by Kathi Daley
“Do you remember ever hearing a last name?” I asked.
“No. I’m sure Edith never said. I wondered whether Daisy was the girl’s real first name. She always seemed startled when anyone called her that.”
“She looks to be very pregnant in the photo,” Coby said. “Do you remember if she was still in the area after she had the baby?”
Doris slowly shook her head. “I’m not sure what happened to her. I asked Edith about her once, and all she said was that her niece had gone home. I don’t know where home was, or even if that’s where she really went. You might talk to Vern Sullivan.”
“Vern Sullivan the feed store owner?” I asked.
“He worked for Edith as a handyman when he was in high school. I seem to remember him being around at about the same time Daisy was. He might know more about the girl and the reason for her visit.”
I smiled at Doris. “Thank you. I’ll stop by to speak to him. Before we go, we were wondering if you remembered when the shutters on the front of the Honeycutt house were painted from black to white.”
“I guess it was a decade ago. Why do you ask?”
I explained our theory.
“I remember the girl being here at least thirty, maybe even forty years ago. The shutters were painted five years or so before Edith passed.”
“And the fence? Do you remember when the fence was replaced?”
“After the great blizzard of ’eighty-six. Part of the old fence blew over and Edith decided to go with something a bit cheerier.”
Okay, that helped. Coby was born in ’eighty-four and the fence was replaced two years later. We were beginning to narrow things down.
“Just one final question: Do you remember anyone named CW who might have carved their initials in the tree in front of the house?” I asked.
“Carl Willoughby. Carl was the son of Edith’s maid, Penelope. He tagged along with his mother during the summer when he was off school.”
“And when was that?” I asked.
Doris thought back. “I guess that would be during the eighties. Probably the mideighties. He works for the power company now.”
I thanked Doris once again and then Coby and I returned to my Jeep.
“How are we supposed to find someone named Daisy when we don’t have a last name?” Coby asked.
“We just keep asking around. That’s the way these things work. You just keep whittling away at it until a picture begins to appear.”
“Well, we know now that the woman in the photo could have been my mother when she was pregnant with me if the fence wasn’t replaced until ’eighty-six and the tree and shutters came after that. Maybe this Vern Sullivan will know something.”
“I’ll call him as soon as we get back to town.”
As it turned out, Vern wasn’t at work that day and was out of town. He was willing to speak to us if we could come by his home the next day. I called Carl Willoughby, who was available to meet with us if we could come by his home after six. I was supposed to meet Bree then, but I supposed she could come with us to speak to Carl. Maybe the three of us could have dinner after. I hadn’t had a chance to introduce Bree and Coby yet, but something told me they’d get along fine.
Chapter 6
I glanced at the clock on the wall as I hurried through the back door of the Book Boutique with minutes to spare. I’d decided to take Tilly home before meeting Coby and Bree, but once the kittens saw me, I knew I’d need to spend a few minutes playing with them before I fed them and left again. I’d told Coby to meet me at the Book Boutique at six, which meant I had five minutes to chat with Bree before he arrived.
“Thank you so much for being flexible,” I said as I entered her office. “I know this was supposed to be our night and I really appreciate you letting Coby tag along.”
“It’s not a problem. After everything I’ve heard about him, I’m excited to meet him.”
“Everything you’ve heard?”
“Wilma told me the guy is a total babe and so very nice, and your mom mentioned how well she thought the two of you were suited for each other.”
“We’re just friends, nothing more. You know how my mom likes to play matchmaker, but there’s absolutely nothing between us other than the desire to solve his mystery.”
“Megan from over at the Inn told me that Coby looks like a young Robert Redford.”
I rolled my eyes. “Coby looks nothing like Robert Redford at any age.”
“Maybe not, but I understand he’s quite good-looking.”
“I guess he is, but, as I said, I’m not interested, so if you see an opening, you’re welcome to take it. Did you hear from your secret admirer today?”
Bree smiled. “I did.” She set a book on her desk.
“He sent you a book? He does know you own a bookstore?”
Bree laughed. “I’m sure he does, but this is a first edition of one of my favorite books.”
“So this guy knows you well enough to know what your favorite book is. How many guys would know that?”
“Not many,” Bree admitted.
“You must have some idea who’s sending you these gifts.”
Bree shook her head. “I really don’t. I’ve been wondering why anyone would go to so much trouble to retain his anonymity.”
“Maybe the guy’s just shy. Maybe he admires you but thinks he’s unattractive and therefore not the type you typically date.”
“Trust me, it doesn’t matter in the least what the guy looks like. Whoever he is, he’s made me smile. He’s already a prince in my eyes.”
I grinned. “I’m glad to hear that. I hope you aren’t disappointed when the big reveal is made.”
Bree frowned. “Are you sure you don’t know who it is?”
I raised my hand in the air. “I swear, I have no idea, and if I did, I’d tell you.”
“Okay. Just checking.”
