by Anna Kern
Ethan called earlier in the day, and told her not to cook anything, since he couldn’t stay for dinner. When he arrived, the girls and I greeted him as usual at the door, looking for the treat he always brought when he visited, and he didn’t disappoint.
Ethan asked Alyx about the estate sale, and then asked about her date with Jonathan.
“Jonathan is an interesting man. He’s been to countries I’ve only heard about, and some I haven’t.”
“What about David? Are you still to seeing him?”
Alyx had never liked discussing the romantic part of her life with her son, and rarely did. She quickly changed the subject by telling him about the Ethiopian restaurant they’d been to, how they served the food all on one large platter with no utensils, with only pancake-like bread, folded like a napkin, which was used as a tool to grab the food.
“I expected the restaurant to be along the same showy lines as what you’d find at a tourist attraction––but it wasn’t. It’s small, inconspicuous and tucked away in an out-of-the-way kind of neighborhood about an hour’s drive from here. You and Nicki should go try it.”
Mom, you know she doesn’t like anything except basic food. The most exotic thing she’ll eat is spaghetti.”
“That’s not exotic; that’s American.”
He laughed. “Exactly.”
He asked her if there was anything new on Althea’s case, and she told him everything she knew about it and who she suspected––omitting, I noticed, the part about the note.
Later, Alyx made a sandwich and heated a can of tomato soup while I did some thinking about what Ethan had said earlier regarding Jonathan Steele. We evidently both thought it an odd coincidence that she could meet two people in Beachside who had both lived in the same city on another continent. She took the last bite of her chicken salad sandwich, just as the doorbell sounded its Westminster chime.
Jonathan Steele stood at the door with a grin, a bag of Lilly espresso coffee and a box of Amaretti cookies.
“Italy was one of the last places I visited,” he said, offering her the coffee and cookies.
“Well, thank you,” she said, hesitating a moment, not sure what to do. “Would you like to come in and have some coffee and cookies?”
“I’d love to. It’s been a long day––a very busy day.”
She prepared the coffee, put a few cookies on a plate, and carried them to the living room along with the espresso.
He took a sip from the demitasse cup, “It’s very gracious of you to invite me in without my calling you first. I took a chance, and I’m glad you didn’t disappoint me.”
“Well, I am sort of surprised. Earlier, I was telling my son about you and your store, and he mentioned the fact that you’re the second person I’ve met here in Beachside with a direct connection to Africa.”
I watched his face closely when she said that.
“Africa is a big nation.”
“Strange enough, my friend lived in Sierra Leone, where you said you were born.”
“What’s your friend’s name?” he asked, showing only polite curiosity.
“Her name is––was––Althea Burns. She died a few days before Christmas.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Was she a close friend of yours?”
The way he said that made me think that it was the right time to give Alyx the amber bead that we’d found in Althea’s condominium. I ran to the laundry room where I’d stored it for safekeeping. I realized I couldn’t drop it at her feet in front of Jonathan––I had to get her to the laundry room alone. So, I did my loud, frantic meowing routine, but unfortunately, only Misty and Pooky showed up. I told them what was going on, and soon there were three cats frantically meowing. Alyx still didn’t come right away, but eventually she did and she looked annoyed when she did. I pointed out the amber bead. I was glad to see her pocket the bead when Jonathan called out and asked if everything was all right. I was sure she got my message when she whispered, “Good job, kitty-cats.”
The three of us ran ahead to the living room where Jonathan remained seated.
“I remember hearing you say that the last place you visited was Lithuania. What are they best known for exporting?” asked Alyx.
“That would be amber, gintaras in Lithuanian, found on the Baltic Sea shores, and considered the best variety of amber.”
“I didn’t get a chance to take a close look at the jewelry counter in your store,” said Alyx. “Did you bring back some amber jewelry?”
The question startled him. He quickly regained his composure, letting Alyx know that she’d asked one too many questions. But it was too late to change the subject.
“So, what brings you to the neighborhood?” she said.
“I wanted to see you,” he said simply. “I brought the coffee and cookies to entice you, hoping you’d ask me to stay and share.”
“It looks like it worked.”
She stood up slowly, “Will you excuse me a minute? I’ll be right back.”
I sensed the fear in her, and I meowed once, the pre-arranged signal for the felines to take their strategic places––Misty on the back of the couch, Pooky next to Steele and I had the floor.
Alyx kept a small, six-inch gun hidden among the towels in the bathroom and when she came out, the gun securely held behind her back, she said “Sorry, coffee has that effect on me.”
“You can put the gun away, Alyx,” he said. “You don’t need it. I’m not a murderer.”
Alyx brought the weapon forward and rested her hand on her lap, finger solid on the trigger.
“I don’t know how you guessed,” he said, then added, “Althea was my mother, but I didn’t kill her.”
“Your mother? Were you at her condominium before she was killed?”
