The Precipice

by Penny Goetjen

  Both declined the offer, citing the late hour and the early hour they would be up in the morning for brunch. Kurt smiled and just shook his head. Amelia added, “I’ll catch up with you in the morning, Elizabeth. Oh, and you can sleep in the front room this weekend, or however long you are staying.”

  Elizabeth stopped in her tracks and turned back, giving her grandmother a puzzled, almost startled look. “The front room? Isn’t that…Cecelia’s room?”

  “Well, yes,” she chuckled. “I don’t think she’ll mind. I know how much you like an ocean view.”

  Elizabeth couldn’t shake the feeling that she would be stirring up a hornets’ nest by sleeping there. She really didn’t want to displace anyone, particularly her ornery, miserable great aunt. Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to stand straighter. She was an adult now and should be able to handle her great aunt.

  Bidding everyone a good evening, the two linked arms and headed back through the swinging doors and into the dining room. Rashelle’s arm unlocked from Elizabeth’s long enough to slip behind the bar and grab a couple of wine glasses from the overhead rack. They clinked together as she pulled them down. She rejoined Elizabeth at the end of the bar and they linked arms together again and headed across the room. Before they reached the lobby, Amelia poked her head out of the kitchen.

  “You girls are going to stay inside tonight, aren’t you? Probably not a good night for a walk anyway.”

  “Don’t worry, Amelia. We’re going to find a couple of cozy chairs in front of the fireplace,” Rashelle reassured her. Elizabeth had a puzzled look on her face again and wondered what she was missing, but was too tired to care enough to ask.

  “Feel free to put another log on, if you’re going to be up for a while.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Amelia. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Nana.”

  “Goodnight.”

  They crossed the lobby and entered the sitting room. Elizabeth surveyed the room and made a mental note to speak to her grandmother about a redecorating project. It was a warm and cozy room, very comfortable for the guests to relax in. But they needed to be careful that the shabby chic décor didn’t evolve into a worn and dated look over time.

  Then Elizabeth remembered the lady who had been sitting in the wing chair by the window. “So, you are officially off-duty or am I taking you away from something you should be doing?”

  “Oh, heavens. I’m done for today. We’re not expecting any more arrivals and all the current guests seemed to have turned in early.”

  Elizabeth glanced back toward the lounge and noticed that the gentlemen had finished their card game. The room was dark and quiet. “What about the elderly woman who was sitting there when I first arrived?” She gestured to the right.

  Rashelle furrowed her brow. “I don’t remember anyone in the sitting room. I thought everyone had cleared out by then.”

  Elizabeth let it go and sank down into an overstuffed upholstered arm chair close to the fireplace and facing a matching chair. Rashelle placed the wine bucket and glasses on the oval wooden coffee table in front of them. She approached the fireplace and retrieved a log from the pile on the left of the hearth and tossed it in. They both watched as the sparks burst out from under the new log into a gentle explosion and settled back down again. Rashelle rejoined Elizabeth who had begun filling the glasses. They sat back, enjoyed each other’s company, catching up on all the small stuff, carefully avoiding anything heavier. It felt so good to both of them to just sit and relax. Finally, Elizabeth couldn’t resist pursuing a less comfortable topic.

  “So, how is the new tennis pro working out?”

  “Oh, Kurt? Well, okay. I mean, I don’t know how much tennis he is teaching, but he does arrange round robin tournaments and does some clinics for the guests. There haven’t been any complaints so far, which is an improvement. To tell you the truth, there weren’t a lot of candidates to choose from with the paltry salary we were offering. Amelia liked him so I went along with it.” She paused to examine Elizabeth’s face to see if she had taken offense at the salary comment. When it appeared she had not, Rashelle continued. “I think he is bored at times, though, because I do find him poking around, sticking his nose in peculiar places. Says he’s just interested in the history of the inn, claims to enjoy old buildings. He seems very interested in the old tunnel system.”

  A shiver ran down Elizabeth’s back at the thought of the tunnels. They were cold, damp, and dark and they just gave her the creeps. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to explore them and did her best to push that thought from her mind.

  After finishing the first round, Rashelle reached over and refilled their glasses. The wine was starting to take effect and Elizabeth was enjoying its warmth. They had been catching up for a lengthy period of time, what seemed like only minutes to them, when the last giggle faded to silence. Only the crackling of the fire in the fireplace was audible. Rashelle decided it was time to fill her in on what had been going on at the inn. Her face turned serious and she leaned over to place her wine glass on the table. She scooted ever so slightly forward in her chair, folded her arms as if in a hug, and looked deeply into Elizabeth’s eyes. Suddenly Lizzi became very uncomfortable. It wasn’t as bad as when Kurt was holding her hand because she knew Rashelle. But it was as if they were both searching for something inside of her. Obviously something was awry. Rashelle began in whispers.

  “Elizabeth, I need to tell you what’s been going on here. I’m sure your grandmother hasn’t told you much, if anything. And this probably shouldn’t come from me, but you really need to know.”