“I hear the back door. It must be Coby. Come on; I’ll introduce you.”
Once the introductions were made, the three of us climbed into Coby’s rental and headed over to Carl’s house.
“What beautiful sketches,” I said, admiring the art on the wall as we walked into his house.
“Thank you. They’re mine. I don’t claim to be an artist, but I like to dabble.”
“They’re really good. I especially like this one of the geese on White Eagle Lake. It naturally elicits a feeling of calm and serenity.”
“That’s just what I was feeling when I drew it. So, how can I help you this evening?”
Coby showed Carl the photo and explained what we were after.
“Sure, I remember her,” Carl said. “She was staying with Mrs. Honeycutt for a while. She was fun and beautiful, and I had a huge crush on her.”
“Do you remember when that was?” Coby asked.
“It was the summer between seventh and eighth grade, so I guess it was 1983. Do you know her?”
“Maybe,” Coby answered. “I understand she went by the name Daisy.”
“That’s right,” Carl confirmed.
“Do you remember her last name?” Coby asked.
“I don’t think she ever said. What I do remember is how nice she was. My mom was one of those overprotective sorts who made me go with her when she went to clean Mrs. Honeycutt’s house even though I was old enough to stay home on my own. I think Daisy felt sorry for me, so whenever I was there she’d sit with me in the old swing on the porch and tell me stories about her past.”
“What kind of stories?” Coby asked.
“Things that happened to her and things she saw, mostly. It seemed she’d been everywhere. She had stories about other states as well as cities like Paris, London, Berlin, even Cairo. I guess she must have been rich to travel so much.”
“Did she ever mention who she traveled with?” Coby asked.
“Not that I recall. I think she was intentionally vague about the details. If you ask me, she was hiding from someone. Maybe her baby’s father. She never, ever talked about the
baby’s father.”
“Do you remember if she was still here when the baby arrived?” I asked.
Carl shook his head. “I was already back in school, so I wasn’t around there as often, but I think she left town before the baby was born. I remember my mom having to go in on a weekend because Mrs. Honeycutt was throwing some sort of a party, and she needed her help with the heavy cleaning. Mom wasn’t going to make me tag along, but I hadn’t seen Daisy for quite a while, so I asked to go. Daisy was very pregnant, and I joked with her that the baby was going to show up before the following weekend, when Mom was going back to complete the party preparations. But by the next weekend Daisy was already gone. Mrs. Honeycutt gave me the gift she’d left for me and she said Daisy wanted me to know she’d enjoyed our friendship, but she had to go home.”
“What kind of gift?” I asked. Although it really wasn’t any of my business.
Carl got up, crossed the room, and took something out of a box on one of the bookshelves. He handed it to me.
“She left you this necklace?” I asked as I studied the silver medallion on a heavy chain.
Carl nodded. “She used to wear it, although she never said where she’d gotten it. I’d admired it on several occasions; I was really in to all things medieval back then, and I liked the dragon on it.”
“Do you mind if I take a photo of it?” I asked.
Carl shook his head. “No, I don’t mind. If you find her, will you let me know? I’ve always wondered what became of her and her baby.”
We left Carl’s and headed toward town to pick up my Jeep and then go out for dinner. As I suspected they would, Bree and Coby got along wonderfully. Coby was a reader, as was Bree, so a lot of the evening was spent discussing books the two had read and enjoyed. I’m not all that much of a reader myself, mostly because I never seem to find the time for books, so I mostly listened while I waited for the opportunity to cut out and head home. When I finally did make my excuses, Bree and Coby were deep in a discussion about modern genres and changing trends and they barely noticed when I left.
At home, I built a fire, then changed into my footie pajamas. I’d been so busy lately, I hadn’t spent a lot of time with the kittens, so they were thrilled when it appeared I was in for the night. I clicked on the television and then settled onto the sofa with a quilt and a glass of wine. Within two minutes, all three animals had joined me.
The company was wonderful, but the show I was watching was tired and predictable, so I clicked it off and called Tony. If he was free, I might be able to talk him into some online gaming. It wasn’t as much fun as playing in person, but it was a good option when neither of us wanted to make the trip between our homes.
“Hey, beautiful,” Tony greeted me after a single ring. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Bored,” I admitted.
“I see. I thought you were going to dinner with Bree.”
“I did, but Coby came along. They really hit it off, so it turns out it’s just me and the kids tonight.”
“I can come over if you want.”
I sighed. I was certain I sounded more pathetic than I’d intended. “It’s okay. You don’t need to drive all the way over here just because there’s nothing good on television. I hoped you might want to play online for a while.”
“Actually, I’m already in town. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Well, that had worked out better than I’d hoped. Tony and I had been known to play video games well into the wee hours of the morning when I didn’t have work the next day. Of course I did need to pick up the cookies for the shelter party before eight, so I supposed I shouldn’t get to bed too late.
“Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but why were you in town?” I asked when Tony and Titan arrived.
