Emeralds in the Attic

by Jan Fields

  “Wild weeds,” LeeAnn said. “Can you overnight the fabric? I really need to get going on the costume if I’m going to get it done in time. Thankfully, John wants to be a boat captain; he has most of that stuff in their dress-up box.”

  Just as Annie was about to answer, Boots raced by her with a bundle of green in her mouth. “Boots!” Annie yelped. Then she told LeeAnn that she had to go. A yarn-napping was happening right in front of her.

  “No problem,” LeeAnn said. “I need to run anyway. Don’t forget about the fabric.”

  “I won’t,” Annie promised. She hung up and hurried into the kitchen where she’d seen the cat run. Looking around, she couldn’t find Boots. Then she remembered the time the cat had dragged a doll into the crack between the end of the cabinets and the wall. “I’ve got to get Wally to fix that.”

  She dug the flashlight out of the junk drawer and shone the light into the crack. No cat and no yarn ball. Puzzled, Annie headed into the mudroom. She used the flashlight to look under the benches where several pairs of rain boots lay scattered. That’s when she spotted the cat huddled over the yarn ball.

  “You’re turning into a terrible crook,” Annie said as she took the yarn from the disgruntled cat. Then she had an idea. She flashed the light into each of the overturned boots. Inside she found Boots’s bell ball, the missing ball of yarn, a leftover piece of black ribbon from Annie’s mask project, and something else fuzzy wadded deep in the toe.

  Annie shook the boot upside down and the matted fuzzy thing fell out on the floor. It was a dead mouse. Annie shrieked and leapt to her feet. Boots nabbed the dead mouse and made a run for the kitchen. This time the cat did duck into the crack between the counter and wall.

  Shuddering slightly, Annie carried her yarn to the front room, stuffed it into her project bag, and put the bag far out of the cat’s reach. She tossed the bell ball into the middle of the room. The bell jingled but no cat appeared.

  Annie walked back into the kitchen and opened a can of tuna. Like magic the cat appeared at her ankles. “Forget it,” Annie said. “I’m not rewarding you for being so naughty. I guess I’m going to have tuna salad for lunch.” She put a bowl over the open can of tuna and then used the broom to fish the dead mouse out of the crack and dispose of it outside.

  After the mouse eradication, Annie quickly packaged up the fabric LeeAnn had asked for and added a note telling her how the story of the yarn napping had ended. “I solved the mystery of the stolen yarn,” she wrote. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m ready to live mystery-free now.”

  Not that Annie ever got to be mystery free for long.

  7

  By Tuesday, Annie was really looking forward to the meeting of the Hook and Needle Club as her sweater project was as far along as she could manage on her own. Although she’d finished the cables on the front of the sweater, somehow the one that ran down the arm of each sweater sleeve had her baffled. The stitch was slightly different, and Annie just couldn’t wrap her mind around it somehow. Finally, she stuffed it into her project bag and hoped Kate could save her.

  The weather turned warmer with the end of the rain, as if not wanting to leave summer totally behind, and Tuesday was bright and cool. A brisk rain had driven many of the leaves off the trees, but Annie tried not to look at them as she hurried out to her car. “They need a couple days to dry before I can rake them,” she told herself.

  She stopped at the cleaners on the way to the meeting to pick up her dress. She so hoped the delicate dress had survived the cleaning process, but the results more than delighted her. The cleaners had done a wonderful job with it, and the soft colors now almost seemed to glow. Annie was relieved to see the old fabric showed no signs of damage.

  She laid the dress carefully across the backseat before hurrying to A Stitch in Time. As usual, the chairs were full when she got there, and everyone was talking about the auction. Though Stella’s needles worked steadily on her project, everyone else was caught up in auction fever.

  “Alice said you bought the mask I made,” Kate said. “I was so afraid no one would want it.”

  “Plenty of people wanted it,” Alice said. “There was practically a bidding war. Annie had to fight tooth and nail for it.”

  Annie laughed. “I don’t know about that, but bidding did go quite high. I was lucky to win. It’s absolutely perfect for my gown.”

