by Cege Smith
“Tell me everything,” Ellie demanded.
Melanie flipped over her notebook and started looking through the pages. “For starters, Joseph met Lillian when he was visiting some friends in Louisiana. They fell madly in love, like kids those days always did, and decided to get hitched.” Melanie’s finger ran down the page through her notes as she continued.
“The problem was, Joseph didn’t really have a lot of money, and his soon-to-be bride definitely had a lifestyle to which she was accustomed. Joseph wasn’t real keen on the idea of working for Lillian’s father or living in Louisiana. He wanted to return to Minnesota. So he came back up here determined to make his fortune so that he could provide for his wife and the expected kids that he figured were just over the horizon.”
“So far it doesn’t sound that bad,” Ellie commented.
“Just wait—it gets better,” Melanie said, waving her hand in the air.
Ellie wanted to ask another question, but decided to wait. She could see that Melanie was on a roll.
“Like I said, Joseph didn’t have a lot of money. So he decided to invest everything he had in the iron mines up in northern Minnesota. See, he had a buddy that had done that, who was starting to make a little bit of money.”
Melanie looked at Ellie for a reaction. Ellie shrugged, not sure where the story was going.
Melanie dropped the bomb. “His buddy was a Mr. Henry Decatur. The Decatur family had a long reputation of having mob connections here in the cities. Joseph was desperate to earn a decent wage, and Henry’s family had the connections. Shortly after that, Joseph took Henry with him on a visit down to Louisiana to see Lillian.”
“Henry met Emma,” Ellie said, starting to connect the dots.
“Bingo. Everyone was so delighted that the tides of fortune appeared to be turning for Joseph, and as an extra added bonus, he brought home a handsome young man who promptly asked for Emma’s hand in marriage.” Melanie glanced around the empty café. “Would you mind terribly if I had a cigarette?”
Ellie couldn’t have cared less at that moment, even though she hated the smell of cigarette smoke. “Go ahead, but only one,” she said.
Melanie smiled gratefully and pulled a cigarette pack from her purse. As she lit the end, her eyes closed in an expression of ecstasy. Ellie just shook her head. Smoking was one habit that she would never understand.
“Can you keep going now?” she asked Melanie.
“Oh, yes, things are right as rain again,” Melanie said, digging back into her story. “So all is going well in the lives of our two young newlywed couples. Emma was apparently braver than her sister, or perhaps less used to the creature comforts in life, so she came back to Minneapolis with Henry right away. Now that Henry was married, he was more than a little uncomfortable with the dirtier dealings that he had previously been associated with and seemed more interested in going legit. So he got himself a clerk position with an accounting firm downtown, and Emma got herself a job at the downtown Dayton’s department store. Money was tight, but by all accounts they were content.”
“They didn’t seem like flashy people in my dream,” Ellie agreed. “Not like Joseph and Lillian.”
“No, those two were the exact opposite. Lillian stayed behind in Louisiana, and Joseph got himself embroiled deeper and deeper in some pretty unsavory business transactions. But between that, and his legitimate holdings in the iron mines, he amassed a small fortune in just a few years. So he started work on Lillian’s dream home.”
“Linda’s house,” Ellie said.
“Yes. The house took a lot longer to build than anticipated. There had been a smaller house on the property just like the agent said, but Joseph had it torn down.”
“What took so long?” Ellie asked.
“There were a few ‘accidents’ along the way,” Melanie said, using finger quotes. “In fact, it seems that as soon as Joseph started building that house, his luck started changing in a big way. Just as it was finally being completed, Joseph’s investments went south. But since most of Joseph’s money came outside the regular channels, he wasn’t as hard pressed. At least, not until the feds started making some inquiries.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Ellie said. “Joe Klein made it sound like the Bradfords had the perfect life. What with their glamorous parties and all.”
“Nobody’s life is perfect,” Melanie snorted. “In fact, from what I gathered there was definitely an undertone of tension between Lillian and her sister.”
“Tension, really?” Ellie was surprised because she had not felt that emotion in the women in her dreams.
“Oh, no, my dear. It’s the classic story of jealousy and deceit,” Melanie said with a satisfied smile. “You see, even though Henry and Emma were poor, they were very much in love. There had been some question about Lillian’s fidelity while she had remained in Louisiana while the house was being built, and then Joseph forced her to come here to Minnesota. Rumors abounded of their stormy relationship and bitter arguments, which always seemed to end up revolving around one single topic toward the end.”
“Having children,” Ellie guessed.
“Maybe you are psychic, sweetie,” Melanie said, looking only slightly chagrined that Ellie had guessed that latest plot turn in the story.
“Eventually, Lillian had given in to Joseph’s demands to start a family, especially once they moved into their new home. But then fate played a cruel trick on the Bradfords, because try as they may, they couldn’t conceive.”
“Then Emma got pregnant,” Ellie said.
“The plot thickens again, because yes, Lillian’s sister got pregnant,” Melanie agreed. “The timing couldn’t have been worse because money was getting tight. Henry lost his job right around the same time. He was forced to look to his old pal Joseph for help. I can only speculate that it was on one of those types of unsavory errands that Henry was running for Joseph that he disappeared.”
