“I’ll accept that. This is hardly the time or place for a serious discussion, but I’d like you to think about it. Life is precious when you find someone you like to be with. We’ve both made mistakes so we need to take it slow. But not too slow.”
Hegrinned down at her, squeezing her shoulder although she sensed he would have liked to hug her.
“Let’s get a beer,” he said. “Then we’ll hit the lumberjack show.”
While they drank a cold beer, she told him about the woman in the grocery store calling her Abby and how she had found her again.
“She was my adoptive mother’s best friend. She recognized me so I think she must have been in contact with Rose over the years. She must have seen pictures to know what I looked like.”
“That’s fantastic, Clare. She might be able to answer some of your questions. What’s her name? Maybe I know her.”
“Her name is Margee Robinson.” Nate shook his head at the mention of the woman’s name. “You’ll get a chance to meet her since she’s going to catch up with us after the lumberjack show.”
They finished their beers quickly and walked over to the bleachers that were set up across from a stage and a plastic swimming pool where the log rolling contest would be held. The show was a real crowd pleaser. Lumberjacks competed in log splitting, log sawing, and pole climbing. Clare was amazed at how quickly they could climb with the long spikes on their boots. There was a lot of good humored ribbing between the contestants and the crowd cheered wildly for each winner. The log rolling was the highlight of the show.
Dividing the audience in half, each side had a champion to cheer for. Clare’s side was the cheering section for the lumberjack in the red plaid shirt and red suspenders. She and Nate yelled and whistled along with the rest of the crowd as their man tried to catapult his opponent in the green suspenders into the waist-deep water. At the end of four rolls, it was tied two and two. The cheering was thunderous for the final bout. Much to Clare’s delight, red suspenders was the winner.
She had been so caught up in the show that she forgot to keep an eye out for Margee. As the crowd began to thin, she scanned the pool area but didn’t see her. Looking around, Clare couldn’t see her anywhere.
“Iwonder where she is?” she said, searching the last of the stragglers.
“Are you sure she said she’d meet you here?”
“Yes. She said beside the lumberjack pool.”
They waited for twenty minutes but by that time the workers were finished cleaning up the area and there was no one else in the stands.
“I don’t think she’s coming, Clare.” Nate squeezed her hand as he realized her disappointment. “Maybe she couldn’t get away.”
“Maybe,” Clare said. “She seemed so nervous just talking to me. I wonder if she ever intended to meet me.”
“Let’s go back to the baking tent and see if she’s there.”
There was no one at the table with the jams and jellies. Nate asked several women at the adjoining booths but they were all volunteers and didn’t know who’d been at the other tables. Even mentioning the name Margee elicited no recognition. Close to tears, Clare let Nate convince her that it was time to go home. He asked if she wanted to stop somewhere for dinner, but she said she’d rather go home. Back at the cottage she apologized for being so depressed.
“I had such high hopes about talking to Margee,” she said.
“Get out the phone book and we’ll see if she’s listed,” Nate said.
After searching around in the cabinets, they finally found a phone book. Clare thumbed through the pages until she came to the right section.
“No Margee Robinson. In fact, no Robinsons at all.”
“You’re sure that’s the name?”
“Yes,” Clare snapped. “I’m sorry. I was so counting on this.”
“It has to be a huge letdown. Don’t worry about it tonight. Talk to Ruth tomorrow and see if she has any ideas how to find the mystery woman.”
Putting his arms around her, he kissed her on the forehead then held her against his chest and patted her back as if she were Erika. Clare giggled and he grinned down at her.
“I’m out of practice in the role of lover,” he said. “What have you got going tomorrow?”
“I’m having lunch with Bianca and her brother.”
“If Ruth doesn’t recognize Margee, then ask Bianca. Despite her sweet fluttery ways, she knows most of the gossip in town. In fact, I’d guess she started a third of it,” he said. “By the way, do you want to come for dinner tomorrow?”
“Onlyif I can cook. You’ve fed me enough. Besides I make a really great chicken and artichoke heart casserole. And since I’m in Minnesota and want to follow the local customs, I’ll make a JellO mold.”
Chuckling at her joke, he kissed her chastely and left.
Clare took a shower and read for a while. She spent some time looking at her notes, but her heart wasn’t in it. When she got hungry she heated up some soup. It had begun to rain, which added to her feeling of depression. She watched some news and then, after a cup of hot tea, went to bed.
The clap of thunder woke her. With the windows closed, the room was hot and stuffy. The flash of light was so bright it blinded her and the darkness that followed was without relief. A flat black with no lighter shades to give definition to objects around her. A flash of lightning illuminated everything in the room, then plunged it into darkness. She seemed to be in the very center of the storm. Clare threw back the covers and scurried across to the window. Thunder rumbled all around her and she could feel the vibrations along the floorboards against her bare feet.
She huddled at the edge, behind the draperies, transfixed by the fury of the storm playing out beyond the window. Like an army on the move, the storm advanced across the lake. Lightning silhouetted the trees at the shoreline as rain sheeted off the eaves ofthe cottage. Beyond the trees there was nothing but blinding white. The far shore of the lake was invisible. Bands of rain whipped across the open area leading to the dock. After one particularly explosive crash of thunder the pounding of the rain eased. She stayed beside the window watching the streaks of lightning spread across the night sky.
