The Dog Who Ate The Flintlock

by Edward Coburn

  “These men are here to see you, Mary,” Seril said thinking she’d leave the explanation up to them.

  She caught the startled look on Robert’s face when she turned to them. “You look just like your mother,” he breathlessly whispered.

  “What do you mean,” Mary said. “I don’t look anything like my mother. She has red hair and a square chin.”

  “I’m not talking about your adoptive mother. Your real mother had beautiful blonde hair just like yours. And you look so much like her it’s…it’s…simply unbelievable. I never thought I’d find you.” He paused waiting for her to say something, but she was apparently struck speechless. He wanted to take her in his arms and give her twenty years worth of hugs, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Eventually, she found her voice.

  “You know my birth mother? My folks told me I was adopted, but they didn’t have any information about my birth parents.”

  “I not only knew her, I was married to her. I’m your father.”

  Mary stared at him in disbelief. “You can’t be. This just isn’t possible. How…how…did you…”

  Adam took control of the conversation before Richard had a chance to say something Adam wished he wouldn’t. “Your father, Robert Drummond here,” he pointed at Richard, “has been looking for you ever since you were taken from him and your mother twenty years ago.”

  “What do you mean I was taken? You mean I was kidnapped?” Mary was startled by this revelation.

  “That’s right,” Robert said. “You were stolen from the arms of your mother when you were just a few months old.” He reached into his pocket for his wallet. He opened it to a picture of Molly holding Mary Beth. They were both smiling. Mary Beth was holding Beer, her bear. “This is you and your mother.”

  Mary stared at it for a few seconds before reaching for his wallet. “May I please look closer?”

  “Certainly,” Robert said letting her take the wallet.

  She stared at the picture intensely for a few seconds. She pointed at the bear in the picture. “I don’t remember the lady in the picture but, although I don’t know how, I seem to remember this bear.”

  Adam was surprised. He’d read that very few adults can remember anything from before their seventh birthday. According to several articles he’d read, the average person’s earliest memories begin to fade at about age seven. It’s what’s called childhood amnesia. It apparently isn’t common for someone to remember traumatic events that happened before then, but it wasn’t unheard of. So it was possible she did remember her bear in one of the deep recesses of her memory.

  Robert nodded. “That’s Beer your favorite toy.”

  “Beer?”

  “Yeah,” Robert said looking chagrinned. “That was my idea. Molly hated the name.”

  “So Molly is my mother’s name?” Mary scanned the room before turning a disappointed face to Robert. “Where is she? Didn’t she come with you?”

  Robert knew this would come up, but he hoped he would have had more time. He’d been trying to formulate a gentle answer but didn’t know how to say “your mother is dead” without simply saying it. He’d do his best to ease into it. “No, I’m sorry. Your mother isn’t here.”

  A seriously hurt look came over Mary’s face. “Why not? Doesn’t she want to find me?”

  There was no choice now. Robert had to tell her the truth before she became upset. He didn’t want her to be turned off to the idea of coming back to Morgantown with him before he took her to Charleston to see Richard. If he did that she might miss out on the legacy Richard wanted her to have. Robert wanted her to have the money too but only because it was her due. He didn’t want any of it for himself. It would have belonged to Molly, and it should belong to Mary Beth. If he somehow turned her off and she wasn’t willing to go with him, he would never be able to forgive himself. Plus he may lose her forever, and that was unthinkable after finally finding her. “Mary, when you were stolen your mother was killed. I have been looking for the killer and you ever since.”

  “She’s dead then. She really is dead.” A tear escaped from her eye. She didn’t remember her mother but ever since she was informed she was adopted she had held out the faint hope that she would eventually find her birth parents. Now at least half of what she’s hoped for was gone. “I…I had…hoped…”

  Robert nodded. “I’m sorry I blurted it out, but I couldn’t think of a gentler way to tell you.”

  “That’s all right D…sir. I forced you into it.” Father or not, she wasn’t yet ready to call this stranger Dad. She couldn’t remember him even one tiny bit.

