by G. F. Frost
Sadie helped Mrs. Purdue into their car as she wished them good evening. Massey and Theo were standing on the front veranda waving to the other guests as they drove away. Running up to her parents, Sadie gave her dad a huge kiss on the cheek and went into the house for a piece of pumpkin pie. She had to stop and give a tight hug to Jenkins before making it to the buffet bar. Theo and Massey both sat on the rockers on the veranda feeling full and relaxed.
“Well, that went well. Lots of fun and boy, was that meal terrific. I think you’re hired,” Theo said taking Massey’s hand. They rocked together on the porch until the sun went down.
Jenkins and Sadie settled on the long sofa in the parlor when the two entered. Sadie was eating her piece of pie while Jenkins sniffed at it. The television was on MTV.
“Get down off the couch, Jenkins,” Theo yelled.
The dog jumped from the sofa and tucked his head and tail. The rules didn’t seem to apply when Sadie was around. Even the dog loved her laid-back personality.
He sat next to her feet looking into the plate of half-eaten pie. Sadie pinched off a piece of the crust and handed it to him. He sniffed and then took it in one lick. Theo watched smiling.
“You’re a bad influence on our new child, Sadie girl,” Theo said as he bent down to kiss her on the head.
“We just get along great.” Sadie rubbed Jenkins’ soft head.
“You just get along with everyone, kiddo,” Theo responded.
Sadie stood up from the sofa and headed for the kitchen to deposit the empty plate. On the way, she passed the mantel and noticed the tiny pair of booties laying there. She stopped and put the plate down. Reaching for the small stockings, she held them in her hands, smiling as she turned them over and looked at the delicate stitching.
“Mom, are these the ones Mrs. Purdue was telling me about? They’re so sweet. These belonged to the little baby who died?” she asked.
Massey looked up from her cup of cider.
“Yes, he’s buried out there in the cemetery,” Massey said before thinking.
Sadie walked to the window and peered out to the cemetery. She looked back down at the dingy little booties.
“Poor little baby boy,” Sadie said.
She walked back and placed them on the mantel. She looked sadly at the picture of Joseph and Marie.
“You know, sometimes I dream about a woman that looks like her.” Sadie looked at Marie.
Massey and Theo looked across the room at each other. They didn’t know what to say to their daughter. They both felt a cold chill run down their backs. Theo walked over to Sadie and placed his arm around her. She laid her head on his shoulder.
“Come on, brat. Let’s talk about something more pleasant. What about that mysterious boyfriend of yours?” Theo asked as he sat her on his lap.
Massey walked into the kitchen and left Theo to deal with Sadie’s questions. He was always better at taking her mind off things than she was. Massey stood at the kitchen sink in a daze as she rinsed the plates and placed them into the dishwasher. She thought about the grave and the baby, and how they had righted all three graves in one week. She wondered if Sadie had really seen Marie in her dreams. She couldn’t stand the thought of that.
Massey couldn’t resist looking out of the kitchen window. She pushed back the sheer curtain and peeked out into the cemetery. The three gravestones looked almost new, Joseph’s next to Marie’s and then baby Joseph’s next to hers. All the other stones were dark and weathered from years of heat and cold, winds and rains, and the long hot southern summers. They each seemed to lean a little from years of weather and neglect. The other three, recently dug from the earth, were level and straight, and washed clean. There was no sad, searching light in the cemetery any more. She closed the window blinds and laid the cloth on the counter.
Sadie and Theo were laughing at the television when Massey joined them. Sadie was curled up on the sofa with a furry throw on her legs and Jenkins lay with his head at her belly as she scratched it. Theo sat in his big stuffed chair, feet stretched out in front of him on the ottoman. Massey knew her place would be on the sofa with Sadie’s feet in her lap. They all sat there together for the remainder of the evening in the large warm parlor laughing at the television and talking about the great Thanksgiving party.
