Summer by the Tides

by Denise Hunter

  At least Emma had answered her phone and been quick to say she’d come right away. She’d even thanked him profusely for his efforts. He knew the sisters weren’t close and sensed there was a long story there. Louise had never gone into details, but he knew it grieved her. She seemed lonely, which was one of the reasons he checked on her regularly.

  When the brush ran dry, Connor descended the ladder. The sun was setting, and besides, he was worried about Louise. Maybe he’d overlooked something in the house.

  His shirt clung to his back and sweat trickled down his neck as he rounded the corner of Louise’s two-story cottage. It sat about fifty yards from his own house atop a small rise. The yards on this stretch of beach undulated with sandy dunes. The tall, sparse grass waved as a salty breeze swept over the landscape, cooling his skin.

  He took the wooden porch steps, his eyes catching on the mailbox beside the front door. Maybe there was some clue in the mail. The lid opened with a squawk, and he pulled out the thick stack and began sorting through it.

  A utility bill, circulars, a notice from the post office, a credit card statement, fliers from local businesses. He wasn’t sure what he’d hoped to find, but it wasn’t here.

  The sound of a car engine caught his attention. A black Volvo was pulling into the shelled driveway beside the house. One of the sisters had arrived. He caught a glimpse of dark hair and recognized Maddy from the photos on Louise’s wall.

  She emerged, her eyes pinning him in place before she even closed her car door. She was taller than he’d expected, her trendy clothes only hinting at curves. The golden light glinted off long brown hair that fell straight like a dark curtain. She wore little or no makeup, he saw as she neared, and her eyes appeared swollen, a little bloodshot. His earlier impression of her softened at the hint of distress.

  As she came up the porch steps her gaze swept over him, making him mindful of his stained jeans and T-shirt.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “I’m Connor Sullivan—the one who called you.”

  She reached out and took the mail from him, her eyes darting to the open mailbox, then back to him. The desire to defend himself rose up inside him, but he resisted the urge.

  “I’m Maddy.”

  “I know.”

  She riffled through the mail. “She hasn’t turned up yet then?”

  “Afraid not.” He nodded toward the mail. “I thought I’d check and see if I could find any clues about where she might’ve gone.” It irritated him that he felt the need to explain himself to a woman who never even saw fit to visit her grandma.

  As she breezed past him, a soft, feminine scent pulled at him. “I couldn’t reach Emma. She must still be in the air.”

  “I left it unlocked,” he said, but she’d already twisted the knob and slipped inside.

  * * *

  Maddy stopped just inside the house. She’d forgotten the smell—a blend of salt air, lemon cleaner, and a hint of mustiness. A hundred memories rushed over her, good ones she’d forgotten, filled with laughter and childish glee. Bad ones, from that last summer, that stole her breath and tightened a vise around her heart.

  The sound of feet shuffling behind her snapped her attention back to the present. She moved toward the kitchen. Warm evening light filtered through the gauzy curtains, giving the room a pale golden glow. Nothing had changed in recent years except the tablecloth and refrigerator.

  “I didn’t move anything except her address book,” Connor said. “She left the cereal bowl and coffee mug on the table just as they are.”

  Maddy eyed the ceramic dishes. There was a bit of discolored milk in the bottom of the bowl, concealing the bottom of the spoon. A folded-up newspaper sat nearby with a pair of readers. Did Gram have more than one pair? Her eyes drifted around the room, catching on the knitting bag slouched on a kitchen stool.

  “She wouldn’t have left her knitting if she’d gone on a trip. She wouldn’t have left her dishes out either. I don’t like the looks of this.”

  She turned to Connor and realized he towered over her. She put some space between them. “Are you sure she didn’t mention a trip?”

  “Not to me, she didn’t. Or to any of her friends I spoke with.”

  He had long golden hair, and his jaw was covered with at least a week’s worth of scruff. A wayward lock flopped over his forehead—just like Nick’s. What was it with guys and that stupid flop of hair? His eyes were gray, but maybe it was only the lighting that made them appear void of color.

