Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold

by Joyce Magnin

  “What did she do?”

  “She manipulated Manuel into redoing the structure a little to accommodate a full-size bathtub in the bathroom and a bay window on the south wall.”

  Prudence smiled as she chewed oats. “How?”

  “She mentioned the FBI and, of course, the guys thought she meant INS. They would have built her turrets and a moat if she had asked at that point.”

  “Oh, that’s awful. And how do we know they aren’t legal?”

  “I think Manuel is, but if you could have seen the other guys … They were pretty scared.”

  Henry gave Prudence her cereal and then refilled his coffee mug. “I feel sort of bad for Martha. I think Martha is pretty serious about trying to take Lily.”

  “I know she is, but she would have to move out here. I really don’t think they’ll let her take her across state lines. Then, even if she does move, there could be residency issues.”

  “Oh, it doesn’t sound too good.”

  Prudence stirred her cereal. “I’m afraid not.”

  “That’s too bad. I get the feeling Martha sees it as a way of making up for what happened to Wyatt.”

  “Yeah, probably. But the laws are pretty exact with this stuff.”

  “I think I’ll write to him today. Wyatt. Let him know I care. Gee, Pru, you could have stuck bamboo shoots under my fingernails and lit them on fire and I would never have said Wyatt would be in that kind of trouble.”

  “So he was a good friend.”

  “Yeah. For a while. He did get kind of distant after college. He dropped out. And I got so busy with the business and everything. I should have stayed in touch.”

  “Oh, well, you know what they say about hindsight. All you can do is let him know you’re here for him and keep doing what you were called to do.”

  “Thanks. So what are you doing today?”

  “Well, after I resign from the council, I’m just going to do some work here and take it easy. I guess I’ll see what is happening with Lily, if they’ll even tell me.”

  “Sounds good. You know what? I’m going to make a raspberry torte for Mom today.”

  Prudence patted her belly. “Chip and Dale love raspberries.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  HARRIET WAS HOPING AGENT WILLERS WOULD BE THERE to greet them, but she wasn’t. Instead, a very tall man who reminded her of Lurch from The Addams Family brought her into a sterile, boring room with nothing but a table and hard chairs. This after she and Martha were scanned, identified, and given huge badges that read “Visitor” to wear on their chests. The badge didn’t even say “Hello.” Harriet thought this was unfortunate.

  The only good thing about the whole experience was that Harriet learned she was allowed by law to have a support person with her—as long as that person didn’t say a word during the interview. Martha certainly agreed to keep silent and was just as glad as Harriet that she could tag along.

  “Are they here?” Harriet asked.

  “Who?” asked Agent Gilmore, or Lurch as Harriet called him—but not to his face.

  “Winslow and Crickets.” She sat on one side of the table. The agent sat on the other. Martha took a seat in the corner. Harriet thought she looked like she had been pickled. She sat so straight.

  “No, ma’am.”

  Harriet felt her knees go wobbly even though she was sitting. She hadn’t expected to be so nervous.

  “Sorry, ma’am.” Agent Gilmore showed her a piece of paper that had many lines on it. “First, tell me what happened, and then you’ll need to write it all out.”

  “Really? Write the whole story?”

  “The whole story.”

  Harriet sighed. “Okay.”

  “Now,” Agent Gilmore said, “why don’t you start at the beginning?”

  “Okay, well, I met Lily at the café and …”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Excuse me,” Agent Gilmore said. He pulled open the door.

  “Agent Willers,” Harriet said. “Am I glad to see you.”

  “Hi,” Agent Willers said. “I wanted to be here with you.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Harriet said. “I’m glad you’re here. How’s Lily?”

  “She’s okay,” Willers said. “She had a good night at a good place. They’ll find a permanent place for her soon.”

  Martha chimed up much to the dissatisfaction of Agent Gilmore, who really seemed pretty bored about the whole thing. But maybe that was just the way the agent always behaved. “Can she please come live with me? I’ll take good care of her.”

