The Ashford Place

by Jean Copeland

  “They don’t know that it’s Judy’s for sure either. Your brother told me about the boarders Mrs. Ashford had for a time.”

  “Yes, I remember. Miss Dixon was my fifth-grade teacher. Such a nice lady. She was new to the school that year, just started teaching.”

  “Do you think it’s possible she could’ve been pregnant?”

  “I don’t know. She was a heavyset woman so it wouldn’t have been obvious right off. But I don’t recall ever hearing any talk of it, not that I necessarily would have, being a child at the time.”

  “How about the guy, Phil or Philip something?”

  “Oh yeah,” Charlene said. “The guy with the missing fingers. My brother used to buy pot off him.”

  “He was a drug dealer?”

  “I don’t know if he was an actual dealer, but I know he smoked a lot of grass and would sell to my brother once in a while.”

  “You don’t happen to remember his last name, do you?”

  “I don’t, but I’m almost positive it ended in ‘ski’ or something like that. My father had referred to him as ‘the Polack’ after he found my brother’s stash once. My dad could drink himself into oblivion half the time, then smack my mother around for sport, but when it came to marijuana use, he suddenly became the moral majority.”

  Hearing Charlene trash-talk her own father had Belle deliberating over whether she should suggest the possibility that he could’ve been Judy’s molester. But with so many yet unanswered questions about the child’s mother, she knew Ally would blow out her O-ring if she shared any new information with Charlene.

  “Hmm, so Philip Something-ski,” Belle said, thinking out loud.

  “I’d suggest you ask Craig, but frankly, I’d be shocked if he remembered anything before he left for the war.”

  “I’ll share this new bit of info about the guy’s last name with the investigator. Who knows? Maybe it will be enough to run a search on those high-tech law-enforcement websites.”

  Charlene sighed loudly into the phone. “I hope the authorities can find out who the child belonged to.”

  An ominous silence hovered over the line as Belle waited, feeling as though Charlene had more to say.

  “Well, good luck,” she finally said.

  “Yeah, uh, thank you for your help again,” Belle said. “If you can think of anything else, please let me know. Sometimes even the smallest detail can be valuable.”

  Again, Charlene seemed to be stalling before ending the call.

  “Would you let me know when the mystery’s solved?” Charlene added. “It sounds like a fascinating case.”

  “Yes, I sure will.”

  Afterward, Belle went about the business of cleaning and touching up areas with paint around the inside of the house, but her conversation with Charlene kept replaying in her head.

  She wasn’t sure if she’d realized she had a sixth sense about people or if playing detective alongside Ally had cultivated an unhealthy cynicism in her, but she was certain about one thing: that woman was hiding something.

  Whatever it was, Ally would be able to flush it out of her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  That night at dinner Belle scanned the wine list at Franco’s at the corner table that had become their unofficial spot. As she waited for Ally to return from the ladies’ room and for the garlic-bread sticks to arrive, she glanced around the dimly lit restaurant at the décor that was many years past due for an update. In a way, it added to the charm. If she opted to stay here, with Ally, she’d have to get used to such things like a lack of modern style, people who called instead of texted, and having to explain to the bartender what a cosmo was and how it was made.

  However, the mere sight of Ally walking back to their table in a plunging black silk, button-down top dispelled those trivial pet peeves. Belle was breathless.

  “You look stunning tonight.”

  Ally smiled and sat down. “You’re just now noticing me?” she said in a low, sexy voice. “I picked you up over a half hour ago.”

  “Some women get noticed every time they walk in a room, no matter how many times.” She raised her wineglass to Ally’s.

  Ally clinked her glass and looked down with a barely perceptible blush. “Some women, yes—Grace Kelly or Sophia Vergara, but not me.”

  Ally’s modesty in the face of a million reasons to brag was one of her most endearing qualities. How could such a radiant woman look into a mirror and not notice what was so tangible to others?

