by Anna Kern
The check was for one hundred dollars more than the price marked.
“Alyx, there must be a mistake,” said Mary looking at the check. “This is way more than what I expected.”
“Well, when Maggie saw the interest in the man’s face, she decided to ask for more. Frankly, we both thought they were worth more than what you marked. She said he didn’t hesitate. I hope you’re not mad that she took the liberty to do that.”
“No, of course not. You’re the one who forced me to put a price on them. I was willing for you to price them in the first place, remember?”
“Yes, and I remember telling you that if you didn’t value your work, no one else would either.”
“You’re right; I don’t have enough confidence … I’m getting better … watch!” To prove it, she folded the check with a flourish and put it in her purse without further discussion. “Well, here’s the latest.” She held up the canvas. The piece was larger than the others, and it had lots of color. Alyx looked for a price tag and didn’t find one. “How much?”
“Well, I was going to ask you what you thought.”
“What do you think its worth, Mary?”
She lifted her shoulders and squared her chin a smidgen. “I think it’s worth three hundred dollars.”
Alyx raised her eyebrows and said, “That might be too confident a price.”
“Okay, two hundred, and not a penny less.”
“You’re the artist. Two hundred dollars it is.”
“Yes, I am, aren’t I? Shall I hang it up or will you?” she asked without hesitation.
“You do it, that way you can rearrange the pieces however you want.”
The canvas was soon up and Alyx stood back. “Mary, I think this is a winner––it’s absolutely beautiful,” she said in awe. “I love the luminescent colors.”
“What’s on the canvas is not a real picture; the rectangles with the softened edges in shades of blue and white are whatever the beholder wants it to be,” Mary added.
Alyx couldn’t hide her emotions when Mary hugged her and thanked her for her support. She said her family didn’t understand her kind of art, and had never encouraged her or shown any interest in her work, and at times, they had even acted as if her art was an embarrassment to them.
“I predict wonderful things will start happening to you soon, and I’m glad for the small part I played.”
Later in the day, Alyx and Maggie were gone. Misty decided to risk another rebuff, and slid through the partially open door, stopping halfway through. I invited her in, and she entered without looking at me, skirting the outer edge of the room before she took a seat on the worktable. I joined her there, scattering a few fabric swatches in the process as I paced on the long worktable.
I owed Misty an apology for ignoring her and for hurting her feelings. I explained that I needed to set everything aside for a while.
My apology wasn’t enough for Misty, however. She questioned why Simon didn’t tell me who had killed Althea. I told her that I had asked Simon that question; and that his answer was that he wasn’t around when it happened. Misty angrily spit out that he must have been out prowling with his friends to see how many more cats he could get to join him on his mission of good. I was stunned and I turned, facing her. Her head jerked up to look at me. She had figured out that I was considering joining Simon and she hesitantly asked when I planned to go.
Misty, and I had a special relationship; our bond had formed on that first day that Alyx had brought her home from a garage sale that included a box of free kittens. Misty depends on me to teach her and to explain things she doesn’t understand; she’d be lost without me. I knew at that moment what I’d known all along––I wasn’t leaving.
I didn’t understand why Simon, with all his knowledge, seemed to be a little envious of me. I wondered, but only for a second, how he would react when I told him I wouldn’t be joining him. The truth was that I’d known all along that my place was with Alyx.
Ready for a snack now, Misty, and I made our way to the basket of goodies on the checkout counter, disappointed at the meager supply, and there we sat patiently waiting for someone to come along and dispense the tasty treats before they all disappeared.
“The pull of the outside world is strong; there is also a pull towards the human. The cat may disappear on its own errands, but sooner or later, it returns once again for a little while, to greet us with its own type of love. Independent as they are, cats find more than pleasure in our company.”
––Lloyd Alexander
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Three Is One Too Many
“Alyx, this is David. Please call me when you get this message.” Alyx put her phone down without returning the call.
Maggie plopped down on the Victorian-style couch in the workroom and asked why she was pouting.
“It’s David. He left a message for me to call.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know if I should.”
She told Maggie she didn’t know what to say to him. She hadn’t changed her mind about their relationship and he could be so persuasive She didn’t trust herself.
“Maggie, am I crazy? He’s handsome, successful, charming, kind...”
“And the cats like him,” added Maggie, her best argument yet. “What else could you ask for in a man?”
Alyx leaned back in her chair and studied her nails. “Right. I’ll call him.”
She called his office and his assistant answered. “Dorinda, this is Alyx. David left a message to call him back. Is he available?”
“Hi, Alyx. No, he’s not here. He said if you called, I was to let him know immediately, so he could call you right back.”
“That’s not necessary. Please just tell him that I called the next time you speak to him.” I could tell that Alyx was thinking hard about something. Then she seemed to make up her mind and spoke up.
“Maggie, I’m going back to Althea’s place. I won’t be gone long.”
Maggie didn’t look up. “What are you going to do?”
“I want to take another look around, see if I missed anything.”
