Logan jumped in. “I guess that’s my job.” He held the bowl with both hands while Max attempted to mix the ingredients together. Logan noted that the kid wasn’t doing a bad job.
“Bread?” Colette asked.
“In the pantry. Second shelf on the left.”
Colette entered a pantry the size of Max’s bedroom. Everything was meticulously arranged. “White? Rye? Whole grain?” she called out.
Max was the first to reply. “Rye!”
“Make that two!” Logan added.
“What will Clive have?” Colette asked.
“He’s on a gluten-free kick.” Logan chuckled. “Next week it will be keto. He’s always looking for ways to improve himself.”
Colette laughed. “That’s not such a bad thing.” She went back to the refrigerator and pulled out some lettuce to go with the chicken salad. She was struck by how comfortable she had become in just over an hour. But it made sense. She knew that Clive Dunbar was a good, honest man. And she was gratified to have relieved herself of the notebook. It was too bad about the document, presumably a will, that had been in the envelope.
While Colette, Logan, and Max were preparing lunch, Clive dialed Arthur’s cell phone number.
Arthur picked up immediately, wiping the dust off his hands. He and Rowena were taking apart more of the crates. So far, they had come up empty-handed.
“Hello, Clive! Good to hear from you.” Arthur was overly pleasant. “Obsequious” was the word that came to Clive’s mind. It was too bad Arthur was his best friend’s son. Randolph and Arthur couldn’t have been more different. Clive thought how sad it must have been for Randolph. He gave his son everything and every opportunity to make something of himself. But instead of living up to his father’s hopes and expectations, all Arthur ever did was make a mess of things.
“Hello, Arthur. How are things?” Clive asked congenially.
“You tell me, Clive. What’s the latest?” Arthur was chomping at the bit to hear the words that the will was going to be read.
“I’m putting some documents together, and I noticed the inventory from the estate sale isn’t in the file.” Clive waited for Arthur’s reaction.
“Oh?” Arthur kept his temper under control. Another thing to slow down the process. He wanted to choke Rowena. “Didn’t Rowena or Amber send copies over to you?” He shot Rowena a killer glare.
“No. There’s no record of receiving it.” Clive waited for a response.
“One must have thought the other did it. I’ll have it taken care of right away.” Arthur paused. “And then how long do you think it will be before we can hear the will?”
“I don’t know exactly, but I can assure you we are working on this as quickly as possible.”
“Thanks, Clive.” Arthur sounded content with the answer.
“If you can have Rowena e-mail it to my assistant and copy me, I would appreciate it, Arthur.”
“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it right now.” He hung up and looked at Rowena. “Get back to the house and e-mail Clive the inventory. Cripes, I swear I have to do everything myself.”
Rowena looked around the massive storage unit with all the returned pieces from the estate. She wasn’t going to be bullied. Not today. Not while she was wearing sweatpants, a T-shirt, and cheap sneakers. “Take a look around, Arthur, darling. None of this would be here if I hadn’t arranged for it to be.”
“Zip it, Rowena. Go back to the house and e-mail the information to Clive. He sounded like he was coming around. Maybe we won’t have to chip away at any more Chippendales.”
“Oh goody.” Rowena pulled off her work gloves and tossed them on top of one of the crates. She had been dying for a cigarette but was concerned the place would go up in smoke. She slipped on her raincoat. Heaven forfend that anyone see her dressed the way she was.
Rowena made it back to the manor without seeing anyone. She went to Arthur’s study and pulled up the Excel spreadsheet. That was when she noticed the second tab at the bottom of the Excel workbook. It said SALVAGE. It hadn’t occurred to her to check that list. All those items had been sold to someone in bulk. It was the contents of the garage and one of the sheds. Mostly old, dilapidated items. There was only one entry. It was to a salvage company in Pennsylvania. She hesitated for a moment. Then shrugged. Why on earth would Randolph hide something in an old piece of furniture? Surely, he wouldn’t.
Rowena pulled up her e-mail account and sent the file to Dunbar and his assistant. That ought to speed things up. If only.
