My heart went out to him. He was right. Where was his family? Shouldn't somebody be looking for him?
"What if no one wants to find me? Like maybe I'm a total jerk, and my family is glad to be rid of me?"
I sighed. "I guess that's always a possibility, but don't you think you've got enough trouble without borrowing more?"
He laughed. "Guess you're right."
"I'm sure you're a perfectly nice guy. Maybe you were on an extended trip, and no one expected to hear from you for a while," I offered.
He nodded. "I hope that's it." He took my hands again and looked into my eyes. "The one good thing that's come out of all this is meeting you, Alex." I could see his eyes were as blue as the sea. I probably would've let him kiss me if he'd made a move, but he dropped my hands and picked up the box again.
He stared at it thoughtfully, turning it over in his hands in an almost familiar gesture before setting it back on the workbench.
CHAPTER TEN
George arrived at precisely five-thirty with the promised cheesecake, an ostentatious bouquet of flowers for Gram, and a single yellow rose for me. I raised my brows at the rose.
"It symbolizes friendship," he explained.
I thanked him for it without further comment and placed it in a little bud vase on the kitchen table. And then glanced out the kitchen window and saw nasty storm clouds gathering.
Gram came in behind me, saying, "You'd better grab the oil lamps, Alexandra. Looks like we're in for a kicker. George, could you help me with these serving platters?"
We didn't need a "kicker" to lose power in Danger Cove. It seemed to be on its own flakey frequency. I went down to the cellar and brought up three small oil lamps, setting aside several candles, three flashlights, and the propane lighter. As an afterthought, I went outside and brought in a load of wood, stacking it in the big iron ring next to the fireplace. The temperature had already started to drop, and the wind was howling. The family room would be just the place to hang out if the lights went out.
Alice Sweeney and her boyfriend, Larry Tuttle, arrived shortly before six with two bottles of good wine and a Ouija board. Alice always looked like she'd stepped off the set of a 1970's sitcom. Bright-red hair teased ten inches above her heavily made-up face. Large chunky costume jewelry paired with muumuus or outdated polyester pantsuits. Mrs. Roper from Three's Company came to mind. Even the way she bellowed at poor Larry, a mild-mannered man who tended to snooze after supper and ignore most of Alice's comments with a well-timed "didn't quite catch that, dear." They'd been dating since Alice had come to town, after meeting at basket bingo at the fire hall. Larry had been a volunteer firefighter his whole life, but his days on the big trucks were over. Bingo was his most recent call of duty.
"Alice thought we could ask the spirits to help John," Gram explained as she gathered wineglasses, and I opened the bottle while Alice and Larry waited in the family room.
"Gram, it's all a bunch of hooey. You shouldn't encourage her." Alice Sweeney was more than a little eccentric. Besides driving around town as if she were in the pace car at the Daytona 500, she had a tendency toward drama. Gram said it was because she was from New Jersey, but I was worried that dementia was setting in. I had a sneaking suspicion her kids had shipped her as far away as possible once they realized it too.
"I know. I know." Gram waved a hand. "She's been after me to get the house smudged. Whatever the heck that is. Alice is just a little different—that's all. She's been like that since she moved here. I think after three years I know her well enough to tolerate and even appreciate her differences. You'd do well to remember that yourself, Alexandra." She looked pointedly over at George. "Life is boring if everyone's the same."
Oh, no chance of that. We were going to be quite the crew tonight. Why not throw in an amnesia victim, a crazy parrot, and a Ouija board to keep it interesting?
Dinner went more smoothly than I would've expected. We were using the small, elegant room off the kitchen toward the front of the house Gram called the breakfast room. Its décor was a little fussy and ladylike for my tastes, but at least she hadn't insisted on using the formal dining room. It would've taken days for us to get that monstrosity cleaned to Gram's exacting requirements. Gram was seated at one end of the table between Alice and Larry, and I was seated opposite to her between John and George. Almost everyone was on their best behavior.
