Moonlight Dancer

by Mona Ingram

  She turned to find him looking down at her. “Can I change the subject for a moment?”

  “Of course.” Now what?

  “Are we back on for Saturday night?” He whisked her into his arms and they took a few steps around the kitchen.

  Charlie was amazed at how comfortable she felt in his arms. “I might not dazzle you, but at least I don’t think I’ll step on your feet.”

  “I don’t care.” He pulled her close. A low rumble sounded in his chest and she realized he was laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You have to admit. Stepping on my feet would be nothing compared to what we’ve been through together. And I suspect that the adventure isn’t over yet.” He relaxed his hold and smiled down at her, the dimple in his cheek a deep shadow.

  “I hope it’s not over. Just think, if we can find–”

  “Hi guys.” Janelle wandered into the kitchen. “I saw you outside, deep in conversation.” She eyed them cautiously. “Have you sorted everything out?”

  “You bet. “Sure have.” They spoke simultaneously.

  “We were just talking about the dance,” said Jason.

  “Aren’t you glad Tyler’s lessons won’t be wasted?” Charlie couldn’t help smiling.

  “He’ll be pleased.” The grandfather clock began striking the hour and Janelle looked at it pointedly. “Unless you’re staying for dinner, you’d better get back. Brad and the boys are probably home by now and Wendy will be expecting you.”

  “Okay, I can take a hint.”

  Charlie followed him onto the verandah. “I’ll see you tomorrow sometime and let you know if I find anything in the journal.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed.” His gaze held hers for several long, intimate seconds and then he was gone.

  * * *

  That evening she paused in front of Charlotte’s picture, as was becoming her habit. “I saw him again today” she said softly, “but then you know that, don’t you?” Was it her imagination, or did something move behind the widely spaced eyes? Her gaze fell to the cameo at Charlotte’s throat and she touched the pulse in her own throat at the same point. “Your cameo is lovely, but it’s the ring that really meant something to you, wasn’t it?” She reached out and touched the glass. “I’ll make you the same promise I made to Harm. I’ll do everything I can to find the ring.” Somehow that seemed even more important than ever, especially now that she and Jason were back together.

  * * *

  The dim bulb cast soft illumination into the farthest corners of the attic. Everything looked the same as it had when she was here yesterday. With a relieved sigh, she curled up in her chair and turned on the reading light.

  She picked up the journal and with a cry of alarm dropped it in her lap. Her heart started to beat rapidly. The stalk of lavender she’d used as a bookmark was missing and in its place a fine gold chain lay nestled between the pages. She took careful note of the page as the chain slipped out, filling the palm of her hand like a puddle of liquid gold. The metal was warm to the touch and she knew without a doubt that the chain had belonged to Charlotte.

  “All right” she said aloud, “I get the message.” Let’s see what’s so important about this page.”

  * * *

  Stu and Timmy elbowed each other at the dining room table. “Jason’s got a girlfriend, Jason’s got a girlfriend,” they chanted in unison.

  He shot them a bemused look. “What makes you think that?”

  “Annie says you let a girl wear your Stetson. That makes her your girlfriend.”

  His brother’s knife hung suspended over his place for a moment and then he continued cutting his meat. “Is that so?” Eyes the same colour as Jason’s were as alert as a hawk’s, waiting for a response. The twins sat uncharacteristically still, their mischievous eyes darting back and forth between their father and their uncle.

  That’s right, he thought to himself. I have a girlfriend. The notion filled him with a warm glow. “It kept the rain off, and it looked good.” The look he sent his brother was clear. The twins were right, Jason did have a girlfriend.

  “Well okay then.” Brad Fleming wanted to cheer out loud, but managed to keep a straight face. He turned to his sons. “All right boys, let’s hear about camp.”

  * * *

  Charlie sighed. What she had just read was sadder, more poignant than any story she’d ever imagined. Still clutching the fine gold chain, she fought against an overwhelming melancholy. She slowly flipped through the pages and returned to the one that had been marked by the chain.