Yes, Lovesong House was certainly built for entertaining. Its halls and parlors opened and flowed throughout the downstairs just perfectly for crowds of people. The verandas could accommodate endless lines of chairs and tables, sucking in the breezes from the south and north. The expansive yard was shaded and welcoming with its stretch of manicured grass and shrubberies on all four sides. The house was just far enough from the river road to make its guests feel apart from the rest of the world. Joseph had built Marie the perfect home for entertaining.
Massey looked out the front door as she turned out the foyer lights before bed. She loved the way the old oak trees formed their tunnel to and from the house. The Spanish moss looked like gray hair flowing from the arms of the sturdy giants as they bowed to all who passed beneath them. How many people had traveled up and down that drive in a hundred years, she thought. The limbs of the huge oaks swayed in the cool night air as if bidding good night to her. She switched off the light.
* * * *
The family spent the next day in New Orleans. Sadie had a tradition of making her mom and dad suffer through Black Friday with her every year. Massey and Sadie bounced from shop to shop in the French Quarter and down Magazine Street as Theo patiently tagged along holding the bags of expensive items. He hated it. He’d rather be in the barn with Mister Grant or watching something on television in his cozy chair, but anything that made Sadie happy, he would gladly endure. After all, she had to get her Christmas shopping going, and the sales were great on this day.
Dinner at Tujagues and they were off to Lovesong House. The day had been very nice, actually. The crowds weren’t overbearing, the weather was dry and cool, and the food had been delicious as always. The girls had stayed in the happiest of moods because, after all, they were shopping. Theo had never heard so much giggling and gossiping in his life. All the way to the house, they discussed the clothes and shoes and gifts. Theo could feel just a hint of a headache coming on when he turned off the river road and into the drive.
Theo had left the porch and driveway lights on when they left earlier that morning and Lovesong House had that warm, welcoming look to it this evening.
“Look, Dad,” Sadie said as she sat down her iphone and leaned towards the front seats pointing at the house.
“It’s so pretty at night. It’s like driving up to the past. It looks so grand and big and old. Don’t ever move. I would love to live here one day. It’s just beautiful. Somehow it wants people to live here, doesn’t’ it?” she said as Theo stopped the car.
Massey looked at Theo and smiled.
“I think you’re right, honey. It does seem to want people here. It’s a great old place. I just love it,” Massey said as she turned to her daughter and smiled.
The back of the SUV was packed with bags. All three of them gathered up armfuls and carried the items into the house. Theo had to make a couple of trips before the car was empty. Bags and boxes lined the foyer by the time he locked the door. The house was warm and still smelled of fried turkey and spicy candles. Sadie sat on the dark, polished wood of the foyer floor sorting clothes, shoes, and jewelry as Theo threw the keys on the coffee table and plopped down in his chair. It had been another good day.
Chapter Seventeen
Thanksgiving came and went too quickly, as holidays do, and soon Sadie was packing her jeep and heading back to Texas. She left the packages for her mom to wrap for Christmas and made plans with her for her trip back to Lovesong then. Theo and Massey watched as their daughter drove off down the tunnel of oaks towards her other life, honking the loud horn as she left. Theo placed his arm around Massey as they walked back into the house, and they settled into the anticlimax of their life after Sadie.
Monday morning, Theo returned to work in New Orleans with a lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers in his small black lunch bag. Massey began packing up the fall decorations, boxing and labeling each one. She made trip after trip up the stairs to the attic, placing the large plastic bins full of wreaths, turkeys, and pilgrims in a neat stack along the attic wall. As she placed the last box in its spot, she looked at the iron cradle still lying on its side behind the attic door. She would have to have Theo or Mister Grant move it. Before closing the door, she looked to her left and remembered the wall that she had found, the one that looked so out of place with its painted lumber. She walked to the wall and looked at it. It definitely didn’t look right. Someone had done some repairs or covering up there. She thought of the crowbar and rubber hammer still waiting in the pantry.
