Laura thought back to the days when she’d hide from her nanny and sneak into her mother’s room to look at her jewelry. As a little girl, she loved the sparkle in the fancy jewelry boxes. Thinking of those days she could almost smell the aroma of her mother’s perfume. Although her mother wasn’t there, she pretended she was. Laura’s favorite place to read her story books was on the antique fainting chair in Glenda’s room.
“How is she doing today?” asked Molly when she entered Glenda’s room with a bouquet of fall colored chrysanthemums. Molly made sure Glenda had fresh flowers to look at every day.
“She looks healthier. I think the walk outside in the fall air helped her. Molly, I’m being selfish, I finally have my mother to myself and I don’t want to give that up. I should pray she recovers fully but that would mean she’d be out of my life again.”
“You aren’t being selfish at all, your mother loves you, I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you. She looks like a happy woman.”
“You’re sweet, Molly. Mother told me Angela took her rings from her. They weren’t in the package of her belongings, if Angela had them perhaps, she sold them. I can’t believe my father was fooled by that woman.”
“She could put on the charm when she wanted to.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you Mrs. Danforth, Detective Roth would like to speak to you. He says he has something to give you.”
“Thanks, Marie, I’ll meet him in the lobby. Maybe he found Mother’s rings, Molly. Come with me, Mother will sleep for the next hour or more.”
Molly followed Laura to the waiting area.
“Hello, ladies,” said Dylan. “How is Mrs. Abbott today?”
“She’s about the same; Marie said you have something for me.”
“Yes, it’s an envelope that was left in Willie Plank’s room. It has your name on it Laura. I assume Willie took it from your father thinking it was the jewelry. Willie wasn’t the sharpest guy in town.”
Laura took the envelope, “That’s my father’s handwriting, I don’t know whether or not to open it. I hope it isn’t a confession of other crimes he committed.”
“I don’t want to sound insensitive, Laura but if you find anything in there about other thefts, I hope you will share the information with me.”
“I will, Dylan.”
“Laura, do you want to go home to open the envelope, I will go with you if you want me too.”
“No, there isn’t anything my father did that will shock me after knowing he stole Mrs. Welker’s jewelry. If this is a confession of other crimes, I need to know. I’ll ask Marie if I can use an empty consultation room. Please come with me Molly.”
Marie led them to a room and closed the door. Dylan left with a sinking feeling whatever was in that envelope would not be good news for Laura.
Dear Laura,
I don’t know where to begin but I fear the end is near for me and your mother will never be the same person she was before the accident. You have a right to know the truth.
There was a bar near the campus of the university. It had a reputation for being a good place to order a corned beef sandwich. I thought I’d try it and stopped there one afternoon. My waitress was a beauty named Glenda. She and I hit it off, and I asked her to have dinner with me. She turned me down flat. I think it was because she thought I was too old for her. However, I didn’t give up easily and kept going back for even more rejection.
I stopped in later than usual one evening and found a young college squirt hanging on her. Glenda didn’t notice me standing there and when her shift ended, I watched as the two of them left the restaurant together.
I thought Glenda would never be interested in me and vowed not to go back again.
Several weeks later, I swallowed my pride and stopped in the restaurant telling myself I was hungry for a corned beef sandwich.
Glenda was there and smiled when she saw me. ‘Hello, stranger, where have you been? I’ve missed you.’ She said.
Her attitude toward me changed and before I knew it, we were in her apartment.
Not long after that night, she told me she was expecting my baby. I hadn’t planned on being a father but I liked the idea and begged her to marry me. Without hesitation, she accepted my proposal, and we were married.
She went into labor two months early and when you were born fully formed, I knew you weren’t my child.
Despite Glenda’s lie, I loved her and tried to love her child. However, you didn’t look like your mother but had the face of the young man I saw at the bar with his hands all over your mother.
I don’t know if you can understand this but your mother lacked any maternal instinct. I should have insisted she give you up for adoption but being an Abbott meant we couldn’t open ourselves up for scandal. I thought it would be an admission you weren’t my child.
Laura, it’s not unusual for families of the Abbott standing in society to entrust their off spring to nannies and caretakers.
As the years went by, you resembled the young punk who was your father even more than when you were young. I’m ashamed to admit it but I found it hard to look at you.
I will watch you marry a Danforth today. You won’t know I’m there but I will tell your mother I saw you marry the man you love. After that, I am turning myself into the police. I’ve stolen from a lovely older woman who trusted me and I intend to return the property to her.
I found out before your mother’s accident your birth father’s name is Seth Baxter. He lives in Clearwater with his wife and children. He doesn’t know he is your father.
I’m sorry, Laura. I wish I’d have been a decent father to you.
Sincerely,
Clinton Abbott
The color drained from Laura’s face as she handed the letter to Molly.
“Do you want me to read this?” Molly asked.
Laura nodded her head.
Molly read every word Clinton Abbott wrote to his wife’s daughter.
“Laura, I’m so sorry about this. Stephanie and my situation is similar. We didn’t know who our birth parents were until recently. We didn’t know we were sisters.”
