by J. B. Lynn
Winnie looked up at him and nodded. “We were lucky,” she said. “Our godmother, Letty, took us in. She was the one that owned One Woman’s Junk.”
“And now you’re running it,” Jacob said. “She must be proud.”
“She was murdered. That’s why my sisters and I came to town,” Winnie revealed.
Jacob covered his mouth with his hands. “Oh my God. If I could insert my foot any deeper into my mouth…” he said.
“It’s okay,” she told him. “How were you supposed to know?”
“If my dad was able to talk,” he said, “I’m sure he would have told me all about it. But they’ve still got his jaw wired shut.”
“But they think he’s going to recover?”
“Physically,” Jacob began, “yes. But I’m not so sure about him emotionally. He seems very jumpy.”
“I guess that’s understandable,” Winnie began. Then she remembered how she had seen Peter Perkins, the owner of the strip mall, threatening that Bruce wouldn’t get something back.
“Was there anything missing besides the golden hanger?” she asked Jacob.
“How would I know?” he asked, waving his hand to encompass the burnt out remains of the store. “It’s not like we were able to take an inventory.”
“But your father hasn’t told you anything?”
“My dad’s very frustrated right now,” he said. “He can’t speak because of his jaw, and he can’t write because both of his hands were so mangled in the attack. He can’t communicate much of anything at all. Everything he answers is via blinking. Once for yes, twice for no.”
Winnie nodded, suddenly wondering what Bruce Gold might know that could shed some light on the circumstances that were occurring. She made a mental note to tell Tom that he might know more than people thought. She pulled out her phone and pulled up a picture of Nutmeg. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen this dog?”
Jacob peered at it closely. “Actually, I think I did.”
“When? Where?”
“He was in the alley,” Jacob said. “Scared the heck out of me when I was back there earlier.”
“Why were you back there?” Winnie asked, wondering what everyone’s fascination with these back alleys were.
“I wanted to move my dad’s car,” he explained. “He was parked back there.”
Winnie nodded. She smiled at Jacob and said, “Well, I have to get back, my sisters are expecting me.”
He nodded. “See you soon.”
She walked away, not glancing back at him, wondering if that had been a threat. Because she knew he’d been lying. Bruce Gold’s car had not been parked in the alley. The only car that she’d ever seen parked back there was Jim’s. So, why had the dry cleaner’s son just lied to her face?
34
Winnie was out on her walk, Bea had gone over to spend some time with Ash, Hank was guarding the door, and Amanda was ranting to Rupert.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “If Letty left something for each of us, why haven’t I found mine yet?”
Rupert shrugged helplessly. “Is that what you’re really upset about?”
Amanda shook her head and sat down on the floor, her knees tucked into her chest. Resting her arms on top, she lowered her head and hid the way she had often done as a young child, when her parents had been fighting.
“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” Rupert asked, sitting down beside her and mirroring her pose.
She glanced over at him. “It made Bea so happy,” she said.
“The picture?”
Amanda nodded.
“And why shouldn’t it?”
“Because they’re wrong about it,” Amanda said. The same wave of fear and anger that had rushed through her when she first saw the photo returned, stealing her breath. Her heartbeat sped up and she had to ball her hands into fists to maintain a semblance of control.
“What happened?” Rupert asked. “She found a picture, and it made her happy, and you’re acting like it’s the worst thing in the world.”
“It could be,” Amanda said.
“Why?”
“It’s Bea in the photograph,” Amanda started slowly. “And Letty is there, too, but the third person…”
“Your mother,” Rupert supplied.
Amanda shook her head. “That’s not my mother.”
Rupert looked at her sharply. “Are you sure?”
Amanda nodded.
“You were just a kid when she died,” Rupert reminded her gently. “The memory does strange things over time. Things get distorted. Warped. What we think we remember one way could have actually happened another.”
Amanda shook her head, trying to blink away the shimmer of tears that filled her eyes. “It’s not my mother,” she insisted.
“Then who is it?”
Amanda frowned.
“Does she look like your mother?” Rupert asked.
“Yes,” Amanda admitted.
“But you’re positive it’s not her.”
Amanda nodded. There was no way of explaining how she’d gotten the feeling from the photograph. That while Letty and the other woman were smiling in it, there was something off in their energy. “It’s worse than just the picture,” she told Rupert.
Before she could go any further, there was a knock at the front door of the shop, and then it swung open. As the bell jangled, she jumped to her feet and saw that Tom was walking in.
He took one look at her face and rushed toward her. “What’s wrong?” he asked with concern.
She shook her head, dashing away her tears with the palms of her hands.
“Nothing,” she said. “I’m just letting my imagination stress me out.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Never mind, it’s not important. Why are you here?”
“I wanted to bring you this,” he said. He pressed a plastic bag into her palm. She looked down and saw Letty’s locket. “Since Richardson is no longer going to go on trial, I figured the evidence could be returned to you,” he said. “Besides, from what you said, Bea got a vision from it.”
“She did,” Amanda confirmed.
