Missing in Mystic Grove

by S F Bose

  “Okay, Grandma, we’re going to go talk to the DeMarco family,” I said gruffly.

  “They’ve been in the front parlor most of the day,” Tillie offered.

  I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. “Thanks Tillie.” Her face turned pink and she looked happy.

  “One moment!” Grandma Addie said, waving a spatula in her right hand. “We have the matter of the missing ring to discuss. Any thoughts there?” Her eyes shifted back and forth between Sam and me.

  “So the ring hasn’t turned up?” Sam asked.

  “Sam Nolan, would I ask that question if it had?” Grandma barked. My mouth dropped open. What had happened to my sweet and happy grandmother? The caring woman who had helped to raise me had disappeared.

  “No ma’am,” he replied quietly.

  “Addie, please. Don’t take your stress out on the young people,” Nana Anna snapped.

  Grandma took a deep breath. She darted a look at her sister. Instead of arguing with her, she replied, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I keep worrying about the B&B and the bad reviews the Wescotts might give us.”

  “Liz and I need to regroup on that particular mystery. We’re still working on it,” said Sam.

  I shifted my stance. “For what it’s worth, I doubt that Josh DeMarco had anything to do with the theft.”

  Grandma Addie looked relieved. “That’s good. One less suspect,” she replied.

  “Grandma, we’re going to have to talk to Dante and Shelly Cloutier to find out what they saw that night,” I added.

  Grandma’s lips tightened. “All right then. Do what you need to do. It can’t be helped. Ask them to not mention anything to Ray Wescott.”

  “We will,” I agreed.

  Sam and I turned and walked back toward the farmhouse table. As we walked through the kitchen doorway and into the west hallway, a voice called,

  “Liz! Sam!”

  Aunt Grace followed us out into the hallway. She looked at us and smiled. Then she took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to take Addie’s snapping personally. She’s my mama and I love her dearly, but she’s not handling the missing ring with a great deal of patience. She’s really not herself.”

  I nodded. That was an understatement.

  Grace paused briefly, searching for the right words. “Addie’s entire life has been wrapped up with family, the farm, and the B&B. She’s obviously afraid if we don’t find the ring, the Wescotts will leave bad reviews all over and there’ll be an avalanche of negative publicity. After thinking about it, I don’t believe a few bad reviews would kill us. But I couldn’t get her to see that. Then she fixated on the impact that filing an insurance claim would have on our rates. Finally, she got it into her head that the Wescotts might sue the B&B, which I think, is a real stretch. So when you wrap it all up, that’s why she’s like a snapping turtle lately.”

  “We understand,” Sam replied and smiled. I felt a sliver of fondness for him and mentally smacked it down.

  “Thanks, Aunt Grace,” I said and hugged her. Grace smiled and went back into the kitchen.

  “No pressure,” Sam commented as we walked down the west hallway toward the front of the B&B. I glanced at him and caught his eye. When he smiled and winked, I laughed.

  “None at all,” I agreed.

  We were both obviously whistling past the graveyard. We didn’t have a clue where Marie’s missing ring could be, and Grandma felt the future of the Bean Family B&B was squarely on our shoulders. I felt pressure mixed with sparks of dread.

  Chapter 14

  When Sam and I walked into the front parlor, I saw Ray and Marie Wescott working on the big puzzle near the south windows. They stood side-by-side holding puzzle pieces and looking down at the puzzle. Marie noticed us and gave me a questioning look. I replied with a short shake of my head and her lips tightened.

  Then I realized Ray’s eyes were also on me. He reminded me of one of my high school teachers and was normally very cheerful. Now he frowned, and his eyes regarded me flatly. Without stopping, I smiled and waved wildly. Startled, they both waved back.

  “Have a great day,” I called out and they both replied, “You too.”

  Sam and I continued to the library seating area to the far right of the parlor. Susan and Megan sat on the black leather couch having an animated conversation. Tony sat in one of the leather easy chairs across from them and had his back to us.

  Megan noticed us first and her mouth formed an “O.” Tony looked around and stood up. Susan’s hands clenched together as if she were praying.

