by Karen Kelly
“I was baking again. Just took the last of it out of the oven. Let me pull on my rain gear and I’ll see you in a few.”
As soon as Alice had shaken the rain from her clothing and shed her hat, coat, and boots, Annie led her to the living room and described her phone call from Peggy and John’s eerie visit. When she was finished, Alice leaned an elbow against the arm of the couch, resting her cheek in hand. “How many years have I lived in Stony Point and have known John and Gwen?” she said. “Decades, and not once have I ever heard about or seen that kind of behavior from either one of them. They’ve always been the embodiment of self-control. At times I’ve hoped they would loosen up, let go some. But this is scary!” Boots sprang onto the couch between the two friends, kneaded the cushion under her front paws, and curled up for a nap. A hand from each side gently stroked the sleek back.
“What do we do next?” Annie asked. “My thinking is that Gwen was not with John when he came here; he looked insecure when I asked if Gwen was in the car. And if she felt like I had hurt her somehow—although I can’t think of any way that I have—would she come anywhere near Grey Gables? I don’t see it.”
Alice gave a small shake of her head. “Neither do I. Did Peggy see how the argument ended?”
“I don’t know. I had to end the call quickly when John knocked on the door. Banged, actually. Maybe we should call Peggy and see if she saw where they headed after they left the diner.” Annie started to get up to retrieve the phone, but Alice motioned for her to stay put. She handed Annie her cell phone, pulled from the pocket of her jeans. “Speed dial number three.”
Annie settled back against the couch cushion as the line rang. Peggy answered, “Ay, Alice.”
“It’s Annie, Peggy. Sorry to fool you. I won’t keep you long. I was wondering if you could tell where Gwen and John were headed after the argument. Or did one of them say anything about where they were going next?” Annie wasn’t sure how to word her questions differently, as she preferred not to mention John’s visit.
“Let me think a minute, Annie.” Peggy paused to run the scene through her mind. “Can’t say I heard any place names, just John complaining about ‘those Holdens.’ Just as they were starting to get really loud, I think they realized folks were listening. They walked out quick like. I tried to peek out the window as long as I could. I saw John lurch over to the passenger door and open it for Gwen, still hotter than a hornet. But Gwen shook her head and backed away from the car. The last thing I saw was Gwen taking off down Main Street and John throwing up his hands. Then a big order came up, and I had to leave the window.”
“Gwen must have been at wit’s end to run off on a night like tonight.”
“Don’t ya know it! I see a lot at the diner, but I never expected to see John and Gwen going at it.”
“Do you remember which way Gwen went on Main, Peggy?”
“Uh … yeah, south.”
“Thanks for your help. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“No problem. I hope you can help Gwen work out whatever’s bothering her. G’night, Annie.”
“Good night, Peggy.” Annie switched off the phone and handed it back to Alice.
“Well?” Alice said, slipping her phone back into her pocket.
“My hunch might be right. Peggy saw Gwen refuse to get into the car with John. She ran south on Main.”
“That eliminates a few blocks of searching. It’s something. Do you suppose Gwen just went home?”
“I don’t know, but I think we should start looking there. If John went home from here, you’re going to have to go to the door alone, while I hide in the car. My presence would not lend a calming atmosphere to your conversation with John.” Annie stood up. “And we better not wait any longer.”
Alice followed Annie into the hall. “How about we take the Mustang?” She didn’t feel the need to explain why. Her boots stood at attention on the entry rug. She pulled them on first, before putting on her coat and hat.
“Sure,” Annie answered quietly. “I think we can leave the top up tonight.” Taking her long slicker off the coat rack standing against the wall, she buttoned it up to the top button. She stamped into the high rubber boots she had bought at Malone’s once she decided to stay in Stony Point for a while. “My scoodie won’t do for tonight’s weather.” Annie reached past the scarf and hood combination she had crocheted in a rich deep red with a light shimmer of gold and snagged a wide-brimmed rain hat.
“That scoodie rivals even Kate’s creations for beauty, Annie,” Alice said in an attempt to lighten the situation. Alice walked over to feel the soft, thick cashmere blend. “It’s gorgeous and even practical for our windy Maine days. Rainy ones excepted.”
