by Marja McGraw
“That’s interesting. None of the rumors I’ve heard mentioned any relatives,” I said. “Of course, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any.”
“You know, to look at her picture, you’d think ol’ Amelia was a real angel. She was gorgeous, wasn’t she? And she certainly doesn’t look like she might be nuts.”
“Thanks Mike,” I said, grinning.
“For what?”
I stood up and walked over to the fireplace, standing near the portrait.
“For saying she was gorgeous.” My grin turned into a smile.
“Uncanny,” he said, looking from the portrait to me.
“Besides, the idea of Amelia being unstable is just a rumor. No one really knows what happened the day the Holts died. By the way, what is a mentally disturbed person supposed to look like?”
“Good point,” Mike said. “You could be a raving lunatic and I’d never know it by looking at you.”
I laughed. “Thanks a lot. I could say the same about you.”
The clock resting at the end of the mantle chimed ten times.
“I guess I’d better get upstairs,” Mike said. “I’m going to have to get up around four o’clock tomorrow morning. Did I tell you we’re starting a new job?”
“No.”
“It’s a big one, and we’re going to try to get it done before the weather turns too cold. As it is, it’s going to take us a couple of months to finish the work. I’ll be putting in a lot of overtime, so we won’t see as much of each other as we have been lately.”
I couldn’t help feeling disappointed. “Oh. And I was just getting used to having you around. Oh well…”
“We’ll still have weekends together. When the snow sets in you’ll see more of me than you want to. The work really falls off during the winter months. That’s when we start doing more interior work, like remodeling kitchens.”
“Hmm. I’ll put out some cold cereal or something so you won’t have to go without breakfast in the morning.”
“Thanks. Give me a goodnight kiss?”
I did so willingly. Mike climbed the stairs while I walked off to find Jem. He was sitting outside the back door, waiting patiently.
“Hey, little guy. You know this is your home now, don’t you?” He wagged his tail and licked me when I picked him up, and nibbled on my fingers while I walked to my room.
“Ouch! You’ve got sharp little teeth. I’m going to have to find something for you to chew on besides me.” I’d have to get him some chew toys as soon as possible.
Picking up a mystery, I read while Jem made mincemeat out of an old shoe I gave him. He soon tired and fell asleep. I found a blanket for him to sleep on and laid it in the corner. He woke up when I moved him, wanting to play some more. I took a sock out of my drawer and tied a knot in it, and he played tug-of-war with me. It was eleven-thirty by the time he wore out again. I put him in the corner and after turning in a circle three times, he curled up in a ball and immediately fell asleep. I’d heard somewhere that dogs turn in a circle to make sure there are no predators nearby.
I climbed into bed and also curled up into a ball, and slept.
Around two o’clock I woke to find Jem staring at the wall behind the bed. He was growling and his hackles were up. In the morning I didn’t know if I’d really awakened or if it had been a dream. I didn’t recall hearing noises, but I’d been awfully tired.
Whether it was a dream or not, it still spooked me. Once again, I should have been paying more attention to what was going on around me, but nothing else happened for a while. It lulled me into a false sense of security.
Chapter Twenty-six
Summer ended abruptly. It was hot one day and chilly the next. That was typical Northern Nevada weather. By the end of September it felt more like the end of October. It was the coldest autumn I could remember, but at least it hadn’t snowed – yet.
Mike’s job was moving along slowly but steadily. I didn’t see much of him, but we made the most out of our weekends.
Marion caught a cold as the weather changed, and Josh took her to see her doctor when her cough refused to go away. At her age it was rough on her.
“I’m not going to lie around in bed, and that’s all there is to it. I need to be up and around people.”
“Okay, Marion, but I’m going to wait on you whether you like it or not,” I said. “If you need anything all you have to do is let me know. Lucy made some chicken soup. If you’ll go into the dining room I’ll bring you some. Do you want crackers with the soup?”
