Choices

by Lyn Gardner

  “Which is?”

  “The people called out as servants were Olga Hendrickson, Julia Cooper, Henrietta Zellen, and Thomas Skog.”

  “Okay?”

  “There’s no Isobel.”

  “She never lived here. I mean, not until she died.”

  “Then how did Adele know her name?”

  “That’s a whole other story,” Robin said, and standing, she picked up the empty bottle. “Did you want me to open another or would you prefer something else? Green tea? Coffee?”

  Judy placed her hand on her belly. “You know, tea sounds great. The last thing I think I need is caffeine.”

  “Cool. Give me a few minutes.”

  “You want some help?”

  “No, I got this,” Robin called from the kitchen. “Relax.”

  When Robin returned to the living room, she saw Judy standing in front of the barrister bookcase to the left of the bay window. “Oh, I see you found one of my other discoveries.”

  “Where did you find them?”

  “They were also on the stairs leading to Firefly. That’s another reason why I think the easel was for Isobel. Between the cameras and the darkroom in the basement, it looks like Adele’s hobby was photography.”

  “May I?” Judy said, motioning toward the door on the bookcase.

  “Of course.”

  Judy lifted the oak-framed glass to more closely view the collection of cameras filling the shelves. “Geez, these look old.”

  “That’s because they are,” Robin said, setting the two mugs on the coffee table before making her way to the bookcase. “I spent two nights researching them on the Internet. The boxy one is a Kodak Brownie, circa 1946.”

  Judy picked up the camera and gingerly examined the black steel box in her hand. “It’s so...so...”

  “Weird looking?”

  “Yeah, a little,” Judy said, placing it back on the shelf. “It doesn’t even look like a camera.”

  “I know,” Robin said, and picking up the next in line, she handed it to Judy. “But twenty years makes all the difference.”

  “Now, this looks more like it,” Judy said, holding the Canon FT in her hand. “But it’s a lot heavier than I expected.”

  “I thought so, too, but from what I read this one was made before they started replacing metal parts with plastic ones.”

  “Interesting,” Judy said, returning the camera to the shelf to pick up the next. “This one looks newer.”

  “That’s depending on what you mean by new. The Canon T90s came out in 1986, and by the amount of lenses Adele had for it, I think that was her go-to camera.”

  “Lenses?”

  Robin took the camera from Judy and motioned to another shelf. “Check it out.”

  Judy bent down, and her eyes widened at the row of lenses in varying lengths. “She was serious about this, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes, it looks like she was,” Robin said, putting the camera back on the shelf. “And there are two tripods in the basement, too. That’s where I put the cases for these, but eventually, I’m going to have to pack everything up and take them somewhere.”

  “You’re planning to sell them?”

  “No, but I’m not sure if there’s still film in them. I seriously doubt it would be any good, but I don’t want to risk opening them either.”

  “Good idea,” Judy said, and waiting until Robin closed the glass door of the barrister case, she led the way back to the sofa and sat down. “So...about Isobel?”

  ***

  “Wow. I have to say, I’m with you,” Judy said, a notebook on the coffee table. “Between Adele’s research and all this documentation, Isobel Vallencourt has to be your ghost. It’s kind of sad, though.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Robin paused to take a sip of tea and then she found herself rushing to swallow it. "Oh my God, I forgot to tell you. I saw her!"

  “Who?”

  “Isobel.”

  “You saw her?”

  Robin bobbed her head like a plastic statuette on a dashboard. “Yep. It was a few days after you left. I wanted to get some sleep, but she was upstairs stomping around. I stormed up there to give her a piece of my mind, and a few minutes later, I was running for my life. And just a heads-up, when she gets mad, it gets really, really cold and windy.”

  “Good to know,” Judy said, eyeing Robin. “But I try not to get ghosts mad. Seems a bit like pushing my luck.”

