by C. J. Carson
“Thank you.”
Walking from one room to the next, I hoped something special would catch my eye. I turned to a voice behind me.
“Good afternoon.” She must have been a new salesperson. I didn’t recognize her.
“Hello, my name is Allie.”
“I know, my dear.”
Well, maybe I had met her before and just didn’t remember. “I am looking for something special for my best friend as a housewarming gift.”
She led me to the next room, and before she could speak, I spotted an old easel in the far corner and moved toward it.
“That is an excellent choice.” She walked to the piece and pulled it away from the wall. “This is an antique, mahogany, adjustable easel. It is in very good original condition. Look, it still has a few remnants of paint here and there. This piece is in really good shape, but best of all, it is still functional.”
“I’ll take it!”
“Are you sure? I haven’t even given you a price, and this is not an inexpensive piece.”
I just knew I had to have this for Claudia. “What is your price?”
“It is listed at five-hundred fifty dollars, but since this is going to a splendid home, we can let you have it for four hundred.”
“Okay, it’s a deal.”
“If you take it to the counter, I am sure she will be happy to take care of you.”
As I walked out of the room, I turned to face the salesperson. “Thank you so much! I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s Mary.”
“Well, thank you, Mary. This couldn’t be a more perfect gift!”
I approached the counter to find the owner of the store waiting. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you in time to assist you, but it looks like you found a great piece.”
“Yes, it’s perfect and is for a very close friend who happens to be an artist.”
“Can I wrap it for you? We have a box it will fit in quite nicely from a previous shipment. This piece also comes with a letter from the original owner. A woman named Mary Buchanan.”
“That is just amazing. My friend’s name is Claudia Buchanan.”
She grinned. “That is an extraordinary happenstance. This item is listed at five-hundred fifty dollars, but since this is such an amazing coincidence, I think I can give it to you for four hundred. It would seem that it was just meant to be. Let me get this wrapped for you and you can be on your way.”
Leaving the store, I looked back at the owner. “Please thank Mary for all her help with this gift.”
“I would, my dear, but Mary is no longer with us. She lived in the 1800s.”
“What? No, I mean, Mary, who is here in the shop.”
“There is no one else working in the shop today. My help is off. Maybe it was another customer?”
Thinking for a second, a chill shot up my spine. “Perhaps.”
Chapter 22
BEFORE I KNEW IT, I WAS back at my house. I left the easel in the car to give to Claudia after we moved into the apartment.
Grabbing water and cheese from the refrigerator, I went right to my room and started freshening up for the evening. I was no sooner ready when the doorbell rang. I thought it must have been Claudia, but to my surprise, when I opened the door, it was Josh. He was standing there with roses, looking very apologetic.
“I hope you don’t mind my stopping by unannounced, but I just couldn’t help myself.”
As I let Josh in the door, Claudia was following him up the driveway with Jake. “Hey, Allie, look who I found on my doorstep just as I was leaving to come here.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? I found Josh at my door just now. I think they’re in cahoots. What do you think?”
“Couldn’t have put it better myself, girlfriend.”
“No, really, this wasn’t planned at all. It was strictly coincidence.”
Josh burst out laughing. “I think they’re on to us, Jake!”
I gave Josh a little kiss on the cheek. “Come on in. I am almost ready and maybe you two would like to go with us to meet our possible new landlord.”
“A peck on the cheek is all I get?”
“Yes, that’s all you get for now.”
“What do you say, Jake? Do you want to join these two lovely ladies and meet their new landlord?”
“You mean, their potential new landlord.”
“This is the second time in two days someone has called us ladies. We are not ladies. That implies we are old. We’re women, two women.”
Jake smiled and rolled his eyes. “Oops! Lovely, young women it is then!”
“That is much better!”
At five fifty-five, we arrived at the Summit. When we entered the lobby, the night manager was there. “Good evening, how can I help you?”
We walked to the desk. “Hello, my name is Allie Callahan, and this is my friend, Claudia Buchanan. We have an appointment with Mr. Channing at six o’clock.”
“Of course. Welcome, my name is Sandy. He is expecting you. Please have a seat here in the lobby and I will let him know you have arrived.”
We no sooner had the chance to sit down when the elevator door opened. A smartly dressed gentleman stepped out, wearing a red and black plaid shirt, clean blue denim Wranglers, and one of the nicest pair of spit-shined boots I had ever seen. He looked like a cowboy who just stepped off a dude ranch headed to a country barn dance.
“Hello, Mr. Channing, I was just going to ring you. Your six o’clock has arrived.”
He turned to us sitting in the lobby. “Hello.” He extended his hand. “You must be Allie and Claudia.”
I thought Claudia’s eyes were going to pop out of her head. To be honest, he wasn’t at all what either of us expected.
“Yes, I’m Allie, this is Claudia, and our friends, Josh and Jake. You must be Mr. Channing?”
“My dad is Mr. Channing, but you can call me Dakota. Welcome. Could I ask you to join me in my apartment upstairs? It is more private, and I left the paperwork there.”
