by Jan Fields
Annie was laughing as she hung up. She’d always been a little sad that LeeAnn never had any siblings, but the twins reminded her of how interesting life can get with more than one child.
Annie walked back to the sofa to find that Boots had hopped into her spot, directly on top of Annie’s crocheting.While she was gone, Boots had hopped back into her spot, directly on top of Annie’s crocheting. When Annie tried to lift the sleepy cat, Boots clung to the afghan with her claws. Annie held the cat in one arm while she carefully picked each claw loose from the yarn.
“Thanks for reminding me that I still have a spoiled kid to deal with,” Annie muttered as Boots tightened her grip on the afghan. Finally, she separated cat and crochet, and deposited Boots on the floor. The cat glared at her before beginning the dainty process of smoothing down her mussed-up fur.
Annie looked over the afghan, relieved to see that Boots hadn’t done any damage, though she had added a lot of cat hair. Sitting back, Annie again lost herself in the smooth movement of the hook and the feel of the yarn in her fingers. At the speed she was going, she would have the piece done by the end of the week.
The crunch of tires on gravel pulled Annie out of her reverie. She looked toward the windows and realized night was falling. Annie tucked her afghan into her project bag to keep Boots from adding any more fur to it. Then she walked to the front door in time to hear a knock.
She pulled open the door and found Ian.
“Oh,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting a visit. I thought you’d just call.”
Ian smiled. “I hope a visit isn’t imposing.”
“No, no,” Annie said, backing away and gesturing for Ian to come in. “You’re always welcome, Ian. I hope you know that.”
“I always like to hear it.”
“Do you have anything new on Alice?” Annie asked.
Ian shook his head. “We called every hotel, motel, and inn within at least an hour’s drive of Preacher’s Reach. None of them have a record of Alice MacFarlane or Jim Parker staying there.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Annie said. “Alice told me they were at an inn, and it was local. She said it was hard to get a room because the locals seemed very unfriendly. And I could see behind her in the chat. She was definitely in a nice room.”
Ian nodded. “Is there any chance they went to some other photo-shoot location and were going to Fuller’s Island later?”
Annie shook her head. “No. Alice was very clear. She wouldn’t have lied about that. There’s no reason. Alice is a grown woman and could go wherever she liked.”
“Then clearly someone else is lying,” Ian said. “Someone is covering up Alice and Jim’s stay.”
“But why? They aren’t government spies or anything crazy like that. Jim was just taking pictures of old buildings.”
“I agree; it doesn’t make any sense.”
Annie took a deep breath. “I’m going down there.”
“What?” Ian’s eyebrows shot up so high Annie half expected them to hop off his head. “You’re going to a hostile town that’s covering up Alice’s whereabouts. Since when does that sound like a good idea?”
“I’m not going alone,” Annie said. “Mary Beth and Stella are coming too. We’re going to find out what happened to Alice. It’s pretty clear that something has happened.”
“Mary Beth and Stella?” Ian said. “Well, that makes me feel a lot better.”
“I don’t see any call for sarcasm,” Annie said, feeling her temper rise.
“And I don’t see any call for the three of you to rush off into danger,” Ian said. “Do you really want to put an old woman like Stella in danger?”
Annie felt a pang of remorse, but only said, “Stella may be the toughest one of us all.”
“That’s not comforting,” Ian said. “The woman is eighty-three years old.”
“But she always has a knitting needle,” Annie said. “Those things can be deadly.”
“That’s not funny,” Ian answered, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Ian, I have to do something. I’m worried to death about Alice, and it’s clear that she’s not just off on a romantic adventure.”
Ian nodded. “You’re right. We need to go down and check it out.”
“We?”
“I’m not going to let you go without me.”
Annie frowned. “I’m not sure I need your permission.”
Ian clearly saw where the conversation was going, and he held up his hand. “You know that’s not what I meant. Look, I’ll feel better if I come along. And you’ll all be safer. It’s a win for everyone.”
“Won’t you be missed, Mr. Mayor?” Annie asked.
