“Mother,” he called. “Come to me. We’ll help you get down. We have to hurry.”
“No,” she said, her voice wavering. “Promise me you’ll stay up here with me. They’ll take us away. Me to that terrible place where the nuns beat girls who have lost their reputaions, and you… They’ll give you to some other woman to raise.” She screamed out suddenly, “You’re mine! I’ve given up everything for you!”
“So have I,” Mr. Candlewick shouted back. “How many years have I wasted in this house, creeping through that nasty tunnel to bring you food? I should have had a family, too!”
Leander was almost beside the woman, but she didn’t seem to see him. The smoke was curling up under the eaves now. Kitty could hear sirens in the distance.
“What’s happening?” Jorge asked, and Kitty jumped at the sound of his voice.
“I don’t know. The house is on fire and…” She gestured upward.
“Dios mio,” he whispered. “There is no way they can get down now. Look at the windows.”
The curtains on every floor were darkened with smoke and Kitty could see the flames licking at the fabric.
She swallowed hard, trying to think of something useful to do other than stand three floors below and stare upward in horror. “The houses are so close. We need to get everyone out and into the driveway for safety.”
“They’re up. I’ll go make sure they move far away,” he said.
“Mother, please come down.” Mr. Candlewick was beside Leander and they both stretched out their hands to her.
“I remember the day you were born,” she said, her voice carrying clearly down to Kitty. “You’ll be seventy-four tomorrow. My beautiful boy. I took a long swim at night to help with the pains, then Eliza helped deliver you. So long, so long I labored. I couldn’t make a sound.”
Kitty looked out at the luminaria on the pier and the pieces began to fall into place.
“I knew they would take you. His family would never let you stay with me.” She shook her head, glanced down. Something caught her eye and she screamed. “He’s here! He’s going to take you away from me!”
“No, mother. Nobody is here.”
“There!” She pointed somewhere near the driveway. “I always knew he would come back. I will never let him take you away!”
Kitty pushed back through the hedge and ran to the driveway. The whole house was gathered there. Mrs. Estornell, Penny and Elaine, Toto and Jack, Luisa and her husband and children, the Webers, and many more were streaming up the lawn from the bigger house near the end of the property.
“Where’s Jorge?” she signed.
“He went inside for something, my husband went, too.” Mrs. Estornell was watching the scene play out above, eyes wide with terror. “Who is she? What does she want?”
“I don’t know who she is or what she wants,” Kitty said, “but I know she’s desperate.”
Leander was nearly touching the old woman now. She was still focused on someone in the driveway as he crept up beside her. Flames poured from the attic window and the heat was becoming uncomfortable. Kitty knew it must be much worse up on the roof.
Suddenly shadows appeared on the roof of The Golden Pelican. Mr. Estornell and Jorge carried a ladder to the edge and carefully positioned it, so that when they let it drop, the edge reached the roof of the Perkins’ home.
“They’re coming,” she shrieked and stumbled backwards.
Leander grabbed her arms and held her close, sinking to his knees. “It’s all right,” he said. “You’re going to be okay.”
“Mother, let us bring you to safety.” Mr. Candlewick begged, motioning toward the ladder.
“No, no,” she moaned. “I am too old. He won’t want me now. ‘My May girl’, he used to call me. I’m not May anymore. I’m December.” Sirens blared nearby and she struggled in Leander’s arms. “Let me go. I can’t live without my baby. I will die without him.”
“Mother, I’m here.” Mr. Candlewick said.
“Go,” Leander said, pointing to the ladder. “Maybe she’ll follow you.”
He hesitated, then rushed to the ladder, lowering himself to his belly and crawling toward Jorge. Kitty felt a terrible frisson of fear go through her at the sight of the elderly caretaker three stories in the air, supported only by a long ladder.
“Your son is leaving. You should follow him,” Leander said.
She looked up and frowned. “He’ll go live with his father in Boston,” she said, starting to cry. “He’s down there, waiting to take him away.”
“No one is going to take him away.”
“There!” she cried, pointing. “I would never forget his face. Even though he’s old now. Old and married to a good girl.”
The firetruck arrived, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Kitty helped Mrs. Estornell move everyone out of the way so that the firefighters could raise their ladder.
The time between Leander rushing through the hedge and the firetruck arriving had seemed like hours. The rescue took only seconds. The firemen disentangled the old woman from Leander’s arms and told him to go first. She was so frail and weak that a firefighter simply slung her combative self over his shoulder and stepped back down the ladder. She was taken away to a hospital, subdued by the sight of the strangers around her. Mr. Candlewick asked if she wanted him to go with her, but she turned her face away, silent.
There was nothing they could do to save the Perkins’ home, so the firefighters focused on containing the blaze. Kitty felt as if she were watching the end of history and the destruction of a family, even though the damage had been done long ago.
Hours later, Leander and Mr. Candlewick were allowed to return to the Golden Pelican after being examined and treated for minor smoke inhalation. Mrs. Estornell was having trouble letting go of Leander and Leander finally told her that he needed a shower and some rest.