  “And that’s unusual?” she asked.

  “She normally asks me to keep an eye on the place. I live right next door.” He jerked his head to the south. “And she usually sets the thermostat to conserve energy.”

  Maddy walked over to the wall. The air was set to seventy, and it was running even now. She didn’t even know Gram had gotten central air.

  Chills popped up on her arms that had nothing to do with temperature. She crossed them, brushing away the gooseflesh. She went up the stairs, relieved when Connor remained on the main floor. Maybe he sensed her distrust.

  The steps squeaked in familiar places, and the collage of photographs on the wall made memories bubble up. Collecting shells on the seashore. Kayaking with Emma. Fishing with her dad. She popped each one of them with an imaginary pin.

  All the lights upstairs were off. Her grandma’s bed was made, the quilt tucked neatly under the pillows, a faint hint of Chantilly still lingering in the air. In the bathroom Gram’s Estée Lauder lotions were arranged on the counter, and a fluffy blue towel hung from the towel bar. A white robe hung from a hook on the back of the door.

  When she came back downstairs, Connor seemed to be waiting for her assessment, hands tucked in his front pockets.

  “Nothing seems to be missing,” Maddy said. “It’s as if she just disappeared into thin air.”

  She grabbed onto the box newel at the bottom of the stairs, worry clawing at her. If Gram hadn’t gone on a trip, and the house hadn’t been broken into, what else was there? Could she have been kidnapped? She had the means and was an easy target, but that seemed farfetched. And there’d been no ransom call.

  “There was no sign of forced entry,” Connor said. “But she kept a key under the plant on the porch.”

  Maddy imagined someone slipping into her grandma’s house in the middle of the night and taking her from her bed. But no, her bed was made. It appeared she’d gone missing right after breakfast. Surely someone hadn’t taken her in broad daylight.

  She closed her eyes against the image and told herself there would be signs of a struggle. Her grandma was slight, but she was no pushover. She wouldn’t go easily.

  Her eyes drifted blindly around the living room as her mind spun with other possibilities. “Is it possible—have you noticed any forgetfulness? Any signs of dementia? Could she have just wandered off?”

  “None at all. She might be eighty-three, but she’s still sharp as a tack.”

  She gave Connor a sideways look while he checked the windows. What did she really know about this man? He could be lying about all of this. But to what end?

  She needed to file a missing persons report, the sooner the better. She’d let the police get to the bottom of this.

  At the crunch of tires on the shell driveway she moved past Connor to the front door. “That must be Emma.”

  But as Maddy stepped out onto the porch, her eyes honed in on the silver Mercedes—on the Massachusetts license plate—and on the woman behind the wheel. It was not Emma.

  Her heart beat up into her throat as dread prickled her skin. She turned a dark look on Connor. “You called Nora?”

  He blinked, confusion on his face a moment before his lips thinned and his eyes flashed. “You didn’t return my call, so I called both of your sisters.”

  Their gazes clashed. Surely he’d known that was a mistake. He, who knew her grandma’s daily newspaper habits and the location of her hide-a-key, had to know of the tension between her granddaught
ers.

  At the sudden hush of the engine Maddy turned and watched helplessly as her oldest sister unfolded from the luxury car, looking every bit the high society woman she was.

  And then she thought of Emma, due to arrive any moment. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.

  Chapter 3

  “Nora.” Maddy stepped closer to her oldest sister and received a stiff hug. Nora was about Maddy’s height and just as slender as she’d always been. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  Nora withdrew. “I didn’t know you were coming either.”

  Her sunglasses were perched on the top of her head, holding back her shoulder-length auburn hair. She was carefully made up, her sea-blue eyes stealing the show. But at forty-three her age was beginning to show in the lines at the corners of her eyes and the slight droop of her perfectly arched eyebrows.

  “I’m Connor Sullivan.” He extended his hand. “I’m the one who left the voicemail.”

