by Lesley Crewe
“That’s all well and good, Aunt Hildy, but in this day and age who has time for such things?” Elsie heaved a great sigh and looked around the room. It had been transformed. Masks, embroidered silk throws, lamps and candlesticks dotted the room. There were pieces of sculpture and paintings from all over the world. Black and white pictures in elegant frames of people she didn’t know stared at her from every vantage point.
She put her mug down and wandered over to a small music box that sat on Aunt Hildy’s bedside table. It was covered with gemstones in a pattern of flowers and butterflies. “This is beautiful.”
“If you look closely you can see the moon and stars as well. Open it.”
Elsie lifted the lid and a haunting melody began to play. Hildy put her fingertips together and held them to her mouth as she listened. When it wound itself down, Elsie closed the box.
“One of my most precious possessions.”
“How wonderful.”
“Would you like to have it?”
She spun around. “Oh, no. I can’t do that. It’s too much.” She put it down as if it were on fire and sat on the bed.
Her aunt didn’t say anything. Finally, Elsie couldn’t stand it.
“Did you want to talk to me about something? Are you comfortable here? Is there anything I can get for you?”
“My dear girl. I make my own comfort. I don’t rely on anyone else to give it to me.”
Elsie’s eyes welled up.
“You’re not a maid, child.”
That’s when the dam broke. She cried for a long time while her aunt watched her, never making a sound. She reached for the Kleenex in her bathrobe pocket. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I think you do.”
Elsie hit her knees with her fists. “I miss Mom. I wish she were here. I need to talk to her.”
Hildy shrugged. “So talk to her.”
She wiped her nose. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes. I do. Your mother’s with you forever, so whatever you have to say, you should say. She’ll hear you.”
“You make everything sound so easy. Is it really?”
“Of course.”
She balled up her tissue. “You’ve had such an interesting life.
How did you get so brave?”
Hildy put back her head and laughed. When she did, Elsie had a brief glimpse of what she must have looked like as a young woman. Striking.
“I wasn’t brave. Your mother was brave.”
“Really?”
“I ran away. Your mother stayed. Which was more courageous?”
Elsie shrugged.
“Does an ordinary life have less value than an exciting one?”
Elsie looked down at her hands. “No.”
Hildy continued with her endless questions. “What do you love?”
“My children. This house.”
“Graham?”
Elsie’s eyes once again filled with tears. She struggled to speak but couldn’t.
“I thought so.”
Desperate to change the subject, she said, “Why did you run away?”
Suddenly her aunt looked very old. Elsie was sorry she asked.
“Because of my father.”
“You didn’t get along?”
She looked away. “I’ve loved only one man in my life. It wasn’t him.”
“Oh.”
Hildy sat up a little straighter. “I’ve also been loved by many men,” she announced matter-of-factly.
“Gosh. I didn’t know that. You never seemed the type to…you know…want a man.”
“I didn’t want them. I used them.”
Elsie was taken aback. She didn’t know what to say.
“Does that shock you?”
“No-o.”
Hildy said wearily, “It should.”
“You look tired dear. I’ll let you get to bed.”
“Yes, you’re right. I am tired. You may kiss me goodnight.”
Elsie walked over and kissed her cheek. “Please don’t die. Not yet.”
“I’ll die when I’m good and ready, thank you, and not a minute before.”
As Elsie turned to leave, Hildy got up and went to the bedside table. She picked up the music box and placed it in Elsie’s hands.
“I want you to have this. Someone I loved very much gave it to me. It’s a little treasure.”
Chapter Six
Faith was at the kitchen sink when she heard the back screen door open.
“It’s your lucky day! I’m back!”
It was Juliet. Oh, thank God.
Faith came out of the pantry with cookie dough on her hands as Juliet came around the corner. They stared at each other in shock.
“Is that a new nose?”
“Is that you in a kitchen?”
Faith grabbed her and gave her a big hug.