“But first,” Leander said, looking around at the group in the living room, “I think we all need answers.”
Kitty nodded. A short while before, she’d found Mr. Weber in the living room, drinking Mrs. Estornell’s famous coffee. He had told her what he could, and now it was up to Mr. Candlewick to explain the rest.
“Here, here,” Penny said. “I’ve never been so lost.”
“Kitty will have the story, won’t you?” Elaine seemed to have every confidence in her.
“Si, she and Chica have solved the crime,” Jorge said. “And Leander, I suppose.”
“We didn’t solve anything, really.” Kitty took the little photo off the wall and brought it to Mr. Candlewick. Pointing to the young woman in the picture, she asked gently, signing for the others as she spoke, “Is this your mother?”
He nodded, face full of sadness. “That’s her. Before she met the scoundrel that ruined her life.”
Mrs. Estornell stumbled into a chair as Kitty translated. Her husband looked around, confused. “No, she never had any children. She drowned in the bay. May Perkins has been dead for over seventy years.”
“They faked her death and she lived in secrecy all those years.” Leander looked like he was ready to sleep standing up. His face was smudged with smoke and his throat was raspy. As he signed, his movements were sluggish.
“Why didn’t the Perkins raise you?” Kitty asked.
“They were already expecting Mark by the time I was born. She couldn’t possibly explain two babies born four months apart.” He shrugged. “When I was old enough to pass for a young boy employed to take care of the house, I came back as a cousin.”
“This is just terrible,” Mrs. Weber said. “I’ve never been through such a traumatic experience. I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave a very bad review.”
“I would wait to do that,” Kitty said. “It seems as if everything that happened this last day or so is because of you.”
“What? Impossible.” She stood up, face like stone. “Dear, we need to pack.”
“Just a moment,” he said. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
He nodded. “Not until she pointed at me from the roof. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but…” It took him several seconds to find the words. “My father was so insistent that I come here. When I asked him why, he told me that I would know when I got here. He told me once about a beautiful girl who lived next door and that she’d drowned in the bay. My mother hated it when he talked about her, but he mentioned her several times before he died. I thought maybe he just wanted me to pay my respects to this girl. I could tell that he’d loved her, although he never said it outright. So, I promised him that we’d come for a visit. He insisted that it had to be at Christmas. ‘To see the lights’ he said. I thought that was all it would be.” Mr. Weber sighed. “And then I saw him.”
Mr. Candlewick lifted his head. “We have our father’s nose.”
“And his hair.” Mr. Weber raked a hand through his, and it stuck up in waves. “We’re tall and thin, big ears, big hands.” He stretched out his hands and Mr. Candlewick held up one of his own in comparison.
“My mother called them pianist’s hands,” Mr. Candlewick said.
Mr. Weber stood up and slowly crossed the room. “I didn’t know. I promise you that I didn’t know.”
As Kitty translated for Mr. Candlewick, tears sprang to his eyes. “I have held on to these secrets for a lifetime. I am ready to let them go.”
As the two men embraced, Kitty felt her chest tighten with some unnamed emotion. Maybe it was grief, or happiness, or regret. Maybe all three at once.
Meeting Leander’s gaze, she managed a smile. He walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and whispered in her ear. “See? Nobody died. I call that a win.”
“Burned down a hundred year old landmark and exposed a terrible family secret, but okay.”
“Don’t forget we also resurrected a girl who’d been dead seventy years,” he said, he said, kissing her lightly.
“Just in time for Christmas,” Kitty said, laying her head on his chest. Chica pushed her way between them, her large German Shepherd head knocking against Kitty’s knees. Life was full of twists and turns, but she was so thankful that Christmas in Solitude Bay was going to be a day of rejoicing. They were safe and sound, all of them. Together.
She thought of May, or the young woman who used to be May. She’d chosen what she thought would protect her child, but had set up a lifetime of secrets and regret. Kitty’s heart broke for the girl that she had been, and the woman she’d been forced to be, isolated and alone. The one night on Christmas Eve when the luminarias appeared in her honor must have been the only time she felt loved and remembered. That her brother and his wife allowed her to live like a shadow was hard to understand, but Kitty hoped they had agreed out of love, and not to protect their reputations.
She knew how deeply lies and betrayal could hurt. She understood how the ripples of evil could pass through generations, staining everyone it touched.
Leander’s heart beat loudly under her ear and he smelled overwhelmingly of smoke. She knew she would have to let him go eventually. It was Christmas Eve and after a bath and some rest, the children would be beating Tió de Nadal for candies.
But before she let him go, she reached up and tugged his face down to hers. He gave her a kiss but she shifted so that her lips were at his ear. “I love you, Starling.”
His eyes were bright as he smiled down at her. “I love you, Swift.” Glancing down, he added, “And Chica.”
As she watched him head upstairs to change, Kitty sighed with happiness. It was a miracle, really. There was no other explanation for it.
