by Lesley Crewe
“You want them on the wall? Not if you want me to come over.”
“Oh, shut up.” She threw things out of a trunk. “Pictures are at least normal. What’s a thing when it’s at home?”
Lily reached under the bed. “In today’s world, it’s normal.”
“If it’s so normal, why are you in a frenzy to find it?”
“Because it’s mine.”
They frantically scrounged around but were interrupted by a small voice.
“Whoa. Whoa. Me scared.”
The two looked at each other.
Lily crossed the floor on her knees and opened the closet door. “Wow. It’s so tidy.” She grabbed Furby by the ear.
“Yippee. Party.”
“Go see Aunt Dee.” She tossed Furby over to her sister.
“Hee Hee.”
“Hard to believe it still talks after six years. Kind of spooky really.”
As Lily rummaged around, she remembered how guilty Faith had looked when she caught her in the hallway earlier. “Wait till I get my hands on that woman. She has no right….”
“What?”
“Come here.”
Dahlia crawled over to the closet.
Lily pointed to the back. They stared at the cut-out square Faith had tried to replace. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. They laughed so hard they couldn’t breathe, so hard they couldn’t see because of their tears.
“Oh my God. This is too good to be true,” Lily wheezed as she lay on the floor. Dahlia wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I forgot all about it. Can you believe it?”
“I forgot about it too. Can you imagine the fun we’ll have, now that Faith thinks she’s found the treasure?”
Dahlia leaned against the wall. “It was Faith? How can she believe a bunch of costume jewellery is the real thing? I mean, how dumb is she?”
“Remember when we hid it? What…nine years ago? I forget.”
“All I know is that I can’t wait to see her face when we tell her.”
Lily nodded. “But we won’t tell her too soon.”
Dahlia looked at the time. “It’s three in the morning. Time to find our treasure and hit the hay.”
Faith gazed at the jewellery box for two days, waiting for Juliet to feel better. The stomach-turning excitement had worn off, but the idea that it was even there and in her possession caused a small shiver of anticipation every time she thought about it.
A pair of dangly emerald earrings caught her fancy right from the beginning, and she had a great time waltzing up to the calendar, where Mr. October squatted by a fire truck, his big hose dangling across one knee.
“Do you like?” she asked him. “I put them on just for you.”
Apparently he didn’t care. Oh well, what did he know about jewellery?
It was time to try on the ruby necklace. This is what she’d wear to the Oscars when her name was announced as the winner for Best Screenplay. Glancing at the popcorn bowl to the right of the couch and acknowledging the applause from the dirty glasses on the left, she leapt up and blew kisses to the crowd. Reaching for a bottle of hand lotion, it was time to thank the academy for this magnificent award. A big grin and exit stage right.
Faith flopped on the bed.
For God’s sake, Juliet. Hurry up and get well.
Two days later and still no word from Juliet. Faith didn’t dare call her, knowing darn well Juliet would scream or jump up and down and Robert would be alerted that something was up. With nothing better to do, it was time to spy on the neighbours. She wandered over to the back window and reached for her binoculars.
Hmm. Mrs. Noseworthy and Aunt Hildy were standing by the hedge but kept moving every so often, a few feet at a time. What were they up to? From the looks of it, deadheading flowers along the fence. Perfect. This would be a good chance to sneak into her aunt’s room for a moment. She knew the girls were gone—she’d seen the breakfast mess in the kitchen when she went down to raid the fridge.
She snuck to the second floor and listened. The house was quiet, so she tiptoed over to the door and opened it carefully. She didn’t close it behind her in case she needed a quick escape.
It was impossible to know where to start. Aunt Hildy’s possessions overwhelmed her. The room was ablaze with colour; it spoke of history and stories, adventure and mystery. Imagine having such a life.
Faith gulped. “How come it’s never me.”