She hurried back to the storage unit to continue with the Millstone demolition derby with Arthur. It made her sick to rip such works of art apart. Not that any of it was her style. She had to be honest. It was more the monetary value than anything else that appealed to her sense of value. Once she and Arthur were done, none of it would be worth a plugged nickel. Maybe for kindling, but that was it.
Arthur was pulling another crate apart. “Well?”
“Well what?” Rowena yapped back.
“Did you send it?”
“What do you think I did? Obviously, I wasn’t getting my hair done.” She shook her head in disgust and continued to pry the front off the drawers off a Hepplewhite inlaid mahogany writing desk. If Randolph were still alive, he would surely have had a heart attack witnessing the destruction occurring there.
Rowena tossed the small crowbar into the corner. “Can we finish this later?”
Arthur gave her the stink eye. She needed no other response. She opened a bottle of Fiji water and took a gulp. It was going to be another long haul.
Chapter Eighteen
Cranberry Lake
Saturday evening
Colette was busy preparing dinner for Clive, Logan, and Max. She felt amazingly comfortable navigating her way around the Viking appliances. There was a pork tenderloin in the freezer that she was able to defrost. Potatoes, green beans, and salad would finish off the meal.
Logan was the first to enter the kitchen. “Something smells phenomenal.”
“A special blend of seasonings,” Colette said over her shoulder. “Something my mother taught me, mixing the right herbs together.”
Logan opened the oven door to take a peek. “And roasted potatoes?”
“Yes, and salad and green beans.”
“Impressive. I don’t think my dad and I have eaten this well before.”
“I always try to have a well-balanced meal for Max. He knows he has to have something green at dinner.”
“Looks like you have that covered.” Logan nodded in the direction of the large salad bowl.
Colette smiled. “I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your father’s invitation. I was getting very nervous, especially when I found out that the man claiming to be Jacob Taylor wasn’t really a lawyer with your dad’s firm.”
“Don’t worry. Dad will get to the bottom of all this.”
Max came skipping into the room. “Mom! Look what Mr. Dunbar taught me!” He proudly held up a tangled fishing fly.
“He’s getting the hang of it,” Clive said, as he walked into the kitchen behind him. “My word. Something in here smells delicious!”
Colette smiled. “I hope you like what I prepared.”
“If it tastes anything like it smells, I think we have a winner.”
Colette wiped her hands on a dish towel. “I realized I need to charge my phone.”
“Not that it will do you much good up here. As I mentioned, we have terrible service.”
“I understand, but it’s in the red zone now. I’ll be right back. Don’t anyone touch anything!” Colette climbed the stairs to the second floor and into the guest room she was occupying. She dug out her phone and plugged in the charger. She frowned. No bars. They’re right. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust them. Some carriers can provide better service than others, but it seemed clear they were in a cell-phone dead zone. She understood the need for a landline here. She let her phone charge up. She would need it when she headed back to Buffa
lo. She had a charger in the car, but she always felt more comfortable if the phone was fully charged.
Colette went back to the kitchen. The others were setting the table. Max was in charge of folding the napkins. Colette was quite pleased at how well he was getting along with Clive and Logan. The timer on the oven rang. Dinner was about to be served.
Clive pulled out a bottle of Flowers chardonnay, popped the cork, and began to pour. He hesitated for a moment. “Do you like chardonnay?”
“Oh yes. And it will go well with the pork.” Colette was familiar with good wine. Mr. Randolph had enjoyed teaching her the nuances of different varietals. She sighed. She deeply missed her former boss.
Logan rigged a chair with a large book and a pillow for Max, so could be at a comfortable height at the dinner table. “How’s that, buddy?”
Max gave him a tight smile and a couple of nods.
Logan went back into the kitchen to carve the meat. Colette was tossing the salad. Clive brought the green beans to the table. Once everything was in place, they each took their seats. Colette was the first to speak. “Do you mind if we say grace?”
Clive beamed. “Not at all. Please, go ahead.”
