Secrets of Thunder Valley- The Locket

by Shelly Von West

  Amber smiles back, “It’s great to see you and if we are confessing, I had figured that Hollywood ruined you but that’s not true, you aren’t the nasty home wrecking diva that the media has made you out to be. I feel ashamed for having believed it could be true.”

  “I know, the media has not been very nice. Just for the record, Miles and his wife had already filed for divorce and were living separate lives before we ever hooked up. The news hounds just hadn’t sniffed their divorce out yet. Had Miles been half the man he purported himself to be, he would have corrected that and many other things.” She sighs, “At least I have learned my lesson and now you understand why I am hiding out here for a while. By the time I return to La La Land, they will have moved on to ruin someone else’s life and I will resume mine.”

  “I sure don’t envy you.”

  “Good, because you shouldn’t!” Ellen laughs. “I have to get going, I’m sure my dad will on the hunt for me. We rode into town together to run errands and I think he’s waiting for me at the mercantile.”

  “Yes, you had better get going then. I know your dad can be rather impatient. When comes in here to buy your mom something, if I’m helping someone else, he taps his finger on the counter until I’m done.”

  “Well, that’s rude! I can’t imagine what gets into him but that is awesome he still thinks to treat her.”

  “Oh, he’s a thoughtful husband.” Amber grins, “Just like my Scott. Hey!” Her face brightens, “Why don’t you come to dinner Saturday night? I would love for you to meet him and that way we can catch up!”

  “I would love to come to dinner! What time and what would you like me to bring?”

  “No need to bring anything. I close up shop here at four on Saturdays so let’s say six and we bought the old Johnson farm on mile post forty-five.”

  “Oh nice! I always thought the Johnsons’ property was beautiful. How about we indulge, and I bring a dessert from Auntie Claire’s Bakery?”

  Amber bites her lip, “Okay fine… I am trying to get honeymoon weight off but how can I say no to a delicious dessert from the bakery?”

  “I can assure you dessert is the last thing I need either, but it’s a special occasion. I’ll see you at six.”

  “Yes, looking forward to it!”

  As Ellen opens the door Amber rushes toward her, “Wait! Shouldn’t I call the Sherriff and tell him about the phone call?”

  Ellen pauses, “Yes, I suppose you should. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “I don’t mind, you never know, it could be important information.”

  “Yes, that’s true, you never know. Thanks Amber!” She says as she gives her arm an affectionate squeeze.

  “See you Saturday!”

  Out on the street Ellen spots her dad talking to Gus Halverson, the owner of the hardware shop. Waving goodbye to her friend, she hurries to join the men on the sidewalk. Though the sun is bright it’s growing chillier as each day passes.

  A shiver works its way down Ellen’s spine as she pulls the winter-white jacket close around her.

  “Ellen, good to see you.” Gus says politely, but with an unusual amount of reserve. It’s expected, the tabloids have done a number on her character so it’s natural for people to wonder how much of it is true.

  “It’s nice to see you too Gus, I’m so sorry to hear about your wife.” She says with sincerity.

  Gus frowns as a darkness crosses his face. Forcing a weak smile, he says, “Thank you, it was unexpected. I’m all alone now... a widower.” He sniffs then wiping at an invisible tear he takes his smartphone out of his coat pocket then pulls up pictures of his dog, chattering on about the joys of being a dog owner.

  After twenty minutes of the pleasant but strained exchange Ellen rubs her hands together wishing she had worn gloves as Kathy had suggested. Looking down the street she notices the other shops and businesses closing. Gauging the time to be around five she finds this to be a good segue to make their escape.

  As soon as they are on their way home, Ellen tells Tim about the phone call at Amber’s shop.

  His face falls white, “So you are telling me that some person spotted you walking down the street and watched you go into her shop?”

  “Yes.”

  He scratches his chin while staring ahead. His face still pale as he ponders the disturbing call.

