The Cats & the Riddle

by Jan Fields

  “Yes, we’re all fine. It’s not that kind of horrible,” LeeAnn reassured her. “Herb’s boss called him into his office at the end of work today. The company is downsizing, and they’ve let Herb go. I don’t understand it. The men they’re keeping have so much less experience and skill than Herb.”

  “But I suspect they also make less money,” Annie said, finishing the thought for her.

  LeeAnn sighed. “Yes, basically, I imagine that’s it. I’m so worried. Herb is wonderful at what he does, but the job market is really tough right now, you know? We’ve lost so many companies in our area in the last couple of years.”

  “Do you need my help?” Annie asked. “I have some savings and a few investments that your father made, and I also have that nest egg of proceeds from the sale of the dealership. They’re all doing pretty well. If you need anything to tide you over for a while, I can send a check or wire the money.”

  “Oh, no,” LeeAnn said hurriedly. “We have savings. Herb is really careful about things like that. He is getting a nice severance package too. It certainly doesn’t help that my car is in the shop, and the parts are taking forever to get. It’s just … well, I’m worried, and I don’t want to rain all my worries down on Herb when he’s already feeling bad enough. You know how important it is to him to be a good provider for me and the twins. He doesn’t need to hear anything but support from me right now. So I guess I called the one person I could just unload on—sorry.”

  “That’s OK, sweetheart,” Annie said. “That’s what moms are for.”

  “I appreciate that,” LeeAnn said. “I need to settle down and start looking at our budget. I need to decide which things we can do without for a while. Hey, maybe it’s a good thing that the car is in the shop. Think of the gas we’ll save with just one car for a while.”

  “Don’t try to take on too much all at once,” Annie said. “Everything doesn’t have to be settled in one day.”

  “I know,” LeeAnn said. “You know me. I want to get everything done at once because it makes me feel less out of control.”

  “I do know you, and I totally understand how you feel. That kind of uncertainty is frightening,” Anne said. “But you don’t have to be in control all the time. And sometimes a situation that looks really bad is actually a chance for positive change if you can just let it happen.”

  Annie could practically see her daughter nodding. “Now you sound like Pastor Mitchell,” said LeeAnn. “Remember all the times he’s preached on letting go so God can take control?”

  “That’s so important and so hard to do,” Annie said quietly. “But we know God has a plan.”

  “Right,” LeeAnn said quietly. “Now if I can just keep from falling into total panic until we find out what it is.”

  “Well, if you need anything, you call,” Annie said. “You know you have my prayers, but if you need anything tangible like money, you let me know about that too. I’d offer to loan you my car, but I don’t think that would quite work out.”

  LeeAnn laughed. “Though picking it up in Stony Point might be fun. I know the twins would be wild about that.”

  “They certainly have wild tastes in Easter presents,” Annie said. “I managed to finish Joanna’s puppy cap, and I think I should be able to do John’s monkey cap with only a few bouts of total panic.”

  “I know they’ll be showing them off proudly all over school.”

  “I’ll just be happy if the monkey doesn’t end up looking like a panda puppy.” Annie explained how she and Kate hoped to adapt the pattern.

  “Well, if anyone can sort it out, it’s Kate,” LeeAnn said. “I’m still getting compliments on the jacket she made that you gave me for my birthday. Thanks again, Mom.”

  “You already thanked me for the jacket,” Annie said. “Repeatedly.”

  “It’s not just for the jacket,” LeeAnn said. “Just talking to you always makes me feel better. I wish we lived closer.”

  “That would be lovely,” Annie said, “but even when we did, we didn’t see each other all that often.”

  “I tried.”

  “I wasn’t scolding you,” Annie said. “You have a family now, and you’re supposed to put them first. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Honestly, I’m constantly amazed by all the things you manage to accomplish. And you get up here to visit, and I get down there to see you too. I promise, I won’t let the twins or you feel like I’m losing touch.”

  “I know. Really I do. You know, we ought to come for a visit now,” LeeAnn said wryly. “At least Herb couldn’t say he’s too busy at work.”

