Inherit the Wool

by Betty Hechtman

  “Everything will be better now that Blair’s here,” Elizabeth said.

  I hoped she was right.

  Chapter Twenty

  Elizabeth was already out of her chair, grabbing the bag of balls as Lucinda went to make the rounds with the coffeepot. “No time for that now,” Elizabeth said and waved for the rest of us to follow her.

  “I guess there’s no stopping her,” Blair said, watching as Courtney and Lauren followed our former ballatarian out of the dining hall. Lucinda ditched the coffeepot and joined them. Blair and I took up the rear and went to the door.

  When we got outside, Blair pulled her sweater around her and scrutinized my fleece jacket. “I think that’s better suited for this weather.” She glanced around at the surroundings as we followed the group to Hummingbird Hall. “This place looks a lot different in the daylight.” I gave her a brief history of the hotel and conference center and broke the news about Vista Del Mar being unplugged.

  “It should be all right,” she said with a shrug. “It’s only for today and tomorrow.” It was a relief to have somebody not go crazy over not being able to stare at their cell phone. “I should really say something to Vanessa’s husband,” Blair said.

  I sparked at her comment, realizing she might have some information about their relationship. “Then you know him?” I asked. “And that he was Elizabeth’s ex?”

  “He’s Elizabeth’s ex?” she said, surprised. She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “I didn’t put it together until now. Other than being at their wedding, I never saw much of him. Vanessa just called him Number Two when she spoke about him.”

  “I don’t suppose you know anything about what kind of arrangement they had,” I said.

  “My impression was that it was more like a business deal. Whenever I saw them, she was in the center of things and he was on the side holding her coat.” Blair stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts. “It always used to be the men who had the identity, but in their case it was her. I wonder where that leaves him.”

  “It sounds like you kept in touch with her. Did you know anything about her looking to replace him with a Number Three?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t say I was in touch with her. We just ran into each other at events. She could have been looking to replace him,” Blair said with a shrug. “The only man in her life who meant anything was her father. Her reason to be was to prove her worth to him. Apparently, he’d always been disappointed that she wasn’t a boy.” She let out her breath in a sigh. “I just can’t process that she’s gone.” Her voice cracked and it seemed as if she was swallowing back tears.

  We’d reached Hummingbird Hall and I led the way inside. It was still set up like an auditorium with rows of chairs in the center of the barnlike space. The popcorn cart and candy counter were gone and the movie screen folded up.

  “We’ll have to use the stage,” Elizabeth said, leading the way. She urged everyone to hurry because we only had the space for a short time. Once we were all on the stage, Elizabeth became the director. She gave Blair the same speech she’d given the rest of us about her muscles remembering the moves.

  Elizabeth did give Lucinda a quick refresher on the moves and then she bounced us all our balls, reminding everyone who they were to throw to in the rumble. I was certainly hoping that it was true that my muscles remembered the dance because my mind was on what Blair had said about Michael. Where did it leave him?

  “No, no,” Elizabeth said as she cut the music. She was glaring at me. “You’re supposed to throw to Courtney.” I was confused until she pointed out that I’d thrown to Blair.

  I apologized, and when we did it again made sure I looked for Courtney’s long red nails.

  As a family of yodelers came in to take our place, I announced that we’d go directly to our meeting room for our morning workshop.

  Zak was sitting in the room talking to Crystal when we got there. I was glad that everything was in order. The fireplace was giving off a cozy glow and the drinks were set up on the counter.

  He’d been slouching in his chair with his feet on another one but snapped to attention when we filed in. He actually stood when he saw Blair was with us. He bowed his head and used his arm to make a flourish.

  “At last you’re here,” he said with a grin. “How do I address you? Your Mayorship? Your Honor?”

  “How about the next congressperson,” she countered.

  “I like your confidence,” Zak said.

  “So what brought you here? Did you become an honorary Baller-rina?” she asked and he turned to me.

