by Leena Clover
“So Lara Crawford strikes again,” Anna said, slamming a fist on the counter. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Why is she pointing the finger at Anna?” Gino asked.
“Let’s go into the living room and sit down,” Anna suggested before Cassie could answer.
They had all been standing around the kitchen counter and Anna’s feet were beginning to ache.
“Go on, Cassie,” she said after they had all picked a seat.
“This Lara woman is like a broken record,” Cassie said. “She says the dead guy was a contractor or handyman who did small jobs for people. He was working here when Dad died. He must have seen something. Mom knew that and she wanted to silence him.”
“That’s a big leap even for Lara,” Anna said. “I don’t even remember when that man worked here.”
“Say he did work here on that fateful day,” Gino mused. “Why would Anna wait until now to kill him?”
“It’s because the police have reopened the old case,” Cassie explained. “At least that’s what Teddy told me Lara said.”
“This is all pure speculation,” Gino said. “Normally, this kind of stuff wouldn’t fly but it has a certain weight coming from Lara. Unfortunately, her word means a lot in this town.”
“So she will continue to harass Mom just because she can do it?” Cassie asked, outraged. “What did you ever do to her, Mom?”
“I have no idea,” Anna said. “Your father and Lara were always good friends. They met for lunch once a month. I didn’t have a problem with that. Lara came here for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. She was always polite to me. But she changed her tune after your father died, Cassie. Maybe she really believes I had something to do with John’s death.”
“I haven’t known you that long,” Gino said, “and I believe you are innocent. So what makes Lara doubt you?”
“I think she’s just being petty and vindictive,” Cassie spat.
“Maybe she knows something we don’t,” Gino said.
“Why doesn’t she come forward and say it?” Anna asked. “I am not trying to hide anything. I’m ready to answer any questions she has.”
“Lara Crawford is not going anywhere, Anna. I think you should forget about her and focus on this latest investigation. The police must be getting ready to question you soon.”
“I don’t have much to tell them, Gino. I barely knew that man.”
Cassie addressed Gino. “Can you anticipate what they might ask her?”
“The usual questions,” Gino shrugged. He made sure Anna was paying attention. “Where were you that evening at a certain time? Can anyone vouch for you? How many people had access to the store?”
Anna grew tense.
“I was home that night, alone. I had a headache, remember?”
Gino had invited Anna to dinner at the winery. She was looking forward to it but had to beg off at the last minute because she wasn’t feeling well. Now she wished she had just popped some aspirin and spent the evening with Gino.
“I had thought of coming over with my pot roast but I didn’t want to disturb you,” Gino clucked, reading Anna’s mind. “Hindsight’s always twenty-twenty, isn’t it?”
“It’s not your fault,” Anna assured him. “Who knew I would need an alibi for that night?”
“Wasn’t Cassie home too?” Gino asked.
“Cassie was at a concert. Julie and Mary were both busy with something. So it was just me.”
“Just tell them the truth, Anna,” Gino said softly. “Things will work out.”
“I am going to make sure they do,” Anna said grimly.
Gino had a meeting with his vineyard manager so he stood up to leave. Anna walked him to the door.
“Thank you for coming, Gino. I sleep easier knowing you are on my side.”
Chapter 5
Anna had a lot on her mind that evening as she put all her might into kneading the pasta dough. The day had started with Gino bringing unfavorable news. Anna had been so restless she hadn’t done anything right all day. Her cupcakes had burned because she forgot to set the oven timer. The frosting she was trying out had split. Then she had sparred with Cassie for an hour over whether to ask Meg for dinner or not.
Finally, Anna had put her foot down. It was her house and she could invite anyone she wanted. Cassie could take it or leave it. Cassie had stomped out and settled into her favorite cabana by the pool. She had been out there in the sun for hours.
Anna decided that times were desperate and she needed to clear her head.
When Anna was stressed, she made pasta. There was something therapeutic about rolling and kneading the dough and stirring the homemade tomato sauce. Anna just hoped Meg liked ravioli. She had already made a big bowl of salad and a pan full of her special tiramisu.
There was a knock on the kitchen door and Anna wiped her hands on her apron before pulling it open. Dylan Woods stood outside with a brown paper package in his hands. His family owned the local Daisy Hollow farm. Anna enjoyed some special privileges with them as a preferred customer.
“Come in and have some coffee,” Anna said, welcoming him with a hug.
“I gotta run, Anna,” he said apologetically. “This is the ricotta you ordered. Made fresh today.”
Anna almost asked him to stay for dinner and then remembered Meg was coming.
“What’s he doing here?” Cassie grumbled as she came in through the French doors.
“Nice welcome, Princess!” Dylan drawled. “Got too much sun?”
Anna winced as she looked at Cassie’s face and arms. She was definitely going to be in pain later.
“Don’t mind her, Dylan. Cassie’s in a bad mood.”
“But I just got here,” Dylan joked.
Cassie went to her room in a huff.
“Do you have some aloe vera?” Dylan asked seriously. “She’s going to need it.”