  “I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Belle said. “It’s how I feel.” She chomped into a garlic stick that had recently arrived and pointed the bitten-off end at her. “You knock my socks off, kid.”

  “You don’t clean up half bad yourself,” Ally said with a giggle as she gently flicked garlic-bread crumbs off Belle’s chin.

  “Thank you.” She dusted her napkin across her chin area for a final sweep. “I’ve dated attractive women before, Ally, all types, but you’re unique. You’re a trifecta—gorgeous, empathetic, and super intelligent.”

  “Gosh. Now you’re really embarrassing me,” Ally said with a wink.

  “By the way, I’m texting you Charlene’s telephone number. When do you think you’ll give her a call?”

  “I said I’d think about calling her. Right now I have—”

  “What do you mean, think about it? She got really weird on the phone after I told her about the baby. Her whole tone changed. I think it’s a sign.”

  “Of course her tone changed. She went from strolling down memory lane with a distant relative of her childhood friend to learning about a dead infant buried in said friend’s backyard.”

  Belle narrowed her eyes skeptically. “You don’t think there’s anything to her going all quiet and rushing to get off the phone after that? What if it was hers?”

  “It wasn’t hers. Her brother’s DNA would’ve indicated some type of relationship if it was.”

  “What if they were all adopted?” Belle said excitedly. “Then what?”

  Ally opened her mouth but hadn’t seemed ready for the far-fetched.

  Belle grinned. “I’m messing with you. But seriously, what if she knows whose it is and is afraid to speak up?”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to call her,” Ally said, clearly trying to suppress her growing frustration. “She’s going on the list of leads, and I will most likely call her within a week.”

  “But what if—”

  “Honey, can I interrupt you for a minute to remind you about tomorrow?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry.” Belle took a breath and spread butter on another garlic stick. “What’s tomorrow again?”

  “Chloe’s equestrian competition.” This time she couldn’t mask her vexation. “Do you still want to go?”

  “Yes, yes. Of course I do. Why would you even ask?”

  Ally shrugged. “You’re fixating on the investigation again. This is our time tonight, Belle, not a working dinner. We’re supposed to be enjoying each other.”

  “You’re right.” Belle lowered her head in shame.

  “I got to thinking about us this afternoon,” Ally said, caressing Belle’s forearm. “And I realized that even though we’re saying I love you, there are so many little things I don’t know about you.”

  “That’s true, but isn’t that part of the fun of dating—peeling back each layer of who we are detail by detail?”

  “That’s the thing—I’m worried we’re skipping that part.”

  “You’re right again.” Belle put down the bread and grabbed Ally’s hand. “What else would you like to know about me, Ms. Yates?”

  “Well, uh…I’m not sure. Okay, you’re an English professor, but what do you like to read for fun?”

  Belle grimaced. “Ugh, really? Favorite authors?”

  “Come on,” Ally said with a persuasive grin. “Just play along.”

  “Okay.” Belle wiped her mouth and dug into the topic. “Mystery. I’m a nut for Sue Grafton and James Patterson novels. O
h, and I was all about Patricia Cornwell in the nineties.”

  “I can’t say that’s a revelation. How about romance?”

  “Huge romance fan,” Belle said. “But I’ll be honest. Over the last few years, my romantic life was such a mess I was finding more pleasure in murder.”

  “Not that I want to poke a sleeping bear, but that reminds me. Have you heard from Mary lately?”

  “Not a word. After I gave her the money for a storage unit, she moved her things out without further incident. Despite her recent miscues, she’s not a bad person. We were never right for each other, though. That reminds me. I have to head down there and put my unit on the market.”

  “You’re really going to sell it before you sell this place?”

  “What’s the worst that can happen? I have to stay up here longer than expected.”

  Ally’s face bloomed into a fragrant smile. “That’s the best-case scenario for me. But it would mean a horrific work commute for you.”

