by Jan Fields
“That does help,” he agreed. “Just before I came to meet you, I talked to Chief Edwards. He’s still looking for information about Alice and Jim. He called the police department at Preacher’s Reach and finally someone remembered Jim.”
“Oh?” Annie’s eyes went wide. “Jim didn’t get into any trouble, did he?”
“No, he just checked in at the department to let them know he had permission to go out to the island, since it was posted ‘no trespassing.’ And the police chief at Preacher’s Reach told our Chief Edwards that the police station fielded a few calls from folks who apparently saw Alice and Jim’s boat tied up at the island—again, folks calling in because the land is posted. Nothing serious.”
“Oh well. That proves they got there,” Annie said. “The video chat from Alice was from Preacher’s Reach just like she said it was. It was starting to feel a little surreal when you couldn’t find the inn where they were staying.”
Ian nodded. “Chief Edwards asked the Preacher’s Reach police chief to check into whether Jim and Alice’s boat was still tied up at the island. He promised to send an officer out to see what he can find and get back to us.”
“Good,” Annie said. “If the boat is still there, they can search the island. Some of those buildings are old and decayed. They could be trapped in one and just need help getting out.”
Ian nodded. “Who knows, they might be found even before we can get on the road.”
A shiver ran up Annie’s spine. “Of course, if they did get into some kind of accident on the island, they could be hurt. It isn’t good that neither of them could make it back to the boat.”
Ian held up his hand. “It could mean that, but it won’t help them if we start imagining the worst.”
“I have to admit, my imagination does that without much encouragement,” Annie said.
Ian reached across the table and took Annie’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ve noticed,” he said. “But you know, for all your wild mysteries and catastrophes, you and Alice have always come out just fine.”
Annie smiled a little. They had been in more than one tight spot since she’d come to live in Stony Point. A couple of times, Annie had wondered if she was going to make it out of a mystery alive. She just hoped this particular adventure for Jim and Alice would work out as well.
Ian let go of Annie’s hand discreetly as Peggy came back with two steaming crocks of soup. At the first taste, Annie realized she was hungry. Ian’s report that the search for Alice wasn’t just on hold until Friday was more comforting than she realized. She ate every drop of the delicious soup, and then sat back in the seat.
She realized Ian was grinning at her. “What?” she asked.
“I like a woman who doesn’t feel like she has to eat like a bird,” he said.
Annie blushed. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”
“I’m just glad to see you eat,” he said. “You need to keep up your strength.”
Annie nodded. Who knew what kind of adventure lay ahead of them? She might need every bit of strength she could find.
7
My female cousins were expected to keep clean and neat, and stay indoors throughout our family visits to the island. I felt bad for them—shut in the dark house that seemed to sweat from invisible pores, so thick was the humidity. As a boy, I was expected to spend my time out of doors where my natural energy was less offensive to the grieving. Considering the death of my great-grandfather to demon dogs on the island, I found the outdoors less appealing than usual. I wonder why no one felt that sending small boys to commune with killer dogs was a bad idea.
—Steven Fuller, 1925
Annie had expected the time to drag until they could leave for South Carolina, but instead it flew by. Preparing for the trip kept Annie busy. She pulled her summer clothes out of the spare closet where she’d put them only a few weeks before. She hadn’t expected to see those things for months. As she picked out outfits, she was careful to keep in mind how much the temperature could change on the Southern coast even at this time of year. Once the sun went down, night often brought a chill. Annie picked through blouses and sweaters, trying to choose things in the more subdued shades of fall. The choosing helped dull some of the worry that ate at her whenever she stopped moving.
Annie was surprised when Gwen called on Thursday, offering to drop by Grey Gables and check on Boots each day while Annie was gone. “I know Kate would do it,” Gwen said, “but with her allergies, it just makes more sense for it to be me. And I live so close.”
“I really appreciate that,” Annie said. “I thought I might have to put Boots in a kennel, and I’m not sure she would ever forgive me for that.”
Gwen laughed. “If I know cats, you’d certainly get the cold shoulder for a while.”
With that concern out of the way, Annie finished packing for the trip. She added a few extra pairs of shoes and older, practical clothes since they were likely to be wading through the brush on Fuller’s Island.
Late on Thursday, Ian finally called to let her know what Chief Edwards had found out. “Apparently the boat Jim and Alice were using is no longer tied up at the island,” Ian said.
“Did they check the island anyway?” Annie asked.
“They said they did,” Ian answered. “But Chief Edwards said he isn’t sure they looked very hard since the boat was gone. I did find out where the boat came from.”
“Oh, that’s good!” Annie said hopefully.
“Maynard’s Boats and Bait rented the boat to Jim,” Ian said. “The owner told the police that the boat just turned back up at their dock. Since Jim had paid by credit card, they didn’t think anything of it. They just assumed he turned it in after hours.”
“So that’s another dead end,” Annie said sadly.
“Well, it’s another end we’re going to investigate when we get down there,” Ian said. “I’m not so sure I’m taking anyone down there at their word—not after the chief couldn’t find any inn that would admit to renting rooms to Alice and Jim. Who knows who else is lying?”
