The Tapestry in the Attic

by Mary O'Donnell

  Annie laughed inwardly; she didn’t think Stella would appreciate it if she laughed out loud. It was one thing if Stella made a comment about her age; it was entirely different if someone else did.

  “I talked about ‘the lead’ too,” said Kate, “with some of the people backstage when I was doing some hand-basting on a couple of costumes that had to be taken up. If everyone in the company hasn’t heard about it by the end of the day, well, I’ll be surprised.”

  “So, now what do we do?” asked Peggy.

  “Just watch for people who act suspicious, I guess,” said Annie.

  “In what way?” asked Peggy.

  “Well, maybe next week, if someone starts asking a lot of questions about what we’ve learned, that might be someone to watch,” said Annie.

  “Do we even have a motive as to why someone would want to steal it?” asked Alice. “We don’t even have a suspects list yet, do we?”

  “Not really,” said Annie. “I tried to think about all the people who knew about it—and that’s just about everyone in Stony Point, everyone at the college who is connected with the play, and whoever Cyril contacted in the antique and auction businesses.”

  “Hey—maybe it’s an international art thief,” said Peggy, not all that seriously.

  “In Stony Point?” said Kate. “Have you seen anyone who looks like Cary Grant or Pierce Brosnan loitering around A Stitch in Time? I haven’t. In the movies, international art thieves are always rakishly handsome, but they usually hang out in Monte Carlo and Paris. You never see a movie about an international art thief who looks like balding Mr. Kendall from over at the bank, lurking around in a scenic little town waiting for some lost da Vinci portrait to be discovered.”

  “Well,” said Alice, “if a priceless treasure ever was to be discovered in Stony Point, I’d bet you dollars to doughnuts it would be in Annie’s attic.”

  ****

  After the morning break, the company rehearsed until noon. Stella and Ian had once again arranged the meal with the help of a few of the backstage people who weren’t immediately involved in what was going on the stage. The table that had held the baked goods that morning now held two large trays of sandwiches and an extra-large slow cooker full of hot chowder from The Cup & Saucer.

  This time, Annie found an empty seat next to Stacy Lewis, the actor playing the title character of the play. Though she had met him briefly at Grey Gables, and had said a few words to him at the theater on occasion, she knew very little about him. She had been impressed by his talent as she watched him interact with Cyril and Dolores onstage. Annie thought that the Fortescues seemed favorably impressed with the young man too.

  “Have you always wanted to be an actor?” asked Annie.

  Stacy smiled. Annie remembered her earlier comments to Alice about how handsome he was. If she’d been a teenage girl, or maybe a little older than that, she would have definitely been smitten. “No, not always. Let’s see … when I was twelve, I wanted to be a baseball pitcher, and when I was thirteen, I wanted to be a paleontologist and study dinosaurs, and when I was fourteen, I wanted to be a football player, and when I was fifteen, I wanted to be a rock star, and when I was sixteen, I wanted to be … hmm … I can’t remember what I wanted to be when I was sixteen. The point is, that by the time I graduated from high school, I had thought that I wanted to be everything from an astronaut to a zookeeper.

  “I was taking general courses my first year at Longfellow while I tried to decide on my major,” Stacy continued. “Just as a fluke, I decided to take a class—Intro to Acting—that Professor Howell taught. I was hooked. I tried out for a play that the theater department was putting on, and I got a part. It was a small role, but I haven’t looked back since. I guess being an actor gives me an opportunity to be, at least for a few hours, a lot of those things I dreamed of being when I was a kid.”

  “I never thought of it that way,” said Annie, smiling. “Are you from around here?”

  “No,” said Stacy, “I’m from Ohio, but my father graduated from Longfellow, and he wanted me to go there too. The tuition is a little steep since it’s a private college, but my mom and dad have done all right, and they saved so they could afford to send me to college. I like it. It’s a small school, but it has a beautiful campus, and the faculty is top-notch. Have you been there?”