Annie smiled her thanks and clapped the rain hat over her hair. The two women went out onto the porch where curtains of rain cascaded from the edges of the roof.
“Ready? Go!” yelled Alice. They charged down the porch steps and across to the carriage-house driveway where the Mustang was parked. Alice pressed the keyless entry button on her key ring, and the pair dove into the car, slamming the doors as fast as they could.
“I hope Gwen’s home!” Annie gasped. “This is no night to be out alone.”
Alice agreed as she turned the ignition and slowly backed out of the driveway. The Palmers’ home, Wedgewood, stood a short distance from Grey Gables. No cars stood on the driveway in front of the blue colonial, but the Palmers had renovated an old barn into a garage behind the house.
“I can’t tell if anyone’s home or not,” said Annie. “You better go alone.”
She watched anxiously as Alice ran up to the door of the meticulously maintained home and used the heavy brass knocker several times. After several minutes of waiting, Alice sprinted back to the car.
“If anyone is home, they are faking it very well,” said Alice.
“I stared at the windows as you knocked,” said Annie. “I didn’t notice any movement or changes in lighting after you knocked. Let’s just drive along some of the roads and make sure Gwen’s not still out there. She may not want to see me, but mercy, how I hope we’ll see her. And soon!”
19
Annie and Alice decided to drive toward Main Street first, hoping Gwen had not strayed from hard-surface roads. Walking trails or paths could wash out from under one’s feet in such a storm. Annie peered out her window. “It’s like trying to see something behind a waterfall.” Alice muttered, “Yup,” putting all her energy into keeping the car on the right side of the road and stealing looks to the left beyond the roadside. They reached Main Street without seeing another human being.
“She wouldn’t have kept going south on Main, would she?” asked Annie.
“Can’t think of a reason why she would,” answered Alice, idling the car at the corner of Maple and Main. “There’s next to nothing there for miles.”
“Let’s take Oak to Ocean and then cover Grand. If we don’t see Gwen on that route, I don’t know where else she might be, other than home at Wedgewood.”
“Do you suppose she might have turned to Reverend Wallace?” Alice kept an eye on the rearview mirror.
“I’d be relieved if she did. He is a wise, caring man. Hmmm, instead of Oak, maybe you should go down Elm past the church and manse.” When at home, Reverend Wallace received visitors either in his home office or the parlor, both of which were located on the street side of the manse. “If we see a light shining in one of the first-floor windows, there’s a chance Gwen has found some help.”
Alice turned right onto Main Street, crossed over Oak Lane, and turned right again onto Elm Street. The Town Square and ballpark stood empty and forlorn. Water sluiced over a large banner that advertised Harvest on the Harbor, causing it to sag between the two lampposts to which it was tied.
As the car approached the manse, Alice sighed. “Oh. The front rooms are dark, except on the second floor. Grand Avenue, here we come.” Alice turned back onto Ocean Drive, past Grey Gables, and continued onto Grand Avenue. Of the three b
uildings located across from the Harbor, only The Grand Avenue Fish House showed any signs of life with lights winking through the storm.
The car had just passed the Snack Bar when Annie cried out, “Slow down, Alice! Do you see a person on your left or am I imagining things?” Alice braked carefully on the slick road from a crawl to barely moving.
Head bent and shoulders hunched, a slight figure fought against the elements. “I recognize that coat. It’s Gwen’s!” Alice lowered her window halfway down, ignoring the rain splashing into her face.
“Gwen!” she shouted as loudly as she could. “Let me give you a ride!” The figure stopped and turned to peer at the car. Gwen bent her head down again and continued picking her way along the road.
Annie tapped Alice on the shoulder. “Tell her John came to Grey Gables because he was so worried about her.”
Alice nodded and turned back to the window. “Gwen! John came by Grey Gables earlier. He’s very worried about you.” Gwen lifted a foot to step forward, and then lowered it to the same spot it had been and stood still. Alice put on her emergency blinkers and emergency brake before jumping out of the car to open the way to the backseat. Keeping her eyes trained on the ground, Gwen jogged across the street and slid into the rear seat.