  “Then nobody told her about my mysterious benefactor.” I shook my head and he explained how he’d happened to come to our reunion. “I’m pretty sure it was Vanessa, and whatever story she had in mind went with her. But I could still use a scoop, so if you know anything . . .” he looked at Blair.

  “I’m just beginning my campaign, but any publicity would be helpful. And something national would be phenomenal.”

  “We’ll have to put our heads together and see what we come up with,” he said.

  Crystal got the group’s attention and suggested they get to their knitting. There was the scraping of chairs as everyone but Blair and I sat down. She glanced around the room and seemed at a loss for what to do. I introduced her to Crystal and explained her sudden appearance.

  “I’m sorry for the reason you came, but I hope the knitting can help you bond with your friends.” Crystal’s arm jangled with some silver bangles as she gathered up a pair of needles and the three skeins of yarn and looked for a tote bag.

  “I left one for you last night. But it’s no problem.” I had an empty one in my larger bag and handed it to her, and Crystal said she’d show her how to cast on.

  “It seems kind of late to start,” Blair said, eyeing the amount of work hanging off the other sets of needles on the table. “Maybe I’ll just hang out while the rest of you work.”

  Crystal assured her that once she got going she’d catch up with the group in no time. Blair appeared as if she’d been cornered and finally agreed to the lesson. I was glad that Crystal had gotten rid of Vanessa’s tote bag. It would have been a sad testament to her absence.

  I had started the scarf with them, but I was caught in that confusion about whether to be a member of the group or the leader. While I was considering what to do, Lieutenant Borgnine came in the door. I still wasn’t used to seeing him in anything but the rumpled herringbone jacket and I did a double take seeing him in the casual outfit. I went to meet him and we stepped outside, out of earshot of the group.

  “Back for more meditation lessons,” he said, doing his best to sound friendly. Nobody could say that he wasn’t observant. In the moment he’d been in the room, he’d picked up on Blair. “I see we have someone new.”

  “Her name is Blair Hansen. She was a no-show, but when she heard about Vanessa she came last night to be with the group.” Not that it mattered, but I told him she was the mayor of a Chicago suburb and was running for Congress.

  I started to suggest that he didn’t have to give her one of his lessons, but he shook his head and gave me a look. “That’s what separates the amateurs from the professionals. It would look suspicious if I treated her different than the rest. In fact, I probably should take her first.”

  I had to admit he had a point and I went over to Blair with him in tow. “This is Theodore—well, in his other life he’s Lieutenant Borgnine of the Cadbury PD—and he’s been offering our group meditation lessons to help them cope with the loss of Vanessa. He’d like to give you a turn.” It was still hard to say the whole business about meditation lessons with a straight face, but Blair bought it with ease.

  She put down the needle and got up. “Sounds good to me.”

  I watched them go down the path toward the boardwalk. I finally decided to be part of the group and sat down with them. The knitting worked its magic and I relaxed, a little anyway.

  When Blair returned, Theodore took Lauren
with him. I heard her muttering something about how much she needed the meditation time with all that she had going on.

  I was dying to ask him if he’d found out anything useful, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me if he had. I was on my own to figure it out.

  Zak got a fair amount of teasing about what he’d been up to the night before that he had to sleep in. I hadn’t cautioned him to keep my other life to himself, but he’d figured that out on his own and kept quiet.

  Having Blair there did make a difference. She was a natural-born leader and entertained the table with stories of the lighter side of being mayor and we heard all about ribbon cutting and riding in the Fourth of July parade. “It’s not all fun things like lighting holiday trees,” she said. “Sometimes there are tough decisions and the buck stops with moi.”

  “What about your personal life?” Elizabeth asked. “You didn’t say anything about it.”

  Blair’s smile faded. “That’s because I barely have one. Nicholas is my significant other. We have talked about getting married and having kids, but it always gets put on hold because of some hurdle. Now it’s the upcoming election. One of these days I’m afraid he’ll have had enough and I’ll find a note on my pillow saying he’s gone.”

  “Are you considering anything after Congress?” Courtney asked.

  Blair got a dreamy smile. “I can tell you guys because we’re friends. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future you’ll be calling me Madame President.”