Colette reached for Clive’s hand, then Logan’s. Both of them took Max’s. Colette began. “Bless us, oh Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive. Thank You for the kindness of Clive and Logan. May they be blessed. Amen.”
“Amen” went around the table.
Lots of chatter as the plates were being passed around. “So, Max, you want to try fishing tomorrow?” Logan asked.
“Yes, sir!” Max’s enthusiasm was over the top.
“Excellent. We have to get up early, though. Think you can manage that?” Logan asked.
Another “Yes, sir!”
“Great. Soon as the sun comes up.”
“Yippee!” Max was genuinely excited. He had only been fishing once with his uncle and hadn’t been allowed to do much more than hold the pole. He would be happy if they simply sat together and dangled their legs off the dock and fed the ducks. There were a bunch of them. Probably because they threw breadcrumbs in the water. He loved being by the lake.
The lights flickered as they were enjoying their meal. A brisk wind had picked up. “Here we go,” Logan said matter-of-factly.
“What?” Colette asked.
“Not only do we have lousy cell service, but the telephone and power lines are hanging by a thread. When the wind picks up, we get intermittent service. Outages usually only last for a few hours. Then they send the trucks out to fix it. Fortunately, we have a generator for the whole house,” Clive explained. “You would think they’d fix the issue permanently, but they haven’t. We’ve learned to live with it.”
It occurred to Colette she should get in touch with her sister and let her know she and Max were OK. “I should try to call my sister.”
Logan got up. “I’ll go check the phone line.” He pushed out his chair and walked to Clive’s den. He called out. “Sorry. We’re incommunicado for now.”
Clive asked, “What about the Internet?”
“That’s down, too,” Logan replied.
Clive was happy that he had downloaded the file from Rowena before the service went down. It could be days before they got the Internet back up.
Colette sighed. “I hope Rini isn’t worried.”
“If we don’t get the phone line back by tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you to the general store. We can use Elmer’s phone if it’s working. Or we can drive to the other side of that big hill until we get cell service.”
Colette felt a sense of relief. Little did she know that her sister didn’t feel the same way.
Chapter Nineteen
Stillwell Art Center
That same Saturday evening
The big day finally arrived, and Luna was fretting over what she should wear. She wanted to look pretty but not over-the-top. She didn’t want to give Gaines the wrong impression. Or was it the right impression? She settled on a long denim pencil skirt with a soft, flowing white blouse. A long silver necklace with chunks of lapis and matching earrings completed the look. Hair? Loose, flowing down her shoulders. She applied some makeup, blush, and lipstick. She took a good peek in the mirror. Powerfully feminine. Exactly the look she was going for. She wanted to erase from his mind his memory of her crawling under the table.
Fat chance. Little did she know he had been taking copious mental notes about her: not exactly delicate, yet girlish at the same time. The juxtaposition was endearing.
She packed a little makeup bag in case she needed to do any touch-ups at the end of the day. She wanted to look fresh for the evening. She dabbed a little Santal perfume on her wrists. It had a subtle woodsy fragrance. She was happy she had gotten off the patchouli kick years ago. How she had been able to stomach it was still a mystery.
She recalled the time when Cullen came into her bedroom and literally gagged. “What is that?” He sneezed several times. Then it dawned on her. She was drowning in patchouli. Apparently, after a while you can’t smell what you’re wearing. She had never touched it again after that.
Luna was counting the hours. Not only was she excited about seeing Gaines again, but she was also curious as to what they should do with the will. If it was, in fact, real.
She and Cullen decided they would bring Gaines to the Chestnut, where everything is grown locally. Even though he had the restaurants at the Biltmore at his disposal, something quaint, with crafted food and drinks, seemed appropriate. She also decided to invite Chi-Chi.
Luna had a feeling Cullen had a soft spot for her, but she knew that Cullen would never admit it. He was unusually shy when it came to women. Luna would tease him and say, “Not every girl is as nutty as I am!” Although that was a hard one to prove. As far as Cullen was concerned, women were enigmas. He’d had his fair share of broken hearts, although none seemed to haunt him like most people. He could never understand “carrying a torch” after a breakup. Sure, for a little while, but some people carried it forever, refusing to move on with their lives. Such a waste.
