The Valentine Circle

by Reinaldo DelValle

  “Almost,” Lucy said as she stood inside a quaint lavatory, finishing getting dressed for her first day working as a reporter for the Boston Evening Globe. The lavatory belonged to her boyfriend of three months, a firefighter who also moonlighted as a security guard at a fancy downtown department store. For obvious reasons, Lucy’s parents weren’t aware of her ongoing relationship with him, for he was certainly of lesser stock than what they would approve of. When she first met the boy, she believed it was true love, but for the past month she’d been having second thoughts about their relationship. And now that Silas was in the picture, well...nothing will ever be the same.

  She carefully placed her earrings on her delicate ears and then moved on to touching up her face and hair.

  Her boyfriend peeked inside the lavatory. “Getting all dolled up for your new job, I see.”

  “You know I have to do my best to impress.”

  “Hmm, I’ve never seen you wear your hair up like that.”

  “I think it looks more professional,” she replied, fixing her hair. “It’s something new I’m trying.” Lucy felt bad lying to him. She’d worn her hair up like that for more times than she could remember. Silas loved when I wore my hair up like this.

  She let out a sigh as a slew of nervous butterflies swam inside her stomach. She picked up a note that lay on top of the vanity and read it:

  Carlisle Burrows

  Civil War Vet

  Boston Taxidermy Co.

  Interview-First assignment-Be prompt!!!

  She put the note in her purse along with some makeshift directions and a map. Her boyfriend surprised her from behind. “Don’t do that. You scared me.”

  “What’s wrong?” He caressed her shoulders and kissed her neck. She welcomed it at first, but then a picture of Silas entered her thoughts, and she quickly pulled away.

  “Why did you do that? You’ve been acting strange all week.”

  “Nothing. Just on edge, is all.”

  “All right. Let me know when you’re ready to go, and I can take you to your interview.”

  “No,” Lucy replied quickly and with a bit of force. “I mean, I going to stop by somewhere before I head over to the taxidermy shop. I can walk. It’s only a few blocks from here.”

  “Where are you stopping at?”

  “I…have to run an errand for my parents.”

  “Oh, I see. Well then can I pick you up from your job, at least? You know, when you’re done.”

  Don’t really want you to. “Yes, I guess so. I should be done by seven. I know it’s late, but is that all right?”

  “Of course. I’ll be there. Just make sure you do a great job.”

  “I will.” She grabbed the last of her stuff and made her way out the door.

  “Bye.”

  She forgot to bid him goodbye. The door shut behind her.

  ***

  Posy sat on the floor in seiza position, just like Silas had taught her, legs folded underneath her thighs, her rear resting on her heels. I think I’m getting the hang of this. It’s not so bad after all. She smiled.

  There was a knock at the door. She stood up to answer it, and when she opened the door, her skin turned ghostlike. “It’s you.”

  “Hi,” Lucy said. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was told that this is where Officer de San Michel lives.”

  “Um…yes, he rents out a room here.”

  “Can I speak to him?”

  Posy thought for a second. “Well, what is it regarding?”

  “It’s...a personal matter.”

  Posy scowled. “Okay then, sure. Come in.”

  Lucy stepped inside. “Do you live here as well?”

  Posy thought about it. I should lie. But she didn’t. “No, not at the moment, although it might seem like I live here. I do spend a lot of time here going over things with, you know, Silas. I guess you can say I see him more than I see my fiancé.”

  “Oh, congratulations,” Lucy replied, dodging the snotty remark. “When’s the wedding?”

  “We don’t really know yet.”

  “Oh, well, I’m sure it’ll get here before you know it.” Lucy walked into the study. “I have to say, it’s a relief to hear you say that you’re engaged.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, it just puts me at ease to know that you’re intended for somebody else. For a moment there, I was afraid you were involved with Silas, seeing that you spend so much time together. But now that I know you’re getting married to someone else, I’m pretty confident that there’s nothing going on between you two.”

  Lucy’s comment rubbed Posy the wrong way; the attraction that Posy had towards Silas was increasing the more time they spent together, regardless of their childish banter, and this was slowly becoming noticeable to Lucy, who certainly didn’t want Posy messing up her relationship with her former affection.

  “I don’t understand. Are you saying you feel something—”

  Interrupting Posy midsentence, Lucy rushed towards Silas’s bedroom. “Is this his room?”

  “Wait a second. I was going to go get him for you.” Posy crossed her arms. “You can’t just barge in there.”

  “Okay. I’ll knock.” Her faint knocking was quite delicate.

  Posy wasn’t impressed with her fragile femininity, though it was probably something Silas adored. It also didn’t help that Lucy was all decked out in a very flattering dress, her hair long and silky blonde.

  Silas opened the door, and his mouth dropped. Lucy was the last person he expected to come knocking. “Wha…what are you doing here?”

  “Can I come into your room?”

  “Well, yes, of course.” Silas motioned for her to come in, and before he closed the door, he saw Posy staring back at him. Her face spoke a thousand words. Feeling awkward about the whole situation, he quickly shut the door.