A collection of frames sat on a bookshelf, black and white pictures of Aunt Hildy as a young woman. She stood with groups of men and held up artifacts in front of excavation sites. They smiled for the camera, proud of their accomplishments. In most of the pictures, she wore pants, a tall slender figure, who, except for the kerchief around her hair, looked like one of the boys.
Faith noticed a small photo in an ornate frame on the bedside table. She picked it up. It was a girl, her face half hidden by a shadow, and a young man who kissed her hand. It was the look on the girl’s face as she watched him that captivated Faith. It was beautiful. Was it Aunt Hildy? It was hard to tell. They were outdoors. Someone must have caught their image at a picnic or a garden party, a brief moment in time years and years ago, but alive in the picture Faith held. She felt the love between them.
Who was he? Faith traced her finger along their silhouettes. Imagine being that girl. Imagine knowing their story. What a story it would be.
“Yes. That’s me.”
Faith swung around. Aunt Hildy stood in the doorway looking amused.
“I wasn’t snooping,” she said in a hurry. “I thought I heard one of the cats in here, so I came to look.”
“You’re welcome to come in here. My doors aren’t locked.”
“How old were you in this picture?”
Hildy crossed the room and took the frame from her. “Seventeen.”
“Where was it taken?”
“Point Pleasant Park.”
“Who was he?”
Her aunt gave her a quick glance. “A friend.”
“A boyfriend?”
“A boyfriend?” She shook her head. “No.”
Faith was disappointed. “Oh. I thought he might be.”
“He was more than that.”
“Really?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Why don’t you ever give anyone a straight answer? It’s so annoying.”
Aunt Hildy put down the picture and sat in her armchair. “Have you ever heard of a secret, Faith? Do you know what it is? It’s when something happens that’s so private, you don’t want to share it with anyone.” Her hands gripped the arms of her chair. “The only ones who do know the story are dead. I am the only one left, and I intend to take my secret to the grave.”
“This story has something to do with why the treasure is here?”
The old woman gave a little smile. “Maybe, maybe not.”
Faith thought of the jewellery box upstairs. To deflect suspicion, she said casually, “I don’t believe there’s anything here. And I think it’s really silly to pretend there is.”
“There’s plenty of treasure for you, Faith. You just have to know where to look.”
She was tired of this mumbo jumbo. “Look. This is ridiculous, Aunt Hildy. You’re manipulating us like puppets on a string. You can’t do that to people. You’ve no right.” Faith crossed the room and paused at the door. “It’s not fair.”
After her niece had gone, Hildy looked at the picture and touched the young man’s face. “Life isn’t fair. Not fair at all. But I’m almost home, Nikolai. I’ll be with you soon, my love.”
“Robert, give me that ice pack.” Juliet grabbed it from him.
“I’m sick too, ya know,” he moaned.
She pushed him over to his side of the bed. “You’re not as sick as I am…God. Must you hog all the space?”
“I’m not hogging all the space.”
“You are so. Isn’t he Kiwi?”
Kiwi jumped up and bounced on Robert’s stomach. “Gawd. Get this
demon from hell off me.”
Juliet looked furious. “How can you talk to Kiwi that way? I’m glad we never had kids. You would’ve shipped them off to boarding school in the blink of an eye.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I’d ship you off instead.” Robert coughed, sneezed and farted all at the same time.
“That’s it. That’s it. I don’t care how sick I am. I’m not lying around with a sniffling disgusting pig,” Juliet said, and leaped out of bed.
He belched. “Don’t forget bankrupt.”
“Fine. A bankrupt, sniffling disgusting pig.” She stormed into the bathroom. “I’m going to Faith’s. I need to get out of here.”
He took a coughing fit. “Great. Just great. Leave me here to languish on my own.”
His wife stomped back in the room. “Are you completely stupid? I’m sacrificing my health to go over there and try to find that damn treasure so we can get out of this mess you created and all you can do is complain about how selfish I am. Do you realize what I’m sacrificing? I may end up with pneumonia. How do you like them apples?”
She marched out of the room once more and turned the shower on full blast.
