The Jewels of Sofia Tate

by Doris Etienne

  She flicked the lighter. It didn’t light and had likely dried up, but when she pressed a button on the cigarette case, the lid popped open and inside were three hand-rolled cigarettes.

  Dan bent his head to sniff them. “Bet those are stale,” he said.

  “I wonder if he gave up smoking before or after he came down with pneumonia.” Garnet handed the items back to Dan and returned to perusing the bookshelf, her attention drawn to the black spines of two large albums. She pulled one of them down and set it on the desk. The first page had a black-and-white photograph as thick as cardboard with an image of a male teenager posing with a man and a woman whom Garnet assumed were the teen’s parents. Underneath was a picture of a young soldier.

  “I wonder if those are pictures of Reginald. The uniform looks like it’s from the Boer War,” Dan said.

  “I think so,” Garnet said, turning the page. “Look, here he is with Sofia in these wedding photos. She looks young but kind of old, if you know what I mean. I think people in old pictures sort of look old themselves, even when they were young.”

  The wedding poses were formal, likely taken at a studio. Reginald wore a suit and Sofia appeared elegant in a silk wedding gown. She looked small next to Reginald, who had, apparently, been quite tall. Despite being considerably older than Sofia, the set of Reginald’s face made him appear distinguished. In the next photo, a slightly older man, possibly Sofia’s father, Johann, posed with them.

  Following the wedding photos came pictures of the couple with a baby in a lacy white christening gown and others when Albert appeared to be about a year old. But after this, there was a lapse in photo updates until Albert was about six or seven years old, when he posed by himself in some photos, and with Reginald in others. As a young teenager, Albert appeared dressed in a suit, first in a photo by himself and then with his father and the man Garnet had assumed was his grandfather. Johann had aged greatly by this time, but he was grinning, as was Albert, as though they were sharing a private joke. Reginald didn’t appear to be in on it, though, as his expression was as serious as it had been in all the other photographs.

  Garnet closed the album and pulled out the next one. This one began with a young Elizabeth and Albert taken at the park with some friends, progressing on to their wedding, and finishing with Albert in uniform as he left for the war. The album was never completed and, as she flipped through the empty pages in the back, a loose picture that hadn’t been fastened at the corners slipped out and fell to the floor. Garnet bent down to pick it up and saw that it was of Albert standing in front of an airplane with another young man in uniform. She recognized the man from an earlier photo at the park. Garnet turned it over and noticed some handwriting on the back.

  “’Charlie and me in London. August 1941,’” she read. “He must have gone to war with his friend.”

  She slipped the picture back into the album and returned to the wedding photos.

  “See this?” Garnet said, pointing to Elizabeth. “I’ve seen her wear that locket. Albert gave it to her when they got married. She said it was a gift to Sofia from Reginald when Albert was born. Did you notice Sofia wearing it in the christening pictures?”

  “No,” Dan replied.

  Garnet opened the first album again. “See? There it is,” she said, pointing to Sofia. “You know, I wonder where Elizabeth keeps it. I know she wasn’t wearing it when she had the heart attack.”

  Dan shrugged. “Why do you want it?”

  “I was just wondering if she has any pictures in it. Some people do.”

  “That’s kind of personal, don’t you think?” Dan teased.

  Garnet felt her face go hot and she glared at him. “I’m just trying to gather all the information I can, that’s all. I’m going upstairs,” she announced, and she made for the door.

  Dan was only a few steps behind her.

  The familiar mothball scent emanated from the closet as they entered Elizabeth’s bedroom. Garnet immediately spotted a small wooden jewellery box on top of the dresser and she lifted the lid. Among several pieces of costume jewellery and the sapphire engagement ring lay the gold heart locket. Garnet picked it up and examined the engraving of a swirled floral pattern on the front and the smooth back with a few scratches from wear.

  As Garnet used her nail to pry open the heart, she was suddenly conscious of Dan behind her, his breath soft on the back of her neck. Her fingers felt unexpectedly clumsy, but despite this, she somehow managed to open it.