“Be careful, Alyx. Someone may be after something in that house.”
“I’ve thought about that; that’s why I have to get there first. Besides, I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to come back in bright daylight.”
“Well, they could be watching and know you’re involving yourself and possibly think that you might have found something to incriminate them,” Maggie argued.
“Maggie, I know you can’t help being concerned, but please stop playing my mother, and stop worrying about me. I’ll be careful. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
“Stop playing your mother? I’m four months younger than you, and don’t you forget it.”
“You won’t let me forget that, will you?.”
“Seriously, Alyx, do you want company? I have a couple of free hours.”
“No, thank you. I’ll see you later.” Alyx grabbed her purse and was out the back door in a flash.
I had also wanted to return to the condominium, and this was my opportunity. I surreptitiously followed her out. I saw the tailgate down and so I leaped into the truck bed. She focused on her mission, and only took a cursory look around for me. I hunched down in the corner of the truck bed, behind a rolled up rug and hoped the ride wouldn’t be too rough.
A bit shaken on arrival, I decided to let Alyx see me so I could ride back up in the cab. She opened the front door to the condominium, and I slipped in ahead of her, something I’d mastered as a kitten, startling her as expected. She first opened all the shutters and drapes, then started her search upstairs while I started mine downstairs. I went over every inch and then started over. When I looked up, I saw Alyx coming down the stairs and, at the same time, I saw a flash of silver wedged at the base of the first stair step where the carpet met the tile. I had it out by the time Alyx reached the bottom step. The silver object was less than two inches long with
a diameter about the size of a pencil. I lifted it up to her and she grabbed it from my teeth. The object safe in her purse, we jumped back in the truck, and she backed out of the driveway. On the way, her phone rang, and when she saw who was calling, she stopped to answer it.
“Alyx, I’d like to see you as soon as possible; I have something I have to tell you in person,” I could hear Hunter say through her cell phone.
“All right. I’m on my way back to the store right now.”
“I’m leaving the Courthouse now, so I’ll meet you there.”
Hunter wasn’t the type to beg, so I wondered what he had to tell Alyx that he had to tell her face to face? Alyx must have been wondering the same thing and she picked up speed and we were back to the shop in a jiffy. When Hunter walked into the workroom five minutes after we did, Alyx made room for him on the couch.
“My ex told me that she’s been harassing you,” he said apologetically.
Alyx looked up, surprised, and turned to face him. “She told you she followed me home and almost sideswiped me?”
Now it was his turn to be surprised. ”No, she didn’t tell me that. She said she called you several times during the night, but she said nothing about following you. How do you know it was Joann? Did you see the driver?”
“No. It was too dark.”
“How about the car? Did you see the color or make?”
Alyx shook her head. “What kind of car does she drive?”
“A black BMW. Alyx … listen, I’m sorry about all this. I had a long talk with her and she promised not to bother you again. This isn’t like Joann; she has more class than that.”
“You came here to make excuses for her?”
“No, Alyx, I came here …”
Alyx put her hand up to stop him from continuing. “She says she’s going to stop? What does she want you to do in return?”
He took a deep cleansing breath, “She wants to have dinner with me once or twice a month. I agreed. It seems like precious little if that’s what it takes to stop her from bothering you.”
Alyx got up slowly, and ponderously walked to her desk as if she were trying to get herself under control.
“Bothering me? That’s what you call it? I call it stalking me. Thanks for trying to protect me, David, but don’t do me any favors, I think I’m capable of taking care of myself. Now, if you don’t mind I have some work to do.”
He didn’t move. “It won’t last long, Alyx. I promise. She’ll get tired of me.”
“David, please go.”
He lingered at the door. “I’ll call you.”
“I don’t think you should do that for a while.”
She turned her back to him, waited for him to leave before she answered the phone, and for the next half hour listened without really hearing a client describe the decorating elements of the private home she was staying at in Palm Beach.
Maggie returned about an hour later and asked her if she’d found anything important in the condominium. Alyx showed her the silver object I’d found that Alyx had now wrapped in a tissue.
“Murfy dug up something very interesting.”
“That’s a nitroglycerine pill case, isn’t it? Where did he find it?” asked Maggie.
“I saw him digging at the base of the stairs where I’d found Althea’s body. He alternately tried to dig it out with his paws and pick it up with his teeth. I’m afraid he probably wiped off any prints, or at least smudged them pretty good.”
“It’s still a clue, one that would have been overlooked otherwise.” said Maggie, examining the case closer, without touching it. “It looks like this was attached to something.”
“It’s like the one Al Jacobs clips to his belt loop,” said Alyx, “It might belong to whoever killed Althea.”
“Which means the killer would be someone with a heart condition.”
“In other words, someone with a bad heart and a motive––no pun intended,” joked Alyx.
“Are you going to turn it over to Detective Smarts?”
“Eventually.”
“Won’t you get in legal trouble if you don’t? You should call David and ask him what to do.”