  “Not yet,” said Annie. “I’m planning to go next week though, to do a little research about the tapestry that was stolen.”

  “Well, I hope you can learn something that helps recover it. Cyril showed me some of the photos he took of it on his phone. It would have really added atmosphere to the stage set. I wonder what they’ll do now.”

  Annie wondered that too after Stacy mentioned it. She hadn’t even thought about how not having the tapestry would leave a huge gap in Alice’s set design, and Alice hadn’t said what her back-up plan was, or if she even had one.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m sure Alice will come up with something wonderful.”

  “She’s a nice lady—and she’s got a lot of style,” said Stacy. “She looks a lot like my mom actually.”

  Ouch! thought Annie, I hope he doesn’t say that to Alice. “How did your parents feel about you becoming an actor?” asked Annie.

  “At first they weren’t too crazy about it, but now, I think they’re proud of me. They’ve come up here to see the other plays I’ve been in, and they’ll be coming up for this one too. They’ve already booked rooms for that weekend at Maplehurst Inn. My parents are really excited that I’m working with actors the caliber of the Fortescues. They saw them in a Broadway show back in the nineties. I’ll graduate this spring, and it will look great on my résumé to be able to say I was in a play with Dolores and Cyril Fortescue.”

  ****

  After lunch, Annie made her way back to her “little box” under the stage—that’s what she had come to call the prompter’s box. In order to get there, she had to pass through the cluttered backstage area, watching out for stagehands busily moving scenery and props to set up for the next scene. She wended her way through the labyrinth of props, walking past a large clothes rack full of costumes until she was almost to the staircase that went down to the storage area under the stage.

  Annie stopped a moment and glanced up at the “grid”— the structural support for the machinery that was used to raise and lower scenery, lights, and any other design elements required for the play. The grid was located just below the ceiling of the stage and spanned the entire stage area, including the backstage. Before rehearsal had begun that morning, Annie had seen Trent Bodkin and one of the student lighting technicians adjusting the focus of some of the lights in the grid. Now the tall stepladder they had been using sat in front of the stairs. Annie wasn’t superstitious, but she didn’t especially want to walk under the ladder, so she scooted it over to one side so she could get around it. Then she descended the stairs that took her under the stage.

  Since the theater was new, there were very few things actually stored below the stage. Still, the space had a claustrophobic affect on Annie. The lighting was dull, and the corners were dark; in that respect, it was a little bit like the attic at Grey Gables before she had the new track lighting installed. She was always glad when she reached the narrow set of steps that took her up to her “little box” where she could sit on her padded seat and stick her head up, just above the level of the stage. There was a slanted desk area where she laid her script and a couple of pencils; there was also a little light over the desk she could click on and off. Annie had learned to bring along a bottle of water in case she got thirsty and a small pack of tissues in case the story she was watching unfold got to her once again.

  The stage was ready and the rehearsal began. From her place in the prompter’s box she could see the entire stage and into the wings on each side. She really thought she had the best seat in the theater.

  The company had worked on the first act in the morning, and now, in the afternoon, they began working on
the second act. No matter how many times she had seen it, it affected her. At this phase of rehearsals, the actors were still learning about their characters and experimenting with how to deliver their lines for the best effect. Sometimes, it was hard for Annie not to give in to the emotion of the scene, but she knew she had a job to do, and so she watched carefully, trying to be detached from the storyline, but engaged with the particulars of the play.

  The time passed quickly. When Annie glanced at her watch it was nearly two o’clock. Just then, Professor Howell came striding across the stage to stand just a few feet from Annie. He asked for everyone’s attention in order to make an announcement.

  “Attention everyone! I’ve just received word that Main Street has been cleared, and the ban on car traffic has been lifted. We’ll suspend rehearsal for now. You all did a great job yesterday and today under very difficult conditions. Thank you for all your hard work! We’ll plan to meet here at our usual time Monday evening. You’re free to go.”