Alice turned off the blinking emergency lights and drove a short distance farther along Grand Avenue to turn around at the Ocean View Assisted Living entrance.
“Gwen, you must be freezing!” Annie cried over the pounding of the rain and the slapping of the windshield wipers. “Can we take you to Grey Gables and get some dry clothes for you?”
Although she did not answer vocally, Gwen lifted her head enough to show agreement.
“I don’t know about you, but I could go for some hot cocoa,” Alice said, relief smoothing the lines of worry that had been stretched across her forehead. They passed the harbor again, the beacon from Butler Lighthouse appearing brighter than a few minutes before.
“Hot cocoa, tea, coffee, whatever’s your pleasure.” Annie tried to keep a balance between false heartiness and stifling concern to make the ride as comfortable as possible for Gwen. Annie had let her attention drift to the sound of the rain when Gwen said quietly, “Thank you, Alice, Annie.” After John’s words to her, the last thing Annie expected to hear from Gwen was gratitude. Although she still did not know the source of Gwen’s pain, the core of tension that had been tightening stopped, and began to unwind.
Alice pulled into the driveway of Grey Gables. Glancing at the dashboard clock, Annie saw they had only been gone for thirty minutes.
When they bustled through the door, Boots sat right inside but retreated to the stairs in disgust as water drops flicked from hats and coats. Even the expensive raincoat Gwen wore could not stand up to the Maine storm. Every inch of her clothing ranked somewhere on the moisture spectrum from damp to sopping wet.
“Alice, will you take our coats to the mudroom while I find some warm clothes for Gwen?” Annie asked.
“Sure.” Alice gathered the dripping coats, holding them at arm’s length to give them a quick shake over the entry rug before carrying them as fast as she could to deposit them on the row of hooks attached to the wall.
“Come up with me, Gwen. If you’d like to take a warm shower, I have a comfy robe you can use. Gram always made sure she had extras.”
Gwen’s usually sleek blond hair was plastered against her head, the tidy chignon barely hung on, listing sideways with stray wet tendrils crawling down her neck. Gwen fingered the mess. “That sounds heavenly, Annie.”
She walked over to the rug, took off her shoes, and arranged them neatly in the corner. Then she followed Annie up the stairs, Boots springing up ahead of them. Annie paused at the linen closet in the hallway long enough to grab fresh towels and escorted Gwen to the bath at the end of the hall. Placing the towels in Gwen’s hands, Annie told her, “I’ll hang some clothes on the doorknob for you. We’ll be down in the kitchen.”
“May I use your phone?” Gwen asked. “I need to let John know I’m all right.”
“Of course!” Annie exclaimed. “I know he’s worried about you. Let me get you the cordless from my bedroom.”
Gwen murmured her thanks and continued into the spacious bath, while Annie turned into the master bedroom to get the telephone and to find clothes suited for her friend.
When Gwen entered the kitchen thirty-five minutes later in soft celery green pants and a long-sleeve tunic, her blond hair was dry and draping over her shoulders. Her shivers had fled under the soothing warm shower. Annie looked up from spooning cocoa powder and sugar into three mugs.
“Gwen! I’ve never seen you with your hair down before. How beautiful!”
Alice sat at the kitchen table with a basket of scones in front of her, which she had retrieved from the carriage house while Gwen had been upstairs. “Now that I think of it, neither have I. I never realized how wonderfully thick it is.” She patted the chair next to her.
Gwen pulled out the chair and sat. “Oh, thank you. I don’t think about my hair much.”
“Is there any particular reason you always wear it up?” asked Alice.
Gwen opened her mouth to answer but closed it again to consider her answer. Light laughter escaped her. “I think it started from watching old Grace Kelly movies. She was so elegant. I grew up wanting to be like her.”
Annie drizzled a little milk into each mug and stirred until a thick chocolate syrup gleamed. “Personally, I’d say you’ve mastered elegant very well.”
Gwen’s eyes turned somber and she lowered them, staring at her hands which rested in her lap. “I tossed elegant right out of the window this week, I’m afraid. In the process John has been hurt, as well as you, Annie. I’m so sorry.”
