A Fatal Collection

by Mary Ellen Hughes

  “Back to the cottage,” Callie said. “Just for now, to be safe. The paperweight is from Glorious Glass, Duane Fletcher’s shop.”

  Jonathan nodded. “So you went over there. What did you think?”

  “He has an amazing array of glass items. Not so much with customers, at least while I was there.”

  “Here it is,” Tabitha said. She laid the opened catalogue in front of Jonathan to show him the photo of a horse-topped music box.

  “Yes, that’s it, and the price looks right. How soon do you think you can get it? My client needs it by Thursday.”

  “Let me give them a call. Maybe they can put a rush on it.”

  Callie watched her assistant, impressed once again with her efficiency. As Tabitha got on the phone, Jonathan turned back to Callie.

  “Any fallout from last night’s episode?”

  “No, everything’s been quiet. I’m assuming Elvin’s fine, especially after being treated to dinner by Brian.”

  “I may have been out of line suggesting that Elvin could have been your burglar. I was just concerned for your safety. I really don’t know the man, other than that he obviously has some problems.”

  The episode that Brian had shared came to mind, and Callie said, “He does, but I understand he’s been getting help. He’s trying hard.”

  “Does he have a job?”

  “He picks up odd jobs around Keepsake Cove. He did yard work for my aunt, and I hired him for that a few days ago. No real complaints, other than the loss of a few flowers, which are replaceable.”

  “Well, I could use some help right now. A small tree came down near my driveway, and I don’t have the time or inclination to deal with it myself. I’d like it cleared away. Does he do things like that?”

  “I think so. I can give you his number, if you like.”

  Jonathan nodded. “It’s not a huge job, but besides saving me some trouble, it would give me a chance to know the man better. I’d like to be more comfortable with the idea of him hanging around here.”

  Callie wrote down Elvin’s number, pleased that he’d get some work, though not sure how she felt about Jonathan feeling a need to look out for her. But it could be just a neighborly kind of concern, and getting to know and better understand Elvin had to be a good thing.

  “They can get it here by Tuesday,” Tabitha said, talking about the horse-themed music box. “That okay?”

  Jonathan said it was perfect, and she put the order through.

  After Jonathan had gone, Tabitha said, “Nice of him to bring you some business. And Elvin, too.”

  “So you heard that?”

  “Some. I was on hold for a while.”

  “Think Jonathan passes the Tarot card test?” Callie asked, half-jokingly.

  Tabitha frowned. “I don’t know. I could try to do a reading on him. It’s always harder, though, when the person’s not right there.”

  “I wasn’t there for the one you did on me.”

  “Yeah, well … ”

  Tabitha hesitated, prompting Callie to ask, “What?”

  “It’s just … you’re pretty transparent, Callie. Not necessarily to everyone. It might be just to me.”

  “Transparent?”

  “Uh-huh. It’s why I came right back here to work for you. I knew right away we’d get along. Our energy clicked.”

  “Energy?”

  “Right. But Jonathan Harman isn’t the same. I wouldn’t be able to do a decent reading without him being right there, helping.”

  “He’s not transparent?”

  “Oh, no,” Tabitha said, looking in the direction that Harman had gone. “Great customer and all that, but transparent? Uh-uh.”

  Callie considered asking Tabitha about other Keepsake Cove folks’ energy and transparency but decided to let it go. Tabitha looked at people one way, Callie another. It was probably best to keep them separate.

  Eighteen

  On her way to grab lunch at the Keepsake Café, Callie ran into Delia coming out of the café carrying a wrapped sandwich and drink. “Thursday special,” she told Callie. “Veggie sandwich on nut bread. My favorite.”

  “Sounds good,” Callie said. She realized that Delia, who ran her shop on her own, couldn’t leave it for any length of time and therefore ate her lunches alone. “I’m just heading in to pick up something. Would you like company?”

  “I’d love it.”

  “See you in a minute.” Callie jogged across the street and was glad to see Annie at the counter when she entered.