“The tourists are thinning down, and I think Stony Point can survive without me for a few days,” Ian said. “You’re clearly intending to go down there whether I come or not. And I’m definitely not going to let you go alone.”
“Not alone,” Annie said.
“Alone with Mary Beth and Stella.”
Annie had to admit, she would feel safer with Ian along, but she wasn’t sure how Mary Beth and Stella would feel about it. “I need to ask the others,” Annie said, hesitantly.
“As long as they know I am going.”
Annie assumed that kind of attitude would go over about as well with Stella as it did with her. “I’ll talk to them tomorrow.” Then Annie laid a hand on Ian’s arm. “I do appreciate your offering to come. I’m so worried about Alice.”
“When did you intend to leave?” Ian asked.
“I’m not sure,” Annie said. “We talked about it today at the Hook and Needle Club, but we didn’t set a date because I wanted to wait until I heard from you.”
Ian nodded. “I’ll have to take care of some things at the office and put Tartan in the kennel. I would have Todd watch him, but the last time I left him with Todd, he took Tartan out on the boat, and Tartan ate a lobster. The result wasn’t pretty.”
Annie was sure Ian’s brother had meant well. Todd always struck her as much more impulsive than Ian. Ian was anything but impulsive. Normally he planned everything, but here he was offering to just up and go to South Carolina. “You know, this seems a little out of the ordinary for you.”
Ian raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand. You know you can count on me.”
Annie shook her head. “Not that. It’s the impulsiveness of it.”
Ian smiled a little. “I’ve found I’ve become considerably more impulsive since I met you, Annie Dawson. I have to stay on my toes just to keep up with the predicaments you find yourself in.”
“Well, this time it looks like Alice is the one in a predicament,” Annie said.
Ian’s face darkened. “And not surprisingly, I’ll bet you that Jim Parker is at the center of it.”
“You know Jim wouldn’t want anything to happen to Alice,” Annie reminded him again.
Ian relented reluctantly. He just nodded. “I should go. I need to get some things in order before the trip. Try not to worry too much. It won’t help Alice if you don’t sleep or eat between now and when we find her.”
Annie agreed quietly. After Ian left, Annie stood for a few minutes on the porch, the chilly October breeze making her shiver. She looked out into the darkness. Where are you, Alice?
6
One of the servants on the island was an old woman we called simply “Cook”—she worked in the kitchen. By worked, I mean that she sat perched on a stool and commanded the kitchen staff with a sharp tone. She was tremendously old. Her eyes were so sunken into the many wrinkles of her face that I was certain she had no real eyes—but empty sockets shadowed by her heavy brows. She must have known we children were afraid of her because she took advantage of it, making strange magical signs with her hands if we lingered too long in the kitchen.
—Steven Fuller, 1925
Mary Beth and Stella were both happy to have Ian joining them for the trip to South Carolina—although Annie did have to take some ribbing from Mary Beth an
d Kate when she dropped by A Stitch in Time to run it by them. As it turned out, Stella was in the shop picking out yarn for a new project, so Annie was able to ask both at once about Ian coming along.
“Now I’m really concerned about Alice and Jim,” Kate said, when the teasing wound down. “It’s very unsettling that Ian couldn’t find out where they’d stayed.”
Annie nodded. “I agree. And I thought I was worried before Ian told me that, but why would an inn hide that information?”
“Well, maybe the people at the inn feel like they’re protecting Jim and Alice’s privacy,” Kate said, but her voice didn’t sound like she put much hope in that idea.
“I suspect the inn must have something to do with their disappearance,” Stella said matter-of-factly. “Perhaps Jim and Alice discovered an extra mystery at the inn, and someone decided to keep them quiet.”
Annie laid a hand on her stomach. Nerves had her twisted into knots.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to speculate too wildly,” Kate said as she looked anxiously at Annie. She reached out and squeezed Annie’s arm. “You might find the answer really quickly once you get there.”
Stella snorted, but she didn’t offer any more bleak theories.