  “Not sure about that,” Agent Willers said.

  “Can you tell me what I need to do to at least try to get her?”

  “Are you sure?” Agent Willers asked.

  “I am,” Martha said. “More sure than anything for quite some time.”

  “Okay, I’ll check into it,” Willers said.

  “Can we get back to the investigation?” Gilmore asked.

  “Okay, okay,” Harriet said. “Like I was saying, I met Lily at the café, and she told me about her dad, Old Man Crickets, and the gold mine.”

  Gilmore was writing everything down.

  “Keep going,” Willers said. “He can write fast.”

  Henry was having a good writing day. He had gotten through two chapters and was re-reading for clarity and to add a word here and there. But when he heard Prudence in the kitchen, he took a break.

  “Come on, Humphrey. Let’s get lunch.”

  “Hey,” Prudence said. “Did I disturb you?”

  “No, no. I need to eat lunch.”

  “Me too,” Prudence said. “How about burgers again?”

  “On the grill?” Henry said.

  “Why not?”

  “Maybe I’ll see if Manuel and his men want to join us.”

  “Oh, now, that’s a sweet idea,” Prudence said. “Maybe make up for your mother’s practical joking.”

  Henry dashed out to start the grill. “Hey, Manuel,” he called.

  “Yeah, boss,” Manuel said.

  “I’m putting burgers on the grill. Would you and the guys like to have lunch?”

  “Seriously, man?” Manuel said. “Sure. Thanks.”

  “Great. It’ll be a few minutes.”

  “No trouble, man. Thanks. Hear that, boys?” Manuel called to the other workers. “Lunch is on the boss today.”

  Henry and Prudence formed the meat into patties and assembled buns and condiments. Prudence made lemonade, took some potato salad from the fridge, and dumped chips in a bowl. “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” she said.

  “What?” Henry asked.

  “Nothing about the babies. It’s about Lily.”

  “Oh, don’t tell me,” Henry said. “I was hoping.”

  Prudence followed him outside, carrying the bowls with potato salad and chips. “Well, it’s not that it can’t work out. But I think Martha would definitely have to move to Grass Valley to get guardianship of Lily. And that might take a lot of paperwork and take a lot of time, and then Lily would be eighteen, and then it’s moot.”

  “Oh wow, she’s going to be so disappointed.” Henry dropped the burgers onto the grill. They sizzled and popped. A flame shot up from the grease, but it was quickly gone. The smell of the meat grilling was almost immediate. Henry loved that aroma. So did Humphrey.

  “Do you think she’d move out here?” Henry asked.

  “She might. With Wyatt in jail in Pennsylvania, though, she might not want to be so far from him.”

  “Yeah, that’s something to consider,” Henry said.

  “Oh, this is just so awful.” Prudence sat down at the table. Humphrey came by, obviously on the prowl for a handout. “When it’s cooked,” Prudence said to the dog. Then she said to Henry, “I think she might have her heart set on it.”

  The whole experience took nearly two hours, and by the time she was finished, Harriet felt like she had run a marathon with Humphrey on her back. She even found herself in tears at cer
tain times, thinking about how gullible she had been. She was never so glad for anything to be over.

  “Thank you,” Agent Willers said. “This is never easy. But thankfully you got out before it was too late.”

  “Yeah,” Harriet said. “Live and learn.”

  Agent Willers walked Martha and Harriet to the door, where they turned in their badges. “Can I keep it?” Harriet asked. “A souvenir.”

  “Sure, go ahead,” Agent Willers said. “Drive safe now and, Harriet, don’t lease any more gold mines without a thorough investigation first.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I have learned my lesson.”

  “Glad to hear it. And by the way, thanks for helping us. You did your country a service. These guys will never hurt anyone else like they hurt you.”

  “Or Win’s daughter,” Martha said.

  “Yes, I won’t forget about her,” Agent Willers said.

  The ride home was peaceful and quiet. Neither Martha nor Harriet had much to say until they arrived back in Grass Valley.