  “Do you want me to send money for airline tickets?” Annie asked, only half joking. She loved the idea of seeing the twins as much as possible. Annie knew all too well how quickly children grow up, despite her assurances that they wouldn’t grow up without her.

  “I’ll get back to you on that,” LeeAnn said distractedly. “It was good to talk to you, Mom. You put a lot of things in perspective for me. I need to go get the twins moving along towards bed, but I’ll call again soon. I think I’m going to need a lot of hand-holding.”

  “My hand is always free,” Annie said. When LeeAnn hung up, Annie bowed her head and said a prayer for her daughter and the family. Whatever God wanted for them, she just trusted that it would be a good thing in the end.

  8

  The next morning, Annie got up early and rushed over to Ian’s to let Tartan out into his run. “I promise I’ll come back after church and walk you,” she told the excited dog.

  Since she couldn’t leave without at least petting Tartan at length, she was a little behind schedule when she got home and had to dress quickly for church. She was just brushing stray cat hair from her delicately patterned floral dress and jacket when the phone rang. “I’m certainly popular lately,” she murmured as she picked it up.

  “Annie, I need your help,” Alice said. “I have made too many apple cinnamon muffins, and I need someone to help me eat them. Can I bring a few over? We could have a little breakfast before church.”

  “You know I’m here to help my dear friend in her time of need,” Annie joked. “Sounds delicious, especially since I didn’t have a chance to fix anything. You’ll be saving me from embarrassing stomach growling during the quiet prayerful moments at church. I’ll put the coffee on.”

  It only took a few minutes for Alice to gather her muffins into a cloth-lined basket and make the walk between her house and Annie’s. Alice lived in a miniature version of Grey Gables, as it had once been the carriage house when both houses were part of a single large property. She had rented the carriage house for years, all the way back to when Betsy was still alive, but she had just recently closed the deal to purchase it.

  Annie let Alice in quickly to keep Boots from making a dash for the yard. “I think Boots is getting spring fever,” Annie complained. “Though she’s a little old and spayed to be looking for a boyfriend.”

  Alice laughed as she followed Annie to the kitchen. “I don’t know if anyone is ever too old for a little romance.”

  “Well, cat romance maybe.”

  Annie poured tall mugs of coffee for them and carried them to the table. Then she sat and broke a piece from a muffin, moaning at the first bite of cinnamon and apple. “You’re baking is always so good,” she said.

  “I get lots of practice,” Alice said. “I sometimes think the muffins and coffee cakes are as important to my Devine Décor parties as the actual products I sell. Which reminds me, I need to get some cocoa to make chocolate muffins tomorrow.”

  “Oh, I can feel my waist expanding by just thinking about chocolate muffins,” Annie said.

  Alice laughed. “They’re for a Devine Décor party over at Maplehurst Inn. Chocolate muffins are Linda Hunter’s favorite. She’s hosting a party mostly to get some discounts herself. She told me that she is planning to redecorate a couple of the rooms at the inn, just to spruce them up a little.”

  “Well, having stayed in one of those rooms, I found the decor
lovely,” Annie said.

  “She’s trying to get away from the farm country look to something a little French, I think,” Alice said. “She wants something a little more upscale.”

  Annie sighed. She liked country, but she was glad Alice’s work was doing so well in the difficult economy. It had certainly had its ups and downs in the past couple of years. As she sipped her coffee, her mind drifted to her worries about her family. She told Alice about LeeAnn’s phone call.

  “She must be worried sick,” Alice said.

  Annie nodded. “I offered to help out, of course, but LeeAnn said they’re fine. They have savings, and Herb has a good severance package. I just hope he can find a new job quickly.”

  “Poor Herb,” Alice said. “Job hunting is miserable.”

  “Especially these days.” Annie shook off the gloom trying to settle in on her and forced a smile. “Speaking of jobs, I have a little one to occupy me for the next few days.”

  “Oh, what’s that?” Alice asked.

