"How did you know it was hers?"
"I could tell by the unusual design. Spanish, I think originally, and worth a nice wad of money. Edie showed it to me once and I never forgot it. Turns out Terry did pawn it but he insisted that Edie told him to although she didn't remember. We just accepted it as a misunderstanding until all those bad checks turned up, and it became obvious it wasn't. Your dad had to chase him out, and I mean that literally."
A sharp pain arose in my chest. "How awful for Aunt Edie."
"She was a lovely lady. It was so cruel that Terry could prey on her like that."
"I've been cleaning the house and going through her things. Do you think Terry came back to steal something else?" I asked, knowing I had to direct the conversation towards Terry's objective.
"Probably. Edie collected a lot of lovely things from her travels," said Ellen. "And boxes upon boxes of who-knows-what is stored in the attic. If that scoundrel knew she died and the house was empty, he might think it was his last chance to grab whatever he could. Is that what happened?"
"It seems to be. Frank, do you remember who Terry hung out with back then? Did he have any close friends?"
"Oh, um, I don't think I paid too much attention to his social life. I only tended the garden a couple times a week so I wasn't there every day. He did have a few people over though. A couple of guys I remember looked shady. His brother came by once. Noah, wasn’t it?" I nodded and he continued, "Noah seemed okay. Hard to believe they were from the same parents. I think there was a girl too, although I never saw her. I heard him speaking to her on the phone a few times."
"How do you know it was a girl?" asked Ellen.
"No straight guy calls his buddy 'sweetheart'," he said with a laugh.
"Did you hear her name? Or did Terry ever mention if she was local?"
"Terry and I really didn't talk much, especially after that incident with the car. He made sure to keep out of my way. He knew I didn't think much of him."
"Then you wouldn't know if she came to the house?" I pressed.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't."
"What about after he left?" I asked, turning to Ellen. "Did anyone come looking for him?"
Ellen shook her head. "No, and if anyone did come looking for Terry, they would have been sent away. Your parents left explicit instructions about that."
"Did he take all his things?"
"Every last bag. Your parents hired me the same week and I made sure of it. There was no way your parents or I would let that man worm his way back into Edie's house again."
"Thanks for all your help," I said, rising. I was sure neither one was hiding anything and their concern for Edie's wellbeing was obvious. "I'm glad I came to see you."
"I hope you'll come by again. Perhaps I could visit you at the house sometime? If you don't think I'm being too nosy, I'm anxious to see what you've done with the place. It seems like a lot of work has been going on in a short amount of time."
"You're very welcome to drop by anytime," I said as they both rose and walked me to the door. "I'm sorry I had to ask so many questions about Terry but it's a mystery as to why he broke into my house."
"I'm sure it is. You should get an alarm system," said Ellen.
"It's in the works," I assured her.
"You know there was one thing," said Frank. "I just remembered one time on the phone, when Terry seemed to be speaking to his girlfriend, and he said something about 'remember when we were kids' before he mentioned meeting in the park. That has to mean she was a local girl. I know Terry grew up here."
"He did, but he, Noah, and their mom moved away when Terry and Noah were still in their teens. It could mean this park or the place where they moved to."
"I guess so but I thought I'd mention it anyway."
I thanked them again, and reminded Frank that I'd be grateful for his advice, and after both of them hugged me warmly, I walked back to The Blackberry Inn. I wasn't in any great hurry so I took my time to stroll home, admiring the pretty gardens and attractive houses as I passed them. Even though I tried to concentrate on admiring them, my thoughts soon drifted to Gwendolyn Cooper's offer and her mystery client. Nearly two hours later and it still seemed too suspicious. Someone was very keen to get into my house but why? If it were Terry's accomplice, did they fear I would find something priceless before they got a chance to lay their hands on it? Or was it really someone who wanted to snap up the house before it went on the open market and possibly risk a bidding war? I wasn't entirely sure of the house's true value but I knew houses like mine didn't come up for sale very often. When they did, they often brought in very large bids despite all the renovation work, which was factored in. Perhaps the client simply wanted a hell of a bargain. When I thought of it like that, I felt a little relieved. If someone had enough money to buy my house for cash this week, they didn't need to break into it and go treasure hunting!
