by Kit DeCanti
CHAPTER NINE
Memories
Kat drove home and was glad her mother and sister were out. She climbed the stairs and even though the day was young she put on her flannel pajamas and crawled into bed. She couldn’t fight off the sentiment and romantic memories any longer. She closed her eyes and surrendered to reminiscing the ‘good times’. The memories of the days of ‘Kat and Buddy’; the days of day dreams, blind dates and picnics while the cherry blossoms blew around them like pink snow. Dancing by the light of the moon to music hand picked by Ron especially for her; soaring from the peaks of the Mendocino Forest, parasailing and Balloon riding over Clear Lake.
Kat didn’t stifle one memory. She let them all come pouring over her and once again the tears flowed freely and she missed Ron more than she knew possible. She cried until there were no more tears and her body was racked in pain. She wailed and felt as if her heart would literally break. But alas, it was all in vain. No amount of crying and wailing and pain would make it okay.
It was all in vain. Kat suspected that she was just a fling and that Ron had really been in love with this Wanda all along. Kat must have been what they call a rebound. “But the thing is, it didn’t feel like a fling.” Kat moaned out loud. “It didn’t feel like a rebound. It felt real. It was real for me anyway!”
Kat squeezed back the tears as she thought of how tenacious Ron had been. No matter how hard she held him at bay, he kept pursuing her. She had always been able to keep guys at a distance- never allowing herself to trust. Always afraid of the inevitable breakup. The abandonment. She had feared the helpless feeling of abandonment ever since her father’s death. Although on an intellectual level she had come to realize it; on an emotional level it was still this big terrifying thing that she had never wanted to have to deal with again. Her solution had been to never allow herself to commit. Never allow herself to get involved. But Ron was relentless and he had won her over. She had given her heart to him.
The sobbing began again as more memories washed over her. The clever dates Ron came up with to woo her and get her to fall in love with Lake County as well- desperate to keep her from accepting an out of the area job offer. He had taken her cycling around the lake… horseback riding on Cow Mountain… riding in the back of a horse drawn buggy through the wildflowers.
Kat’s sobbing could be heard from outside as her mother and sister exited their car and walked to the door. They yearned to rush to Kat. To comfort her. But there was nothing they could say or do. They say time heals all wounds, but in this case, it seemed unlikely.
However, had they gone to Kat at that moment, they would have found her sitting up on her bed with her eyes wide open.
She had just remembered where she had seen Guido and his beautiful young floozy. They were the couple that joined Ron and Kat at the last moment for the buggy ride through the wildflowers.
Kat jumped out of bed and started getting dressed, her enthusiasm for the mystery on Cobb Mountain renewed. Looking at the clock she estimated she would have plenty of time to drive to the last Lake County address listed for the Lombardis. This time she was going to go at it a bit more cautiously.
She reached for her laptop and did an MLS search for the property and then cried “Yes!” when she saw that it was indeed on the market. She printed out the information on the house which along with the address included directions as well as all the contact numbers for the listing agent.
Then on a hunch she typed “Suzanne Wrigley” under agents and did a search- and got a hit. Scowling, Kat clicked on the name which took her to a photo of a short, stocky, grey haired, middle-aged woman.
“Well! That is certainly not the person who identified herself as Suzanne Wrigley at Vista Montagna. The person I met at Vista Montagna was tall, young and very thin with long dark hair,” Kat said to herself, but was not surprised.
Looking at the directions Kat was sur-prised to find that this property was also on Cobb Mountain.
After grabbing her cell phone, Kat headed down the stairs and out the door leaving her mom and sister to wonder what came over her. They looked at each in disbelief.
Sitting in her car, Kat dialed the cell number for the realtor and high-fived the air when it was picked up on the third ring.
“Hello, I’m very interested in the property at…..” Kat arranged to meet the realtor in an hour which gave her time to come up with a plan on the way. She didn’t give her real name, in case such information was shared with the owner, which might still be Guido Lombardi. But she had to be careful, because in such a small community there would be the possibility of running into the realtor again. Kat snapped her finger and headed back in the house and raced up the stairs.
