Annie blew out a big breath.
“Well, I guess I am ‘coming with’ if I don’t want to swim home,” she muttered peevishly to herself. She closed the front door, tugging it hard to snug it into the swollen frame, and then locked it. Popping open the other umbrella, she grimaced and stepped out into the rain and the mud.
She could not shake the feeling that someone, or something, watched her leave.
5
Along with its old architecture, good restaurants, and rugged, rocky Atlantic shoreline, Stony Point also could very well be listed in an encyclopedia somewhere as a hotbed of gossip. Many little things reminded Annie of this detail several times the next day.
When she woke up that morning, she opened her eyes to welcome sunshine for the first time in more than a week. The golden light poured into her bedroom windows and she got up with new-found energy and fresh purpose. That day, she wanted to put away all that yarn still piled up in the living room. But first she had a few errands to run, so while she was in town, she would try to find out something about Fairview. Surely someone knew something about the place. Maybe she would even make another trip out there.
She fixed herself a quick bowl of cold cereal, fed Boots her favorite kibble and then went upstairs to shower. The bright sunlight outside did not fool Annie into believing the day was as warm as a spring morning in Texas. She dressed in dark green slacks, and a green and white-striped oxford shirt. A camel brown jacket and brown loafers completed her outfit.
As Annie put the finishing touches on her makeup, she looked hard into the mirror at the face that stared back.
“You have moped enough for the entire year,” she said to the woman in the mirror. “I want you to be productive today! First, take the Malibu to get the oil changed, and don’t forget to talk to the mechanic about why it’s been running rough lately. Then go to the post office. Do not forget to stop at the hardware store for some penetrating oil for those old hinges on the cedar chest, and last but not least, pop in at A Stitch in Time.” She paused, gave her reflection a baleful look and added, “And for goodness sake, Annie Dawson, stop talking to yourself!”
She heard a sound from outside, a muffled noise like the slamming of a car door. She crossed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, she had an unexpected guest. Emma Watson was trotting up the front walk, her Avon sample bag in hand.
Although Annie had not expected Emma that day, she was out of a few products and had been meaning to call the woman. She hurried downstairs and reached the front door just as Emma did.
“Good morning!” said the heavyset, gray-haired sales rep. “Lovely day, isn’t it? After all that rain?”
“Oh, yes, absolutely lovely.” Annie held open the door to admit the woman. “I’m so happy to see some sun. Please come in, Emma. May I get you some coffee?”
Emma entered the house in a fragrant cloud and gave Annie a big smile. Annie noted how the woman’s makeup always looked flawless and newly applied. She supposed if one was a representative for a cosmetics company, one did a better job of selling if the products were displayed on a living palette.
“No, thanks. I think I’ve had my limit of coffee already this morning. I just thought I’d check and see if you need anything.” She glanced around the usually tidy living room. Behind the lens of her large glasses, her eyes widened at the array of yarn Annie had yet to put away. “My goodness, Annie! What did you do? Hold up A Stitch in Time?”
Annie laughed and cleared a pile of skeins from their place on the sofa so she and Emma could sit down. She indicated all the yarn and thread with a sweep of her hand.
“All of this is a gift from my daughter.”
Emma looked at it all again, and then said, “Well, it’s easy to see you’re going to be busy.” She settled onto the sofa and put her bag on the floor. “What are you working on now?”
Annie fetched the runner from her tote and smoothed it out for Emma to examine.
“Such intricate stitches and tiny thread! Oh, I do envy your patience and your talent!”
“I’d be happy to teach you some time, if you ever want to learn.”
Emma chuckled and shook her head.
“I would love that, Annie, but I am all thumbs, I’m afraid. Besides, selling Avon and taking care of my husband and grandson keeps me plenty busy.”
“Do you sell Avon all over Stony Point?”
“My dear,” she said with a smile, “there is something you should know about me: I sell to anyone who wants to buy—here, there, or anywhere!”
She started to reach into her bag, but Annie stopped her.
“Emma, how long have you lived here?”
“In Stony Point? Most of my adult life.”
“Did you ever meet anyone named Joseph and Alta Harper?”
“Joseph and Alta Harper, you said?” Emma frowned as she thought about it. “No. Those names don’t ring a bell. Why?”
Annie knew from her past experience with Emma that the woman frequently passed along news and gossip. While Annie wanted to know more about Fairview and its previous owners, the fact that her grandmother had the deed to the place seemed peculiar, especially given the degree to which Fairview had deteriorated. She preferred to let no one else know about the deed. At least, not until she had more information.
Annie waved her hand airily. “I overheard someone mention them and wondered who they were,” she said vaguely.
She watched as curiosity began to brew in Emma’s sharp eyes. Before the woman could pry, Annie looked down with eagerness at the product bag on the floor by Emma’s feet.
“So, what good buys do you have for this campaign? I’m glad you stopped by, because I’m out of nearly everything!”
The tactic worked. Emma launched into an enthusiastic sales pitch, and Annie cheerfully ordered more products than she could use in the foreseeable future.
After Emma left, Annie grabbed her purse and car keys, and headed into town.
Sticking with her itinerary, she dropped the car off at Powell’s Auto Service for the oil change.