  “Hey there, music box maven,” Annie greeted her. “Great to see you. What can I get you?”

  Callie ordered the Thursday special to go, then took a seat as Annie passed the order on to Brian in the kitchen.

  “Ready in a minute,” Annie said. “Got your stuff all organized and put away?”

  Callie laughed at the idea. “Not even close. But I’m working at it when I can.”

  “Yeah, I heard about the trouble you had that night. Sorry about it.”

  “Thanks. It could have been worse.” Sure that Annie knew the details through Brian, Callie moved on to ask about Annie’s family. “Kids still in school?”

  “One week to go. With this warm weather they’ve been champing at the bit, probably driving their teachers insane. We’re taking them on a bike ride tomorrow to work off some of that energy. Hey, why don’t you come with us?”

  Brian appeared then, with Callie’s sandwich wrapped neatly in foil. “Come where?” he asked.

  “The bike ride. Brian’s coming and bringing all the food, right, Brian? We’re going after the shops are closed, when it’ll be cooler. Come along. It’ll be fun!”

  “Um … ” Callie said, feeling a bit blindsided though she did like the idea of going with a group. Brian’s reaction seemed encouraging. “I’d have to get a bike,” she said.

  “No problem,” Annie said. “We’ll scrounge one up for you. Great! Brian will pick you up right after closing and bring you over to our place, right, Brian?”

  “Nice of you to let me get a word in, sis. Are you sure you want to go, Callie? Love to have you, but don’t let Annie here bulldoze you.”

  “No, it really does sound like fun. I could use some exercise, and I’d love to meet your family, Annie.”

  That settled, Callie paid for her sandwich and an iced tea and headed over to Shake It Up!, a smile on her face as she anticipated the excursion.

  Delia was just finishing with a customer as Callie arrived. She pulled up an extra chair behind her counter for Callie.

  “Business always seems to pick up when I’m ready for a break,” she said, spreading out her brightly colored maxi skirt as she sat. “Let’s hope we’ll have a few minutes to ourselves.”

  “Have you always run the place on your own?” Callie asked, opening up her sandwich packet. Annie had added paper napkins to her bag, and she spread one out on her lap.

  “Pretty much. I’ve hired an occasional helper—college kids on summer breaks, mostly. But there was a definite lack of enthusiasm, other than for their paycheck, and by the time they learned enough to be a real help they were heading back to school.”

  “Tabitha’s been a Godsend for me.” Callie bit into her veggie sandwich, her eyes lighting up as she chewed. “This is great,” she said after a few moments.

  “I knew you’d like it.” Delia took a sip of her drink, then said, “Tabitha’s a gem. If she had a clone, I’d hire her in a flash.”

  “She thinks I’m transparent.”

  Delia smiled. “That’s probably Tabitha-speak for she likes you.”

  “I met Orlena Martin yesterday. Nice lady.”

  Delia, her mouth full, nodded.

  “She got a little mysterious at one point, though.”

  “Mysterious?”

  “She was live
ly and outgoing until the subject of Duane Fletcher came up. Then she suddenly clammed up. It was like she knew something but wasn’t willing to talk about it.”

  “I don’t know what in the world she would know that she couldn’t say out loud,” Delia said. “I wouldn’t take it seriously. There’s been too much innuendo going around about Duane, in my opinion.”

  “I stopped in his shop yesterday,” Callie said, wiping her mouth with one of her paper napkins.

  “Oh?”

  “Just trying to get to know as much of Keepsake Cove as I can. While I was there, Duane was on the phone. He seemed to be making plans for a cruise.”

  “He loves to travel.”

  “I didn’t remember him being at Aunt Mel’s funeral. Was he away then?”

  “Not on the day of the funeral. But he’d been gone for a few days and came back with a bad cold. He told me he didn’t want to spread it around, so he stayed home.”

  “‘Gone’? Like, on another cruise?”

  “No, this was work-related. A glass arts show in Baltimore. He took a booth. It’s good advertising for his shop.”