I also made up my mind. I couldn't possibly accept the offer. Nate had the right of first refusal and I promised him that. I couldn't go back on my word. The only way I would turn aside his offer was if I intended to stay and live in it myself.
Arriving in front of the Inn, I stood on the sidewalk, looking up at it. The overgrown blackberry bushes were gone, leaving a dirt-strewn front yard. Looking past that, however, I could only admire the classic beauty of the house. Sure, the siding still needed fixing and so did the window but I viewed it as it once was. Magnificent.
If I sold the house, I would probably never get a chance to live in such a nice home as it was again. I would have to leave my family again too; and what would happen when my parents got old like Aunt Edie and needed my care? Sure, Tammy was around still but she had her husband and kids to think of first. And what about when I started a family? Would they barely know their grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins? I could not stop thinking about the wonderful time I had reconnecting with Tia, Danielle, and Melissa. Nate, too.
With a sudden pang, I realized again how much I missed him. Losing our friendship turned out to be a huge loss in my life. If I left Calendar, I might never see Nate again! That thought was heart-wrenchingly painful. Then I remembered what Danielle said about them. Obviously, he moved on. Why wouldn't he?
I walked into the house, delighted that there weren't any thorns to scratch and catch on my arms and stepped inside. "Mom? Dad?" I called.
Footsteps on the stairs made me look up and I saw Nate hurrying down. "They headed off about a half hour ago," he said. "They said to tell you to meet them at Tammy's for dinner."
"Oh, okay," I said as my phone began to ring. I reached for it, surprised to see Melissa calling.
"Hi!" she trilled cheerfully. "I have a little favor to ask."
"Yes?"
"You remember my sister-in-law, Ava?"
"Vaguely. Does she have red hair?" I asked.
"Yes, that's her. She lives a couple blocks from you too. Anyway, I just had coffee with her and she mentioned she's looking for a graphic designer to design a new logo or something like that for her website. I told her all about you and she wants to meet you."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes. She said to pass along her phone number and if you could call her, she'd really like to see your portfolio. I have no doubt she will want to hire you once she sees what you can do."
"Oh! That is so nice of you!"
"Pfft," snorted Melissa. "It's all part of my plan to keep you in town. You said you needed a job, I found you one! I'll text you her phone number and address."
"That's wonderful, thank you so much!" I hung up and a moment later, a text message pinged through with all the information.
"Sounds like good news," said Nate. He lingered in the entryway.
"That was Melissa. Her sister-in-law needs some web design work and she wants to meet."
"That's great! You got a job!" Nate picked me up and whirled me around, dropping me on my feet again as I giggled breathlessly.
"It's just a little job, nothing full ti
me and I don't even know what it will pay or if I'll get it at all, but working as a freelance graphic designer was something I've been thinking about doing."
"The garage would make a great studio. I could fit it out with drywall, put in a new floor and plenty of electric outlets and you could even meet your clients out there."
I held up a hand. "Whoa! That's racing ahead!"
Nate shrugged. "Just a thought. I was reading a magazine about this unused garage an artist in Seattle turned into a studio. It was amazing! All constructed from reclaimed materials. I can dig the magazine out if you need any inspiration."
Seattle. My heart plummeted. "Danielle said she ran into you in Seattle," I blurted.
"Danielle?" He frowned hard. "Oh yeah. That was a while back. I almost forgot about it."
"She said it was a very memorable weekend," I said, steeling myself. Instead of looking embarrassed or telling me to mind my own business, Nate appeared confused.
"We had a coffee. Not a memorable weekend at all," he said.
"You didn't spend the whole weekend together?" Now it was my turn to frown. I didn't even know why I was asking, or what the strange feeling inside me was. I felt sick and annoyed all at once.
"No! Like I said, we had a coffee and I only agreed to that because..." He stopped abruptly, staring at his feet.