Alyx’s emotions flared. “I can’t ask David.…”
With that, Alyx told her all about David’s visit, and Maggie put her arm around her shoulders. “David will work it out with his ex, honey. You’ll see.”
“I’m not so sure he can,” said Alyx. “He said he’s doing this...this business of allowing himself to be intimidated into seeing his ex-wife for me, but I can’t help but think it’s because he hasn’t disconnected from her yet. She’s manipulating him, Maggie. I can’t help wondering what else she’ll coerce him into doing next. Don’t you see where this is going?”
Maggie tried to calm her down. It was apparent Alyx was in no mood for logical arguments; she was hurt, and, yes, she admitted, she was jealous.
“I want him to be free of his ex-wife, not to get more entangled.”
She walked out of the workroom and stopped to listen when she overheard a customer ask Bernice what she found most enjoyable about working at Antiques & Designs.
“That’s easy. It’s the people who walk through the front door,” Bernice answered. “I’ve watched people come and go through that door and wondered about their lives just by the look on their faces. Couples come in sometimes so in tune with each other that they don’t even have to speak, and you say to yourself, ‘that’s how I want my marriage to be. What can I do to make it like that?’ I see single women obviously starting over––not sure that they can make it on their own, going forward anyway, and you have to admire their strength and be inspired to get over any little setback you might be experiencing. Then there are the older couples who look so much alike you think they’re genetically related; their hair is cut in the same style, and you know they must use the same hair color.”
The customer laughed at that. “You should write a book; you certainly have an endless source of material.”
“Maybe one of these days,” said Bernice, “when I have more time to play.”
A wistful smile whispered over Alyx’s lips. Was she wondering what her customers saw when she came into view? Did they see a strong, successful woman, or the one scared to take a chance on love? I wondered that myself.
At home that night, I told my housemates about the day’s events. They understood that whoever had dropped that pill case must be frantic to get it back, and that meant vigilance on all of our parts. The plan was as before; Pooky, would be in charge of security at home, while Misty and I had the store.
“Cats are glorious creatures––who must on no accounts be underestimated. Their eyes are fathomless depths of cat-world mysteries.”
––Lesley Anne Ivory (from Glorious Cats: The
Paintings of Lesley Anne Ivory)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Far Away Places Not Far from Home
Mornings at Antiques & Designs are usually slow, and everyone is relaxed, enjoying their morning coffee. Customers trickle in until lunchtime when it starts to get busy. I monitor what goes on whether there is one customer in the store or twenty.
A young couple walked in that I’d never seen before and Alyx greeted them warmly.
“Hi, Alyx, remember us … Melissa and Sean?”
“Of course, I do. We sat at the same table at the masked ball. I’m so glad you decided to stop in.”
Melissa looked over at Sean, “We’re ready to start looking to buy. I wanted to see those items you told me about, so that when we look for a place to live, we’ll know approximately what size and room configuration to look for.”
“That’s very smart of you.”
Melissa put her arm around Sean’s waist, her eyes bright with adoration. “It was Sean’s idea.”
The first item Alyx wanted to show them was Althea’s bed. She never made it to the rear of the store, however, as Melissa spotted the slant-front desk, and Alyx knew she wasn’t going to be interested in looking at anything else.
“Oh…honey, isn’t it beautiful!” I’ve always wanted a desk like this. I love all the little pigeon holes, and the leather top. And look at the inlaid work, Sean.”
“It’s really not my style, a little too delicate for my taste,” he said, and then seeing the disappointment on her face, he quickly added, “It’s perfect for you, though. If you like it, let’s get it. How much is it?”
“I’m sorry; this desk isn’t for sale right now. I promise I’ll let you know if I decide to sell it. I have some other pieces from the same estate that you might like though,” she said pointing them to the rest of the items from Althea’s condominium.
Later on, Bernice was back from lunch in a happier mood than the day called for, and in a singsong voice announced, “I know who’s opening shop in the old lamp store, and you’ll never guess.”
“Well, if I’ll never guess, you’d better tell me,” teased Alyx.
“You’re no fun,” said Bernice and proceeded to tell her.
“Did you ever watch that travel show where the host traveled to out-of the-way places rather than the more common tourist places in the world?”
“Yes, the show was on TV a couple of years ago on the PBS station, right?” guessed Maggie. “I was sorry to see it go off the air.”
Bernice nodded, “The host of that show is the owner of Far Away Places, the new shop where the old lamp store used to be.”
“Really?” mused Maggie. “I wonder why he picked this city to open such a store. You’d think after all his travels, he’d want a more sophisticated place than Beachside.”
“His father lives here,” explained Bernice. “I had lunch with my parents, and it so happens that they live in the same condominium building as his father. They wanted to see his new store, so we stopped in for a few minutes.”
“Did you meet him?” asked Alyx, excited.
“Yes. The handsome and charming Jonathan Steele––and he has excellent taste. He has some very unusual items in the store. You should stop in, Alyx. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect item for that housewarming gift you mentioned you needed.”