  “Speaking of bidding wars,” Gwen said. “You clearly won our little challenge, hands down, Annie. I couldn’t believe it when Victoria bid a thousand dollars to get your mask.”

  At that, Annie was bombarded by questions by those who hadn’t been at the auction. She really didn’t have many answers. She had no idea why the wealthy young woman had wanted her mask so much or bid so highly.

  “As long as it’s for a good cause, I don’t suppose it really matters,” Stella said.

  “You’re right,” Annie said, but she couldn’t help wondering.

  The rest of the week passed all too quickly as Annie fretted about the ball. She knew it was silly to worry so much, but she wanted to look good for Ian. It wasn’t about romance, she told herself firmly several times. It was simply a matter of not wanting the mayor to look bad.

  She had bought new shoes after looking over her collection of comfy slip-ons. She had even considered getting the “sparkles” in her hair covered, but quickly rejected the idea. She had earned the strands of gray with a lovely lifetime, and her grandchildren loved them. That was good enough for her.

  By the time Saturday rolled around, Annie felt she had everything under control. Then she tried to fix her hair. Normally Annie wore her hair one of two ways: up in a short ponytail when she was working in the garden or cleaning house, or long and loose. But a ball seemed to call for something a little more elaborate. She tried a variety of different hairdos, some requiring a lot more hairspray than she usually went for, but nothing seemed quite right, and time was ticking away.

  In desperation, she hurried off to take a shower so she could start over. After a quick blow-dry, she slipped into her gown. The fabric fluttered lightly around her ankles, and Annie smiled at her image in the mirror. Well, at least I have a great dress, she thought as she pushed her stocking-clad feet into her ivory heels. Since she hadn’t really dressed up in years, the shoes felt a little strange and wobbly.

  The feeling brought back a memory of a long-ago formal dance and the first time she’d worn really high heels since her high school prom. When Wayne had come to pick her up, he seemed almost awestruck at the sight of her. She smiled as she thought of how he’d fumbled with the corsage, having no idea how to pin it to her strapless gown. She’d eventually rescued him and pinned it on herself.

  Then he’d practically galloped to the car, all his nerves coming out in that long-legged dash. There was no way she could keep up in the high heels. She’d wobbled down the front walk, feeling abandoned. Finally, she’d stopped and put her hands on her hips, completely annoyed.

  At the car, he’d opened the door, and then he turned to find she was only halfway down the walk. “Is something wrong?”

  “You should have told me this was a sprint,” she’d said. “I would have worn track shoes.”

  He’d flushed so pink she could see it even in the dim light from the porch. He’d hurried back and offered his arm. And for the rest of the evening, he’d hovered over her as if she might fall down at any moment and need carrying. In his own way, he’d stayed right by her side from then on, just in case she needed him.

  Annie blinked as her image blurred in the mirror. Her life was blessed now in so many ways with good friends here in Stony Point, but how dearly she missed the security of Wayne by her side.

  Annie took a deep breath and turned away from the mirror to root through Gram’s jewelry box for the fine strand of seed pearls she knew was in there. She quickly slipped them on and added the small diamond earrings that were her most valuable jewels.

  A glance at the clock made her yelp. Ian would be there soo
n, and she still didn’t know what to do with her hair. Maybe something simple? She twisted her hair into a chignon and looked around on her dresser top for something she could use to hold the hair in place. Then she remembered the hair comb from the emerald set.

  Annie kicked off her shoes for speed and hurried downstairs to the living room where she’d left the jewelry box with her mask-making supplies. She carried the box back to her bedroom and twisted her hair again, using the comb to secure it. A few fine wisps of hair floated down, but somehow the comb made it look artful, not messy. Annie gave it a quick spritz of hair spray and hoped for the best.

  Boots had watched most of her preparations from a place of comfort, sprawled on the bed, but as Annie turned she found the gray cat batting at the sparkling necklace in the jewelry box. “I don’t think so,” she scolded.