He nodded. “But I didn’t kill her!” he repeated, running his fingers through his hair.
Alyx did her best to remain calm. It was clear she didn’t know what to believe and neither did I. “Tell me what happened,” she demanded of Steele.
“I learned about my kidnapping when my mother––or the woman I thought was my mother––died last year. In a deathbed confession, she told me the truth. She had been employed as a domestic in Althea’s house in Africa. She––that is the woman who I have called mother––was appalled at what she perceived was Althea’s apparent neglect of me. She couldn’t have any children, and when her husband approached her with an idea, she agreed to the kidnapping only if they could keep the baby. She and her husband had friends in the right places, and with their help, they got out of the country with me and the ransom money.”
He paused. Alyx didn’t ask any questions, and so he continued.
“We vacationed here in Beachside every year until I graduated from high school. I’ve always loved this area, and since my father was already living here, it made sense to open my business in the area as well. He actually found the location for me, and I pretty much did everything long-distance.”
He took a sip of coffee, “I thought it a happy coincidence when I found out that Althea also lived in Beachside, thinking we could take our time to get to know one another as mother and son. However, she ignored the correspondence from the investigation firm that I’d hired to find her, and she refused to see me when I tried contacting her personally. On an impulse, I took a chance, believing that if I just showed up in person it would strike a motherly cord or something, so I went to see her and brought her a delicate necklace of amber beads. She was horrified to see me and when she opened the box that I forced on her, she immediately tried to pull the necklace apart, throwing it hard against the stairwell while she screamed at me to get out. I quickly picked up the necklace, put it back in the box and left. I was devastated. Later, I learned she was dead.”
I wasn’t sure I believed the man and everything he’d said––Althea screaming and throwing things against the wall didn’t fit the character of the woman I knew. However, it was true that Althea hadn’t told the whole truth about herself, had she?
“Have you tried to get in touch with your cousin, Carole Berth?” Alyx asked him.
He nodded, leaned back, and draped his arm across the back of the couch, invading Misty’s space. She didn’t budge, and he removed his arm.
“She refused to see me and told me not to call her again.”
“Did you know that Althea was a wealthy woman?”
“Yes, I did,” he sighed. “That gives me a solid motive, doesn’t it? Except, I have plenty of my own money and I certainly wouldn’t kill for more,” he added emphatically, if not necessarily convincingly.
“I’m never surprised at what people will do for money,” she said off-handedly.
For an instant, his eyes turned hard, and then he looked away.
“Were you angry at her when she refused to acknowledge you?” she asked.
“At first I was, but I knew about her illness, and that excused her behavior in my mind. I’m fine with it now. I have no feelings for her one-way or the other. I looked for her believing it would ease her pain of not knowing what had happened to her child, but apparently I shouldn’t have bothered.”
“I think she blocked out your existence to protect herself.”
He said he was fine with it; but I heard something different in his voice.
Alyx began in a soft tone, “I met Althea when she came into the store last spring…”
She then told him all she knew about his real mother up to the day that she’d found her body. Jonathan sat quietly and listened. After that, they ran out of things to say.
Alyx didn’t put the gun away until Steele had left the house. Then she securely locked the door behind him.
“Independent as they are, cats find more than pleasure in our company.”
––Lloyd Alexander
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: The Last Umatilla Trip
Alyx didn’t want to give Carole Berth the opportunity to say no, so she didn’t call ahead before driving to Umatilla again. The temperature was in the high seventies and the sun was shining as usual. It was a lovely day and I was enjoying myself. Better known for palm trees, the beach and Walt Disney World, we drove through the part of Florida that most people from out of state don’t know exists. We passed several miles of agricultural fields, a small grove of orange trees, and an open field with cattle grazing contently, some up close to the fence, their big brown eyes watching the occasional vehicle drive by.
We arrived at Carole’s door before noon. A pale, sickly looking twenty-something young man answered the door. Alyx gave her name and asked to see Carole.
“She’s not home,” he wheezed.
“Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“No clue,” he shrugged.
“Do you mind if I sit out here and wait for a while?”
“Fine with me,” he responded and he closed the door.
She came back to the car and we waited. At one point, I caught the movement of a curtain at one of the windows. I didn’t think it was Carole’s son; the figure I glimpsed before it moved away was much larger. I thought it was probably her husband, and I had a fleeting idea as to why he was hiding from Alyx.
Carole finally arrived home, and was naturally surprised to see Alyx, not to mention me.
“What are you doing out here? Didn’t anyone come to the door?”
“Yes, a young man, who I assume is your son, answered the door, and I told him I’d sit out here and wait for you. He seemed to be having trouble catching his breath, and I didn’t want to make him feel any more uncomfortable. Does he have heart problems?”
“No, he’s full of allergies and has asthma. As you can guess, he doesn’t spend much time outdoors. I’m sorry, did we have an appointment that I forgot?” she asked, more than a little annoyed, I thought.