  “It’s good news,” I said when we reached them. “Josh is fine. He went to see a man in Mystic Grove. He said he’d be back in time for dinner.”

  “Thank God,” Susan replied as Megan smiled and leaned over to hug her. I felt happy as I watched them.

  Tony exhaled and smiled. Then his eyebrows knitted into a frown. “Wait a minute. What man?” he asked.

  “Josh said he’d explain everything at dinner. The man is a longtime resident of Mystic Grove. He’s a good person. His son was there too,” Sam replied.

  “We don’t know what their business is with each other but Josh seemed relaxed,” I added.

  Tony stared at me and then sat down in the easy chair. He frowned and looked at Susan.

  “He’s safe and will be back today,” she said quietly, and Tony nodded. Then his eyebrows shot up and he was on his feet again.

  “I don’t know what I’m thinking. Thank you so much.” He pumped our hands and clapped Sam on the shoulder.

  Then Susan and Megan stood. Hugging me, Megan whispered in my ear, “Thanks for finding my brother.” Tears stung my eyes as I hugged her back.

  “I’m so grateful you two found Josh. I can’t thank you enough,” Susan said. She hugged Sam and then she hugged me.

  “Liz and I are both happy it turned out well,” Sam replied. We chatted with the DeMarcos for a few more minutes and then left them.

  “That felt good,” I said to Sam as we walked through the parlor. I noticed that Ray and Marie Wescott had left before us.

  “Happy endings always feel good,” Sam replied with a brief smile.

  Chapter 15

  As we left the front parlor, I heard Dante Cloutier’s voice and turned in time to see the front door close. I spun on my heels and hurried to the front door.

  When I opened it, a blast of cold air punched me in the face. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and then opened them. Dante and Shelly stood on the porch with their daughters, Holly and Jade. Both girls wore gray parkas, pink snow pants, boots, and Peruvian styled pink knit caps with ear flaps and rope-braid tassels. They carried cloth string bags decorated with kitten pictures. Jade also sported a long blue nylon cape with a red spider on the back.

  “I’m Spider Girl!” Jade said running up to me and smiling.

  “I like your cape,” I replied with a smile. The nylon was flaring out thanks to the wind. Jade spun around for effect.

  “This is my ‘Special Things’ bag. It’s a magic bag,” Holly said, shouldering in next to her younger sister. She held up her cloth bag for me to see. Then she eyed Jade’s bag. “Hers is just a regular bag,” she added dismissively.

  “Is not. Mine is magic too,” Jade objected.

  “Is too,” Holly replied.

  “Is not!” Jade screeched. Holly gave me an exasperated look.

  “Girls, no bickering,” Dante said and they both nodded.

  “Holly’s bag is for a first-grade project. She has to find pretty leaves, feathers, and other things over the holiday. Then she gets to make a collage with whatever she brings back to school,” Shelly explained, smiling down at her daughter.

  Holly shook her head up and down vigorously. “Do you know where I can find some pretty leaves?”

  I thought for a second. “You’re in luck, Holly. There are still a lot of leaves on the ground, especially in the northeast forest. We have some beautiful maple trees that dropped a lot of their leaves. There’s also an orchard e
ast of the house where you might find some pretty berries.”

  Holly smiled and jumped up and down. She looked like she was about to bolt off the porch.

  “Could we speak to you for just a minute?” I asked Shelly and Dante.

  “Sure thing. Girls, go down the steps and wait for us,” Shelly replied. I watched the girls bounce down the porch steps. “Stay in front where we can see you.”

  “They’re so cute,” I said, and the parents beamed. We watched as the girls stood and looked toward the pond. A gust of wind made me shiver. I quickly zipped my parka and pulled my hat from my pocket. I yanked it on my head and then put my gloves on.

  “They’re both very precocious and creative,” Dante replied. “But, hey, I’m not biased.” Everyone but Sam laughed. He did smile and clear his throat.

  “Oh sorry. This is my friend, Sam Nolan. Sam, this is Shelly and Dante Cloutier,” I said, and they shook hands. The Cloutiers looked at me expectantly.