  They say that no one ever dies of a broken heart, but I don’t believe that for a minute. My heart is shattered and yet here I am…still alive. I almost wish it would quit beating, so I could join Harm and be with him forever. I went up to the windbreak again today to look for the ring. How could I have been so foolish? Throwing it away is the most irrational thing I’ve ever done and I regret it every minute of every day. I won’t rest until I find it, even if the earth seems to have swallowed it up. Without the ring, Harm is lost to me. I look for him everywhere and my spirit aches to feel his presence just one more time.

  Charlie wound the chain around her fingers and let her thoughts drift back in time. She could only imagine how Charlotte must have felt scrambling on the ground, searching for the ring. Tossing it away had been a senseless gesture by a heartbroken young woman, but then of course Charlotte knew that better than anyone. What was it Harm had said? ‘I could touch my ring and almost feel her heart beating’. The enormity of her mistake became evident in Charlotte’s later journal entries, when she reluctantly accepted the fact that the ring was lost. And yet she had never stopped loving Harm, never stopped looking for him at the dance hall. And she was still looking.

  Charlie nibbled on her bottom lip, her thoughts churning. Why had she agreed to help in this hopeless quest? How could she possibly find the ring now, after all these years? The ground up on the hill by the windbreak was littered with years of debris from the trees. The row of trees must be two or three hundred feet long. She unwound the chain from her fingers and replaced it in the journal. Would Jason still want to help when she told him about the impossible task that lay ahead? She set the book on the table, patted it absently. If he didn’t want to help she would look by herself. After all, she’d made a promise.

  * * *

  The back steps had become Charlie’s favourite place to sit and think. She sipped her orange juice, enjoying the early morning stillness. Everything looked brighter in the aftermath of yesterday’s thunderstorm. Where the rain had run off, spidery channels meandered through the yard and the willow leaves gleamed brightly. Thomas appeared out of nowhere and sat in a shaft of sunlight, pupils narrowed to slits. Charlie sighed. She was content here, and that fact still surprised her.

  As though reading her thoughts, Janelle came through the screen door and sat down beside her, coffee cup in hand. “Are you happy here, Charlie?” She smelled like the herb garden.

  “You must be a mind reader. I was just thinking how peaceful it is, and how content I feel.” She turned to her aunt. “There were a few moments on the bus coming out here where I wondered what I was doing, but I’m glad I came.”

  Janelle nodded. “I think Jason feels the same way. How would you feel about living here if he asked you to stay?”

  “Wow. That’s quite a leap.” Charlie stared into her coffee mug. “But I can write from anywhere. That’s one nice thing about being a writer.” She gave her head a quick shake. “But it’s too soon to be thinking about that, even though the idea is very appealing. You see, I’ve been learning about Charlotte. The woman in the picture upstairs?”

  “Really?” Janelle raised an eyebrow.

  “I found her journal in the attic. She talks a lot about the man she was going to marry. His name is Harm.” It felt odd talking about them like this when in fact she thought of them as friends, but maybe Janelle could help. “He gave her a ring. They each had one, actually.
Anyway, she threw hers away and then regretted it almost instantly. She looked for a long time, but she never found it. And she never stopped loving him.”

  Janelle’s features softened. “It would be a beautiful story if it wasn’t so sad.”

  Charlie’s thoughts raced as she tried to decide how much to divulge. She took a deep breath. “If you were going to look for something that had been thrown on the ground, how would you go about it?”

  A slow smile lit up Janelle’s face as understanding dawned. “You want to find the ring, don’t you?”

  Charlie nodded. “Call me crazy but yeah, I do.”

  “I don’t think you’re crazy at all.” She tilted her head to one side as though trying to recall something, a frown furrowing her normally placid brow. “I take it you know where to look.”

  Charlie glanced toward the row of trees. “I have a pretty good idea.”

