by Ryan Field
A few minutes later, Avenir said, “Let’s go back to Oceanview. I don’t like kissing you this way in the parking lot of a bar. I want to kiss you in private, where there’s no one else but us.”
“I’d like check on Latte first, if that’s okay,” she said.
He smiled and hugged her harder. “Why don’t we just get him and bring him with us?”
She stepped back and held his hand. “I think he’d like that,” she said. “And you’re going to be very surprised at how much he really is like a human being. He’s always amazing me with new things.”
At first Sienna was worried that Latte wouldn’t know how to behave in a car. It was only a five-minute drive, but she didn’t want him to freak out. She didn’t have a pet carrier either, so she placed him in a box on the small rear shelf of the Mercedes convertible and pointed her finger. “Now you be good,” she said. “We’re going for a short ride.”
Latte sat in the box with his head held high and meowed twice. She almost thought he was trying to say, “Just drive, and don’t insult my intelligence.” Because when Avenir started the car and took off down the driveway, Latte just went down inside the box and crossed his two front paws.
When they opened the doors and got out of the car at Oceanview, Latte jumped out of the box and stood at Avenir’s ankles. “Is he safe?” Avenir asked. “I don’t want him running off and getting lost.”
Sienna laughed and said, “He’s fine. You’ll see.”
The little white kitten walked beside Avenir all the way to the front door. It looked as if Avenir were walking him on an invisible leash. Mavis was waiting for them. She took one look at Latte and pressed her hands together. “What a darling. I love kittens.”
“His name is Latte,” Sienna said. “I found him under the hood of my car earlier this month. And he hasn’t left my side since.”
“Well,” Mavis said, “There’s nice bowl of fresh cream waiting for him in the kitchen if that’s okay with you.”
When Mavis mentioned fresh cream, Latte scampered to her ankle and rubbed the top of his head up and down on her skin. Then he looked up at Sienna and meowed three times, as if he were trying to tell her he wanted the cream.
“It’s fine,” Sienna said. “I feed him dry, bland food, and he deserves a treat once in a while.”
While Mavis and Latte were in the kitchen, Sienna and Avenir went into the drawing room. Avenir told her about the strange things that had been happening in Oceanview, and she listened quietly. He told her about the west wing, and what he’d seen and heard the night he’d gone there alone. Avenir believed there were ghosts in the house, and he also believed they were trying to tell him something.
When he was finished, Sienna lowered her eyebrows and said, “This is a lot to absorb all at once. First I find out about you, and now you’re telling me there are ghosts in the house. The next thing you’ll tell me is that there are fairies in the garden and leprechauns under the boxwoods.”
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I’m not sure about fairies or leprechauns, but Mavis is a witch.”
She pressed her palm to her forehead and shook her head back and forth. “You’re joking.”
“Her powers aren’t very strong anymore,” he said, “But she’s been guarding me while I sleep for many years now.”
Sienna took a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay,” she said. “What do you think these ghosts are trying to tell you?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “But it has something to do with the hidden painting.” Then he crossed to a tall French armoire near the window and opened the double doors. He pulled a pile of papers off the shelf and brought it to the sofa where Sienna was sitting. He handed them to her and said, “Many years ago, I was in love with Adriana, your great-grandmother. But her family hated me. They thought I was too wild for her, because I was always getting into fights. And they wanted her to marry Ned Harrington.”
Sienna lifted the pages and read the title of the story. “Loving Daylight,” she said. “My mother used to tell me a story with the same title. I’d almost forgotten about it, I’ll bet it’s the same one. It wasn’t anything special; just a story about growing up on Mt. Desert Island, but it always put me to sleep.”
“Adriana wrote this story herself,” Avenir said. “She told me about it many years ago. It’s not about the story. She’s trying to let me know that she’s the one contacting me, and I believe it has something to do with the painting, the will, and your mother’s death.”
“Why can’t she just tell you?” Sienna said. “If it is Adriana’s ghost, then why doesn’t she just come right out and let you know.”
He smiled. “It doesn’t work that way. Ghosts can’t communicate with speech because they are on a different frequency than humans and other earthbound creatures like me. It was actually very difficult for her to even show me the short story.” He rubbed his jaw a few times and lowered his eyebrows. “How old were you when your mother died?”
She thought for a moment and said, “Four.”
“Where you in the room with her when she died?”
Sienna stood up and walked to the fireplace. “I don’t want to talk about that,” she said. She didn’t want to talk about it because she couldn’t remember anything about that day. She remembered everything else about her life, but that day was a complete blank.
“I know it’s painful, but you have to try to remember,” he said. “For your sake, and for your mother’s.”
Then Mavis bounded into the room with a tea tray. Latte loped by her side. When Latte saw the delicate, faded pages of Adriana’s story on the sofa, he jumped up on the cushion and rubbed his forehead on the first page.