  Elizabeth sat perfectly still, not breathing. She wondered what she going to reveal; what had her grandmother kept from her? She finally found her voice, “Girard’s disappearance?”

  “No. We’re not really concerned that that will turn into anything. Apparently it’s happened before. Actually, what is worrying Amelia is some attorney—I think he’s from New Jersey—who is pressuring her to sell.”

  “Sell what…the inn?” She was incredulous. Her voice rising with each word.

  Rashelle tried to bring the volume back down. “Yes! I don’t think she would ever do it. It would break her heart to see this place fall out of the family holdings. But this guy has been relentless. But that’s not even the worst of it.”

  “…It’s not?” Elizabeth held her breath again, this time freeing her hand of the wine glass by placing it on the table next to Rashelle’s. She pressed her hands together as if about to pray and wedged them between her legs near her knees. She looked expectantly into Rashelle’s eyes.

  The creaking wooden foyer floor announced the arrival of Amelia and Anthony into the lobby. Amelia bid goodnight to her head chef as he headed out the front door and she headed toward the sitting room. Kurt must have left through a different door. “Well, girls, it’s getting late. I’m going to turn in. You might think about doing the same.”

  “We will, Nana. We’re almost caught up.” Elizabeth didn’t dare look at Rashelle. They both wished Amelia a good night. After watching her ascend the carpeted stairs to the left of the front desk, they turned and looked at each other.

  Elizabeth spoke first. “Okay…Go on,” she pressed her.

  “Oh, Elizabeth. I don’t know if I should—”

  “What! You’ve gone this far. If she asks, just tell my grandmother that I dragged it out of you. Now, spill.”

  “Okay, okay. The worst of it…is that the fourteen-year-old daughter of one of our guests is missing. The parents didn’t say anything right away because they thought she had taken a longer walk around the grounds than expected. When she didn’t show up for dinner last night, they thought she just made other plans. By noon today, they asked to speak to Amelia. She called Chief Austin who was tied up and didn’t show up until dinner time. He left just before you got here. He had his men
searching the property, walking through the woods, but couldn’t accomplish a lot in the waning light. He said he’ll come back in the morning. Just between you and me, I think the parents are afraid she ran away.”

  That wasn’t the only possibility of what could have happened to her around here.

  There were many other possibilities, including getting swept off the rocks by the lighthouse by a rogue wave. Elizabeth recalled a story that surfaced periodically about a little girl and her father who were swept away by just such a wave. It’s not all that common, yet warnings are posted near danger areas, such as the Pennington Point Lighthouse, specifically for the unsuspecting tourist. The tragic story of the little girl and her father must have happened quite a while ago because Elizabeth didn’t remember it happening; only the stories people have told since. Of course, as a lot of stories go, the details change along the way. Sometimes it was a little girl and her mother. Either way, it was a tragic story.

  Elizabeth sank back in her chair and took a deep breath. This was all Nana needed. The daily stress of running the inn was taking its toll, but the latest couple of developments could prove to be too much for her. The last thing she needed was the bad publicity from a police investigation. This could also feed into this attorney’s intentions.

  They finished off the bottle of wine well after midnight and decided to call it a night. Elizabeth thought she had never felt this tired before. It took everything she had to hoist herself out of her chair. Hopefully things would look better in the morning light.

  Elizabeth headed to her car out in front of the inn to retrieve her belongings. She was not going to bother moving her little Z4 until morning. The only thing she could think about right now was getting some much needed sleep. When she reached in from the driver’s side she noticed her cell phone on the passenger seat next to her overnight bag. “Shit!” She had forgotten to call Vera. Somehow it had never crossed her mind during the long drive up. Picking up the phone, she noticed that she had missed two calls. They were probably both Vera. Well, she would have to deal with her in the morning.

  ____________

  With the strap of her overnight bag slung over her left shoulder, Elizabeth eased open the door to her great aunt’s room. She paused in the doorway and peered into the dark room, fully expecting to see Cecelia fast asleep under the covers. She winced as she flipped the switch on the wall inside the door that illuminated the small ceramic floral lamp on the table next to the bed on the left side of the room. She felt herself breathing a sigh of relief. Her great aunt would have been in bed long before now so she must have taken a different room after all. That was uncharacteristically nice of her. Certainly not the Aunt Cecelia she remembered from her childhood.

  Elizabeth stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. She was so completely exhausted, and feeling the effects of too much wine, that she decided not to bother changing into the comfortable sweats she usually sported at bed time. She tossed her bag onto a small chair with a woven cane seat next to the window looking out to sea on the right side of the room. A faint creaking sound emanated from the obvious antique. It was one of a pair of chairs placed like bookends on either side of the small round table in front of the large picture window. It was the perfect spot to enjoy the start of the day with a strong cup of Earl Grey or to watch dusk creep over the estate with a glass of dry merlot before heading downstairs for a late dinner.