  Nora shook his hand. “Of course. Thank you for contacting me. Gram hasn’t turned up yet?”

  “No,” Maddy said, the full weight of that thought hitting her fresh, making her throat close up.

  “There are no indications that she left for a trip,” Connor said. “There’s a suitcase in her closet, but she may have another one. Used dishes were left on the table, and as I said in my message, there were three newspapers on the porch.”

  “I think we should file a missing persons report.” Maddy’s eyes connected with Nora’s, and a moment of gravity passed between them. She wondered if her elder sister shared the same naggings of guilt and regret.

  Maddy was exhausted by the time Sheriff Warren left the house. He’d had dozens of questions, many of which they had no answers for. Important ones, like what was Louise wearing when she disappeared and what were her daily habits? He looked around the house and inspected the points of entry.

  Nora let Maddy take the lead, probably since Maddy had remained in closer contact with their grandmother. But Maddy was reeling with the additional stress of the past two days and a lack of quality sleep.

  “Surely they’ll find her,” Nora said as she closed the door behind Connor and the sheriff. She and Maddy had been worried about the waiting period, but as it turned out that was only a TV thing. The sheriff had filed the report immediately.

  “I surely hope so,” Maddy said. “I can’t help but think she’ll come walking through the door any minute.”

  “Me too.”

  “She’s been after me to come for a visit. She wanted help cleaning out the house, but I’ve been so busy with work . . .”

  “If it’s any consolation, I’ve put her off too. I haven’t been here in years. The last time was when Chloe was in middle school. She was bored silly with no other children around—and she never was a good traveler. She always gets motion sickness.”

  “I’m sorry you came all this way,” Maddy said. “I should’ve answered my calls and saved you the trip.”

  “I couldn’t sit at home with Gram missing. Besides, with Chloe away at school, there’s nothing keeping me home anymore.”

  Nora had been a devoted stay-at-home mom, but these days she kept busy chairing committees and serving on charity boards.

  “It’s hard to believe she’s old enough to be in college. How’s Jonathan? His business still doing well?”

  Nora straightened the afghan on the armchair. “Oh, he’s just fine. The booming economy has been very kind to businesses. Would you like some tea? I’m sure Gram still keeps an assortment.”

  “No, thanks.” She could really do with some Oreos, though.

  Maddy watched Nora slip into the kitchen. She envied the ease with which her sister had settled into a family and found her place in the world.

  Years ago Jonathan and his best friend had opened a mortgage company together. It had been profitable enough to boost them into the upper echelons of Boston’s high society. They’d sent Chloe to the best private schools and posted pictures of their European vacations on Facebook. They were the perfect all-American family.

  Whereas Emma . . . It just didn’t seem fair.

  Maddy pulled out her phone. Emma had texted her when she’d landed, but Maddy had been in the middle of the sheriff’s questions at the time. It’s too bad her sisters had come all this way. Maddy could’ve handled this on her own. With her sisters came unnecessary tension, and it was already a stressful situation.

  Nora returned to the living room a few minutes later, cupping a mug of steaming tea. She sat in the armchair in the corner and dunked her tea bag in a careful, repetitive motion.

  “I feel like there’s something we should be doing,” she said. “Gram’s out there somewhere, and here we sit.”

  “It’s late. We’ll get a fresh start in the morning.” Night had descended and with it a vague feeling of unrest and hopelessness. They still had a major battle ahead this evening, and Maddy was running out of time.

  “Nora . . . ,” she started, dread wedging up next to her heart. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

  Her sister’s hand stilled, and she gave an awkward chuckle. “That sounds rather ominous.”

  “It’s Emma—she’s on her way.”

  Nora’s shoulders stiffened. “Here? Now?”

  “Connor called her too. Her plane landed thirty minutes ago.”

  Nora set her tea aside, the teacup clattering on the saucer. “You should have told me, Maddy.”