“Maybe if she keeps it for a little while, she can get a clearer vision,” Tom suggested.
Amanda blinked, surprised that he believed her outlandish claims. “Really?”
Tom shrugged. “I see a lot of things in my job. A lot of them don’t make sense. You asked how open-minded I am,” he said with a rueful laugh. “I’ll believe in almost anything.”
“Thank you for this,” she said.
“It was the least I could do,” he replied. “Where are your sisters?”
“Winnie went for a walk,” Amanda told him. “I think she’s looking for Nutmeg. And Bea is over at Ash’s place.”
“Great,” Tom said jokingly. “At least she’ll have an alibi if anything else happens.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” Amanda said, playfully punching his shoulder. “Especially not with the producer missing.”
Tom grew serious. “What?”
Amanda frowned. “You hadn’t heard? I figured Piper would tell you right away.”
Tom shook his head. “I haven’t talked to her.”
Amanda shrugged. “Suzanne, the TV show producer, didn’t show up for work today.”
“Is that unusual?” Tom asked.
Amanda shrugged. “According to Piper, she didn’t call in, so nobody knows where she is.”
Tom frowned. “Have they filed a missing person’s report?”
Amanda shrugged again. “I really don’t know anything; I only know what Piper told me.”
Tom frowned. “Hank’s going to stay on your door?”
Amanda nodded.
“Okay, I’ll be back to sleep on your cot again tonight,” he promised. “Until then, please try to stay out of trouble.”
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Then he turned and left the store, pausing to talk to Hank for a moment. Ama
nda guessed from his body language that he was giving the handyman a stern warning to not desert his post.
“What’s in the locket?” Rupert asked curiously.
Amanda frowned. She thought she’d known her whole life what was inside that locket, but after having seen the picture that Bea had found, she wasn’t so sure.
She pulled it out of the bag and slowly pried it open. Two faces looked back at her. One was Letty, and the other, she’d always thought was her mother. She peered at it more closely and shuddered slightly.
“What is it?” Rupert asked.
“Have you ever felt like you’ve seen a ghost?”
Rupert laughed. “I see ghosts all the time. You’re going to, too,” he warned her.
She nodded. Most ghosts weren’t going to be a problem, but this one, this one could be. She snapped the locket shut and pushed the necklace into the pocket of her jeans, unsure of whether she wanted Bea to get a good look at it.
35
Amanda paused outside of Harmony’s store, feeling the hot sun beat against her. She stood there for quite a while, just absorbing the energy, trying to figure out what it was she actually wanted from the older woman.
Finally, she reached for the door handle and pushed it open. As she stepped inside, she was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of patchouli and lavender.
The dark store was such a contrast to the bright sun outside, it took her a moment of blinking to adjust.
Finally, the shadows took shape and she was able to focus.
The first thing she noticed was what was on the floor.
She gasped, a wave of relief practically knocking her to her knees. She knelt on the floor and extended a hand. “Hi there, Nutmeg,” she said softly.
The little scrappy dog whined and then crawled to her on his belly.
She was so happy to see him that she snatched him up and held him to her chest the moment he was within arm’s length. “Where have you been?” she asked. “I was so worried about you.”
The little dog licked the tip of her ear.
She was still on the floor when Harmony walked in from the back.
“Are you okay?” the older woman asked with concern.
“I’m great, now that I’ve found Nutmeg,” Amanda said. Holding him protectively against her, she got to her feet and fixed Harmony with a hard stare. “What are you doing with him?”
Harmony shrugged. “He showed up right after Richardson died.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Amanda asked. “We’ve been worried sick about him.”
Harmony shrugged again and extended a hand to pet the side of the dog’s face. “He was scared.”
“Not of us,” Amanda retorted.
Harmony tilted her head from one side to the other, and then said, “I got the impression he needed a safe place to regroup.”
Amanda frowned, not liking that excuse.
Harmony smiled slightly. “Why don’t you ask him?” she challenged.
Amanda shook her head. “It’s not like he can tell me.”
“You’ll never know until you ask,” Harmony shot back.
The challenge in the older woman’s eyes was obvious, but Amanda didn’t understand what she wanted of her.
“Ask him,” Harmony said firmly.
Amanda looked down at the bundle of fur in her arms and the trusting brown eyes that looked back at her.
“Did something scare you?” she asked the dog, feeling absolutely ridiculous.
He yipped softly.
“I guess you want me to take that as a yes?” Amanda asked Harmony.
“Ask him why he left,” Harmony replied.
Amanda shook her head. She felt stupid enough as it was, she wasn’t about to have an entirely one-sided conversation with a dog. She had more pressing matters to attend to.
“I need to talk to you about Letty,” she told Harmony.
Harmony looked from her, down to the dog. “She doesn’t know yet,” she said to the dog. “Give her time.”
The dog yipped once and leapt out of Amanda’s arms. He ran over to Harmony and pawed at her leg until she scooped him up.
Picking him up, Harmony raised her gaze to meet Amanda’s. “What do you need to talk about Letty for?”
