Miz Scarlet and the Vanishing Visitor (A Scarlet Wilson Mystery)

by Sara M. Barton

  Chapter Twelve --

  “You did?” I was shocked. Kenny had done the impossible...or the nearly impossible.

  “We had a very long, very emotional conversation. The Martinez family didn’t know what happened to their granddaughter. Their son, Jaime, was studying at Boston University. He wanted to be a chemist, and he was on a full scholarship when he met Jenny’s mother, Christina. She was also a student. The pair fell in love, she got pregnant, and he married her. But he didn’t tell his parents because he knew they would be upset that the lovebirds weren’t married by a priest. He figured that he would bring her out to meet his parents over the summer, they’d have a formal ceremony, and everything would be just fine.

  “In the meantime, his father ran into trouble on the family farm. He was laid up with a broken leg, so Jimmy withdrew for the remainder of the semester, bought a bus ticket, and rode across country to help out. The weather was bad in Colorado and there was a terrible crash.”

  “Oh, Kenny....”

  “The Martinez family was devastated. It took a while to receive all of his personal effects because the wreckage was scattered across the highway. Someone found his notebook, with the notes he made while he was trying to figure out how to tell his parents about Christina and Jenny. The police had to identify the owner of the notebook, and at the time, it wasn’t a priority that justified the manpower. By the time they figured out it was Jimmy’s, Christina had died of an overdose of tranquilizers and Vivian had taken Jenny to Maine.”

  “Christina must have thought Jimmy had abandoned her,” I sighed. “I’ll bet she wondered why he didn’t call her.”

  “Antonio said his wife spoke to Christina when she called. Maria didn’t know who she was or why she was asking about Jimmy, but when she tried to tell the girl her son was dead, the words wouldn’t come out. Her husband gave Christina the news. He said Jimmy’s accident happened before he reached California, so they didn’t know what the young woman from Boston was talking about when she insisted Jimmy was her husband.

  “Later, when the notebook was returned to them, they realized Christina and Jimmy were in love, so Antonio hired a private investigator to find mother and child, but the man had no luck because the trail was cold by then. The letters the Martinez family sent to Boston were returned, without a forwarding address, so they assumed the Mulroney family wanted nothing to do with them.”

  “Vivian and her parents never knew the Martinez family reached out?”

  “Apparently not.”

  “Tragic.”

  “It is. Christina was a new mother, and emotionally vulnerable. She might have been experiencing post partum depression, so Jimmy’s death would have hit her hard. The police report said that she left a note, saying she just couldn’t go on without him and that Jenny should be turned over to her sister for safekeeping. The responding officer said that Vivian showed up fifteen minutes after the cops did because Christina had called to ask her sister to look after the baby. She timed her suicide, giving herself enough time to die, but not leaving her baby vulnerable. My best guess is Vivian carried that terrible burden with her all her life.”

  “What, that she was too late to save her sister?”

  “And the guilt that she never suspected the terrible outcome.”

  “Maybe that’s why Vivian never told Jenny. She’d have to confess that she was unable to rescue Christina.”

  “There’s more. Antonio and Maria want to meet their granddaughter. I suggested that they might want to visit the Four Acorns Inn.”

  There was a long pause as I took in that news. How did I feel about it? I wasn’t sure.

  “What if they don’t like Jenny? What if they decide they don’t want her? I’m not certain she can handle that kind of rejection, Kenny.”

  “Scarlet, we have to give them the chance to get to know their granddaughter. We owe it to Jenny to choose her own destiny.”

  “I know, but I’m still nervous about it. What if it’s all too much for her? To go from losing her aunt, the woman she thought was her mother, to finding her grandparents....”

  “Let them come, Miz Scarlet, and meet the girl without telling her anything. We’ll play it by ear and get it all sorted out.”

  “I don’t know. Mozzie’s coming home and....”

  “Jenny needs family. These people have wondered all these years why their granddaughter disappeared. They assumed that the Mulroney family was so upset by Christina’s suicide that they wanted nothing to do with the Martinez family.”

  “And all this time, they could have all been united?” The tears hit hard, unexpectedly, sending a sharply stinging pain behind my eyelids. How could I say no to Jenny’s family? “When do they want to come?”

  “They’re flying in on Friday.”

  “So soon?” I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up Jenny, at least not until I was sure she would have a good life. Still, what right did I have to stand in the way? “Okay.”

  “I’ve got to go, babe. I’ll talk to you tonight, after dinner. Bye.”

  “Bye back.”