  “When I was at Glorious Glass, I didn’t see any help. Does Duane close up when he’s away?”

  “He does,” Delia said. “It’s one reason I don’t do collectible shows. Or take many vacations, either. When I do take one, it’s during our slow period in January. I guess Duane can afford to close up shop more than I can.”

  Callie nodded noncommittally but wondered about the “affording” part. Delia didn’t seem to question it, unlike Laurie Hart or Howard Graham, who were quick to consider pilfering. But Callie thought she’d picked up a look on Delia’s face and a tone in her voice when she talked about Duane that hinted at feelings beyond neighborly ones for a fellow shopkeeper. She also remembered Delia’s response the morning after the association meeting, when Callie had unintentionally implied romantic interest in Duane. Delia had seemed worried, and then relieved when Callie corrected that. Callie could understand the attraction, but she hoped Delia wasn’t mistaking Duane’s charm for reciprocal interest on his part. Duane, she suspected, turned on his charisma to one and all, and if it turned out that he misled or hurt the dear, sweet woman next door by doing that, Callie would be very upset with him.

  A customer came in, and Delia got up to wait on her. As she did, Callie considered what she’d learned: that most likely, Duane had been away on the night of Aunt Mel’s death. Did that eliminate him from suspicion? Not necessarily, but she’d see what she could find online about the glass show.

  •

  Her first chance to do so came that evening. With her after-dinner coffee in hand, Callie started a search on her laptop for the show Duane claimed to have participated in. She found Glass Arts, Baltimore, an annual event that had taken place the day of and the day after Aunt Mel’s death. She clicked on the exhibitors list, which was extensive since the show had taken place at the huge Baltimore Convention Center, and found Glorious Glass listed. So Duane had apparently been there.

  However, the show’s hours were 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The medical examiner had given the time of Aunt Mel’s death as between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. Callie wasn’t that familiar with Maryland roads, but she quickly learned through the online maps that there was more than enough time for Duane to have driven from Baltimore to Keepsake Cove to be at the shop during that time frame.

  That didn’t prove that he’d done so, of course. But it didn’t eliminate him, either. Callie tucked that information away for the time being, to be called up if needed.

  •

  At midday the next day, Callie had left House of Melody in Tabitha’s capable hands to explore Keepsake Cove a little more when she spotted Elvin in the distance. She skipped several shops she’d intended to visit in order to catch up with him. As she approached, she saw he’d been unloading boxes from a van parked in front of Stitches Thru Time, the vintage sewing shop whose owner, the older woman named Dorothy Ashby, she’d talked with at the association meeting.

  “Thank you, Elvin,” Dorothy said as she handed him what Callie assumed was payment along with a tall glass of ice water. Seeing Callie, Dorothy greeted her but then hurried back into her shop to answer a ringing phone.

  Elvin pulled out a raggedy handkerchief to wipe his face before taking a thirsty swallow of his water.

  “Hot day for this kind of work,” Callie said.

  He nodded, holding the cold glass against his reddened face. “Hot yesterday, too, for cutting up a tree.”

  “At Jonathan Harman’s?”

  Elvin nodded. “But he called me into his house to cool off a couple of times.”

  “That’s good,” Callie said, glad to hear Jonathan had given Elvin the job. She wondered what Jonathan’s house was like and was only able to imagine a vague structure surrounded by greenery.

  “He has a lot of music boxes,” Elvin said, which made Callie smile, knowing she should have automatically put that into her picture. She thought of her speculations about Elvin after Brian told her about the harassing incident. Though she still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of this man as a thief or worse, she couldn’t let herself totally dismiss it.

  “I know Jonathan collects music boxes. Do you like … ?” she started to ask, but Elvin interrupted her.

  “He talks a lot. I have to go back again to finish the job. I could have finished it yesterday if he’d let me.”

  Callie knew Jonathan wanted to get to know Elvin and wondered how much success he’d had. She could picture Elvin scowling, as he was now, struggling to be polite but unhappy with the loss of time.