  “I know this is a lot to take in, but I’d like you to come with me to Morgantown, West Virginia to your original home and then on to Charleston to visit your grandfather.”

  She shook her head as if she couldn’t quite grasp what Robert was saying. “I have…a grandfather.” Both of her adoptive parents had lost their parents before they were out of high school so, thus far in her young life, Mary had never known a grandparent. She’d always envied her friends that got to go to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Now maybe she would be able to do that. This was almost too much to take in.

  Robert nodded his head. “You do, and he’s been looking for you all these years too. He will be overjoyed to see you. Will you come with us to Morgantown?”

  She really wished she could, but the reality of her situation made that impossible. She shook her head. “I can’t leave just like that. I need my job. I have to pay for school. It will be hard enough to pay for books, tuition, and other things without missing several days of work. Besides my boss is a stickler for such things. I might get fired.”

  Robert thought of how he and, especially, her grandfather would be more than happy to help Mary with her college expenses until she inherited enough money that she would no longer have to work to pay for school or anything else she might desire. But he didn’t think it would be wise to mention that part already. She had enough to absorb without adding the fact that she would be rich before much longer to the mix.

  It was Adam’s time to get into the conversation again. “I’m sure your boss and I can come to some kind of arrangement. Would it be possible to talk to him?”

  “I don’t know why not. He only lives a few blocks from here.” Seril put in picking up the phone. “And I’ll do whatever I can to make all this possible. I’ll work extra shifts and come in on the weekends if it’ll help. And I’m sure Laura will too.” She turned to Laura who nodded vigorously.

  Mary turned to Seril. “Oh, Seril. Would you do that for me?”

  “Of course I would. What are friends for if not for stepping in where they’re needed.” She dialed the phone. “This is Seril, and we have a…a situation here at the mansion. No, I can’t explain over the phone. You need to come here to have it all explained. Yes, sir, he’s right here. I understand.” She hung up the phone and turned to Adam. “He said he’ll be here as quickly as he can. He wants to finish eating lunch, and then he’ll be right here.” Then she turned to Mike who’d thus far stayed in the background. “He asked about you. He wanted to be sure you were here if we had a situation.” She smiled at the word knowing everything was under control. Or at least it seemed that way to her.

  “Good,” Adam said.

  While they waited, Robert and Mary talked amicably, and Adam interjected a few comments now and then while introducing himself. Before long a large man wearing jeans and a flannel shirt came through the door of the mansion.

  “All right now. What’s going on?” He looked directly at Seril.

  “I think I’ll let Robert,” she pointed at Robert, “and Mary explain. “Robert, this is our boss Fred Petra,” Seril said.

  Robert held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” Fred shook the proffered hand. “What’s going on is actually pretty simple in a complex sort of way.”

  Fred obviously didn’t understand that and confusion flooded his face.

  Robert smiled. “I don’t suppose
that made a whole lot of sense. The long and short of it is that I believe Mary is my daughter who was taken from her mother’s arms twenty years ago.”

  Fred turned to Mary without any visible sign that what Robert had said made any impact. Adam thought most people would be at least a little bit surprised. “What do you say, Mary?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know what to say.” She turned to Robert. “Can you show Mr. Petra the picture you showed me?”

  “Of course,” Robert took out his wallet again and showed Fred the picture of Molly and Mary Beth. “This is Mary with her mother when she was just a few months old.”

  “Believe it or not, I remember that bear in the picture,” Mary said, “so there must be at least some truth to this.”

  “So what do you want from me?” Fred asked.

  “We need you to let Mary off for a few days so she can come with us to Morgantown, West Virginia,” Robert said. He was reasonably confident she would not come back to her job when she found out about what she would inherit before too much longer, but he thought she would want to make that determination herself. After all, he knew some people continued to work at their same jobs even after they’d won the lottery. Adam was a prime example of that.