  “The more I think about it, the creepier it is, and I feel just awful that Amber is an unwitting participant. The last thing I want is to involve Amber in this mess.” He says with an edge to his voice.

  “What can we do to keep her out of this? I am supposed to go their house for dinner Saturday, do you think I should cancel?”

  “Heck, no!” He answers quickly, “I don’t want that sweet couple involved either, but you shouldn’t have to live under a rock. I’ll give your uncle a call and see what he has to say. I’m sure it will interest him to learn of this new development.”

  “Amber said she would contact them do you think I should tell her not to bother?”

  “No. They will want to hear the details from her since she was the one who talked to the jerk. What that call tells me is that someone is messing with us or something has caused this person to come forward. It also shows they are nervous about there being an investigation.”

  Pulling into the long driveway he stops the car, “Listen, while I think we should tell Kathy, I’d prefer if it was not tonight. She’s been working on a nice dinner and I hate for this to ruin it. Lets at least wait until the morning. Deal?”

  “Deal! I wish we didn’t have to say anything at all, I don’t want to worry her.”

  “I know but she’s bound to find out, anyway. It's best she hears it from us. Now, what do you say we get back there and dig into that delicious pot roast she’s been cooking all afternoon?”

  Nodding in agreement, “Sounds great dad.”

  Chapter Four

  Three days pass and the news of the found locket and cryptic phone call have made it around the gossip mill in town and beyond the local news. So much for having time to recuperate before heading back to civilization, it appears her cover has been blown. Every time she leaves the house she has the distinct feeling she’s being followed. A feeling she knows all too well.

  “I’m wondering if perhaps I should head back to L.A.--my return here seems to have stirred up more havoc than any of us had ever dreamt.”

  “Nonsense, you are not the reason that locket reappeared. Maybe someone’s guilty conscience has finally gotten the better of him.” Kathy laments.

  “Possible, but I have to wonder about the timing and the fact it showed up at this property. She didn’t go missing from this house, it was at our old house.

  Kathy takes a minute to gather her words before she responds to her, “Look Ellie, we’ve talked to the Sherriff and shared our concerns and we told him all of that. There’s little we can do, other than keeping our eyes and ears open.”

  “I know that locket showing up here was intentional. Obviously, whoever took my mom is still around these parts. That much is obvious.” Ellen proclaims while she stands up and stretches much to the chagrin of the lazy cat who was peacefully napping on her lap.

  “I know.” Her voice drops. She wants to reassure Ellen but how can she do that when she herself is scared out of her wits?

  Glancing at the atomic clock sitting on the mantel, it startles Ellen at how time has flown. “Geeze, I guess I’d better get ready or I’ll be late to Amber’s!”

  “What time are you supposed to be there? Did you say six?”

  “Yes, that’s correct. Don’t let me forget to take that pie I picked up at the bakery this morning. With everything else on my mind these days, I will leave it behind.”

  “Per your father’s comments, he’d have to eat it for you. That’s the last thing he needs, so yes I will remind you.”

  “Thanks!” She says while giggling at the knowledge that her dad has been eyeing the pie in the fridge.

  She takes the se
rvice stairs two at a time to her room in the guest wing. Upon arrival, she steps into her room and immediately knows something is amiss. Her pulse quickens as she glances around the room to assess if anything had been disturbed. While nothing seems out of the ordinary in her room, she feels ridiculous for her suspicion that something is still off. But she must go with her instinct. Her hand hovering above the door knob to the adjoining bathroom, she sucks in her breath as she pushes the door open. The air she had trapped expels quickly as her eyes fix on an object. Someone has moved the little chair that is usually sitting at the dressing table to a new place in the middle of the bathroom, perched atop the pale blue fuzzy rug. A small glass object has been placed in the center of the chair.

  She squints her eyes to make out what it is before stepping forward. Then, realizing what it is, her hand flies to her mouth in shock.

  “I knew I smelled something!” She blurts to herself while reaching out to grab the delicate glass bottle off the chair, but she stops mid-grab. “I can’t touch this, there might be prints.” She scolds herself.