"What?"
"Nothing. It doesn't matter. I should finish up for the day..."
I caught Nate's arm as he began to walk past. "What was it?" I pressed.
Nate sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, then repeated it, without looking at me. Finally, when I was ready to let go, he said, "I wanted to know about you. I asked how you were. If you ever asked about me and I thought Danielle would know. That's why I had a coffee with her when I ran into her."
"Nothing else?" I frowned.
"I don't know what Danielle implied but we all we had was a coffee and a brief conversation before I took off."
"Why were you asking about me? Because of Tia?" There was that feeling again. Green and sad.
"Tia? Tia and I email each other from time-to-time. Why would I ask about her?"
"Because you used to have a crush on her. Maybe you still do."
This time, Nate whirled around and I lost my grip on his arm. "Are you nuts? I just told you I wanted to ask about you. I didn’t miss them; I missed you. I've never had a crush on Tia although four of my buddies did. How could I crush on her when I was madly in love with you? And have been for years?"
"You... were in love with me?" I stammered. For years?
"You know I was!" Nate reached into his shirt and pulled out a chain from underneath. He pulled it out, showing me the ring suspended on it. "I can't bear to get rid of it even though you refused me," he continued, his face reddening. "Do you remember that day? I do! I’ve replayed it a million times in my head, wondering what I did wrong. That kiss we shared was the most passionate one I've ever had in my life. I told you I loved you and I wanted to marry you and you didn't want me, so you shut me out of your life."
"I waited years for you to show me any interest," I yelled back at him. "All through high school and college I waited for you but you never did! Not until the very day I was leaving town. I already landed a job and rented an apartment, and my new life was just about to start, and you chose that day to tell me you loved me?"
"I didn't want to lose you!"
"You should have thought of that years before! You asked me to marry you after one kiss!"
"It was a damned good kiss!" yelled Nate. "And I bought the ring before that kiss!"
"Nate Minoso, you were such a jerk!"
"That may be true, but I'm as head over heels in love with you now as I was that day," said Nate. Then he pulled me closer to him and kissed me like he'd been waiting a decade. And just like that first kiss, I kissed him back.
Chapter Eighteen
Tammy's house was loud with happy sounds. Looking around from my vantage point on the couch in the living room, I had to admit my twin sister did a beautiful job of decorating. She seemed to know just the right colors and furniture to use in every room. Framed photographs of her children lined the corridor walls, along with some beautiful family shots and her wedding photos. I leaned in to look at some of the framed photographs on the mantel and was surprised when I saw one of her and me. We looked about twelve years old, with our arms wrapped around each other as we both grinned fiercely at the camera.
"You've been very quiet," said Mom, appearing at my side. "Are you still thinking about that offer?"
"Mmm-hmm," I murmured even though the twenty-four-hour offer couldn't have been further from my mind. No, all I could think about was the wonderful kiss I shared with Nate. And the flood of passionate feelings I managed to ignore for much too long. Now I couldn’t conceive of the reason why I was so stubborn about staying away. Yes, Nate picked a bad time to declare his feelings for me back then, but why did I run away? Why didn't I call him and try to work something out? We could have had a long-distance relationship or he could have temporarily moved out to the city with me. We could have taken turns traveling back and forth on weekends. Why did I just run away when I loved him so much too?
If I sold the house, would I be running away again?
Nate knew I intended to repair the house before I sold it, so why did he kiss me again? Why did I return his delicious kisses if I truly planned to leave?
Of course, there was always the other option. This time, I could stay.
The dawning realization of how easy it could be if I wanted it to happen just about knocked the wind out of me. I didn't have to let Nate go, not for a second time. I could see where our friendship could go now. I had a beautiful house that I owned outright. I had my family and friends nearby. Thanks to Melissa, I might have even landed my first freelance job. Was it time to come home for good? All the signals seemed to be pointing to yes.
The only thing stopping me now was what might have been hidden in my house. If I could discover what it was, and solve Terry's murder, perhaps everything else would fall into place thereafter.
