by Kathi Daley
“Both are delicious, but I do enjoy a bit of spice. I’m surprised Jeremy and Annabelle didn’t come over for dinner tonight.” Jeremy and his niece, Annabelle, lived in an apartment we’d built in the basement of the inn. It had a very small kitchen area, which wasn’t big enough to cook an entire meal, so when guests were staying at the inn and Georgia prepared a meal, they usually ate what she prepared, but on those nights when we had no guests, they often joined us.
“Annabelle had something going on at school this evening. I think they were going to pick up something for dinner on their way home,” Georgia informed me.
“I guess Annabelle must have a basketball game this evening. I think the season for the youth league is over, but Jeremy did mention something about playoffs.”
“She’s really good,” Georgia said.
“She is. She’s talented in many areas. I think living with Jeremy has been good for her. She told me that before Jeremy agreed to take over as her guardian, she was forced to suffer through a series of nannies when her mom was overseas. I’m sure the nannies were fine, but with her mother gone so often, I’m equally sure that none managed to fulfill the role of surrogate mom.”
“No one is going to love that girl the way her Uncle Jeremy does.” Georgia got up and began clearing the table. “I’m going to take the dogs for a walk along the bluff after I clean up the kitchen. Do you want to come?”
“I do.” I got up from the table and began putting the leftovers away. “I hear Tanner has puppies.”
Georgia’s boyfriend, Tanner, owned a dog training academy. He lived next door, within easy walking distance.
“He does. If you want, we can walk down and play with them. They really are pretty cute. I know they’ve been selected to become dogs with important jobs to do, but right now, they are just adorable little imps who love to bite at your feet.”
Georgia’s dog, Ramos, weighed close to two hundred pounds, and my little dog, Molly, was a senior canine. Neither were all that playful, although I loved them both with all my heart. Still, it would be fun to have puppies to roll around with for a bit.
“Raising and training these dogs to serve as rescue dogs and service animals is a noble thing to do. You have yourself a good guy there.”
Georgia smiled. “Yes, I really do.”
Chapter 2
True to her word, Lacy arrived to pick Georgia and me up at eight-thirty on the dot. I really had no idea how the woman was able to get six kids up, dressed, fed, and dropped at school, preschool, or daycare all before eight-thirty in the morning. Most days, I was barely able to get myself up, dressed, and fed by then. Lacy Parker truly was an amazing mother, but more than that, she was an amazing person. She was sweet and caring, and a true artist when it came to the furniture she refurbished. She saw a table not as a table but as a piece of an intricate web that made up our lives. As she loving sanded the wood, instead of seeing the pockmarks, she saw a lifeline that told a story. The more time I spent with this incredible woman, the deeper my appreciation and understanding of what came before us.
“So tell me more about this new client,” I said as we sped up the highway toward the antique shop.
“As I’ve already told Georgia, Baron Chadwick is a rich businessman who inherited the summer home that has been in his family since his ancestor built it in eighteen eighty-four,” Lacy replied. “As far as Baron knows, no one has ever lived in the house full time, but generations of Chadwicks have enjoyed it during the warmer months.”
“So why did Baron inherit it from his grandfather?” I asked. “What about his father?”
She sped up slightly as the road opened up before us. “Baron’s father, Richard, died when Baron was eight, and he was raised by his mother who was not a Chadwick by birth so she couldn’t inherit the property. According to Baron, neither his grandfather nor his father spent much time in the house, so it has been sitting mostly empty for decades. I guess Baron’s grandfather died not all that long ago, and Baron was next in line to inherit. He has decided on a major renovation.”
“I guess that’s good for Lonnie.”
She nodded. “It’s good for both of us. The house really is a grand old gal, but she’s fallen into disrepair. That’s where Lonnie comes in. Additionally, while the man who built the house, Ozzie Chadwick, took care of the furnishings, the Chadwick heirs since Ozzie have not been as meticulous, and as furniture was damaged, rather than having it repaired, they’ve simply replaced it with something similar. Baron wants to find as many original pieces to replace those now missing as possible. That’s where I come in.”
“After all this time, it seems like that would be a nearly impossible task,” I said.
Lacy shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s fun looking, and Baron seems to have an endless supply of money to throw at the project. Not only is he paying me for the pieces I find, but he’s also paying me for my time and expenses as I track everything down. I found an end table that was part of a pair when first purchased. It needs to be refurbished, but Baron is paying me to do that as well.”
“So Baron has the mate to the end table you found?” Georgia asked from the backseat.
Lacy nodded. “He does. And it’s in pretty good shape. Once I refurbish the table I found, he will be back to having a pair. Today we’re looking at dining chairs. Based on the photo and my conversation with the antique dealer, it appears they are exactly what I’m looking for. Fortunately, while Ozzie took his time with selection and spared no money on his purchases, he didn’t go for original pieces for his summer home, so most everything on my list was mass-produced at the time it was acquired. That helps quite a lot.”
“Yeah, I guess it does,” I replied. “So tell me about the family. Are there any deep dark secrets worth digging into?”