  She closed the box and shoved it under the pillows to keep Boots from getting back into it. The sound of the doorbell startled her. “I guess it’s showtime,” she said, taking a deep breath and slipping back into her shoes.

  She opened the front door just as Ian pressed the doorbell again. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Annie said as she opened the door and stepped back. She noticed how well the black tuxedo set off Ian’s long-legged figure. “I’m about ready. Let me just get my mask.”

  “I don’t mind waiting,” Ian answered as he stepped in. “If you’ll forgive the cliché, you’re worth it.”

  “You know Gram always told me to beware of charming men,” Annie said.

  Ian raised one eyebrow. “From what I’ve heard, your grandfather was very charming.”

  “There’s an exception to every rule.” Annie picked up the floral-trimmed mask and held it in front of her face. “What do you think?”

  “That’s a beautiful mask,” Ian said. “Kate’s work?”

  “Yes. Isn’t it beautiful?” Annie replied. “It went for a higher selling price than I had expected, but I just had to have it! I didn’t see you at the auction; do you have a mask?”

  “I ordered mine online to match this penguin suit I’m wearing.” He opened his tuxedo jacket and reached into an inner pocket to pull out a white ceramic mask with a black stripe down the center and a beak. Somehow it managed to be very whimsical and classy at the same time. It had a band to hold it on, and Ian slipped it over his head.

  Annie burst into laughter. “I’m seeing a whole different side of you, Mr. Mayor.”

  Boots had followed Annie downstairs to flop on the sofa. When Annie laughed, the cat raised her head to give Annie a grumpy meow. Boots took one look at Ian in his pointy-nosed mask and raced out of the room. Annie and Ian left together, still laughing at the temperamental cat.

  Ian had left his truck at home, and Annie was glad. She settled into the smooth seat of his car and enjoyed being surrounded by the scent of the leather. In the hot summer, she appreciated the fabric seats in her Malibu, but on a cool evening there was something luxurious about being in a long, silk gown and nestled in a leather seat.

  The drive to Maplehurst Inn was short, and they soon pulled up in front of the inn. For the night of the ball, the Historical Society had hired some of the local teens to park cars in order to get the most people into their small parking lot and into the overflow parking they were borrowing from the Stony Point Cultural Center.

  Annie didn’t mind; it meant less walking on uneven ground in her heels. Ian opened her door and offered his hand as she climbed out. Then he tossed the keys to the grinning teenager before tucking Annie’s hand into the crook of his arm and walking up the walk toward the inn’s wide front porch.

  “You’re very suave tonight, Mr. Mayor,” Annie said with a smile.

  Ian laughed. “It must be the tux.”

  As they walked up the steps to the porch, Annie noticed the mums lining the whole length of the porch rails. “They definitely look better on this porch than on mine.”

  “This porch is bigger, though they certainly added a unique touch to your house.”

  “It made me look like a flower hoarder,” she said.

  They walked through the front door and handed their tickets to a young woman who stood there in a Maplehurst waitstaff uniform. “Have a lovely evening,” she said, smiling.

  The lobby of the inn had been transformed again. All the tables that had held the masks for the auction were gone. Now the space was mostly empty with cozy couches and chairs lining the walls. Music drifted from the main ballroom that served as a formal dining room for the inn most of the time. As Annie looked through the open French doors she saw most of the white-draped tables were gone and a small stage now stood at one end of the long room. A band played extremely golden oldies.

  Ian touched Annie’s arm, and her attention turned back to the foyer where they stood. Her eyes drifted over the couples scattered throughout the room. She spotted Peggy and Wally chatting with two people Annie didn’t immediately recognize. Peggy caught Annie’s glance, and her face lit up. She practically dragged Wally across the room.

  Annie had to admit her friend looked lovely. In her waitress uniform, Peggy always looked pretty and plump, but tonight she looked voluptuous and glamorous in a very Marilyn Monroe way. The red gown hugged her curves, and though it covered her modestly enough, there was something daring about the style and color.

  Peggy’s black hair was swept back from her face in a sleek up-do, though the length in the back hung in loose curls.

  “You look gorgeous,” Annie said.