Robert reached across the bed to grab more Kleenex from Juliet’s bedside table, along with the TV remote, painkillers, cough drops and heating pad.
He sat up and let one go, just for dirt.
“I heard that!”
“Good.”
Kiwi’s nose went twitchy. She scurried off the bed.
A few minutes later, Juliet was back. She rushed around, grabbing some clothes.
“You’re in an awful hurry for someone so desperately ill.”
“There’s no time to lose. I’ve had it. I refuse to skulk around anymore. I’ll take a sledgehammer to that place.”
He watched her and suddenly had a horrible thought. “You’ll take off with all the money, won’t you?”
She dressed as she talked. “Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not stupid. It just dawned on me that since you hate me so much, you’ll do a runner.”
“You’re delusional. Stop whining and let me out of here. The sooner I find the stuff, the better off we’ll be.”
He leapt out of bed. “I won’t let you go alone. I don’t trust you.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You actually think I’d take it all myself?”
He gave her a beady eye that turned into a staring match; neither one of them blinked. He wasn’t going to let her win this time. He’d stay like a statue forever if he had too. But she looked frozen, and Kiwi was circling his legs, and it was creeping him out. When Kiwi crouched and peed on his foot, he exploded.
“You little shit!” The chase was on.
“Leave her alone, you big bully.” Juliet grabbed a bottle of Rolaids and whipped it at her husband’s head. It missed by an inch.
“I’ve had it.” He turned and chased Juliet around the bed. She jumped on the mattress and tried to crawl away but he grabbed her pant leg.
“Get off me.” She kicked at him with her free leg.
“Stop kicking me.”
“I’ll kick you all I want.” And she did, until Robert let out such a howl of pain, she stopped instantly.
“What’s wrong?”
Robert’s face screwed up in agony, beads of sweat on his forehead.
“Are you having a heart attack? God, Robert, thanks a lot. That’s all I need.”
“My ass,” was all he said through clenched teeth.
“Your ass? What about it?” She looked behind him. Kiwi hung off Robert’s rear end, her razor sharp teeth planted firmly in his pyjama bottoms.
“Oh, isn’t that cute. She’s protecting her mommy.” She reached over to pry Kiwi off. Robert screamed again.
“Don’t be such a baby. Give me a second.” She gave it another try and yanked Kiwi away from him.
His head flopped on the mattress. She took a peek under his pyjamas. “There’s no blood. It’s not that bad.”
Robert said in a low voice, “Take that fluffy piranha and get out of here.”
Juliet hopped out of bed and held her baby. “She didn’t mean it. She thought you were trying to kill me. It’s her instinct to go after someone who wants to hurt me.”
“And at this moment, it’s my instinct to kill you both, so I suggest you go and leave me alone.”
She grabbed her purse. “You don’t have to be nasty, Robert. She’s only a little dog.”
“But you’re the bitch.”
“You horrid man. If you don’t watch it mister, I may just take everything for myself.” She turned to go.
“Your whole family can rot in hell as far as I’m concerned. You’re all idiots.”
“You should know. You’ve been one your whole life.”
Juliet drove to Elsie’s, with every intention of staying until she found something. Anything. She’d pilfer Aunt Hildy’s room if she had to. She was desperate. She hadn’t had a manicure in a week and it was driving her to distraction. She couldn’t figure out why things never went her way. There was always disaster behind everything she did. She felt cursed.
How come the old bag had such a great life? Who was she to deserve everything? Aunt Hildy was born in that house too. She wasn’t anything special, yet she always held herself above the rest of them. It made Juliet sick.
She carried Kiwi out of the car and saw Mrs. Noseworthy head her way. Great. That’s all she needed. That old fruitcake.
“Hello Juliet. Are you here for treasure?”
She looked down her nose at the tiny woman. “Of course not. You don’t believe that stuff, do you?”
Mrs. Noseworthy grinned. “Of course I do. Your Aunt Hildy’s a smart woman. She knows where it is.”