Anna thanked Dylan and saw him off. She went into the garden to pick some fresh basil and oregano. The chopped herbs went into the ricotta cheese. Anna had a pile of ravioli ready in no time.
The doorbell rang, announcing Meg’s arrival. Anna rushed out with a wide smile on her face. She was looking forward to this visit. There was a lot she wanted to ask Meg.
Meg sat at the kitchen counter, sipping the soda Anna had pressed in her hands.
“I hope you like ravioli,” Anna said. “You are part Italian, you know.”
“Really?” Meg asked, her eyes widening with interest.
“My parents were Italian,” Anna explained. “My grandparents came to this country at the turn of the last century.”
“I love pasta,” Meg assured her. “Can I help you set the table?”
“You just sit back and relax,” Anna beamed. “We are going to have a nice family dinner and get to know each other.”
“Sounds great,” Meg nodded.
Anna had pulled out the good china and set the table in the formal dining room. She lit the tapers and yelled at Cassie to come out.
“What’s going on here, Mom?” Cassie asked cattily as she came out. “Why are you rolling out the red carpet?”
Anna saw Meg’s eyes flicker and sensed her disappointment. She placed both hands firmly on the girl’s bony shoulders.
“My only granddaughter has come to dinner, that’s why.”
Cassie mutely sat down opposite Meg and served herself a hefty portion of salad.
“How did you find us, Meg?” she asked, shoving a forkful of salad in her mouth. “I opted for a closed adoption all those years ago so my contact details were supposed to be private.”
“Never mind all that,” Anna said quickly. “I want to know about your life, Meg. Where did you grow up? Did you go to a good family?”
“It’s a long story,” Meg said hesitantly. “I don’t remember a lot of it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Cassie asked, cutting into her ravioli.
“Hush, Cassie. Let her speak.” Anna looked at Meg encouragingly. “You can take as lo
ng as you like. I want to know everything.”
“I pieced a lot of this together from my file,” Meg began. “I was adopted by a family as a baby. I think I lived with them for about six years. I vaguely remember a brown haired woman and a young boy. He was my older brother.”
“Did they give you up after six years?” Anna asked, mystified. “I didn’t know people could do that.”
“No,” Meg sighed. “They died in a car accident. One of the relatives took the boy but none of them wanted me. So I went into the system.”
“What system?” Cassie asked, her mouth full of cheese.
“The foster system,” Anna said with a pang.
“She’s right,” Meg nodded. “I was placed with a foster family.”
“Did they adopt you after some time?” Anna asked eagerly.
She had been a foster parent herself for several years and had a general idea of how the system worked. She and her husband John had never adopted anyone. Instead, they had chosen to take care of as many troubled kids as they could.”
“No, they didn’t,” Meg said drily. “I was sent to a second foster family after a few days. Some weeks later, I was placed with a third foster family.”
Anna swallowed a lump, sensing Meg had more to say.
“I was placed with 19 different foster families until I was sixteen.”
Anna was speechless. Tears welled up in her eyes. She realized nothing she said at that moment would be good enough.
“I was two weeks shy of my 18th birthday when the couple I was with adopted me,” Meg continued. “I have been with my parents for four years. They changed my life. My grades improved and I made up for the years I had lost. I graduated from high school a year later than my peers but with respectable grades.”
“These parents don’t mind you are living like a nomad?” Cassie asked.
Meg had come to Dolphin Bay as a tourist. She had told Cassie she was taking her time exploring the California coast.
“I decided to take a gap year before going to college,” Meg explained. “I wanted to find my birth parents if possible. My parents, I mean, my adoptive parents, understand that.”
“Why are you still called Meg Butler?” Cassie asked. “That’s the name on your birth certificate but I thought the people adopting you would give you their name.”
“It’s the name in the records, I guess,” Meg shrugged. “No one changed it. The foster families called me by any name they wanted. Megan, Margaret, Margie…no one really cared or remembered. By the time I got adopted again, I was so used to being Meg Butler, my parents decided to keep it.”
“It worked in our favor,” Anna said. “I am sure it made it easier for you to track us down.”
“How exactly did you track us down?” Cassie asked again, pointing her fork at Meg.
“It wasn’t easy,” Meg replied. “Then I got a lucky break.”
Anna had a fair idea of what Meg meant by that. A few months ago, after John died and Anna got sick, she had taken a decision. She didn’t want to die without meeting her granddaughter. So she had done some online research and come across websites that helped adopted children find their birth parents or families. She had posted her information on a few such websites with a personal note to her granddaughter. She was sure Meg had found her on one of those sites.
“Why didn’t you just pick up the phone and call?” Cassie asked.
Meg looked a bit embarrassed.
“I wasn’t sure …”
“You wanted to check us out,” Cassie pounced. “Make sure we were worthy of you.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Meg said, her cheeks turning pink with emotion.
She turned to Anna and waved at the table.
“This food is delicious. You didn’t have to go to all this effort.”
“It was nothing, sweetie,” Anna assured her. “I didn’t know what you like. I use a lot of different stuffings for my ravioli but I just stuck with cheese for tonight.”
“I’m not a picky eater.”
“What’s for dessert?” Cassie asked, interrupting them.