“I’m so worried,” Annie said softly.
“I know better than to tell you not to worry,” Ian said. “But remember, we’re going down there. We’re going to find them.”
As with their past road trip, they planned to gather in the small parking lot behind A Stitch in Time. When Ian updated Annie on Chief Edwards report, he offered to pick her up Friday morning so her car wouldn’t have to sit in the lot while they were gone.
“But what about your car?” Annie asked.
“I’m driving the truck. Todd is going to come and pick it up,” Ian said. “He wanted to borrow it anyway to haul some lobster pots home for repairs. This will let him help me and get his chore done.”
“Sounds like a plan then,” Annie said, warmed again at how thoughtful her friends continuously were.
Then, suddenly, it was Friday morning and the alarm was going off in her pitch-dark bedroom. “The only thing wrong with an early start,” Annie told her grumpy cat as she gently pushed Boots over enough to sit up, “Is that it means you have to wake up early.”
Annie hurried through her shower, and then wandered through the house, checking that everything was secure. She’d already packed her laptop for the trip, but she had to fight the urge to log in again—just in case Alice had sent a message.
She was still checking that all her small appliances were unplugged when she heard the bite of Ian’s tires in the gravel outside. As she walked to the front door, Boots wove between her legs, nearly tripping her twice.
“Boots!” Annie scolded. “You’re not going to be any happier if I break my neck!”
She pulled open the front door, gently pushing the cat behind her. She didn’t want Boots getting any ideas about dashing outside now—they’d never get started on time if she had to look for an escaped cat.
“You ready?” Ian asked when the door was open enough to see him.
“Just about,” Annie said. “Come on in.
Boots is in a mood.”
“I thought cats were always in a mood,” Ian said.
“Mostly,” Annie said with a sigh. “But on the upside, she’s a good cuddler, and she keeps my feet warm at night.”
Ian opened his mouth to say something, his eyes sparkling, but then seemed to think better of it. Instead he bent down to rub Boots’s ears. The cat caught one sniff of Ian’s hands and backed away, her hair fluffed out.
Ian and Annie looked at each other. “Tartan!”
“I wish they could be friends,” Ian said. “Tartan would like Boots … after he chased her around a little.”
“He might not like her claws so much,” Annie answered. “Boots has a history of dealing with anyone she sees as a trespasser.”
“That’s for sure,” Ian said. He looked around the room, and then headed over to pick up Annie’s suitcase. “Is this all you’re bringing?”
“Not quite,” Annie said. She walked to the sofa and picked up her purse, crochet project bag, and laptop bag. “I come with accessories.”
“You still travel light,” Ian said. “I admire that.”
“Hopefully it won’t mean I spend half the trip thinking of things I wish I’d brought,” Annie told him.
Ian smiled. “Anything else? Are we ready?”
Annie looked around once more. “I guess.” Then she squared her shoulders and said more decisively, “Yes, I’m ready. I checked the house, and I’m not going to worry about anything I might have left undone.”
“Good girl.” Ian said, turning to head for the door. “Let’s go.”
Annie scooped up Boots just as the cat was ready to make her move on the open door. She backed through the door after Ian, and then shoved the cat back inside and pulled the door closed.
“You know,” Ian said. “The kennel is really a very nice place.”
“I’m sure it is,” Annie agreed. “But Boots would rather be home, and Gwen said she’d check on her.”
Ian raised his eyebrows. “That’s nice of her. Did you warn her she might get cat hair on her clothes?”
“Gwen isn’t that obsessive about her clothes,” Annie said. “Besides, I left a clothes brush on the table by the door.”
Ian put Annie’s suitcase in the bed of the truck beside his own, and then he opened the door for her. “Do you want me to put any of those in the back?” he asked, nodding toward the bags in her hands.
“No, I can hold them.” Annie stepped up into the truck, settling the bags around her feet.
As they arrived at the parking lot, they saw Stella’s driver, Jason, pull the sparkling white Lincoln in beside Mary Beth’s SUV. Kate leaned against the back of the SUV beside Mary Beth.
When Ian pulled up close, Annie hopped out, not wanting him to feel like he had to come around and open her door. She headed toward her friends. “Kate! Did you change your mind? Are you coming with us?”
Kate shook her head. “No, just seeing you off. I knew Mary Beth would have last-minute things to tell me, and I thought I would save her a phone call.”
“I only had a couple,” Mary Beth said.
Jason carried Stella’s two suitcases to the SUV. “Would you like me to pack the suitcases into the SUV again?” At the start of their last road trip, Jason had proved he was an expert at the tricky job of luggage Tetris.
“Be my guest,” Mary Beth said. “It should be a little easier since I don’t have boxes of needlework this time.”
Jason took Ian and Annie’s bags and quickly placed everything neatly in the back of the SUV. He even tucked in Annie’s laptop where it could be easily reached if she wanted to pull it out at a meal stop.
“Excellent as always, Jason,” Stella said.
“Thank you.” The tall man smiled fondly at Stella. Then he nodded at each person and headed back to the Lincoln.
“Wow,” Mary Beth said. “He didn’t nag you about anything.”
“We had a little talk after last time,” Stella said.
