The Secret of the Quilt

by Olivia Swift

  “Thank heaven for friends and family,” Kim said as she went to take the quilt to fold it away. Rob was leaning on the edge of it, and as she made the first fold, they all gasped as one person. The sound of a piper playing lasted for about two seconds and then faded away into the silence. The silence lasted for about another two seconds when all of them spoke at the same time.

  “I am not crazy. You all heard that, right?” Kim looked around at all of them and they all agreed. ”Did anyone recognize it?” she asked, and Jazz answered that it was like “Màiri’s Wedding.” “Thank you, sister mine. I said that last night.”

  “But it wasn’t like the piper was here in the room,” Miller added. “It was here—but not here—if you know what I mean.”

  “But, we all heard it,” Dex remarked. “Does that make it real or maybe somebody playing tricks?”

  “They would have to be watching to know when to trigger it,” reasoned Jules.

  “My goodness, do you really think that I am being stalked or something?” Kim shivered.

  “It’s not possible,” Jazz joined in. “We can check for cameras anyway.”

  “It was not like music played on modern equipment. It

  was . . . “ Carly hesitated. “A bit ghostly.”

  “I’ve said there was something spooky about this whole thing from the start,” Rob claimed. “Why was the quilt waiting for Kim, and why would I have to help in some sort of task or something. It is just too far-fetched.”

  “Well, I’ll hire a security firm to patrol outside at night. If anyone is sneaking in to play silly music at me, their guard dogs will find them.” Kim paused. “You don’t suppose that somebody doesn’t like me doing this expansion work?”

  “But who?” Jazz asked. “There are no rival firms out there and no close neighbors to be bothered by the work.” Kim nodded.

  “This quilt goes back in the drawer, and it can take its music with it,” she said defiantly.

  “That’s what you need,” Miller told her in her fiery, redhead attitude. “Tell whoever it is, ghostly or not, to take a running jump.”

  Kim laughed. “Thanks everyone. I have so much to think about that this quilting stuff can take a back seat.” They started to make moves to leave, and Rob said that he had better get back to the construction site. He turned at the door.

  “I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight, Kim, if that is okay with you.” Then he walked away briskly to get back to see how the work was coming along. Jazz gave her sister a hug.

  “Speed dial and we’ll come running,” she told her. Kim said she knew they would all be there if needed and looked across at the construction site. Rob was talking to the man in charge, and it was unbelievable how fast the walls were growing.

  “Goodness, this place will be huge,” she said and pointed to the site. She waved off her family and friends and went back inside.

  She put the quilt into the drawer.

  “You just behave yourself or you’ll end up in the trash,” she told it. In her head, she was thankful that she would not be alone in the house when darkness came.

  8

  Rob went home at the end of the working day and told his mom where he was going and why. Then he drove back to the nursery. The construction man in him made him stop the car at the entrance and take a quiet look around the site. It was a massive undertaking, but the walls were up. The next day would see the roof start to go on. The metal girders were already in place. He saw Kim looking from the door and waved and drove the car to the door.

  “I am really jumpy now,” she confessed. “This idea that somebody might be playing tricks has freaked me out.”

  “No worries,” he said and kissed her on the forehead. “Anybody will have to get past me.”

  “Maybe I need a big, friendly dog that would bark,” she wondered.

  “I can bark if it makes you happy,” he said and laughed. “Let’s have one last look at that flipping quilt. If we find out the words, we might be able to sort everything out.” Kim decided that she would separate the back from the rest and give it a wash.

  “If it falls apart, I’ll use new material. The inside can be thrown away.” They unfolded the quilt, heard a brief snippet of music, ignored it, and grinned at each other. Kim took her sharp little scissors and picked away at the other three sides. It came away quite easily and she looked at the material.

  “This is just a piece of cotton,” she said. “I think I will just use a new sheet.” The three layers of filling were separated, checked and put to one side for the trash as well. As the layers were moved, a tiny piece of paper fell to the floor. It was faded, discolored, and very frail, but when she picked it up she saw it was a ticket of some sort.

  “Ticket for what?” Rob asked and looked at it closely. “Have you got a magnifying glass?” he asked, and she went and found one that had been her father’s. Under close inspection, it looked like a ticket for maybe a train.

  “Or a ship?” Kim asked. “Maybe it has been in the quilt all this time.”

  “There is part of a word.” Rob squinted and moved the glass up and down. “Wilhelmina,” he said at last.

  “A name of somebody?” Kim asked.

  “Your name wouldn’t be printed on the ticket.” He turned on the laptop and put in Wilhelmina travel two hundred years ago. The search engine threw up a range of suggestions, but he pointed to one down the page.

  “It could be a ship.” He looked at Kim. “Maybe the quilt came to the USA in a ship called the Wilhelmina.”

  “We have another lead to follow. I’m not sure how you find records of ships and their passengers, but we can find out.” Rob had straightened the material and was looking at the letters. The extra letter found earlier followed the R at what looked like the beginning of a line of words.

  “If, just for the sake of coincidence, the next letter was B, it would be…” And they both spotted it at the same time.