Anna told her to get the tiramisu from the refrigerator. Meg was quiet as they ate dessert. Anna thought she was trying to drum up the courage to say something.
“Why did you give me up?” Meg asked suddenly.
Anna was surprised to see there was no anger or malice in Meg’s voice. She just stared at Cassie curiously. Anna thought it was the most natural question Meg could ask her mother.
Cassie put her fork down and wiped her mouth. She took her time thinking over the question.
“I was too young. I didn’t think I could take care of you.”
“Is that all?”
“I was sixteen when I gave birth to you, Meg. I was still in high school. I didn’t have a job or any money.”
“What about my father? Did he not want me too?”
Anna swallowed a lump as she heard Meg speak. She wanted to reach out and hold Meg tight. She had failed her grandchild. She and John should have taken a stronger stand and never let Cassie give her up.
“I thought you would have a better life,” Cassie shrugged. “At least, better than the one I could give you.”
They all knew how that had turned out for Meg. Anna marveled at how composed the young girl was. Why wasn’t she lashing out at them?
Meg held Cassie’s gaze and gave her a smile.
“I forgive you.”
Chapter 6
Anna started baking as soon as she finished her coffee the next morning. She didn’t realize how late it was until the Firecrackers arrived.
Anna set a plate of freshly baked cupcakes before her friends. Julie and Mary didn’t waste a minute in picking one up.
“What batch is this?” Mary asked, daintily licking frosting off a cake. “I like the strong thyme flavor.”
“This is the 11th batch,” Anna said. “Let me make a note of that.”
She scribbled something in a tiny notebook she pulled out of a kitchen drawer.
Julie was reaching for her second cupcake.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here yesterday. I had a deadline. It was midnight by the time I sent the files over to my editor.”
“That’s okay,” Anna said. “You can’t stop working every time I have a crisis. I seem to have so many of them.”
“Well, I’m here now,” Julie said. “What’s the plan?”
“Yes,” Mary nodded. “What are we doing today, Anna, other than tasting these yummy cupcakes?”
“I’ve been on edge since yesterday,” Anna confessed. “Ever since Gino said the police see me as a suspect, I jump at every little sound. I expect them to come and take me away any time.”
“Why would you kill a perfect stranger?” Mary asked.
“Yeah.” Julie backed her up. “What is your connection with the dead guy?”
“That’s just it,” Anna muttered. “I don’t exactly remember. He did some work here a few years ago. I can’t do any better than that.”
“And you say Lara Crawford’s making a big deal out of it?”
Anna had told them Lara’s theory about the dead guy being a witness to John’s death.
“We need to find out more about him,” Mary spoke up. “Do you even know his name?”
“I wrote it down somewhere,” Anna said. She looked around for the small notepad she kept by the phone and found it in the utensil drawer. “William Parker. I think that’s it.”
“Didn’t you say he was a handyman?” Julie asked. “He should be in the yellow pages.”
Anna opened the pantry door and lugged a couple of giant tomes from the bottom shelf. She handed one to Julie and Mary and kept one for herself. They began rifling through the pages. Julie looked up a few minutes later.
“I don’t see him under Handyman.”
“Wait a minute,” Anna exclaimed. “I think he’s listed under roofing. Look at this, Dolphin Bay Roof Repair. The proprietor is listed as one William Parker.”
&nbs
p; “Do you see an address?” Julie asked eagerly.
“I know this place!” Anna exclaimed. “It’s that small business park near the highway. It’s about four miles from here.”
Julie jumped down from her stool and slung her bag over her shoulder.
“What are we waiting for, ladies? Let’s go!”
“Why are we going there, Julie?” Mary asked.
“We’ll find out when we get there,” Julie replied.
“That’s right,” Anna agreed.
Julie drove them to the business park in her SUV. It was a square, industrial type building nestled in a cluster of towering pines and eucalyptus. An automatic glass door slid open as the ladies walked in, looking around curiously. A massive wooden desk graced the center of the lobby and was presided over by a stern, bespectacled woman.
“May I help you?” she asked curtly.
Julie took the lead.
“We are looking for Dolphin Bay Roof Repair.”
“They closed down six months ago,” the woman replied. “Will that be all?”
“Are you sure they aren’t around?” Julie asked, placing her arms on the counter. “They come highly recommended. William Parker did some work for one of my friends and she swears by him. I really wanted to get an estimate from him.”
The woman behind the counter leaned forward.
“They had a big falling out, him and his partner. The business shut down after that.”
“What were they fighting over?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know,” the woman said with a shrug.
She picked up the phone and began dialing a number. Julie gave up and walked to the door, followed by Anna and Mary.
“That didn’t take long!” Anna said.
“It was a waste of time,” Julie grumbled.
“Not really,” Anna said thoughtfully. “We now know William Parker had a partner he didn’t get along with. We need to track this guy down.”
“Not before lunch!” Julie announced. “I’m starving.”
“I saw you eat three cupcakes,” Mary said meekly.
“That was ages ago!”
“Okay, okay, calm down.” Anna tried to be the peacemaker. “Let’s go to the Tipsy Whale.”