“Mrs. Danvers, I have it on good authority that you do have such a doll, and I’m prepared to pay the premium price for it.”
“I don’t care who told you I had this doll. They lied.”
“If you’ll just let me come inside—”
“Absolutely not. I have company right now.”
“What’s one more person?” he pressed.
Whoever it was, he was determined. It made Anna uncomfortable when men were pushy like that, like they had the right to something.
“The answer is no Mr. Delta.”
“The traveling antique salesman? The one who found the dead bird?” Belle whispered.
“Seems so. I guess Mrs. Danvers has something he wants to buy.”
Leaning forward, Anna tried to peer down the hall. While Coraline blocked most of the view, she managed to get a glimpse at a short man with a ruddy face standing on the doorstep.
“I’m sorry. The answer is no. I have no doll like the one you described.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, stretching out his words as if he thought she were lying.
“I’m certain. Now, if you’d please leave.”
“Look, ma’am,” he blurted out, his tone changing from the normal circus ringleader style speech to a more irritable and desperate sound. “I’ve had a very crummy month, my business isn’t doing so hot, and this little doll could really give me the boost I’m looking for. My client is determined to get her hands on that doll, and I’m ready to pay whatever price you name.”
“No.”
“Mrs. Danvers,” he snapped.
“Your financial troubles are none of my concern. Even if I had such a doll, I wouldn’t sell it to you.”
“Maybe you just forgot you had it,” he said in a last-ditch effort to get inside the house.
“No. Now get off my property before I have to call Chief Bronson.”
“Two can play that game. I told the police about your little present you left me last night.”
The sisters both raised an eyebrow. “He thinks Cora put that bird in his car?”
“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Cora said.
There was a distinct pause. “Fine, darn you. Have it your way, but don’t think for an instant that I’m giving up.”
“Goodbye.” The sound of someone stomping off echoed through the house just before the door closed and latched shut.
“Sorry about that, girls,” Coraline apologized upon returning to the room.
“What was going on?” Belle asked, taking another cookie from the plate.
“Oh, just a traveling salesman who is coming through town. He’s been sort of bothering me lately.”
“Bothering you?” Anna asked, sincere concern rising in her voice.
“He seems to think I have some rare and expensive doll.” She sipped on her own tea, her smile wrinkles turning downward into a grimace. “I have no idea why he would think that I have what he’s looking for.”
“So, you really don’t have that doll he’s looking for?” Belle asked.
“Believe me, I have a lot of things stored up in this old house. However, a doll is not one of them. I gave any dolls I had away years ago to Shelly Waite. She collects and restores old dolls, did you know?”
“We know,” Belle admitted. Shelly Waite was a somewhat overbearing and intrusive type of woman. Some might even call her eccentric. “She actually wanted to meet us at the drive-in later today.”
“What about?” Cora asked, concern wrinkling her forehead.
“Something about a movie? I’m not quite sure.” Belle wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, but it was rude to turn away any potential customer—no matter how irritating they may be,
“Anyway, when I gave those dolls away, I don’t remember any doll like the one that Mr. Delta wants.” She sighed. “I just have no idea where he even got the idea in his head that I have something like that.”
“Maybe your daughter told him,” Anna offered, remembering seeing the woman at the hotel that same day.
Belle jabbed her sister in the ribs.
“Ow, what’s that for?” Anna grunted.
“My daughter?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?” Anna continued, digging into family matters where she knew she had no business. Belle jabbed at her sister with an elbow again to get her to stop talking, but it was too late.
“Know what, dear?”
“We saw your daughter earlier today, on our way here.”
Coraline shook her head. “That can’t be. My daughter has no interest in seeing me, and I for one am happier with her not around. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a daughter.”
“But I swear we saw her,” Anna insisted, sharing the truth of the matter.
“Well, you must have been mistaken.”
CHAPTER 4
* * *
Arriving back at the drive-in, Belle carried the box of rolled up posters into the front door of her brick restaurant.
“Here they are,” Valerie Bronson announced from behind the bar, motioning at the two women. A look of relief washed over her face as they came in. She stood behind the counter while Shelly Waite sat on one of the bar stools drinking an iced tea.
Val was dressed in a long green cotton dress, perfect for the Louisiana summers, and had a matching long sheer scarf that tied her thick black hair back in a neat and orderly manner. She worked as an assistant manager at the drive-in, but was more like a second mother to the girls—since their own parents had died in an accident when Belle was only fifteen.
Shelly had frizzy brown hair that stuck out all around her head, square black glasses, and a stern face. However, upon seeing Belle, a strained smile appeared, as if too much elective surgery kept her lips from moving properly.
“Shelly, I thought we weren’t meeting until later this afternoon?” Belle said, setting the box on the counter and taking a seat next to her.
“Oh, I know, but I was so excited about my little proposition that I just couldn’t wait. So, I came to see you early.”
Val rolled her eyes, clearly irritated that she’d had to put up with this all morning. “Well, girls, before we get into it, have you had anything to eat yet?”