  Annie stepped out to the side of her “little box” so she could stand up straight. She usually needed to do some stretches after sitting for so long, but the little set of stairs outside the box was not conducive to safely doing that, and she didn’t like lingering in the under-stage storage area, so she hurried over to climb the stairs up to the backstage area.

  When she reached the top of the stairs she didn’t see anyone else around. That wasn’t unusual. The time it took her to reach the stage was enough time for the others to leave the stage, and since everyone wanted to get home as soon as they could, no one was going to hang around now. Alice was probably getting her things together and would be waiting for Annie in the main-floor lobby. Now Annie just wanted to take a good stretch. She extended her arms out to her sides and then over her head; she moved her shoulders forward and backward, and then her head side to side.

  Suddenly she heard a strange twangy noise. Glancing right and left, she couldn’t quite make out what it was. Then she heard a loud snap above her head. Rather than look up, she instinctively moved to get away from that spot, but her foot caught on the bottom of the stepladder she had pushed to the side earlier, and she started to fall forward. Before she hit the floor, she felt something heavy fall on her leg, knocking her down even harder. She heard the crash of the weighty object and the sound of her own voice crying out in pain.

  Her body ached from hitting the floor, but what really hurt was her left leg. She tried to look toward her legs to see what had fallen on her, but when she raised her head, she felt dizzy and nauseated. She wasn’t sure how long it took for someone to come, but it seemed like ages.

  The first one to reach her was Ian. She was relieved to see his face, as pale as it was. When he saw her, he whispered her name, “Annie,” as if he couldn’t catch his breath to speak; then he knelt beside her and quietly said her name again. “Annie, can you hear me?”

  She answered, “Yes,” but her own voice sounded far away.

  “Do you know who I am?” he asked.

  She smiled a little. “Ian.”

  He reached in his pocket and pulled out his cellphone and punched in some numbers. “Help is coming, Annie. One way or another.”

  15

  Annie spent the next few days in the hospital. She had suffered a concussion and the lower part of her left leg was broken. She had several bruises on the side of her face and over the rest of her body from the fall she had taken. She didn’t remember a lot about what had happened after Ian came to her side, and even the few moments before that were hazy in her memory. She supposed it was the result of her head injury.

  After her broken bones had been set, and her leg put in a cast, and when she began to feel a little better, she was allowed more visitors. In turn, all the members of the Hook and Needle Club and several members of the play’s cast and crew visited her.

  The first time Ian visited, he came into the hospital room carrying a beautiful arrangement of flowers for Annie. He didn’t say much, but he did hold her hand. She didn’t pull her hand away; she found his touch very comforting. She thanked him for coming to her aid. When it was time for him to go, he lightly kissed her cheek and said he would be back the next day.

  Each member of the Hook and Needle Club brought a small gift. Alice bought an anthology of popular poems for Annie, saying that she thought it might be better to stay away from exciting mystery stories for a while. She assured Annie that she had been looking after Boots and that everything at Grey Gables was fine. Alice had put together a little suitcase of personal items from Grey Gables and had brought it along too.

  With some help, Alice had gotten Annie’s car dug out of the snow in the parking lot and had driven it home to Grey Gables. Alice also told Annie that she had called LeeAnn in Texas and had given her Annie’s room number, so she would be calling very soon.

  Peggy and Kate came together to see Annie. Peggy gave Annie a manicure set along with a bottle of lavender-scented hand cream. Kate gave her a pair of soft slippers she had crocheted, explaining she had placed nonslip strips on the one for the right foot, and had made the left one a little bigger so Annie could slip it over her cast to cover her toes which stuck out at the end.

  Gwen gave Annie a pretty light blue flannel bathrobe with a satin fold-back collar, and Stella gave her a bed jacket that tied at the neck and had lace around the neck and at the end of the sleeves, “so you can look decent.” Mary Beth brought her a crossword puzzle book, and a small set of bamboo crochet hooks, and a ball of wool-blend sock-weight yarn in a pleasing dark shade of blue.