Lacy laughed. “Leave it to you to always be chasing a mystery. In this case, as it happens, the Chadwick family has been host to some interesting events since Ozzie first built the house. Nothing recent, but according to Baron, the reason his dad never used the house was because his mother died in it, or at least while staying in the house.”
I frowned. “Well, that’s sad. What happened?”
Lacy merged onto a side road leading toward the small town where the antique shop was located. “When Baron’s father, Richard, was nine-years-old, his mother, Olivia, took him and his sister to the summer home in Maine. Richard’s father, Conway, had business to attend to, so he didn’t go with them, but Richard’s mother invited her cousin, Diana, and Diana’s half-brother by a different father, Will. According to Baron, the story handed down through the family tells of an altercation between Will and Olivia, which resulted in Olivia’s death.”
“So Richard’s mother, Olivia, argued with the half-cousin and ended up dead. Sounds suspicious and pretty darn awful.”
“It gets worse,” Lacy said. “Shortly after Olivia’s death, Will died mysteriously after falling down the stairs in his home in Boston. Some say his death was the result of Richard’s father, Conway, getting justice for the death of his wife, while others attributed the man’s death to nothing more than a horrible accident.”
“And the cause of the fall was never proven one way or another?” I asked.
“Baron said it wasn’t. There was an inquiry at the time of Will’s death, but it never went anywhere. With the help of a passel of nannies and household staff, Conway raised Richard on his own after Olivia’s death.”
“And then?” Georgia asked from the back seat.
“And then Richard grew up and met Baron’s mother, Sarah, in college. The two wed, and Baron was born a year later. When Baron was eight, his father, Richard, died after contracting pneumonia, and his mother, who didn’t want anything to do with the house in Maine, raised him. Baron said that before he inherited the house from his grandfather, he’d only visited once with his father when he was very young. He thinks around four or five.”
“So did Baron ever try to determine his grandmother’s cause of death?” I a
sked. “I would have.”
“He did dig around a bit, but he told me that he didn’t find anything that would really prove what happened. According to the incident report, Olivia was out walking on the bluff, slipped, and fell into the sea. Baron said his father and his grandfather blamed Will for Olivia’s death. Baron was told that Will and Olivia had argued and that it was the argument that led to Olivia’s death, but they never told him what Will and Olivia argued about. After Baron became an adult, he found correspondence between Olivia and Will locked in an old wall safe in the estate in Boston. Baron said it appeared his grandmother was having an affair with the man who, as it turned out, was not actually a blood relation to Olivia or the family.”
“I thought he was a half-cousin,” Georgia said.
“He was, but he was the son of Diana’s mother, who was related to the Chadwicks by marriage, and a man who was not related to Diana or the Chadwicks.”
She thought for a minute. “Okay. I get it. He was a half-cousin due to his relationship with Diana but not related to the Chadwicks in any way. Go on.”
“Anyway, as I was saying, Baron found evidence that suggests that Olivia and Will had been having an affair. Baron made it clear that he doesn’t want to believe this of his grandmother, but he did say the evidence is lining up that way.”
“So Olivia went to the summer home to be with Will, and Diana was just a decoy,” Georgia said.
“That’s what Baron believes. He also believes that at some point, Will and Olivia fought, Will lost his temper, and he pushed Olivia off the bluff. There was no proof that this is what occurred, so when it looked like Will was going to get off scot-free, Conway killed him or perhaps paid someone to kill him. Baron didn’t think his grandfather would unnecessarily get his hands dirty and do the deed himself.”
“This must be hard on Baron,” I said. “Based on what you’ve shared, it does sound like Will might have killed Olivia, and in retaliation, Conway killed Will, but without something more, I don’t see how Baron can ever really know what happened.”
“Is Baron married?” Georgia asked.
“He is,” Lacy answered. “He has three grown children, who are all successful in their own right. Despite the tragedies in his family’s past, it seems as if Baron and his wife, Ainsley, are very well-grounded. I’ve spoken to Baron on several occasions, but have only briefly met Ainsley. I’m looking forward to getting to know them both once the house is finished, and they come to the area for an extended stay.”
By the time Lacy finished her story, we’d arrived at the antique shop. Lacy was thrilled to death that the chairs she’d had the owner reserve were exactly what she was looking for. She also bought a nine drawer dresser for herself, and a secretary desk for another client. Georgia and I browsed while she arranged for payment and shipping. I was mostly done decorating the inn, but there were a few pieces I still hoped to find. I did find a sketch by the man who built the inn I owned, Chamberlain Westminster, which I purchased to add to my collection. As I was paying for the print, it crossed my mind that Chamberlain and Ozzie may have known each other. Chamberlain built his house on the bluff in eighteen ninety-five, and Ozzie built his in eighteen eighty-four. Of course, there was a fair amount of distance between the two properties, and Chamberlain didn’t actually live in the house for very long, so it was probably unlikely that the two had crossed paths.
I’d never been interested in family histories before moving to Holiday Bay. Not my own and certainly not the history of others. But since I’d lived here, I’d found occasion to become pulled into the lives of several men and women who lived long ago, and I got to know more not only about my home but the furnishings within it as well. I was beginning to see why Lacy loved her job so much.