“Would you look it over, please?” she said as she handed the keys over to a man who wore a shirt with the name “Mac” stitched above the pocket. “It seems to be ‘jerky’ lately.”
“‘Jerky’?” Mac asked, frowning slightly.
“Yes. Not running as smoothly as it usually does.”
“Well, lady, that ain’t hardly a new car you got there.” He dipped his head toward the Malibu.
She bristled at the blunt comment. The car had been a Christmas gift from Wayne; she had cherished and cared for it carefully. The way this man talked, one would think it was nothing more than a rust-bucket held together with tape and chewing gum.
Now, Annie, she thought, he never said any such thing.
It was almost as if Wayne’s voice spoke out loud, and a shiver danced over her skin. He had always been so reasonable, so quietly logical. And that imaginary voice was right. For that matter, so was the mechanic. The Malibu was not new. In fact, it had lost its newness long ago.
She smiled at Mac in his grease-stained blue uniform. “If you will just look at it, please.”
“Be glad to,” he said. “But I got a couple of others ahead of yours. Gonna be a while.”
“Oh? How long?”
He shrugged. “Not sure. A while.”
She had not expected to be in a waiting queue. Well, no help for it now. She would just have to take her time with the errands.
“Here.” She scribbled her phone number on a scrap of paper from her purse. “That’s my cell phone. Will you call me?”
He nodded, absently stuffed the paper in his shirt pocket and walked back to the garage. Annie sighed, and then went outside.
Well, she thought, if I have to be without wheels, this is a good day for it.
She stood for a moment, taking in a deep, fresh breath. The sea air was chilly, but the sun was warm against her face. She smiled and set off.
Her next stop was the po
st office to pick up a book of stamps. The woman behind the counter looked over her half-glasses when Annie entered. Her gray hair was shorter than usual and tightly curled.
“Good morning, Norma. You doing okay today?”
“Yup.”
“Looks like you got a new perm.”
“Get one every four months. Never have liked fussin’ with my hair.”
She eyed Annie’s gray-blond hair critically, but said nothing.
Annie patted her chin length pageboy and murmured, “I probably need a trim myself.”
Norma merely blinked.
Annie added, “I’m out of stamps.”
The woman waited silently.
“I’d like to buy a book of them, please.”
Norma took the stamps from a drawer beneath the counter. She passed them halfway across the counter, and then stopped, fingertips protecting the booklet. The expression in her eyes was more than a little flinty.
“This post office takes care of our own. Your mail carrier would have taken that box right into the house for you.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said your mail carrier would have taken that box right into the house for you.”
Annie took a step back and stared at the woman. Stony Point had its own way of passing news, and Annie had witnessed it firsthand many times, but this was a little weird. How did Norma know about the big box and the reluctant deliveryman? Annie narrowed her eyes.
“Have you been talking to Alice MacFarlane?” she asked.
“Not lately.”
Norma shoved the stamps the rest of the way across the counter. Annie picked them up and slipped them into her purse.
“Then how did you know … ?”
Norma rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, probed her inner jaw with her tongue and squinted a little over the top of her glasses.
“Because Peggy Carson told me about the gift from your daughter. It stands to reason with all that yarn, the box it came in was too big to go through your door.”
“But how did you—”
“You’ve not paid me for those stamps yet.”
Without taking her eyes off the woman across the counter, Annie fished her wallet from her purse. She pulled out a ten dollar bill and silently handed it over.
“That other delivery service in town never takes anythin’ inside for anyone,” Norma said sourly. “Never. It’s always best to trust the people you know.”
“Why, Norma, I did not—”
“The post office has been in business since Benjamin Franklin, but do folks use us nowadays?” Norma raised her voice. “No! They use e-mail and Facebook and Twitter. They mail packages through all sorts of Johnny-come-lately delivery services and just forget all about the post office! Here’s your change.”
Annie backed away from the counter and nearly collided with a harried young mother with two blonde-haired toddlers in tow.
Sometimes, Norma could be downright peculiar, but today, with that strange look in her eyes, the woman could also be a little frightening.
Don’t be silly, Annie told herself. This is Norma. Good, hard-working, no-nonsense Norma. A Stony Point institution.
“See you later,” she blurted, and then dashed out the door, away from that inscrutable, unnerving gaze.
Once she was outside again, Annie stood a moment. She gathered her thoughts and brushed away the incident. She had too many things to do that day to let Norma’s odd behavior bother her.
She glanced at her watch, knowing the car wouldn’t be ready for a while yet, and although the hour was a little early for lunch, that was all right with her. At least the diner would not be too crowded, and the walk there would be pleasant.
These days, inside The Cup & Saucer, the customers no longer gave Annie long perusals full of curiosity and speculation the way they did when she first moved to Stony Point. She had lived in small-town Maine long enough by now that her face, if not her name, was becoming familiar.
Along the far end of the diner’s dining room, three tables had been pushed together, and it appeared as though a city government delegation was having a luncheon meeting. At the head of the table, Mayor Ian Butler glanced up. He caught Annie’s eye, smiled a silent greeting, held her gaze a moment, and then became all business again as he turned back to the well-dressed men and women around the tables. An alderman and the city clerk looked at Annie, then at each other and shared what seemed to Annie to be a knowing smile.