  “This has been some vacation,” Martha said.

  “One of a kind, I bet.”

  “I’ll say, but I would like to see more of the town,” Martha said.

  “But you might need to extend your visit a little to do that.”

  Martha let go a chuckle. “A little? I was thinking of staying forever, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember. But what if you can’t get Lily?”

  “I like it here. And I really want to try to help Lily, and I was thinking, if she can’t come live with me, then maybe we can be friends. Maybe they’ll at least tell me where she lives and we can see each other.”

  “That’s the ticket,” Harriet said.

  “Yeah. I think I’ll come back to stay.”

  Harriet pulled the car into the driveway. She saw that the walls of her Grammy Suite had gone up and was struck by a terrible thought. She didn’t want it to be terrible. But it was, so she just had to ask.

  “So, Martha, when you move out, where will you live?”

  “Oh, I just assumed we’d share the Grammy Suite.”

  Harriet swallowed. She didn’t want to be rude or unloving but …

  “I’m just kidding. I couldn’t live with you. Not for all the gold in the mountains. I’ll get my own place.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Harriet said. “You know I love you, but I need my space.”

  “And so does your collection. I’d just be in the way.”

  “I’ll say,” Harriet said.

  “You don’t have to be that happy.”

  “Hey, I smell burgers again,” Harriet said. “Henry must be grilling.”

  Harriet and Martha went to the back of the house and, sure enough, there was a party going on with Henry and Prudence and the workers. Even Daisy Day was there with her partner, Daisy Knight.

  “Hey, join the fun,” Henry said. “We’re celebrating.”

  “Celebrating what?” Harriet asked.

  “Everything,” Prudence said.

  Harriet snagged a burger from a plate and bit into it. “This is delicious,” she said. “Testifying is hard work.”

  “Is that your phone ringing, Mom?” Henry asked.

  “Oh, yes.” Harriet rifled through her bag.

  “Hello,” she said over the noise and music.

  “Harriet? It’s me. Lily?”

  “Who? Lily? Oh my, how are you, dear? I am so worried. It’s Lily, everybody. It’s Lily.”

  “Oh boy,” Martha said. “It’s Lily.” Harriet repeated, “How are you, dear?”

  “I’m okay,” Lily said. “I’m staying with a nice family. For now. I miss Pop but … well, you know.”

  “Lily,” Harriet said, “I am so sorry this happened.”

  “Yeah, me too. But I guess it will be okay. I’m kind of glad it’s over.”

  Harriet walked away from the noise into the kitchen. “You don’t have to run anymore.”

  “I know. But, I … I just wanted to tell you something,” Lily said.

  “What’s that, dear?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry I marked you. I’m sorry I got you into trouble.”

  “I’m not in trouble,” Harriet said. “Oh, I’m really angry about all the money, but it wasn’t all for nothing. I found gold.”

  “You did?”

  “Yep. Right here at home. It’s an absolute gold mine with hot and cold running blessings. There’s not a gold nugget on earth that could compare.”

  Lily was quiet.

  “Lily,” Harriet said. “Are you still there?”

  “Yeah. I just wish …”

  Martha walked into the room. “Can I talk with her?”

  Harriet nodded. “Listen, Lily dear, Martha wants to say something.”

  Martha took the phone. “Hello, Lily? I … I just want you to know that … well, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to petition or whatever they call it for you to come live with me. I’m moving to Grass Valley.”

  “Put it on speaker,” Harriet said.

  Martha set the phone on the counter and pushed the little speaker button.

  “You mean it?” Lily said.

  “I mean it,” Martha said. “I’ve known it for a while. I knew I wanted to be with you from the moment I saw that silly eyebrow ring glittering in the sunlight.”

  “Okay,” Lily said “But when? When can it happen?”

  “I don’t know, and I can’t even promise you. The court might say something else, but you’re almost an adult. When you turn eighteen, we can be together for sure, if that’s what you want.”

