The Country Guesthouse

by Robyn Carr

  Helen was thinking, She stole my wallet and she lied about being in the hospital. She’s got something up her sleeve.

  Victoria’s phone chirped in her purse. She pulled it out and looked at it. “Oh, no! I don’t want to answer it. It’s my son. I told him I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.”

  “Then don’t answer,” Helen said. “Does he know where you are?”

  “He might guess I’m in Colorado,” Victoria said, but she let the call go to voice mail. Then she listened to the message and her face went white. “He says I have to call him immediately, that it’s about the boy, Noah.”

  “Then call him!” Helen said. “Put it on speaker!”

  But Victoria didn’t put the call on speaker. She pressed it to her ear as she slid out of their booth and paced toward the door. In seconds she was back. “Helen!” she said in a stricken whisper. “My son has kidnapped Noah! He thinks he did it for me!”

  “For you? How? Why?”

  “I don’t know. My son and I—we have a troubled relationship but we have yet to part ways entirely. But he’s crazy, I’m telling you. And he’s dangerous. I have to go to Hannah immediately.”

  Helen gasped, dug around in her purse and tossed a loose twenty on the table. “I’m going with you!” Helen said and followed.

  Victoria jumped in her car and sped away, driving a bit too fast. Helen followed, her heart hammering. Of all the things she worried about, that Victoria was a grifter, a scam artist, she had never in her wildest imagination thought she would put an adorable little child such as Noah in danger.

  * * *

  When Victoria pulled up to the house, she was pleased to note they had immediately called the police. She had been counting on that. She had this all worked out in her head. She was going to save the day and it would lead to a major payday. After all was well and Roger was arrested, Hannah would realize that Victoria was inherently good down to her toes and they would fund her cancer treatment, probably out of money that had been her daughter’s anyway.

  She nearly sprinted up the steps to the deck and right in the front door without knocking. “My son called me!” she exclaimed.

  Owen slowly stood to his great height and Hannah did the same. The police officer stood, as well. “Who is this?” the officer asked.

  “This is Noah’s biological grandmother,” Hannah said. “And, as it happens, Roger Addison’s mother.”

  “I’m Chief Stan Bronoski,” he said. “I was called because Noah’s gone missing and you, it seems, could be a suspect. You’ve been trying to see the boy, is that right?”

  “But I came to help!”

  Helen came in the door and stood inside, right behind Victoria.

  “My son called me and said he had the boy! I don’t know what he could be thinking, but even as unstable and dangerous as Roger is, he listens to me. I think I can find out where he is and I think he’ll give the boy over to me if try to get through to him. He can be defiant but he also tries to please me.”

  “Where were you at the time the boy was taken? A couple of hours ago?” Stan asked.

  “We were having a glass of wine in Leadville,” Victoria said. She glanced over her shoulder at Helen, who nodded. “We’re friends and get together for an afternoon glass of wine quite often. When I’m in town, that is. I’ve been away—at the Mayo Clinic. I have cancer. I was having tests and now... Never mind all that, the most important thing is Noah. Do you want me to see if I can locate him?”

  “Not just yet,” Stan said. “Let’s back up a little bit. So, you’re the grandmother? The same one who sued for custody? Why would you do that?”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic—it was the best way I could get at least some visitation with the boy, my only daughter’s only child. That was on the advice of my lawyer and it’s all been settled. I don’t see as much of my grandson as I’d like but at least I see him. I think down the road, when Hannah understands I’m sincere and well-meaning, I’ll see more of him.”

  “Why on earth would your son take him?” Owen asked.

  Victoria shrugged. “Maybe in his twisted mind he thought that might please me, which it would not. Or maybe he was hoping for some kind of ransom. Really, I won’t know until I ask him. But he rarely does a good thing...”

  “I think we’re going to have to get a little more backup before we try to flush him out,” Stan told Owen. “Let me make a call.” He used his own cell phone to call and separated himself from the people in the room. Then he was back, facing Victoria. “And now,” he said to Victoria, “please tell me how you’ve come to all these conclusions about Roger Addison.”

  “Well, no one knows him better than I do.”

  “Is he likely to hurt Noah?” Hannah asked nervously.

  “Probably not if that gets in the way of him profiting.”

  “Your son has been in a lot of trouble, has he?” Stan asked.

  “Oh, he can find trouble anywhere. He shouldn’t even be here! He’s on parole and isn’t supposed to leave Minnesota!”

  “But you assume he’s in Colorado...?”

  “How long ago did Noah go missing?” she asked. “Because I just got the call from Roger twenty or thirty minutes ago. He certainly couldn’t have done that from out of state!”

  Stan’s face tightened up a little bit. He gave Victoria a nod. “Why don’t you go ahead and ring him up, see if he’ll tell you where he is?”

