A Scone of Contention

by Lucy Burdette

  Vera was making a small stack of smooth stones. “Sometimes you get lucky here and find pieces of green Iona marble,” she said.

  “We should never have let you go on this trip by yourselves,” said William after a period of silence. “I don’t know if I will ever forgive myself for putting you in danger. I knew something was wrong with this project, but I let you go without me anyway.”

  Vera cut him off, her voice sounding impatient. “You didn’t put us in danger. And none of us understood how crazy Glenda had gotten. I think even Gavin was shocked at the lengths to which she was prepared to go.”

  “It boggles the mind to imagine that he wouldn’t have noticed,” I said. “The lesson, I suppose, is that we should pay closer attention to our spouses. To all the people we love, really.”

  Vera’s face got even more serious. I looked with a laser focus into Vera’s eyes, suggesting as strongly as I could nonverbally that this would be a good time for her to share what she’d been carrying alone. I couldn’t say it out loud because she was Nathan’s sister, and she had been so stressed. I didn’t know her well now, but I hoped I was going to come to know her better and better over the long term.

  She stacked the stones in front of her into a small cairn, the clacking of each on the next beating a soft and slow rhythm. “Each of us allows ourself to be blinded by someone or something from time to time, don’t you think? I know that my kidnapping incident has caused me to shut off memories from the past. And shutting off part of your history means you don’t have the benefit of that knowledge going forward. If there’s a warning light blinking, you might not even see it.”

  I waited, letting her talk, hoping that neither of the guys would jump in to reassure her that she was fine and that she didn’t have to tell her story if she wasn’t ready. I thought she was ready. And I thought it would help her put the past horror to rest if we all could listen. I picked up Nathan’s big hand and squeezed. He squeezed mine back, and we waited.

  She met her husband’s gaze and then dropped her focus to the stones again. “I was hanging out with some of my friends—the friends our mother disapproved of,” she said, lifting her gaze to Nathan.

  Nathan laughed. “That was just about everyone, right?”

  “In this case, she was probably right. Anyway, we were hanging out behind the minute mart, bored to tears, and wishing something exciting would happen. And this guy showed up in a nice car and got out to chat. He was older than us, and handsome too.”

  I scrunched up my face, looked at Nathan with one squinted eye, wondering if this guy had really been as handsome and charming as Vera remembered. She had been basically a kid when this happened, so she couldn’t have had the same perspective then as now. Vera was quiet, and I thought I should give her a nudge of affirmation. And maybe a joke to lighten the moment a tiny bit.

  “We all see men through our own lens,” I said. “What’s handsome to one might be overdone or too slick to another. For me, I like them big and muscular and tough on the outside and soft like a mollusk under the surface.”

  Even Nathan laughed.

  “I’m not sure I should take that as a compliment,” he said.

  “Oh, it is,” I said. “I wouldn’t have anyone else any other way. But back to the story.” I turned to focus on Vera again. “How did he insinuate himself into your group?”

  Her face looked pained. “Well, he bought us some beers. Which of course should’ve been another sign that he was bad company. But there wasn’t a lot of excitement for teenagers in our town. And he was older than we were, and he wore what I thought were fancy clothes. And he was a smooth talker. And a few of us couldn’t turn away. Some of the other kids started to drift home, and I realized that it was getting dark and my mother would be freaking out, and I said I had to go. He kind of cut me out of the herd and asked if I would like a ride. Said he was going my way.”

  She sighed and dropped her chin to her knees. “I should have questioned that also, because how did he even know what my way was? He didn’t. He just wanted to get me in his car. And he did. I got in and we drove off, and I was feeling this mixture of amazing excitement laced with powerful fear.”

  She looked out over the water, and I could almost picture how she might have felt, getting noticed by a dashing older guy. She would have been beautiful, willowy with green eyes and wavy hair. And desperate to get some space between her and the rules and warnings of her parents and brother.