She stopped and changed her demeanour. “Yes, of course, you’re right. I know there’s treasure. Did she say where it was?”
“It’s everywhere.”
“Everywhere?”
“She tells me where.”
Juliet could hardly breathe she was so excited. “Really? Aren’t you lucky? Where is it?”
“Oh, let me think.” She tapped her cheek with her finger. “There’s some in the birdhouse. There’s some behind the kitchen clock. And then there’s stuff hanging off the ceiling. I’m sure she told me that. Or was it in the banisters? I get confused.”
A tiny nerve in Juliet’s left eyelid exploded, causing it to flutter uncontrollably. She almost smacked the demented old fool. Instead, she walked away without saying a word and slammed the screen door behind her.
She pounded up to the attic, where Faith was at her computer, as usual. Her sister looked up. “Well, it’s about time.”
“I couldn’t have stayed with Robert one more minute.”
“How are you, anyway?”
“Lousy. Fed up. Cranky. Miserable. Take your pick.”
“Completely normal then.”
“What a card.” She put Kiwi down. “I nearly swallowed my tongue out there. Mrs. Noseworthy told me she knew where the treasure was. Turns out she’s nuts. Treasure in the birdhouse. Really.”
“There isn’t. I checked.”
“You checked? You’re nuttier than she is.”
Faith lit a cigarette. “You have to look everywhere if you’re going to be successful.” She took a long drag and blew smoke rings.
Juliet sat in an old armchair and watched her. “Wait a minute, you know something, don’t you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Cut the crap. Out with it.”
Faith crushed her cigarette and bounced out of her chair. Reaching for the garment bag that hung in her closet, she zipped it open, reached in and extracted the box.
Juliet jumped up and down. “I don’t believe it. Why didn’t you call me?”
She brought it to the couch and the two of them sat on either end of it. “I didn’t want Robert to overhear anything.”
“That was very good thinking,” Juliet concurred. “Good for you.”
Faith lo
oked smug.
Juliet clapped her hands. “Come on, hurry up.”
She opened it slowly.
“My God, look at this. It actually looks like treasure.” Juliet reached out and grabbed a handful of jewellery. “It’s beautiful. This must be worth a fortune.”
“I know. I’ve counted everything. If we get top dollar for it, it’ll keep us going for the rest of our days.”
Juliet picked up a huge ruby brooch. “Imagine what we can buy with this.”
“We can buy whatever we want.”
“I’ll buy a first-class ticket to Paris. And I’ll stay at the Ritz.”
“I’ll go to Paris too. I’ll buy a garret and drink wine and write in cafés. I’ll be a bohemian. How romantic. All those gorgeous Frenchmen.” Faith looked out the window and sighed. “I won’t be lonely anymore.”
“Of course you won’t. You can have anyone you want when you’re rich.”
Faith sat back. “Some people get who they want without being rich.”
“No one I know,” Juliet sniffed.
“You won’t tell Robert about this?”
“Not on your life. The way he spoke to me today, he can kiss me goodbye. You wouldn’t believe what he called Kiwi, the big meany.”
“How will we get this out of here? Who do we sell it too?”
“You leave that to me.” Juliet put the jewellery back and closed the lid. “Maybe I should take it now, in case someone finds it here. I’ll bring it to a jeweller I know. One of Robert’s associates—he’ll keep quiet though.”
As she spoke, Juliet stood with the box in her hands, but Faith reached over and grabbed it. “I don’t think so, Sis.”
“What do you mean, you don’t think so? Don’t you trust me?”
Her sister smirked a little. “Not really.”
“Faith, you can be so annoying.”
“I’d rather be annoying than careless. I found it. If it goes, I go.”
Juliet shrugged. “Fine. Whatever. Do what you want.” She grabbed Kiwi and sat back on the couch.
“Don’t get so bent out of shape. I didn’t have to tell you I found it. You could’ve come over here today and found me long gone.”
She pressed her lips together. “I suppose so.”