  “We’ll pay whatever it takes to cover for her absence,” Adam put in. Robert glanced at Adam questioningly, and Adam nodded.

  “I don’t know,” Fred said looking slightly mystified. “This is all very irregular.”

  “I can go with them to make sure Mary is safe,” Mike said.

  Fred turned to Mike. “So you think this is legit too?”

  “I don’t have any idea if it is or not. But I do think Mary would be missing a good bet if she didn’t at least go with them to check it out.”

  “Would that be all right with you gentlemen?” Fred asked.

  “Sure and we’ll be happy to pay Mike for his time as well,” Adam said.

  “And I’ll cover Mary’s shift,” Seril said.

  “Me too,” Laura put in.

  “And I’m sure I can call a couple other of the guys and girls who will be happy to help,” Seril added.

  “If anyone needs to be paid overtime to take an extra shift or stay later than normal, we’ll be happy to cover their extra pay as well,” Adam assured Fred and everyone else.

  “That might come to quite a lot depending on how long Mary is gone. Are you sure you can afford it?” Fred asked.

  “Trust us,” Robert said. “We can afford it.” He said it knowing he would willingly pay whatever it took but, based on what Adam had revealed, Adam could easily cover whatever expenses came up and would probably want to.

  Adam pulled out his wallet and counted out ten one hundred dollar bills into Fred’s hand and also handed him his business card for the Rambling Foundation. “If you need any more than that just call the number on the card and my foundation manager will send you whatever you need. I’ll tell her to expect your call.”

  Fred stared at the wad of cash in his hand. “I doubt I’ll need to make that call. What you’ve given me should more than cover any overtime.”

  “And I’ll be here to keep Fred honest,” Seril said with a grin.

  “Now cut that out,” Fred grinned back at her.

  “So you’re okay to cover the rest of my shift this afternoon, Seril?” Mary asked.

  “Absolutely. And I’ll call Francis in to cover our overlap for however long you’re gone. I’m sure she’ll be happy to get the overtime.”

  “Thanks so much. But what about your lunch? You haven’t gotten to eat yet.”

  “I’ll cover the desk while she gets some lunch,” Fred said. “Laura can do the tours.” He pointed at Mary. “You need to go.”

  “Okay,” Mary said. “Seril, you’re coming with us to have lunch.” When Seril started to object she added, “No arguments.” Then she hoped she hadn’t overstepped and glanced first at Robert and then at Adam. “That’s all right isn’t it?”

  “It’s more than all right. I think it’s the least we can do,” Adam smiled at Mary and then at Seril. “It’s okay with you isn’t it, Seril?”

  “If you’re sure I won’t be intruding.”

  “You absolutely won’t be intruding,” Adam said. “You should come too, Mike.”

  “I don’t know. I’m supposed to be security until my relief gets here at two.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Fred said. “I’ll call Meryl and tell him to come now. As Seril said about Francis, I’m sure he’ll be happy to get the overtime. He’s always asking for more hours.”

  “I guess it’s all settled then,” Robert said. “We’ll all go to lunch. What’s good around here?”

  “There’s a seafood place nearby that’s got great food. But it’s a bit pricey,” Mary said.

  “If it’s good, that’s where I want us to go,” Adam said. “It’ll be my treat for you three. And I’ll even pay for Robert’s lunch.” He winked at Robert.

  Robert smiled and winked in return.

  Adam drove with Robert in the passenger’s seat and the other three in the back. Mary guided them right to the restaurant, and they were able to be seated right away as most of the lunch crowd had already eaten. After lunch Adam first called the airport to tell his flight crew they would be there soon and then drove everyone back to the mansion where Mary and Mike said goodbye to Seril. Adam thanked her again for her help and promised they’d take good care of Mary. Robert assured them that he would also do whatever he could to make sure that Adam’s promise was kept. After all, he didn’t want anything to happen to Mary now that he’d finally found her. Seril also made Mike promise he would make sure nothing happened to Mary.