  “When we reached his house, he forced me to go inside and down into the basement. By this time I was getting scared, beginning to wonder how I’d get away. And then he locked the door. There was a daybed and a television and a little refrigerator filled with beer and candy bars. In the bathroom, I saw some things that must have belonged to another girl. If I hadn’t been terrified before, I was then, realizing that maybe someone had been there ahead of me. I honestly believed he had killed before and would kill me now. But I kept thinking about my family and how they would be looking for me, and how sad they would be if I didn’t come home. I did what he told me and waited for the right moment.”

  Her voice was so full of emotion I thought she might weep.

  I glanced at the expressions on the faces of the two men, seeing the unbearable pain they shared as they listened to her unthinkable story.

  “I was there a couple of hours. He’d taken my phone and I didn’t know what time it was and I started to feel like I would never get out. He turned on the TV. It was one of those big old clunkers with a fuzzy picture, but clear enough to see a newscaster was talking about an abduction.” She glanced at Nathan. “They had an interview with my father. A few of my friends had described me getting into the car with a man and driving away. He’d immediately called the police and the local TV station and demanded action. He was so angry and threatening, saying he would track down whoever had taken me and make sure this person would regret threatening me for the rest of his life. He swore he would personally tear him from limb to limb if he had harmed me.” Another glance at my husband. “Remember how terrified we used to get when he was mad?”

  Nathan nodded.

  “I think this guy got scared realizing that someone had seen me go missing, and the cops were going to figure out where he was and that I was with him. He marched me outside once it got dark enough and stuffed me into the trunk of his car, and we drove away. At first, I was only scared and sad and hopeless, and then I got angry.”

  She looked at Nathan again. “Remember how dad tried to teach us how to survive anything? We had drills about safety, every kind of safety from fire to kidnapping. We thought he was being ridiculous. But I had filed that stuff away, and now I remembered about the latch inside the trunk. When I felt his car slow down, I popped the trunk and flung myself out, and once I stopped rolling on the gravel and could scramble to my feet, I ran like hell.”

  “You were the bravest girl in the world,” Nathan said, reaching around me to give her a little hug.

  “It messed me up good,” said Vera, shaking her head sadly. “Especially because they never caught him. Not until last year anyway, when Hayley and my mother tracked him down. Do you know what it’s like to be looking around everywhere you go because you know someone out there wants to kill you?”

  I murmured something reassuring. But honestly, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be scared out of my gourd like that all the time.

  “Nathan will remember … I was not coping well with any of this, and I asked my parents if I could finish high school in Scotland. We’d been studying that country in history class, and I loved everything I’d read. Plus, our great-grandfather came from Edinburgh. I planned out what I’d say to my parents, and I had the application ready, and I told them I’d never again feel safe in the US. And thank God they said yes because I met my William there and the rest is history, as they say. I needed to get away from them too, because I was certain that they blamed me for what happened.”

  “But they never would have blamed
you—” Nathan started, but she cut him off.

  “It didn’t matter what was true and what wasn’t. They were both so angry, and it felt like the anger was directed at me.”

  William said, “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Thank you for telling us.” He took her hand and kissed the palm. “I hate that you felt all alone with that fear.” He hesitated and then asked, “Why didn’t you tell us what was going on with your work partners? How Glenda was going off the rails. Maybe Nathan and I could have done something sooner and avoided a lot of scary problems for all of you. Avoided having Miss Gloria traumatized.”

  Vera flinched and I could tell that comment had hit her hard. She would hate the idea of harming Miss Gloria. “I knew she was nutty, but I didn’t imagine she’d try to hurt someone. I didn’t want to believe that.”

  “The thing is,” I said, “she is so tough, my friend. She will now have bragging rights about how she was instrumental in capturing a killer and how Nathan almost drowned her in the process. Trust me, she will love this.”