  “Their wedding pictures,” Garnet said. “That’s what she keeps inside.”

  Albert and Elizabeth’s faces had been carefully cut out into heart shapes on each side. He was on the left, wearing his air force cap, and she was on the right in a white hat.

  “Can I see it?” Dan asked.

  “Sure.”

  Garnet turned to hand him the locket, their fingers touching as she passed it. She jerked back slightly and the chain slipped away and dropped to the floor. Dan bent down to pick it up and saw that Elizabeth’s picture had fallen out. He was going to press it back into place when he said, “Hey, there’s something engraved inside.”

  “What? What is it?”

  Dan held out the locket for Garnet to see.

  “’For my Princess,’” Garnet read. “I wonder who had that engraved. Reginald or Albert?”

  “Beats me.”

  “Let’s check if there’s anything behind Albert’s picture.”

  Dan tapped the photograph into his hand and turned the locket back over. “Nothing.” But just to be sure, he turned the photographs over as well. Nothing.

  Garnet sighed. “I guess until Elizabeth can talk, we won’t know who the ’Princess’ was. Unless ... “

  “Unless what?”

  “Well, remember that one loose picture downstairs had some writing on the back. Do you think there might be anything written behind any of the other pictures?”

  Dan shrugged. “I guess we could look.”

  Garnet returned the locket to the jewellery box. “Let’s go.”

  Downstairs, they each took a photo album and sat down on the rug across from each other. One by one, they removed every picture from its fasteners to check behind it. But after some time it became apparent that there would be nothing to find after all. Garnet yawned as she slipped the last picture back into its fasteners, and the grandfather clock gonged in the front hall.

  She glanced down at her watch. “Wow. It’s already twenty after ten. I told my mother I wouldn’t be late.”

  Dan checked his watch. “Actually, it’s ten-thirty. Your watch is slow.”

  They returned the photo albums to the bookshelf, then crossed the floor to leave. Garnet glanced up at Sofia. With her violet eyes so clear and watchful, Sofia appeared almost regal with the sapphires and diamonds against her skin as creamy as the lilies she held in her arms. “You know what? I’ll bet she’s the princess.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Garnet gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know. There’s just something about her. And, come to think of it, Elizabeth called the jewels ‘royal.’”

  Dan stepped back and crossed his arms as he regarded the portrait. After a few moments a strange look came over his face. “Hey, wait a minute. I just thought of something. The word princess. Who is a princess? The daughter of a king, right? Remember, that verse said something about a king’s daughter. She was a bride in that psalm.”

  “So?”

  “Maybe there’s a connection.” Dan regarded the painting a moment longer, then walked up to it, grasped the ornate wooden frame with both hands, and lifted the entire painting off the wall.

  “What are you doing?” Garnet asked.

  “It looks like something’s scratched on here.”

  “What? Where?”

  Dan placed the painting on the desk and pointed to the bottom right corner. “There.”

  Garnet moved closer. “That’s just the artist’s name.”

  “I know that, but don’t they
normally paint it on?”

  “Normally. But it looks like this one scratched it into the paint with something sharp.”

  Dan squinted as he tried to decipher the writing. “But look more carefully. I think there are numbers. It looks like it says Fischer but then ... underneath he pointed to the faint scratch marks, “it looks like 1 Cor. 13:12.”

  “1 Cor. 13:12? What’s that? Another Bible verse?”

  “First Corinthians 13, verse 12,” Dan said.

  Garnet looked at Dan. “I’ll be right back!” She hurried out of the room and returned, holding up Elizabeth’s Bible. She opened it to the index and found the page.

  “Here it is,” she said, and she read out loud. “’For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.’” She rolled her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean? Sounds like more Shakespeare, and I hate that guy. I never know what he’s talking about.”

  Dan threw back his head and laughed. “I know. But maybe if we had a different translation, the verse might make more sense. You know what? Why don’t I look it up in my Bible?”