  Belle flicked off her sandals, allowing her toes to roam freely over Ally’s bare shins and calves. “When I told my father I’d take on the massive project that is this house, I had only two things in mind—my dream waterfront home and change. Back then I couldn’t have defined what kind of change I was looking for, but after falling in love with you, it’s Caribbean-water clear. When I’m with you, and even with you and Chloe, I’m the happiest I can remember being in…forever.”

  “Honey, I’m so glad to hear you say that. As crazy as things have been at times, you’ve brought my life to a new dimension. And I’m so happy you like Chloe and are including her in your vision. You’re the first woman who’s truly made me believe a family is possible—not that Chloe and I haven’t been a family, but you know what I mean.”

  Belle luxuriated in the glimpse of Ally’s vulnerable side. “I know that both our instincts tell us it’s too early to plan for the future, and that’s okay, but I want you to know that I can’t imagine needing anything else in my life.”

  As the waitress approached with their entrées, Ally’s gaze promised Belle she felt the same way.

  ***

  Back at Belle’s house, she and Ally sat at opposite ends of the antique claw-foot tub with a light covering of scented bubbles. Sipping chilled Prosecco, they gazed at each other in the glow of candlelight.

  Belle smiled at the absurdly perfect situation she was soaking in. What was supposed to be a summer of self-reflection, isolation, and drudgery was turning out to be the most thrilling of her life. She was falling deeper in love with Ally each day. From sharing the intrigue of her career as a crime investigator to quiet moments like this, Ally was helping her connect the dots to complete the picture of a future Belle had almost stopped believing in.

  “What are you thinking about?” Ally began to massage one of Belle’s feet.

  Belle smiled shyly. “Nothing.”

  “There’s no way it’s nothing. Tell me, or I’ll have to use refined interrogation techniques to get it out of you.” Ally gave the bottom of her foot a tickle.

  Belle shrieked with laughter and accidentally splashed water in Ally’s face as she freed her foot.

  “You better confess, woman.” Ally attempted to grab hold of her leg again as it flailed.

  “All right, all right,” Belle shouted. “I surrender.”

  They let the bathwater settle as they gazed at each other again.

  “I was thinking about how I could really get used to having you around.”

  “What a coincidence,” Ally said as she gently caressed her leg. “I could get used to being around.”

  Belle’s heart soared.

  “Speaking of hanging around,” Ally said, “let me know when you want me to do a landscape design for the yard.”

  “You were serious about that?”

  “Sure I was. I’ve been sketching out some ideas for in front of the porch and in the backyard. All you have to do is pick the spot.”

  “Why haven’t you shown me?”

  “I didn’t want to seem pushy,” Ally said, glancing down as she stroked Belle’s calf.

  “The painters are almost done with the outside, so any time is good. By the way, nowadays we describe girls as assertive, not pushy. And I happen to find assertive women very appealing.”

  “Yes, so you’ve said.” Ally added a flirtatious arch of her eyebrow.

  “I can be a flirt, too, you know. Just not with that awesome eyebrow thing you do.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Ms. Ashford. You have some praise-worthy talents of your own.”

  Belle reached into the water between Ally’s legs and pulled the plug out of the tub. She stood and let the soap suds slide down her body.

  Ally licked her lips as her eyes climbed upward.

  “I’ll be in my bed.” Belle wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the tub. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ally said.

  ***

  The regional high school’s football field had been converted into an equestrian obstacle course for the annual New England Youth Equestrian Challenge. Belle sat in the stands with Ally, Ethel, and Shirley Morgan, already stripping off layers of clothing in the blazing sun until nothing was left to remove but a tank top. Ethel and Shirley had the good sense to bring parasols for shade, while she and Ally had only hats and sunblock for cover.

  “I’m so happy you could come with Ethel today,” Ally said to Shirley.

  “You know Bob and I wouldn’t miss Chloe’s first competition,” Shirley said. “He really wanted to be here, but he’s not up to it, so he insisted I go to represent the Morgan delegation.”