  Running out to the hall she calls for Kathy.

  “Kathy!”

  She waits.

  “Kaaaathy!” She calls again.

  She waits once more. Straining to hear anything, her nerves get the better of her.

  In case the intruder is still in the house she remains in the hall and pulls out her phone calling Kathy, but she hears the stairs creaking from behind her. Hoping that the noise is from Kathy coming up the stairs and not the intruder she braces herself and calls out again but in a quieter voice, “Kathy?”

  Much to her relief Kathy comes into view, huffing and puffing as she comes around the corner.

  “My God, just what is going on around here?” She pauses, catching her breath, “Call the Sherriff, I literally just gave chase to someone outside the house doing who knows what!”

  Her body trembling the wild look in her eyes causes Ellen alarm.

  Her pulse quickens as she blurts, “Oh Kathy! Are you okay?” while rushing to her side.

  Kathy shoos her away, “Never mind about me, make the call while I catch my breath.”

  Sitting down on the bed her face crinkles into a grimace, “What is that smell? It smells like expensive rose perfume in here.” She says while still catching her breath.

  “I think I know what the guy was doing here.” Ellen steps aside and points into the bathroom when Kathy looks to see what Ellen is pointing at, her grimace deepens.

  “What is that?”

  “The source of your expensive roses, it was my mom’s favorite perfume, Joy.”

  Kathy’s hand covers her mouth with her eyes widen.

  Fighting the shivers traveling down her spine, Ellen quickly places a call to the Sherriff’s department while Kathy peeks in the bathroom at the offending object.

  After Ellen finishes her call, Kathy turns to her shaking her head, “I have to be honest, I’ve never much appreciated that scent.” She takes a deep breath then adds, “but I’m sure it smelled nice on your mom.”

  She paces back and forth pausing in front of the windows as if to look at every shadow dancing across the yard in the hour before dusk.

  “I will admit smelling it brings back a flood of memories but nothing specific to my mom.” Ellen answers feeling nervous about the two being alone.

  “I wonder why someone left that here?” Kathy replies nervously while still pacing.

  Shrugging “Obviously it’s the same person who left us the locket too.”

  Giving her arm a maternal squeeze, “I think I should be on -guard just in case...” She heads for the door then pauses, “I will wait downstairs. Hopefully the guy will stay away. Tim should be back soon so why don’t you get ready. I can handle things down there.” She says trying to convince Ellen that she’s braver than she’s feeling.

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind cancelling.” Ellen assures her.

  “No way, I won’t hear of it. It will be fine!” Kathy insists in return though she’s scared out of mind.

  “I’ll only go if dad is home by the time I need to leave. I’ll not have you here alone with some madman who’s obviously bent on frightening me or even all of us.”

  She scoffs, “I have to admit that the timing is suspect. First the locket and now this?”

  “Don’t forget the stalker phone call at Amber’s store. You heard about that…. right?”

  “Yes, that too. Your dad told me about it yesterday.” She says giving her a stern look, “You know what? I would appreciate if the two of you didn’t treat me like I’m a delicate flower, I can handle bad news.” She pauses, “I wonder though… do you think any of this has to do with that stalker you had a while back? Maybe he followed you here from LA?”

  Ellen shakes her head “I had given that a thought, but he was harmless and how would he ever have known about the locket or any of the other details about my mom? This is the handiwork of a local.” Goose bumps raise on her skin as she contemplates who might be behind the scare tactics.

  “Well I suppose that’s true. Can you think of anyone that would want to scare you like this?”

  Ellen rolls her eyes while letting out a soft snort, “That’s a loaded question. But I cannot think of anyone from here. The paparazzi have been relentlessly harassing me, you know that. Maybe it’s someone who believes all the lies about me.”

  “Yes! Maybe someone who wants to teach you a lesson?” She adds.