  Vera still looked stricken. “I didn’t tell you because I was desperately embarrassed. And all that got mixed up with what happened between us way back then in University. I hoped and hoped and hoped that I could lay that to rest. And it felt awful and ugly, exactly like what happened after the kidnapping. It was like those feelings came rushing back in and overwhelmed every bit of judgment left. Except that I wasn’t seeing anything too clearly.”

  She stood up with an egg-sized pebble in each hand. “They say you should choose two stones, one to toss in the bay to symbolize something you need to let go of, something to leave behind.” She wound up and threw one of her pebbles a good distance into the water, where it made a perfect splash. “The other comes with you, a new direction.”

  She showed us a beautiful, translucent green stone, and then slid it into her pocket and brushed off her hands. “I promise I will tell you everything once we get home. Mother will want to hear it too. Shall we go and meet the others for tea?”

  I followed her lead: one stone in the water and one to take home. I heard the plunk, plunk of two more rocks hitting the bay behind me as I followed Vera down the path.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  She hadn’t been blessed enough to have a conversation about rhubarb varieties with anyone in years.

  —J. Ryan Stradal, The Lager Queen of Minnesota

  We returned to St. Andrews that night, all of us tired out after the events of the last few days and a gorgeous and emotional day on Iona. After a bowl of soup, Miss Gloria and I decided we were best off heading directly to bed. William persuaded Nathan to stay up a while watching cricket matches on TV. Miss Gloria and I started down the hall to our rooms, bickering over who got the cats, Archie and Louise, for the night.

  Vera called to us. “Before you disappear under your covers, I’ve just now had a phone call from Ainsley. Her chef, Grace, has absolutely insisted on making dinner for all of us tomorrow.” She came down the hall and paused at Miss Gloria’s doorway. “I haven’t said yes or no because I wasn’t sure whether you’d be up for that on your last night. You’ve seen a lot of my friends, and it hasn’t all been wonderful.” She grimaced. “I’m so sorry the trip has gone this way. All you’ll be able to remember is someone trying to drown you and someone else nearly dying from the dinner party supposedly thrown in your honor.”

  “Are you kidding?” Miss Gloria said. “Her dinner was divine, and the only one who suffered any ill effects was Glenda, and she deserved a good stomachache.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “As long as the husbands are in, we are too. I better stick with my new husband this last night. I haven’t seen much of him on this so-called honeymoon.”

  Vera laughed. “I’ll be sure to check.”

  * * *

  After a long, restful sleep, we spent our last day in Scotland exploring the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral and more of the town. We climbed St. Rules Tower for a stunning view over the countryside and the sea, and finished shopping for souvenirs and packing.

  At six PM, we strolled across town to Ainsley and Dougal’s condo, retracing the steps we’d taken at the beginning of the trip. After greeting us warmly, Ainsley escorted us to the roof for cocktails. For a moment, I imagined that Gavin and Glenda would be joining us as they had all week, and that thought made me feel jumpy. Miss Gloria looked a bit wary as well, and I suspected she must be sensing the same. The chatter was light—the weather, the music we’d heard, what Grace would serve tonight. Ainsley and Vera both appeared a bit pale and stilted, trying too hard to act normal on our final evening in Scotland.

  Ainsley’s phone chimed and she glanced at it and smiled. “That’s Grace, calling us to dinner. Shall we go down?” We followed her down the sweep of stairs to the big dining room and took the seats that we were assigned. This time, the napkins and placemats featured a blue and green plaid with thick black lines interspersed with thinner red ones.

  Miss Gloria’s face lit up. “My clan’s plaid. This is so lovely and thoughtful.”

  “There is some contention about whether this is the correct tartan for the MacDonalds of Glencoe, but Dougal’s researched it, and this seems correct to us. We are desperately sorry about how upset you got in Glencoe, and this is by way of apology. I have a package of napkins for you to take home with you as well.” She grinned. “I wasn’t sure how much room was left in your suitcase.” I thought Miss Gloria might cry at the kindness of our hostess.