  Janelle jumped up and beckoned for Charlie to follow. “Then come with me.” She led her upstairs and to the foot of the attic stairs, where she took three quick gulps of air then made her way up the narrow stairwell as quickly as her cast would allow. “It takes a lot to get me up here in the best of times” she said breathlessly, “but I can see that this is important to you.” She flicked on the light, turned left and headed toward a jumble of items shoved back under the eave. “It’s here somewhere” she said, bending down and shoving aside a mangled bicycle frame. “I should really clean this place up” she muttered to herself, reaching out to steady an old floor lamp.

  “Here it is! I knew I’d find it.” She backed out, dragging a circular disk attached to a long handle. She handed it over with a proud smile.

  Charlie looked at the label on the handle. “‘Treasure Finder’?” she said, trying to hide her disappointment. “Is this some sort of a joke?”

  “No, not at all.” Janelle looked around for somewhere to wipe her hands, then gave up and rubbed them on her jeans. “It’s a metal detector. Matt bought it a few months before he died.” She smiled sadly at the memory. “He’d always wanted one, but he never got to use it. The batteries are probably dead, but we keep lots of extra batteries on hand.”

  Charlie was intrigued. “This thing finds metal? I’ve never seen one before.”

  “Yeah, isn’t it great?” Janelle headed for the stairs. “Come on, this place is creepy.” She hurried down to the kitchen sink and scrubbed her hands. “Sorry I can’t help you look. I have a couple of appointments in town today.” She grinned. “But I suppose Jason was going to help you, anyway.”

  “Speak of the devil.” Charlie looked out the window. “I think I hear him now.”

  “Well, good luck.” Janelle grabbed her purse. “Oh, wait a minute.” She pulled out a deep kitchen drawer. “I’m sure you’ll find whatever type of battery you need in here. Anyway, see you later. What time are you and Jason going out tonight?”

  Charlie had almost forgotten about the dance. “I don’t know.”

  “Probably around eight. Jack and I are going together, but I’ll be back in time for a bite of dinner.”

  “Sounds good.” Charlie watched as her aunt made her way down the steps, waved to Jason and climbed into her truck.

  Jason raised a hand in Janelle’s direction and then turned the full wattage of his smile onto Charlie. Her heart did a little two-step as he tilted his Stetson back on his head. “Howdy Scarlett,” he drawled. “You’re up early.”

  “I couldn’t sleep. Oh Jason, I’ve got so much to tell you.” She knew she was babbling but she couldn’t seem to stop. “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

  “Whoa.” He took her arm. “Come on, let’s sit down.” He guided her to the step. “Let’s have the bad news first.” He turned sideways, giving her his full attention. “Is it something from the journal?”

  “I found out where the ring is.”

  “And that’s the bad news? I can deal with that.”

  “Trouble is, all I found out was the general area, and it’s huge. According to the journal, she used to walk up by the windbreak you pointed out the other day. That’s where she tossed it away and even though she searched for it over and over, she was never able to find it.”

  “Okay.” He drew the word out. “What’s the good news?”

  “The good news is that Janelle has a metal detector.” His eyes brightened, confirming that it was indeed good news. “It’s in the kitchen; do you want to see it?”

  “This is a great little rig” he said, rummaging through the drawer for batteries. He slid two into the machine and turned it on. A display panel lit up and he pointed it out. “See? You can set it for whatever you want to find…within reason, of course.”

  She watched as he adjusted the dial. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”

  “I’m a guy, remember?”

  She almost laughed out loud. As if she could ever forget about that! “Oh I see,” she said with a wry smile. “That explains a lot.”

  Jason threw a penny on the floor and waved the flat circular head over it. The panel emitted a high pitched squeal every time it passed over the coin. “If the ring is up there, we have a much better chance of finding it with this.”

  “It has to be there!” she said, surprised at the intensity in her voice. “It just has to be there.”

