by Ellen Riggs
Alba clapped her hands. “Yes, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Now I’d like to know if you see a future for me with a certain gentleman friend. He’s quite charming but he makes big promises I’m not sure I should trust.”
“Oh Alba, I don’t like making predictions about relationships,” Janelle said. “In the end everything works out exactly as fate intends.”
“Please, honey? There’s a lot at stake, and you know how this community talks. If he doesn’t have the goods to back up his words, I’d rather move on.”
Janelle leaned forward a little. “All right. If you’re sure you want to know…”
“I do. Take my locket.”
I hadn’t even noticed the heart-shaped locket tucked under Alba’s scarf. She unhooked the clasp and offered it to Janelle. It was similar in style to other pieces I saw at Haute Baubles. Had Vaughan presented it to her only yesterday?
Janelle shook her head and simply touched the back of Alba’s hand and closed her eyes. They popped open again quickly and she used a teaspoon to push the locket that now sat on the table back over to Alba. If the older woman saw anything strange about that, she didn’t let on.
“Well? Is it a match?”
Janelle swallowed hard before speaking. “Alba, I know you’ve really enjoyed this interlude, but I think you know without my telling you that you wouldn’t be happy in that situation for long. If you really can’t work things out with Ford, you’d be better to find someone else who deserves a fine woman like you.”
Alba’s face collapsed. “Oh. Oh my.”
Reaching across the table, Janelle took the woman’s hand and squeezed. “Now, here’s the good news. If and when that happens, I can introduce you to someone else.”
Taking the locket, Alba examined it. “This wasn’t meant for me. I’ll return it.” Sighing, she slipped it into her purse. “Do you know other fine men? I’ve already met everyone here.”
Giving her an enigmatic smile, Janelle stood up. “We’ll talk when the time comes.”
Another voice called out, “Janny? Over here, please.”
“Elsie, I can’t today,” she said. “Ivy and I are going for a walk.”
“I’m sure Ivy won’t mind,” Elsie said. “It’ll just take a minute.”
I shrugged and then nodded. In fact, I was intrigued to watch Janelle work her carnie wiles on these ladies. She wasn’t charging them, and if she’d convinced Alba to leave Vaughan to Shirley, that could only increase peace in the community. Bridie had probably filled her in on all the gossip already so she knew which cards to play.
Elsie got up from her table and beckoned for us to follow her out of the café. Leaning heavily on her cane, she stumped right around the thrift store. There was an old bench behind it, and after getting herself settled, Elsie opened a large leather bag and carefully removed a blue velvet sack. “I inherited this recently and I’d like to know if it works.”
She set the object on the bench and then eased it out of the bag. It was a crystal ball, and judging by the ornate, filigree stand she set it on, that treasure had been on Lottie’s desk until very recently.
Janelle reached out to touch the glass. “Elsie, you don’t want to keep this around. Objects always carry the imprint of former owners and I’m quite sure you’ll be sad whenever you touch it. I certainly am right now.”
I moved in a little closer. “Elsie, did that belong to Lottie Greenwich?”
Her brows came together in defiance. “What if it did? She’d want me to have it.”
“It’s still evidence,” I said. “Chief Gillock wouldn’t be happy that you touched it.”
I couldn’t tell her exactly how I knew that, but Keats gave a snuffle of amusement.
“I only went in because of Arnie,” Elsie said. “Lottie’s pet. She had given me a key for that very reason.” Her face fell. “I couldn’t find him, though.”
“I bet the police took care of everything,” I said. “But you should probably put the crystal ball back. It’s the kind of thing they’ll miss. You wouldn’t want them searching door to door for it.”
Now her sparse eyebrows rose under her mauve hair. “I’ll take it back right now. I couldn’t get it to work anyway. All I see is mist.”
“Me too,” Janelle said.
At least she wasn’t conning the old woman with fake predictions.