  “Now,” Ainsley said, turning to me, “something that Hayley in particular will appreciate: Grace knocked herself out making special dishes. The menu tonight will be a first plate of Cullen skink risotto made with potatoes, corn, and garnished with smoked haddock, followed by Grace’s most recent creation, cock-a-leekie kabob served with mashed potatoes.”

  I felt my stomach rumble in enthusiastic response. “This looks amazing,” I said as Grace began to ferry in the appetizer plates.

  “I swear to you no one put anything suspicious in any of these dishes,” Grace said. “I watched like a hawk. No one crossed the threshold of my kitchen who I hadn’t personally approved. And I am so grateful that you were willing to try me again.”

  Ainsley nodded at her and smiled. “It all looks delicious, and no one blames you for what Glenda did. And we’re skipping the salad course, anyway, right?”

  Grace grinned in return. “Right.”

  We ate a leisurely dinner and filled in Ainsley’s husband about the many events of the trip, including Glenda’s arrest in Tobermory.

  “I can’t wait to get a copy of this book,” said Miss Gloria. “I absolutely adored every place you took us,” she added, then glowered a bit. “Except for that cursed wheel.”

  “And you understand thin places better than anyone I’ve ever met,” Vera said, nodding with appreciation. “I wanted to write this book because I’ve always felt a tremor of emotion in those places we visited, a connection to the people who came before us. But what I feel seems pale in comparison to what you describe.”

  “That’s why she’s such an amazing guide at the Key West Cemetery,” I said. “She senses the lives of the people who are put to rest there. And she tells their stories in a way that brings them to life.”

  “And I believe that helps their spirits rest more easily,” Miss Gloria said modestly.

  “What will happen with the book?” I asked. “It seems a shame to lose all that you’ve worked on.”

  “We won’t lose it all. But we have a few details to iron out,” Vera said. “Gavin’s agreed to pull out, so all the virtual reality nonsense will be gone. Once we explained what happened to Miss Gloria, the publisher vetoed those goggles. He is not at all prepared to take the financial and emotional risks of possible future lawsuits. We’ll have to rely on my words and our photos to communicate how special these places are. We’ll lose some money, because Gavin was a huge draw.”

  All through this discussion, Ainsley had been silent, watching the others talk. “Can w
e talk about what happened earlier this week?”

  She looked at Vera, who nodded her assent.

  “Let’s wait a minute for Grace, who has a few missing pieces.”

  Grace bustled into the room to clear our dishes, and then placed one plate of cheese and homemade crackers on the table, and another of shortbread cookies sprinkled with sugar that sparkled in the light of the chandelier. Then she stood behind Ainsley, her hand on the top rung of the ladderback chair.

  “First,” Ainsley said, looking around at each of us solemnly. “Grace would like to explain what she thinks happened that night at dinner.” Then she smiled at Grace with reassurance. “Take your time.”

  Grace swallowed hard and clenched her hands together. She seemed nervous—either about what she had to say or to whom she was saying it. And by now, I was intensely curious, and I was certain Nathan was as well.

  “Everything was kind of a blur that night,” Grace began. “It was a big party, as you remember, and for better or worse, we’d planned a lot of dishes that needed tweaks right before I served them.”

  “We were showing off a bit, weren’t we?” asked Ainsley with a smile.

  Grace smiled back. “That’s why I opted for the green salad with herbs as the last course before dessert. I could make it ahead and then toss it with the dressing at the last minute.” She cleared her throat.

  “I couldn’t figure out how Glenda received the only plate that had poisonous leaves on it. And how did the police determine that plate came from Glenda? I finally remembered that Glenda wouldn’t allow me to clear it. She’s a slow eater.” She glanced at Vera and Ainsley for confirmation. “She snapped at me a bit when I tried to take hers, saying that she didn’t care if everyone else was finished, she hated to be rushed.”

  “When I finished clearing, her plate didn’t fit on the counter with the others, so I had to stash it on the other side of the stove.” She glanced at Ainsley. “Remember you’d told me to leave off the celery?”