  Elizabeth grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste from the side pocket of her bag and quickly made her way to the bathroom, tucked to the left of the bed. After freshening up, she headed straight for the bed, pulling her shirt out of her slacks and unbuttoning the French cuffs of the white cotton shirt, to give herself more wiggle room while she was sleeping. She turned off the table lamp next to the bed. Slipping quietly under the covers, she felt her whole body starting to relax. She breathed in the faint lilac scent that was ironed into the bed linens for that extra special touch for which the inn was famous. Her eyes closed and she quickly started to drift off. She didn’t notice her great aunt open her door and peek in as if checking on her. The door made a soft click when it closed. Elizabeth opened her eyes for a moment, but was too tired to move, so she closed them again until morning.

  Chapter 4

  After a restless night’s sleep, Elizabeth awoke to the annoying ring of her cell phone. She was groggy from the long drive and one too many glasses of wine the night before, but she knew who it was. Elizabeth reached for the phone on the bed side table where she had tossed it in the wee hours of the morning. She sat straight up as she read the caller ID.

  “Hey, Vera,” trying to sound up-beat and positive. She cringed in anticipation of what was coming.

  “ELIZABETH! WHERE ARE YOU?” Her voice sent a shiver down her spine. “We have a lot of work to do! I expected to see you in the office first thing this morning so we could get started.”

  Elizabeth had the strange feeling that Vera knew where she was already. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. Stay calm. She struggled to keep from getting sucked into Vera’s emotions. “Vera, I’m sorry.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. “I forgot to call you last night. My grandmother asked me to come up and give her a hand with some things—”

  “ELIZABETH! Where is your sense of priority? Drescher is our biggest client and a real power broker in this city. This is not someone you ever want to disappoint. He knows how to make things happen and he can make things happen for us. He is entrusting us with one of his biggest projects ever. How can you run off at a time like this?”

  Run off? She is heading for the deep end. She needs a lifeline before she goes over the edge. “Vera. I brought supplies with me to get started—”

  “Get started? You know how we operate. We brainstorm together. We sit in the same room and think out loud together. That’s how we work best. What were you thinking?!” Her voice was loud and grating on her nerves. Elizabeth struggled to remain calm. A tension headache was creeping up the back of her neck. She stood up and started pacing around the room. She could think better on her feet.

  “Vera. We can work separately first, and then get together to hash through some ideas. Our time could be better spent if we came up with some original concepts on our own.” Uh-oh. Elizabeth was afraid she had just overstepped an invisible line. Was Vera worried she wouldn’t come up with anything fresh? “I can fax you what I come up with from here.” She was throwing her a bone. Would she grab it or leave it right where it had landed?

  “…Alright, but I want you to keep in touch. Jack is already asking to meet with us again. He particularly wants to talk with you about this. I’ll give him your cell number so you can consult with him while you are away. But you take care of whatever it is that your grandmother needs taking care of and get right back here. Keep in mind you can always hire someone to take care of a lot of things. And let me know when you will be back.”

  Her voice was still firm and demanding, but she seemed to be softening a bit. Maybe she was beginning to realize how unreasonable she was being. There was no need to be so bent out of shape and to treat her like this. No wonder she had trouble keeping staff. Elizabeth wondered why she put up with her. She hung up and rubbed her forehead with her hand. Her head was throbbing. She threw her phone onto the flowered coverlet that was bunched up on the bed and shook her head.

  The bright spot of the morning was the brilliant sunshine spilling in through the windows. The sun always lifted her spirits; she couldn’t wait to get outside. Perhaps she would take her sketch pad on a walk down to the lighthouse. Then she remembered the inn’s famous brunch and Amelia’s French toast. The lighthouse would have to wait.

  A knock at the door startled Elizabeth, but was followed by a familiar voice. She smiled and let Rashelle in. She was carrying a tray laden with covered dishes and a vase with a long stemmed yellow rose from Amelia’s garden.

  “Breakf
ast, sleepy head!”

  “Oh, Rashelle. Thanks. You didn’t have—”

  “Well, of course I did. Brunch only runs for twenty more minutes and I knew you wouldn’t want to miss the French toast.”

  Rashelle carried the tray over to the windows and placed it on the small table with a floral tablecloth on it that did not match the floral bedspread. Elizabeth glanced at the clock next to the bed and noticed it was later than she realized. “Ten-forty! How did it get to be that late?”

  “Yeah, Amelia has been asking for you. I think she wants to see you as soon as you can get downstairs.” Rashelle offered no details, but scurried out the door under the guise of returning to work.

  Breakfast tasted even better than she had remembered. She savored every bite, while watching the sea gulls circling outside the window. They were mesmerizing. She had a front row seat to the ocean. After finishing the very last morsel of her scrumptious meal, Elizabeth pulled herself away from nature‘s performance and made her way to the bathroom. She showered quickly, left her bed looking like she had just rolled out of it and went in search of her grandmother.