Digging through her closet she pulled out some boxes and found a wig. The very wig she wore as a trapeze artist the night of the hospital’s Carnival fundraiser, while playing a trick on Ron. A nostalgic smile crossed her lips but she quickly dismissed it.
“I am not going there again!” determined Kat as she stuck the wig and a brush into her backpack. “Snap out of it, Kat! You can’t live in the past! Move on!” Kat was muttering these words as she dashed down the stairs again. Her mother had come out of the kitchen drying her hands on her apron; worrying about Kat’s strange behavior, she wondered if she should call her brother.
Again keeping one eye on the mileage, Kat made the decision to make sure her new car would have a navigational system. So many of the roads on Cobb Mountain had no street signs.
No dirt roads this time, she was heading up behind the golf course. She knew that part of the mountain had been developed into a gated community, but again she had had no reason to go there until today.
“A bit out of my tax bracket,” Kat laughed to herself.
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive, putting Kat in a good mood. She pulled over onto a wide spot overlooking a canyon, and reached into her backpack for the wig. After securing and brushing it she looked in the mirror.
“With sun glasses and my hat I think I can pull it off,” Kat thought laughing at herself and feeling like an undercover agent or spy.
Kat looked at her watch, and knew she was cutting it close, but she couldn’t resist getting out for a look.
She couldn’t blame the Lombardis for choosing to stay up here with each of their recent moves. The beautiful Cobb Mountain area was one of her favorite parts of Lake County, too. She’d heard people compare it with the Tahoe area but personally, Kat thought it was even better- with its milder temperatures and a lower elevation. She took a deep pine filled breath. She loved Cobb’s bright, blue, clear, unpolluted skies of spring and summer, and the crisp cold autumn night air which caused the hill and mountain sides to turn into the glorious reds and golds of the deciduous trees which were tucked in with an abundance of evergreens; and how the winters powdered the mountain with an occasional dusting of snow. Kat looked up to the top of the pine covered Cobb Mountain which was the highest peak in the beautiful Mayacamas Mountain Range. So remote, and yet, just thirty minutes north of Calistoga.
No, she couldn’t fault the Lombardis for choosing to stay on Cobb. “But why move so many times in such a short amount of time?” Kat wondered once again.
Kat left Highway 175 and wound her way up past the golf course following the road as it made one turn after another. Finally she came to the biggest security gate she’d ever seen. A guard came out and verified that she was expected and buzzed her in.
“Good call to make an appointment with a realtor,” Kat congratulated herself, “I‘d never have gotten in otherwise.” She took another look at the directions and drove on. Even though this was a gated community there was still plenty of real-estate between each residence.
“These must be five acre lots!” Kat marveled. And if she thought the Willow Mansion was huge these homes were mammoth!
Her drive took her much farther than she expected and Kat began to regret that she hadn’t taken the time to fill her gas tank before setting out.
>
“At least the roads are good,” Kat murmured, trying to stay positive.
Finally there it was. Kat pulled over and looked at her watch. She was right on time, but since she saw no vehicle she thought she would wait until the realtor arrived before descending the hill to the property, which sat nestled in a private little valley with glorious mountain views all around. Although Kat felt a little urge to wander around un-escorted, she was more than a little gun-shy after her experiences at Vista Montagna and Willow Mansion. She resigned herself to sit there and enjoy the vantage point her spot allowed to admire the home.
And what a home it was! Kat glanced down at the picture on the real-estate print out and found it didn’t do the home justice. She read aloud the description and her eyes searched out the details on the mansion:
“This Cobb Mountain Canyon Property, known as the Cobb Valley Manor, is in the “Irish Georgian” style.