  When I retrieved Jenny from my mother’s arms, I grabbed my pocketbook, along with the keys to the Focus. I had tucked my credit card with the big limit in my wallet. Good thing. When the secretary passed the bill for Mozzie’s medical care over the counter, I actually gulped hard when I saw the total. It was almost a year’s worth of car payments. And then I looked at Jenny, cradling her canine buddy in her loving arms. Somehow I would figure out a way to suck it up. If things didn’t work out with her new family, the teen would still have Mozzie.

  It took three pages of written instructions, six different medications and ointments, and special food for the dog before we got vet permission to go home. We had an appointment on the following Tuesday to make sure he was healing properly. Dr. Greenwald told us it was a small miracle that the pup survived his ordeal. For her, it had been one of the highlights of her career as a vet. And then she instructed the secretary to credit me half the vet fee, which was more than three hundred bucks. She said she utilized an experimental wound medication on Mozzie and she’d write an article about its success in the AVA journal.

  “Thanks, Doc,” I told her.

  “I wish I could do more, I really do.” Her eyes fell on Jenny and Mozzie, nose-to-nose. “This is what it’s really all about.”

  “Can I see you for just a minute?” We stepped out into the hall. “I just wanted to tell you that we found Jenny’s grandparents out in California. She doesn’t know yet, and we hope it’s going to be a good thing for all of them. But if it’s not, know that saving Mozzie probably saved Jenny as well.”

  “Thanks for telling me.” The vet hugged me. “I’m a sucker for a happy ending.”

  “Me, too.”

  Back at the house, January and Huckleberry were curious about the new visitor. Mozzie was still on bed rest, so we set him up in a nice, cushy crate in the living room, where he could watch the action while he healed. His new canine friends hung out with him, Huck lying next to the doggie version of a hospital bed. January decided she preferred curling up next to Lacey in the club chair.

  “He’s already starting to look better,” Laurel decided, observing the patient.

  “Isn’t he?” Jenny sounded like a proud parent. “He still needs a lot of care, but I think he’ll be okay.”

  I waited until the following day, when I had more details, before I sat Laurel, Lacy, and Bur down for a family meeting. Cousin Willow had stopped by to help Jenny change Mozzie’s bandages according to standard nursing protocols, so I knew that would keep Jenny occupied while I talked to the gang.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Martinez will be arriving on Friday. Bur, can you pick them up at the airport?”

  “Sure, Miz Scarlet.”

  “We’re not going to say anything to Jenny about this, at least till Antonio and Maria have a chance to meet their granddaughter.” The Googins girls nodded in agreement as I said that. “And even then, we’ll have to figure out
how to break the news.”

  “Of course.”

  The days flew by, the hours filled with inn responsibilities and care for the injured pup. I took the healthy dogs on their daily walks, while Jenny stayed with her patient.

  On Thursday night, I told the teen that we had a couple coming from California and we needed to get the Black Oak room ready for them as soon as the Whipples checked out.

  “No problem,” she answered cheerfully.

  My stomach spent the day rumbling as I worried and fretted, fretted and worried. What if Jenny thought we betrayed her by keeping the secret? How would she take the news? What would we say to her? What if she didn’t believe Antonio and Maria were her grandparents?

  After dinner, we all sat in the living room. Mozzie came out of his crate and spent the evening on Jenny’s lap. Lacey and Laurel shouted out the answers to the puzzles on “Wheel of Fortune”. I excused myself to go call Kenny when the final spin was spun and the contestant lost. I came back in time to watch “Masterpiece” with the gang. Miss Marple was devastated by the loss of a friend in “The Pale Horse” episode. At ten-thirty, we turned off the TV, and Bur offered to carry Mozzie’s crate to the third floor while I got Laurel settled in bed. By the time I climbed the flight of stairs up to my suite, Jenny had the Cavalier King Charles spaniel nestled on his doggie pillow in her bedroom.

  “He seems to be pretty perky,” I smiled, watching the small tongue dart out of Mozzie’s mouth to lick Jenny’s hand.

  “Scarlet?” She looked up at me with those big eyes as she sat on her heels.

  “Yes, Jen?”

  “I don’t know how to ever thank you for saving Mozzie. I don’t know what I would have done if he had died.”

  “I’m so glad we didn’t have to find out what life would be like without him.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Good night. Sleep tight.”

  The dawn came with a red sky as the sun rose. I watched it through the kitchen window as I prepared breakfast. How long before the storm clouds blew in from the south?

  At nine, the rain began, lightly at first, and then turned torrential. Bur was scheduled to collect Mr. and Mrs. Martinez from Bradley International at two, on his way back from a business meeting up in Springfield. Jenny worked on the guest rooms, in between visits to the canine patient. Huck and January wanted their morning walk, so at eleven, I leashed them and we headed out onto one of the woodsy trails, where the tree canopy was thick and most of the rain didn’t get through. I tried to work off my anxiety by walking faster. By the time I returned, I was exhausted, but still worried. At least I had passed the hour getting some exercise.