Amanda glanced around nervously, assuring herself that there was nobody else in the shop. Not wanting to look into Harmony’s eyes as she said the next part, she began to wander around. She picked up a large rose quartz globe, holding it between her palms, feeling its warmth seep into her, grounding her. She raised it up to her chest and held it against her heart. “Bea found a photograph,” Amanda said. “It was like you said, it was labeled for her,” she continued. “Almost like Letty had left each of us something.”
Harmony nodded. “That makes sense.”
“But the picture doesn’t make sense,” Amanda said. She could feel her body heat warming the crystal that she held, the exchange of energy making her fingers tingle.
“How so?”
Amanda glanced over at Harmony cradling Nutmeg in her arms.
“Bea thinks it’s her, Letty, and our mother in the picture. She’s a baby in it.”
“That sounds lovely,” Harmony said, but Amanda sensed a sudden nervousness and anticipation in the older woman. She could feel the tendrils of the older woman’s anxiety wrapping around her own chest.
Amanda nodded. “It would be, except for one detail.” She put the crystal down and turned to face her.
“And what’s that?” Harmony said.
Amanda got the distinct impression that Harmony knew where she was going with this announcement, but she didn’t understand how the woman could possibly know.
“It’s not my mother in the photograph.”
The words hung in the air between them. Amanda held her breath, waiting for Harmony to argue with her. Instead, she put down the dog and stepped closer to Amanda.
“It’s her twin sister, right?” Harmony asked.
Amanda’s mouth dropped open. “You know about her?”
Harmony nodded. “She was of great concern to Letty.”
“Why?” Amanda asked, a chill running down her spine.
“How much do you remember about the deaths of your parents?” Harmony asked.
Amanda involuntarily took a step backward. It was her reaction anytime anyone mentioned the accident that had claimed both of her parents’ lives.
“They drowned,” she said in the most matter-of-fact tone she could muster.
“And who else was there?” Harmony prompted.
“My sisters and I were on the beach,” Amanda said, closing her eyes. It all came rushing back at her, the horrible memory. She’d been tasked with watching over both her sisters while her parents had gone out in a rowboat on the lake.
She could feel the sun that had been setting, the breeze that had been kicking up, and she could hear her parents’ voices arguing, even though she couldn’t make out what the words were.
As a little kid, a ten-year-old, she’d been very sensitive to their fighting. Feeling like their anger was buffeting her directly.
“Anyone else?” Harmony asked.
“No,” Amanda said, opening her eyes. “The boat tipped over, and they drowned.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she felt a blast of scorching pain and anger emanating from Harmony.
“On a perfectly clear day?” Letty’s friend asked with deceptive calmness.
“Yes,” Amada said.
“And you’ve been terrified of the water ever since,” Harmony said.
Amanda nodded. Her fear of the water wasn’t a well-kept secret.
“But that’s not what you told Letty right after the accident,” Harmony said.
Amanda blinked. “What?”
“That’s a story she made up afterward,” Harmony said gently. “And you believed it.”
“She didn’t make it up,” Amanda said angrily. “It’s my memory. It’s what I experienced.”
Harmony shook h
er head slowly. “It was a protection,” she murmured.
Amanda shivered, suddenly feeling as though she had been doused in ice cold water. Everything in the room seemed to grow darker. She shook her head, trying to deny the truth.
“The woman in the picture,” Harmony said. “You remember her.”
Amanda nodded.
“And she was at the lake that day, too.”
Amanda opened her mouth to protest, but the room began to spin. From somewhere far away, she heard Nutmeg barking.
Then there was nothing but darkness.
36
There was a knock on the door of One Woman’s Junk and Bea looked up in surprise.
After all, Angus wasn’t outside, indicating that the shop was open, and Hank was standing guard, who would be knocking?
She slid off her seat behind the cash register and limped toward the door, smiling at recognition when she realized it was Rena standing on the other side.
She unlocked the door and ushered her inside. “No school today?”
Rena shrugged. “I finished my assignment early.” She looked around. “Are you here alone?”
Bea shook her head. “Winnie’s upstairs.”
“I found something,” Rena said. “I don’t know whether it’s consignable or not.”
“Let me see it,” Bea invited, limping back to her seat.
Rena rummaged in her backpack and pulled out a bright red piece of cloth. She handed it over to Bea. “I didn’t steal it or anything,” she said. “I just found it.”
Bea nodded. She took the length of silk from her and examined it carefully. “Wow,” she said. “This is a nice piece.”
“That’s what I thought,” Rena said. “So, I thought maybe you’d be able to sell it for me?”
Bea nodded. “I’m sure somebody will snap it up. People collect silk scarves, and this one’s a beauty.”
Rena surveyed the store. “Wow,” she said. “You guys did an amazing job of putting this all back together.”
“When the Concordia sisters work together,” Bea said with a proud smile, “we can accomplish amazing things.”
A shadow flittered across Rena’s face, and Bea felt a twinge of guilt thinking that she’d said something insensitive. “Do you have any siblings?” she asked.