“The estate is made up of three separate living quarters as well as stables and a four-car garage. The 12,000 square foot home includes six bedrooms and seven baths in the main house, in addition to the three living quarters, the four-car garage and the stables, the 5.5 acre estate also features a swimming pool, koi pond and gazebo, and backs up against a green belt.”
Movement in the mirror caught Kat’s attention, turning she spotted a large silver vehicle approaching and hoped it was the realtor. Yes, she recognized her picture from the website, and Kat waved to the woman who smiled and motioned for her to follow as she drove by.
Kat had her story ready, but felt a twinge of guilt to have called the woman away from her family on a Sunday afternoon on a pretense of being interested in the home; as she followed the silver SUV around the circular drive which surrounded a landscaped planter, the size of a small park with a fountain centerpiece.
“Hello,” the woman said getting out of her vehicle already extending her card, “I’m Rose Marie Daniels.” Kat shook Rose Marie’s hand and gave her fictitious name again, and moved towards the front door. She was anxious to get this over with.
As the woman was opening the lock box, she said, “Well I can see you found it! Don’t you love the quaint little village of Cobb?” Before Kat could say anything she went on, “Cobb Village is located on Highway 175, two and a half hours north of San Francisco, thirty five minutes from the Napa Valley Wine County and an hour from Santa Rosa. The village has several restaurants, a gas station, several motels, a grocery store, a deli, coffee shop, book store and a garden shop.” By now the realtor had unlocked the lock box and retrieved the key, but instead of unlocking the door, she turned, smiled at Kat and continued, “Cobb Area residents have the unique opportunity to experience the four seasons with relatively mild weather in a gorgeous alpine environment. The charming village of Cobb lies nestled into the mountain boasting pure country air and an abundance of natural spring water of exceptional quality!”
Rose Marie lifted her arms as if to embrace the view and went on, “Cobb offers many wonderful mountain, valley, and golf course views. You no doubt enjoyed the variety of different houses on your drive up, which includes small vacation cabins built in the 1950's and 60's to the more contemporary family style homes nestled in amongst the pine. And you couldn’t have missed the dogwood trees in full bloom dotting the roads announcing spring.”
Just when Kat thought she had finished her narration she began again, “The Cobb Mountain area was once a well known resort area and is still a favorite getaway for many Bay Area residents especially with it’s close vicinity to Clear Lake, which is California’s largest natural lake and the lesser known but beautiful Blue Lake. Actually the residents of Lake County have many lakes to enjoy a variety of water sports such as fishing, boating, and skiing. And the county has several golf courses, with two being up here on Cobb. Oh yes, and Bogg's State Forest is not far from here and it offers wonderful hiking and biking trails. Of course this gated community has its own private hiking and riding trails.”
Finally Rose Marie unlocked and opened the door and stood aside. Kat stepped inside and gasped!
The entry literally took her breath away! She was still staring wide eyed in amazement when the realtor entered the huge foyer, which was the size of a ball room! In fact Kat could easily imagine an eighteenth century ball taking place in this very room. The entry door was flanked by twin fluted pillars and wood work followed by two sets of floor to ceiling paneled windows allowing light to flood the room, making the black diamond pattern inset into each large white square marble on the floor sparkle.
A magnificent crystal chandelier drew Kat’s eyes up to where a black trimmed white rectangle balcony entrenched the entire second floor. Above that a glass domed ceiling capped the third floor.
Following Kat’s eyes up to the ceiling, Rose Marie smiled and said proudly, “Yes, one of the many unique features of this expansive estate is the solarium!” And she began a very well rehearsed tour of the property. Kat decided to just follow her and save any questions until later partly to be able to look for clues but mostly because she was still in awe of this remarkable estate.
“Let’s start with the large formal living room, shall we? Notice the marble fireplace with the classic wood surround,” and then pointing she continued, “the multiple paneled windows will draw in light, and are trimmed with hand crafted wood work and of course,” pointing to the ceiling, “there is crown molding and custom floor boards all the way around. The inset lighting around the perimeter of the room will provide soft lighting, and the hardwood flooring is milled from the finest red oak.” Stopping and putting her hands on her hips the realtor seemed to be considering the walls, “Now I know this red is bold, but I think the room carries it quite well, don‘t you?”