  “It is. It’s the next letter.”

  “And the one after,” he added. “So, it isn’t Rob, but it might be Robbie as we seem to be from Scotland. The I and the E followed quickly once they knew what they were looking for, and the next part was the M followed by an A.

  “But it isn’t Manners, thank heaven,” he remarked. They were on a roll and found that the surname started with MAC and then another MA.

  “The last letter is S.” They found an N. “It looks like MacManus,” Rob said sitting back.

  “Wow,” Kim added. “We made real progress. We have to find out if Robbie MacManus arrived on a ship called Wilhelmina.” She folded the sheet. “Enough is enough.” There was no music and she closed the drawer on the quilt. Rob had made coffee, and they sat and turned on the television, sitting close to each other on the sofa.

  “You can have the spare room,” she said. “The sofa will not be very comfortable.”

  “I’ll be happier knowing that anyone trying to get in will disturb me,” he answered and pulled her close to his side. “We can try this relationship thing out again though.” He turned her face toward him to see if the kiss would have the same effect as before. He was not disappointed. Despite Kim trying to keep everything under control; as soon as she felt the touch of his lips against hers, all of her resolutions melted away, and her own lips responded completely and wholeheartedly. Even when their lips had parted and he was simply holding her close against him, Kim was still coming to terms that she was in a relationship with her best friend.

  To give herself a little breathing space, she went to find pillows and covers for the sofa. He was standing in the kitchen rinsing the mugs they had used, and she went and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “I am sort of getting used to this idea,” she told him.

  “Is it a good feeling or not?” he asked and turned around.

  She ran her finger down his face that was so familiar but now seemed a little different. “Of course, it’s a good feeling. We know each other so well, but my mind is still asking can this be real.�
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  “We have all the time in the world Kim, and an awful lot of work to do before Christmas,” Rob said. She agreed and kissed him goodnight before going to her own bedroom and closing the door. She stood for several minutes with her back to the wooden surface, and the realization that this feeling was very real made its way into her mind and her heart. It was still frightening but amazing at the same time. Part of her mind and heart were wishing that he would turn the handle of the door and slide in beside her, but another part of her knew she was not ready for that, just yet. She settled happily, knowing he was out there like a guardian angel, and Rob looked longingly at the door but knew he would blow it if he tried to go a step too far.

  She crept out quietly in the morning and started to make him breakfast. She pulled a small table up beside the sofa and laid two plates, one with the bacon and eggs she knew he loved. She brought coffee and then snuggled in beside him. Rob sighed, half turned, and pulled her close to him with a smile on his face.

  “What a fantastic way to start the day,” he murmured and then opened his eyes as his nose told him that food was available. “Wow. I could get very used to this,” he said and kissed her on the lips before starting on breakfast. Kim ate her own waffles with maple syrup and obligingly shared them when he finished the bacon and eggs. She sat back with coffee and enjoyed having him around.

  “I did sleep better knowing you were on guard, handsome man,” she told him. “Thanks for doing that.”

  “I am happy to go on doing it until you feel okay again. I would just worry if I went away and left you.” He sat back with his coffee and she leaned against him. “Roof starts going up today. I cannot wait to see it all covered and like a proper building.”

  “And that quilt can just stay in the drawer out of the way,” she added. “Finding out where it came from will have to take a back seat to the garden center.” She went to stand up, but he pulled her back to his side.

  “I just need to say thank you for breakfast,” he smiled and kissed her. Her arms wound around his neck and she sighed. “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.

  “Just seems such a pity to work when it is so comfy where we are.” He smiled and pressed her back against the sofa.

  “We can steal ten minutes,” he answered, and she pulled his head toward her and took the initiative. Reluctantly they eventually started the day. He watched as she went to find her work clothes and thought how wonderful it was to see her in the morning with hair mussed up from bed and still wearing a robe. Rob smiled as he dressed himself. The sound of machinery told him that the construction gang had arrived, and he left to see what the plan was for the day.

  As customers came and went, it was clear to see that everyone was as interested in the building work as they were in shopping. Kim answered so many questions that she thought maybe she should have a stage and a microphone. There were some interesting suggestions from many of them as well, and the desire for the coffee shop came through strong and clear. There were lots of people looking forward to Christmas and said their grandchildren would come to see Santa Claus. In the end, she went and phoned the man booked as Santa and asked him what other places had given out—as free gifts—to children. She jotted down what he told her and then called the main supplier for her Christmas merchandise and added the extras for free gifts. The man on the wholesale end told her that they would have to deliver the merchandise next week, and there was no way that he could make any other arrangements. She agreed to the delivery and then went to see Cherie to decide where all of this delivery could be stored

  “It can’t stay in here,” Cherie said. “This has to be cleared for the coffee shop.” After talking with Jamie, they agreed to shuffle the plants and use greenhouse space for storage. She asked if his mom would come in and see her, and he said it was no problem.

  “We will have to close for two days to move everything around,” she decided and went to talk to Cherie about the arrangements as well. Rob found her deep in plans and lists and asked if she had time to stop and come see the building.