  “Yeah, well I definitely pushed mine that night,” Robin said with a laugh. “I got it into my head she was going to hurt Fred and Ginger, so I told her to fuck off, and then I promptly went in search of wine. I was in the kitchen, getting myself a drink, and when I turned around, she was standing there, or actually, I guess she was floating there. It was kind of hard to tell.”

  “And?”

  “And I told her she was just going to have to get used to me. I was Adele’s niece, and the house was now mine, and I didn’t mean her any harm.”

  “What did she do?”

  “She disappeared into thin air, which is totally freaky, by the way, but since then she’s been okay,” Robin said as she set her tea on the table. “And when I sense she’s around, I talk to her, but if the temperature drops below freezing, I shut the hell up.” Robin glanced in Judy’s direction when she heard the woman giggling. “What’s so funny?”

  “You are,” Judy said, doing her best to contain her mirth. “A few weeks ago, you were panic-stricken because of Isobel, and now you want to invite her to dinner.”

  “I do not,” Robin said, trying to hide her smile. “I just came to the conclusion, since I have no plans of moving, I need to get along with her.”

  “I bet you wouldn’t say that if she was dressed like a clown.”

  A second later, Judy burst out laughing at the sight of Robin’s open-mouthed gawk. Throwing her head back, several guffaws echoed off the walls before Judy regained control of herself.

  Robin peered at Judy. “You had to go there. Didn’t you?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’ve been trying to figure out a way to go up front all night, so I could move the damn thing just to see your reaction.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  “But it’s soooo tempting,” Judy said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She glanced at her watch and got to her feet. “I should really be going. I still have things to unpack and laundry to do, but I can’t thank you enough for dinner. It was great.”

  A tinge of disappointment washed over Robin, but she pushed it away. Judy had had a long day, and with two chest freezers now filled with food, Robin had more than enough reasons to invite Judy to dinner again. “My pleasure,” she said, standing up. “I’ll walk you out.”

  Robin followed Judy through the house, and as she watched the woman put on her coat, Robin said, “So...um...have you thought of when you might want to start working on the rooms upstairs? There’s no rush. I was just wondering.”

  “Well, if I take tomorrow to catch up on things, I’m all yours come Monday morning.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Patrick must have had a shit fit.”

  “To tell you the truth, there were a few seconds there when I thought his head was going to pop off.”

  “I bet,” Rita said, snickering as she took a sip of her coffee. “And what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Any regrets? Guilt?”

  Judy paused, running her finger around the edge of her coffee mug as she thought about the question. “Actually, no. I’m good.”

  “Hallelujah!” Rita said, waving her hands in the air.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t be?”

  “I was just checking.”

  “Well, I’m fine,” Judy said, relaxing back in her chair. “I’m where I want to be and doing what I want to do, but you know what’s strange?”

  “What?”

  “Doug didn’t say a word. He just sat there while Patrick went off on his tangent, and when it was all over, it was all over. Do
ug never chimed in once.”

  “Maybe he’s finally given up,” Rita said with a shrug. “You said some of his kids didn’t show.”

  “Yeah, and I think that has something to do with it.”

  “Writing on the wall?”

  “Exactly.”

  “What about Eric?”

  Judy’s face creased into a sudden smile. “He came up to my room later and gave me a high five.”

  “Typical Eric,” Rita said before drinking what was left of her coffee.

  “Yep.”

  Rita got up and walked across her kitchen to the coffee maker. Pouring a splash into her cup, she carried the pot toward Judy. “Would you like a refill?”

  “Oh, no,” Judy said, covering her mug with her hand. “I’ve reached my limit.”

  “Wimp.”

  Judy watched Rita begin prepping the coffee maker for another round. “I honestly have no idea how you can sleep at night after drinking as much coffee as you do.”

  “That’s where Hank comes in handy. That son-of-a-bitch can really wear me out,” Rita said, giving Judy a wink. “If you catch my drift.”

  “If I didn’t, you’d probably draw me a picture.”