  With a heavy sigh, Victoria pulled out her phone, turned away and hit the number. The distant sound of a cell phone chirping could be heard and Victoria turned back to Stan, confused.

  Roger stepped out of the hallway that led to the master bedroom. Behind him were Bruce Wilhelm and two federal marshals. Behind them, Cal Jones observed.

  Victoria’s lips pulled away from her teeth and she hissed.

  “That’s right, Victoria. You’re caught. Roger wore a wire while you gave him instructions on how to kidnap Noah,” Wilhelm said. “Your own grandchild, yet. You’re sinking lower every year.”

  “You don’t have anything on me,” she said. “Hearsay, that’s all.”

  “No, we have a warrant. The testimony of your partners on the seniors’ services scam and the guardianship fiasco got us an extradition warrant, and we had a warrant to wire young Roger here...”

  “You’re an idiot,” she spat at her son.

  “Nah,” he said. “I’m just done. And if someone doesn’t stop you, you’ll end up really hurting someone. Like Noah. I never thought you’d go that far. But then, what’s the difference between helpless kids and helpless old people?”

  “And then there’s the matter of your cancer,” Wilhelm said. “How many people have you ripped off with that one?”

  “I’ve been lucky! I’ve gotten better! I have medical records!”

  “I know,” Wilhelm said. “We’ve been collecting them. Pure art, I’ll give you that, but the doctors whose letterheads you used don’t have you registered as a patient.” One of the marshals pulled out handcuffs.

  “You can’t be serious,” she said. “You’re going to cuff a little old lady for some fancy paperwork?”

  “With your reputation, we should put you in leg irons,” he said.

  Helen sidled up to Hannah. “Where is Noah?” she whispered.

  Hannah smiled. “Noah and Romeo are with Sully. Time to go get them, I think.”

  * * *

  Hannah wanted to go to Noah at once while Owen was waiting around with the police until Victoria was taken away. Helen offered to drive Hannah to the Crossing, and Owen agreed to catch up with them when business at the house was settled.

  Noah and Sully were sitting at a table on the porch, playing checkers. The dogs made perfect bookends, lazily reclining on either side of them. Hannah leaped from the car the moment it stopped in front of Sully’s house. She ran across
the yard and up the porch steps, wrapping her arms around Noah and pulling him right out of his chair.

  “Noah, Noah,” she said, nuzzling his neck.

  “Wow, you might be overhugging, Hannah. I can’t hardly breathe.”

  She loosened her grip a little. “Sorry. I guess I was missing you.”

  “I’m right here,” Noah said. “Hey, you crying?”

  “I’m just a little emotional today,” she said.

  “Women do that, Noah. Might as well get used to it,” Sully said.

  “That’s okay, Hannah. Sometimes that happens to me. Is Owen coming?”

  “He’s coming in the SUV so we can take Romeo home. He’s just finishing up a couple of things. He should be here soon. And then we should figure out dinner.”

  “Sounds like you should relax while I figure out dinner,” Sully said.

  Helen caught up. “I think once we dig around in the freezer, we’ll be ready to serve. I know there’s marinated chicken and salmon in there. Hannah, tonight you and Owen should sit back and let us cook. I’m sure Cal and his crew will show up. It’s time to relax.”

  “I won’t be fully relaxed until certain people leave the state,” Hannah said.

  * * *

  Roger Addison had permission from a judge to accompany Detective Wilhelm to Colorado to participate in a sting that would corner his mother. He went with the detective back to Minneapolis on a commercial flight. Victoria was escorted back on a different flight by two US marshals two days later. The marshals were involved because some of her guardianship scams crossed state lines and drove into federal territory, as did some of her cancer fund-raisers, promoted on social media. Previous partners in the short-lived seniors’ benefit business had agreed to testify against her; she had waited too long to turn against them. And once the story hit the papers, a number of landlords recognized her picture and called the police, offering their own testimonies about failure to pay rent and unpaid loans.

  A successful career in conning people was finally cut off. She’d be facing a grand jury but it was impossible to know what charges she might stand trial for. Undoubtedly there would be a lot of fraud, which was her main career. But any good grifter knew you could never go back to a mark who has found you out, which made Hannah, Owen and Noah pretty much out of the target area. Still, Cal vowed to keep in touch with Bruce Wilhelm for a long time, keeping track of Victoria Addison and, though he had not been charged with any crime, Roger Addison.

  On a perfectly and blessedly normal evening at the Abrams household, Noah and Hannah were finishing up their evening reading. They were almost done with Treasure Island and looking to start a new book on another day. Owen came to the room carrying a brandy and sat close to Hannah.

  “Don’t let me interrupt,” he said.

  “We’re just about done for the day,” she said. “We’ve been talking about what we should read next.”

  “I’m thinking about Swiss Family Robinson,” Noah said.