Annie felt her face grow hot. It was no secret in Stony Point that Ian liked her more than a little. If the truth be known, she liked him too. A lot. But that’s where it stopped. Wayne’s absence had left a giant hole in her heart that still ached on a daily basis. At this point in her life, Annie was in no way ready to fill that void. Being a widower himself, Ian probably was not any more ready for a serious relationship than Annie was. He had been devoted to his late wife, and her death from a brain aneurism had devastated him as hard as Wayne’s heart attack had hit Annie. For now, at least in Annie’s estimation, it was best for the two of them just to be friends.
She dragged her gaze from the table of city officials and their knowing smiles. Her eyes fell on Max and Mabel Cline, an elderly couple she had met at Stony Point Community Church. Weathered by age, the pair was gray-haired and stooped, but bright eyed, sharp witted, and friendly. She paused by their table long enough to say hello and inquire about their health.
As she seated herself near the window to enjoy her solitary lunch, Annie reminded herself that since Max and Mabel were some of Stony Point’s oldest citizens and lifelong residents, they might know something of interest about Fairview. But right then, she remained steadfast in commitment to keep the deed a secret. If the elderly couple did not leave The Cup & Saucer before she did, Annie would talk to them.
Right then she looked up to greet Peggy, who arrived at the table with a glass of ice water and a menu.
“Hey, Annie,” she said. “You by yourself today?”
Annie nodded.
“I’m getting the oil changed on the Malibu. The fellow had a couple of other customers ahead of me, so it will be a little while.
“And you thought you’d drop in for lunch. Good idea.”
“Right. So how is the egg salad today?”
“It’s delicious, of course.” Peggy grinned. “Do we serve anything that isn’t?”
“Nothing I have had so far. I love the food here. Can you bring me some sweet gherkins with that sandwich?”
“Yup. And coffee?”
“And coffee.”
Peggy started to move away, but Annie stopped her.
“Uh, Peggy, may I ask you something?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?
“By any chance did you happen to say anything to Norma at the post office about the gift LeeAnn sent to me?”
“Sure did! Wow, Annie! You must be so excited. I’d love to see what she sent to you.”
“You are more than welcome to drop by and look at it. But, tell me, what did you say to Norma?”
Perhaps the question came out more brusquely than Annie intended. A flash of confusion shot across Peggy’s round, sweet face.
“Just that you said you got a huge shipment of yarn from LeeAnn. Why?”
At that moment, Annie realized that her friend had not been gossiping, but merely passing along good news. She silently scolded herself for being so touchy. After all, good news ought to be shared.
“No reason.” She smiled broadly, apologetically. “Listen, would you bring me some apple pie with that sandwich, too, please?”
“Shall do—a la mode?”
Annie pondered for just a moment. “Sure! Why not?”
She watched Peggy sashay cheerfully toward the kitchen. She was glad she had given Peggy’s husband, Wally, the job of renovating Grey Gables. He had worked hard, been dependable, and his price was fair. There had been so much to do on that old house Annie never would have been able to tackle it all on her own. Unfo
rtunately, as much as she didn’t like the notion, Annie might have to do the same thing to Fairview. If so, hiring Wally would be a high priority. Plus, she liked knowing she was helping the Carson family.
When Peggy brought her sandwich and coffee, Annie asked her in an undertone, “Did Norma seem … odd to you when you saw her?”
“Odd?”
“Yes. Snappish, touchy.”
“Oh, that. Yes. She’s a little upset, and I can understand why. Some tourist told her a day or two ago that with all the new technology and services available, the post office is becoming obsolete and ought to be shut down completely in the next few years. Especially a post office as small as ours.”
“Oh, no! Poor Norma. No wonder she was so out of sorts. She loves that job.”
“And really, she has nothing to worry about. Just be extra nice when you see her, would you, Annie? She needs our friendship and support.”
Annie smiled. “I’ll do that.”
She had planned to send some of that big Avon order she had made earlier in a gift to LeeAnn, so she would use the post office when the time came. And she would buy some extra stamps at the same time.
This was just one more reason she loved Stony Point. Everyone seemed to care about one another—it was like Brookfield in that way.
Dressed in similar dark blue fleece tracksuits, the elderly Clines were finishing their pie by the time Annie had finished hers. She stopped by their table on the way to the cash register and received a warm greeting.
“You look prettier every time I see you, young lady,” Max told her, shaking her hand with a grip that belied his age.
“Why, Max!” she laughed. “Thank you.”
“He’s over eighty, and my husband still likes to flirt,” Mabel said, chuckling. She squeezed Annie’s fingers lightly with her own cool, frail-looking ones. “But he’s right, Annie. You do add a bright spot to Stony Point. Would you like to sit?”
“Can we buy you a piece of pie or some coffee?” Max offered.
“Oh, thank you, no. I just finished some a moment ago. They make good pie here, though, don’t they?”
“Almost as good as Mabel’s,” Max said. “Almost. Have a seat, anyway.”
The Deed in the Attic Page 5