Alice was full of inappropriate questions for John. "Did your life flash before your eyes when you woke up? Did you see a bright light?"
John patiently answered her questions. And George stayed silent, with the exception of an occasional snort. My kick under the table got his attention and improved his manners.
George cleared his throat. "Miss Sweeney, would you mind passing the peas?"
"Oh, certainly," Alice replied, handing him the china serving dish.
"My, that's lovely," George said, looking at her hand as he took the dish. "Is that a yellow diamond?"
"Yes, it is. You have quite the eye," Alice replied coquettishly. "It's a two-carat fancy vivid. A consolation prize from my third husband." She laughed and waved her hand around the table. We all admired the garish ring that looked to me like it'd come out of a gum ball machine. "I do love my diamonds," she said, batting her lashes at George.
George raised an eyebrow and gave a little smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Lightning crashed and cracked outside the windows, making conversation difficult. It was nearly dark when the lights flickered and then went kaput. Gram had set the table with several candelabras, so we were not plunged into total darkness.
"Well, that's that, I suppose," Gram said with a smile to her guests. "Our signal to retire to the parlor. I believe Alexandra has a fire ready to go. We should have enough light to have coffee and dessert comfortably."
"And time for a spin at the Ouija board," Alice interjected.
"Oh yes," said George with a twinkle in his eye. "I don't want to miss that. I have a few interesting questions for the spirits tonight."
"No you don't." I gave him a glare.
"Yes," he said, giving me a wink, "I do."
"Well, my main goal will be to get the spirits to help John. He must have family members on the other side who could give us some clues as to his identity." Alice became all business, carrying her plate to the sideboard and gathering up her Ouija board set.
"I'll go light the fire, if you can help Gram," I said to John.
"Absolutely," he replied and gathered the plates.
George put his plate on the sideboard and followed me into the parlor. Smitty was in his cage, uncovered. He was dancing nervously around on his perch with each flash of lightning.
"Well, look who we have here," George said in a friendly voice. "Aren't you something else? You're an old boy, aren't you?"
Smitty took his measure of George, cocking his head and staring at him through the bars. "Pretty bird!" Smitty squawked.
"You think so, huh?" George said with a laugh. "I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Okay, you're a pretty bird."
Smitty preened and fluffed his feathers. He pecked at the door to the cage. "Can I let him out?" George asked.
I hesitated after the incident last night with John. "At your own risk. He's a grouch. He attacked John last night."
George opened the cage door, and Smitty jumped right on his arm and sidled up to his shoulder. "Just shows he's got good taste. Right, pretty bird?" George cooed.
Smitty fluffed and preened again and then leaned over and tugged at George's ear lobe. "Nice boy. Nice boy," he repeated.
"Wow." I was impressed. "He only does that to Gram."
"I have a way with women and birds." George made a flourish with his hand and a little bow. Smitty squawked and raised his wings.
"You two are something else." I shook my head and turned to light the fire.
"Nice boy. Nice boy," Smitty cooed to George.
"Pretty boy. Pretty boy," George cooed back.
/> Oh brother.
The fire flared up nicely as the kindling began to burn and crackle. The rest of our party joined us, and George put Smitty back into his cage. I heard Smitty look warily over to John and whisper "bad boy" to George.
"You think so? Well, I'll be sure to look into that, Smitty," George said in a low, conversational tone.
"Don't encourage him," I chided. "He bit John last night, remember? Not acceptable behavior, even for an old bird."
George didn't say anything, but I caught a grin on his face as he gave Smitty a low whistle.
I ignored him and went back into the kitchen to help bring out the dessert and coffee.
* * *
The cheesecake and coffee were gone. The fire crackled and popped merrily. I was ready to take a nap on the ancient leather couch beside Larry. But the Ouija board glared up from the middle of the low square coffee table in front of me.