“It looks like we have time to make one more stop on our way home,” Lacy said. “Any requests?”
“I’d love to go to the barn you took us to a few months back,” Georgia said. “It’s on the way, and I want to talk to the owner again about the outdoor pieces I had my eye on.”
Lacy started the car and pulled onto the highway.
“Do you think you might be able to get us into the Chadwick house for a tour?” I asked Lacy as we sped along the highway.
“I don’t think it will be a problem for you to come along with me when I go back to take another set of photos and more measurements. I’ll call you, and we can arrange a time.”
“Now that we’ve been talking about the history of the place, I find I’m interested in learning more about both the property and the various people who’ve lived there over the years,” Georgia said.
“The library has a lot of old newspapers, journals, letters, and other original documents,” Lacy informed her. “If you really are interested, I’d start there.” She pulled off the highway and onto the country road that led to the antique barn. “I suspect there are clues about prior residents contained within the house as well.”
I felt that familiar surge of energy that was associated that first whiff of a mystery. “Given the fact that most of the original furniture, as well as many of the books, housewares, and personal possessions, are still in the house, I’m going to assume there are all sorts of secrets just waiting for someone like us to uncover and expose to the light of day.”
Chapter 3
By the time Thursday rolled around, the food was ordered, the flowers arranged, the photo processing station set up, and the inn cleaned from top to bottom. It seemed the social status of our guests was causing Georgia to be anxious, which I didn’t really understand. Georgia didn’t seem to be the sort to be awestruck by people of means or stature. Maybe there was something else causing her sleepless nights. She and Tanner seemed to be getting along well, so I didn’t think it was her love life.
“I’m going to head over to the inn,” Georgia said. “The first guest should be arriving within the hour.”
“Do you need any help?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. Jeremy is around to help with luggage and such, so I think we’re fine. You may want to keep your eye on your phone. I’ll text you if we get into a bind.”
“Will do. Do you need help with prep for dinner?”
She shook her head. “No. I think I’m all set. Since tomorrow is the formal sit down dinner, I’m planning a buffet this evening. I have most everything ready to go into the oven. But again, if I do get into a bind, I’ll text you.” She looked at Ramos with doubt on her face. “I don’t think I’ll take him with me until I can get a better read on these guests. Would you mind taking him for a short walk in a couple of hours?”
“I’ll be happy to. I want to get some writing done, but I’ll stop by later. I’d love to meet everyone and put faces to the names.”
“The group is having a cocktail reception between six and seven-thirty. Dinner is at seven-thirty. If you want to stop by during the reception, I think that would be a good time for you mingle and introduce yourself.”
“Sounds good. I’ll plan on it.”
Once Georgia left, I decided to call Colt to see if he wanted to come by for dinner. It sounded like Georgia was going to be at the inn late, and Colt and I hadn’t had a chance to really talk in weeks. I wasn’t exactly sure how to describe the status of our relationship. We were friends. Good friends. When I’d first moved to Holiday Bay, I’d been such a mess. My husband and infant son had died in an auto accident a year earlier, and the last thing on my mind was romance, but then I met Colt, and a friendship that seemed to hold the potential for something more began to bloom.
As time passed, the wounds inflicted by the reality of an unfinished life began to ache just a bit less. At some point, I realized that maybe I could love again. Maybe not right away, but someday.
In the beginning, I felt as if I was drowning, but as time passed, the panic and terror of my loss became manageable, and I began to find beauty and hope in the world once again. Don’t get me wrong, there are still occasions even to this day when a huge wave o
f grief will envelop me and threaten to drag me back out to sea, but most of the time, I’m able to find a place of peace from which to live out my life.
Of course, being ready for romance was a lot different than being ready to embrace love once again. It was a big decision and one I’d considered extensively. The last thing I wanted to do was to bring another person into my heart before I was ready.
Just before Valentine’s Day, there had been a moment where I’d cautiously considered opening the door to something more with Colt. I sensed he might be open to this as well, and even though we hadn’t taken that final step from friendship to something more, I’d begun to suspect we were headed in that direction. And then Colt’s murder case got in the way, and our trip was canceled. I completely understood that Colt’s work was important and needed to come first. What I didn’t know was where we would go from here.
Neither of us had brought up the idea of rescheduling the trip or even the romantic Valentine’s dinner that never happened. I supposed the fact that fate intervened and stopped us from taking the next step had me wondering if we even ought to. I had no idea what Colt was thinking, but I do know that he hadn’t brought up the subject of rescheduling any more than I had.
I glanced at Molly, who was watching me as I paced around and considered my options. “Romance is hard.”
She wagged her tail.
“All this should I, shouldn’t I, is making me nuts. I thought I knew what I wanted, but now I’m really not sure. And why hasn’t Colt suggested a reschedule? Is he relieved our plans didn’t work out? I was the one who brought up the idea of a trip in the first place. Maybe he wasn’t ready to move our relationship to the next level, but was too polite to tell me as much.”
Molly trotted over and put a paw on my leg. I picked her up. “At least with you, I know exactly where I stand.”
She licked me from chin to forehead.
“I was going to write, but maybe we’ll take our walk now. I feel like I need to clear my head.”
