Changing Tides

by Veronica Mixon

  Nathan rapped his pen on the table a couple of times. “How much smaller?” His expression reminded me of one used by a husband grilling a cheating wife.

  Mom shrugged. “Three karats, maybe.”

  “Jesus.” My surprise echoed before I could stop myself. I tried to reconcile priceless jewels kept in a box in the library. The idea failed. Mom had a bank safe-deposit box and a home safe.

  A phone chirped, Nathan removed his cell from his pocket, scanned the screen, and slid it back. “What’s your estimate on the value of the jewelry?”

  “I’ve no idea.” Mom rose, walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. She swallowed a deep gulp without offering any refreshments to the group. Very un-Roslyn.

  “How about the insurance value?” Nathan asked.

  “They weren’t insured.” She took her seat and chugged the rest of her water like God’s nectar.

  I swallowed dry spit. Seven karats of blue diamonds not insured and not in the safe.

  Erica and Nathan turned to me in unison, as if it were up to me to explain my mother’s illogical decision to leave valuables uninsured.

  I searched and quickly discarded a handful of plausible explanations. I shrugged. I didn’t think it was the answer they were hoping for.

  “The robbers were probably startled.” Mom jumped at the sound of Cedar’s voice. No easy feat reining in forty-year courtroom vocals. “They probably just grabbed the box and ran. Had no idea what was inside.” Until now, Cedar had been uncharacteristically quiet. If that was all he had in his arsenal, he should stay that way.

  Nathan checked his notes. “What about the letters? Something special about them?”

  Mom dismissed the question with a “tsk.” “They were letters from years ago. Mementos of my youth. I not sure why I kept them.”

  “What kind of box was it?” Erica’s voice as terse and commanding as her boss’s.

  Mom graced her with the same look she’d given us when at seventeen we’d tried sneaking in at one o’clock in the morning using an empty gas tank as our cover.

  Kudos to Erica. She didn’t flinch.

  Mom’s coloring was pale, and her perfectly applied blush had turned into two rosy circles. She turned to Nathan. “The box was Chinese.”

  “Expensive?” Nathan nodded as if he knew.

  “It was a gift.”

  Mom had an extensive list of art and jewelry in the safe, along with appraisals of each piece. The knot in my stomach grew to a blazing baseball. Tension, like sound waves, swam in the air.

  “All your other jewelry is insured?”

  Mom met Parsi’s gaze. “This is very tiring. I might remind you that what items I chose to insure is my business, not the police, or whatever you are.” Now there was the woman I knew. And she was right; this was none of Parsi or Erica’s business. Unless Mom filed a bogus insurance claim, whether the blue diamonds were insured or not was a non-issue for the police.

  I slid into a chair beside Mom and took her hands in mine. “Is there anything you need from the house before we head out?”

  She took back her hand. “No. I’m ready to leave.”

  “Sirs.” A uniformed officer stepped into the kitchen. “Can I have a word?” Erica and Nathan joined him in the hallway. Their mumbling filtered through the door, and I overheard the officer say the forensic team was packing it in.

  My phone vibrated, and I glanced at the message. “My assistant’s on her way back with Owen. There’s nothing more to do here.”

  “I packed last night, thinking we’d be staying here for a while.” Mom’s words trailed off, and she massaged her temples.

  “Spartina’s only an hour away. I’ll drive over and pick up your suitcase.” I rose and searched the cabinets for aspirin.

  “I was planning to visit your Uncle Stanley’s beach house in Florida for a few weeks. I’ll go early and take Owen. You can meet us there.”

  I opened the container and shook two pills into her hand, gave her another bottle of water.

  “Thanks.” She dutifully downed the pills.

  “Going to your brother’s only works if he agrees to accompany you,” Cedar said. “I don’t want you and the boy alone in a beach house in the middle of nowhere.”

  How had Cedar slipped into our familial picture without me realizing? “I agree. I’d feel better if Uncle Stanley was at the house.” I knew my irritation at Cedar was misplaced and refused to give it weight.

  “Good grief.” Mom blew her exasperation. “Stanley has a full staff. We’ll be fine.” She closed her eyes for a moment, as if collecting herself. Roslyn disliked weak women and resented being treated as one. She patted my hand. “I’ll ask Stanley to join us if it’ll make you both feel better.”

