“Oh well, then you’re just like every other man in the world,” I said, rolling my eyes and dismissing any hope of change with a wave of my hand.
Miles smiled and shook his head, he knew I was kidding.
We sorted and searched through the rest of the storage area and determined there was nothing useful to our cause, but before we had a chance to move on to the next room, the alarm on my iPhone sounded. I pulled it out of my pocket and silenced it, then began gathering my things.
“I better go, it’s almost time for Mom and Doreen to leave for her doctor appointment.”
“I’ll walk you out,” said Miles.
He unlocked the door, and we stepped into the hall.
“It was a really great story, and really cool how you did that,” I said, as we walked.
He raised an eyebrow and gave me a dubious look.
“Are you sure we should be having this conversation?” he asked. “I’d rather not send you home in tears, and clearly I don’t know what’s safe to say and what isn’t.”
I laughed, and then he smiled, but I’m afraid he may be hesitant to share any more cool stories with me for a while!
All was quiet at the front of the house, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I waved, and whispered, “See you tomorrow,” and Chip and I walked home. I didn’t even need an umbrella after all, because it stopped raining.
Or did it? I looked up and all around. Yeah, it really stopped. It’s a good thing, because if Miles shielded the path home, I would reach the cabin in tears!
We arrived at the cabin without tears, and went inside.
“Thank you so much Anika, for coming home early!” said Mom, as she put on her jacket and helped Doreen into a warm coat. “It’s so much easier on Tryon, and on me too, if I can concentrate on what the doctor has to say.”
“It’s not a problem, Mom, I totally understand.”
We saw Mom and Doreen off, and then Tryon and I read, and played, and read and played... I baked cookies, which he ate, and unfortunately that only seemed to replenish his already un-depleted energy.
We went outside and walked for a while, which finally wore Tryon out. Which meant I had to carry him back to the cabin, which wore me out!
As we neared the cabin, I saw Mom’s car was back in the driveway. I hurried inside, I really wanted to know how the appointment went.
I heard Mom on the phone, when I walked through the door and into the kitchen. I could tell she was talking to Dad about the doctor visit, so I plopped Tryon down, grabbed a bottle of water, and listened in.
“I’m hopeful. He listened, really listened, and took Doreen’s symptoms seriously. He asked a lot of questions, and then referred us to a specialist. He thinks Doreen’s symptoms really are chronic Lyme disease, which is hard to get a diagnosis for. It depends on the doctor, there’s a lot of disagreement regarding it. I’ve been reading about it ever since the appointment, and it really does fit Doreen…”
Wow. I hope this doctor’s right. He took it seriously, which was more than the others did. I was so thankful Miles learned as much as he did, and cared enough to look it up for us.
I walked through the kitchen to the living room, where Doreen lay on the couch with the TV turned down low.
“How are you, kiddo?” I asked Doreen, as I sat on a chair beside her.
She gave me a wan smile.
“Okay.”
“So I hear maybe you’ve got a decent doctor now,” I said.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
I walked back to the kitchen as Mom finished her call to Dad.
“So?” I asked.
Mom smiled, and there was hope in her eyes.
“I think we’re on the right track. The doctor referred Doreen to a specialist, someone who’s Lyme literate, he said. He sent us to the lab for blood work, but not the same test as before, it’s often negative, he told us.”
“Yeah, that’s what the website said. So why in the world do they even use it?”
Mom’s eyebrows knit as she frowned in thought.
“I have no idea, honey. I really don’t. It makes me sick to think of all the time and money that test may have cost us, the suffering Doreen’s gone through...” Mom stopped and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, then released it. “But. If we’re on the right track now, I’ll take it. It will be a while before we have the Western Blot test results, but we have an appointment set up with the specialist because the doctor is so sure this is what it is.”
Oh, how wonderful if that’s true. Not that Doreen has something so awful, but if she does... finally, she can get treatment and start getting better!
The Bannerman estate showed vast improvement since the landscape maintenance crew began work just over a month ago. I waved at two of the crew who were already hard at work this morning. The roses were trimmed, weeds removed, paths swept. It wouldn’t be long before really cold weather arrived I thought, as I looked around at the bare oak trees and piles of colored leaves, and wrapped my coat tighter around me. I was glad I wore my tall suede boots today.
“Good thing you’ve got that coat Chip, you’re going to need it,” I said. Winter in the mountains would be very different from what we experienced in the past.
I stopped to smell the roses. It’s what you’re supposed to do, after all. Soon it would be too cold for them. The trimming they had the month before resulted in an explosion of new growth, including rose buds. There were roses of every color, and they filled the garden with beauty. The dew on the velvety crimson roses looked like tiny, multi-faceted diamonds. I would be sad to see them hibernate during the winter, but they would be beautiful again in the spring. The whole garden would, now that it was being cared for again.
The inside of the house sparkled as well. With so many rooms, it would still be a while before each one was thoroughly cleaned, but no one in their right mind would think the House of Bannerman was uncared for, if they saw it now. No one would believe it needed a different trustee to manage it.