  They all got her to promise to invite them to the inaugural ball and were discussing what they’d wear when Lauren returned and plopped in her seat. Whatever Lieutenant Borgnine was doing seemed to have worked with her, she actually looked relaxed.

  When the allotted time for the workshop was up, Crystal packed up her things and left, saying she’d be back in the late afternoon. The rest of the group hung around, continuing to work on the scarves. They’d all made a lot of progress and seemed pleased with the results. It turned out that Blair had a natural touch for knitting and she almost caught up with them.

  I reminded them of the coffee and tea and cookie bars and mentioned the winery tour and lunch I’d arranged and told them the van would be leaving at noon. They all seemed to want to fortify themselves before the outing and hung in a knot by the counter with the goodies.

  Blair pulled me aside. “The knitting is so much better than I’d imagined. I have a lot of stress and it seems like the perfect antidote. And how fun, a winery tour,” she said. Her face grew serious for a moment. “Should we feel guilty about enjoying ourselves after what happened to Vanessa?”

  Elizabeth had inserted herself in our conversation. “If it had anything to do with wine, she would have been on board.”

  “Though if they didn’t have her pink wine, she’d probably be unhappy,” Blair said with a sad smile. “I suppose they’ll have a service for her next week in Chicago.” She turned to me. “Her family must be making arrangements to ship her home.” Blair’s voice cracked a little at the end of her statement.

  I was thinking about what to say. I certainly didn’t want to open the door to any questions about her cause of death by mentioning an autopsy and the medical examiner having to finish his investigation before her body could go anywhere. But Elizabeth came to my rescue and immediately began blabbing about our big performance.

  When they all finally left, Lucinda hung back. “Are you going on the winery tour?” she asked.

  I shook my head and let out a sigh. “I promised Sammy to go over stuff for his show,” I said. “And I need a break. I didn’t realize how much harder it is to be both a participant and leader.” Lucinda commented that the ball performance only added to the work.

  “Don’t I know it,” I said. “I can’t believe that I screwed up and threw to the wrong person.”

  Lucinda urged me to forgive myself. “You probably just weren’t thinking.” She pulled on her Ralph Lauren sweater. “Go on and enjoy your afternoon. Don’t worry about the group. I’ll play host and keep my ears open,” she said with a smile before she took off.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I didn’t plan to hang around to see them off to the winery tour, figuring that it would point out that I wasn’t going along. I went down the path and cut through the Lodge. It was quiet inside and I was surprised to see Madeleine and Cora Delacorte coming out from the back area. I laughed inside remembering how the two sisters had looked almost like twins when I’d first gotten to Cadbury—both dressing in formal suits with helmet-like hairstyles. Now they looked barely related.

  Cora greeted me and seemed to be leaving. When she saw that Madeleine had stopped next to me, she seemed perturbed. “I’ll be waiting in the golf cart,” Cora said. “Remember I have to get to the Women’s Club of Cadbury for the meeting.” The last part of the comment came out in a snippy tone and Cora gave her sister a final disparaging glance.

  Madeleine closed her eyes briefly and let out a sigh. “Cora is so used to being in charge—she’s having a hard time now that I’ve started to assert myself.” She grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry I missed another workshop, but Kevin had us come in.”

  “What was it? Another meeting about what happened the other night?” I asked.

  She seemed distressed. “Kevin has already heard from her husband threatening to sue for negligence. Our attorney suggested offering him a settlement to end it quickly.”

  “I wouldn’t rush into anything,” I said. “Once all the facts come out, her husband might not have a case.”

  “That was my suggestion, too—to wait,” Madeleine said, brimming with pride. Then she shook her head in annoyance. “If I hear that nonsense about not worrying our pretty little heads again I don’t know what I’ll do.” Her expression changed back to positive. “As long as we were here, I tried to put in a good word for Crystal’s son, Cory. It seems like someone who wants to work at Vista Del Mar as much as he does should have a job. Is he planning on college?” There was a honk from the golf cart and she made a face. “Cora can just wait. Cory seems like such a nice young man. And I like his mother so much. I was thinking maybe I could help him.”