“Molly, you were taken from your mother when you were an infant. My mother lied to the man I thought was my father. No wonder he didn’t love me. I was a reminder of her deception. I don’t know what to do with this information. Seth Baxter is the man my mother chased after the night of her accident. No wonder Clinton didn’t stop her from driving away. What kind of person was my mother?”
“Laura, you might never know the reason your mother lied to the man you thought was your father. It sounds like she was alone in the world and saw Clinton Abbott as her rescuer. She kept you and that’s a sign she cared about you.”
“Yes, she kept me. After Clinton fell for her lies, she had it made. He could give her everything money could buy. I’m sure that made the cocktail waitress a happy person.”
“Laura, I hate to see you like this. We have only known each other a short time, but you have overcome so many setbacks in your life.”
“Molly, you don’t understand, you were raised in a loving family. When you found your birth parents, they didn’t reject you but welcomed you and Stephanie into their families. My mother spent as little time as possible with me and Clinton couldn’t bear to look at me. I don’t know who my father is but I’m sure he won’t want me either.”
“I’m calling Alec, he needs to be with you now. Shall I sit with your mother while you wait for him?”
“No, my mother is nothing but a con artist. She fooled Clinton but she won’t fool me ever again. I’ll pay for her stay here but I never want to lay eyes on her again.”
Laura sobbed, Molly held her and let her cry it out. She knew her friend didn’t mean what she said, she was suffering from shock and disappointment. She needed the unconditional love only Alec could give her.
Chapter Nineteen
Alec arrived at the nursing home shortly after Molly placed a call to him.
Laura took
comfort in her husband’s arms as he read Clinton Abbott’s letter.
“You married me without knowing who I am. I won’t hold you to our wedding vows, I came to you as Laura Abbott and that person doesn’t exist.”
“Laura, I don’t love you because of your name, I love you because you are you. I know this is a shock, but it changes nothing. You are Laura Danforth now and I pray you will always be my wife. I’ll go with you to see your mother. I know you don’t want to look at her now but it is best to face your anger with her and not let it fester.”
Alec led the way to Glenda’s room. She was awake after a short nap.
Glenda smiled at her daughter until she saw the look of anguish on Laura’s face.
“Mother, I’d like to read you a letter Clinton Abbott wrote before he was murdered.” Laura read the letter and watched as her mother’s smile turned to fear.
“I’m sorry, Laura,” was all Glenda could say. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again.
Laura watched her mother sleep. She looked so helpless it was difficult for Laura to be angry with her. This was not the woman Laura remembered. Glenda Abbott was dressed in a soft lavender sweat outfit. She wore no makeup and her hair was cut short with no sign of the red hair coloring Laura remembered.
“My mother isn’t the same person she was before her accident,” Laura whispered. “I wonder what her life was like before she met my father…err Clinton. I wonder if she had a family? If she did, I knew nothing about them. Maybe she was alone in the world. Maybe she was in trouble and turned to Clinton because he was there. She lied to him and then was forced to hide the truth all these years. I wonder if she suspected Clinton knew of her deception. Glenda didn’t know how to be a mother, maybe she never had a mother to care about her.”
Alec could tell Laura’s feeling for her mother were softening. The relationship would never be that of mother and daughter but Laura didn’t hate the woman. He was glad Laura opened her heart to her mother again. Her forgiving nature was one of the many things he loved about his wife.
They sat together holding hands watching Glenda Abbott sleep.
Molly met Luke for lunch at the coffee shop across the street from Buds and Blooms. She told him the happenings of the morning with Laura.
“It sounds like Laura’s birth father either took off when Glenda told him she was having his baby or she never told him,” said Luke.
“I suspect she didn’t tell him. According to Clinton, he was a college boy, younger than Glenda and not in a financial position to care for a wife and child. Along comes Clinton Abbott, an older man with money to burn. Glenda seized the opportunity and never looked back until the day she ran into the college boy again.”
“If that’s what happened, Glenda Abbott sounds like a cold-hearted woman, the opposite of Laura.”
“Yes, I’ve never seen Laura so upset. Not that she doesn’t have reason to be, but she is on the verge of refusing to have contact with her mother. I think she will come around and forgive Glenda. She’s not the type to hold a grudge.”
“I agree, once she gets over the shock of knowing Clinton Abbott wasn’t her birth father, she will accept the deception and move on. How are you feeling this morning? You aren’t running to the restroom, that’s a good sign.”
“I feel fine. I haven’t thrown up in the last two days. Our little bambino is behaving himself or herself.”
“I’m glad you are feeling better, I didn’t want you to change your mind about having a baby because of morning sickness.”
“It’s a little late to change my mind, besides, I’d throw up for the entire nine months if that’s what it took to have a healthy baby.”
“I’m not thinking of this baby, I’m thinking of the next five or six,” Luke ducked as Molly tossed a roll at his head.
After lunch, Molly headed to Buds and Blooms while Luke took off for his home office to write another chapter in his latest murder mystery.
“Hi, everyone,” she said as she walked into the shop.
“Molly, how is Laura? Dylan said he delivered a letter from her father today. Did he clear up questions she had about his thievery?” asked Joanna.