  “You mean it?” Lily said. “But … why?”

  “Oh, someday I might tell you. But for now, it’s just that … well, you need a home, and I need a granddaughter.”

  Lily seemed to be crying. “I wish it was today,” she said through sniffs. “I wish I could live with you today.”

  Harriet held Martha’s hand. “Me too,” Martha said. “But I have to get back to Pennsylvania and sell my house and pack and … and, well, do some stuff.”

  “Thank you,” Lily said.

  “We’ll stay in touch,” Martha said.

  “Okay,” Lily said. “And, Martha?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  “I never got to know my real mother all that well. I know I made it sound like I knew her, that it hadn’t been so long since she died. But she died a long time ago. I like to think that she was a lot like you.”

  Martha swiped her tears. “I love you, Lily.”

  Martha tapped off the phone.

  Harriet wrapped her arms around her friend. “Now see, maybe, just maybe, all that glitters is gold. In one way or another.”

  “Yep. Let’s get back to the party.”

  Harriet and Martha walked arm in arm to the deck.

  “Yep,” Harriet said. “I’ve got a real gold mine here.”

  The next six months whizzed by faster than greased lightning. Harriet settled into her Grammy Suite before Christmas and was as happy as a clam with all her salt and pepper shakers displayed around her. Lily, who had loved the lamb Harriet bought her, made a point to drop over almost on a weekly basis. She was studying for her GED. Harriet helped as much as she could. And Martha was in the process of moving lock, stock, and barrel across the country. Wyatt understood.

  But the big news of course was the birth of the twins. A little early, but healthy.

  Prudence had gone into labor on March 16, three weeks before her due date.

  “Henry was a mess,” Harriet said on the phone to Martha the next day. “An absolute mess. They wheeled him out of the delivery room.”

  “Oh no,” Martha said. “How is Prudence?”

  “She’s recovering. They ended up doing a Cesarean. So she’s sore, but she’s so happy. And the babies are so cute. Small but adorable.”

  “Names?” Martha asked. “Did they choose names yet?”

  “Maxwell Henry, you know, for �
�� for my Max.” Harriet sniffed back tears. “And Emily Maxine.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Martha said.

  “Oh, Martha, I can’t wait for you to get here. We have so much to do, and …”

  Harriet smiled as she continued to chat with Martha. She did have so much to do, but already she had a feeling, a feeling that maybe, just maybe there was another adventure out there.

  Discussion Questions

  1. Do you think Harriet handled the whole gold mine thing in the best way? Should she have consulted Henry and Prudence first?

  2. What would you do if you were in Harriet’s Chucks and just moved in with your son and daughter-in-law? Go looking for adventure?

  3. God is often a God of second chances. It seems Martha is getting a second chance here with Lily. Have you ever had a second chance?

  4. In book one Harriet learned what it means to feel God’s pleasure, at least for her. But it seems it might not have taken so well in book two. What does it mean to you to feel God’s pleasure?

  5. Prudence never got to know her mother and many of us feel estranged from our own. How does God fill that loss?

  6. Henry struggles with being a writer and wanting to have a regular job to support his family. If you were married to Henry, what would you tell him?

  7. Martha says that after Wyatt’s trial and incarceration she learned a valuable lesson, that she could survive. Is that good enough, to survive? Or do life and God require more from us?

  8. In some ways Harriet laid down her life for Henry and Prudence, like putting up with living without her beloved salt and pepper shakers, leaving her best friend, and moving clear across the country. In what ways are you called to lay down your life?

  9. Harriet is drawn to Lily almost immediately; it was almost like she was looking for someone to mother. Do you agree? Why would she do that?

  10. Harriet and Henry were finally able to talk about the elephant in the room—his father’s business. Do you have an elephant in your living room?

  Acknowledgments

  THANK YOU TO JIMMY RUE FOR TEACHING ME ABOUT gold mines.

  Special Thank you to Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan.

  Thank you also to Pam Halter, Nancy Rue and the Crue for unflagging support.