  Lucy walked up to Silas’s bed and sat down.

  “I don’t get it,” Silas said. “You ran away from me last time, and now you’re here. Does this mean you’re ready to talk to me about who I am?”

  “Yes. But I can only stay for a minute. I have a job to go to.”

  “A job?”

  “I work for the Boston Evening Globe now, as a typist. The editor wants to train me as a reporter, so for my first assignment, I’m supposed to meet up with a war veteran who works downtown and talk to him about his experience in the war. It’s not much for a first assignment, but that doesn’t mean I’m not nervous.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Silas sat down next to her.

  “Listen, it’s going to take a while to talk about who you were, who we were, and also what happened back in Japan, which I’m now certainly willing to do, but we’ll have to do all of that after I get back from my interview. If you want, you can meet me at the taxidermy shop where I’ll be meeting with the war vet, and when I’m finished you can take me out for a nice dinner, and I promise we can talk about us. The shop is in the middle of the city. Here are the directions.” She gave him a note with the address.

  “Hmm. I’d like that very much.”

  “We could start slow and take our time getting to know each other again. We don’t have to rush into anything. If...you still care for me, I’m willing to give us a shot. I can tell you’re a different person now, and I thought we could finally be together...like we always planned to.”

  “I do care for you. I care for you enormously. It’s the only thing that I vividly remember. And yes, I’d love to get to know you again.” Silas stood up and leaned against his tall wardrobe. “So, did you just come here to ask me out to dinner?” He grinned.

  “Ask you out to dinner? No, sir, you’re the one taking me out to dinner,” she quipped, making Silas laughed. “But seriously, I’m here because of what you said.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That you loved me.”

  “Oh.” Silas played with his ear, showing Lucy that he was nervous. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to blurt out those
words like that. They just came to me, and I let them spill.”

  “It’s all right. I’m glad that you told me. It was the first time that you’ve ever said those words to me. All those nights that we were together and I told you that I loved you but you never said anything back. You just sat there close to me, watching me behind that mask of yours.”

  “Mask? Nights? You see, Lucy, I don’t remember any of this.”

  “I know. It’s a shame that you don’t remember. You spent so many nights next to my side, guarding me, risking your life for me. We talked for hours, all day and night and straight into the morning. You comforted me when I cried. You embraced me when I was afraid. You kept me warm during the cold winter, and eventually, after some time, I fell in love, even though I knew you only from your eyes and what was behind them, a gentle soul enshrouded in so much darkness. Ours was a strange and passionate relationship.”

  “So it seems, yet my heart is fine with it.” Silas began to pace. “Wait, what do you mean I was your guardian? And why could you only see my eyes?”

  Lucy stood up and approached him. “Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”

  “I can’t lie to you, Lucy. It’s what I feel inside of me, with every bone of my body. I just don’t know why I love you so much.”

  A tear rolled down to the top of her lips. Smiling, she kissed his eyes. “Your eyes were the only thing I was allowed to kiss. They’re so beautiful. You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say those words. I know there’s so much to talk about, but right now I have to go. I have to meet with my editor for a few hours before heading over to the interview. Pick me up by a quarter ‘til six. We’ll go to dinner and talk. We can start from when I first met you. I don’t know anything before that. You never did like talking about your past.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  Lucy scrunched her shoulders and lowered her head, as she was hesitant to say the next few words. “I...want to make you aware that I do have someone that I’ve been seeing for a while.”

  Silas frowned and backed away.

  Lucy rushed to explain. “But our relationship has been deteriorating for quite some time, and now that you’re here, well...I’ll leave that for you to figure out. Unfortunately, I told him to pick me up at six. If you’re there at a quarter ‘til six, then I’ll leave with you and leave a note for him, but only if you’re there before he gets there. Do you understand?”

  “Understood.”

  She smiled. “I have to go. I certainly don’t want to be late for my first assignment.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Silas opened his bedroom door. Stepping out of his room, Silas could feel a cold chill in the air. Posy sat in one of the couches, filling out some much-needed paperwork. She didn’t turn to them when they came out, but he knew that she was dying to know what went on inside his room. Reaching the front door, he gave Lucy a hug before seeing her out.

  “I know the way to the exit from here.”

  “Okay. Good luck on your assignment, and trust me, I’ll be there when you’re done. You have my word.”

  “One thing I could always do is count on you. Please remember that.” She reached out her hand to him, and he grabbed it without hesitating. “Bye.”

  “Take care.” Silas kept his hand interlocked with hers, wanting to keep her by his side as he’d done for so long back in Japan.

  “Silas, you can let go now,” she said playfully.

  He didn’t want to. “Fine.” He gently let go. “See you tonight.”

  “Tonight.” She turned around and walked away.

  Silas watched her turn the corner, and after she disappeared, he closed the door and sighed, letting out a multitude of emotions.

  “Good heavens,” Posy said. “That bad?”

  “I can’t even begin to explain.”

  “That’s all right. It’s not like I really wanted you to anyway.”

  Silas could tell she was bothered by his relationship with Lucy, but Posy had her own problems to deal with. “Why aren’t you with Horace?”