"Vanessa?"
"Yes, Mom?" I replied, trying, but failing to shake the thoughts away.
"I said your dad has talked about nothing else but that car since we left your house," said Mom.
"Really? Oh, that’s great! I said, still more than a little distracted.
"Aunt Vanessa's thinking about a boy," cooed my niece, Amelia, before she giggled.
"I am not!" I snipped. I rubbed her head, sending her hair flying.
"Mom said you get that look whenever you're thinking about a boy."
I flashed a glare at my sister. Tammy shrugged.
"Mom says you get that look whenever you're mad at her!" added Amelia.
This time, I laughed. "I have to get home soon. Thanks for entertaining me with your school project."
"Can I come over and visit soon? I love Great Aunt Edie's hou— I mean, your house."
"Sure you can," I replied without hesitation. The house needed the sounds of kids running through it again. "I found some kittens that you can play with too. I might need help finding them new homes if you like."
"Oooh!" Amelia's eyes widened. "Can I have one? Mom, can I have one?"
"Thanks," said Tammy, flashing me another look. This time, she softened. "I did say you could get a kitten if you learned to tie your shoelaces all by yourself."
"I will," said Amelia. "And Daddy is a vet so he can help me look after it."
"Thanks for dinner," I said to Tammy, giving her a brief hug.
"Anytime, although I suppose we won't see you again for months when you return to your exciting city life."
"I should visit you more often."
"Yes, you should. You have a niece and nephew who barely remember you," Tammy snipped. "I'm not sure I’ll bring them by the house while all this business is being sorted out but you are more than welcome to come here."
"I'd love to show them around and I'd appreciate A
melia's help with the kittens. They need kids to teach them how to be social and play," I said, making it up on the spot. We walked to the hallway and I looked back at my mom. She was sitting on the couch with my nephew, Joseph, snuggled up to her. Amelia was showing her the alphabet homework she and I just worked on and completed. It was a fun art assignment to decorate the letters of her name. Amelia came up with some creative ideas that I helped her expand. I never spent a whole lot of time with children but I found myself enjoying both the project and her company immensely. "I'm really sorry I haven't been around to see you more," I added.
"It hardly matters if you're not going to be around much in the future either," said Tammy. She crossed her arms and fixed me with a disappointed look. "How's it going at the house anyway? Mom and Dad said you've done a lot of work. I keep hearing things around town too. All they seem to talk about is the renovation."
"Why don't you come by and take a look?" I asked. "After seeing your beautifully appointed house, I'd really appreciate your advice."
Tammy frowned. "Really?"
"I'm surprised you're not a professional interior decorator," I told her. "I mean it, Tammy. You have a great sense of style. You could make a lot of money from this."
"I don't know. I used to be a deputy hotel manager until I gave it up to be at home for the kids. I wouldn't know how to retrain for a new career, much less, if I wanted to. It's not that easy being a working parent."
"The kids are older now. If you wanted to go back to work, it might not be so hard. Plus, you know Mom and Dad will always help out and I'm sure Grant's family will want to pitch in too."
"Yeah, I’m sure they will," said Tammy but she didn't look happy.
"Come by tomorrow and we can talk about it some more," I said. "It'll be nice to catch up."
"Sure," said Tammy. We hugged again, but it was too fragile and too brief to be a real hug. She waited in the doorway as I walked along the driveway and got into my car, which I parked at the curb. I waved as I drove off but Tammy simply turned away and closed the door.
Walking into The Blackberry Inn a few minutes later, I was suddenly aware of how cold and still it was compared to the levity, warmth and laughter of Tammy's house. For a moment, I was envious. I always thought I enjoyed my life but part of me wanted what she had. A husband to come home to, and children whom I had to drive to soccer practice and help with their homework, while my parents and sister dropped in for dinner or just to visit. If I left, I would never get that. It was pretty selfish, I admit, but I wanted it.
Alibi in April (Calendar Mysteries Book 4) Page 17