Elsie started to tuck the crystal ball away but she was flustered now and it rolled out of her hands. Lunging forward, I caught it before it slipped off the bench.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said. “If I’d broken it, I’m sure Lottie would have haunted me for the rest of my days.”
“You wouldn’t want that, trust me,” Janelle said. “It wouldn’t be your life anymore.”
I was only half-listening to them, because as I held the ball between tingling hands, the misty interior cleared and I saw the distinct image of a swan. Smiling, I tilted the ball this way and that and the swan seemed to float around on clear, glassy waters. This lucky swan had much nicer digs than poor Zeus and his murky swamp. Maybe that was where he would end up one day. Holding the ball closer to my nose, I noticed a reflection in the water. It looked like a large building with turrets, but then ripples erased the image and there was only mist again.
“Did you see something?” Elsie asked, leaning forward to take the crystal ball.
I shook my head. “I thought I did for a second but I’m seriously sleep deprived.”
After leaving Elsie behind, we walked toward the property office behind the recreation center.
“Looks like we lost our window of opportunity,” I said, as Keats lost steam beside me. The dog on a mission had called off the plan and was disgruntled about it, too. “People must be around by now.”
“I’m sorry,” Janelle said. “I should have known that would happen. It always does and people are extra rattled today.”
“They don’t seem as rattled as they should be,” I said. “It’s like a reason to gather and chatter.”
Her busy eyes came back to land on me. “Remember what I said earlier. They’re experts at hiding things, so don’t believe what you see.”
“Anyway, you did well,” I said. “Hopefully, Alba will end her affair with Vaughan. That guy is no great catch.”
“Try to put yourself in their shoes. There’s a very small pool here, and with options so limited they end up recycling thrift store goods.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “At least your grandmother doesn’t get caught up in all that.”
“Not anymore. Bridie Brighton was a hot ticket in her day, though. Much too hot for my grandfather to handle.” She clicked along briskly in taupe sandals that showed off a perfect pedicure. Her shoe game was impeccable. Better even than my mother’s, and that was saying something.
Just as we reached the recreation center, Casey Cox and Doug Farrow came down the front stairs. Both men waved when they saw Janelle, though their smiles faded quickly. If the residents were good at hiding their worries, these two were not.
“How are you, guys?” Janelle said. “What a terrible week you’ve had.”
“Terrible,” Casey agreed. “My father is beside himself. He knew both of these women for years before he retired. I had a heck of a time stopping him from coming down here in person today. He’s not well, though, and more stress wouldn’t help.”
“Your dad is a sweet man,” Janelle said. “Tell him I sent my best.”
“Guaranteed to perk him up.” Casey stared at her in the same way all the cops had the night before. “How long are you staying?”
“As long as it takes for things to settle down. Gran needs my support.” She paused and added, “Our support.”
Doug shook off her spell first and turned fierce blue eyes on me. “You rode in on your high horse with big promises to deal with this swan. Now it’s killed someone else. That’s on you.” There was a low growl at his feet and Doug looked down to meet an equally fierce stare. “And now your dog’s threatening m
e.”
Janelle touched his arm. “Doug, calm down. I know how hard you work to keep people safe here. It’s understandable you’d take this the hardest.”
Casey blinked a few times and said, “I’m taking it hard too, believe me. Aside from worrying about our current residents, I’m concerned about our reputation and future. Who will want to move here after this?”
“The Briars will never lack for business,” she assured him. “No need to worry about that. Just focus on finding out who did this and all will be fine.”
“We already know who did it,” Doug said. He released the first button of his uniform as if he were about to choke. “What’s white and white and white all over?”
“It wasn’t the swan, Doug,” Janelle said. “The more you focus on that, the more clues you’ll miss. Where’s your partner, Larry? I haven’t seen him since I got here, and you could use an extra pair of hands.”
“Out with a head injury,” Doug said. “I found him lying on the tennis court beside my new hoverboard. He was always itching to try it, but it takes a certain finesse.”
“Didn’t stop me from trying it, too,” Casey said, pointing to a cut near his eye. “Banged myself up good.”