“I can wrap things up here and leave Friday morning,” Mary Beth said. “I wish I could do it sooner, but I have something I must attend to tomorrow.”
“I understand,” Annie said. “I’ll let Ian know. I don’t know how soon he will be free either, but it would be wonderful if we could go soon.”
“For you?” Kate said. “I expect he’d leave today.”
“That seems unlikely,” Annie said. “He is mayor, and he certainly always seems busy with the work of looking after Stony Point.”
“Call Ian now,” Stella commanded. “Let’s get this settled. If we’re leaving Friday morning, I need to move some appointments.” She held up a hand before Annie could speak. “It’s not a problem. At my age, it’s mostly a matter of postponing perfectly unnecessary doctor appointments for a few days.”
“If you’re sure,” Annie said doubtfully.
“I am sure.”
Annie fished her phone out of her purse and found Ian’s number on the speed dial. He answered on the second ring. “Annie! I hope you slept last night.”
“Some,” she said. “I’m here at A Stitch in Time. Mary Beth and Stella can leave Friday morning. They want to know if you can do that.”
“I can,” Ian said. “Listen, I’m tied up here for another hour. Can we meet for lunch after that?”
“To talk or to make sure I’m eating?”
“Both,” Ian said with a chuckle. “I’m multitasking.”
“I’ll be happy to have lunch with you.” As Annie ended the call, she looked up to find Mary Beth, Kate, and even Stella smiling at her. She didn’t even bother to try to fend off the teasing. “Ian will be ready to leave Friday morning.”
“I thought he would,” Stella said. “I believe this is definitely the best course of action. The people of the area are far more likely to tell the truth when spoken to face-to-face.”
Annie definitely thought it likely that Stella could get a confession out of most people—she was easily the most intimidating lady in Stony Point. Again a wave of worry washed over her, and she could feel the prickle of tears. “They’ve been missing for so long,” she whispered. “I just hope they’re all right.”
Stella leaned forward so she was close enough for Annie to see the traces of powder in the creases of her face. “We’re going to find them. I’m sure of it, and I’m rarely wrong about this sort of thing.”
“We just have to keep the faith,” Mary Beth said.
Annie nodded and managed a watery smile. “I’ll try. I guess I’m a little tired.”
“Did you sleep at all last night?” Mary Beth asked.
Annie shook her head. “Not much, really. Maybe I’ll try warm milk tonight.”
“You know, you might feel better if you stay busy,” Mary Beth said. “Why don’t you get Ian to tell you what inns are in that town. You can figure out which one we should stay at and make reservations.”
Annie nodded. “I could do that.”
“I’d like a room to myself,” Stella said. She turned toward Mary Beth. “I don’t tend to sleep many hours at a time, and I read at night. I wouldn’t want to keep you up.”
“No problem,” Mary Beth said. “Do you want a roomie, Annie? I’m open.” Then she grinned, her pixie smile full of mischief.
Annie nodded. “That would be fine. Unless you’re planning to tease me endlessly. I may want a room as refuge.”
“No teasing once we get going,” Mary Beth said. “Well … not much anyway. Not unless I’m incredibly provoked. Oh dear, maybe you should get your own room. I just can’t make any promises about my self-control.”
Kate leaned over the counter and added. “Really, Annie, get your own room. She has been relentless in teasing me about Peter Matthews.”
Annie didn’t doubt that. Kate had spent most their drive home from the Texas needlecraft convention blushing. It was hard not to tease her over the handsome homicide detective who was clearly smitten with Kate, but Annie had mostly avoided the topic.
“Maybe I’d better just book four rooms,” Annie said. “Unless I have to choose fewer, then I can room with Mary Beth and simply be brave. If we can find Alice and Jim right away, I’ll be happy to be teased all the way home.”
Everyone nodded in agreement about that. Mary Beth pulled a road atlas out from under the counter, and they all looked at it together to talk about the best route to Preacher’s Reach.
“Don’t you have a GPS?” Annie asked.
