by J A Whiting
Earlier in the evening, Alejandro had brought his grandmother out to watch the festivities, and the elderly Mrs. Callas sat in a wheelchair off to the side of the dancers, smiling and slightly moving her upper body to the rhythms of the beat. Brad spotted Mrs. Callas and headed over to her. He bent down and hugged her and she reached up and touched Brad’s cheek, her face beaming. Brad knelt beside her as the music started up again and they placed their heads close together so they could chat. Olivia had no idea what they were saying, but the elderly woman was clearly enjoying it.
Alejandro came back to wheel his grandmother into the house, and Brad hugged her sweetly before she left, his eyes happy, crinkled with kindness. The redhead returned and pulled Brad back to the dance floor.
“Hey,” a soft voice spoke from Olivia’s right side. She turned to see Esme Callas next to her.
“Esme…hi.” Olivia smiled. Esme was petite and shapely with long beautiful legs. Her hair was nearly black, with soft waves falling below her shoulders. Her olive skin was perpetually lightly tanned and her yellow linen dress showed off her coloring to advantage. Even when Olivia was young, she thought that Esme was like a creature from another planet who moved through the world with elegance and grace. Esme was the one that all the girls wanted to be and all of the guys wanted to be with. Because of the age difference, Olivia and Esme were never friends, but Esme was always friendly and sweet whenever their paths crossed.
“Who are you watching?” Esme asked.
“Everyone,” Olivia answered.
Esme tilted her head. “See anyone you like?”
Olivia laughed.
“Hmm…” Esme said. “I think so.” She held Olivia’s eyes. Her gaze was kind. “I see how you look at Brad.”
Olivia flustered. “Brad?” she chuckled. “He’s my friend.”
“More than a friend, I think.” Esme’s voice was like water.
Olivia turned away to look out at the dancers so that Esme wouldn’t see the blush on her cheeks. “Brad and I have always been friends. Anyway, I’m not his type.”
Esme watched Brad dancing with the redhead.
“That girl isn’t his type,” she said. “But you are.”
Olivia sighed and shook her head. Esme leaned on the granite rail of the terrace. “Tell him how you feel,” Esme said. Olivia kept her attention on the dancers.
“No,” she whispered. “If I said something and he didn’t…well…” Her voice trailed off.
“Olivia,” Esme spoke. Olivia was about to protest but she saw that Esme’s face had become serious.
“I’m sorry about your aunt,” Esme said softly.
“Thank you, Esme.”
“You’re doing okay?”
Olivia nodded.
“Grief takes its time,” Esme said. “Sometimes it feels like it will never let go.” Olivia blinked. When Esme was ten, she lost her mom to a sudden heart attack. “But its grip loosens eventually.” Esme’s voice was soft and kind.
Olivia wondered how long she would feel the hard, cold grip of grief around her heart.
“My brother told me you’re working on opening Aggie’s shop.”
“I’m going to open it limited hours this summer. I didn’t realize it would be so much work to get things organized. Not just the shop. The paperwork to settle the estate, get the house transferred into my name. There’s a lot to do,” Olivia told her.
“I’d make a wager that Magdalene Streeter has asked you about your house and the shop. Whether you plan to sell them,” Esme said.
“Oh, yeah. She went on about how the house would be such a burden to me.”
“Not surprised. She’s been after my grandmother to sell this house. Gram just comes up from Boston for the summer months. And now that Alejandro and I live on the west coast, she’s alone a good deal here.”
“Will she sell?” Olivia asked.
“She hates to let the house go but she knows its time to sell it. But I don’t want her to sign on with Magdalene.” Esme’s voice had a harsh tone.
“Why not?” Olivia questioned.
“I don’t like her tactics. She has been visiting my grandmother quite a bit. Is working very hard to win Gram over, pretending to be her friend, concerned about what is best for Gram. She isn’t sincere. She only wants the profit.”