"We must all have a turn with John. Any one of us may have a connection to someone on the other side who might be able to help him." Alice was so sincere that I reluctantly volunteered to go first. I placed my hand on one side of the triangle, and John placed his on the other side.
"Larry, can you write down each letter?" she asked, handing her boyfriend a pad of paper and a pen. Larry snorted and sat up straight, taking the pad and looking more or less at the ready.
"Okay, we need one more person. George?" Alice turned to George.
"Thought you'd never ask." There was a gleam in his eye.
I lightly touched my fingertips to the wooden triangle. George and John both did the same.
"Oh spirits," Alice began in a singsong voice. "Oh spirits, we ask for your help tonight. Our friend John seeks his identity and family. We will ask you a series of questions to help us with this quest."
There was an impressive crack of lighting and boom of thunder. I shivered involuntarily. Usually I found these types of things boring at best, but tonight I was feeling a little spooked.
Alice continued. "Please close your eyes," she told us. "Oh spirits, tell us our lost friend's real name."
I thought I felt the board jiggle a little, and then the triangle began to move. My hand was applying no force, so it was either George or John forcing the movement. The small movements became large sweeping motions. Suddenly the movement stopped. The three of us opened our eyes.
Larry turned around his pad. It read: diamonds.
We all stared at it a moment. "Could your last name be Diamonds?" I asked, turning to John.
He looked confused but said evenly, "That name isn't familiar to me."
I glanced over at George. "How about you?" I asked.
George shrugged, but his mouth was in a hard line. "Maybe the spirits aren't interested in his name. Maybe they have a different message."
Alice clapped her hands together, saying excitedly, "Oh my! This is a first. So intriguing. Yes, George is right."
"How about, is his family looking for him?" I suggested.
"Very good, Alexandra," Alice said. "Oh spirits, tell us if our friend's family is searching for him."
There was very little hesitation in the triangle. I clearly felt George moving us toward no.
"Hey, he's moving it with his fingers," John said, opening his eyes and glaring at George.
George lifted his hands. "Perhaps I'm throwing off the spirits. Janiece, would you like to give it a try?" he asked politely.
"Well, if you're sure you're done," Gram said with a flutter of her handkerchief.
"Oh, I'm sure." George stood up and walked over to poke the fire.
Gram's fingers brushed mine as she touched the edge of the triangle, and I felt a small electric shock.
"Let's try another question that focuses on the first message," Alice suggested.
"It's obviously not about John's name," I said. "So maybe it's about actual diamonds." Maybe I was getting carried away by the stormy night or Alice's enthusiasm, but my fingers were actually itching to touch the board again.
Alice looked up at me. "Real diamonds. How exciting! Oh spirits, what happened to the diamonds?"
I felt the triangle whisk across the board, touching three letters. It was so fast that I opened my eyes to see who had done it. Gram and John opened their eyes too. Larry turned his tablet around: murder.
We all gasped.
My eyes met George's. He shook his head slightly, warning me off.
"Perhaps we've upset the spirits," Alice said breathlessly. "I think we should try to focus back on John's situation."
We all murmured in agreement. "Maybe you should ask the spirits why our friend was here in the first place," George suggested.
"Excellent suggestion, George," Gram said with a nod. "Knowing that would help enormously."
"Really, everyone," John said, "I think we're just letting our imaginations run wild. I appreciate the help, but maybe we should take a break. It's just a game, right?" He gave a little laugh.
"Oh, one more time for fun," George heckled from the fireplace.
I caught John's glare at him as our hands came together over the Ouija board.
"Oh spirits," Alice intoned, "why was our friend, John, in Danger Cove?"
The board vibrated a little as the triangle started to slide across the surface. One, two, three, four, five letters.
Then the piercing screech of Smitty into the silence: "Murder!"
We all jumped, upsetting the board. "This is ridiculous!" John cried. He stood up and paced around the room. George watched him curiously, following his every move.