“No.” She was a little cranky, but I would have been, too. We were all relieved when she was back to her old self and once again doing her exercises.
David, Sharon and I kept an eye on Richard English. He remained his usual obnoxious self, but none of us saw him do anything out of the ordinary, or at least anything that would be out of the ordinary for him. The only thing that even came close to arousing my suspicion was when Richard stopped me in the dining room one night.
“Someday, baby,” he said, suggestively. “Someday. I’ll find a secret place to – ”
“Knock it off, Richard. You keep it up and you’re going to have to find a secret place to live, because you won’t be living here.”
“A secret place with a spunky broad. Hmm.” He walked away laughing, but he didn’t bother me again. I remembered him making a secret place remark some time back, and I didn’t like his second reference to a secret place. I shook my head, wondering why I hadn’t asked him to leave long before the cold weather set in.
J.T. seemed to like the change in the weather. He joked about the cooler air being easier on a man with his large, yet boyish, figure. I noticed he began eating more, and he put on a few pounds.
“If I’m happy the way I am then nothing else matters. It’s a waste of time for anyone to concern themselves about my weight. Besides, I’d rather have my big appetite than Richard’s big mouth. Please pass the potatoes.” Typical J.T.
Richard gave him a look but didn’t respond.
Marjorie Banks worked out quite well. She was friendly, although still somewhat reserved, and she got along with almost everyone – although she avoided Richard. When Marion became ill, Marjorie provided her with samples of her medication to save her some money. She said that as a pharmaceutical salesperson she always had free samples, and she happened to have what the doctor had prescribed for Marion.
Ted changed to warmer clothing, still always looking like he just stepped out of the shower, with never a hair out of place. The one time I saw him let his hair down was with Jem. He didn’t know I was watching out the window or I doubt if he’d have relaxed with the dog. He’d pulled his car into the driveway, but instead of coming in the front door he walked around to the back. I looked out the window and saw him pull a tennis ball out of his pocket.
“Come here, doggie. I brought you a toy.” He held it out to Jem, who wasn’t too sure about Ted because for the most part he hadn’t gone near the dog. When Jem finally took the ball Ted patted the puppy on the head. I was mildly surprised at the affection he showed toward the dog.
Jem had grown quite a bit in the short time I had him. He slept in my room at night. Mike just shook his head about it. I laughed at Jem when he really got excited, because his whole body shook when he wagged his tail, and his tail went round in a circle instead of back and forth. Every time I looked into those eyes of his, those pools of gold, my heart melted. I never received a response to the “Found Dog” ad I’d placed in the newspaper. I figured I’d done my duty and Jem was mine.
Things were quiet around Holt House. Even my nightmares ended with the onslaught of the cold weather.
The first snow had fallen in mid-September. Jem loved it. Lucy had become very fond of him, against her better judgment.
We had more snow before the end of the month.
“I guess I’d better put snow tires on my car,” J.T. said, turning to Marjorie. “I’ll put yours on for you, too, if you want me to.”
&nb
sp; “Thanks. I’d appreciate that. Living in the country is one thing, but being stuck out here is quite another matter. Maybe I’d better think about buying some tire chains, too.”
“You might want to think about putting put extra clothes and a blanket in the trunk of your car,” I said. “If it ever broke down on one of the lonely roads between town and Holt House, you’ll be glad you have them.”
Time flew by rapidly. The leaves turned to brick reds, oranges, yellows and crimsons, and in the blink of an eye they turned brown and began falling off the trees. The wind blew and the leaves floated through the air like small airplanes, making soft landings. The grass turned brown and prickly, and the air grew colder by the day. When I looked toward the sky I saw solid fronts of clouds – not wispy, but dark and foreboding – and then the wind would help push them on to darken someone else’s day. We’d have a few days of blue skies, but then the clouds would overtake us again.