“That’s so sad,” Ellie said. “What about Emma?”
“Lillian told her friends that Emma had returned to their parents’ house when the news came that Henry had gone missing. I haven’t really had a chance to do any further digging into what eventually happened to her,” Melanie answered.
“What about the Bradfords?” Ellie asked.
“Well, that part the real estate agent did have right. The Bradfords had a big dinner party one Saturday night, and guests at the party said that they were arguing, even more so than usual, I guess. The Bradfords had hired a psychic to lead a séance in the house as part of the evening’s entertainment and apparently once it kicked off things went south quickly. The guests all scattered after a woman started having a seizure. A few evenings later, screams were heard coming from the general direction of the Bradford house, but nothing was reported to the police at that time.”
“Why not, for heaven’s sake?” Ellie was disgusted.
“Let’s just say that to have loud, shrieking noises coming from the Bradford house was not all that unusual,” Melanie quipped. “After about a week, the neighbors started realizing that they hadn’t seen the Bradfords in a while. They knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The police were eventually called, but no trace of them was found.”
“What about their belongings, their furniture? Surely they turned up at some point to collect that,” Ellie said in disbelief.
“All of that was apparently handled through Joseph Bradford’s attorney and it was sold to pay off Joseph’s debt. Some speculate that the Bradfords just up and decided to move back to Louisiana and start over. Others think that Joseph’s underworld dealings finally caught up with him. Whatever the case, the Bradfords were not heard from again around here.”
Ellie sat back her chair. “How did you find out about all of this, Melanie?”
“I’ve got my resources,” Melanie said. “I’m a writer, remember? I learned a long time ago where to dig and how to ask the right questions. People around here have long memories. You just need to know who to ask
.”
“Are you planning on writing a story about the Bradfords?” Ellie asked.
“I think I can fashion something that would be loosely based on their story. It has all the elements of a story that sells: romance, passion, crime, and an ending that is wide open for interpretation.” Melanie looked at her watch and grimaced. “Damn, I lost track of time.”
As if on cue, the phone in the back of the store rang. Ellie waved at Melanie. “It’s okay if you have to go. I’m better now. I’m sure that’s Kevin calling me back.”
“If you’re sure.” Melanie looked doubtful.
“Go!” Ellie said. Then she quickly walked to the back of the store.
“Hello,” she said breathlessly.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
Ellie was delighted to hear David’s voice. “Hi David,” she said.
“What’s going on? You get your new-fangled network all set up?” he asked.
“Oh, wow, David. A lot has happened since this morning,” she sighed. That morning seemed like a million years ago.
“What’s going on?” he asked, the concern evident in his voice.
“It’s a very long story,” she said. “I was hoping that you were going to be able to come over tonight and I’ll tell you all about it then. I’ll even make food.”
“Now that sounds like an invitation that would be difficult to resist,” he said. “If you’re sure that your news can wait until then.”
“Yeah, it can wait,” she said. She hadn’t figured out the best way yet to tell him that she had still technically been married until just a few days ago.
“I can probably scoot out of here around seven,” David replied. “Will that work?”
“Perfect,” Ellie said. “I’m starting to get the hang of Linda’s kitchen, so I’ll have everything ready.”
“See you then,” he said.
Ellie glanced around the shop and felt better about things than she had since that morning before Mr. Thomassen’s call. Everything would be okay; she just had to take it all one day at a time. She quickly gathered her things and locked the door. She had errands to run before David’s arrival.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
By six-thirty p.m., Ellie officially knew the secret to making everything in life seem brighter: two glasses of wine. She was giggling to herself, and Skipper pranced around her feet as she danced to music that was playing softly from a radio in the corner of the kitchen. Every once in a while she would even try to sing along, even though she knew that her voice was horrible. Skipper retreated to another room when it became evident that she wasn’t going to stop.
She could hear his toenails clacking all along the front hallway and occasionally a soft “woof” would reach her ears. She giggled again, wondering who he was “talking” to. She hoped he wasn’t getting tracks all over the floor.
The doorbell rang, and Ellie looked up at the clock in surprise. David was early. She felt a moment of panic. She had gotten behind because Kevin had called while she was at the grocery store, and explaining everything to him had taken forever.
He had insisted that he and Eric return home, but she assured him that there was nothing that they could do. She could survive over the weekend on her own, and in the meantime she would figure out the best approach for dealing with Jake’s estate. She was feeling much better; now she just had to figure out the best way to explain everything to David.
She checked the stew that was brewing on the stovetop once more and then pulled the apron over her head, setting it on the kitchen counter. Skipper followed at her heels as she followed the hallway to the front foyer. The doorbell sounded again.
“Patience is a vir…” Ellie’s words were cut short as she opened the door. Standing before her was Jenny Marks.
“We need to talk,” Jenny said, the tinge of hatred present in her voice. She was oozing red and black and Ellie was alarmed.
She pushed past Ellie into the foyer. It had been snowing outside, and Ellie could only surmise that Jenny had stood outside for a time, as she was dripping wet.