The sisters glanced at each other, silently debating about whether the light butter cookies at Coraline’s house counted as a decent breakfast food. “No, we haven’t,” Anna replied, looking toward Val.
“I swear, you two,” Val shook her head and waved one long finger at them. “I thought that you at least would be on top of making sure you were eating when you needed to,” she said to Anna.
“Yeah, Anna. Aren’t you the responsible one?” Belle teased.
“If I’d known, I could have brought some donuts or something to share,” Shelly exclaimed. “Patterson’s Bakery on Main Street has simply the best fritters you’ve ever had, and their crullers aren’t so bad either.”
“Don’t you worry about it. I already planned on this,” Val said, heading through the swinging door behind the bar and into the kitchen.
Shelly turned to the girls with the same strained smile and looked as if she were about to say something. However, she didn’t get a chance because Val returned from the kitchen with a steaming pan in hand.
Already, Belle’s mouth was watering at the smell of fresh out of the oven baked goods.
“Oh, my, Valerie. What is it?” Shelly leaned in and sniffed deeply.
Val’s face strained in a way that clearly said, they’re not for you. Setting down a hot pad, she placed the circular tray in front of the sisters. “Blueberry sweet biscuits with a vanilla honey drizzle.”
“You always outdo yourself,” Belle said.
“How else could I expect to feed you? I’m just being prepared.” She pulled out a serving spatula and scooped out a steaming biscuit. It had a perfectly browned top, flaky interior, with evenly spaced pockets of blueberry inside. The drizzle slid down the side, caramelizing in place.
“We could feed ourselv
es,” Anna said.
“But you don’t.” She placed the biscuit on a napkin and handed it to a grateful Belle.
“Thank you, Val. I’m famished.” Biting into the fluffy breakfast treat, she moaned happily. “Delicious.”
“Here you go, dear,” Val handed one to Anna.
“Thanks.”
Shelly scooted down two stools to be closer to them. “Looks good,” she smirked. It was her way of saying, I’d like one too.
“Tastes good, too,” Anna shot back a little rudely.
Belle jabbed her sister in the ribs for the third time that morning. Annoying or not, it was uncouth to be rude to a customer.
“Ouch,” Anna moaned.
Belle nodded at Val.
The mother figure let out a quiet groan as she shoveled out another biscuit and handed it to Shelly.
“Oh, for me? You didn’t have to do that.” Greedily grabbing the biscuit, she took a huge bite and let out a long moan as she chewed. “So good.”
Belle and Anna looked at each other with secret annoyed grimaces.
“So, Shelly, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Belle asked, wanting to get to the point. It was clear that Shelly, despite only having been in the restaurant a short while, had overstayed her welcome.
Setting down her half-eaten biscuit she turned on the stool to face the drive-in owner directly. “Well, I know your theater specializes in showing horror movies.”
“That’s right. Old horror movies.”
“Of course, of course, but what would you think of showing a new horror movie?” Her lips pressed tightly together in an eager smile.
“A new horror movie?” Belle thought out loud. Right off the bat, she wasn’t very fond of the idea. Part of the reason she loved older horror movies, particularly low-budget ones, was because they were often a lot more fun than new movies. In her opinion, the modern cinema had mostly ruined the genre by infesting it with unnecessary violence, gore, and nudity.
On the other hand, she had recently premiered a newer independent film titled The Mummy’s Bandages. It had been quite the large event, and while fun, it been overwhelming doing all the planning and advertising. Belle had made a marked decision to not do another premiere for a couple months at the least.
“My nephew is an aspiring filmmaker,” Shelly continued, “and he has made a new horror movie about haunted dolls.”
This comment made Belle pause. After all the talk about dolls that same morning, it seemed a bit too convenient that the subject was coming up again. She glanced over at Anna who raised her eyebrows in interest.
“And get this, the movie stars my entire doll collection,” she squealed.
What was it with dolls that day? Belle couldn’t help but feel there was a running theme. First her sister’s dream, then that salesman, and now this.
It also didn’t help that, despite her great love for horror movies, Belle just didn’t care for haunted dolls, puppets, or any other toy. It really spooked her, the idea of some cute plaything coming to life to murder people.
She shivered just thinking about.
Shelly didn’t notice Bella’s discomfort with the topic. “Anyway, the name of the movie is The Doll Collector and I thought it would be a perfect fit for your little drive-in. We could even make an event of it, like that whole mummy deal you did recently. I could even bring in some of the dolls for decoration from my collection. My nephew and I could answer questions afterward. It would be a blast.” She paused, clasping her hands eagerly and tilting her head at Belle. “What do you think?”
Belle paused, looking Val in the eye.
Valerie gave her usual stiff faced look of stand your ground.
Belle shrugged. “I’m sorry, Shelly, but that’s just not something we’re interested in.”
The woman’s eager smile instantly faded. “Excuse me?”
“I have a very specific vision about the drive-in, and I’m not sure showing a newer horror movie like that one fits with that theme.” Not to mention, haunted dolls were just downright creepy. Belle enjoyed getting spooked as much as the next person, but she just refused to do dolls.