“It does look fun,” Janelle said. “What a shame about Larry, though.”
“He’ll be back soon,” Casey said. “In the meantime, just do your best, Doug. We’re all in this together. Management, security, residents… it’s one big family at the Briars.”
“Exactly,” Janelle said. “Good luck with your work today, gentlemen. I hope we’ll see you tonight. My cousin’s doing this black tie thing to cheer people up.”
“I brought a suit for the memorial service,” Casey said. “So I’m all set.”
They walked away together toward the property office, leaving Keats and me at loose ends for a mission.
Janelle showed me a little garden I hadn’t seen before, and the sight of dozens of tall lilies in various colors brought some peace to my heart. It reminded me of Clover Grove gardens, and many sweet dates with Kellan.
After a moment or two, Janelle said, “Now, tell me what you saw in the crystal ball.”
“Nothing,” I said. “Well, just the swan, who’s always on my mind. I should run down and see how he’s doing.”
“Is that all? You practically touched it with your nose.”
Now I was the one with shifty eyes. “Well, for a second I thought I saw a reflection in the water. A building with turrets. I wondered if that’s where he’ll end up one day.”
“A building with turrets? Are you sure it was Zeus and not another just like him?”
“Mute swans look pretty much the same, I guess.”
Janelle stared at me for a second. Her heels brought her almost to my height, which meant she had a few inches on Jilly. “How interesting. That crystal ball revealed nothing to Elsie or me, yet you saw a swan outside the Strathmore Hotel.”
“The Strathmore Hotel? Your gran mentioned it but I’ve never been there.”
“I know every decent hotel in the state,” she said. “Especially the Strathmore. Spent a year serving rum punch to drunken execs on corporate getaways. How about we run over there and take a look?”
“I don’t believe in crystal balls, Janelle.”
“There’s nothing to believe. You saw a mental image of a swan at a place you’ve probably seen online. The Strathmore’s quite old and quite famous. I doubt this is the first time your unconscious mind has made some handy connections for you. Even a hardcore cop will say the same.”
“I suppose. When you put it that way.”
“Plus, I hear how you and your dog go on.” She gave me a grin. “Everyone hears how you and your dog go on.”
“Hey. Careful,” I said. “I go on like that with my cat, too.”
Now she laughed. “Well, do you believe what your dog tells you? I dare you to say no in front of him because he’ll call you out as a liar.”
“That’s different,” I said. “He’s using his sheepdog senses to pick up on things I can’t.”
“What’s he suggesting now?” she asked. “I’m no expert at reading canines.”
Keats wasn’t waiting around to tell me anything. He was leading us out of the garden.
“Let’s get the truck from Bridie’s,” I said. “You’re about to take a little drive down memory lane.”
“I still have the same car for the ride and it’s parked right here at security. This is going to be a blast.”
“Perfect,” I said. “But you’ve forgotten two things vitally important to any mission.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Pulling out my phone, I grinned at her. “Jilly and Percy.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Have you ever heard the expression, ‘age before beauty’?” Bridie asked, from the back seat of Janelle’s beat-up old bronze hatchback.
“Of course,” I said. “That’s why I offered you the front seat, Bridie.”
She had chosen instead to clamber into the back of the two-door car. Maybe she wanted to keep close tabs on Jilly lest her granddaughters turn to fisticuffs on the open highway.
“I didn’t realize we’d get stuck with the pets.”
“I asked Keats to sit with me,” I said. “For some reason he thinks Jilly offers more comfortable seating.”
“But why the cat?” she asked. “I’ve never seen one shed as much as Percy and orange is no one’s favorite color.”
“Gran, my car is basically orange,” Janelle said. “Don’t diss your ride.”
Bridie lobbed another question at me. “Why did the cat even need to come? It’s not normal to take cats everywhere.”
“Two reasons,” I said. “First, it’s a bad idea to leave a cat alone with a rodent who manages to escape his cage despite our herculean efforts. Second, I’m not normal.”