  After Adam died, Owen and I spent a week with Mom at my uncle’s beach house. Owen fell in love with Uncle Stanley’s three horses and mentioned returning more than once. I was sure he’d go with Mom without a fuss, especially if we scheduled a few riding lessons. “Clear it with Uncle Stanley, and I’ll book NetJets to fly out of Savannah tonight.”

  “No need.” Cedar checked his calendar on his phone. “I don’t have to be in court until early afternoon. I’d rather drive them down.”

  Mom gripped my hand. “Promise me you’ll come to Florida tomorrow.”

  Her urgency surprised me. “I have appointments in Charleston tomorrow, but I should be able to get away in a couple of days.”

  “You could work from Florida.”

  “With Joseph on vacation, work’s piling up.” If I was lucky, and I worked eighteen-hour days, waded through the pile of anemic appraisals, and wrapped up the loose ends on the debt restructuring deal, I could leave in two days. “Wednesday’s the best I can do.”

  “I mean it, Kate. I want us all together until this is over.” Mom’s eyes stayed wary a moment longer, then she nodded a quick little snap. “Wednesday, then.” Clinging wasn’t my mother’s style, but she melded into Cedar’s side. I wasn’t sure what was happening between them, but they seemed devoted. Mom didn’t buy into the new share-all-social-media-mind-set, but not telling me of her new relationship with Cedar was surprising.

  I had a quick mental debate, considered pushing everything on my calendar and going with them. But I was slammed. No time for impromptu trips to Florida or break-ins or drug deals or federal marshals or a backstabbing DEA agent. “Great. That’s settled.”

  My sense of ease lasted for the sixty seconds it took to walk into the library.

  “No.” Erica slammed her hand on Mom’s desk. “Everything is not settled.” Plumes of fingerprint dust billowed in the air. “I don’t care what Nathan said. The safe house is manned and sitting on ready. It’s the safest option.”

  “Mom and Owen are going to my Uncle Stanley’s.” I looked around for Parsi, but he’d disappeared. Other than annoyance, Erica’s temper tantrum hardly mattered.

  “Nope. No deal.” Erica began tapping keys on her phone. “You’ll have to trust my way is best.”

  Everything inside me went quiet and still. Our past simmered in the ten feet between us. “Trust you? Never. Again.” My hands curled at my sides. “I don’t need your permission, Erica. Telling you is simply a courtesy. Mom and Owen are leaving within the hour. Deal with it.”

  Erica snarled a low animalistic growl. That was new.

  I swept past her and headed for the door.

  “It’s your family,” she said. “If you don’t care about Owen’s safety, nothing I can do about it.”

  I turned back.

  “Wait.” Parsi stood in the doorway.

  Desire to inflict pain must’ve been plastered across my face, because he pushed past me and gave Erica a look that even I understood to be an ultimatum.

  “Okay.” Erica scanned the room as if she could see our past plastered on the green and burgundy striped wallpaper. “At least let our agents drive Roslyn and Owen down.”

  “Uncle Cedar’s already volunteered.”

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p; “We’ll need the address.” Parsi palmed his phone. When I didn’t respond, he added. “Come on, Kate.”

  His chide sent a stubborn streak up my spine.

  He lowered his chin. “We don’t know the who, what, or why of this break-in. Erica’s right. Don’t take a chance on the safety of your family. I’ll assign a security detail.”

  Erica slipped her phone onto the clip on her belt. “Calvin’s gone under. Until we know the full picture, you’d be smart to agree to protection.”

  “I’ve got a two-man detail ready to roll,” Nathan said. “They’ll follow your family down to Florida. But there’s a good chance Calvin will be contacting you, and you should be ready to talk him into surrendering.”

  The only thing they cared about or wanted from me was Calvin. Everything else was a smoke screen.

  “You hear from Cal, and I better be the next call you make.” Erica stopped riffling through the papers in Cal’s briefcase long enough to point her finger in my direction. “If I have to chase him, he’ll be sorry.”