“You have no idea how much I’ve needed you these past few weeks.” She pushed Juliet away so she could be looked at. “Do you like it?”
“Are you saying you don’t?”
“No. No. It’s very nice. But what was wrong with the old nose?”
“It was old. Now tell me what on earth you’re doing in here. Not baking, surely?”
Faith motioned for her sister to follow her, looking around to be sure they were alone.
“Have you lost your mind? What’s going on?”
Faith ran her doughy fingers under some warm water and grabbed a handful of paper towels to clean them off. “I damn near lost my mind while I waited for you to come home. I’ve been cooking up a storm ever since you left.”
“Why, for God’s sake?”
“Looking for treasure in the kitchen.”
Juliet turned to leave. “Now I know you’ve lost your mind.”
“Come here,” she hissed. “You haven’t heard everything.”
Juliet turned back. “So tell me already.”
“Aunt Hildy told me she has a treasure chest in this house. You’re going to help me look for it, and when we do, we won’t tell a soul and when we find it the whole thing will be ours.”
Juliet stared at her. “I don’t believe you. Why on earth would she tell you?”
“Listen. I don’t think she really meant to, but she didn’t exactly keep it a secret either. She just matter-of-factly told me she had one and I could believe her or not.”
“Well, what kind of treasure?”
She shrugged. “Treasure treasure. If it’s treasure it has to be worth something. All I know is that it’s in this house and we’ll find it eventually. We’ll pretend I want to fix up the attic…decorate…so you have to be over here a lot and that’s when we can search. Isn’t that a good plan?”
“But if she’s already told you it’s here, won’t she know who took it if she looks for it? Did she tell Elsie or the girls about it?”
“I don’t know. But if she does happen to wonder where it is, we can say we don’t know what she’s talking about.”
Juliet chewed her finger. “I’m not sure.”
“If she plans to die anyway, we don’t have to worry. Maybe she’ll do us all a favour and go quickly.”
“Life gets so damn complicated when she comes to town. I wish she’d just bugger off and leave us alone.”
“So will you help me?”
“I guess so, but if we get in trouble, I’ll deny everything.”
Faith put her hands on her hips. “Well thanks. You’re a pal.”
“Oh nonsense. Put the kettle on since you’re such a Suzy Homemaker. I bought you something.”
“Oh goody.”
The tea made, Faith opened her gift. It was a book. How to write a Book in Seven Days and Make a Million Dollars by Jerry Quakenbush. She tsked. “Oh great. As if I need more pressure. I’m surprised Graham didn’t buy this for me.”
“It’s the thought that counts.”
“By the way. Did Robert get his…you know…tucked?”
“Tucked, scraped, stretched and stitched.�
�
“Lord. Sounds horrible. Where is he now?”
“In bed on a rubber doughnut. I had to leave. All he does is moan and groan.”
“Was it worth all the agony?”
“Who knows. It’s so huge and puffy I can’t tell.”
“Oh yuck.” Faith finished off her tea and put down her cup. “You know, we should start right away. There’s no one here and Aunt Hildy naps for hours.”
Juliet looked down at her tailored pant suit. “I can’t search for anything in this outfit. It cost me a fortune.”
“I have stuff…”
“No thanks.”
Faith rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid, you might get cooties. Fine. Go home then and hurry back. We have a few hours at least, before Elsie arrives.”
“Righto.”
With not a moment to lose, Juliet sped home as fast as she dared. She burst through the front door and wasn’t inside for more than five seconds before a pathetic voice rang out.
“Juliet? Juliet, is that you? What took you so long? I thought you were supposed to come right back?”
She screamed up the stairs. “What in the name of God do you want now?”
Robert’s pitiful voice pleaded from above. “Can I have an ice cream float, sugar lump? You know…with ginger ale? The kind I make for you.”
Juliet stomped off into the kitchen with Kiwi at her heels. “He’s become the biggest pain in the butt. Get me a drink. Get me something to eat. Get me, get me, get me. It’s all about him.”