“She’s proud of that, Gran,” Jilly said. “I’m proud of her, too.”
Bridie sniffed. “I know all about what it’s like to be different, Jillian, but there’s no need to attract attention to it by driving cats to swanky hotels.”
Bridie was turning out to be bohemian in fashion more than personality. She was surprisingly proper for someone whose jewelry jingled with every step. If she was interested in Edna’s survival course, however, there was another side to her that didn’t show at the Briars.
“The Strathmore isn’t that swanky,” Janelle said. “It’s fifty years past its prime and coasts on reputation. They treated their staff poorly and I moved on in pretty short order.”
“Big surprise,” Jilly muttered.
Janelle’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “I usually stayed within an easy drive of the Briars and visited Gran often.”
The unspoken accusation was loud and clear: Jilly had moved to Boston and essentially ditched her grandmother for 15 years.
“I would have visited Gran, too, if she’d stayed in Wyldwood Springs,” Jilly said.
“Doubtful,” Janelle said.
“It’s not my fault she had to move down here.” Jilly’s voice rose and Keats mumbled something calming. I hoped Bridie would intervene so that I didn’t have to. My best friend had bravely defused many awkward situations among the Galloways and it might be time to return the favor.
“It’s not my fault either,” Janelle said. “Do you think I wanted that to happen?”
Jilly waited a beat. “I think you didn’t try hard enough to stop it.”
“I was fifteen, Jilly. It was an accident. And I didn’t have anyone to help me figure out a good solution.”
“Girls, girls,” Bridie said, at last. “Please don’t blame each other. Blame me.”
Janelle glanced at Bridie in the rearview mirror. “It wasn’t your fault either, Gran.”
“Yes, it was,” Jilly said. “She could have handled it better. Handled them better. Done something.”
“That’s not fair,” Janelle said.
“It is fair,” Bridie said. “I shou
ld have intervened between your mothers.” Her sigh was loud enough to compete with the drone of the old motor. “If I’d raised them well, they could have negotiated their way through the situation and helped you do the same. Now, no one’s been speaking for years and I take the blame for that. It’s tragic, girls. We only have each other.”
“Not true,” Jilly said. “I have Ivy. And lots of great friends in Clover Grove. Not to mention Keats, Percy and sixty farm animals.”
“Plus a boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on,” I added.
There was a brief silence and then Janelle said, “I have my car. We’ve become very close. And a first-class shoe collection in storage units.”
Everyone laughed. Jilly’s was a grudging snort, but it was a tiny chink in her armor and everyone knew it. Janelle had pointed out rather gracefully that no matter how hard things were for Jilly, her life hadn’t been easy, either. She’d never had Jilly’s success or income. This car was her best friend, and perhaps sometimes her home.
I took the opportunity to shift the tone. “You know what you need, Janelle? A dog.”
“A dog? With my nomadic lifestyle? I don’t think so. No resort would put me up with a dog in tow.”
“Don’t be so sure,” I said. “There are lots of pet-friendly hotels these days, especially in our part of the country. We booked one on the way here that sounds right up your alley.”
Before she could answer, Jilly chimed in. “We didn’t get to stay there because we got tailed.”
“Tailed?” For the first time Janelle sounded surprised. She stared at Bridie in the mirror again. “Is that why you asked me to come?”
“You asked her to come when I’m here?” Jilly said. “On purpose?”
There was a decided grumble in the back seat. Keats had had enough of this tension among people he liked. After some shuffling and grunting, he settled on Bridie’s lap, while Percy repaired to Jilly’s.
“I don’t want a dog in my lap.” That’s what Bridie’s mouth said but her fingers told a different story. Keats curled into a tight ball with his ears fetchingly available and Bridie couldn’t resist the invitation. His brown eye infused her with warmth, whether she wanted it or not. I knew she did. She was a kind woman and seeing her granddaughters at loggerheads when she felt responsible must hurt.