“The letter said a lot, Joanna, I’ll let Laura tell everyone all about it but I wouldn’t push her until she’s ready.”
“Oh, dear, I hope she isn’t upset. She’s been so good to her mother, not that the woman deserves someone as sweet as Laura.”
“I agree with you; however, Glenda is Laura’s mother, and that is a bond that isn’t easily broken.”
“Speaking of mothers, my mom will be by this afternoon. She has been assigned the task of supplying centerpieces for her club’s luncheon next month. I told her I’d help with the design.”
“That’s great, it will be nice to see Betty again. I’ve been so preoccupied with Laura and her folks, I haven’t visited with my other friends.
“Alec, I want to find my birth father. Do you think that’s wrong of me?” Laura asked as they walked out of the nursing home.
“No, it’s not wrong but I don’t want to see you hurt again. How would you feel if the guy rejected you?”
“No different than I’ve felt all my life. At least I know why Clinton felt the way he did. I don’t want to intrude on Seth Baxter’s life but I feel a need to know where I belong in this world.”
“You belong with me and the children we will have some day. Our family will be so normal it will bore us to death.”
“A normal family, doesn’t that sound like a wonderful dream?” Laura laughed. “I’d like to stop by Buds and Blooms, I’ll ask Molly how to go about finding Mr. Baxter. She’s good at that sort of thing.”
“Molly, you are positively glowing,” said Betty Garretson as she gave her friend a warm hug. “I am so happy for you and Luke, you will make wonderful parents.”
“Molly, you look better,” said Joanna. “You aren’t green anymore.”
“I think the morning sickness is finally over. I’m feeling human again. Joanna said she would help you with your centerpieces. I’m sure she will do a wonderful job for you.”
Laura and Alec entered the store while Joanna and her mother looked through sample books to find the right arrangement for the centerpieces.
Betty and Joanna hugged Laura telling her how sorry they were about her troubles.
“Thank you, ladies, I found out some disturbing news today from a letter Clinton Abbott wrote. It turns out the man I thought of as my father is not my father at all. My mother duped Clinton Abbott into marrying her when she discovered she was pregnant with another man’s child.”
“Laura, I’m so sorry, are you all right?” asked
Joanna as Betty looked on in surprise.
“I’m fine, Joanna. It answered a lot of questions about why Clinton seemed to resent me. It’s more difficult forgiving my mother for deceiving Clinton and me but I’m sure it will be easier in time.”
“Do you know who your birth father is?” asked Joanna.
“I know his name and I hope Molly will give me some advice on how to find him. I don’t want to disrupt his life or cause him embarrassment. If he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me, I will accept it.”
“I’d be glad to help you, Laura. I know how it feels to be curious about where you came from. According to the letter, his name is Seth.”
“Yes, Seth Baxter,” Laura replied.
Betty Garretson dropped the glass bowl she was holding in her hands. It crashed to the floor and splintered into little pieces.
“Mom, what’s wrong, are you all right? Mom, answer me,” cried Joanna, she looked at Laura and said: “What did you say your father’s name is?”
“Baxter, Seth Baxter. Do you know him?”
“Oh, Laura, dear,” said Betty, “Seth Baxter is my brother. We always said Joanna looks enough like him to be his daughter. Don’t you see, Joanna, your resemblance to Laura is not a coincidence. She is your cousin.
“Laura, I’m so sorry, I’m
sure Seth doesn’t know about you. He’s a fine man and would never abandon his child.”
“Mom, where did Uncle Seth go to school?”
“State University in Brunswick.”
Laura’s jaw dropped, “That’s where my mother and Clinton are from. I’ve never been there but I remember them talking about the town where they met.”
“I’ll call him after I clean up this mess. I’m sorry Molly, I’ll pay for the vase I ruined.”
“You’ll do no such thing, I’ll clean this up, you make that phone call. The sooner your brother meets his daughter, the better. I have a good feeling about this, Laura.”
“Seth, do you remember a waitress by the name of Glenda Walters?”
“Why are you asking about her, Sis? I hadn’t thought about that girl in years. I was visiting an old friend a few years back when some woman came up to me insisting she knew me. Her name was Glenda, but it wasn’t the waitress I remembered. I figured she was a nut and stayed away from her. I heard she’d been in an accident that night and wasn’t expected to live. I felt bad for her but she’d mistaken me for someone else.”
“It was the same person. She married a wealthy guy and must have transformed herself. She is still alive after the accident but has permanent brain damage.”
“I’m sorry to hear that but what does she have to do with me?”
“Seth, did you have sex with that girl?”
“Betty, what kind of question is that to ask your baby brother?”
“I need an answer, Seth, did you have sex with the girl?”
“I might have, I was so drunk the night I met her, I don’t remember. I can tell you I woke up in the storage room of the bar. I couldn’t tell you if Glenda was with me or not. I only remember staggering back to the dorm. Coach Woods warned me if I ever pulled a stunt like that again I was off the team and would lose my scholarship. I knew he meant what he said, and I behaved myself from then on.”
Murder at Coventry Hill Inn Page 10