Without waiting for a response Rose Marie strolled into the adjoining room. “This formal dining room again features the same hardwood floors, and custom trimmed windows and includes a coved ceiling with inset lighting in the surround,” and then proudly added, “This is a dramatically classic brass chandelier and will dress up any table setting nicely. The French doors lead to an outdoor eating area, but we’ll visit that later. Let’s look at the kitchen shall we?” Kat obediently followed.
She was not much of a cook, but Kat imagined this to be every chef’s dream! Two walls were covered with wall to wall white cabinets with granite countertops, one of which held the sink area that expanded into a bay window. One end of the room held a six foot wide refrigerator and freezer as well as a pantry. The centerpiece of the room was a butcher block covered island that was more of a prep station, complete with a sink.
“… again the hard wood floors and inset lighting...” Rose Marie’s voice droned on, but Kat was lost in her own thoughts. After stopping by the two powder rooms on the main floor, they headed up the grandiose staircase that led up to that impressive second story landing.
“Wow!” escaped Kat’s lips in spite of herself, as she leaned over and looked at the black and white marbled entryway below. Rose Marie smiled and led Kat into one of the two master bedroom suites.
“This one, I am told, was the former Mistress of the house’s favorite place. She wasn’t well and she found this room very comfortable. It has a lovely view of the green belt.”
This sparked Kat’s attention. She wanted to spend some time in that suite. The sitting room was the only room so far that had been furnished, and Kat tried to remember if the room she had seen Mrs. Lombardi sleeping in resembled or had the feel of this room. “No. This room is much more feminine. More traditional and last century in feel and style. Not rustic at all,” Kat determined as she looked around for anything that could possibly be a clue. She found it in the huge carved stone fireplace. Someone had scratched ‘11 19’ into a rock on the hearth. The same as on the note she’d seen at the Willow Mansion. She casually walked around avoiding Rose Marie’s curious looks.
Kat walked into the bedroom and then asked for privacy to use the bathroom. After shutting the door, she quickly went into the l
arge bathroom and flushed the toilet, and then on a hunch she hurried into the oversized walk in closet. Looking at the built in dresser drawers and guestimating which would be the most comfortable height for the frail Mrs. Lombardi Kat pulled out a drawer and turned it over. Again someone had scratched the numbers “11 19” on the bottom of it and this time “cellar” was also scrawled in pencil.
Startled, Kat looked up to see Rose Marie standing over her.
“Very well constructed,” Kat stammered as she put the drawer back in its place and stood up. She brushed passed the woman and went back to the landing, feeling the realtor‘s penetrating eyes on her back. She walked into another bedroom looked around and exited quickly.
The prying eyes of the realtor were beginning to make Kat to feel more than just a bit uncomfortable.
“It might just be my imagination, and it could most certainly be that Rose Marie is only looking for signs that my ‘buying temperature’ has risen. At any rate I had better be far more careful.” Kat thought as she looked out the window and said she was ready to see the outdoor living areas.
“Oh certainly, but first you must see the third floor while we are here…” Kat followed Rose Marie to the staircase and for the first time since arriving at the Manor felt afraid.
“Actually I think I’ve seen enough. I think this is much too much home for us!” And Kat headed quickly down the stairs to the door.
Kat felt a little foolish as she drove into the little town of Cobb; and to tell the truth she really did want to see more. There could have been so many more clues- but as Ron often said ‘Hell is for heroes…’
Kat frowned wondering “Will there ever be a day that I can go more than a couple hours without thinking of him!” as she pulled into the gas station.
Kat stood at the pump filling her tank while watching the road that dropped down into the little village. No strange cars, just a few touristy looking people and locals. “Funny how, after living in an area for so long you can spot tourists. In fact here comes some now,” Kat mused.
