by Kathi Daley
I glanced toward the walking path that meandered through the park. The trees were budding and I knew that the brown and barren landscape would begin to turn green with just a few more warm days. The flowering shrubs were beginning to bud, and if the temperature cooperated, the entire park would be brilliant with flowers in a multitude of colors before long. I glanced down at Tilly, who began to wag her tail so hard that it was swatting my leg. Pausing to see what she was looking at, I noticed a young woman with long blond hair sitting on a bench next to an elderly woman holding a cane. The young woman smiled at Tilly and me as we approached.
“Can I pet your dog?” the young woman asked.
“Certainly. Tilly loves to meet new people.” I motioned to Tilly that she could carefully approach the woman, who had reached out a hand.
“I just love dogs, and yours is beautiful.” The woman smiled. “My name is Jennifer Anne Claremont and this is my grandmother, Elizabeth Bradford.”
“I’m Tess Thomas and this is Tilly. We are both happy to meet you.” I glanced toward the lake, which had been frozen until the warm weather we’d been having had arrived. “It’s a beautiful day to get outdoors.”
“It really is. And I am so grateful for the sunshine and warm temperatures. I can’t tell you how many Saint Patrick’s days Nana and I have spent sitting on this bench in the middle of a snowstorm.”
“You sit out here every year despite the weather?” I asked.
Jennifer turned her head to the side and glanced at her grandmother with a look of complete adoration on her face. “Have to. Nana has made the pilgrimage to this bench every March 17 for the past sixty years, rain, snow, or sunshine. I started coming with her eight years ago, after she suffered a stroke that limited her mobility and made it impossible for her to drive. It is also difficult for her to speak, which makes any sort of public transportation difficult, so I volunteered to chauffer for as long as she needs me.”
From the woman’s loving expression, I didn’t think she minded the duty she had volunteered for in the least. It warmed my heart to see such a devoted granddaughter. I no longer had a grandmother, and in the moment, it really hit home how much I’d been missing out on.
“Sixty years?” I responded. “That’s quite a run. I sense there’s a story behind it.”
Jennifer glanced at her grandmother. “Is it okay if I tell Tess and Tilly your story?”
The white-haired woman nodded.
Jennifer turned back to where I was standing. “It’s kind of a long story, so you might want to take a seat.”
I sat down on a nearby bench and Tilly sat at my feet.
The granddaughter settled back as well. “Sixty years ago today, my grandmother was supposed to meet the one true love of her life at this very bench so they could run away and start a new life together, but he never showed up.”
My smile faded. “Oh no. What happened?”
The light in Jennifer’s eyes faded just a bit. “Nana doesn’t know.” Jennifer glanced at the woman sitting next to her. “What she does know is that Patrick O’Malley, the man for whom Nana had professed her love and agreed to marry, originally came to this area the previous summer with friends who’d rented a cabin and planned to spend their time hiking and fishing. By the time the summer came to an end, Patrick was madly in love with my grandmother, and when his friends left, he stayed. They grew even closer as winter set in, and by Valentine’s Day they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, even though my grandmother’s family didn’t approve of her relationship with Patrick and he assured her that his wouldn’t be any happier. They decided to defy their families and became engaged.”
I couldn’t help but notice Elizabeth’s hand tighten on her cane. She may not be able to speak, but I could see that she still felt strongly about the events that had taken place all those years ago.
Jennifer continued. “Shortly after he professed his intention to spend his life with her, Patrick told my grandmother that he needed to return home for a short time to take care of some business and to notify his family of his intention to wed and to move permanently out west. Nana still lived at home, and she knew it would only cause problems with her very strict parents if Patrick came to the house looking for her, so the two agreed to meet here on this bench at two o’clock on Saint Patrick’s Day. From here, they planned to simply disappear and live out their lives together.”
“But he never showed?”
Jennifer’s expression softened. She glanced at her grandmother with compassion. “No. He never showed.”
“And he never tried to contact your grandmother in any other way?” I asked.
“He didn’t. Initially, Nana came to the park and waited on the bench every day, but eventually, she was forced to accept that he wasn’t coming back for her, so she dealt with the fallout from their brief yet intense love affair and made do with what she had.”
“Fallout?”
“Patrick left my grandmother with child. My mother was born just before Thanksgiving that same year. When Nana’s parents found out she was pregnant, they kicked her out, and she was forced to find a way to provide for herself and her baby on her own. And she did. She moved to Polson, got a job waiting tables, gave birth to my mother, who she named Patricia, and made a life. For the most part, I think she pushed thoughts of Patrick into the back of her mind, but every year on March 17, no matter what else was going on her in life, she made the trip north to sit on this bench.”
I placed my hand over my heart. How incredibly sad. “And your mother—does she ever come with you?”