“Yes, but I don’t like its bossy tone sometimes,” Mary Beth said. “Beside, I like having a mental picture of the route.”
The tinkle of the bell over the door drew their attention away from the maps. Ian Butler stepped through, his chocolate brown eyes as warm as his smile. Annie smiled back, feeling the knot in her stomach loosen the slightest bit. She was a little surprised at that feeling. She’d always had it with Wayne too—as soon as he walked in, any catastrophe seemed just a little bit more manageable. She’d never thought she would feel quite that trusting again.
“You ladies look very busy,” Ian said.
“We’re planning our route south,” Mary Beth said.
“Oh?” Interest brightened his face still more, and he walked over to offer his own ideas about the route. Annie had always played map navigator when they drove long distances, but Wayne planned the basic route. It wasn’t one of the things Annie found very interesting. She was always more focused on the actual arrival.
She stood back and watched her friends. Ian’s neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper hair was almost a match to Mary Beth’s pixie cut of the same color. But beyond that, they had no similarity. Ian was tall and slender, towering over Mary Beth. While Mary Beth’s face was pixie plump, Ian’s was all angles and high cheek bones.
Kate and Stella were also a study in contrasts. Kate’s shiny dark hair was cut above shoulder length, but long enough to swing forward and hide her face when she looked down. In contrast, Stella’s perfect sweeps of soft gray hair wouldn’t dare fall out of place. Both Stella and Kate stood taller than Mary Beth, which emphasized her elfin look.
Finally Ian tore himself away from the maps and turned toward Annie. “Ready for lunch?”
“I’m not very hungry,” she admitted, “but I should try to eat something.”
“I suspected as much,” Ian said. “Maybe you could try a bowl of soup. It may be time for some comfort food.”
They walked in companionable quiet to the diner. Peggy caught sight of them immediately and hurried across the room with a coffeepot clutched in one hand. “Any news of Alice?” she asked as soon as she reached them.
Ian shook his head. “We’re going down to look for them.”
“Oh.” Peggy put a hand to her chest. “So you think something bad has happened
too?”
Ian glanced at Annie, concern clearly showing on his face. Then he turned to Peggy. “We really don’t know what has happened. But we’re going to find out.”
Peggy nodded. “Do you want a table near the windows or one more out of the way?”
Annie looked toward the lovely expanse of Town Square that showed through the front windows from the angle where they stood. “I think I’d like to be near the window.”
“Great—come this way.” Peggy twirled with a swish of her pink uniform and headed back across the diner, weaving between tables with the ease of long experience.
Annie felt Ian’s hand lightly on her back as he followed her. The tenderness of the gesture made Annie aware, once again, that her “just friends” assertion wasn’t altogether honest. They were friends—good friends—but the hint of something more was always there. As the perfect mayor, Ian was concerned and protective of every person in Stony Point, but Annie would have to be totally blind not to see his feelings for her went deeper. And, even though Annie had told LeeAnn that her relationship with Ian wasn’t getting serious, she realized it might well be.
As they sat, Peggy flipped their coffee cups over. “Coffee?” she asked. “Or do you want me to bring you some tea, Annie?”
Annie did find tea comforting, but she asked for coffee, hoping it would help shake some of the fog she was feeling from lack of sleep. Peggy poured expertly. “Are you two ready to order or do you need menus?”
“Soup,” Ian said. “What kind do you have today?”
“Clam chowder,” she said, “and a really nice hearty chicken noodle soup. It puts that nasty canned stuff to shame.”
“Chicken noodle soup,” Annie said. “I think I’m up for the ultimate comfort food today.”
“Same for me,” Ian agreed.
“Coming right up!”
Ian turned concerned eyes toward Annie. “How are you doing? At the risk of saying something that will trigger a fight, you look tired.”
“I am,” Annie said, “and a lot worried. But I’m glad that we’re doing something. Knowing that I’m not going to sit helplessly at home with a cat in my lap, just hoping and praying for Alice to get back to me, helps.”