  They all laughed in awe and support of Shirley’s strength through her husband’s terminal illness.

  “Well, Chloe’s going to be so excited when she sees all of you here.” She clutched Belle’s hand in appreciation.

  “I’m excited,” Belle said. “I’ve only been to my niece’s and nephew’s soccer games and dance recitals. I feel like I’m classing up.”

  “Ally, is that Chloe?” Ethel asked.

  She pointed out a girl donned in full regalia: navy riding vest, helmet, beige chaps, and knee-high riding boots. Other than a blond braid hanging from the back of her helmet, Belle couldn’t distinguish her from the dozen other girls bobbing along on their horses during warm-ups.

  “Yes. That’s her,” Ally said, clapping and whooping for her.

  Belle and the rest joined her in the applause and cheering.

  “How can you tell?” Belle asked. “They all look alike out there.”

  “For one thing, I spent enough money on that competition outfit she’s wearing that I see it in my dreams. And the palomino she’s riding is Peanut, the horse she’s been begging me to adopt.”

  “You could adopt a competition horse like that?”

  “This youth organization uses rescue horses for the kids and also advertises them for adoption. It’s an utterly brilliant strategy. What girl isn’t going to fall in love with the horse she’s teamed up with?”

  Belle grinned at Ally’s tough façade. “You’re going to adopt it for her, aren’t you?”

  “I really want to, but I’m still trying to sort out the details. Boarding a horse isn’t cheap, and it’s not like it can live with us in my condo.”

  Belle thought of her spacious backyard and how it might possibly fit a small barn near the woods to house a horse. She was about to think it out loud, then realized that was tantamount to a marriage proposal in its permanence.

  “I’m sure it will work out, whatever you decide,” she said with a smile.

  The crowd cheered as the opening ceremony began. Belle was mesmerized at the majesty of the girls and their horses in line, standing at attention during the speeches, and then by the precision the young athletes executed in controlling their horses during their individual events.

  After the competition, they walked over to greet the athletes, Ally with a dozen long-stem roses from her an
d Belle.

  Chloe ran over to them, red-cheeked and sweaty, smiling like the two ribbons she displayed were bags of buried treasure. She ran into Ally’s arms first, then made the rounds hugging the rest.

  “You were magnificent,” Ethel said. “Ice cream sundaes on me later.”

  “A ribbon in each of your events,” Belle said. “I’m so impressed.”

  “It’s only second and third place, but I had so much fun.” Chloe was fidgeting about with adrenaline.

  “Only?” Ally asked. “This was your first competition, and you placed. That’s awesome.”

  “I could’ve used more time to practice.” Chloe removed her helmet and loosened her necktie. “I don’t think Peanut trusts me one hundred percent yet.”

  “I don’t know much about the sport,” Belle said, “but you and Peanut looked like consummate professionals to me.”

  Ethel and Shirley agreed.

  “One hundred percent,” Ally said.

  Ally couldn’t take her eyes off Chloe’s smile, and Belle couldn’t take hers off of Ally’s. Experiencing their bond and being part of this significant event in Chloe’s life, she had to agree with Ally’s observation—together, they had the makings of a family.

  Chapter Fourteen

  As they approached the shrubbery-lined raised ranch of Marjory Dixon’s daughter, Olivia, Belle stopped Ally halfway up the sidewalk.

  “What’s our fictitious reason for being here again?”

  “You’re not going soft on me now, are you?” Ally asked.

  Belle scratched at the hives on her chest. “Having to keep all these lies straight is doing a number on me.”

  “Belle, what are you nervous about? You’re doing some research on Danville and the Ashford family—just like we said when we first talked with McKeenan.”

  “This is different. We’re meeting with her to talk about her dead mother. What if she starts asking me questions I can’t answer, and I choke?”

  “Follow my lead, and you’ll be fine,” she said, rubbing Belle’s back as she ushered her toward the porch. “I’ll do all the talking.”