“I was meeting with Mike.”
“My brother Mike?”
Tony took a seat on the sofa while Titan and Tilly walked around the room sniffing each other.
“He called me this morning and asked if I could help dig up information on Armand Kowalski.”
“And what did you find?”
“Kowalski was born and raised in Poland. He came to the United States on a work visa in 1981. Most recently, he’s worked for a company called Nowak Enterprises. It’s based in San Francisco, but its parent company is in Slovakia.”
“Okay, so why was this businessman from San Francisco who works for a Slovakian company following Coby?” I asked.
“I don’t know. On the surface, there isn’t a link between Coby and either Armand Kowalski or Nowak Enterprises. Mike called the company to inform them of the death of their employee. The woman he spoke to confirmed that Kowalski had worked for them for more than thirty years and was considered to be the right-hand man of his boss, Daniel Kovac, who’s currently out of the country, meeting with his boss, Danko Milovich, a very wealthy man who owns companies all over the world.”
I tucked my legs up under my body. “Does any of this make any sense to you?”
“No, I can’t say that it does. The only take I have is that there’s probably a whole lot more going on than meets the eye, and that always worries me.”
“Yeah, it worries me as well.”
Tony used the remote to turn on my gaming system. “How did your breakfast with Coby go?”
“Fine. He’d gone over to the Honeycutt place and noticed there’d been changes to the outside since the photo of the pregnant woman had been taken. He spent most of the day trying to date the changes.”
“Did you find anything conclusive?”
“Not really. We still can’t determine exactly when the photo was taken, but we’re using the details to narrow things down a bit.”
“Sounds like a technique I’ve used often.”
“Like how we knew that first photo you found of my father was taken after he supposedly had died by looking at the buildings in the background?”
“Exactly.” Tony handed me one of the controllers.
“Have you found anything else since we spoke yesterday?” I asked as Tony started the game and our quest began.
“Nothing significant, but I’m following up on a couple of things I’d rather not talk about until I have more data.”
I returned my focus to the screen, screeching when Tony annihilated one of my ammunition warehouses. As much as I wanted to discuss the search for my father, at that moment I wanted to beat Tony at his own game even more.
Chapter 7
Saturday, February 10
“Oh good; I thought you’d forgotten to stop by,” Hattie said as I hurried in through the front door of the bakeshop.
“I didn’t forget; I’m just running late. Is this everything?” I nodded toward the piles of boxes on the counter.
“There’s a cooler of punch in the back. If you’ll grab that, I’ll help you carry everything out.”
I headed to the back room, where the cooler was waiting. I should have taken my own advice and kicked Tony out at a decent hour last night, but we were having so much fun and Titan and Tilly were so thrilled to be spending time together, before I knew it, the clock struck three and getting a good night’s sleep was out of the question. Tony crashed on the sofa, so I had scrambled eggs and hot coffee waiting for me when I finally emerged from the bedroom in the morning.
“I hope this is enough for everyone,” Hattie said as she helped me load the pink bakery boxes into the back of my Jeep.
“I’m sure it will be. Most folks who stop by are more interested in playing with the dogs than eating, although these cookies do look wonderful.”
“Sugar cookies are my specialty. Do you have a lot of dogs to find placement for today?”
“I’m not sure. I know the shelter has been close to capacity, but all dogs that are brought in have to undergo a quarantine before they’re eligible to be adopted, so the number being housed isn’t necessarily the number available for adoption. I think we have quite a few to place.”
“Well, good luck and have a goo
d day.”
I waved to her, jumped into the Jeep, and sped down the street toward the high school. The animal shelter was located next door to the only veterinary hospital in town, but Brady had wanted a larger place for the party and had convinced the high school to let him use their multipurpose room.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Brady said when I pulled up to the loading door.
“Sorry. I got a bit of a late start, but I have the punch and cookies, and Hattie even threw in cups and napkins. As soon as I get all this unloaded, I’ll help with whatever else needs to be done.”
“I was hoping you could take my van to pick up the last load of dogs. I brought eight and Lilly brought eight more, but there are five little guys still waiting for a ride.”
“No problem. I’ll pick them up as soon as I empty the Jeep. Do you need anything else while I’m out?”
“I think now that we have the punch and cookies we’re in good shape.”
Brady had done a wonderful job. The room was decorated with red, pink, and white streamers, and there were heart-shaped decorations taped to every wall. The long table for the cookies and punch was set off to the side, near the adoption application table, while most of the room was littered with bean bag chairs. The dogs that had already arrived seemed to be having a wonderful time playing with one another and the prospective adoptive parents hadn’t even shown up yet.
By the time I returned to the party with the five smaller dogs, people were starting to arrive. I got them settled, grabbed a leash and a plastic bag, and started taking some of the dogs who had been there the longest out for bathroom breaks. Brady had designated a grassy area that had been cleared of snow and was well away from usual traffic lanes as bathroom central.
