Better Than Gold (19 page)

As she went out to dump more debris, she realized the sun had set. She supposed she should be hungry, but she had eaten an apple and a yogurt for lunch. That should be good enough for a while longer.

When her phone rang again, she ignored it, three times. She thought she should be tired, but the methodical prying and chipping, pulling of nails and pulling down insulation had almost gotten easy, until as some point she sat down on her bucket and she could not get up.

She rested for a while, stripped her gloves off and pulled her phone from her pocket.

She sighed. 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Five more days to get this done. She could do it. She had to do it.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

T
HE
SOUND
OF
her alarm at six o’clock was fully distressing since rolling over and reaching the bedside table seemed out of the realm of possibility.

“Shut up. Shut up.” Clocks did not listen, at least not the one she had. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and reached for the off button.

Two toaster tarts today, and a yogurt. She’d need her energy. She made a peanut butter sandwich and took it with her.

As she went flying out her door she ran smack into Monique.

“Don’t you even think about it. You don’t answer my phone calls, but you’ll have to knock me to the ground to get around me.”

Mia smiled at her friend. “What’s on your mind so early?”

“Lenny.”

There was a topic Mia didn’t think she should push aside. “Come on in.”

Monique sat at the counter while Mia made a cup of tea for each of them. When they were sitting side by side and her friend had said nothing, just sat there and looked sad, Mia asked, “Are you going to tell me what’s up, or do I have to guess? Oh, wait. I’ll guess. You and Lenny had sex and he disappointed you terribly. Or you found out that if you got married his mother was moving in. Or... Well, I give up.”

“He said he loved me.”

Joy and utter heartbreak swamped Mia at the same time. “And that’s not wonderful?”

“I thought when a guy told me he loved me, fireworks should go off and the world should suddenly seem brighter.”

“Does that mean you don’t love him?”

“I do. That’s the hard part. I do. But when he told me it felt like good old memories and my favorite dessert. No fireworks.”

“Okay.” Mia sipped her tea.

“Don’t you see? He’s better than my favorite dessert.”

“But he’s also old memories. You have so many memories of Lenny. Well, tell me what happened.”

“It was after work last night. He said he’d loved me forever, he just didn’t want to push me.”

“Points in Lenny’s favor, you have to admit. Wait. All those times we thought he was giving us both the eye, it was only you?”

“Sorry, pal, you’re not as attractive as you think.”

Mia laughed. “So was it romantic at least?”

“Oh, as romantic as I could ever want it to be. We watched the moon come up over the ocean. He brought flowers and this.”

Monique put out her arm. Today her wrist was adorned with a sapphire tennis bracelet, Monique’s birthstone.

“The dog. How could he?”

“Don’t tease me. I know. I know.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Of Lenny? No, never.”

“He won’t leave you.”

“It’s not... Maybe it is. Oh, Mia. What should I do?”

Mia put her arm around her friend. “Give it some time. If in say, fifteen, twenty years he’s still hanging in there, maybe you should demand fireworks.”

“He’s waiting to take me to breakfast. Do you want to go with us?”

“I’m going to work.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m doing demo at Pirate’s Roost.”

“That’s great. They gave you an all-clear?”

“Not exactly. I’m just doing it because it has to be done.”

“Does Daniel know?”

“No way. I couldn’t get him into trouble. It’s just me.”

“By yourself?” Monique gave her an exaggerated bug-eyed look.

“I don’t feel right about asking folks to help me. I’m not destroying anything of substance unless a mouse nest counts.”

“Won’t
you
get into trouble?”

“If I find anything that has any value, I’ll stop or work around it. So far all I’ve found is old building materials and crud.”

“You can’t do all that by yourself. You have both the dining room areas, the kitchen, the hallway between the bathrooms and the kitchen.”

“I have one of the walls in the dining room almost completely finished. The one behind where the counter will be.”

“What about a chef? Any luck on hiring a new one?”

“Pfffff.”

“Translated?”

“I don’t even like to go there. I have a couple leads from the chef who quit. Otherwise I have feelers out at culinary schools.”

“Do you still believe?”

“I still believe Pirate’s Roost will be the best.”

“Sweetie, do you still believe in love?”

“I liked talking chefs better.”

“Rumor has it he was here yesterday with a whole group and you got a good long goodbye kiss.”

“That’s exactly what it was.”

“The M&Ms are being trampled by love. I believe. I believe.” Monique slugged down the rest of her tea, hugged Mia. “Don’t kill yourself working.” She dashed out the door.

Did she still believe? Of course she did. She believed for Monique and Lenny.

By the time she arrived at Pirate’s Roost, it was an hour later than she had planned.
Nothing for it, just get to work.

Before she could climb the ladder Chief Montcalm came to the door. She let him in. The teens Thompson and O’Connell followed him looking wholly contrite.

The chief stood with his hands together behind his back and looked at the two young men. Mia had an idea of what must be coming and she had to press her lips together to keep from smiling.