  “I wanted to ask you about something in confidence,” I began. Their eyebrows shot up and they both leaned in. Sam stood next to me, hands in his parka pockets. “The thing is, one of our guests is missing a ring. It’s Marie Wescott. She wanted us to look for it before she mentioned anything to her husband. So we’d like to keep this between us.”

  “Of course. Poor Marie. Was it her anniversary ring?” asked Shelly.

  “It was. Do you remember her wearing the ring when you played cards after dinner last night?” I asked.

  “I do,” Shelly replied. “I admired the ring. During the game, Marie mentioned that her anniversary ring felt loose. Actually, my wedding band did too. Ray said he could have the ring resized, if she wanted, but Marie didn’t think that would be necessary. She wanted to wait until the next day and see if the ring fit better. After the first game ended, she said she was afraid the ring would fall off. So she took it off her finger and put it in her purse for safekeeping.”

  “Did you see her put the ring in her purse?” asked Sam.

  Shelly frowned and squinted as she thought about the question. “No, not really. I remember Marie and I were talking about something. As we chatted, she took the anniversary ring off her right hand and leaned over to put it in her purse with her left hand. But I don’t remember actually seeing her put the ring in her purse.”

  “Where was her purse?” I asked.

  “On the left side of her chair. We both had our purses on the floor,” Shelly replied.

  I nodded. Then I asked, “Did she look down at her purse?”

  “What?” Shelly asked.

  I watched her closely. “When she leaned over to put the ring into her purse, did she turn and actually look down at her purse?”

  Shelly’s eyes grew large. “Oh! I understand what you’re asking. My goodness, I can’t say for sure. She may have looked down. I really don’t remember.” Shelly’s mouth tightened, and she shook her head.

  I looked at her husband. “Dante, did you see Marie put the ring in her purse?”

  He shook his head. “No. Sorry.”

  “Do you remember her purse being on the floor?” I pressed.

  “No, not at all. I do remember the conversation about the rings. But then Ray said something, and I turned to chat with him. Marie was talking to Shelly about something else. We had two conversations going for a couple of minutes. We’d just ended one game and were taking a short break.”

  “Do you remember what the ring looked like?” Sam asked Dante.

  Dante made a face and shook his head. “No, I couldn’t tell you. I’m not really into jewelry. I know Marie wore a wedding ring on her left hand and had a ring on her right hand. But I never really looked at it.”

  “Was there anyone else who was by your table while you played cards?” asked Sam.

  Dante narrowed his eyes as he thought back. “Well, Liz stopped by briefly to chat. Then there was also an older couple seated nearby, but they never came near our table. Addie and her sister, Anna, came out to chat with them for a bit. Then Addie and Anna left the dining room and shortly after that, the older couple left through the outside door. They waved as they passed us and we all said, ‘Goodnight.’ They were very friendly,” Dante replied, looking at me.

  “Was there anyone else?” I asked.

  Shelly’s eyes lit up. “There was that nervous young man. John maybe? I can’t remember his name. He’s with that other family staying at the B&B.”

  “Josh DeMarco?” I asked.

  “Yes! Josh. That was his name. His family was at another table. After a while, they got up and left the dining room. Then Josh wandered over to our table and chatted a bit. Ray was ready to call it a night and asked Josh if he’d like to sit in for him. Josh looked surprised but said he would. He took Ray’s seat for the third game and Ray went back upstairs to his room,” Shelly said.

  “Why was Josh surprised?” I asked.

  Shelly shrugged. “I’m not sure. He seems very high-strung, but also somewhat shy. Earlier in the day, we ran into him in the big parlor and said ‘Hello.’ His face turned red and he mumbled, ‘Hello.’ Then he hurried away. So I was startled when he came up to our table and actually talked. I think he was surprised at the invitation.”

  “Josh seems like a nice guy but is socially awkward,” Dante said, and Shelly nodded in agreement.

  “After he joined us, we played the third game and then broke up for the evening,” Shelly said.

  “Don’t take this as an accusation. It’s just a question I have to ask. Was Josh ever near Marie’s purse?” Sam asked.

  Dante and Shelly looked at each other as they tried to remember.