“I understand. Your grandmother would probably get a very good price for the house though if Magdalene represented her. She’s the most successful agent around,” Olivia said.
Esme was quiet for a moment. “I heard Magdalene speaking harshly to my grandmother one day when she thought they were alone. I didn’t like it. Gram brushed it off, but I think she was upset by whatever Magdalene said to her.” Esme faced Olivia. “My husband, Jack, works for a hedge fund. He has friends in the Boston area who work in the financial world. Some have told him that Magdalene has overextended herself. She is the main investor in two massive building projects on the coast. One up in Kennebunkport and one in York Harbor. Most of her money is sunk in those projects. Things haven’t gone as planned and she is on the verge of financial ruin. She needs some big real estate sales very soon to keep the projects afloat and avoid bankruptcy. Once the projects are complete, she is going to make a killing, but right now her finances are in peril.”
“I had no idea.” Olivia was stunned. “Joe told me Magdalene had been pestering him and Aggie about selling their houses.”
“I’m not surprised,” Esme said. “I’m also wondering how far a desperate woman would go to keep her fortune and her reputation intact.”
“What do you mean?” Olivia asked.
Esme shrugged but her eyes held Olivia’s. “My grandmother refuses to speak to Magdalene now. She gets visibly anxious if that woman calls or shows up at the house.”
“You think she threatened your grandmother?”
“I don’t know. But after the party tonight, Gram is closing up the house and returning to Boston. I think she’s afraid to stay here anymore with only her attendants and no family around.”
“Should you mention this to the police?”
“I can’t. What would I say? I think Magdalene Streeter is threatening my grandmother? I have no proof. I’m only going on intuition since Gram won’t talk about it.”
Olivia nodded.
“Keep this between us, Olivia, will you? It’s okay to tell Joe but otherwise would you keep it quiet? I wanted to tell you because Aggie just passed away. I’m afraid Magdalene might try to prey on you…you know when someone is in a more vulnerable state they might get talked into things they regret later. I didn’t want her convincing you to sell and then have you be sorry. And I just don’t trust her. Be careful of her. None of us are going to be around Ogunquit anymore. I thought someone in town should know of my suspicions. Keep your eyes and ears open. I’ll have Alejandro give Brad our contact information. Call me if you need to.”
“I will but why tell me, Esme? Isn’t there someone else in town you should share this with?”
“I always admired you, Olivia,” Esme said.
“Me?” Olivia’s mouth gaped.
“You were always so athletic and fearless…the way you used to jump off the rocks into the ocean.” She shook her head. “My God, I wanted to do that. And when the kids all got together and someone was being teased or left out, you always stuck up for them or invited them to join in. You were so brave.”
Olivia’s eyes were wide. “Me?”
Esme threw back her head and laughed, the sound of it warm and deep. “Yes, you.”
A skinny balding man came up behind Esme. He was about six feet five with a long narrow face and a sharp nose. The combination of his features gave him a bird-like appearance. He bent and kissed Esme tenderly on the cheek.
“Jack.” She took his arm and drew him to her. “Olivia, this is my husband, Jack. Jack, this is Olivia.” They shook hands. Esme looked at Jack like he was the only man at the party, like he was the only man worth looking at. Olivia would never have placed th
e two together: Esme, so graceful and beautiful, and Jack, so gawky and gangly, bordering on ugly. But the two of them seemed like two parts that created a whole. Olivia couldn’t stop smiling at them.
“Can I steal you away?” Jack asked Esme. “The caterer has a question.”
Esme nodded. “I’ll see you later, Olivia. Remember what we talked about.” She and Jack stepped away arm in arm.
Olivia watched them go musing about what Esme had told her about Magdalene Streeter. A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped. She turned to see Brad standing beside her.
“Brad. You startled me.”
“Sorry. I was looking for you.” He had a goofy grin on his face helped along by several beers.
Olivia smiled.
“Dance?” Brad asked and held his arms open.