  “I didn’t know you were coming. I was expecting Emma, but Connor didn’t mention—”

  “I never called him back. When I got his message I just got in my car and . . . Maybe I should go.”

  “You just got here.” Maybe she could bring herself to play peacekeeper one more time. “Nora . . . maybe it’s finally time the two of you put aside your differences.”

  The ticking of the grandfather clock filled the long silent gap.

  Nora folded her perfectly manicured hands in her lap, only a slight tremble giving away her nerves. “Does Emma know I’m here?”

  “Not yet.” Her reaction would be worse than Nora’s. Maddy drew in a deep breath, trying to brace herself for the coming altercation.

  Nora suddenly stood and paced across the room. “This is a terrible idea. I should just go. She’s not going to want to find me here.”

  “It’s been twenty years, Nora. You’re both happily married now. Don’t you think it’s time we put this behind us once and for all? Tried to put our family back together again?”

  The hum of an approaching engine halted the conversation. Headlights swept across the living room walls.

  Nora crossed her slender arms. “Wonderful. Just wonderful.”

  A new tension had filled the space between them, as if some great force had sucked the oxygen from the room. The clock ticked, and the muted sound of the waves crashing the shoreline carried through the walls.

  Nora turned to face the fireplace, her posture rigid, her arms crossed.

  The doorknob twisted with a squeak, and the door swung open. “Maddy?”

  Emma’s eyes lighted on Maddy, a somber smile breaking out. But before it fully emerged she caught sight of Nora. The corners of Emma’s brown eyes tightened, and her rosy lips pressed into a hard line.

  She raked Nora over from head to toe. “What are you doing here?”

  Nora turned, her chin lifting a notch. “Hello to you too.”

  A small white curly-haired dog squirmed in Emma’s arms. She let the dog down, dropped her bag, and approached Maddy, drawing her into a hug.

  Maddy had to stoop a bit to account for Emma’s shorter stature, but her embrace was warm and soft. She hadn’t changed much in the months since Maddy had seen her. Her dark-blond hair was in a low messy bun, and she wore little makeup on her pretty features. She had the curvy figure you might expect from a woman who managed a bakery.

  “What’s going on?” Emma asked as she pulled away. “Has Gram turned up yet?”

  “I’m af
raid not,” Maddy said. “We just filed a missing persons report with the sheriff.”

  Emma’s face fell. “That sounds dire.”

  “He was hopeful she’d turn up.” Maddy tugged her sister down on the sofa and filled in all the details while Nora stood in the corner as still and silent as a potted plant.

  Emma lifted the dog onto her lap, calming both herself and the animal with distracted strokes.

  “This must be Pippy.” Maddy reached out, letting the trembling dog sniff her hand. Emma had often mentioned the poodle mix she’d rescued from a shelter a few years ago.

  “She’s a little traumatized from the flight, aren’t you, girl?” Emma smoothed Pippy’s fur back from her face. The dog looked up at her with adoring eyes. “So,” she continued. “What’s next? What can we do? Should we start looking for her?”

  “There’s not much we can do until morning. Everything around here is closed. Connor, the next-door neighbor who contacted all of us, has already called some of her friends, but we can go through her directory ourselves. Someone has to know something.”

  Emma’s brown eyes teared up. “I just talked to her a couple of weeks ago. She didn’t say anything about an upcoming trip.”

  “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Maddy said. “I’m sure she’s fine. Gram can be a little eccentric sometimes, but she’s savvy and strong. There has to be a logical explanation.”

  Emma shook her head. “I just can’t imagine her disappearing like this, without a word.”

  “Like grandmother, like granddaughter.” Nora finally spoke up.

  Emma’s spine stiffened, and her eyes snapped with fire. “At least I don’t take what’s not mine. You have some nerve showing up here, Nora.”

  “If I’d known you were coming I wouldn’t have.”

  “And neither would I.”

  “Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Maddy stood to her feet. “It’s been a long day for all of us. Why don’t we just head upstairs, get settled, and get a fresh start in the morning.”