by Joan Wolf
“That was nice,” I said when the film was over.
“Yes, it was.” His voice sounded a little huskier than usual. “What do you want to do tomorrow night?”
“I can't do anything with you tomorrow night. I accepted an invitation to have dinner with Michael Bates.”
“Cancel it,” he said.
“I can't. I don't want to. I want to find out if anything more is happening in the case.”
“How about if I tag along with you?”
“No! He won't say anything at all if you're there.”
“What more could be happening, Annie?”
“I don't know. That's what I want to find out.”
“You're using poor Michael.”
“Oh, so now he's ‘poor Michael.’ You usually talk about him as if he was an ogre.”
He was looking very somber. “Do you know what, Annie? If we're going to date then I don't want you going out with anyone else. I'm a possessive sort of bastard. I don't like to share.”
The words struck a chord in my mind. Then I remembered. He had said those words, or something very like them, to Leslie the night I had overheard the two of them arguing in the garden.
“All right,” I said. “It's a deal. But I can't cancel out on Michael. It would be too rude.”
“Okay. Go out with him this once. But that's all.”
“I promise.”
After Liam had gone home I went to talk to Mom, who had gamely stayed upstairs, supposedly correcting papers, so Liam and I could have the living room to ourselves.
She was reading a book in bed. “How did it go?”
“Good. He held my hand. I think he's starting to look at me as a woman and not as his little pal.”
“Well, that's progress.”
“I feel encouraged. He's definitely not happy that I'm seeing Michael tomorrow night, but I said it would be too rude of me to cancel.”
“It would be.”
“I know. Plus I want to pump him to see if there's anything new in the case.”
Mom frowned. “You sound very hardhearted, honey.”
“Don't you start with the ‘poor Michael’ too,” I said. “He's a grown man and the way I've landed him with company on all of our dates he can't think I'm serious about him. In fact, I'm surprised he continues to ask me out.”
“He must like you.”
“He's looking to rebound from Kim, which isn't a good idea. He needs some time to heal before he takes up with another woman.”
“You're probably right.”
“Anyway, I'm only having dinner with him. Liam said I was leading him on, but I'm not. I've never even kissed the man!”
“You don't have to get so defensive, honey. I don't think you're leading him on. But I don't think you should continue to see him just to pump him for information.”
“Okay, okay. I think I'm going to bed, Mom. I'm tired.”
“Goodnight, honey.”
I kissed her cheek. “I'm sorry if I seem to be embroiling you in my love life.”
“It's a good distraction for me,” she replied. “It gives me something else to think about.”
“Good. Goodnight, Mom.”
“Goodnight, Anne.”
I went across the corridor to my room, took a shower and got into bed. When finally I slept, I dreamed of Liam.
Michael picked me up the following night and as we walked out to his car he said, “I thought we'd go into Up-perville. There's a nice restaurant there that you probably haven't been in before.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
We chatted casually as he drove the few miles it took for us to get to Upperville. Upperville was aptly named since there was more money there than in Midville.
The restaurant was small, with white tablecloths and paintings that were not of horses on the walls.
“It's kind of nice to look at landscapes for a change,” I said to Michael.
He agreed. “Midville can overdo it a little on the horsey stuff.”
Michael had a reservation and we were shown to our table. A waiter took our orders for drinks.
I said, “So what have you been doing since I saw you last?”
“Nothing as exciting as you,” he said. “What a thrill that must have been, to see Someday Soon win the Preak-ness.”
“It was so exciting,” I agreed. “I carried on like a four-year-old on Christmas morning.”
“And now he only has to win the Belmont and he'll have the Triple Crown. Is that right?”
“It's true that he has to win the Belmont, but not that he ‘only’ has to win the Belmont. It will be his third race in five weeks, and it's the most grueling of them all. One and a half miles long. There's a reason there are so few Triple Crown winners. I once heard Jim McKay, who has seen years and years of sporting events, say that racing's Triple Crown is the hardest athletic achievement of them all.”
“Wow. Do you think Someday Soon has a chance to win?”
“I think he has a very good chance to win.”
“That's good. I won a tidy sum of money on him the last time he ran.”
“I don't think the odds will be that good this time.”
“Probably not.”
I said, “Anyway, back to my original question. What have you been doing since I saw you last?”
“Working on Leslie's case and getting nowhere.”
Relief washed over me. “It's too old. If there ever was any evidence, it's probably been long gone.”
“We did find a few odds and ends in the vicinity of the burial.”
“Like what?”
“A bracelet, which Mr. Bartholomew has identified as belonging to Leslie; a hair clip; and a miraculous medal.”
My heart plummeted into my stomach. “A what?”
“A miraculous medal. You know, the kind people wear around their necks.”
“Oh, yes. That kind of medal.”
“Mr. Bartholomew said it didn't belong to Leslie, which wasn't a surprise. Leslie wasn't the kind of girl who went around with medals hanging around her neck.”
“No, she wasn't.” My voice sounded choked.