Jennifer shook her head. “My mother died years ago. She had me later in life and died from complications from an illness when I was only two. Grandma gave up her own plans for retirement to raise me and to ensure that I’d have a good life. She had her stroke eight years ago, when I was just sixteen. When it came time for me to leave home and go to college, I decided to stay to take care of the woman who had sacrificed so much to raise me when I needed her.” Jennifer laced her fingers through the fingers of her grandmother’s left hand and gave it a squeeze. “We make a good pair the two of us. Don’t we Nana?”
It seemed to me that Elizabeth had a hard time smiling, but the love for her granddaughter that sparkled in her eyes was obvious.
“That is quite a story. It is both sad and beautiful. I have to wonder whether you have ever tried looking for Patrick.”
Jennifer shook her head. “Sixty years ago, it wasn’t so simple to look for someone who lived clear across the country unless you hired a private investigator. That took money that Nana didn’t have. The thought has occurred to me to try now. I realize that after all this time Patrick may be dead, but I still think that it would give Nana comfort to have the answers she’d never been able to find on her own. But I’m not exactly a computer wiz, and I certainly don’t have PI skills. I’d have no idea where to even start.”
I smiled. “It just so happens that my boyfriend, Tony Marconi, is a computer wiz. With your permission, of course, I would be happy to ask him to try to find Patrick.”
Jennifer turned to her grandmother. “What do you think? Should we take a stab at it?”
Elizabeth paused, as if considering the offer. I watched as her gaze narrowed and her lips tightened. Eventually, she nodded her head slowly.
Jennifer looked back to me. “Where would he start?”
“I guess he’d start with whatever you know.”
Jennifer frowned. “We don’t know a lot. I’ve already told you his name, Patrick O’Malley. He told Grandma he was twenty-four when they met in 1959, so if he’s still alive, he’d be around eighty-four now. His grandparents immigrated to the United States from Ireland at around the turn of the century, but she doesn’t know exactly when. He never mentioned the first names of his parents or anyone else in his family to her. Nana said he referred to Boston as home, and that his parents owned their own business, though she didn’t know what kind. One of the friends he came to White
Eagle with that summer was about his age and his name was Toby Willis. She didn’t know much about Toby other than that he’d been friends with Patrick for a long time.”
“Did Patrick know he was going to be a father at the time he left town?” I figured I really had to ask. It had occurred to me that he may simply have decided that fatherhood was not for him and had used the excuse to go home to slip away, skipping out on his responsibility.
“No. Nana didn’t realize that she was pregnant until after they were to meet. They didn’t have early pregnancy tests back then.”
I realized that much was true. I took out my phone. “If you don’t mind sharing your cell number, I’ll text you mine. When I speak to Tony, he may have other questions for you. Do the two of you live here in White Eagle?”
“We both live in Polson.”
“Okay. That’s close enough.” I looked directly at Elizabeth Bradford. “I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to find your answers, but I promise you that we will try.”
Again, she didn’t smile, but I could see there was moisture in her eyes.
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter
Trick or Treason
Reindeer Roundup
Hippity Hoppity Homicide
Firework Fiasco
Henderson House
Holiday Hostage
Lunacy Lake – Summer 2019
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise
Beaches in Paradise
Thanksgiving in Paradise – Fall 2019
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present
A Winter’s Tail
The Taming of the Tabby
Frankencat
The Cat of Christmas Future
Farewell to Felines
A Whisker in Time
The Catsgiving Feast
A Whale of a Tail – Spring 2019
Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:
First Case
Second Look
Third Strike
Fourth Victim
Fifth Night
Sixth Cabin
Seventh Chapter
Eighth Witness
Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:
Finding Justice
Finding Answers
Finding Courage
Finding Christmas
Finding Shelter – Spring 2019
A Tess and Tilly Mystery:
The Christmas Letter
The Valentine Mystery
The Mother’s Day Mishap
The Halloween House
The Thanksgiving Trip
The Saint Paddy’s Promise – March 2019
The Inn at Holiday Bay:
Boxes in the Basement
Letters in the Library
Message in the Mantel – Spring 2019
Family Ties:
The Hathaway Sisters
Harper
Harlow – Spring 2019
Haunting by the Sea:
Homecoming by the Sea
Secrets by the Sea
Missing by the Sea
Betrayal by the Sea – Spring 2019
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise Beach
Murder at the Witching Hour
Murder at Christmas
Murder at Turtle Cove
Murder at Water’s Edge
Murder at Midnight
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
The Shadow
The Haunting
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than a hundred books in eleven series, including Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Tess and Tilly Cozy Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Series, Inn at Holiday Bay Cozy Mysteries, Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mysteries, Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mysteries, Haunting by the Sea Paranormal Mysteries, Family Ties Mystery Romances, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com
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