“How can you be serious?” Shelly shot back, her chipper voice becoming angry.
“I’m sorry, but my answer is final.”
“You don’t seem to understand the opportunity I’m offering you here. This is free publicity.”
At this, Belle started to get defensive and folded her arms. “Publicity? For who? Me or your nephew’s film?”
At this accusation, Shelly’s features twisted up. The skin stretched so thin that it looked like she might just pop a blood vessel. “For you, of course,” she lied through her teeth.
Belle could only raise a suspicious eyebrow in response.
Meanwhile, Shelly’s face turned a low hue of red. “My nephew is going to be a big-name director one day and I’m offering you a chance to be a part of that future.”
Belle couldn’t believe how persistent she was being, and how angry she seemed to be. The change in her attitude was like night and day. “I’m sorry, but the answer is no.”
“Fine, I thought you of all people would be one to support an up and coming artist, but I guess not.” Snapping up her purse off the counter, she gave on final sneer at Belle and her sister. “You’re going to regret not accepting my offer.”
“I doubt that,” Anna added.
“Well, I never.” Sticking her nose up in the air, Shelly marched straight out the door.
“I thought she’d never leave,” Val mumbled.
CHAPTER 5
* * *
“I guess she’s pretty upset, huh?” Anna said, picking up the last bite of her biscuit and munching down on it.
“I’m all for being polite and having manners, but sometimes you just have to put your foot down,” Belle admitted, grabbing a second biscuit from the pan.
Val gave a firm nod. “I know Shelly all too well. She’s the kind of woman who you can give an inch but she insists on a mile. I’d watch out for her, girls.”
“Oh, what is she going to do?” Belle waved her hand dismissively.
“You’d be surprised. She has money and power. She always gets what she wants.”
“Is there any coffee?” Belle asked, not wanting to talk about this anymore.
“I’ll go brew a fresh batch,” Val offered, turning and walking back into the kitchen.
Once she was out of earshot, Anna leaned into her sister. “Maybe we should be worried. I mean, people can get pretty nasty when they don’t get their way.”
Belle chewed and swallowed the last bite of her second biscuit. “Oh, I’m not worried about Shelly Waite sneaking up on me in any dark alleys.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. She may try to do something underhanded.”
“Let her,” she made a challenge.
“No, seriously, Belle. Just be careful.”
Sighing, the younger sister put her elbows on the counter and her face in her hands. “You don’t think that Shelly knows about that expensive doll, do you?”
“What do you mean?” Anna asked, confused about this turn of conversation.
“You know, the one that Don Delta seems so dead set on finding?”
Anna tapped her fingers on the wood counter. “What makes you think that doll exists? Cora said there wasn’t any such doll.”
“And I believe her, but that doesn’t mean anyone else does.”
She turned on her stool, facing her sister with her entire body. “What are you saying?”
“You don’t find it at all odd that the topic of dolls keeps coming up? Don Delta is after an expensive doll, Cora claims she’s never heard of such a doll, Shelly Waite wants us to show a movie about dolls, and collects dolls, and fixes dolls. It’s just dolls, dolls, dolls today.”
“You know, after these last couple months, nothing seems odd,” Anna answered, thinking back to all her odd encounters she’d had—including voodoo, zombies, mummies, and ghosts.
“True, but is it a coincidence?”
“I doubt it. Mrs. Danvers gave Shelly her entire doll collection. So what?”
Belle twirled the serving spatula on the counter as she considered the morning they’d spent together. “What if Cora didn’t give Shelly the full doll collection? What is she left out one very expensive doll?”
“Considering that Shelly got all those dolls for free, I’d say she has no right to complain.”
Belle giggled. “I know, but based on what I know about Shelly Waite, maybe she thinks she deserves more.”
“But there isn’t more. Cora said so herself. The doll just doesn’t exist.”
“My guess is that Shelly doesn’t believe that. Someone maybe tipped her off that there may be another doll.”
Anna folded her arms. “I know how that brain of yours works. What exactly are you getting at here?”
Belle rubbed her hands together and smiled. “For argument’s sake, let’s just say there is a rare and expensive doll hidden away in the Danvers’s house.”
“Okay,” Anna agreed.
“Either Cora is trying to keep it a secret, or she just plain forgot she even owned it. Maybe it’s just buried away somewhere collecting dust.”
“This is all just theoretical, right?”
“Oh, of course. However, if the doll exists, and Shelly knows about it, how do you think she would react?”
“Considering she collects dolls, I’d say she’d want it pretty badly.”
“And why would she want it right now?”
Anna’s squinted her eyes in thought. Finally, she snapped her fingers. “Her nephew’s movie. What could be better publicity for the film than a rare and expensive doll showing up after all these years?”
“Exactly.”
“But how does Don tie into all this?”
“What if Shelly told Don Delta about the doll? Maybe she’s the client he was talking about?”
“Why not just go and ask Coraline herself?”
Belle tapped her chin. “Maybe she did ask herself and got the same reaction. Now, she hires Don to do it instead.”
Anna mused quietly, “I could see it, I guess.”
Blue-Eyed Doll Page 3