October passed and November arrived and we all turned our thoughts to Christmas. It wasn’t far off and there was so much to do. I talked to the boarders to see who would be staying with us for the holiday. Marion was going to visit a daughter and son-in-law in California, Marjorie would be returning to New York for a few days, and J.T. said he was going to visit a sister in Colorado. The remaining boarders were agreeable to having our own celebration. They really didn’t have anywhere else to go.
Richard would be staying, but he didn’t seem to care too much about what we did for Christmas. It was just another day to him.
Ted was, as usual, standoffish, but he agreed to the celebration. He was such a loner. Maybe this group activity would give him a new perspective.
“Josh is thrilled with the idea,” Lucy said, one morning while we prepared breakfast. “He told me he spent the last several years working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day because he’d rather work than spend the days alone.”
Although we hadn’t even had Thanksgiving yet, Lucy, Sharon and I began our Christmas shopping. Lucy had been humming Beautiful Dreamer to herself ever since she and Josh had gotten together, so when Sharon and I found a musical figurine which played the same tune, we knew it would be a winner. The figurine was a young woman sitting in a swing, and as the tune played the girl swung back and forth.
The next names on our list were Mike’s and David’s.
“Men are so hard to buy for,” Sharon said.
I nodded. “It seems like if they want something, they just go out and buy it. That doesn’t leave much for us to do.”
Sharon finally decided on a chambray shirt and a watch for David.
Being practical, I bought a couple of drawing tools for Mike. My practicality sailed right out the window when I spotted a coin shop near the mall. I knew Mike collected coins, so I couldn’t pass by the place without stopping in. I bought him a small silver bar with a Christmas scene and the year etched on it.
Returning to town on a different day, I searched for Sharon’s gift. I also wanted to buy something for David and each of the boarders. Sharon wasn’t hard to buy for because she loved jewelry. After looking in several stores, I found a gold chain that had five tiny pearls set in the middle. It was very delicate and feminine, perfect for Sharon.
Having trouble picking out David’s gift, I finally decided on a wooden tray for his dresser. It would hold his change, wallet and watch.
That left only the boarders’ gifts. They were the hardest to buy for since there were so many things I didn’t know about them, but I tried to pick out things I thought they’d like. J.T. would receive a tin box of imported Swedish cookies, Marjorie a scarf, Marion would get a lavender shawl, and Josh would be receiving a small seascape for his room. As a former Californian, he’d said he missed the ocean. Richard and Ted were even harder to buy for. Books seemed to be the best idea. I bought Richard a book about sports and Ted a book about famous paintings. I had a feeling that with his precise ways, he might appreciate the artists.
I loved going into town during the holiday season. All the stores had been decorated by November, and they were playing Christmas music. The city had put up decorations running the length of the main street.
I talked Mike, Sharon and David into going to the Christmas Parade with me. We took a large thermos of hot chocolate with us, and blankets to sit on. We were sitting on the curb when it began to lightly snow, and Mike reached over and pulled the hood of my jacket over my hair. He gave me a quick hug and turned back to the parade, leaving his arm around me.
“Here comes Santa Clause,” Sharon said. After looking up at the sky and noticing darker storm clouds, she added, “And none too soon, either. The weather is about to get worse.”
David patted her head. “She doesn’t deal with adversity very well.”
Santa waved and passed out candy canes to the children, ho-ho-hoing all the way down the street. After he passed we gathered our belongings and hurried to the car. The snow was coming down heavier.
We were still wound up when we arrived home, so we made popcorn. Josh, J.T. and Lucy joined us. Around midnight things quieted down and we each went to our rooms. After I brought Jem inside and he’d settled in for the night, I took off my make-up and put on my nightgown.
As I turned to place my watch on the dresser, I saw a piece of paper, neatly folded, with my name on it. I picked it up, thinking it was probably some kind of a reminder from Lucy. What a short memory I had. My mouth dropped open as I unfolded it and read:
“I know you’ve always been fond of quotations, so here’s one
to go to sleep on.
‘Innocence is no protection.’