  Walking across to the new construction, she could see it was almost complete.

  “I know it isn’t finished, but you can see what it will be like,” Rob said. They stepped inside and Kim gasped. The place was enormous. The heating tubes were being added to the ceiling beams; the set of glass doors that would lead to the outside plant area were in place and were windproof and watertight.

  “Oh, Rob,” she grabbed his arm, “I have a real garden center.” They walked over to the man in charge, and he pointed out what had been done and what was still to do. She took out her phone and took lots of pictures to look at in the future. There was a covered entryway where the corridor would join the new place to the existing shop, and she pulled the sheet aside. The walls were in place but no roof yet, and the area was marked on the shop wall that would be cut away for the join.

  “When will this be finished?” she asked, and the engineer told her that it would only be two days. “So, after that, the electrical and flooring and then we can start to use it?” she asked, and both Rob and the construction boss agreed.

  “Thanks for getting this up so fast. It’s going to be fabulous!” Kim hurried away to tell Cherie.

  9

  With the computer fired up to find the coffee shop suppliers, and food on the table, she called Rob to tell him food was ready. She smiled to herself.

  “It sure is the way to Rob’s heart,” Kim thought. Then she stopped in her tracks and asked herself if she was really trying to find the way to his heart. It was still a situation she found a bit unreal. This man had been a friend since childhood, and she wondered if it was possible to fall for someone and change the relationship so drastically. The man in question arrived for lunch and kissed her on the top of her head.

  “Why the computer?” he asked as he started the sandwich, and she told him that she would have to source the coffee shop installers. “I’ll ask Clay. He has a huge amount of contacts.” He pulled out his phone and did as he said then handed the phone over to Kim.

  “Clay, hello,” she said. “Can you suggest who to contact about this coffee shop?”

  “I can do better than that,” he answered. “Mario Cleves is meeting me after lunch. It won’t take long to decide on our business, and then I can bring him over to see your space. He is a good guy—very trustworthy and works fast.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” she said. “You can see the space for the dividing walls as well.”

  “We should make it around two-thirty,” he said and ended the call.

  “Thanks, Rob. At least when somebody is recommended, it takes the risk away of choosing somebody online.” She went to the fridge. “I had no time to make cake and went to the bakery instead.” She produced a trifle and was rewarded with a smile that did strange things to her insides. There was a knock on the door, and Jules and Miller came inside.

  “What a lovely surprise,” Kim said. “Come and have coffee. Who is looking after the barn?”

  “My mother has decided that she would like to be involved, and we left her to try it out.” Miller laughed. “She’ll either charm the customers or send them away screaming.” Jules interrupted to say that he would like to see the quilt if that was okay. He had looked at the photos and wondered if seeing the thing in real life would let him move a step further. Kim went to get it out.

  “It’s not creepy when there are a few people here, but I still don’t trust this thing.” She half laughed at her own silliness, but the others made no comment and they all looked as it was rolled out. Rob pointed out Robbie MacManus. Jules looked at his photos, then at the quilt, and pointed.

  “It is more than one line and there is a piece missing.” They all leaned over to where he was indicating. “There is another word above.”

  “And that is an A,” Kim said. “I’ve gotten used to seeing the letters we already know. It’s four letters.” Then she looked again. “No, it’s two words and the second starts with an
A.” They all gazed at where she pointed, and Miller suggested that the second word was "and."

  “Two names—somebody and Robbie MacManus,” she said.

  “That sounds reasonable,” Rob agreed. “His wife maybe.” Jules pointed below the man’s name pieces and showed them that a pattern extended to the square on each side, but the piece in the middle was plain.

  “There’s a missing piece. It might be just pattern or it might be important,” he suggested. Kim found the ticket that she had put into an envelope and showed it to them.

  “We need to find out if there was a ship called the Wilhelmina and when she arrived. Maybe there are passenger lists. Thing is, there is so much going on here that I’ve put it to one side,” Kim said.

  “Do you mind if I do some research for you?” Jules asked, and she told him that it would be great.

  “I know there are photographic records of these old ships, and I can start there and see what I find.” Kim and Rob both felt a bit of relief that somebody else was researching the quilt.

  “I should get back to the construction,” Rob said, and Jules asked if he could take photos and followed him across to the new structure. Kim offered Miller another coffee and sat down.

  “There are so many deliveries of new stock, and we don’t know where to store the merchandise because the shop has to be emptied and turned into a coffee shop. Then there’s Christmas, Santa, the new craft sections, and finding staff.” She laughed and sat back. “Sorry about the rant.”

  “Feel free,” Miller said. “It’s a good thing Rob is helping out.” Kim nodded.

  “I know it’s weird, but we were both a bit freaked out by the shop, the quilt, and this music we sometimes hear. It could be somebody playing tricks.” She laughed. “And Rob is sleeping on the sofa just in case.” Miller gave her a quizzical look. “I know what everybody thinks. We’ve been friends forever, and I am frightened that we might lose that.”