said. “And don’t worry. There will be plenty of margaritas to be had where we’re going.”
***
Click here to purchase The Case of the Abandoned Warehouse (Mystery House #2: Tulsa).
Thanks again for supporting me and my work. Your comments and reviews mean so much to me, and your reviews are especially important in advancing my career.
You can find free ebooks, and frequent giveaways on my website at http://www.evapohler.com.
For free ebooks from Eva Pohler in both young adult fantasy and adult mystery/suspense, including The Gatekeeper’s Sons, Vampire Addiction, The Purgatorium, The Secret of the Greek Revival, and The Mystery Box, please visit: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/e4o8n7
Here’s a list of all my books:
The Gatekeeper's Sons (#1)
The Gatekeeper's Challenge (#2)
The Gatekeeper's Daughter (#3)
The Gatekeeper's House (#4)
The Gatekeeper's Secret (#5)
The Gatekeeper's Promise (#6)
The Gatekeeper's Bride (#0)
Hypnos: A Gatekeeper's Spin-Off Series (#1)
Hunting Prometheus: A Gatekeeper's Spin-Off Series (#2)
Storming Olympus: A Gatekeeper's Spin-Off Series: (#3)
Charon's Quest: A Gatekeeper’s Novel
Vampire Addiction: The Vampires of Athens Series (#1)
Vampire Affliction: The Vampires of Athens Series (#2)
Vampire Ascension: The Vampires of Athens Series (#3)
The Purgatorium: The Purgatorium (#1)
Gray's Domain: The Purgatorium (#2)
The Calibans: The Purgatorium (#3)
The Mystery Box: A Soccer Mom's Nightmare
The Mystery Tomb: An Archaeologist's Nightmare
The Mystery Man: A College Student’s Nightmare
The Secret of the Greek Revival (Mystery House #1: San Antonio)
The Case of the Abandoned Warehouse (Mystery House #2: Tulsa)
French Quarter Clues (Mystery House #3: New Orleans)