  “The thing is, how would someone who isn’t from this area know about things like my mom’s favorite perfume or the locket?” Ellen asks while brushing her long golden hair with a brush she pulled out from her oversized tote bag.

  Ellen pulls a few strands of hair back from her face placing it into a loose clip at the back held by an ornate barrette.

  Sighing she says, “You’re right, it has to be a local.” She looks up at Ellen’s head and smiles, “That’s a pretty hair clip, it looks antique.” Kathy compliments.

  “Thank you. It is an antique, I picked it up in a little shop in Paris while filming last summer, the shop owner said it’s from the thirties.”

  “It suits you.” She eyes the piece as Ellen finishes fixing it in her hair, “The pewter art déco style looks nice with your hair color. I’ll see you downstairs soon. I hope Tim will be here any moment, this whole thing has me spooked!” She laments with an exaggerated sigh as she descends the stairs worried about what might lie in wait.

  Ellen jumps into action after noticing its nearly time to leave. She shimmies into a pair of tight-fitting jeans with a thick cable-knit sweater in a pale shade of pink. The weather getting colder has caused her wearing more clothes than she’s used to back in the southern part of the state. All the while being careful not to disturb any so-called evidence.

  Taking another look around the room to see what was else has been moved, she is satisfied that the perfume on the chair is the only thing. The thought a stranger had the audacity to enter their house while they are home, and during daylight, is absolutely frightening.

  Despite her warm attire, persistent chills run their course down her spine causing instant goose bumps to reappear on her skin. Rubbing her hands together rapidly she rushes down the back stairs to get her pie.

  As she approaches the kitchen relief washes over her as she hears a male voice bellowing through the swinging doors. Dad must be home and it sounds like the sheriff has also arrived.

  “Ah, you are just-in-time Ellen. I was about to help myself to some of that pie.” Tim teases. Trying to lighten the otherwise somber mood.

  “Don’t you dare!” She teases back though she does not feel jovial.

  She turns her attention to the handsome younger man standing in the middle of the kitchen who is not the sheriff, “So what do you make of the intruder today?”

  His face betrays his awe, “Aren’t you Ellie Jackson… the actress?” He stammers.

  She suppresses a snicker, “Yes, that would be me.” She replie
s in a matter-of-fact tone. She’s used to the constant stream of attention ever since her first leading role. The recent nonsense with the press though has made her a household name whether someone has seen her work or not.

  He tips his wide-brimmed hat and grins, “It’s an honor. As for the intruder, I would like to look at his handy work, dust for prints and snap a few pictures if that’s okay with you?” He addresses Tim.

  “Sure, sure, I’ll show you to her room.”

  “I need to get going, do you need me to provide you with a statement?”

  “I wouldn’t mind getting a statement but if you need to leave, I can collect that tomorrow if that suits you.”

  “That’s perfect, thank you. Do you want me to come by the station at a specific time?”

  “Sure, can you come by around three?”

  “Yes, that’s perfect. I’ll see you then.”

  After saying her goodbyes to her parents, Ellen rushes to her car with the pie and ice cream in a woven jute shopping bag. Slinging the tote onto the seat next to her she starts the engine which sputters and chugs from having sat idle for several days.

  While waiting for the engine to warm, she scrolls through her text messages which she hasn’t done since earlier in the afternoon. As she works her way down the list one name jumps off the screen like a clown jumping out of a jack-in-the-box. It’s from Miles Sinclair. The bastard. She had meant to delete him out of her phone. Never once did she think he would contact her, not after all that has happened.

  With her finger hovering over the message, she fights with the urge to open it knowing full well she should simply swipe it to delete.

  Her curiosity wins as her errant finger swipes the offending conversation open. Her eyes quickly scan the words as her tongue sticks to the roof of her mouth. Wetting her lips, she takes a deep breath then dropping the phone onto the seat next to the bag, she places the car in drive.

  Speeding down the road to Amber’s, his words replay in her mind, annoying her more at each pass.

  Don’t call me petty. I want the engagement ring back. I paid for it.