We hadn’t found the proof we were seeking, but we did mark a number of rooms off our list. Searching through storage room after storage room could have gotten tedious, but Miles was funny and fun to talk to, and a good friend, and was around during so much history. There was so much to talk about, and it made the time go by quickly. I was pretty sure we could talk forever, and not get bored or run out of things to say.
It would be easier to search wherever we wanted, now that the cleaning crew had a maintenance cleaning schedule. They wouldn’t be at the castle every day, and not so much stealth would be required on our part.
I walked through the front door of the estate and set my purse on the entryway table.
“Hi,” I said, when Miles appeared.
“Hi back,” he smiled.
“Just so you know, Polly will be here soon, she’s coming to check on the estate’s progress.”
“Looks like she’s already here, there’s a taxi pulling up,” Miles said, and nodded toward the window at a yellow cab.
“Oh, good. I’m anxious to see her, she said she has news. I’m hoping it’s about her grandson.”
“I’ll get out of your way then. I wouldn’t want you to forget and talk to me.”
“Thanks for having my back,” I laughed, and he smiled and winked.
“Any time,” he said, then vanished upstairs.
Man, is he ever cute.
I did NOT just say that!
Slapping myself mentally, I turned to welcome Polly.
We toured a good deal of the house, and Polly was pleased with the care the cleaning service took with the irreplaceable furnishings. As we toured the grounds, she pointed out the guest house.
“This is where the Henderson’s lived when they cared for the estate.”
It was a cute little place, and it did work well as a caretaker’s cottage. It was cozy, consisting of a bedroom, bath, and a combined kitchen, living, and dining area. I couldn’t imagine needing it as a guest house though, as big as th
e castle was.
As I locked the door after us, Polly looked up at the little house thoughtfully.
“It’s hard to find conscientious people these days. I never would have imagined Amelia would just pack up and move after Jim’s death, without a word. But now I have you, dear,” she said, turning with a smile as she patted my arm. “And very thankful for it, too.”
As we continued to walk, Polly asked about Doreen and Tryon and the rest of the family. I appreciated her interest. She really cared, she wasn’t asking out of politeness.
After Polly was satisfied she’d seen all she wanted to, she told me her news.
“I’ve an appointment to meet with my private investigator today. He has news about my grandson!” Polly beamed.
“Oh Polly, that’s wonderful! Did he give you any hint what it is?” I didn’t know how she kept this news to herself for so long.
“No,” she said, sounding slightly miffed now. “He’s making me wait. He suggested I bring a friend, I’m under the impression he thinks I’m too excitable. Perhaps he believes I’ll forget what’s been said. I’d like you to come with me, dear.”
“I’ll be glad to, Polly.”
I called for a taxi, and we arrived at the coffee shop where she was meeting the PI. We chose a table and waited for him to arrive.
The coffee shop was just as cute on the inside, as it was on the outside. Little round tables which would seat up to four people, were scattered about. I noticed they were well made, there was no wobbling. That alone made it upscale compared to what I’d been used to in the past. There was an amazing assortment of coffee and tea drinks to choose from. Several people sat with laptops in front of them, taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi available.
“I love what you’ve done with the Bannerman estate dear,” she said, as the waiter delivered her hot spiced tea, and my latte. “It looks wonderful, it can’t possibly go against me now.”
“And if the PI has good news, it won’t matter anyway!” I said, “Your grandson will be back, and everything will be on track again.”
Polly beamed.
A tall, lanky fellow with a graying military haircut approached the table. He introduced himself as Jackson, Polly’s hired PI, then took a seat and got right to the point.
“I followed bank and credit card charges since the last time you spoke with your grandson, Mrs. Bannerman. The most recent charge was about six months ago. There’s been nothing since then.”
Polly was silent, but the look on her face said she knew that wasn’t a good thing.
“It’s taken time to track down his friends, but I confirmed that the last time he was seen was when he made the final bank charge.”
He pulled an Uncle Mark, and paused.
“Mrs. Bannerman, I received confirmation this morning. I believe your grandson is here...” he placed a piece of paper on the table with the name of a hospital located half way across the country. “It appears he was hiking alone, and fell from a cliff overlooking the trail. He was found unconscious. Your grandson is alive, but he’s been in a coma since he was found. He had no identification, and is listed as a John Doe at the hospital.”
Polly’s eyes were filled with tears and she looked ready to collapse. I jumped out of my seat and put my arms around her to keep her from falling out of her chair.
There was sympathy on the PI’s face as he showed her a photo of a patient in a hospital bed. In spite of all the medical gadgets he was hooked up to, we both knew the PI had found Polly’s grandson.
Everything was a blur after that. I called Polly’s attorney to apprise him, called the hospital to tell them Polly was on her way, and called friends in her address book to let them know she needed their support. They arrived right away, and I was relieved to see they were true friends, and intent on going through this crisis with her. One of the ladies made arrangements to fly with Polly to the hospital, and said she would keep me informed of Polly’s grandson’s progress and let me know how Polly was holding up.
I eventually left Polly in their able care, and started walking in the direction of home, too dazed to think of calling Mom for a ride.