  When LeeAnn called she insisted that she was going to come to Maine to stay with her mother when she got out of the hospital, but Annie told her that it wasn’t necessary.

  “You know that I’d love to see you, and you’re always welcome,” said Annie, “but the truth is, I have plenty of help up here. With the twins in school and all that you have going on there, it’s just too much. I’d rather you take some time later, when I’m all better, and come up as a family. Then I can really enjoy your company. Herb and your kids need you at home right now, and I am well taken care of here.”

  LeeAnn finally relented. “I wish you weren’t so far away, Mom. I miss you, and I worry about you.”

  “I miss you too,” said Annie, “but please don’t worry about me. Accidents happen.”

  “Are you sure this was an accident?” asked LeeAnn.

  “What else could it be?” asked Annie.

  “It’s just that Alice said something that made me wonder … .” LeeAnn’s words trailed off.

  “What did Alice say?” asked Annie.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m probably imagining things,” said LeeAnn. “Sorry, but it’s almost time to pick up the kids. I’ll call you again this evening. Love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too, honey,” said Annie.

  The conversation with her daughter made Annie wonder. When she tried to talk to her friends about the accident, they hemmed and hawed, apparently unwilling to discuss it. Only Ian had talked to her about what had happened, a few days later, telling her that a cable had snapped and a counterweight had fallen on her leg. He had asked Annie what she remembered just before the accident. She told him she remembered clearly the professor’s announcement that the roads were open, and then climbing the stairs afterward, but after that her memory was a blank. He just patted her hand and assured her that was normal after head trauma like she had had. She shouldn’t worry about it.

  The Fortescues stopped by to see Annie too. It was the day before she was scheduled to go home, and she was feeling much better. If laughter is the best medicine, Cyril and Dolores delivered it; they told her stories about their early years in touring companies that brought back her smile and made her chuckle and laugh out loud.

  Professor Howell had been particularly apologetic when he came to see her, as if it were his fault she was in the hospital. He just kept repeating, “I’m just so sorry that this happened.”

  “It’s not
your fault,” said Annie. “Please don’t keep saying that.”

  “I suppose you’ll sue the Cultural Center now, and everything will be ruined,” said the professor miserably.

  Annie sighed. “First of all, I’m not going to sue anyone. It was an accident. Stella said my medical expenses are covered by the Cultural Center’s insurance, and that’s all I care about. Second, nothing is ‘ruined.’ The play will go on, and it’s going to be a tremendous success.”

  The professor didn’t look convinced, but Annie thought that it seemed as if he was, in a strange way, “enjoying” the drama of it all. He didn’t want to seem to let it go, and Annie was so ready to be “over it.” She just wanted to get home to Grey Gables and to Boots, and to curl up on her own sofa with her new crochet hook and her new yarn and forget about the accident. She looked down at her cast; Well, she thought, I’ll forget about it as much as I can.

  ****

  Alice and Gwen brought Annie home after her stay in the hospital. That morning it was still very cold, but it was sunny and the great outdoors, with its thick layers of gleaming-white snow, sparkled as if it was covered with a million tiny diamonds. Though the driveway and the front walk had been shoveled, there remained a layer of hardpacked snow that was slick in places. Annie was mobile with her crutches, but she was still getting used to them. It took some time, but with her friends beside her she made it from the car to the front door of Grey Gables.

  Once she was inside she took a deep breath. Home. It had to be the most wonderful place on earth. Alice took Annie’s coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, and then helped Annie sit on the hallway bench so she could take off her one shoe and put on the slipper Kate had made for her; the other slipper was already over her cast, keeping her toes toasty warm. Annie had worn a pair of navy blue flannel pajamas for the ride home, the pants leg being just loose enough to fit over her cast.