“Jenny, how did you find me here?” Ellie asked, trying to keep hold of the feeling of peace and calm that she had been feeling just moments before.
“I’m not going to wait around until you figure out how to elbow me out of everything that belongs to me and my baby.” Jenny stuck out her finger and wagged it in Ellie’s face. “Jake was going to marry me. He wanted to give me and the baby a good life, and I’m not going to let you ruin what’s left of that.”
“Please take your finger out of my face.” Ellie was furious over the obvious assumptions that Jenny was making. “You are jumping to conclusions without knowing anything about what you are talking about.”
“Oh, I know how you feel. You’ve been trying to figure out a way to worm yourself back into Jake’s life ever since he dumped you,” Jenny spat.
“I left Jake,” Ellie corrected, “and it was quite possibly the smartest thing I ever did.” She saw Jenny’s eyes narrow in disbelief. “I didn’t want him back, Jenny. I wanted him to leave me alone.”
“Liar,” Jenny hissed.
“You can believe what you want to believe. But I can see that this isn’t going to get us anywhere if you are going to act like this, I think you’d better leave,” Ellie said as she opened the door and pointed out into the night. “Maybe once you’ve calmed down we can have a rational conversation.”
“You were trying to convince Jake not to file those papers. That’s what had him so upset and that’s why he got into the accident,” Jenny accused in an anguished voice.
“I’m done talking, Jenny. Get out,” Ellie said flatly.
Jenny made a strangled noise in the back of her throat, and Ellie thought for a moment that the woman was going to square off against her. But Ellie stood her ground, refusing to let Jenny see how unsettled she was.
Jenny finally decided that leaving was the better option, and she shoved past Ellie. Ellie slammed the door behind her. She looked down at Skipper, who had been sitting next to the staircase the whole time.
“Good riddance,” she said, and walked back to the kitchen to check on her stew.
She didn’t look up to see the black shadows swirling above her head around the chandelier.
David had flowers and a bottle of wine in hand, and was humming as he approached the house. Despite all of the craziness, he felt like things were starting to get back to normal and things with Ellie were going great. During their phone conversations over the last three days she had sounded positive and upbeat. He thought she was starting to put her past behind her. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how he felt about her, but he was afraid that would scare her away. He just had to play it cool and enjoy being around her.
The snow was starting to come down harder than it had earlier, and he was looking forward to being snowed in with Ellie for the evening. He had a feeling they’d be settled next to the fireplace for the majority of the night.
He was on the steps headed up to the patio when he heard a groan. He paused and looked behind him. He thought he saw something disappear around the corner of the patio, away from the side facing the driveway. David slowly made his way back down the stairs, and as he got closer he started to run. He saw a small pool of blood marring the crisp white snow.
He rounded the corner and stopped as he gaped at the scene in front of him. In the dim light, he could just make out a body in the snow being dragged alongside the house. It was Jenny Marks. He could tell she was bleeding by the red drag marks in the snow. But he didn’t have time to focus on her. As his eyes met Joe Klein’s, he saw madness dancing there.
“Let her go,” David growled.
Joe regarded him carefully, but didn’t seem afraid. “Mine. She was promised to me,” he said as he licked his lips and glanced furtively down at Jenny.
Joe Klein looked…hungry. His physical condition had deteriorated even further from the last time David had seen him. Joe was little more than a walking skeleton
. An insane one.
David advanced slowly toward Joe. “I don’t know what the hell you are doing, Joe, but you are going to be in some big trouble. I’m going to take Jenny into the house now and I’m calling the cops.”
Joe’s laughter raised the hair on the back of David’s neck. “Police have no power here,” he scoffed. Suddenly he cocked his head into the air as if he heard something that David couldn’t hear.
“NO! MINE!” he yelled at the air.
David didn’t give him another opportunity to say anything else. He rushed at the man and plowed into him, slamming them both into the brick wall behind Joe. David threw two punches that immediately bloodied the older man’s nose. Joe started to whimper, and David stepped away in disgust when he realized that the man wasn’t fighting back.
Joe slouched to the ground. “Mine,” he whimpered plaintively, but he didn’t move toward Jenny.
As David crouched by Jenny’s head, Joe suddenly was on his feet and running toward the small tree line that masked the property line from the street. David was going to chase after him, but then Jenny groaned again.
He knelt down next to her and felt for a pulse. It was thready but there, and he sighed in relief. He felt her hands and cheeks. She was cold. He needed to get her inside.
He had no idea what had brought Jenny Marks to Ellie’s doorstep, but he suspected it wasn’t good. He remembered that Ellie told him earlier that whatever she had to tell him was too lengthy for a phone conversation. He pushed those thoughts aside. He needed to focus on helping Jenny. Abandoning the flowers and wine in the snow, he pulled the unconscious woman into his arms.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Ellie was setting the table in the dining room when she heard pounding on the front door. She ran into the foyer.
“Ellie!” she heard David yell through the heavy door.
She yanked the door open and saw that David was carrying a woman. Not just any woman either. He was carrying Jenny Marks. He pushed past her into the house.