Merry Christmas, my love.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading the fifth installment in the Starling and Swift Cozy Mystery Series! I once visited a little bay just like Solitude Bay described in the book and I’ve never forgotten it. It’s lived in my memory for the past thirty years, and one day when I was thinking of how long it’s been since I’d seen it in person, it occurred to me to “visit” it again… in my imagination. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Solitude Bay as much as I did.
Thank you, my readers, for supporting this new series. All my love to you!
If you liked this book, be sure to leave a review here.
You can find me on facebook at M. J. Mandrake. Come on by and chat! I’ve got a new website where I’ll be posting delicious recipes for fall and winter.
Until next time,
M. J. Mandrake
How did Kitty and Leander first meet? You can find out here in the first book of the series, Murder At the Mayan Temple.
Need more Starling and Swift?
Don’t miss Book Two, Death on the Wind!
Book Three, Danger at the Dive Shop, can be found here!
Book Four, Chaos in Cuba, is here!
Recipes
Turrón de Duro, or Nougat with Almonds
This deliciously crunchy nougat traditionally comes from Alicante and is of Moorish origins, but it’s now famous around the world for its almond-y honey flavor. There are many varieties, even some with whiskey and bourbon, so feel free to explore and make your own flavors!
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray (very important!)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
parchment paper trimmed to fit your pan
1 cup chopped almonds
Instructions:
Line your pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Combine sugar, honey, and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves , about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and boil syrup until candy thermometer registers 250°F, about three minutes.
Meanwhile, whip egg white and salt until it has soft peaks.
With mixer running, add hot syrup slowly to egg whites. Beat thick and glossy, usually takes eight to ten minutes. Fold in lemon zest.
Stir in almonds.
Spread turrón mixture in the pan, spreading evenly. Press a piece of saran wrap or parchment paper on top, rolling a soup can over the top lightly to make it even.
Let stand for one to two hours, then transfer to a cutting board by lifting the foil or parchment paper under the turrón to cutting board with sling. Cut into pieces and serve!!
Gambas al Pil Pil (Prawns Fried in Garlic and Chili Oil)
A favorite recipe from the Andalucía region, this little tapas dish really hits the spot!
Ingredients
1 cup of large shrimp, unpeeled
2 small, dried red hot peppers (you can substitute ½ tsp of chili pepper flakes if needed)
1 clove of garlic
enough olive oil to cook over a medium heat
Instructions
Heat the olive oil to gently and fry the chopped garlic and red pepper. Add the shrimp and fry for one more minute or until cooked through. Don’t overcook! Serve while still sizzling. Reserve the oil for cooking in another dish (don’t save more than a few days) or use immediately as to dip fresh bread. Enjoy!!
Excerpt of Murder At The Mayan Temple
Chapter One
“Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death.”
― William S. Burroughs
“Do you always play Bingo with such pasión?”
Kitty Swift briefly debated whether to pretend to be asleep. She’d given up reading her leather-bound copy of ‘Great Expectations’ long before, and it rested lightly on her chest. If she hadn’t been raised to be polite, she might have waved him away with a flick of the wrist. She sighed inwardly. It was better to get these kinds of conversations over with when speaking with Jorge, the handsome-but-much-too-suave-for-her activities assistant.
She cracked an e
ye. Chica didn’t lift her head from where she slept at her feet, but she fixed Jorge with the same expression. Kitty probably looked groggy, but Chica looked lethal. It was a German Shepherd thing.
“It’s my understanding that you’re supposed to yell when you get a Bingo,” she said.
“Sí, but the way you play is…” He scanned the sky for inspiration.
Kitty knew she should help the poor boy out, but she was momentarily sidetracked by the recurring question of why he was there, sitting next to her, when there was a whole ship full of pretty girls. She wasn’t ugly, but she didn’t look any different than a whole lot of other blue-eyed women with tousled brown hair and a slightly sunburned nose. She was a familiar face after a dozen trips from Miami to Cozumel on the luxury ocean liner, but surely Jorge would prefer someone a little closer to his own age. Not that she was old. Not even middle aged. But Jorge had that sort of blinding exuberance that young people had before they’d really had their hearts broken, either by the cruelty of life in general, or because someone had truly and deliberately screwed them over.
Of all the things Kitty disliked in a person, it was that unquenchable glow of optimism. It made her feel slightly bitter and washed up. Perhaps she was, but she never noticed until she was faced with some young person dying to drag her into the cruise ship’s dance club, or a handsome young man determined to liven up her life. She was perfectly content with the amount of excitement in her life, and an evening of jiggling around to a thumping techno beat would not change that.
Plus, Jorge never looked at her dog. People who didn’t at least glance Chica’s way weren’t worthy of real friendship. Really, what kind of person doesn’t acknowledge the large German Shepherd inches from them? You weren’t supposed to pet a service dog, but making eye contact wasn’t forbidden. Kitty wasn’t asking for Jorge to carry dog treats in his pockets. A glance of recognition would do. Too many people simply acted like Chica didn’t exist. She’d like to think it was a sign of a sociopath, but the idea of so many unhinged people walking around was rather unsettling to consider.
Sabotage on Solitude Bay Page 10