She threw some ginger ale and a blob of ice cream in the blender and hit puree. The high pitched whine sent Kiwi running for cover. She immediately turned it off.
“Oh mama’s little baby. Come here sweetheart.” She reached down and Kiwi jumped in her arms. “That mean old Daddy shouldn’t have scared my baby girl.”
The still lumpy mixture went into a glass, and Juliet thumped upstairs and delivered it to her helpless husband, stranded on the bed.
“You almost scared Kiwi to death.”
“I did?”
“Yes. You did. Here’s your stupid drink.” She held it out so quickly it spilled on the bed sheets. “Now look what you made me do. Honestly Robert. You’re such a pain.”
He eased one butt cheek out of his doughnut for a second, then settled back into the float with a groan. “I’m not a pain. I’m in pain. If it wasn’t for your harping about a tight ass, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.” He took a sip. “This is lumpy. How is it possible to make an ice cream float lumpy?”
Kiwi bounced up and down in her mamma’s arms. “You shouldn’t drink those anyway. You’ll have a fat ass again in no time. Won’t he Ki? Won’t he Wi?”
Robert sulked. “I will not. Don’t be so mean. I’m not mean to you.”
“Oh all right. I’m sorry.” She put Kiwi down and went to her walk-in closet. “Mommy has to change.”
“Are you going somewhere? You just got back.”
“I am if I can find some old clothes. God, there’s nothing here. I’ll have to use one of your shirts.”
He took another big sip. “Why do you want old clothes?”
She came out of the closet and went over to his dresser. “Because my dear, I’m treasure hunting.”
He looked up. “What did you say?”
She rifled through his drawers. “Treasure hunting. Treasure hunting. You heard me.”
“May I ask where?”
She held up a possible choice.
“Not that one.”
“Why not?”
“I like it.”
“Typical.” She threw the shirt back in and picked another one. “I’m going to Elsie’s, if you must know.”
“Elsie’s? That old dump? There’s no treasure in there.”
Juliet threw off her blouse and put on Robert’s gym shirt. “According to Faith, Aunt Hildy has a treasure chest in that house, and Faith and I are going to find it.”
“Hey! And leave me out of it?”
She pulled off her linen slacks and found her jeans. “We’ll pretend to decorate the attic…wallpaper and stuff. It would look pretty weird if you hung around.”
“Well, why can’t I go over there for supper and visit Aunt Hildy? I’ll chat her up and maybe she’ll be nice and leave us some money.” He sucked up the last bit of float. “What kind of treasure are we talking about?”
“Knowing her it could be anything…jars or something stupid from some boring old civilization. But we can’t take any chances because it might be gold. She dug up a tomb or two in her day. Don’t tell me those archaeologists don’t pocket a few doodads from time to time.”
“Well, I’m coming with you.” Robert tried to get out of his doughnut, but couldn’t do it lying down, so he rolled off the bed and planted his feet on the ground. He was bent over with his butt in a halo of hot air, fingertips scraping the ground in front of his feet.
“Help.”
“Oh, for God’s sake Robert. Look at you. You’re pathetic.”
Kiwi rushed over to her daddy and licked his toes.
“Get away from me you miserable mutt,” he warned as he hurried away at a snail’s pace. “Don’t just stand there. Get the dog.”
“I wish I had a video camera.” She walked across the room and picked up Kiwi. Then she grabbed the doughnut and yanked it off his tush.
“Ow! Not so hard.” Robert stood up slowly. “Oh my God. I’m dying. Why did I let you talk me into this. Now I know what it’s like to sit on a bed of nails.”
“When you stop moaning every hour on the hour, you’ll feel better. Now if you insist on coming, let’s go.”
She rushed ahead of him with the dog under her arm as he brought up the rear.
Faith wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Robert. She made a face and took her sister aside. “Thanks a lot. This is just what we need. How can he help? He can hardly move.”