Thomas Fuller
Gnomologia No. 3100”
Now what on earth did that mean? I didn’t know what to make of it, and I certainly didn’t like the thought of someone sneaking into my room to leave another note. It had been so long since Ruth’s fall and the other notes that I’d convinced myself whatever was going on was over. It wasn’t.
“This is ridiculous,” I said, to myself. “I wish I knew what it’s all about.”
Jem opened one golden eye to peer up at me, obviously wondering who I was talking to, before going back to sleep.
Another thing was that I’d never cared one way or another about quotations, which made the note even more curious. This time it had been typed, so I couldn’t even guess who it had come from. Obviously someone thought this was funny, but just as obviously they didn’t want me to recognize the handwriting.
It bothered me more than I was willing to admit. It was reminiscent of the notes I’d received earlier, even though those hadn’t contained quotations. I finally decided to put the note aside and ignore it. Well, maybe I’d show it to Mike, and maybe I’d ask Lucy if she’d seen anyone near my room. Then again, maybe I really would just throw it away and forget about it.
I climbed into bed and as I fell asleep I thought, That note is just dumb enough to have come from Richard English. I can picture him doing something like that.
And I buried my head an inch deeper in the sand.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Thanksgiving had come and gone, and we’d had a traditional dinner for the boarders. Most of the men had adjourned to the living room to watch football after eating. It was reminiscent of having my father in the house. The women sat around the dining table and chatted. It was surprising that after just finishing a huge Thanksgiving meal, our thoughts had already turned to Christmas.
The day drew closer and most of us were getting into the spirit of things. Lucy temporarily gave up humming Beautiful Dreamer, switching to Christmas tunes. In fact, everyone seemed pretty cheerful with the exceptions of Marjorie, who’d so recently lost her husband, and Richard, who seemed to get bluer as the day grew closer. Ted didn’t seem to get too excited about anything.
Two weeks before Christmas, Marion left for her daughter’s home in California. Before she left she gave me three small packages to be opened on Christmas morning. One was for Lucy, one was for Josh, and th
ere was one for me. I gave her the gift I bought for her and she insisted on opening it before she left. She peeled the paper off carefully, folding it neatly to be used again, and saved the bow, reminding me very much of my mother.
“Never throw away the bows, even if you throw the paper away,” my mother said. “You can always resort to newspaper for wrapping gifts in an emergency, but there’s no substitute for the bow.” I had a grocery sack full of bows in my closet.
Marion finally set everything aside, neatly folded, and opened the box. She carefully lifted out the shawl.
“Oh, Kelly, it’s beautiful. My favorite color, too,” she said. What a sweetheart. If I’d given her army fatigues she would probably have reacted the same way. She would be appreciative no matter what anyone gave her.
“I’m glad you like it, Marion. I know you get chilly in the evening, and I thought you could use it.”
She looked at me for a moment, then stood up and gave me a hug. “It really is my favorite color, you know.”
Lucy gave her a gift too, and about an hour later Josh drove her to the airport. We’d miss having her with us on Christmas Day.
Two days later Marjorie left for New York. I gave her the scarf before she left and she was visibly touched. She hadn’t expected anything.
“I almost wish I was staying now,” she said, regretfully. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for you though, and I do feel bad about that.”
“I didn’t expect anything,” I said. “Don’t give it a second thought. Half the fun of Christmas, at least for me, is the giving. I don’t care about getting anything in return. I honestly don’t.”
“Well,” she repeated, “I do sort of wish I was staying now. You know, for a boarding house, this is still what I would call a happy home.” She drove herself to the airport after we all wished her a happy holiday.
Three days after Marjorie left, J.T. was due to leave. It snowed heavily the night before he planned on leaving, and it was still snowing the next morning. His flight was cancelled and he couldn’t get another one. He called his sister and made his apologies. “It’s just as well,” he said. “My sister worries about my weight, and she never feeds me enough.”