  He flicked the switch to “off” and placed the detector against the kitchen counter. “Charlie” he said softly, “you really want this, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

  It meant a lot to her that he understood her feelings. “Harm and Charlotte are so real to me. I feel as if I’m their only hope. I know it sounds foolish to care so much, but I can’t help it. I truly believe that if we can find this ring, they will end up together.”

  He grasped her by the shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “It doesn’t sound foolish, but I’d hate to see you disappointed if we can’t find it. Promise me that you’ll be all right if we come up empty-handed.”

  The concern in his eyes touched her heart. “I promise” she said, “but we’re going to find it. I know we will.”

  “With an attitude like that, we can’t miss.” He glanced at the wall clock. “If I hurry with my chores we can search for a few hours this afternoon. Do you mind waiting for me? I’d like to be there when you search.”

  She smiled up at him. “I’d like that. See you later.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Charlie spent a lazy morning deciding what to wear for the dance and re-painting her fingernails and toenails. “I’m like a kid going to my first dance” she said aloud. She smiled to herself. There were times when Jason made her feel like a schoolgirl but where it counted, he’d brought her alive as a woman. By comparison, her relationship with Carson had been bland and uninteresting. She blew on her fingernails, anticipating the evening ahead.

  * * *

  It was mid-afternoon when Jason drew the ATV into the shade of the poplars that lined the eastern border of Janelle’s property. “I’ve been thinking about the best way to do this,” he said. “I brought these to mark out a rough grid.” He untied a bundle of stakes from the rack on the back of the ATV and handed them to her. “We can stake out each area as we search so we don’t cover the same ground twice.”

  “Good thinking.” Charlie studied the long line of trees. “Do you think we should start at the end?” Her gaze kept returning to the highest point, slightly left of center.

  “You decide.” Jason unloaded a shovel. “I trust your instincts on this one.”

  Without hesitation she pointed. “Then I think we should try over there.” She shoved a stake into the ground, surprised to see that her hands were trembling. Right about now she could use a four-leafed clover, a shooting star…anything that would bring them luck.

  Jason hammered the stake in with the flat side of the shovel and then reached for the metal detector. “Come on, I’ll show you how to use it.” He swung the flat sensor plate from side to side, covering approximately a square yard. “Like th
at” he said, placing it into her eager hands. “I’ll be right beside you to do the digging if we get any hits.”

  Charlie swept the detector back and forth for several minutes, moving from tree to tree. “Are you sure this thing is working?” she asked, giving it a shake.

  Jason smiled patiently. “I’m sure. Anyway, only about thirty more trees to go.”

  Charlie glowered at him and shoved back the strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes.

  “You didn’t think you were going to find it in the first two minutes, did you?” He leaned casually on the shovel, but his eyes watched every swing of the detector.

  “I was kinda hoping we would.” She was getting into a rhythm, and started another pass. “Don’t count me out yet though.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  The detector squealed loudly and Charlie jumped back. “I found something!” she cried unnecessarily. “What do I do now?”

  “Keep moving the plate in smaller circles ‘till you’re centered over the signal.” His voice betrayed his excitement and he stood by impatiently as she followed his direction. “That’s it,” he said. “Shut it off and leg me dig.”

  Charlie placed the detector on the ground, trying to hide the fact that her shoulders ached from holding the awkward piece of equipment. Jason dug into the ground, grunting as the shovel hit something. “These roots make it hard to dig,” he said, tipping the soil onto a piece of canvas he’d brought along. “Look through the soil, Charlie. See if you can find anything.”

  Charlie brushed the soil aside, scanning for a glint of gold. “Nothing.”

  “One more shovel.” He stood over her, admiring the way she searched the soil with her bare hands. Then those hands stilled.

  “I’ve got something” she said, holding up a nail. She tried to smile, but it was difficult. “I hadn’t thought about this. We’re going to find everything that’s metal, aren’t we?”