"I'm sorry, everybody," John said, taking a deep breath. "This has just been too much for me. I'm exhausted, and my nerves are shot. I think I'll head to bed early. Thanks so much for dinner, Mrs. Jordan. Nice meeting you all." He nodded to us and left the room.
"You are a bad bird," Gram said, shaking a finger in Smitty's direction.
"That was just plain spooky," said Larry, eyeing the board and the bird warily. "What kinda timing was that? Like something out of an old horror movie."
"What did you have on your pad, Larry?" George asked quietly.
Larry turned the pad around to show us. Towat was printed clearly.
"What does that mean?" Alice asked. "Towat?"
I walked over to the fire and stood next to George. The heat made my cheeks burn, but it was comforting.
"Maybe there's a space in between," George suggested.
"What does that mean?" asked Gram. "Tow at? That doesn't make sense." She shook her head.
"I think you had a hand in some of this mayhem." I looked George in the eye.
He gave me a who me? look. "So I'm able to train birds to talk on cue. With telepathy, I might add. Yes, that's me—always meddling."
Alice, Larry, and Gram were still puzzling over the message from the Ouija board as we said our good-byes, and Gram walked them to the door.
When George and I were alone, I said, "I felt your hand moving the triangle a couple of times."
George shrugged. "Just having a little fun."
"Why'd you bring up diamonds?" I asked suddenly.
George turned to me slowly. He looked me in the eye and let out a deep breath. "Because I'm missing quite a few."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I blinked at him for a minute. He waved his hand in front of my face. "You still with me?"
"You're missing diamonds? What kinda statement is that? Who loses diamonds?" I sputtered.
"Let's just say I don't keep my retirement fund in the stock market. The real estate crash left me looking for more liquid investments." George held his hands out to the fire.
"So you carry around diamonds? Are you kidding me?" My voice raised several octaves. "And you didn't think to mention you were missing them while we've been hunting all over for an empty box in Marlton House? Come to think of it, that little box would be just perfect for diamonds!" I waved my hands around.
"I don't actually carry them around with me. But, essentially, you're correct. I have my s
uspicions that the diamonds were stolen from me and put into the box." George gave a nod.
"Where did you keep them?" I pushed. Adding, "Most sane people would keep their valuables in a safe or a safety-deposit box."
"Yep," he said. "Most sane people would, but I don't trust banks, and safes are for honest people. They don't stop real thieves. They're more like open invitations."
I changed tactics. "I thought we were supposed to be partners. Nick and Nora, remember? Why didn't you tell me you were missing a fortune in diamonds?"
"I just did," he said reasonably. "And it's more of a nest egg than a fortune."
"So let me get this straight," I said, putting my hand to my forehead. "Your nest egg of diamonds goes missing at the same time a dead guy shows up in my bathtub and John, the amnesia patient, washes up on shore."
"Actually, I noticed they were gone about a week before the dead guy."
"And you didn't report it to the police?" I sputtered.
He sighed. I could tell he was hedging, trying to decide how much to tell me. "I told you my life before Danger Cove was a mess. It involved some unpleasant dealings with law enforcement. Everything was eventually resolved, but I lost my business and people close to me in the process." He paused, looking me in the eye. "I know this isn't enough of an answer for you, but I like you, Alexandra, and I saw this as a win-win for me. Besides, I'm an outsider here. So me walking into the station and claiming to be missing uncut diamonds would, at the very least, get me laughed out of town. Not exactly good for my new business."
My head was spinning. "You've been looking for your diamonds this whole time!" I swatted him with a pillow. "Your whole song and dance about not wanting what happened to you to happen to me was just a cover. Maybe while you were offering to help me and explaining your tortured past, you could've mentioned you were missing a bunch of diamonds!" I swatted him again.
"Ow! Stop that," he said, grabbing for the pillow. "I admit I saw it as an opportunity to do some digging. When the diamonds went missing, I checked the security tape. There had been a lot of customers in that day, but no clear shot of anyone actually taking them. You were one of the customers."
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