  “Would you like me to? It would give a whole new meaning to stick figures.”

  “Stop!” Judy said, sniggering as she pushed herself out of her chair. “I swear to God you have sex on the brain.”

  “Among other places,” Rita said, waggling her eyebrows.

  “I gotta go,” Judy said, snagging her parka from the back of the chair.

  “What’s the rush?”

  “I figured I’d head into town in a bit and see what all the Halloween hubbub was about?”

  Rita’s eyebrows drew together for a moment. “My God, that’s right. You’ve never been here during Halloween.”

  “Nope, but since I am, I thought I’d give it a look. Maybe grab some dinner. You and Hank want to join me?”

  “Oh, sweetie, I wish we could, but Trudy and Glen invited us over for dinner and cards.”

  “Let me guess. Honing your Euchre skills before the tournament at the church?”

  “You know it,” Rita said, holding her chin high. “Rose and Tommy are going down. There’s no way those two can win every year without cheating. Nobody that’s lucky.”

  “I can’t believe you’re honestly accusing them of cheating. What would they have to gain?”

  Rita placed her hands on her hips. “Do I really need to answer that?”

  Judy stood on her tiptoes and gave Rita a kiss on her cheek. “No, you don’t. Have fun tonight. I’ll see you later.”

  By the time Judy reached her bike, she had pulled on her gloves and knit cap. The sun was starting to go down, and it was taking the warmth with it, but the air was as fresh as ever, and for a moment, Judy stopped and took in the panoramic view before her.

  Rita’s family was one of the first on Mackinac to obtain permission to build their home on the East Bluffs. In the early nineteen hundreds, with their candy business thriving, they contracted to have a house built, and it became one of the most prestigious on the island. Three stories in height, the gorgeous Victorian cottage exemplified the elegance of the era. From its clapboard siding to its turret, and from its wrap-around porch to its terraced gardens, Rita’s home was a stopping point for every carriage tour on the island. Tourists would gape open-mouthed at the magnificent house, but it wasn’t until the coachmen informed them of one little detail, when their jaws would hit the ground. While the magnificent homes belonged to the owners, the land on which they were constructed...did not.

  In 1875, believing the newly deemed Mackinac Island State Park would put a burden on the federal budget, the U.S. Congress determined that discretionary leases of land would be made available for those who wanted to build homes in the areas known as the East and West Bluffs. By doing so, the families could construct their homes, and the monies paid for leasing the land would assist in maintaining the park. However, politics being politics, it wasn’t until 1884 when the Secretary of War, Robert T. Lincoln, son of the President, ordered the land surveys to be completed, and soon afterward Victorian cottages began to be built.

  There was only one stipulation given to those who wanted to build on the bluffs, and it could be seen in every single dwelling. The Victorian heritage that encompassed much of Mackinac Island was to be maintained in perpetuity. Therefore, like Rita and her ancestors had done, the homes atop the East and West Bluffs stayed true to their original design down to the hand-blown glass in their windows, the incredible detail of their façades, and the grandeur of their landscaping.

  Judy took a deep breath of the cool air before climbing onto her bike, and flipping up the kickstand she headed down Huron Road. In no rush to get back to an empty apartment, she meandered her way down the street, but as she approached a fork in the road, she slowed almost to a stop. Judy’s expression grew pensive as she looked back and forth between the two streets, and with a shrug, she made a hard left and coasted down Truscott Street toward Main.

  ***

  It’s said that it takes more muscles to smile than to frown, and sitting on the floor in Firefly, Robin believed it. Her cheeks ached from the smile she had worn since waking up that morning, and it was all because of a few innocent words spoken the night before. ‘I’m all yours come Monday morning.’

  The words danced their way into Robin’s head again, and with a laugh, she reached over and cranked up the volume on the dock holding her phone. The upbeat mix was just what she needed to get the job done, and with the music now just below ear-splitting, she loaded her brush and went back to cutting in underneath the window.