  “That’s a good one,” Owen said.

  “And I been thinking about something else. That thing you told me to think about. Like when I feel ready for us all to have the same name. I’m just about ready.”

  “How would you like to keep your last name, as well? That’s very easy,” Owen said. “Your name can be Noah Waters Abrams, son of Hannah and Owen Abrams by adoption. Your mom is pretty important to everyone, not only you.”

  “That’s a good way to do it,” he said. “I think it will make her happy. But are you ready?”

  Hannah held him tight. “We’re ready when you are. I think we’re already a family—it just needs the paperwork.”

  Motherhood:

  All love begins and ends there.

  —Robert Browning

  EPILOGUE

  The first Saturday in November, there had already been snowfall in the higher elevations and a generous dusting in the lower elevations, like Owen’s house and the Crossing. The aspens had lost their leaves and the pines had snow gathered on their limbs. Court in Leadville was not open on Saturday, but the judge who had presided over their custody hearing opened his chambers and the clerk came in to work.

  Hannah, Owen, Noah, Cal and Maggie arrived to meet him there at two in the afternoon. Judge Vincente was not wearing robes today. He met them, invited them in with hugs and handshakes.

  “This is the happiest of days,” he said. When he was standing, he hunched a little but not much. He was a small man with a big personality. And he was so pleased. “Come in, come in, this is such a pleasure. You know, in family court, I have to attend to so many sad matters and this is such a joy for me.” He bent at the waist and spoke to Noah. “Young man, I believe you brought this family together. You must be so proud of yourself.”

  “I guess I am,” he said, smiling.

  “Will there be a celebration?” the judge asked.

  “A giant party!” Noah said. “They’re all getting it ready at our house. Half the town is there. You can come. You want to come?”

  “Maybe I will if my wife doesn’t have chores for me,” the judge said.

  “You can bring her. It’s okay. There’s food!”

  The judge chuckled. “A compelling invitation. I’ll be sure to extend it to Mrs. Vincente. Now, the business at hand is a marriage and adoption. We will accomplish the marriage first before Mr. and Mrs. Abrams formally adopt Noah... Ah...do I see a name change here?”

  “Yes, sir,” Hannah said. “Noah wants to carry his mother’s name into the future and we completely agree. Noah Waters will be Noah Waters Abrams. If you approve.”

  “Fantastic!” the judge said. “First things first. Owen Thomas Abrams and Hannah Marie Russell, do you pledge to honor the covenants of marriage, to be faithful and to support and love each other through the good times and bad? In sickness and health? Work mutually to hold your family together in safety and affection?”

  “We do,” they said in unison.

  “Let me tell you what I know about marriage,” he said. “I’ve been married over fifty years and it wasn’t all fun and games, but there were times I couldn’t believe the happiness I felt. I saw right away there would be a lot of compromise involved and that’s not just for one of you, it’s always and forever for both of you. The ratio of giving—it’s very important that you both strive to give one hundred percent. And the most important thing—honor and respect each other even when that seems impossible. In fact, it’s even more important when it seems impossible. Having made your promises to each other, witnessed by this court, I pronounce you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss now. We have more business at hand and papers to sign.”

  Hannah and Owen kissed, then pulled Noah between them.

  “As for you, Noah, I think you’ve made a very wise choice, deciding to make these two your parents. I believe they will teach you, protect you, support you, guide you and demonstrate wonderful life lessons, like the Golden Rule. Do you know about the Golden Rule?”

  “Uh-huh. Treat other people the way you would like to be treated. My mom told me that one.”

  “I’m sorry about your mother, Noah. But not many people are lucky enough to have two wonderful mothers in their lifetimes, and I see you have indeed been lucky. I knew I would approve this adoption before you even walked in the door—the three of you make a very wonderful family. I hope you have only good fortune from this moment forward. And I hope you have a magnificent party!”

  After signing and witnessing a marriage license and adoption documents, the adults and Noah piled into the SUV and went back to Owen’s house on the lake. Cars lined the drive and were double-parked in front of the workshop and house.

  When the Abrams family walked into the house, a wild cheer went up. Champagne was pressed into their hands. Noah was given a champagne glass as well, though his sparkly drink was apple cider.

  Sully stepped forwar
d from the group of friends and family. “Hardly anyone can think of a more romantic story than I have with Helen, but you three come mighty close. On this wonderful day when three have become one family, I toast the Abrams family. Here’s to dreams coming true.”

  And the crowd cheered again.

  Owen leaned down to whisper in Hannah’s ear. “On this wonderful day when three lost souls find their way and come together. I love you, Hannah.”

  “And you are my dream come true, Owen.”

  * * *

  ISBN-13: 9781488052293

  The Country Guesthouse

  Copyright © 2020 by Robyn Carr

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