  Chapter 41

  After they settled themselves in the airplane, Robert gently took Mary’s hand. He felt encouraged when she didn’t pull her hand away. “I have something to tell you.”

  “And I have a few questions for you. Maybe when you tell me what you have, it will answer at least one or two of my questions.”

  Robert shook his head because he didn’t believe for a second that she was wondering anything about what he had to say. “You remember I said I am going to take you to see your grandfather.”

  “Of course I remember, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve never had a grandfather. The parents of both of my adoptive parents died long before I was adopted. I always envied kids who said they were going to visit their grandparents for Thanksgiving or Christmas. So I can’t wait to see him. Is he still married? That is, do I also have a grandmother?”

  Sadness filled Robert’s eyes. He knew it was a logical question, and he hated to tell her that was not the case but, based on what she just said, the other news he had to impart would come as a blow as well. He really didn’t want to tell her she didn’t have a grandmother and the grandfather she was so anxious to see, would not be around much longer. He knew if she were even the least bit like her mother, the money she would receive soon after her grandfather died would not mean a lot to her. “No, I’m sorry you don’t. Your grandfather is your mother’s father but his wife died many years ago, and he loved her so much he couldn’t bear to even try to replace her. Both of my parents are dead as well. So you only have your one grandfather and no grandmothers. But you’ll like him. He’s a great guy.”

  “I’m sure he is,” Mary said without conviction. She would have to meet him before she would believe how great he is. Various disastrous blind dates had taught her not to impulsively accept anyone’s opinion of someone else. Someone who she was sure to like but then didn’t. Yes, she would much rather form her own opinions after she met him. “And I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “Thank you, but that was a long time ago as well. Anyway, I’m sorry that what else I have to tell you about your grandfather is going to curtail your excitement about meeting him.”

  She gaped at him suspiciously and pulled her hand away from his. “I thought you said he was a great guy.”

  Robert put his hand back in his lap and
stared at his shoes not wanting to see her crestfallen face when he gave her the rest of the news about her grandfather. However, not to do so would hardly be fair. He wished he didn’t have to because he much preferred the smile that was so reminiscent of Molly’s. “I’m sorry. I’m not handling this very well. Your grandfather is a great guy. But, unfortunately, he’s very, very sick.”

  “Is he…?”

  Robert nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid he’s dying. But I’m glad, and I know he will be, that he will at least get to see you for a while before he’s gone.”

  “How soon is he…” She shook her head trying to take in this latest bit of news. She was becoming more than a bit overwhelmed. Robert was telling her things faster than she could process them. He was supposed to be her father, then her mother was long dead, she had only the one grandfather but no grandmother on either side of her soon-to-be family, and finally, the grandfather she finally would get to meet wouldn’t be with them very much longer.

  “I’m afraid the doctors have given him only a few months at best.”

  “What…” Her voice failed her again.

  “He has cancer I’m afraid.”

  She wiped away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. “To finally have a grandfather and then have him torn from me. It’s just too much. I wish you hadn’t found me. You should have just let me go on believing it was only my mother and me. I don’t think I…”

  “Don’t say things like that,” Robert interrupted. “Your grandfather and I have both tried so hard for so many years to find you. I’m so overjoyed to have finally found you it’s…my feelings are simply beyond words. And I’m sure you’ll be happy to have your grandfather no matter how short the time.”

  “And speaking of finding me, how did you?”

  Robert knew this question would come up sooner or later and he’d prepared an answer that bore little resemblance to the truth. But Adam lived under a pseudonym in Canary Corners and wanted to continue to do so. If that was to be, he had to hide his abilities from most of the townspeople. Therefore Robert couldn’t, in all good conscience, tell her they found her because Adam had a vision of her going into the House of the Seven Gables. She probably wouldn’t believe him anyway. He still found it hard to believe himself even though it must be true. The proof of Adam’s abilities was sitting beside him traveling back to Morgantown with him. “I think I should start by telling you I’m a police detective in Morgantown.”