Alyx pulled the check from the estate sale out of her bag and handed it to her.
“I thought since I had the time, I’d bring this to you.”
Carole took the check and shoved it in her purse. “That really wasn’t necessary, I told you it was all right to mail it,” she said.
“Well, it’s a little more than what I felt comfortable mailing. We sold almost everything and paid you for the items we kept. I’ll arrange for those few things we didn’t sell to be picked up this week if you don’t mind me keeping the key a few days longer.”
I looked hard for any reluctance and didn’t see any––only irritation.
“Actually, the truth for my visit is that I have some questions, and I hope you understand that I have to do whatever I can to help find Althea’s killer.”
“You still want to help her even though my aunt lied to you?”
“If, as you say, she was sick, then she wasn’t responsible for her behavior.”
Carole pursed her lips in resignation but still didn’t invite us in. “So what do you want to know?”
“Detective Smarts isn’t obligated to tell me anything, and he hasn’t, even though I found two pieces of evidence that he missed. Judging from the contents of the lingerie chest that were scattered on Althea’s bed, you must have been looking for something too. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I really have to go. My husband is waiting for something he asked me to pick up for him.”
Alyx stepped off the porch and abruptly turned around before Carole turned the knob.
“Does your husband have a heart condition?”
“I don’t see how my family’s health is of any concern to you. No, he doesn’t.”
That was the end of the conversation. She left Alyx standing there and went into the house without a backward look.
“The sun rose slowly, like a fiery fur ball coughed up uneasily onto a sky-blue carpet by a giant unseen cat.”
––Michael McGarel
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: The Train Station Incident
“Hi, Maggie, I know you were worried about my trip to Umatilla, so I thought I’d let you know,” Alyx said into her cell phone as we wound our way back home. “I’m on my way back, about twenty miles out, taking a side trip to the Amtrak railroad station, mostly for sentimental reasons.”
She told Maggie that she remembered the time she’d taken ten year-old Ethan on his first train ride––taking the train to the next stop and back. She said that according to the article she’d read in the paper, the station, originally built in 1813, had a doubtful future as there was only a small amount of money earmarked for its rehab project.
The right exit came up; the route took us through an older residential neighborhood to Old New York Avenue, and into the empty, gravel parking lot of the station. Alyx got out of the car and walked the short distance to the benches on the boarding platform. She seemed preoccupied as she walked slowly back to the car, unaware of a vehicle until it swerved in front of her. As the wheels spun on the gravel, the driver rolled down his window and yelled, “Watch out, you stupid woman!”
The car didn’t touch her, but disoriented by the action, Alyx fell on her knees. A station employee ran towards her and helped her up.
“Are you all right?”
Alyx brushed off her knees. “Yes, I think so. Did you see what happened?”
“Yes, I did. That car drove in slowly and picked up speed when it swerved in front of you. It looked to me like he did it on purpose.”
“Did you recognize the make of the car?” she asked.
“I’m sorry; I don’t know one from the other, and I didn’t even look at the tag. Do you want me to call the police?”
“No, there’s not much I can tell them other than it was a black sedan. I didn’t see the tag number either.”
After the incident, we drove directly to the police station in Beachside. A tall, skinny man with a potbelly and a few strands of dirty hair was telling an officer at the front desk about an altercation with his neighbor, a two-inch cut on his cheek still fresh but not bleeding.
The officer wrote down all the information about the man’s complaint on a form, and then took care of two people over
the phone before he turned his attention to Alyx, thirty minutes later.
Busy filling out a log sheet, he didn’t even look up when he asked if he could help her.
“Yes, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
She skipped the small talk that usually accompanied her requests. “I’d like to speak to Detective Smarts.”
“He’s not in the station at the moment, ma’am.”
“He is on duty today?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Is there any way you can reach him?”
He looked at his watch. “Are you sure no one else can help you?”
She bit her lower lip. “I received a threating note, and someone just tried to run me over. I prefer to speak to Smarts, but, yes, someone else can help me.”
“Your name?”
“Alyx Hille and this involves the Althea Burns’ case.”
The officer looked up and smiled. After a discreet phone call, Detective Smarts appeared a few minutes later, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.
He scanned the note Alyx handed him, and the smirk on his face quickly disappeared. He made no comment about my presence, but asked her to follow him down the hall to an office no bigger than a closet. He slid behind the desk and asked her to have a seat in one of the two folding chairs facing him. I took up guard next to her. She told him everything. He listened without interruption.
“Is that all? You’ve told me everything?”
She nodded and looked down, her hand clasped tightly around my leash.
“Thank you, Ms. Hille. I know you don’t think much of my detective skills, but I assure you, we’ve been working on the case. Although we didn’t get any prints off the pill case you found, I did learn that Carole Berth’s husband takes nitroglycerine for angina.”