  Jenny was in the living room with my mother when Bur returned with the guests. Placing Mozzie gently in his crate, she hopped up and headed out to help with the luggage. Hands nervously smoothing my Capri pants, I hurriedly followed in her wake, praying things would go well.

  The front door was open and through it, I could hear voices on the porch as they all made their way towards the foyer. January, alerted that we had visitors, came tearing out of the kitchen to see whether they should be allowed into the inn.

  “California, yes. We have an almond farm,” said a deep male voice.

  “Almonds?”

  “Yes. You’ve heard of Blue Diamond Almonds? We’re part of the growers’ association. The new thing is almond milk. Have you ever had any? It’s great stuff, especially for people who can’t digest dairy.”

  Jenny carried two bags into the hallway, a pleasant look on her face. A tall, thin, fifty-something man stepped through the door after her. Ignoring the grandeur of the entry hall, his curious eyes remained on the girl as she walked ahead. He was younger than I expected him to be, sparse hair on top, but distinguished-looking, with dark eyes. He gave me a quick nod as he passed. He seemed slightly reserved, but hopeful.

  Bur held the door for a short, attractive woman, dressed in a mint green pantsuit, her brown hair curled into short ringlets. Her eyes were lively, alert and friendly, but as she waved hello, I was struck by her smile. This was definitely Jenny’s grandmother. There was no mistaking the likeness.

  “Hello there,” she called to me, her voice melodious. “I’m Maria, as I am sure you’ve guessed. You must be Scarlet. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally have the chance to meet you.”

  For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. She was unlike anything I was expecting. Just watching her, I knew instinctively that Maria would love Jenny in all the right ways. This grandmother was a keeper.

  The Googins girls agreed when we compared notes a short time later. Jenny was showing her grandparents to their guest room. We could hear her giving them the details on the architecture as they made their way up the main staircase.

  “It’s really striking, isn’t it?” said Lacey.

  “You mean that resemblance between Maria and Jenny? Absolutely.” My mother wheeled her motorized chair to the door as her cousin and I leaned against the wall there. Bur appeared in the doorway, more luggage in hand.

  “When are you going to tell her?” Lacey wanted to know.

  “We’ll have to see. The time has to be right. We can’t just blurt something like this out,” I told them.

  “We don’t want to freak the squirt out,” Bur concurred. “What time is Captain Peacock arriving?”

  “Some time around six. He wanted to miss the weekend traffic on the bridge, so he said he’d leave early in the afternoon. By the way, I invited Myrtle and Willow to dinner. I thought we’d surround Jenny with people who care about her, just in case this doesn’t work out.”

  The rain continued all afternoon. Antonio and Maria got settled into their room and then joined us at five in the living room for canapés and cocktails. Jenny introduced them to Mozzie. Too overwhelmed by the dog’s close brush with death, she let Bur explain the serious nature of the dog’s injuries.

  “It’s terrible that someone would do that to a dog!” Jenny’s grandfather declared emphatically.

  “Are you a dog lover, Antonio?” Laurel inquired.

  “Please, call me Tony. And yes, definitely. We have three.”

  “Three dogs?” That caught the teenager’s attention. “What kind?”

  “One is a Labrador, one’s a mutt we rescued from the pound, and Mama has her cockapoo fur ball. We call her Angel.” He pronounced in “ahn-hel”, but Jenny knew what the name meant.

  “I love dogs. I’ve had Mozzie for four years. I got him as a puppy.”

  “He’s a beautiful dog,” Maria told her.

  “Yes, but his ear will never grow back,” the girl sighed. She showed Maria and Tony the tattered wound. “It was terrible what they did to him.”

  “The important thing is that both you and Mozzie survived,” Tony told her. “Life is very precious.”

  “Do you have any children?” Lacey wondered. A second later, she cringed, remembering they had lost their son, Jaime. But Maria didn’t flinch. Instead, she pulled out her wallet.

  “We do. Our son, Geraldo, is married and has two children, Jorge and Lara.” She flashed a photo of two adorable kids posed by a wishing well. They looked younger than ten. “And our daughter, Teri, is married and has a set of four-year-old twins, Justin and Pippa.”

  As I admired the photo of her daughter and grandchildren, I couldn’t help staring. Teri’s hair was short, like the teenager’s, and was almost the same color. She, too, had Maria’s smile. It was almost like seeing Jenny in ten years, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from commenting on the likeness. Gazing over at Laurel, her expression mirrored my own. There was a lot of Martinez in Jenny.

  “Wow,” said Colonel Grey Poupon, sticking his big, fat foot in it. “You and Teri could almost be sisters, squirt.”