  “Okay,” Garnet agreed. “Do you think you could come back tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow? Let me think. I’ve got Saturday deliveries. Then I have to go for a run — there’s a big meet coming up next week. Oh, and tomorrow night I’m going out.”

  “Oh.”

  Dan didn’t elaborate on what those plans were and Garnet didn’t ask, but she couldn’t help but wonder if he had a date. Maybe with Laura.

  “But maybe I can drop by for a bit before.”

  “Really?” Garnet said, brightening.

  “Let’s say around six-thirty?

  “Okay. I’ll meet you here.” It was better than nothing. She was surprised Dan had agreed to come back at all. “So, you think there might be something to this, after all?”

  “Let’s just say the concept is intriguing,” he teased.

  Garnet’s violet eyes twinkled. “Just admit it. You’re hooked.”

  They locked up the house and Dan drove Garnet home. “See you tomorrow,” he said as he pulled the car up to the curb.

  “Six-thirty,” Garnet said, opening the car door.

  “Right.”

  Dan honked the horn and Garnet waved from the porch as he pulled away. She turned and noticed a white envelope wedged into the door handle. She pulled it out and unlocked the door.

  “Hello!” Garnet called cheerily.

  “Hello,” her mother voice echoed from the dining room.

  Garnet went to poke her head inside. Her mother glanced up from the computer screen. Her eyes had that glazed-over expression they got when she’d been staring at it too long. She peeked down at her watch. “Wow, look at the time! That hospital certainly has late visiting hours,” she commented with a slight smile.

  “Sorry I’m a little late. We went back to Elizabeth’s house to check on the cat and then we started to look around for some clues to those missing jewels I told you about. We might actually be on to something,” Garnet said, a flutter rising up inside at the thought. “We’re going back tomorrow.”

  “Well, that’s exciting. And how’s Elizabeth?” Garnet’s mother asked, her tone more serious.

  Garnet moved a shoulder up and down. “She slept the whole time we were there. She’s hooked up to machines.”

  Garnet’s mother nodded. “I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Garnet turned and, feeling a little hungry, headed for the kitchen. She hoped there were some chips left in the cupboard. She set her purse down on the table and realized the envelope she had pulled out from the door was still in her hand. She glanced down and saw “Garnet Walcott” was typed on the front of it. Who was sending her letters? she wondered. There was no stamp and the back of the envelope was sealed.

  She tore open the flap and pulled out a folded paper. Her heart felt like it would stop as she read the short note printed in bold letters in the middle of the page and she gasped.

  To the Nosy Little Redhead. Stay away from Elizabeth Tate and her house. Remember, curiosity killed the cat.

  The note was unsigned.

  Her first thought was of Ginger. Who would want to kill Ginger? But when Garnet read the note again she realized the threat was not to Ginger. It was to her. “Curiosity killed the cat” was only a saying.

  She was about to go show her mother the note, then stopped. If she showed this to her mother, she would never be able to look for those jewels. Her mother had already threatened to call the police and she definitely would if she saw this. Garnet folded the paper up and shoved it into her purse. She’d have to think about what to do.

  Her appetite gone, she returned to the dining room. “I’m going to bed. G’night.”

  Her mother looked up. “Good night.” She held open her arms for Garnet to come and hug her. “Everything all right?” she asked softly into her hair.

  Garnet nodded and pulled away. “Yeah, just tired,” she lied, and she started to walk away.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. Amy called before. I told her you weren’t home and she said she’d send you an email.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’ll check it tomorrow.”

  Garnet went to bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. The words of the note seemed like they were branded onto her brain and she couldn’t stop thinking about them. Someone was definitely trying to scare her away — that was obvious. But who and why? And how did they know her name and where she lived? Was she being followed? The thought of that was more than creepy. Was this about the jewels? Who else knew Elizabeth’s story besides her and Dan? After all these years, could a relative of Sofia’s still be trying to get the jewels back? These questions swirled around in Garnet’s head and the more she thought about them, the more questions she had. What was she getting herself into? Perhaps that swerving car really had been more than coincidence.