  Robin had spent the better part of the day painting the room, but her energy was now diminishing quicker than the level of paint in the can. Even after turning on all the lights, she was fighting the setting sun and the shadows it created, but she was determined to finish what she had started. Intent on creating a flawless division between the pale Air Force blue walls and the crisp white of the wooden moldings, concentration lines were etched into her forehead as Robin inched her way along. With the music blaring and hell-bent on finishing, she had no idea someone else had entered the room until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  Robin shrieked, and recoiling from the touch, she spun around and pushed herself up against the wall. She held up the loaded paintbrush, prepared to fight off the intruder with the only weapon she had, and just as quickly, she lowered her hand. “Holy Mother of God, Judy! You almost gave me a freaking heart attack!”

  Judy pointed to her ears and then to Robin’s phone, and a few seconds later, Robin was yanking her phone from the dock.

  “I called your name a dozen times,” Judy said, wearing a smile that added a thousand watts to the room. “But apparently you didn’t hear me.”

  “Ya think?” Robin said, placing her brush on the rim of the can.

  “And what’s with the painting? I thought we were going to start this Monday.”

  “I was going to talk to you about this last night, but I forgot. Would it be awful if we didn’t rent this room?”

  “No,” Judy said, looking around. “But why wouldn’t we?”

  “Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to use it as my office. Between the private stairs and the view, it would be perfect, and if we ever did need to rent it out, all I’d have to do is gather up my laptop and a couple of books.”

  Judy gestured toward the pile of furniture Robin had pushed into the center of the room. “What about all this?”

  “Everything except for the chairs that were by the window can stay. It wouldn’t be in my way, so we could easily flip the room into rentable space whenever we needed. What do you think?”

  Judy looked around again. “That’s fine with me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Like you said, it wouldn’t take much to get it ready for guests. As long as you’re open to that, I don’t see why we can’t try it. We can just keep t
he armoire off to the side, and block the stairs when we need to.”

  “Cool,” Robin said and draping her hands over her raised knees. “So, are you here to raid the freezers?”

  “Oh, um...no. Actually, I was...I was wondering how you felt about Halloween?”

  “Halloween?”

  “Yeah, you know. Ghosts, goblins...skeletons hanging from trees. Stuff like that.”

  Robin shrugged. “I’ve never been a fan, but I did get some candy to hand out just in case any kids show up on Tuesday night. Why?”

  “I’m not into it either, but Halloween is huge on Mackinac and this weekend is when the locals get all dressed up and go into town to party. Since I’ve never been able to see it for myself, I thought I’d go over, grab some dinner, and check it out. I was wondering if you’d like to join me.”

  Robin’s smile couldn’t get any wider. “I’d love to,” she said, but as she tried to push herself off the floor, she felt something tug at her hair, forcing her to sit back down. “Crap.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Um...I’m sitting up against the wall.”

  “I can see that.”

  “I just painted this wall.”

  Judy immediately pressed her lips together, taking the time she needed to still her laughter. “Are you stuck?”

  “No, but I may lose some hair in the battle.”

  ***

  An hour later, Robin emerged from her bedroom, and as she reached the kitchen, she stopped to admire the woman in the distance. Judy was standing near the easel in the living room, casually sipping her tea as she regarded the sketch, completely unaware she was being watched.

  Overtop a jersey turtleneck of burgundy, Judy was wearing an open knit dark gray sweater that reached her hips, and her jeans were again tight, fitting her petite form flawlessly, but Robin’s perusal wasn’t voyeuristic. It was fanciful. The unreal had become real. The unimagined was now before her, and the normalcy of Robin’s life had become anything but.

  Robin’s skin had been warmed by the shower, the steam of the spray making its way to her bones and removing the chill that had settled throughout the day. Yet, as Robin made her way into the living room, she pushed up the sleeves of her own sweater and turtleneck in hopes her heated skin would cool.