Gwen paused.
“Thanks for letting me call John,” she said. “I told him I’m with Alice. I was afraid he was still mad at you, Annie. I said I was going to shower and get warm, and that then I would come home. He was so relieved! Hopefully his anger will be relieved, too, when we have a chance to talk about all of this calmly.”
Annie turned off the flame under the saucepan of milk, and poured the hot milk into each mug. “Gwen, please don’t worry about me. We Texas gals are tough. I only wanted to support you in whatever you were experiencing, and I guess I stumbled over myself doing it.” Annie set a mug in front of Gwen and then Alice. She took the third mug from the counter and sat down next to Gwen.
Gwen slowly stirred her hot chocolate. “The only thing you stumbled over, Annie, was a family secret. So secret I knew nothing about it.” She lifted the mug and breathed in the scent of chocolate. Then she looked at her two friends. “Clara Stewart is my great-grandmother.”
“And Evelyn Stewart?” asked Annie. “She was in the registry too, but there was no married name given.”
Gwen nodded. “Yes, she is my grandmother, Evelyn Stewart Campbell. She sounds so Scottish, doesn’t she? I had absolutely no idea there was any Passamaquoddy blood in my family line. Grandma and Mother never said a word.”
“No wonder you turned so pale when I told you about Annie and me finding the end of the poem!” said Alice. “And here I thought you had probably been hit with insomnia the night before your trip to the museum.”
“The insomnia didn’t hit until after our conversation,” Gwen said wryly. “I went home and tore through Wedgewood, looking at any paper, journal, or letter from my family for any mention of Passamaquoddy heritage. Dinner burned to a crisp. I couldn’t tell John yet; I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t the welcome home from work John was expecting.” She took a sip of her cocoa. “Mmm—Alice, cocoa was a great choice.”
“It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate.” Alice lifted the cloth from the basket in front of her. “Would you like a scone to go with it? I made them to test Annie’s first batch of rose-hip jelly.”
Gwen nodded. “I’ve eaten little in the last couple of days. One of your scones is a good way to get back into the habit of eating.” S
he reached into the basket to take a scone and placed it on one of the dessert plates stacked next to the basket. Breaking off a tip of the treat, she nibbled off a small bite.
After swallowing she continued. “I don’t want you to misunderstand about John from what I said. When he came home to a ruined dinner, he wasn’t disturbed that his dinner wasn’t perfect. He’s never seen me like I’ve been the last few days. That’s the first time I’ve burned a meal in thirty-five years of marriage!”
“That’s quite a record,” said Alice. “I think I burned the first five dinners I made in my marriage. It took years of practice to become the culinary genius I am today.” Alice lifted her scone, its top now shimmering with the bright rose-hip jelly. “Did you ever find anything in your family’s records?” She slid the jelly jar over to Gwen, who dabbed some on her own scone as she answered.
“No. And the more I looked, the more frustrated I became and the more worried John became. When I finally tried to explain what had happened, I became even more upset, realizing that my grandmother and mother had completely jettisoned an entire section of our family. And I wondered how it would impact my life.” Gwen turned to Annie. “John thought I was angry because you had shared Grandma’s name with Alice. But I wasn’t. First, I was angry at my mother and grandmother for hiding my past from me. Second, it irked me that John went into his Mr. Fix-It mode.” Gwen paused for another sip of cocoa as her friends inwardly smiled at her description of John’s reaction. “I realize John’s problem-solving skills have kept Stony Point Savings Bank strong in all kinds of economic ups and downs over the years, but I’m his wife, not a financial institution.”
At that moment, Annie and Alice both knew their friend would weather her emotional storm. Annie nodded agreement. “That explains John’s visit earlier. He thought I had hurt you, and the thought that I might have hurt you horrified me.”
“What I don’t understand,” said Alice “is why the box, collar, and poem ended up in Betsy’s attic. If your grandmother and mother didn’t want you to know about that part of your heritage, why not sell or throw away the things?” She stirred the remaining cocoa in her mug before draining it.