  But if the police were called, what could they do? Garnet had no idea who the note was from and there wasn’t a whole lot of evidence to make a case for anything. The weird thing was, if someone was trying to scare her away, it only made her want to find the jewels more. She believed Elizabeth’s story.

  When sleep did come, Garnet dreamt of a cat, one that looked a lot like Ginger, being chased by a snake that swallowed her whole.

  7

  Faceless Intruder

  Garnet set her bike at the back of Elizabeth’s house, then went to the front to unlock the door. She glanced around, then, satisfied that no one was watching her, pushed open the door and quickly closed it behind her. She leaned against it and was immediately greeted by Ginger, who was trotting to the entrance. Garnet noticed that she held something furry between her teeth. Ginger promptly dropped the gift at her feet and looked up.

  “Oh, Ginger. That’s so disgusting!”

  Ginger meowed and turned before strutting away with her tail in the air, apparently insulted by the comment. Garnet looked down at what lay in front of her running shoes: the head and top part of a grey mouse, the dried blood stuck to its fur. And now it was hers to dispose of.

  She sighed and went to the kitchen in search of a plastic bag. Finding one in a drawer, she put her hand inside like a glove, then returned to the mouse and cringed. She bent down and picked it up, quickly pulled the bag inside out, then went back to the kitchen where she opened the door and dropped the small bundle into the metal trash bin outside. It was at that moment that Garnet realized the cat’s purpose in the house: to take care of the mice. No wonder Ginger had barely touched the food in her dish. She had a whole other food source.

  Garnet washed her hands at the kitchen sink, then went to the living room and sat down in the armchair. While she waited for Dan, she thought about her visit with Elizabeth that afternoon.

  She had been surprised when she arrived at the hospital room to find that Elizabeth was awake and had regained enough strength to say a few words. Elizabeth asked if Garnet knew what had happ
ened to her and Garnet explained that she had found her unconscious at home two days earlier. More than anything, Garnet wanted to find out what had happened in the moments before she had discovered her, but when she asked, Elizabeth had no memory of the event at all. Garnet then told Elizabeth that she and Dan had begun to search for the jewels and that they might have found a clue. The news brought a smile to Elizabeth’s face, but before Garnet had a chance to say any more, a nurse arrived and said it was time to run more tests.

  Garnet went home and read Amy’s email.

  Hey Garnet!

  Party was awesome! Too bad you weren’t there. Jody and I had so much fun! Saturday we’re hitting another one. Don’t know who’s having it, but Jody says it’s gonna be even bigger than Kurt’s. Best part is the rents are totally clueless about everything. We’re sticking to the same plan and I’ll say I’m sleeping over at Jody’s again.

  Anyway, later!

  A.

  Garnet replied:

  Sounds like you’re having a great time. I’m making my move on Grocery Boy. Got a date tonight! I can hardly wait. He’s so cute!

  Gotta go!

  G.

  There. It was hardly a date, but Amy would never know. Besides, if Garnet heard another word about Jody, Jody, Jody and how much fun Amy was having with her while she was stuck in Kitchener, she would absolutely scream. Well, Amy could do whatever she wanted. What did Garnet care anymore? Traitor.

  The grandfather clock announced the hour with seven gongs that jolted Garnet back to the present. Then the porcelain clock on the mantel followed with seven more. She glanced at her watch: six-thirty-five. It was running behind again. She pushed the button to adjust it.

  “Where is he?” Garnet said out loud. She sprang out of the chair and walked over to the mantel. She picked up the silver angel and pressed the button. The wings popped up and she set it down again. She turned and wandered down the hall to the library. She gazed at the portrait of Sofia and, with a fingertip, lightly touched the painting where “1 Cor. 13:12” had been scratched. “For now we see through a glass, darkly ...”