  “Because I’m working. Why does it matter who I’m with?”

  “I don’t...I mean, I was just wondering.” He walked up to her. “So how are things with you and Horace?”

  “Things are all right, I guess.” She didn’t want to talk about it.

  “I didn’t sense much joy in your remark.”

  Posy bit her tongue and just turned away. “If you don’t mind, I have to work.”

  “Sure. Sorry if I bothered you.”

  “Mmm hmm,” she replied, ruffling some papers.

  Silas turned around to walk away, but before he could, there was another knock at the front door.

  Posy let out a soft moan; she knew who it was.

  Silas scurried over to the door and opened it. “Hi, Horace.”

  “Yes, hello.”

  “It’s good to see you.”

  “Right.” Horace dismissed his courtesy. “Where’s Posy?”

  “Um, she’s working in the study.”

  Immediately, Horace took off for the study. Once he entered, he was met by Belloc, who had just finished coming out of his bedroom.

  “Well, good morning, Horace,” Belloc said.

  “Hello, Inspector. I just came by to pick up my future wife.”

  “Oh, I see. Spending the morning together?”

  “Well, we’re going to try for the whole day.”

  Posy stood up and gathered her things. “You know I can’t do the whole day. We’ve talked about this already.”

  “Well, I was hoping I could convince you otherwise,” Horace replied, wishing for the best. Posy didn’t say anything; she didn’t want to get into it in front of everyone. “But...if you’re not able to do the whole day, then the morning is fine with me.”

  Posy smiled, surprised by his sudden willingness to compromise. “Well, I’m glad that you’re being more flexible.”

  “Yes, yes,” Horace replied, embarrassed. “Let’s hurry on, then.”

  “Grab my bag, would you, dear?” Posy walked towards the door and Horace followed behind.

  “When shall I be expecting you to return?” Belloc asked.

  “Whenever I return,” Posy said in a testy manner, giving Silas one last look before shutting the door behind her.

  Belloc shook his head and turned to Silas. He could tell Silas was thinking deeply about Posy, his thoughts racing through his mind. “Your feelings are growing for her. I can tell.”

  Silas was caught off guard. “Yes, well, they need to stop.” He turned to walk away.

  “Hold on there, Silas. I have something for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I received a note from the post office.” Belloc held up a piece of paper. “It came in the mail today, apparently to this address. I guess they found out somehow or another that you’re staying with me. At any rate, the note says that they have a package for you. They say it’s been there for a couple of days. It’s definitely for you, and it was specifically addressed to that post office.”

  “A package? Who sent it?”

  “I don’t know. All it says is that you have a package that you need to pick up.”

  “That’s odd.”

  “Even if it’s odd, I’d suggest you go immediately and see what it is. Whoever sent you the package must know who you are and maybe what you’re doing in Boston.”

  “I hope so. Still, I should be cautious.”

  “I understand. Be safe, and go and retrieve the package quickly. I’ll keep trying to figure out the best way to get to the other two girls. Please make haste. We have to reach the girls as soon as possible.”

  “I will, Inspector.” Silas darted into his bedroom in order to get ready.

  Belloc turned around and buried his nose in Mr. Grant’s map, studying the best routes for infiltrating the last two remaining mansions.

  It took Silas no longer than thirty minutes to reach the post office. As he entered the small station, he kept h
is hat low and his chin to his chest, doing his best to not draw attention to himself; he was wary of the package and didn’t know if someone was watching him from afar.

  It could be a trap. Regardless, he needed to follow the lead to its end, so he strode up to the clerk and presented him with the note he’d received. “I’m here to pick up a package.”

  “Oh, let me see,” the clerk said, looking over the message. “Oh, yes, for a Silas de San Michel. I was the one that wrote you the letter.”

  “Perfect. So, you have it for me?”

  “Well, not so fast. First, I need to see some identification to verify who you are.”

  Silas didn’t have any. He’d only been in Boston for a little over a week, so he thought about it for a second and then took out his badge. “Here’s my identification.”

  “Oh. My apologies, Deputy Inspector.”

  “That’s quite all right. Just give me the package, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “Um, well, it’s not as easy as you might think.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it’s a big package. I just can’t give it to you. You’ll have to go to our loading dock in the back of the building in order to retrieve it.”

  “Loading dock? Very well. Can you show me the way?”

  “Well, I can’t let you in through here. You’ll have to go outside and circle the building.”

  No, not really. “Better yet, I’ll just show myself in.” He walked around the counter and into the postal office’s backroom.

  “Wait, you can’t go in there,” the clerk protested, but Silas just gave him a look. “Okay, fine. Just don’t touch anything.”

  “I can’t promise that,” Silas replied as he entered the main warehouse. The docking garage was near the western end of the building. Passing through a number of corridors and bumping into employees who were surprised by his presence, he finally made it to the rear entrance, where an old man with a clipboard stood leaning against a pole.

  “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

  “I was told there’s a package for me back here.”

  “Oh, you’re the one.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Your package has been nothing but a nuisance since it arrived.” The man gestured to his left. “See?”