  “Ian asked me to look after Tartan for him.” Annie explained about Ian’s mother-in-law.

  “Oh, sounds like Ian is in for some rough days,” Alice said. “You know, my nana always said that bad luck comes in threes. Ian, LeeAnn ….” She raised her eyebrows.

  Annie shook her head ruefully. “I don’t believe in luck. Or superstitions.”

  “Still, makes me nervous to be your best friend,” Alice teased. “Tell me, do I look pale?”

  Annie truly didn’t believe in such superstitious talk, but she still enjoyed Alice’s teasing. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and yelped, “Time to go!”

  They put their coffee mugs in the sink and hurried out the door for church. “Do you want to take separate cars?” Alice asked as they crossed the porch.

  “We’d better since I have to go to Ian’s as soon as the service is over. I promised Tartan a walk.”

  “I could come with you,” Alice said. “It would give us more time to chat.”

  With that decided, they chose Annie’s car. Neither wanted to arrive at church with tangled hair, and a convertible with the top up was no fun at all. At least, that was Alice’s view.

  As Alice and Annie walked down the aisle at church, Annie smiled and nodded to several people. She found an empty pew and sat down, leaving a space for Alice at the end. She folded her hands in her lap, much as she had in this very church on the summer Sundays of her childhood. Then, as now, Annie enjoyed looking around the sanctuary, seeing the lovely clothes on the ladies, and feeling the warm sense of being surrounded by people who loved God.

  Annie began idly naming the people she knew as she caught sight of them. She was surprised to realize there were whole rows where she knew every person on the pew. I’m really not the new girl in town anymore, she thought. Stony Point was home now as surely as Brookfield, Texas, had been. Brookfield held all the good memories of being in love, being married, raising LeeAnn, and then seeing her daughter start her own family. But Stony Point held memories of her grandparents, and she was building new memories with her close friends.

  “I’m truly blessed,” she said softly.

  Alice turned to look at her. “Did you say something?”

  “Just thinking out loud about how much I like living here,” Annie said.

  Alice nodded. “I had some trouble fitting back in here after my divorce,” she said quietly. “But then Betsy made me realize that it wasn’t the town closing me out—it was me closing them out. Now, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

  Annie nodded and then sat up straighter as the organist walked out in a crisp white dress with a beautiful cutwork hem and took her seat. Soon the rich sounds of the organ poured over the congregation. Annie took one more glance around the room and was somewhat startled when she spotted Adam Smithfield slip into a seat near the back of the church.

  She had forgotten about the sad-eyed man on the beach, and she felt a pang of guilt about his letter. She knew she had taken it back to Grey Gables, but she couldn’t remember where she’d put it. She slipped her purse into her lap unobtrusively and checked inside. No, she hadn’t put the envelope in there. Where is it? she thought. She didn’t remember seeing it since she’d brought it home.

  She turned her attention sharply to the front as the choir director asked the congregation to open their hymnbooks. Annie picked up the burgundy-bound book and quickly flipped to the page, deciding she’d think about the letter later, and maybe the memory would come back to her. She let the beautiful hymn fill her with the warmth and comfort that she always found in spiritual music. For a moment, she wished Ian was there sharing a hymnbook with her. She knew he could probably use a little comfort and peace today.

  After the hymn, Reverend Wallace took the pulpit and began with the weekly announcements. He reminded everyone about the upcoming church bazaar. “The proceeds from the bazaar will be going to the food pantry,” he said. “I know we normally put the money into our Sunday school supplies, but we’re still seeing such a need for the food pantry. So all the Sunday school teachers agreed to muddle along with last year’s materials so that we could put the money toward the greater need.”

  Annie couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have trouble feeding your family. She and Wayne had had some lean years leading up to the purchase of the car dealership, but they’d never struggled to put food on the table. And yet, she knew that was because they were blessed, not because they were especially worthy or more hardworking. Hard times could hit anyone, no matter how skilled or dedicated they were to their work. LeeAnn’s call had suddenly made the financial struggles all over the country feel much more real for her.