“What could I do? I’d never hear the end of it if I left him alone again.”
“Stupid men.”
“Tell me about it. Now where do we start.”
Faith took them upstairs to the attic. “We might as well begin here, since this is where we’re suppose to be working. Look, I got the ladder out of the basement.”
“I’ll get on it,” Juliet said quickly. “I don’t weigh as much.”
“Bite me.”
They got organized. Two minutes later Juliet stood on the ladder while Faith held it.
“Robert, do hurry up and pass me that thing.”
“What thing? There are forty-two things in this tool box.”
She shook her fingers at him as if that would make him respond faster. “The thing that pries things open.”
“By thing, do you mean a hammer, a screwdriver, a chisel, a…”
“Crowbar,” Faith sighed. “Give her the damn crowbar.”
“I can’t see a crowbar.” He bent down to take a better look.
“Owww.” He grabbed his buttocks. “Why am I the one bending, when I’m not supposed to bend?”
“Jesus. Hold the ladder,” Faith yelled. “I’ll get it.”
He rubbed his butt and did as he was told. Faith threw stuff out of the tool box until she found the crowbar and passed it up. “Do you see anything up there?”
“It looks like there’s a few loose floorboards in this crawl space.” Juliet coughed. “It’s so frigging dusty I can’t imagine anyone being up here for the last hundred years.”
“Aunt Hildy didn’t say she hid the treasure since she’s been here. She’s probably been hiding stuff for fifty years…every time she came home to visit.”
“Just a minute. I think I see something.” Juliet climbed the last two rungs of the ladder and crawled over to an open spot in the ceiling and peered in.
“What do you see?”
“I definitely see something.”
Before she knew it Faith and Robert had pushed their way in beside her, elbowing each other until they were all wedged into a space fit for one.
“I can’t see anything. Robert, get off me.”
“There…” Juliet pointed with the crowbar. “Do you see that lump in the dark? Maybe that’s a chest.”
Robert groaned. “It’s a heating duct.”
“Well, how did I know?”
Just then they heard the door to the attic open and Aunt Hildy call out, “It’s only me.”
Juliet looked at her husband and her sister. “Holy shit, it’s Aunt Hildy. Everybody down.” They shuffled on their knees backwards toward the wedge and in his hurry Robert knocked the ladder over. It landed with a quiet thud on the carpet. They stayed perfectly still, six feet up in the air.
“Hello?” Aunt Hildy called out. “Faith? Are you in here?” There was a long pause. “That’s strange. I could have sworn you were up here.” They heard her sigh and go back downstairs.
Three backsides looked out over the room.
Juliet couldn’t believe it. “Way to go Sherlock. How do we get down?”
Harry proved to be nicer than Elsie originally thought, in spite of the gold chain around his neck. They met for coffee several times over the course of a few weeks and even went to lunch. Finally, he asked if he could take her to dinner at The Five Fishermen.
She gathered up some papers off her desk. “I don’t know Crystal…what do I do?”
“Go to dinner. At least you don’t have to cook. I’d go out with just about anyone if they sprang for a lobster.”
Elsie laughed as she shoved files into her briefcase. “You do. That’s why your life is a nightmare, remember?”
“Thank you.”
“But what do I do if he wants to kiss me or something, at the end of the evening?”
“I’d definitely call 911.”
Grabbing her jacket, Elsie gave her supposed friend a wave as she left her office. “Goodnight. You’ve been a great help.”
“I try. See you tomorrow.”
Her sisters and brother-in-law were in the kitchen when Elsie got home.
“Hi guys. How was your trip? Did you…” She stared at Juliet. “You look different. Did you cut your hair?”
“Nose job.”
Elsie did a double take. “Again?”
“What can I make for supper?” Faith interrupted.
“That’s not my problem tonight, thank goodness. I have a date.”
“You’re kidding?”