  “I agree,” Ian said. “And your tuxedo is considerably less ridiculous than mine, Wally.”

  Wally reached up to tug at his collar until Peggy pulled his hand away. “Mine feels silly enough,” he said, then turned to Annie. “But I do appreciate the loan of it. All this has made Peggy very happy.”

  “I love that hair comb on you,” Peggy said. “I think Alice was right. All those emeralds look good with your eyes.”

  “Mostly it saved me from total hair horror.”

  The other couple that Peggy and Wally had been speaking with drifted over now, and Annie smiled at them, finally recognizing Ian’s brother Todd.

  “Annie,” Ian said. “You know my brother Todd and his wife Elizabeth.”

  Annie nodded, although Todd looked very different in the elegant dinner jacket and crisply pressed slacks he wore compared with his normal rugged fishing gear. As polite greetings were exchanged, Annie looked for signs of family resemblance between Ian and Todd. Todd was shorter and stockier. His shoulders and biceps clearly strained the fabric of his satin dinner jacket.

  After the first exchange of pleasantries, Todd suddenly stiffened and looked toward the front door. “What are those two doing here?”

  Ian and Annie turned to look. She recognized the bouncy young scientist she’d met at A Stitch in Time. She and the man beside her were dressed in Victorian-style explorer costumes.

  “I suppose they bought a ticket like everyone else,” Ian said mildly.

  Todd just grumbled until his wife finally tugged him away toward a low table covered in canopy trays. She was just in time, because Jenna Paige had spotted Annie and Peggy, and was towing her date across the room toward them.

  “Oh, I’m so glad to see friends!” Jenna gushed when she reached them.

  “It’s nice to see you again,” Annie said. She turned to Ian. “Have you met Dr. Paige?”

  “I don’t believe I have.” Ian bowed slightly. “I’m Ian Butler, mayor of Stony Point.”

  “Oh, the mayor! That must be so exciting! Are you two married?”

  Annie blinked. “No, we’re just friends.”

  “Oh, that’s exactly like Simon and me,” she said. “We’re just super friends.” Then she giggled. “But we’re not the Super Friends, of course. Though I would love to be Wonder Woman. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  Peggy gently interrupted the gush and introduced her husband. Then Jenna introduced them to Dr. Simon Gunderson, a slightly balding young man who looked around with a distracted
frown.

  “So are you both enjoying your work in Stony Point?” Ian asked.

  “It’s fairly routine,” Simon Gunderson said quietly, with a decidedly Southern accent. “But I find the town fascinating. As mayor, I’m sure you know a great deal about it—the history and such.”

  “Not as much as the Historical Society,” Ian said. “But my family has lived here for many generations.”

  “Excellent,” the young man’s vague look sharpened. “I actually have a number of questions.”

  Annie expected the biologist to launch into a series of questions about fishing, but instead he asked about how the town government was structured and various things about the town’s families.

  Annie’s attention was drawn by Jenna Paige’s hand on her arm. “I love your hair comb,” she gushed. “It’s just beautiful. I am wild about emeralds. Not that I have any, but they’re just so beautiful. Did you know they’re actually much rarer than diamonds? The value of diamonds is kept artificially high by careful management by diamond cartels. They’re not really nearly as rare as most people think. You can count on emeralds though. They’ll never lose their value because they’re truly rare.”

  “Oh,” Annie said. “Isn’t that interesting.”

  Peggy smiled mischievously. “Well, I guess we shouldn’t sink our millions into diamonds then.”

  Jenna looked at her with a completely serious face. “That’s wise. Emeralds are a much wiser investment. You should do like your friend.”

  Annie was about to explain that the emeralds in the hair comb were fake when Ian gently took her arm. “I’m going to ask you to excuse us,” Ian said. “As mayor, I do need to mingle a bit, and I’m going to have to drag Annie away with me.”

  Jenna giggled. “Of course; see you later, Annie!”

  Ian led her toward the ballroom door. Annie looked at him with a slight smile. “Was Dr. Gunderson wearing on you?”