  “I know he was standing between Marie and me when he first walked up. We had just ended a game and were all chatting. He noticed that Ray wore a Chicago Bears sweatshirt, so we talked a little football,” Dante replied. His voice had a distant quality as he recalled the memory.

  Shelly’s eyes lit up. “You know…Josh did kneel down at one point. He might have been near her purse. I remember Marie glancing down at him.”

  “Did you see that, Dante?” I asked.

  “No, I didn’t. Sorry. I was probably still talking to Ray.”

  “You don’t think Josh took Marie’s ring, do you?” asked Shelly.

  “No, not at all,” Sam replied quickly. “We’re just trying to get a picture of everything that happened that night.”

  “It’s also possible that the ring fell out of her purse somewhere,” I added.

  Dante and Shelly both nodded.

  Holly’s voice rang out on the cold air, “Mommmyyyy! Dadddyyyy!”

  “It’s cold!” Jade hollered, jumping up and down. Both girls faced the porch and looked wound up.

  “I wish we could help you. We really like Marie and Ray. But we didn’t see Josh or anyone actually take anything out of Marie’s purse,” Dante said.

  “Thanks, you’ve been a big help,” I said.

  “Thanks again,” Sam added and smiled.

  “Where are those maple trees again?” Shelly asked. “If we don’t find some pretty leaves soon, we may have a little kid melt-down.”

  Smiling, I walked them to the east end of the wrap around porch and pointed out both the orchard and the path that led to the northeast forest.

  “You can see a stand of maples from here,” I said and pointed.

  “Got it,” Dante confirmed, and Shelly smiled. I watched as they left the porch and headed around the B&B with their excited little girls.

  “They pretty much corroborated Marie Wescott’s story,” Sam said quietly, and I jumped. He had walked up next to me so quietly I didn’t hear him.

  “Yes. I found them to be believable too,” I replied. We watched the young family detour into the orchard.

  Sam nodded. “I agree. I didn’t see any signs of nervousness or guilt. No red flags.”

  Dante and Shelly followed their daughters around the barren fruit trees. The little girls picked up things off the ground and dropped some items into
their bags.

  Then I remembered something. “You know, Grace raised the possibility that Marie Wescott was lying about losing the ring in order to make an insurance claim.”

  “What do you think?” Sam asked, turning toward me.

  “It’s another possibility but I don’t think Marie is committing fraud. I think she either lost the ring or it was stolen.”

  “Have the Wescotts ever stayed here before?” asked Sam.

  “No, Grandma said they were first-time visitors,” I replied.

  After a pause, he asked, “Is there any way I could question Marie Wescott?”

  I shook my head. “Marie doesn’t want her husband to know the ring is lost. Since she and Ray are always together, I don’t know how we could get her alone for an interview. If we can’t find the ring by Saturday, she’ll tell him then. That’s when she also plans to call the police.”

  Sam nodded. “Too bad. I’d like to talk to her. At least we have a little over two days to find the ring.”

  “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving,” I said. “Maybe we’ll have a brainstorm if we’re well-fed.” That prompted a smile from Sam Nolan.

  Chapter 16

  We ate a very late lunch across from each other at the farmhouse table in the kitchen. I devoured meatloaf, potatoes, and corn, and drank lemon lime soda. Sam ate a plain lettuce salad, a plate of mashed potatoes, and buttered bread. He drank herbal tea.

  We didn’t talk as we ate, which I liked. I was lost in thought, filled with questions about Marie’s ring. Where could it be? If Josh didn’t take it, who else could have stolen it? Marie said yesterday that she and Ray hadn’t run into anyone when they left the dining room. So nobody bumped into her and lifted the ring from her purse. She also said she hadn’t dropped her purse. Did she lose it some other way? I felt a headache coming on and sat back.

  Sam was forking mashed potatoes into his mouth and frowning. When I glanced at his plate, he looked up and said, “I’m a selective eater.”

  “What does that mean, exactly?” I asked. You’re a weird, picky eater is what I thought.

  Sam wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a sip of tea. His thick black hair was disheveled, and he looked tired. His hat sat on the table and he pushed it a little farther away. Then he locked his nut-brown eyes on my eyes and leaned forward. His voice was low.