Another flash of lightning and she saw a man standing at the edge of the trees. It was only for an instant and then the darkness descended.
Heart pounding, she waited, her eyes fastened to the spot where she’d seen the figure. Nothing but black. A distant boom of thunder and then a flash of light.
Someone was outside in the rain.
S
Chapter Fourteen
Clare clung to the side of the window and waited for the next flash of light. Her eyes burned as she stared at the tree line. It came again and the man was still there.
Unmoving. Unrecognizable. A dark figure standing motionless. It looked like someone in a hooded coat. A thin oval of light where the face should be. Too far away to tell if it was a man or woman.
Another flash and he was gone. She searched back and forth in the open space between the house and the dock. In the next flash, she spotted him, catching the wet glint on a slicker. He was closer to the cottage.
She pulled away from the window, terrified that he could see her watching him. She covered her mouth to hold back a scream. Had she locked the back door? More light and he was gone. Where was he? She couldn’t stand the waiting and ran out of the bedroom and across the living room to the back door. She touched thelock, reassured that the door was bolted shut. Fumbling in the dark, she reached for the light switch and flipped on the outside porch light.
The backyard leading down to the dock was lit and as she searched the areas along the trees she could see no one. She sagged in relief.
Suddenly she remembered another time, another place. She was on a screened porch. Her fingertips pressed the screening as she watched a storm outside. She was just a child. A tall man stood beside her, his hand lightly touching her shoulder. She felt safe. She didn’t know if it was real or only wishful thinkin
g but she sensed that the man was her father.
Thunder crashed in the distance and she blinked her eyes back in the present.
Outside the rain was slowing. It rolled off the roof, puddling and splashing beside the porch. The windows were steaming and hard to see through but as she stared outside she could see that whoever had been outside was gone.
She left the outside light on and went back to bed. She lay on her back for a long time, wondering if there really had been anyone outside. Waking up in the midst of the storm she might have still been caught up in a dream. The scene on the screened porch had surely been part of a dream. She listened to the steady rhythm of the rain and eventually turned over and fell asleep.
The morning was hot and muggy. The air was so thick that it looked as if there was a slight mist rising off the surface of the lake. She still was uncertain about what she had seen in the night. She had been upset when she went to bed, disappointed that she hadn’t been able to talk to Rose’s friend. Maybe that had triggered some sort of waking nightmare.
She called Ruth at the library and told her about finding the woman from the grocery store. She described her, but Ruth didn’t recognize the description. After straightening up the cottage, she drove into town to run errands. She stopped at Gordy’s toget what she’d need for dinner at Nate’s. By the time she finished putting the groceries away, she had to hurry to get ready for lunch. She drove around the lake, passed Nate’s place and, following Bianca’s directions, found the entrance to the Egner’s place.
Bianca met her at the front door of the beautiful old stone house. Clare looked around the large foyer, admiring the glass cases on either side that were filled with porcelain figurines. One case held birds of every size and shape, the vibrant colors of the feathers in sharp contrast to the case on the other wall. Here most of the figures were in soft muted colors of white, grays, and soft blues. Lladros predominated but there were other artists represented that she didn’t recognize.
“It’s a breathtaking collection, Bianca.”
“I’m glad you like it. My mother started me collecting. Other people have added such beautiful pieces over the years. Most of the birds were given to Olli, and I thought they should have a place of their own.”
“Ah, here you are, Clare. Right on time.” Olli’s voice boomed in the high-ceilinged hall as he strode forward to shake her hand. “Come along and we’ll see if we can give you some more good Minnesota food.”
With a hand at her back, he steered her toward the dining room across the hall. The furniture was old but clearly expensive. The cherry table gleamed beneath a crystal chandelier. He pulled out a chair for her while Bianca bustled off to the kitchen.
“I can only stay for a lunch and then you and Bianca can have a good chat. I run a summer camp down by the lake and we’ve just completed our season. Several of the counselors have stayed behind to clean up the place and get it ready for winter.”
He talked a little bit about the activities at the camp and Clare could see how enthused he was about how well it had gone. He was especially proud of the fact that this year they had opened up the camp to some inner-city boys from Duluth.
“One of my first postings was in Duluth, so I’ve stayed close to many people there. The youth minister and I arranged for eight boys to come to the camp for free.”
“I’ll bet it was a big change for them after living in the city,” Clare said.
“Atfirst they were very tentative. Everything was new to them. Sleeping in tents, building fires, and learning to canoe.” Olli’s mouth stretched in a smile. “It was a few days before they began to feel comfortable. By the end of two weeks, they were as adept as the other boys.”
Bianca came back into the dining room carrying a large tray. Clare was surprised when Olli remained in his chair, watching passively as Bianca struggled to set it on the buffet.