  My desire to jump in and protect my cousin’s legal rights had waned, but I rolled my eyes, lifted my chin, and tried my best to pretend her threat hadn’t sent my heart thumping. I couldn’t wrap my head around Calvin’s new home having bars. I had to find a way to save Cal and keep our family name out of the news. Calvin wasn’t the only one walking a thin line. Without this debt restructure, we’d all be facing financial ruin.

  How did my life get so screwed up so fast?

  Owen flew into the room. “Aunt Erica!”

  To her credit, Erica managed to catch him midair and remain upright. She wrapped her arms around him, shut her eyes, and held tight.

  The air in the room evaporated. I couldn’t take a breath.

  Owen’s chatter registered in muted tones as if he were miles away. For his sake, I forced on a mask of humored indulgence and pretended each happy giggle didn’t squeeze the vice crushing my heart.

  Chapter Ten

  Cedar poked his head around the library door, spotted Owen with his legs wrapped around Erica’s waist, and frowned. Suddenly, I felt much warmer toward Mom’s new significant other.

  “Kate, may I see you a moment?” He waved for me to join him.

  More than willing to take my leave from the happy reunion, I followed him into the hall.

  He grabbed my elbow and led me to the far window overlooking the garden. A cardinal bathing in the top bowl of a three-tiered fountain caught my eye. I made a mental note to check the bird feeders before we left.

  “Roslyn filled me in on your late-night visit.” He kept his voice low, his eyes glued on Parsi standing in the foyer, talking to a couple of uniformed officers.

  Cedar leaned close to my ear. “Marshal Parsi’s request to use Spartina as a base isn’t anything to take lightly.”

  My focus of concern at the moment was shipping Owen off to safety. “Agent Parsi bunking in the guesthouse is a moot point since I’ve already agreed.”

  Displeasure slipped over Cedar’s body like an overcoat.

  I wanted to ask why he thought it a big deal, but Owen’s giggles from the library caught my attention and drowned my curiosity. I wanted Mom and Owen on the road to Florida. Now. “When I agreed to give the marshal access to Spartina, Owen and I were planning to stay here with Mom.” I tuned out the giggles. “I have an appointment tomorrow with the Charleston appraiser. If his appraisals on the South Carolina warehouses are close to accurate, our company financials are on the brink of ruin. And I can’t rationalize the monthly rental incomes derived from the units if they’re all in the physical conditions stated on the five appraisals I’ve received. Joseph might be able to offer an explanation, but he hasn’t returned any of my messages.”

  A streak of confusion crossed Cedar’s face. Or maybe it was surprise or concern. It vanished so quickly I was left wondering if it was my imagination.

  Nathan walked past and paused at the library door. “Let’s roll.”

  Erica and Owen walked out of the library hand in hand. I smiled. I refused to concede her relationship with my son bothered me.

  Owen saw me and bounced forward. “Mom, can I ride home with Aunt Erica?”

  I kept my smile unbroken. “Erica’s working, honey.” Astounding how normal a voice sounded through clenched teeth. “Why don’t you find Nana? I think she’s in the kitchen.”

  Cedar, bless him, took Owen by the hand and headed down the hall.

  I followed Nathan and Erica to the door. “I’ll meet you at the guest house in an hour. Keys are under the mat. Make yourself at home.” I locked the door behind them, checked the living room French doors, and met the group in the kitchen.

  Mom reset the alarm and we left by the back entrance. We agreed to meet at Spartina, and Cedar and Mom headed for his Mercedes parked on the side street. Owen and I found the birdseed in the garage, filled both garden feeders, and then headed out.

  Navigating mid-afternoon traffic, while not as harrowing as the five o’clock gridlock, still creeped. We crawled behind a trolley car for three blocks. After peeling off Abercorn Street and catching every red light, I couldn’t put off discussing the Florida trip any longer.

  Owen hadn’t spent a night away from me in the two months since Adam’s death. He’d accepted an overnight invitation from his Aunt Vivienne before we moved to Georgia, but a midnight phone call ended that visit. He wasn’t clingy and barely tolerated my efforts to cuddle or hug. He seemed to just want me nearby. The therapist assured me his reaction was typical after losing a parent. I didn’t mind; his need for me filled a place in my heart that had been empty for a long time.

