The Seasons of the EmmaLee

by Michael Lindley

  Emily didn’t even bother to answer. She just wasn’t in a mood to fight about the situation again.

  “Think about it tonight, honey,” her father suggested. “You can catch the early train tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we’ve got some folks coming over for cocktails on the porch at five, then we’re all going down to the hotel for dinner. Why don’t you and Connor join us?”

  She had finally had enough. “None of you seem to care there’s an innocent man being held down at the jail for murder, one who also happens to be a friend of mine.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re buying that old Indian’s story?” Connor chided.

  “Mr. Truegood has no reason to lie, or make up such a story. He clearly saw Jonathan walking away towards home where I found him the next morning. And he saw Catherine get into a car and drive away, and that’s the last time anyone saw her.”

  “Come on Em’, the Indian was staggering drunk. He’s just trying to get some attention. I’m sure they haven’t been able to get any more real detail out of him, have they?”

  “Connor, you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emily said.

  “Alright, let’s not spoil this nice afternoon,” her father interrupted.

  The screen door opened and the cook brought out another pitcher of tea and a glass for Emily. She sat them down on the table in front of Emily’s parents.

  “Come on dear, sit down and relax with us for a minute,” her mother asked.

  Emily was still standing facing everyone else. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to go up and take a nap. I’m exhausted.”

  “Let me come by around six and I’ll take you to dinner,” Connor said.

  She shook her head in exasperation. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s just try not to talk about this case anymore tonight. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Connor Harris agreed.

  Luke McKendry walked into The Helm. The clock behind the bar showed 5:30. There was a couple in a back booth and no one else except Bud behind the bar. He sat down on his usual stool and lit a cigarette.

  “Well, well,” said Bud, walking up. “Haven’t seen your hide since the night…. well, you know.”

  “You mean the night that sonofabitch killed my girl and my baby!” he spat. “Give me a goddamn shot and a draft.”

  Bud served up the drinks and watched Luke throw them both back and push the glasses forward for more. “Is it gonna be one of those nights, son?”

  “Shut up, Bud and pour. That’s your job, isn’t it?”

  “So, you’re still blaming your brother, too?”

  “Nobody believes that damn Indian, Bud. He’s certified crazy and you know it as well as I do. Besides, Catherine wouldn’t just jump in some strange car passing by at two in the morning.”

  “Luke, you know how she’d get when she was in here. She was even worse that night. She was barely walkin’ when they left here that night at closing.”

  “Yeah, I heard.”

  “You goin’ to the funeral tomorrow?” Bud asked.

  “Her brother and her parents don’t want me anywhere near that place.”

  “Hey kid. I’m really sorry about Catherine, and the baby and all. I know you two washavin’ some trouble, but there just ain’t no sense in any of this. These first two are on me, how ‘bout that?”

  Luke was staring at the bubbles in his beer and just grunted.

  “You know, it’s a damn good thing you was shacked up that night, or they’d be chillin’ your ass down at that jail,” Bud said. “I never seen two people fight as much as you and the Hansen girl. Why the hell’d she ever stay with you?”

  “My sunny disposition,” Luke answered gruffly. He finished the second beer in one swallow and let the burn reach all the way down into his gut. “I’m no fool, Bud. Catherine only came to me after Jonathan got hot after that Compton broad, and then up and left for the War. She’s left here all alone wondering if he’s coming back in one piece, and if he does come back, it’ll be with the Compton girl hanging on his arm.” He stopped for a moment, thinking. “Maybe she thought she was punishing him, but the only one she ever hurt was her own damn self.”

  Bud poured two more beers from the tap and held his up to Luke’s. “God rest her soul,” the old man said.

  Connor walked out to the car with Emily, dressed in a white dinner jacket and black bow tie. He opened the passenger door for her and helped her in. She hadn’t said a word since she met him at the door. When he got in on the other side she was looking out the passenger window.