  “And finally, I want to thank the generous person who left us a tiny visitor this week. I have to admit, the children’s minister and my wife are in some intense fellowship over whether this little beauty ends up in the Sunday school classrooms or at the parsonage.” The Reverend’s voice cut into Annie’s thoughts, pulling her attention back to the front. He slipped a beautiful needle-felted calico cat from the shelf inside the podium and held it up. The little cat was frozen in mid-step, and a tiny kitten dangled from her mouth. “The card left with this lovely sculpture is particularly appropriate to my message this morning.” He held up the creamy paper that Annie recognized from the notes accompanying the previous sculptures and read aloud: “The Lord carries us when we are too small and weak to walk. So, too, do His people bear one another up. Thank you.”

  Annie blinked at the lovely sentiment as Reverend Wallace used it as a segue into his sermon on the church’s duty to be a support to the small and the weak. Annie didn’t know about everyone else, but she left the service with a renewed sense of the importance of being a servant and a support to others.

  9

  As they walked out of the sanctuary, Annie and Alice stopped several times to greet friends in the congregation. Finally they reached the sunny steps of the church. Alice turned to Annie and whispered, “That’s the third of those sculptures I’ve heard about. Did you know Kate and Mary Beth found one at A Stitch in Time?”

  Annie nodded. “I saw it.”

  “They’re so beautiful,” Alice said. “I am totally amazed to think we have someone in Stony Point who does work like that, and no one knows her.”

  “It could be a him,” Annie said.

  “It could,” Alice agreed. “But I think more women are cat lovers and crafters.”

  Reverend Wallace spoke from behind them. “Are Stony Point’s greatest detectives working on the case of the mystery cats?”

  Annie turned, feeling her face flush, but Alice just said, “I think we are.”

  “Well, take care,” the Reverend said. “We need to respect the person’s right to give without the left hand knowing what the right has done. Matthew says there is a greater blessing when the gift giving is without applause.”

  Annie wasn’t surprised to hear the reverend voicing the very concern she’d had herself. It was difficult, though, t
o leave a mystery alone.

  “Reverend Wallace?”

  All three of them turned to face Adam Smithfield who smiled brightly. “I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the service.” His eyes moved to Annie, and he nodded. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Dawson.”

  Annie saw Alice look at her with one eyebrow raised, but merely smiled and greeted Adam. “How has your search been going?” she asked.

  “Search?” Reverend Wallace echoed.

  “I’m looking for a very dear friend,” Adam said. “Candace Caine. I have reason to think she was in Stony Point at some time.”

  The reverend’s brow wrinkled as he thought. “I know a Candace Wilson, but Wilson is her married name. She married Harry Wilson just two years ago. A wedding like that reminds us all of the timelessness of love. At any rate, is your friend in her upper sixties?”

  Adam shook his head. “No, she’s only about Mrs. Dawson’s age.”

  “Oh, it’s not Candace Wilson, then. I definitely don’t know anyone else named Candace,” Reverend Wallace said. “Though, not all tourists come to church, so she could have spent time in Stony Point without my getting to meet her.”

  “Candace would have come to church,” Adam said. “She was very spiritually minded when I knew her. I don’t think she’d miss church, not even when traveling.”

  “Did you come all the way to America to find this woman?” Alice asked.

  “I did,” the tall Brit said, “and I would go much farther.”

  “She must be very important to you,” Alice said, and Annie could see the curiosity in her friend’s eyes.

  “She is the love of my life,” Adam said simply; then he turned his attention back to Reverend Wallace when he asked what part of the United Kingdom Adam was from. “Cardiff, Wales,” Adam said. “Though I live in London now.”

  “That’s an amazing coincidence,” Reverend Wallace said. “My wife’s family has roots in Cardiff, and she still has many relatives living there that she keeps in contact with. I’ve only been once, but I really enjoyed the trip. Wales is a lovely place. I’ve always thought of New England as a region with a sense of antiquity, but Wales reminded me of what a young country the United States truly is. Wales felt ancient—especially in the countryside.”