Claudia fumbled, picking up her bag. “Sure thing, lead the way!”
I turned and whispered under my breath. “‘Sure thing, lead the way?’ Are you kidding me?”
He pointed to the elevator entrance. “After you, ladies and gentlemen.” He punched in a code and the elevator delivered us directly to his apartment. His penthouse apartment! We stepped off and entered a long entryway. “Please, follow me.”
As we walked down the hallway, it opened to a great room. Every outside wall was glass. The furniture was large, with leather, brass-studded upholstery. There was an enormous stone wall from floor to ceiling on the only inside wall, showcasing a huge fireplace. Except for the walls of glass, the décor made me feel like we were visiting a ranch house. It was a perfect blend of western meets the city!
“Well, this is certainly the biggest man cave I’ve ever seen!”
Mr. Channing smiled at Jake. “Can I offer you something to drink? I have soda, beer, and wine at the bar or if you prefer a mixed drink, I can have some sent up?”
I glanced at the others. “No, please don’t go to any trouble.”
“Beer and wine are no trouble at all, just say the word.”
Josh chuckled. “Well, if it’s no trouble, I would love a beer.”
Dakota turned to Jake. “And how about you? I have Corona, or if you prefer, I have Heineken on tap.”
“Well, you make it hard to refuse. Corona it is.”
“And you, Josh?”
“I’ll have a Corona as well.”
Dakota stepped behind the bar. “Why don’t the four of you grab a seat up here and I will play bartender.”
Dakota turned to Claudia and me. “And how about you? Could I interest you in a beer or wine?”
I took a seat at the bar next to Josh. “I think I’ll have a Corona as well.”
“Okay, Claudia, how about you?”
“Do you have white wine?”
“Let me look.”
He
opened a small wine cooler. “How about a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio?”
“I would love a Pinot.”
Pouring Claudia’s wine, he asked us, “Would you like some lime and a frosted glass for your beer?”
“We’ll certainly have to leave you a big tip for this amazing service!”
He laughed. “That’s great, I never turn down a tip. The jar is at the end of the bar. It’s kind of a running joke with my family and friends. I always tend bar when we have a party or get together and they all leave tips. We donate any tips collected in that jar at the end of the year to a charity, which we vote for and choose every year at the New Year’s Eve party. Perhaps you would like to join us this year. It’ll be a great evening and we always ring in the New Year celebration with a bang.”
Moving from behind the bar and across the room, he picked up a manilla envelope. “I guess we should get down to business. I have your lease right here if you’re still interested in leasing the apartment. I hope you received the copy of it I sent to your email for review. Of course, we ask for the first month’s rent and the security deposit before you move in. You will receive your security deposit back when you move out, provided you leave the apartment and its contents in good condition. We allow for wear and tear on the furniture, and we always clean and paint an apartment between tenants. If you lease for longer than two years, we try to go through the apartments with fresh paint to maintain them in your third year. If that sounds amenable to you, I can give you this contract for you to review and sign. If you would prefer, you can take it to have your lawyer look over it for any questions you may have.”
I looked at Claudia. “What do you say? Are we doing this?”
“I think we are!”
I took the envelope from Dakota. “I think we are all right to sign it tonight. I received the copy you sent this morning and reviewed it. Will you accept a personal check for our first month’s rent and security deposit?”
“Sure, no problem at all.”
“Well then, I guess we have a deal!”
“Great, let me get you a pen and we’ll make it official!”
He left the room and returned with a pen and two keys. “Here you go. Do you have any idea when you will move in?”
Claudia couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. “As soon as possible!”
“The apartment has been cleaned and painted. It’s ready anytime you are.”
I handed him the lease. “Today is only the twentieth, and our lease doesn’t technically start until the first. How will we handle the extra days if we move in sooner?”
“I’m not worried about a few days. Consider it a gift. Just make sure you call a day ahead so Guile and the rest of the staff are aware.”
“That is very generous! I don’t think we can thank you enough, Dakota. I suppose we’ll be seeing you around.”
Chapter 23
ON THE WAY HOME, I TURNED to the others in the car. “I can’t believe how lucky we were to have found that apartment. It really is rather luxurious and definitely more than I ever thought we could find on our budget. More importantly, it has really great security. Jake, speaking of security, do you think we should let Mr. Channing know what’s going on?”
“I am going to have a conversation with Payne about that. It is, without a doubt, a more secure place to live, but at the same time may make it harder to do protective surveillance. Let’s see what he has to say.”
Claudia reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope. “I think this calls for a little celebration and I just happen to have this gift card for the Oak Street Bistro! What do you say?”
My response was, “I’m in! What about you guys?”
Josh didn’t hesitate to answer for both of them. “We’re in!”
As we had dinner celebrating our move, we strategized how quickly we could make it happen.
During our meal, our server came to the table and handed me a folded placemat. “Excuse me, ma’am, I was asked to give you this.”