Olivia stepped into his arms and they moved to the slow beat of the music. Brad’s hand on her back sent electricity sparking between them. The warmth of his arms around her was good and right and they stepped closer together creating a place on the terrace that seemed just for them.
“Olivia!” Chad Andrews, an acquaintance from childhood, interrupted Brad and Olivia. He shook Brad’s hand. “Brad, I hear your bookstore is doing great. Congratulations. Glad to hear it.” He turned to Olivia. “You promised me a dance about an hour ago.” He smiled at her. “How about it? Can you excuse us, Brad?”
Brad nodded. Olivia held Brad’s eyes for a second before she and Chad walked down the stone steps to join the dancers. Brad’s gaze was glued on Olivia as she danced with Chad. Then he sighed and turned away.
***
Brad, Olivia, Sean, and Miss Jennifer Big Chest walked along the quiet night streets of Ogunquit. They were among the last to leave the Callas’ party and everyone but Olivia was feeling the effects of too much alcohol. When they reached the center of town, Sean offered to walk Jennifer the rest of the way to her rented cottage and they parted ways with Brad and Olivia.
“I’ll walk you home,” Brad said to Olivia.
They stepped off the curb and Brad lurched forward, his body flailing as if his muscles were made of rubber. Olivia grabbed his arm to steady him and keep him from falling.
“Whoa. I missed the curb,” Brad slurred. Olivia stifled a giggle.
Brad swayed a bit and his eyes looked glassy and unfocused.
“You okay?” Olivia took his arm again.
Brad raised his eyes to Olivia and squinted. “Liv. I don’t feel so good.” He coughed and started to dry heave. Olivia pushed him a few steps towards a trash can back on the sidewalk and held his shoulders. Brad, making horrible retching noises, deposited the contents of his stomach into the bin.
Brad moaned. “I’m sorry.” Olivia handed him a tissue from her purse and he wiped his mouth.
“It’s not the first time you’ve retched in front of me.” Olivia smiled at him.
“I’m so gross.”
Olivia laughed. She held his arm again. “I think I’ll walk you home.”
They crossed the main street and headed to Brad’s book store.
“Good thing you’re only a block away,” Olivia told him. “I don’t think you’d make it much further.”
With Olivia steering Brad along the street, they made it to the side entrance of the book store building. Brad’s hand fumbled in his pocket trying to dig out his key to the second floor apartment. Olivia took the key from his hand and unlocked the door while Brad leaned against the wall.
“But I need to walk you home,” Brad protested.
“I think I can manage better on my own.” Olivia chuckled as she opened the door for Brad. She started to help him up the stairs.
“I can do it.” Brad swayed a bit and grabbed the hand rail. “I’m sorry I drank too much.” He put one foot on the first step.
“Here’s your key.” Olivia placed it in his free hand. “Put it in your pocket. Have a glass of water and go to sleep. You’ll feel better tomorrow.” Maybe she thought to herself thinking about the raging head ache Brad would probably wake up with. She turned the bolt in the doorknob so it would lock when she pulled the door shut. She waited until Brad was at the top of the stairs.
“Goodnight,” she called to him.
“Thank you, Liv,” Brad’s feeble voice quavered.
Olivia closed the door with a tug and headed down the dark, silent streets to her house. Esme’s concerns about Magdalene Streeter floated about in Olivia’s mind. She couldn’t come to terms with Magdalene threatening an old woman. Magdalene was single- minded in her pursuit of money and was probably unscrupulous in some of her dealings but Olivia never saw the woman as threatening or dangerous. Joe, Aggie, and Olivia wondered sometimes how a real estate broker could have amassed the type of fortune that allowed her to live such a lavish lifestyle. Magdalene had a massive home, collected cars, took exotic trips, and had jewelry that could rival that of any Hollywood star. Joe suspected an inheritance had added to Magdalene’s own accumulation of wealth, but none of them knew much about her except that she worked like a dog and never mentioned any family. Aggie always felt badly for her and would often say what good is all that money if you have no one to share it with. Olivia tried to imagine if Magdalene could resort to desperate tactics if she was in danger of losing her fortune. She just didn’t know. She guessed that people could surprise you and not only in good ways. She wanted to talk to Joe about Esme’s concerns.