  “Come on Emily. You need a night out to relax and forget about this for a while.”

  “Let’s just go. I’ll be alright,” she said quietly, finally looking over to see him. She noticed a cut, or scratch along the line of his jaw. “What happened to your face? You need to be more careful shaving.”

  As he was backing the car out of the drive, he reached up with his free hand and touched the area. “Yeah, I was out on the sailboat yesterday and caught a weird gust of wind. Damn mainsail jibed and the boom about took my head off.”

  “You should have that looked at,” she said.

  They drove up the long, curved driveway in front of the Belvedere Hotel. It was a grand old structure built at the turn of the century. The lawns and gardens were immaculately cared for. The view down the hill and across the lake was spectacular. Several other large cars were parked in the drive. A uniformed valet attendant came out to open the door for Emily, then ran around to take the keys from Connor.

  “Thank you, sir,” the attendant said, as Connor placed a tip in his hand.

  Connor started around the car to help Emily out. She reached down for her purse on the floor. Something bright caught her attention, wedged under the side of the seat. She squeezed her hand down into the narrow opening and was able to get a grip. It felt hard and sharp in her fingers. As she managed to pull it free, she could finally see what it was. A sinking nausea raced through her body as events and facts all came together in an instant of sudden clarity.

  She tried to catch her breath. Connor reached her open door and offered his hand to help her out. She closed her hand and slid it into the pocket of her jacket.

  “Connor…” she hesitated and couldn’t continue for a moment.

  “What is it?”

  “Connor, I’m suddenly not feeling very well. Something’s coming over me. Can you please take me back home?”

  An hour later, Emily Compton walked up the stone walk to the home of George Hansen and his parents. She stood on the porch for a moment continuing to question her judgment in what she was about to do. She reached out and pushed the doorbell. Almost immediately she could hear movement inside, then the door opened and George was standing there with a surprised look on his face.

  “Hi Emily…ah ….why are you here?”

  When she looked into George’s face she could still see the pain of the family’s grief wearing on him. She knew she had to go forward.

  “George, can we go for a walk?”

  “Sure,” he said looking behind him and then coming out and closing the door. They walked out to the sidewalk and then turned east, back towards town. They walked in silence for a while, then Emily finally got up her nerve.

  She reached into her jacket and pulled out a closed fist. She stopped and George turned to face her.

  “What is it?” he asked, a bit impatient.

  She opened her hand and held it palm up in front of him. A silver pendant earring lay in her hand and shined brightly, even in the late evening sun.

  “I found this,” she said hesitantly as she looked up into George Hansen’s face.

  George looked at the earring for a moment and then reached out and took it from Emily. He held it dangling in the air between them with a puzzled look on his face.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “Do you think this…”

  George quickly interrupted her. “Where did you get this?”

  “Is it Catherine’s?”
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br />   “My parents gave these to her last Christmas.” He closed the earring tightly in his hand and looked directly into Emily’s eyes. “You need to tell me now where you found this.”

  “Oh George!” she gasped.

  He reached out and took her arm in his grasp, as if she might run away before she told everything she knew. “When they returned my sister’s effects there was only one earring. We figured it had been lost out at the beach.”

  “George, we need to go to the sheriff.”

  A half a block away, parked between two other cars, Connor Harris sat in his car watching Emily Compton talking face to face with George Hansen, examining some item, too small for him to make out. He had suspected something else was wrong with Emily than a sudden illness. He had followed her discreetly to the Hansen house.

  He watched as they turned together and began walking quickly toward town.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  It took most of the next day for the EmmaLee to make her way back up the coast from Leland to Round Lake in Charlevoix. The wind had picked up and blew at ten to fifteen knots from the south, giving the big ship a smooth ride on a following sea. Sally had been sitting with Alex up on the deck above the bridge for much of the afternoon, reading and occasionally laughing again about the night before.