Puzzled, I took it from him. “What? Who gave it to you?”
He turned to point someone out. “It is from—” He looked dumbfounded. “Well, he was sitting right there at the bar not a minute ago.? I don’t know who it was. He is not a regular. I mean, I have never seen him before.”
Closing my eyes, I passed the paper to Josh. “I can’t open this!”
Josh laughed. “It’s just a child’s drawing. What is this about?”
Stunned, I grabbed it from his hand and looked at it. “What the hell?”
I got up from my chair, grabbed the arm of the waiter, and ran to the door and out to the street. “Do you see him anywhere?”
“Uh, no, ma’am.”
“Damn! Look again, look very carefully!”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I don’t see him anywhere.”
Claudia came out of the restaurant. “Allie, what is on that piece of paper that has you so riled up? Let me see it!”
Taking it from my hand, she unfolded it. “Al, it’s just a kid’s drawing. What the heck?”
I spun around, still panicked. “Where are Josh and Jake?”
“They’re taking care of the bill. Allie, what has got you so wound up?”
Josh and Jake came through the door.
Josh wrapped his arm around me. “Allie, what is going on?”
“This is not just a drawing on a placemat, it’s my drawing!”
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
I took a deep breath, looking at each one of them. “This is not just any drawing! I drew this. It’s mine, don’t you see? This is a drawing I did as a child when I was visiting George’s Café with my grandfather. How could someone have this?”
From his jacket pocket, Jake pulled one of his ever-ready plastic bags and slid it over the paper. “I guess it is going to be another late night for Payne. I need to call the station, report this, and get someone down here. Why don’t you all head to Allie’s and I will grab a ride from the squad car?”
Claudia turned to him, reached up, and gave him a quick hug. “What do you say, guys? Do we leave him here or wait?”
“I say we wait in the car. All in favor?”
Claudia and I raised our hands.
Josh smiled. “Seems the I’s have it. See you at the car, Jake.”
“You bet.”
Jake finished up with the officers at the restaurant and we headed back to my place, arriving at about nine-fifteen. While the rest of us went into the house, Jake excused himself. “I’ll be inside in a few minutes. I want to check in with Officer Moretti in the surveillance vehicle.”
Claudia reached out to take his hand. “Don’t be long!”
“I won’t, really, just a few minutes.”
***
As he approached the unmarked car, Officer Antonio Moretti rolled down the window. “Hey, Jake, looks like you’re enjoying your night off!”
“Yes, you might say that; it’s been kind of a mixed bag. Anything unusual going on this evening?”
“No, it has been strangely silent for a few days.”
“What do you mean ‘strangely silent’?”
“Just that. It’s been unusually quiet on this street for a few nights at least. I know there are only seven other houses in this cul-de-sac, but I haven’t seen anyone coming or going in any of the houses except the one at the corner at the end of the street. Not one single light has been turned on for at least three nights, maybe more.”
“Well, it is summer vacation, maybe they are all out of town.”
“That’s possible, but it seems odd that all the houses except Allie’s and the one on the corner have all gone dark at the same time.”
“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of days. I’m headed into Allie’s for a while, but I’ll catch up with you later.”
***
Jake came into the house to find us sitting around the island in the kitchen having coffee. “Hey, what about me, Claudia?”
> “Come on over. Do you want tea or coffee?”
“A coffee sounds great!”
“Have a seat, I’ll get you one.”
“No, the Keurig is right here on the counter. Stay put, I’ll grab a mug. I really want to talk a little about this drawing you received.”
I got up from the island. “Wait, I’ll be right back.” Going to my room, I returned with an old scrapbook. “This is a collection of things from my childhood. My mother started it for me when I was a baby, but continued to fill it until I left home.” I opened it up and pulled out a paper. “This is another placemat drawing I made at George’s. You see? It is a very similar drawing.” I pulled out two more. “See?”
Jake took them out of my hands. “Are you missing one? Maybe when he got into the house, he took one out of your scrapbook?”
“No! No, the one that was given to me in the restaurant tonight had been thrown away.”
“How do you know? Maybe you are mistaken?”
Tears welled in my eyes. “See? I did this picture on the same day. When I was drawing the other one, I spilled my hot chocolate on it. I was so distraught and couldn’t stop crying. My grandfather, who always had a way of fixing things, brought me a new placemat and said, ‘Allie, my dear, it’s okay. You can draw it again and make it even better.’ He took it away, and I never saw it again.”
“Well, somehow this guy found a way to get it.”
Reaching over to Jake, Claudia asked, “What? Do you think this guy was around back then?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure, but either he or someone connected to this whole thing must have been there that day.”
Josh got up from the island to refill his cup. “Hey, Jake, what do you say we change the subject for a while? The girls are talking about moving some of their things to the apartment tomorrow. Allie called and checked with Guile, and he said that would be fine. I took tomorrow off, so I am going to come over early in the morning to help them move some things with my truck.”