  It was only hearing Frank’s voice in my mind’s ear that kept me from blurting out the truth about Cory. I took Madeleine’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sure his whole family would appreciate anything you did.” There was another honk from the golf cart and Madeleine said she had to go.

  I gave them a moment to let them drive away. So, Vanessa’s husband was looking for some quick money. I’d have to tell Lieutenant Borgnine.

  I went across to my place just long enough to check on Julius and get the sparkly costume Sammy had dropped off. Julius looked up from his favorite spot on one of the living room chairs. He seemed totally unconcerned about my “remodel” as long as he had access to his chair. He’d put his head back down and closed his eyes before I could finish asking him what he’d been up to. “I guess that means you’ve been a good boy,” I said, giving his head a soft stroke.

  Sammy had said something about hoping to so some kind of run-through of the illusion and I put on the spangly romper just in case. I avoided looking in the mirror and regretted that I hadn’t insisted on picking something out myself. But then if I did that it would have made it seem like I was planning to continue as his assistant instead of just being a placeholder until he found someone else. I dropped on a long cotton dress over the romper, grabbed my stuff and hit the road.

  I had to take the 17-Mile Drive to get to the Inn at Pebble Beach. The magic show was going to be the entertainment for a very fancy anniversary party in one of the private rooms at the Inn, as it was usually referred to. The 17-Mile Drive was a private road that was considered one of most scenic rides in the world. Once I passed the guardhouse, the surroundings had some of the same wild feeling of Vista Del Mar, but there was nothing rustic about the mansions and resorts in its confines.

  There were numerous photo ops along the winding road, which I ignored, but judging by the cars par
ked along the road, others hadn’t. The busiest was probably the iconic lone cypress that grew on a rock with the restless ocean as a backdrop. The mansions had fanciful names like Wit’s End, which I was convinced was owned by a comedian—get it, the place was the end result of his or her wit. I passed through a huge forest of Monterey cypress trees with their horizontal shape from the constant wind. As I rose higher, I actually got above the clouds and had blue sky and sunshine on me as I glanced down at the white blanket covering the area below.

  I finally pulled into the resort and the rustic feeling ended as I walked past the perfectly manicured lawn with rows of bright flowers along the edge. I followed a driveway that went to the entrance of the single-story main building. Valets were clustered near the entrance ready to park or retrieve cars. A tall man in a uniform greeted me and opened the main door.

  Inside I bypassed the white registration counter and went into the lobby. With its elegant décor, it couldn’t have been more different than Vista Del Mar. At the end of the space windows looked out on the patio restaurant filled with well-dressed patrons. Beyond there was more perfect lawn that sloped down to the water.

  I’d been there before and knew that the guest rooms were in a separate building and all had views of the water. There were also villas near the golf course.

  I sat down in one of the extremely comfortable easy chairs. I’d barely settled before a server came by and offered me a mimosa. The last thing I wanted was a fuzzy brain, so I thanked her but refused and got a coffee from the complimentary station. It wasn’t the worst place to have to wait. I had a view of the entrance, which included the concierge desk, and it was a good place for people watching. The vibe was so different than at Vista Del Mar and the people were dressed in pastel resort-wear instead of cargo pants and sensible sandals.

  Sammy was usually early, so I began to wonder if I might have simply not seen him. I stood up and looked around the whole area. There was no Sammy, but there was someone else who got my attention. More like two someone elses. I picked up my coffee and moved closer to get a better view. It was kind of like déjà vu from a scene at the Vista Del Mar café, but the vibe seemed different. Elizabeth and Michael were sitting next to each other and they had accepted the mimosas. Elizabeth had changed her clothes from what I’d seen her wearing at breakfast. She was wearing coral-colored pants and a white polo shirt. I tried to get closer so I could eavesdrop, but there was no way without making my presence known. She had her head closer to his and I saw her put her hand on his. He didn’t snatch his away either.