  They had finally herded Fran and Susan back into their clothes and the launch for one of the crew to get them back to shore sometime after midnight. She and Alex had sat for at least another hour in the warmth of the big cotton robes, sipping brandy, laughing and talking about her two crazy friends from the shores of Leland harbor. As the ship now slowed to head into the channel to Charlevoix, she was thinking about her feelings the night before, sitting there with Alex Clark, naked under her robe. She couldn’t remember ever feeling a stronger physical attraction to anyone. It was all she could do to remind herself that sex was a further complication that certainly she didn’t need at the moment. She wasn’t sure how Alex was feeling, but he behaved like a gentleman and they both retired to their own cabins after a long kiss goodnight.

  Megan came up on deck to join Sally and her father and they returned waves from the many people along the pier as they headed into the inlet of Round Lake. Sally couldn’t help but feel just a bit guilty riding along on the top of such an outrageous display of wealth. She wondered how her mother had felt about it. She had never seemed pretentious about the family’s money, at least in Sally’s memories of her.

  As they came alongside the dock in town, the crew jumped down to secure the lines and lower the stairs. Sally came up on deck with her travel bag and Alex was waiting for her at the stairs. She noticed a middle-aged man standing on the dock at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a tan designer jacket and slacks with a black silk shirt open at the neck. His hair was dark brown and shiny and brushed straight back. He had a sharp, handsome face with a deep tan, his eyes hidden behind slim black sun glasses. He seemed anxious.

  “My former partner in crime, Louis Kramer,” Alex said, taking her hand and looking down at the man. “I mentioned we had a meeting today. He just had to be here in person to tell me about this new business opportunity. He had his jet fly him into the Charlevoix airport this afternoon.” Alex waved. “Lou, come on aboard.”

  Louis Kramer ran up the steps with athletic grace and shook his former partner’s hand and then gave him a big hug, lifting Alex off the ground. “Hey, old man,” he said. “This northern climate seems to be suiting you just fine! Who’s the pretty lady?”

  “Lou, meet my friend, Sally Thomason.”

  He came over and planted a wet kiss on her cheek and gave her a big bear hug. “My pleasure, Sally! Damn nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Louis,” Sally said. Welcome to Charlevoix.”

  “Sally’s family owned the EmmaLee years ago here in Michigan. Actually, her mother was Emily, the ship’s namesake.”

  “Well, you’re even prettier than this big old boat!” Louis gushed.

  “I guess that’s a compliment,” Sally said with a grin on her face.

  “Whew, Alex, they grow ‘em pretty up here in the North.”

  Sally sensed his Texas accent was just a little affected. “Well, Louis Kramer, you’re going to get a permanent invitation from the Chamber of Commerce if you keep talking like that,” Sally teased. “I’m going to let you two take care of business. I need to get up to the shop and check on some business of my own.”

  “Sally’s a painter and has a gallery up on the main drag there,” Alex explained.

  “Well, wouldn’t you know, I’ve been looking for someone to paint my portrait for all history to remember me,” Louis said in a self-deprecating tone.

  Sally laughed, “Your friend certainly has a way with women, Alex.”

  “Oh yeah, he’s a real charmer,’ said Alex. “And speaking of charmers, look who’s coming down the hill.”

  Sally looked and saw Mary Alice Gregory walking with determination down through the crowds of people in the park. She had her hair pulled back as usual with a scarf and her long tan legs were displayed nicely beneath a short white sundress and white heeled sandals.

  Alex poked his friend in the side as they all watched Mary Alice approach the ship. “Louis, you may have well just met your match.”

  Mary Alice spotted them standing at the rail and waved. Alex waved back.

  Louis just whistled quietly. “Damn!” was all he could manage to say.

  “Let me clear some space for all of you,” Sally said as she leaned over to kiss Alex on the cheek. “Thanks again. You know I will never be able to thank you enough.”