“Everyone else was out of town at the race, so I haven't had a chance to show the medal around. Do you know of anyone to whom it might belong?”
“No,” I said steadily. “I have no idea.”
“Do you know if the senator is back at Wellington?”
“Yes, I believe he came home for a few days.”
“Good, then I'll stop by there tomorrow morning. I haven't been able to connect up with him, or with Liam and Kevin.”
“Where has Kevin been?” I asked sharply.
“Mary told me he went to New York for a few days.”
I essayed a smile. “Well, it doesn't sound as if your investigation is dead at all. You have a hairclip and a miraculous medal to add to the mix.”
“The hairclip was probably Leslie's. The medal is interesting, though.”
“Was it found right on the grave?”
“No, it was a few feet away. We figured out that it could have come off the killer when he was carrying Leslie to the grave he had dug.”
“That's an ugly picture.”
“Everything about this case is ugly, Anne. To have a beautiful young girl like Leslie just wiped out like that. My God, she was only eighteen years old.”
I bowed my head. “I know.”
Michael said, “Hey! We're here on a date! Let's lighten this conversation up, shall we?”
“Okay,” I answered. “Tell me about the kind of music that you like.”
He responded and we talked about other things while we ate dinner and then dessert. I tried very hard to act normally, but it took tremendous effort and by the time he dropped me off at home, I was so stressed out from the effort that when he bent to kiss me, I jumped.
He said, “Hey, Anne! I'm not going to rape you.”
I produced a weak smile. “I'm sorry, Michael.”
“What's wrong?”
/> “Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired, I guess. And I'm worried about Mom.”
“Will you jump if I try to kiss you again?”
/ should tell him that I'm dating Liam. But then he‘ll wonder why I went out with him tonight. He'll think I wanted to pump him about the case. I don't want to hurt his feelings. A little kiss can't hurt.
“Sure,” I said and lifted my face.
The kiss was a little more intense than I wanted it to be, but I did my part and smiled when it was over. “Goodnight, Michael.”
“Goodnight, Anne. I'll call you soon.”
“Okay.”
I put my key in the lock and was safely into the house. I stood perfectly still in the hallway for a long time, with the same thought going round and round in my brain. They found a miraculous medal. They found a miraculous medal. Dear God, they found a miraculous medal.
“Anne?” My mother's voice came from the living room. “Are you all right?”
Should I tell Mom? The answer was immediate: No. Don't involve her in this. Don't put her in a position where she may have to lie.
I put on what I hoped was a normal expression and went into the living room, where Mom was watching TV with a stack of papers on her lap.
“How was your dinner, honey?”
“Very nice. I had duck. I haven't had that in ages.”
“Where did you eat?”
I told her.
“Oh yes, I've heard of it. It's pretty pricey, though, isn't it?”
“Very pricey. We'll stick to the Coach Stop.”
She laughed.
“Are you watching something good?” A commercial was on.
“I'm watching the Orioles game and correcting papers. They're playing the Yankees.”
“Daddy would have been glued to the set if he was here.”
“I know. He purely loved baseball.”
“Who's winning?”
“The Yankees. Giambi just hit a home run.”
“Yuck. Well, I'm going to bed, Mom. I'm tired.”
“All right, honey.”
I went to give her a kiss and then I went up the stairs to my bedroom. I closed the door, sat on my bed and took out my cell phone. I dialed the number for Wellington.
Thank God Liam answered.
“It's me,” I said. “I just got back from dinner with Michael Bates and he told me they found a miraculous medal near Leslie's grave.”
Silence.
“Did you hear me, Liam? He's going to be asking everyone in your family if they've ever seen it.”
“Do you think it's mine, Annie?”
“You used to wear a miraculous medal. Your grandmother gave it to you for your Confirmation.”
“Do you think I lost it while I was burying Leslie's body?”
“Of course not! I don't know how the hell it got there, but it isn't going to look good for you. I think the best thing you can do is to deny it's yours—and get your mother and father and Kevin to deny it too.”
“There are bound to be people in town who remember that I wore a medal.”
“Some of Leslie's friends might remember seeing it around your neck that summer. You were still wearing it then.”
Liam said, “Do you think the cops will put this info in the paper?”
“Probably.”
“Shit.”
“I know.”
“It isn't my medal, Annie. I swear to you, it isn't my medal.”
“You don't have to swear to me, Liam. I believe you.”
“All right. Let me warn my mother, my father and Kevin. Thanks for the call, Annie.”
“Liam … do you think Kevin will back you up?”
“We'll see soon, won't we?”
“Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then.”
“See you tomorrow.” He disconnected the phone.
I got into bed, but I couldn't sleep. Pictures of Liam in bathing shorts in Leslie's pool flashed before my mind. He had worn that medal all summer long. I don't know when he had stopped wearing it. Could I remember seeing it on him anytime after Leslie's death?
I thought and thought and couldn't remember. I had gone away to school and we had seen so little of each other after that.