Massey ran downstairs and took the large crowbar and heavy hammer in her hands. Today might be a good day to see what is behind those boards. She stopped at Theo’s study doors, deciding to go in and use the phone to call him. It might not be a good idea to tear up a wall without letting him know. She dialed his cell number and waited.
“Missing me already?” Theo asked as he answered the phone.
“Of course, I am,” Massey replied.
“Theo, did I tell you about the wall in the attic?” she asked.
“What wall are you talking about?” Theo asked.
“Well, there’s this wall behind the door in the attic, and it’s boarded up for some reason. It should be open under the eaves like the other side of the attic, but the little area has old painted boards covering it. They’re just nailed over the eave there. I want to see what’s behind them. Can I pull back a couple of boards and look? Do you think that will hurt anything? It’s just boards.”
“It may be covering some ductwork or part of the plumbing or air conditioning, honey. You’d have to be careful. Maybe you should wait on me to come home and look at it, or maybe you can get Mister Grant up there sometime,” Theo replied.
“Just one board, can I pull out just one board and see?” Massy begged.
“Why don’t you wait on Mister Grant?”
Massey agreed and laid the phone back on its perch. She felt disappointed. She never had patience with anything. Her curiosity always took over her patience, but she knew that if she ruined something in the house, Theo would have to pay for it, and she knew that he wouldn’t be happy about that. She decided to wait on Mister Grant.
She and Jenkins were outside waiting when he drove up. She thought she’d lure him with Thanksgiving leftovers and a little extra money in his pockets. Mister Grant would never turn her down, anyway. She knew his roughness was just a cover up for a gentle heart. He just didn’t want to think anyone knew that. Massey was good at reading people’s hearts though, and she knew he’d do whatever they needed. The grumbling was just his way.
* * * *
Sure enough, Mister Grant followed Massey to the large attic and kneeled down in front of the boarded area.
“Yep, looks like somebody did a shoddy job here. They just hammered some old boards over the studs. It really don’t make sense,” he said as he pulled off his cap and scratched his head.
“Can we tear them down?” Massey asked.
“I don’t see why we can’t look behind a board or two and see if it’s covering up some plumbing or something, and if it ain’t, it needs to come down. It just don’t look right. Yeah, I’ll pull it down and see,” he answered.
“Then, Mister Grant, tear down that wall!” Massey said as she laughed at her joke.
Mister Grant gave her a puzzled look as she handed him the crowbar and hammer. He began to tug at the old boards. The first board gave him a bit of trouble, but once it came away, the one beside it pried easily from the opening. They both looked deep into the hole.
“Oh, I think we’ve got something interesting here, Miss Massey,” Grant said as he pushed his head into the opening.
Massey tried to see past his shoulders into the dark space, but she couldn’t make out what was there. She gently pushed his shoulders to the side, and he turned to her smiling. He leaned back and gave enough room for Massey to place her head into the hole.
“What is that, Mister Grant? Is that a safe?” she asked excitedly.
“I believe it is,” he answered.
Taking the tools in his hands again, he began ripping away the remaining boards. When the entire small wall came down and the light from the attic windows beamed into the eave, a metal cabinet appeared. Massey couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Mrs. Purdue was right. There was an old safe in the house.
“We found it, Mister Grant! We’ve found the safe. Oh, my goodness, we’ve found the old safe!” Massey was beside herself.
She began to scoot on her bottom across the rough floor towards the safe. It was purposefully tucked deeply into the dark eave of the attic. It looked brand new. Massey didn’t see rust or fading on it anywhere. It could have been bought and placed there yesterday. She reached for the shiny handle and pulled. It turned, but the door wouldn’t open. She tried again, but it wasn’t going to give.
“You gotta have a combination or key, Miss Massey. It’s locked,” Mister Grant said
Massey turned and looked at him. She knew it was locked, but there was no combination and no key that she knew of.