  I tapped his shoulder, interrupted his video game, and motioned for him to remove his ear buds. “Nana’s going to visit Uncle Stanley for a few days.”

  “Can we go?” His face was a canvas of excitement. “We could go horseback riding on the beach again.”

  I feigned consideration. “She’s leaving tonight, but I have to finish up some boring work stuff. You could go down with Nana, and I’ll join you in a couple of days.” I kept my gaze straight ahead, but I could sense him pull back.

  He stuck his ear buds in his ears and went back to his game. I gave him time to process the idea. We made the turn into Spartina’s drive, I tapped him on the shoulder and waited for him to remove his earbuds. “You’ll need to grab your riding boots out of the mud room if you want to go with Nana.”

  He opened the door but didn’t leave his seat. “If I go, will you call me every day? And promise you won’t forget?”

  I leaned over the seat and took his face in my hands. “Forget you? Never. And you can text me or call if you get lonely. I promise to be there in two days.”

  “Okay.” He beamed a full out grin. “We can ride on the beach when you come. But I call Champ.”

  “Champ?” Champ was a sixteen-hand, eight-year-old gelding, full of himself and not the easiest of rides even for an experienced equestrian. “Maybe you could start with Beauty or Roman, leave Champ for next year after you’ve had a few lessons.” I wasn’t worried. My uncle, the proverbial mother hen, would never allow Owen to ride Champ alone.

  Mom and Cedar rolled out the luggage Mom had stacked by the back door and offered a pit stop at McDonald’s. Owen barely stayed in place long enough for a hug goodbye.

  In less than three hours, my family would be tucked safely away at my uncle’s beach house. Owen would be happier than he’d been since we’d moved from Orlando. Whatever Cal was into, staying on decent terms with Parsi was the smart move if I wanted to keep my cousin out of jail and our family name out of the papers. A good place to begin our understanding would be a friendly tour of the estate.

  I walked the short path to the garage, climbed a flight of stairs, and rapped on the door before stepping inside the guest apartment.

  Erica leaned against the counter in the galley kitchen, smiling, joking, and completely at ease with Nathan and a group of five men who could all sub for an elite team o
f Navy SEALs.

  A laptop sat on the bar separating the common area from the kitchen. One of the men tapped on the keyboard. He made a comment I didn’t catch and pointed to the screen. Conversation ceased, and all eyes turned to the computer.

  “Hey, Kate.” Nathan threaded his way through his men. He didn’t introduce them, and none looked up.

  “Let’s get started.” He walked past me and opened the door.

  Curious, I stepped behind the guy manning the computer. It took a second for me to recognize the screenshot was an overhead of Spartina and Barry Island. It looked similar to the Google Earth shot I’d pulled up the previous week for Owen.

  “Kate.” Nathan gestured through the open doorframe.

  I took one last look and joined Nathan. “From here it’ll be quicker to head north, past the stables, and circle back around,” I said.

  He nodded, and we descended the stairs and walked down the gravel path leading to the barn.

  The sun had set, but I’d purposely left the flashlight behind. The quicker the tour ended, the sooner I’d be on the road to Charleston. “Our barn’s twelve stalls with two tack rooms. Another small two-bedroom apartment is overhead. Our caretaker’s cottage is north of the stables, and we have a gardener’s cottage farther down.”

  Nathan’s sudden laugh had a condescending ring, but it was dark and I couldn’t see his face.

  “Something funny?” I asked.

  “You ever notice the wealthy say ‘we’ and ‘our’ when they mean ‘I’ and ‘my’? You have stables, a caretaker, and gardener’s cottage. There is no ‘we.’ ” He air-quoted “we.”

  “At present, all the buildings and cottages are empty, except one home for my caretaker.” I air-quoted “my.” I turned right and began walking down the road to the main house.

  He pointed to the open pasture. “Mind if we take a fast trip through the stables?”

  “Barn’s empty. I don’t have horses or livestock.”

  “I’d still like a quick pass.”

  We walked side by side through the pasture in silence. Nathan used the flashlight on his cell, and I opened the paddock gate. Our arms bumped, and I jumped as if something had bitten me. He grabbed my elbow, and I could swear I heard him grin. I made a point of readjusting my blouse and he dropped his hand to his side.