What was the likelihood of the police finding out about Liam's medal? Michael didn't hang around with Leslie's crowd, so he probably never noticed it. But Justin probably knew. And so would several other people from the old crowd.
What if it was Liam's medal?
It can't be. Liam wouldn't lie to me about this.
How the hell did a miraculous medal, which was an old-fashioned devotion not often seen nowadays, come to be near Leslie's grave?
Maybe Liam still had the medal! I got out of bed, got my cell phone and rang Wellington again. Once again Liam answered.
“Hi,” I said. “Do you still have your medal, Liam? If you could show the police that you still have yours, that would disassociate you from the medal they found.”
“I think I do still have it, Annie. I'll have to look.”
“Look hard,” I recommended. “It could be your ticket out of this mess.”
“I'll do that.”
“Let me know if you find it.”
“Stop worrying, Annie. Everything is going to be all right.”
“I hope so.”
I hung up and went back to bed but it took me two hours before I finally fell asleep.
CHAPTER 20
When I woke up the next morning, I felt as if I had a cloud hanging over me. It didn't take me long to remember the medal. The police would probably show it to the Wellingtons today.
Mom had already left for work and I made myself breakfast. I sat at the table, eating cereal and worrying about the medal. Liam had told me it wasn't his, but what if the police didn't believe him? How many other people in Midville, Virginia went around wearing miraculous medals?
Someone knocked on the front door and I went to see who it was. Kevin was standing there.
“Good morning,” he said. “I hope I didn't wake you up.”
“I was just eating breakfast. Come on in. Do you want some coffee?”
“Coffee sounds wonderful.”
He followed me to the back of the house and sat down at the kitchen table. My hair was hanging loose and I pushed it out of my face as I poured a mug of coffee for Kevin.
“Sexy pajamas,” he said with a smile.
They were my oldest and baggiest pair. “I have no one I'm trying to impress,” I said.
“Well, that's put me in my place.”
It was my turn to smile.
I sat across from him. “Did Liam get a chance to talk to you?”
“About what?”
“About the police's new discovery.”
“No, he hasn't talked to me. What have the police discovered?”
I hesitated. Should I tell Kevin? Will he agree to protect Liam? I said slowly, “They found something on the ground out near Leslie's grave.”
He raised his golden eyebrows. “I haven't heard anything about it.”
“You haven't been around these last few days.”
“True. What did they find?”
“Liam was supposed to tell you.”
“Well, he didn't.” He drank some coffee.
“Have you seen him at all this morning?”
“No. He was gone when I got up.”
“I think I'd better tell you, Kevin. You should be prepared.”
He put his mug down and stared at me. “For God's sake, what is it?”
I took a deep breath. “They found a miraculous medal.”
Kevin didn't say anything. He just kept on looking at me. I looked steadily back. Then he said, “Is it Liam's?”
“He says it's not. He was going to look for his, but I don't know if he found it.”
“This doesn't look good.”
“Liam didn't do it, Kevin!”
He slapped his hand on the table. “Then how the hell did his medal come to be by Leslie's grave?”
“It isn't his medal!”
“Oh, yeah, half of Midville wore miraculous medals that summer.”
“You've got to say you don't recognize it,” I said intensely. “You can't connect it to Liam.”
“You and I are not the only persons who know that Liam wore a medal. It wasn't exactly invisible.”
“How many people would remember after all these years?”
“All you need is one person to connect it to Liam.”
“Well, don't let that one person be you, Kevin. Please please don't tell the police about Liam.”
He scowled. “What am I supposed to say? I don't want to be arrested for concealing evidence. It wouldn't look good to my fans.”
I wanted to say To hell with your fans, but I couldn't alienate Kevin. I said, “Can't you just say you can't connect it with anyone? After all, you have no way of knowing if it's really Liam's medal.”
His scowl deepened. “I don't like this, Anne.”
“I don't like it either. I can't believe that the police came up with that damn medal.”
He asked, “How do you think it got there?”
“I have no idea. All I know is that Liam did not kill Leslie.”
“Well… I'll think about it.”
“You're an actor. You can pull it off.”
“I'm not worried about pulling it off. I'm worried about being caught in a lie to the police. My agent would kill me if he knew I was doing something like this.”
“Liam's life is more important than your agent.”
“Maybe.”
I wanted to scream, but I held onto my temper. “All you have to say is that you've never seen it. It isn't Liam's medal so, technically, you really have never seen it. You won't be lying.”
“But what if it is Liam's medal? Then I would be lying.”
“Then you can say that you thought Liam's medal was different from this one, that you made a mistake. Nothing terrible will happen to you, Kevin, but something terrible might happen to Liam if you say you recognize that medal.”
He let out a long breath. “Oh, all right, Anne. I can't out-argue you. I'll say I don't recognize the bloody medal.”
I gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you, Kevin. Oh, thank you.”
He finished his coffee. “I came to ask you about the Preakness, but I guess it's not what's at the top of your mind today.”