“I hope you’ll like our simple meal,” Bianca said as she set a plate in front of Olli and then another in front of Clare. “More often than not we have soup. It’s too hot for that this time of year so we usually have a fruit salad at lunch. The raspberries and blueberries are locally grown. This has been a good year for both.”
She kept up a stream of chatter as she circled the table, setting down plates and water glasses as she went.
“This is sunflower bread. It’s one of my specialties.” She set a plate of sliced bread in front of Olli. “And this is local clover honey. You may not have had it before in the comb. Some people don’t like the wax with the honey.”
“I remember having it when I was very little.” Clare eyed the wooden square with a piece of honeycomb in the middle. “It’s messy but a wonderful treat. My mother, Rose, would let me lick the frame when it was almost empty.”
“Childhood memories are lovely,” Bianca chirped.
“Grace, Bianca.”
At Olli’s words, Bianca fell silent and took her chair. He extended his hands to Bianca and then Clare and bowed his white head.
“Thank you, Lord, for the bounty of your table and for sending us a charming guest to share it with. Amen.”
Bianca and Clare repeated the Amen.
Olli dominated the conversation during lunch, talking about his postings in both Minneapolis and Duluth before he returned to Grand Rapids. He spoke directly to Clare, ignoring Bianca. When Clare responded to a question, she tried to include Bianca in the discussion. She needn’t have bothered because the woman kept oneeye on her plate and one eye on Olli trying to anticipate his needs.
“You’re a very lucky man to have a devoted sister to help in your work,” Clare said.
For a moment, Olli looked startled as if he hadn’t thought of that. He tipped his head to the side as he looked down the table at his sister.
“You know, Clare, I probably don’t praise her enough, but it’s only through her housekeeping and hostessing that I’m able to get so much done.”
Bianca’s face turned red and she dropped her gaze to her plate.
“Watching the two of you the other night at the dinner, I couldn’t help but notice how attentive you both were to the people there.” Clare smiled at Bianca. “And your centerpieces were lovely.”
“Bianca has been with me ever since I graduated from deLaSalle High School in Minneapolis. I knew I had a calling then and she’s followed me everywhere since that time. A true handmaiden of the Lord.”
Although Clare considered his tone patronizing, she could see that Bianca was overwhelmed by his praise. Her face glowed and she sat more erect.
“Oh, Olli, you know it’s been my pleasure.”
“Well, ladies, this has been charming,” Olli said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “I know you won’t mind if I slip off and leave you to some girl talk.”
Clare managed a weak smile as she shook his hand. “I’m just delighted that you invited me to lunch. I know you’re a busy man.”
“Never too busy to spend time with two lovely ladies.”
Clare half expected him to make a courtly bow, but he contented himself with a nod of the head as he left the room. With her brother gone, Bianca gave Clare her full attention.
“Would you like another slice of lemon cake?”
“No more cake, thanks. Everything was delicious.”
“Tea?”
“Yes, please.” Clare reached for the pitcher. “I can get it. Would you like some?”
Bianca seemed flustered that Clare was waiting on her. She started to shake her head, then nodded. Clare filled the glasses and added lemon to hers.
“Ed Wiklander mentioned that you’re doing an article on the murder,” Bianca said.
“Yes. I haven’t started it yet. I’m just doing research at this point.” She looked at Bianca questioningly.” Were you here at the time of the murder?”
Bianca picked up her napkin ring, passing it back and forth between her hands.
“Yes. Olli and I were living in Minneapolis at the time. We came home to Grand Rapids for the weekend.
Saturday was the Fourth of July.”
“Did you know Lily Gundersen?”
“Not really. She was seven or eight years younger than I. She was well known around town because she was a waitress at the Forest Lake restaurant. That was a very popular spot back then.”
“I gather from her picture she was very pretty.”
“Yes, she was.” Bianca’s mouth tightened. “I imagine that was hard on her sister who was rather plain.”
“Did you know Rose?”
“Yes, we were closer in age. Once we got out of school, we hung out in the same crowd. Rose was very active in the youth group up until she moved to Minneapolis. Unlike her sister.”
“I suppose being married made a difference,” Clare said. “She would want to spend more time with her husband.”
“You knew Lily was pregnant when she got married?”
“Yes.” Clare took a sip of tea to cover her agitation. It was difficult not to react to Bianca’s innuendoes.
“I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but there was some talk that the baby might not be Jimmy’s.”
Clare set her tea down carefully. Her fingers felt numb and she didn’t trust herself to hold the glass. “All the newspaper accounts said they had a happy marriage.”
“People always say that sort of thing. Jimmy Newton was almost twenty years older than Lily. He lived in Minneapolis, and met Lily one summer when he came up fishing. They married the following spring. Lily was young and vivacious. She liked the attention of men.” Bianca sighed. “Before they were married, Jimmy was still traveling back and forth between Grand Rapids and Minneapolis, so he didn’t see her every weekend.”
Bianca spread her hands out as if that explained everything. Clare clenched her hands under the table. Her palm itched to smack Bianca for her gossipy insinuations. Although she might pity the fact that the woman was under the domination of her brother, she hated the sly way she suggested that Lily was at best fun loving, and at worst promiscuous.
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