  “Will that be a problem?” she asked. “Did you have another job lined up?”

  Elvin shook his head. “I can do it. It’s just … ” He stopped, looking puzzled, then shook his head again. He lifted his glass and drained the last of his water as Dorothy came back outside. As he handed the empty tumbler to her, he suddenly turned to Callie and asked, “Why?”

  Surprised, Callie hesitated, unsure exactly what he was asking. She was saved from answering as Dorothy chatted about more deliveries expected and her plan to call Elvin back to help. She also remembered she’d wanted his help reaching something for her and pulled him into the shop. Callie moved on, still wondering what Elvin had wanted to know. Something to do with Jonathan and their conversation? But she thought she’d seen a fleeting look of anxiety in Elvin’s eyes, which brought up her own question: Why?

  Nineteen

  Callie closed up House of Melody a few minutes early that evening, less worried about missing one last sale than she was about the upcoming excursion with Brian, Annie, and Annie’s family. She’d realized—too late—that she’d never ridden a bicycle any farther than around her old neighborhood and was having second thoughts about what she’d gotten herself into. Annie’s enthusiasm had been infectious, pulling Callie into believing she’d love the outing. But now she pictured herself sweating and panting as she struggled to keep up with a group of experienced riders, all throwing pitying glances her way as Annie shushed her boys’ plaintive questions about why they’d brought along this straggler.

  At the cottage, she hurriedly fed Jagger, then changed out of her skirt and blouse into shorts and a tee. Sturdy footwear, she realized, would be a good idea, and she dug around her still-disorganized closet until she found the matching left and right shoes of a pair of Reeboks. Sunlight streaming brightly through her window reminded her about sunscreen, and she slathered some on, then found an old baseball cap to plop on her head. Just in time, it turned out, as her doorbell rang. She trotted down the stairs.

  As she opened the door, she saw to her relief that Brian was dressed as casually as she was—no serious-looking compression shorts, goggles, or padding. Maybe she’d be able to keep up after all. “Should I bring a water bottle?” she asked, having just thought of it.

  “If you want,
but we’ll have plenty of water with us,” he said. “Annie will have an extra bike helmet, too,” he said, “so you might want to ditch the cap. Especially,” he added, “since it’s a Pirates hat. You’ll be riding with a bunch of Orioles fans.”

  “Good point,” Callie said, grinning as she snatched it off. She couldn’t even remember how she’d acquired the hat. Possibly Hank had gotten it for her—a good enough reason to ditch it for good.

  The top of Brian’s antique red Impala was down, and as they climbed in he mentioned that Annie’s place was just a short drive out of town. Callie saw a large cooler in the back and asked how they were going to manage to carry the food.

  “We’ll divide it up with everyone. No problem,” he said, and Callie leaned back in her seat and buckled up, feeling more and more comfortable about the excursion ahead.

  “How old are Annie’s boys, by the way?”

  “Justin’s ten and Ben just turned eight. We’ll probably be taking it easy so he can keep up,” he said, which Callie thought was excellent news. “We’re going to bike over to the cove. There’s an area with picnic tables where we can stop to eat. Have you been to the cove?”

  “I’ve hardly been anywhere yet,” Callie said. “I’ll love seeing the spot that Keepsake Cove is named after.”

  “Keepsake Cove named itself as the shops appeared. The cove itself is just the cove,” he said, raising his voice as the car picked up speed and air whooshed around them. “The Eastern Shore is riddled with them. It’s a wonder that it manages to hold together with all the coves, creeks, and rivers that wind through it.”

  “I remember you said the whole Eastern Shore was pretty flat. No hills to pedal up.”

  Brian glanced over, seeming surprised that his comment had stayed with her. “No hills to coast down, either,” he warned.

  “That’s okay,” Callie said. She was enjoying the feel of the wind blowing her hair. “Ben and I will be just as happy to poke along.” She lifted her face to the sun. It felt wonderful to be out.