Chapter Fifteen
Every year at Christmastime Glendale Harbor held a festival in the town square. It was one of those events, like the Memorial Day parade and the Easter Egg Hunt, that almost everyone in town attended. There was a large public gazebo in the center of the square that was tastefully decorated with red bows, pine garland, and little white lights. On both side of the gazebo, two tall blue spruce trees were lit with more white lights and each one had a twinkling star at the top. The shops were decorated in silver and gold; some had Christmas trees in their windows and other had displays of little New England villages. The traffic lights on Main Street were ornamented with wreaths and red bows, and the chamber of commerce supplied a huge assortment of homemade cookies and fresh, hot coffee.
Between seven and nine p.m., Santa Claus sat on a large gold throne in the center of the gazebo, where local children would sit on his lap and read off their toy lists. Cameras clicked and grandparents beamed with pride. Each child received a candy cane and a small plastic ornament.
After that, the town mayor stood on the steps of the gazebo and read the annual Christmas blessing. The word “blessing” was used for tradition. It wasn’t a religious ceremony and none of the town’s clergy participated. It was more like an inclusive message of inspiration, and it wouldn’t have been a bad idea at all if Robert LaFramboise didn’t take it so seriously. His speeches always sounded like he was campaigning for something, and his voice rose and fell like an amateur actor’s. He dropped his sentences and his inflection was off. But he smiled and plodded through as if he were rehearsing Shakespeare.
This was always done on a Sunday night in December, and almost all the locals in town went for at least a few minutes. Sienna was there with Jaydin and Avenir. She put a little red sweater on Latte and carried him in her arms. She knew that everyone in town would want to offer their condolences for Gretchen’s passing and she hated the attention. With Latte in her arms, Sienna knew that people would be more interested in the cute little white kitten in the red sweater than talking about Gretchen’s death. Jaydin couldn’t stay long, because he had to get back to the bar. Grace was working alone. But Avenir promised that he’d stay by Sienna’s side all night. This was his first Christmas in Glendale Harbor in many years, and he didn’t want to miss anything.
Someone changed the song on the sound system and “Silent Night” began to play in the background. Robert lifted his arms to silence the crowd. Sienna poked Avenir in the ribs and gave him a look. “He thinks he’s the Pope of Glendale Harbor,” she said. Avenir covered his lips with his hand and laughed.
When Robert adjusted the microphone and said, “Welcome to the annual Glendale Harbor Christmas Festival,” everyone became silent. Then he started speaking. His blessing lasted for almost forty-five minutes. The little girl he’d kissed fell asleep on the bottom step. Jaydin kept looking at his watch to see what time it was, and Avenir kept sighing and rocking on his feet. Even Latte yawned a few times. Then he snuggled into Sienna’s arm for a short nap.
At the end of the blessing, Robert descended from the gazebo and greeted the locals as if he were a rock star greeting his fans. He walked up to Kevin Orlowski, the police chief, and whispered something into his ear. Sienna watched Robert’s lips move, and she saw that he was staring at Jaydin while he spoke. She felt an uneasy tug in her stomach. She didn’t trust Robert LaFramboise and she knew he wasn’t happy about the fact that Larson and Jaydin had become best friends again. The only thing Robert LaFramboise liked better than money and power was controlling his son’s life.
Jaydin leaned into Sienna and said, “It’s after ten o’clock. I have to get back to the bar. People will start coming in now and Grace is alone.” Then he kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave.
But as he turned, the chief of police grabbed his arm and said, “I’m going to have to bring you in tonight. We’re officially calling Mickey’s death a murder. You’re the only suspect, and you can’t provide a solid alibi.”
Sienna handed Latte to Avenir and crossed toward them. “Are you arresting him?” She had a feeling that Robert was behind all this. She’d overheard Karla and Robert talking about how they didn’t like the fact that Larson and Jaydin had resumed their friendship. Robert was standing on the other side of the gazebo talking to the town’s librarian, but he kept looking over to see what was happening with Jaydin and the police chief. She reached for Kevin’s arm and said, “You know he didn’t kill Mickey. Jaydin doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
“Just calm down, Sienna,” Kevin said. “I’m taking him back for questioning.”
“What about the other murders on the Island? I thought they cleared him.” Avenir asked.
“We can’t be sure they are related,” Kevin said. His face was blank, without expression. “I’m concentrating on one murder at a time.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Sienna said, “All three of them died the same exact way, and you’re saying you don’t think they are related.” She shot Robert a nasty look and he turned away fast. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew he was behind this.
A small crowd started to gather around Jaydin and Kevin. People stepped back to see what was happening.
“If he could come up with an alibi,” Kevin said, “then he wouldn’t be a suspect. But since he can’t, he’s still the prime suspect and I have to bring him in. I’m only doing my job.”
Sienna knew that he was doing what Robert LaFramboise had forced him to do. Robert was a very powerful man, and everyone in town was afraid of him. She said to Jaydin, “Did anyone see you that night? You’ve got to remember exactly where you were and what you did.”