“Can you break the lock?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“That’s solid steel, Miss Massey. Nobody can break into that thing. You’ll have to hire a locksmith or something,” he said as he made way for Massey to back out of the space.
“I’ve got to call Theo. We may have found Fort Knox!” she exclaimed as she reached for the phone in her pocket.
Massey was breathing so fast and her heart was racing so wildly by the time Theo answered she could hardly speak.
“Theo, you’re not going to believe this, we’ve found the safe! There’s a safe in that space behind those boards. I think it may be the safe Mrs. Purdue told me about. Can you believe it?” she said frantically.
“What’s in it?” Theo asked.
“We can’t open it, it’s locked.”
“What about all those keys the realtor gave us? Some of them are old. Do you think some of the keys might work?” Theo asked.
“Look for a keyhole, Mister Grant.” Massey said taking the phone from her ear.
Mister Grant and Massey searched the sides and front of the safe for any opening. There was none. He tried to pull the large steel box towards him, but it was too heavy.
“Theo, there’s a brass handle and a big combination dial and some sort of metal locking thing on the front, but no keyhole on the sides or the front. It’s too heavy to pull out and look on the back,” Massey said into the phone.
“Well, honey, calm down. I’m sure whatever was in that safe has long been removed. Why don’t you call a locksmith from town and see if they can open it for you if that’ll make you feel better,” Theo said.
Massey didn’t waste any time. As soon as Theo was off the phone, she ran down the stairs and found a local locksmith in the phone book. It would be tomorrow before he could make it over, and she felt that she would die waiting, but she had no choice.
Mister Grant was still trying to pull the safe away from the wall when she returned to the attic. He was using some of the old boards to try and pry the heavy steel box to one side. He strained and strained pushing and pulling, but it wouldn’t budge. He sat back against the eave and rested, looking up at Massey.
“It is just too heavy to move, but I don’t think there’s a keyhole anywhere on it anyway,” he said as he gathered the hammer and crowbar.
Massey bent down and looked into the low eave. She wondered what was inside the steel box. She read the gold lettering on the door.
“Linus Yale Jrs Patent Lock, Herrings and Ferrels”
She admired the gold embellished scrollwork against the black steel. It reminded her of the old cast iron wood burning stoves. At the very bottom was
the lettering, “Doctor J. Duseau” raised in the steel and leafed in gold. It was Joseph’s safe! Massey’s heart began to race again. Just as she stood to point the name out to Mister Grant, one of the thick pieces of lumber rose from the floor and flew into Mister Grant’s leg. He reached down and grabbed this calf grimacing.
“Did you kick that board? That really hurt,” he said as he raised his leg and rubbed.
Massey shook her head looking confused.
After picking up the board and stacking it neatly on the pile of like ones, he headed for the door with tools in hand. Noticing the baby bed on its side, he bent to pull it upright. Massey noticed the trouble he was having and went to help. The two of them were finally able to stand the iron bed back on its legs.
“That’s a heavy one too,” Mister Grant said as he stood looking at the elaborate ironwork.
Without another word, the two made their way downstairs, and Massey invited Mister Grant into the kitchen for leftover turkey and dressing. He didn’t argue; he had enjoyed every bite at the Thanksgiving party. He went into the downstairs bath and washed his hands, then walking back into the kitchen, removed his dingy work cap. He looked a bit uncomfortable when Massey asked him to have a seat at the kitchen table.
“I can take my plate out to the porch or barn and eat it there, Miss Massey,” he said as his face reddened.
“Don’t be silly, Mister Grant. You can sit right here and eat with me,” Massey said as she pulled his plate out of the microwave.
It was different than having Father Patrick there. Mister Grant seemed edgy and uncomfortable. He wasn’t one to make small talk, especially with a woman. Massey poured him a glass of iced tea, and refilled his plate twice more. He waited patiently as she reheated each helping. She was happy to have him help finish off the holiday leftovers. She had long finished her plate and was watching him when the phone rang.