My head began to clear after the first mile, and as I reached for my iPhone, a truck pulled up beside me. It was Nate.
“Hi, Miss Riley,” he said with a look of concern. “Are you having car trouble?”
“Hi, Nate. No, I didn’t have a breakdown. I’m just... out for the fresh air,” I said, thinking how cold that fresh air was, and that my coat seemed to be providing less protection by the minute.
“Well… I’m headed back to the estate, I just got through picking up some supplies. Would you like a ride?”
I thought about that. I knew enough about Nate to know it was safe to accept.
“Sure, Nate, thank you,” I said, as I climbed in the Lawncare Extraordinaire truck.
Hopefully Polly will never find out I hitched a ride with a yard man.
“Not a problem,” said Nate, as he pulled back onto the road.
“It’s very impressive that you have your own business, and such a successful one,” I said. “How did you happen to get started?”
I did not feel like talking, my mind was swirling with the news about Polly’s grandson. If Nate talked enough, I wouldn’t have to.
Nate did talk, so there was no uncomfortable silence. I did my best to listen and make appropriate comments. I don’t think he could tell what a tangled mess my thoughts were in as I absorbed what the PI said about Polly’s grandson.
After we reached the estate, I couldn’t remember a single thing Nate said, and felt terrible about that, but my focus was too fragmented. Today was not an ordinary day.
“I can give you a ride home later if you need one,” said Nate.
“That’s nice of you to offer, but I’ll just walk. It’s what I do every day.”
“It wouldn’t be any trouble,” he said.
“Thanks Nate, I appreciate that. I live so close, it’s not a big deal. It takes less time to walk than to drive, actually, and I enjoy the exercise.”
I thanked Nate for the ride, and walked slowly toward the steps leading to the door of the castle. This news would be hard on Miles… after all, Polly’s grandson was also Miles’ great-great nephew.
I took a deep breath and opened the door, then walked into the entryway, giving Chip and Trixie each a distracted head-rub.
“What’s wrong?” Miles asked, his eyebrows knitting in concern.
“Miles… I’m so sorry. Polly’s grandson has been found, but he’s hurt. He’s in a coma, and has been for the past six months.”
I watched in sympathy as various emotions washed over his face. He sighed.
“That’s terrible,” he said. “What happened to him, how did he end up in a coma?”
I told Miles everything the PI told Polly.
“Well… Polly will see that he has the best of care,” said Miles. “That could make a big difference.”
“Yeah, it sure could,” I said optimistically. “It can’t hurt to have his grandmother there to talk to him, too. Sometimes people in a coma can hear what’s going on around them, I’ve heard.”
“That’s what I’ve heard also. Maybe with Polly’s presence and better care, he’ll recover,” said Miles.
We stood mulling over everything.
“I wonder why he was out hiking, and alone?” wondered Miles.
“Was that out of character?” I asked.
“Well… I guess he could have changed a lot in three years… but when he lived here, yeah. He had a lot of friends, and hiking wasn’t a pastime he cared anything about. He was into video games and skateboarding.”
“The whole thing’s just so sad…” I said. “We should do something to get our minds off this. We aren’t helping him by worrying, and feeling depressed.”
“You’re right,” agreed Miles.
“Lead me to the next storage area,” I said. “We can’t help him, but I’m determined to help you. The faster we work o
ur way through this house, the faster we’ll accomplish that.”
“I want to accomplish that too,” said Miles. “But to be honest, it’s okay if we don’t find it right away. I enjoy being around you, it’s making up for the hundred and forty years of being alone.”
“That is very sweet of you to say,” I replied, truly flattered that he felt hanging out with me could make up for that much loneliness. “I’ve had more fun getting to know you and talking to you every day than in the whole rest of my life combined, so maybe I understand what you mean.”
I smiled at Miles and he smiled back.
“Alright then, follow me,” Miles said. “On to the next storage room.”
“Which we’ll search, but slowly,” I said, as we both laughed.
It was a real shame we couldn’t stay friends forever. I wondered if I’d ever find anyone else who clicked with me like Miles did. It was very unlikely.
I’ll be sad when we find proof, and I lose the best friend I ever had.
Chapter 9
After the horrible news about Second-Miles, which I called Polly’s grandson to keep my head straight, I called Polly or her friend daily for updates. There was no change in his condition, but Polly arranged a move to a top hospital with a state of the art neurosciences department. They dealt with brain injury day in and day out. If anyone could help Second-Miles, they could.
Miles and I sat on the floor of one of the downstairs bedrooms. Late autumn sunlight filtered in through the tall narrow windows, casting fingers of light about the room. The ancient flowered wallpaper was all in soft shades of pink, antique white, and green. The wood floor was covered in a soft rug, oriental by the looks of it. What else would be in the Bannerman castle? The cherry furniture pieces were each carved with matching accents. The canopy portion of the bed was covered in a thin, antique white fabric to match the whole cloth quilt. It was a beautiful room, like every room I’d seen so far.
We sat on the rug looking at old photos. Miles had relatives who lived through some pretty crazy times in our country’s history. He was semi-transparent guy during those times, but he was still present for it.
Miles Page 13