Jaydin frowned and stared down at the sidewalk. When he looked up again, Larson was standing by his side. He looked Larson in the eye and said, “Don’t say anything. I’ll be fine. I’ll go with him and he’ll ask me a few questions. It’s not a big thing.”
Sienna’s eye opened wider. She looked at Jaydin, and then at Larson.
Larson tilted his head and said, “He’s going to arrest you once you’re there. Don’t be a fool. I heard my father talking to him.” Then he looked at Robert and Karla. They’d moved closer and they weren’t smiling anymore. He squared his shoulders and said, “Jaydin has an alibi. He was with me that night. After the fight with Mickey, I was sitting in my car behind the bar and I watched him drive away in his truck. It was about one- thirty. I followed him to the end of the road and stopped him. I got out of my car and told him to follow me. Then we drove to Ellsworth and rented a cabin for the night. I paid with my credit card and I have all the receipts. And the night clerk at the desk can verify this. He’s the owner of the cabins. He knows us both well, because we’ve been regular customers of his for years.”
Sienna’s head went back and she blinked. She touched Jaydin’s shoulder and said, “Is this true?” She wasn’t sure whether she was stunned to hear that they’d been together in a cabin that night, or that they’d been going to the same cabin for years as lovers. She thought she knew everything about Jaydin.
He shrugged and nodded. “I was protecting Larson. I know how his parents feel about this sort of thing, and I didn’t want to cause him any problems.”
Avenir smiled and punched Larson in the arm. “Way to go, buddy,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”
Karla stepped forward and said, “This is ridiculous, Larson. Why on earth would you spend the night with him?” She wasn’t getting the entire picture yet. She probably thought it was like when they were children and Jaydin and Larson would sleep outside in a tent all night in the summertime.
Robert started to smile again. He slipped into full damage-control mode and waved at an old lady. Then he looked around the crowd and said to the police chief, “Just take Jaydin in right now and let’s continue with the festival. Don’t pay attention to my son. Larson is a good, loyal friend, and he’s only trying to protect Jaydin.”
“No,” Larson shouted. “I’m not trying to protect him. We spent that night together in that cabin, and Jaydin was terrified that Mickey would find out about us. We’ve spent many nights together in that cabin since we graduated from high school.” Then he put his arm around Jaydin and pulled him closer. And it wasn’t just one good buddy putting his arm around another.
When Karla saw Larson put his arm around Jaydin, she clutched her full-length mink coat and collapsed on the sidewalk. Robert stepped over her and pointed his finger in the police chief’s face. He shouted, “I’m telling you to take him in right now. Don’t listen to my son.” Then he lifted his fists and shouted, “I demand that you arrest him tonight.”
Kevin pressed his lips together and shook his head. Then he looked into Robert’s eyes and said, “I have to check this story out first. And if Larson is telling the truth, and the night clerk can corroborate his story, then Jaydin is no longer a suspect, and I still have a few unexplained deaths on my hands.”
Avenir was still smiling. He tapped Robert on the shoulder and said, “Lighten up, cousin. At least you know your son hasn’t been sleeping with a murderer all these years.”
Sienna gave Avenir a look and he stepped back. She knew Avenir thought all this was comical, but she wasn’t in the mood to laugh.
Robert looked at his son with scorn. He puckered his lips and for a moment it looked as if he was about to spit on the ground. Then he shook his head and said, “Go to the car righ
t now.”
While two men from town helped Karla to her feet, Larson looked into his father’s eyes and said, “I’m going with Jaydin.” Then he rested his palm on Jaydin’s shoulder and turned his back on Robert.
After that, the crowd broke up and everyone went off in different directions. They were murmuring and talking, looking over at their mayor and his wife. Robert pulled Karla by the elbow to their car and shoved her into the backseat. Then Robert jumped behind the steering wheel and sped away so fast the back tires of his Bentley squealed.
Sienna took Latte from Avenir’s arms and said, “I had no idea about Jaydin and
Larson. I knew they were always close friends, but I had no idea there was anything else going on between them.”
Avenir smiled. “I’m actually proud of my cousin,” he said. “At first I wasn’t too impressed with him, but after tonight I’ve gained a whole new opinion of him.” He rubbed his jaw and thought for a moment. “I’m shocked, but proud that he finally stood up to his parents and admitted that he and Jaydin are lovers.”
“Me too,” Sienna said. “And I’ve known Larson all his life.” She couldn’t wait to get Jaydin alone, so she could ask him detailed questions about his relationship with Larson. The thing she was most curious about was how long had they been sneaking around.
“Did you see the look on Robert’s face when Larson put his arm around Jaydin?” Avenir said. “And I thought they were going to have to carry poor Karla out in a stretcher.”
Sienna stopped walking and turned to face him. “I have to ask you a question,” she said. “Did you kill Mickey and the others?” She had to ask. “I never liked Mickey very much, but I never wanted to see him dead.”
Avenir lifted his arms and waved both hands. “It wasn’t me,” he said. “It was Bowen.”
“Bowen is a vampire, too?”
Avenir laughed. “You have no idea. He’s the one who created me.”