The day seemed endless. She must have checked the clock every five minutes. Why is it when you’re waiting for something the time seems to drag on forever?
She was happy to see Chi-Chi’s beautiful face as she moved across the courtyard. Luna wished she could move the way Chi-Chi did. She always appeared to be gliding.
“Sannu.” Chi-Chi bowed to Luna. Luna said, “Sannu,” in return.
“My, aren’t you looking quite lovely this evening?” Chi-Chi’s melodious voice rang like soft, low-pitched wind chimes. “I am sure the marshal will be very impressed with your aura tonight.” Chi-Chi took both of Luna’s hands in hers. “Please try to keep it working this evening.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Luna looked at her with a pout.
“I know you are standing on a cliff. ‘Should I jump? Should I run the other way?’” Chi-Chi had hit the nail on the head.
“Oh, Chi-Chi. I do like him, very much, but he lives so far away!” Luna frowned.
“Oh, don’t you be silly. It’s two hours. You must learn to relax and go with it, wherever it takes you.”
Luna chuckled. “You sound like me! I suppose I should take my own advice!”
“Now that is what I am talking about. You are so lovely. He seems like a genuinely nice man. Good-looking, too.” Chi-Chi was still holding on to Luna’s hands and started rocking them back and forth. “Good girl. Get your chi going. So says Chi-Chi.”
They laughed and hugged. “Oh my gosh. Here he comes now!” Luna stepped back and waved him in. “Marshal! So nice to see you!”
He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek and missed, causing their noses to smash into each other. Awkward, but funny. They both laughed. Gaines was first to regroup. “Let’s try this again. Aim for the right one as in opposite of left.”
Luna couldn’t help but giggle. “Great. Kissing instructions. How lame is that?”
Chi-Chi
gave her a wide-eyed look. Luna took the cue.
“OK, Marshal. On three. Ready? One. Two. Three!” This time their lips landed in the right place. Chi-Chi clapped her hands wildly.
“That was some kind of negotiation.” Gaines chortled.
“Yes. We will need to plan these things ahead of time.” Luna was feeling much more confident and enjoyed being a bit flirtatious. Chi-Chi stroked the back of Luna’s hand and winked at her.
“Sorry I came empty-handed this time,” Gaines said sincerely.
“You brought yourself.” Luna felt like a schoolgirl, but she decided to take Chi-Chi’s and her own advice. Go with it.
“I mean you came here to do us a favor.” Uh-oh. Luna was backing off again.
“I came here because you asked my advice, and I said I would help. Let’s not call it a favor, OK? Friends do things for each other. Right? Chi-Chi, help me out here.”
“You are most absolutely right, Marshal. This is what friends do for each other. So let us get down to business.” Chi-Chi had a rascally look in her eyes. “I’m sure Cullen is waiting for us.”
Luna appeared to be frozen in place. She was processing everything that had happened in the past four minutes. Chi-Chi gave her another wide-eyed look. This time Luna thought Chi-Chi’s eyes would pop right out of her head.
Chi-Chi turned and gave a nod. “Come on.”
Luna slid the large glass doors shut and put up her sign with an arrow saying NEXT DOOR.
The three of them followed each other to Cullen’s space and made their way to the back room. Cullen was waiting with the envelope. Gaines shook his hand. “Good to see you, man.”
“Same here.” Cullen smiled.
“So let’s see this mysterious document.”
Luna removed the pages inside the envelope and spread them on the ramshackle table. “Look!”
Focusing on the first line, Gaines read the pages carefully and reread them again out loud. “ ‘I, Randolph Millstone, of Millstone Manor, in the state of Massachusetts, do hereby declare this is my last will and testament and revoke all previous wills and codicils.’ ” Then he checked the signatures. “I’m going to have to find out who represented Millstone. That should be easy enough. I’ll call the main number.”
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