“Meaning he probably nagged her before they got here,” Mary Beth said.
“I believe I said what I meant,” Stella said firmly.
“So who wants to ride shotgun since Kate isn’t coming?” Mary Beth asked.
Stella sniffed. “Though I dislike that phrase, I would enjoy sitting up front with you.” She turned toward Ian and Annie. “If neither of you mind?”
“Not at all,” Ian said. “But you have to let me help drive when you get tired.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I will,” Mary Beth said.
Finally, quick hugs were exchanged with Kate, and the travelers piled into the car and started the journey. As Ian folded into the seat beside her, Annie realized just how long-legged her friend was. “I bet you have fun on planes,” she said.
“Sure. I like it when I can look at my knees up close. I actually try not to fly much, and then I usually spring for first class.”
“I can see why you’d need to,” she said. “Though I would probably feel too decadent.”
“What part of that makes you feel decadent?” Ian asked her. “The tiny pillow or the really bad food?”
Annie laughed. “OK, my natural frugality would prevent me.” She turned and looked out the side window. “I wish now that I’d checked my email this morning.”
“You could check it on your phone,” Ian suggested.
“Really?” Annie said in surprise. “I wouldn’t know how.”
“Let me see your phone, and I’ll walk you through it,” he said. “You don’t want to send a lot of emails with your phone though. Those tiny keyboards are painful.”
Ian scooted a bit closer to Annie as he held up the phone to show her the process of checking her email. In the slightly chilly car, she could feel the warmth coming from him and resisted the urge to lean into him for comfort. She had to give herself a little inner shake to focus on his explanation.
She answered his questions about her email account and watched as he seemed to magically bring up her email on the small phone screen. There was nothing from Alice; LeeAnn sent a short email wishing her luck on the trip and telling her to be safe.
The rest of the emails were either trying to sell her something or targeting greedy and gullible people with one scam or another. Ian frowned. “You should probably get a spam filter.”
“I just delete them,” Annie said. “My son-in-law told me about all the emails to avoid. So really, I don’t read most of what comes in my box.”
“That’s good,” Ian said as he closed her email and handed the phone back to her. Then he leaned toward her slightly more, so he could look out the window beside her.
Annie smiled. “Did you want this window seat?”
Ian sat back up. “Sorry. Actually I have more leg room here.”
The morning hours passed pleasantly, and eventually, Annie grew used to having Ian look over her to peer out the window now and then. When they finally stopped for lunch, he offered to drive for a while.
“You should let him,” Annie said as she stirred cream into her coffee. “He’ll enjoy looking out the nice big window.”
Ian grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m a terrible rider. Todd always says it’s like driving with a dog in the car. I just can’t seem to sit still when I’m not driving.”
Mary Beth coughed into her hand, only half-hiding the words “control freak.”
Ian laughed aloud at that. “Maybe a little.”
“Personally, I’ve never had an interest in driving,” Stella said. “I find I enjoy the ride more when I don’t pay attention to the other cars on the road.”
“That would be a hindrance to driving,” Mary Beth said with an impish smile.
“I don’t mind driving,” Annie said. “Especially at night. I like the quiet of night driving.”
“I did when I was younger,” Mary Beth admitted. “But as my eyes get older, I find I have to stay on my toes when I drive at night. I don’t find that relaxing.”
“I don’t mind night driving,” Ian t
old them. “But I dislike storm driving.”
Their driving talk was interrupted when the server brought their order, and they all tucked hungrily into lunch. As she chewed, Annie glanced out the window at the bright day. They were making good time on the road, but she wished they could go faster. Alice, where are you?
8
We didn’t normally spend much time on the mainland when we visited my great-grandparents. Mainland children were considered unacceptable playmates to a member of the Fuller family. After my great-grandfather’s death, my mother took every chance to leave the oppressive mourning on the island and spend time on the mainland. She always took me with her. Father didn’t like that, but Mother was a difficult woman to refuse.
—Steven Fuller, 1925
They didn’t stop for the night until far later than the women in the car might have chosen. Ian had kept his spot as driver for the rest of the day, and he never seemed to get tired. Finally, Stella simply demanded he find a place for the night so she could get out of the car and lie down.
The hotel was simple but clean. Annie and Mary Beth shared a room since they were both nearly ready to fall asleep on their feet. Annie didn’t care who she spent the night with at that point—as long as she got to lie down and sleep.
She quickly discovered that Mary Beth snored. The snorts and rumbles couldn’t keep Annie awake long though, and she slept through the night without interruption. The next morning, they rushed through the small breakfast that the hotel offered and got back on the road while the moon still hung pale and ghostly in the brightening morning sky.
The second day passed quickly. Ian offered to drive at breakfast, and then turned down any invitations to switch off. Everyone felt the urgency of getting there and finding Alice. Throughout the drive, it was like watching autumn undo itself. In Maine, most of the color was passing, and a number of the trees had dropped all their leaves, though enough stubborn limbs held out to keep homeowners raking. However, as they drove south, trees held more and more leaves. That sense of going back in time was so strong that Annie wished they really were—going back to the time before she had ever shown Jim that book and sent her best friend into trouble.