Olivia turned down the side street that led to her house. Moonlight filtered through the trees and lit the road in spots. Olivia hadn’t thought she would stay out so late and wished she had left the front door light on so it would be easier to see the lock.
As she approached her house, something caught her eye at the side of her yard. She stopped short. She thought she saw movement near the back corner. Olivia sidestepped to the left and moved closer to her neighbor’s bushes. She peered to the back of her property. She thought she could see the beam of a flashlight cross her lawn. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart hammered her chest. She flicked her eyes to Joe’s house. It was dark. All of the houses on the street were dark. Olivia reached into her purse and pulled out her phone in case she needed to call 911. She tried to slow her breathing. She wondered if it was just the moonlight flickering across the lawn. Maybe a raccoon had caught her eye. She took short steps along the hedge that separated her property from the neighbor’s house on the left, being careful not to step on any branch or twig that would crack and give her approach away. She hugged the hedge. She was almost to her back yard. The silhouette of a man came towards her from the rear of the house. Olivia pressed against the branches and stood stock still holding her breath as the sweep of the man’s flashlight caught her in its beam.
“Alexei,” Olivia gasped, her hand tightened its grip on her phone.
“Olivia.” Alexei startled. He directed the beam away from her face.
“What? What are you doing here?” Olivia tried to keep her voice steady.
“I came to drop something off.” Alexei took several steps towards Olivia. She pressed herself closer to the hedge and the branches scratched her back and shoulders.
“At this time of night?” Olivia’s voice had a higher pitch. A mix of fear and anger rose in her throat. “It’s kind of late.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“What do you want?” Olivia stepped away from the hedge but her index finger hovered over the screen of her phone. She decided that one of the neighbors would hear her if she started to scream.
“I feel badly about the other day. I wanted to talk. I wanted to give you these.” Alexei lifted his right hand. He held flowers out to Olivia.
Olivia shook her head. “It’s after two o’clock in the morning.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was looking for somewhere to leave the flowers. I didn’t plan to wake you. There’s a note.”
“Why didn’t you just leave them on the front porch? Why are you in my backyard?”
“I wanted you to see the flowers
first thing in the morning. I thought you might go out the back door first, so I was going to leave them on the patio.”
Olivia groaned and started for the front of the house. “This is weird. I don’t like you snooping around my house at night.” Alexei trotted after her.
“I apologize. It was stupid.”
Olivia stopped at the front door landing and wheeled around. “I don’t want you doing this again. I swear, I’ll call the police.”
Alexei tried to hand her the flowers. “I’m sorry. I’ve been under stress. It was a stupid thing to do. I’m sorry that I startled you.” He held the flowers out to Olivia. “I won’t do it again. But please, read my note.”
“I need to go to bed. I need to get up early. You need to go.”
“I will.” Alexei took a step closer. “Please. Take the flowers.”
Olivia sighed and took them. “Go, now.” Her voice was firm.
Alexei backed away. “I’m sorry again. Please forgive me.”
He strode down the driveway. Olivia watched him until he was out of sight. She took her key out of her purse and pushed open the front door, sighing. She was exhausted. Why on earth would he come to her house so late at night with flowers? She hated the idea of him lurking around the outside of her house. And with a flashlight. She couldn’t help but feel violated. She wondered if she should notify the police but then wondered what crime it was to bring someone flowers. She went into the dark kitchen, filled a glass with water, and took a long drink. She put the flowers on the kitchen table as she reached to turn on the small lamp she kept there. Her hand froze in mid-air. That light was on when I left. She let out a long breath. The bulb must have burned out.