  Megan Clark ran up and hugged Sally around the waist. “Bye Sally. When are we going to see you again?”

  Alex answered for her, “We’ll call Sally later, after she’s had a chance to unpack. Maybe she can join us all for dinner.”

  “That would be nice, thanks,” Sally said. “And Louis, it has been a real pleasure,” she said with a genuine smile in her voice. “Maybe we can get better acquainted over dinner tonight.”

  “Absolutely,” he answered, looking back to see Mary Alice Gregory coming up the stairs. Sally passed her going down. “Hello, Mary Alice.”

  “Why Sally, I was just up at the shop,” Mary Alice said. “They said you’d been away for a few days. I had no idea…”

  Sally couldn’t resist a little dig to get under her skin, “We had a wonderful cruise down to Leland, but I really have to get up to the gallery now. Bye Mary Alice.”

  “Oh, bye.”

  As Sally walked away along the docks, she could hear the fuss Louis Kramer was making over Mary Alice Gregory. Good luck Louis. You’re going to need it!

  Sally walked along the shops and restaurants on Bridge Street on the way down to her gallery. The sidewalks were full of summer visitors and kids on the lookout for kids of the opposite sex. The Sale signs were already going up in the windows of the merchants, a clear signal the season was beginning to wind down. The drawbridge was up over the channel and traffic was backed up as far you could see up the hills in both directions. Never try to get through Charlevoix on the half hours this time of year, she thought. Up ahead through the mass of people she saw the familiar face of George Hansen. They sidestepped a few more people and then came together in a hug.

  “Welcome home young lady.”

  “Thank you, George. It was quite a trip.” She told him about the service out near the Manitous.

  “Well, that Mr. Clark is quite a special fellow now, isn’t he?”

  “George, it was so hard saying goodbye to Mom and Daddy… and Ellen, again out there. But, when it was done, I have to admit I felt much better.”

  “I’m glad for you, honey.”

  “And if you promise not to tell…,” she smiled with a wicked grin.

  “Of course, I promise…”

  “We ran into Fran and Susan down in Leland.”

  “Oh, God! I can only imagine what those two were up to,” he said.
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br />   Sally took him by the arm and led him down the sidewalk. “Well, after a few too many bottles of wine last night we managed to all find ourselves bone naked out in the middle of Lake Michigan.”

  “Girl, you shock me!” he said and laughed. “Why am I not surprised with those two. So, has Alex decided on a departure date?”

  “In a day or two. He’s got a business partner in town tonight to discuss some new deal.”

  “Mind if I get a little nosey?”

  “Yes, I do mind!” she said punching him playfully in his round belly.

  “Well, I’ll ask anyway. What’s next for the two of you?”

  She pushed him away as they got to the door of her gallery. “You’ll be the second person to know, I promise.”

  The gallery had been busy when she walked in and her assistant waved and raised her eyebrows in a sign of relief as she continued to help a customer. Sally went around and talked with the other shoppers and spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on calls and the growing piles of paperwork.

  At a little after seven, the phone rang again and she was surprised to hear Alex’s voice. She had forgotten about the dinner discussions since she had gotten so busy back at the shop.

  “Can you stand a few more hours with the Clark clan?” Alex asked.

  “I don’t know, sir. You run with a pretty wild crowd. Can I keep my clothes on tonight?”

  “Those were your friends, lady!”

  “Something tells me Mr. Kramer is going to be even more to handle,” Sally said.

  “Oh, I think Mary Alice has got him all wrapped up and ready to deliver.”

  “Already!” Sally gasped. “That girl sure works fast.”

  “Look, the chef was able to run out and pick up some nice steaks for our Texas friend, a little fresh sweet corn and some charcoal for a good old-fashioned barbecue. Thought we might cruise out a ways into Lake Charlevoix and light up the grill.”

  “Sounds great!”

  “It’s you and me and the new happy couple.”

  “Oh boy, a night out with Mary Alice.”