They stepped up to her and looked her reluctantly in the eyes. She shifted her gaze between them. “Yes, gentlemen?”

“I’m sorry for sneaking into your place without permission.” First one said it and then the other. Chief Montcalm had coached them well. “I’d like to know if I can come after school and help you,” they chorused and she was impressed.

“I would appreciate your help. I’ll see the two of you as soon as you can get here.” Maybe she could find something for them to do that wouldn’t seem like breaking the law. They could be her luggers.

“Get to school now,” Chief Montcalm said firmly.

They walked politely from the building and then ran for all they were worth.

“Thank you, Chief.”

“I’m sorry to tell you, I do not believe those boys destroyed the crypt.”

“That’s interesting.”

“We have a lead we are working on.”

“Thank you and all the police department for putting a modicum of fear and respect in that pair.”

He tipped his hat to her. “Have a good day, Mia.”

Mia
. She smiled. “You too, Chief.”

Alone, Mia put on her gloves and picked up her tools. Halfway up the ladder and she realized this was going to be a long day.

The students from the university came and collected every scrap and tiny chunk of the granite. They left her a batch of shiny photos, including copies of Colleen McClure and Princess Charlotte.

Mia’s muscles had finally loosened up by the time the teens arrived after school. They came with a bag of corn chips and three candy bars. The three of them sat, semi-hiding in case the chief happened by, on the floor in the back room and enjoyed the bribe.

“You know I’m keeping your dad’s ladder—” She pointed back and forth between the two of them until Mickey raised a sheepish hand. “Until I’m completely finished with it.”

After all the munching Mia hopped up. “Sorry, guys, I still gotta put you to work. You can start by gathering up those piles of plaster and lath and getting it all in the Dumpster, and watch out for the top step. It’s weird, deeper than a step should be.”

They did a good job and after two hours of hard work she let them go home to do their homework. Who knew? It could happen.

At least she had gotten food out of the deal, and the front wall of the room had been stripped and carted to the Dumpster.

The sun had been down for a while and she had the lights on when Monique showed up dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

“Where can I help you?”

“Thanks for coming. Do you want your shoulders to ache or your calves?”

“Such great choices.” Monique put her finger to her chin. “I’ll take calves.”

Mia pointed up the ladder. “There doesn’t seem to be a reliable method that works for eighty-year-old building materials. The pry bar seems to make it shatter most of the time, but when it works, it works great.”

Monique took the tools and climbed. She teetered once and Mia dropped two buckets of debris to catch her, but it wasn’t necessary.

“And I got it, be careful.”

Mia reloaded the buckets. “And be careful.”

They worked for a half hour before Monique decided she could no longer safely climb the ladder. “I’ll carry stuff for a while.”

“Are you sure? You worked all day, too,” Mia said, feeling guilty that her friend was taking on her burden.

“I’m good. I don’t meet Lenny until he gets off work tonight.”

Mia picked a bit of stuff out of Monique’s hair. “You’ll want to leave time for a shower.”

“That still gives me an hour.”

She gamely grabbed a couple of the heavy buckets and headed out to the Dumpster. Belatedly Mia realized Monique didn’t know about the old wooden steps.

“Monique,” she called just in time to see her friend’s head disappear from sight.

“Monique.” She ran across the room and out the door. Monique was on the ground and she was not moving. “Oh, my God, please be all right, Monique.”

Mia pulled out her phone and dropped to the cold ground beside Monique and dialed 911. When the dispatcher answered she told the woman who she was, what happened and where. “And please send Officer Gardner. It’s Monique.”

“They’re on the way, honey. Now you stay on the line and tell me how she’s doing.”

She put her phone down and took her shirt off to cover her friend against the chilly wind. “Monique, sweetie, please wake up.”

She should have never let her friend help. She shouldn’t expect anyone to bail her out. These were her choices.

“You still there, Mia?” the dispatcher called over the speaker of Mia’s phone.

“I’m here. She’s still unconscious.”

“Try to keep her warm.”

She put her mouth close to Monique’s ear and her arm around her chest. “I’m here, sweetie. I won’t leave you. I’m here.”

The paramedics showed up first and it took a couple of long minutes for them to come to the back of the building. “Back here,” Mia kept shouting. “Back here.”

Two paramedics knelt beside Monique and Mia had to move away to let them work. A third tried to take Mia inside, but she refused.

The woman wrapped a blanket around Mia. “I need to ask you some questions, and it would be better for your friend if your teeth weren’t chattering so much and you could tell me what happened.”

Mia nodded and went inside with the woman, but she stayed near the window so she could see. They had put a collar around Monique’s neck and applied a bandage to her head.

“Is she bleeding? I didn’t see any blood.” When they rolled her friend to the side, Mia could see a darkened spot on the ground where the back of her head had rested.

Mia didn’t have much to tell, so the interview was over before they were ready to convey Monique to the clinic out on the edge of town near the police station.

Mia gave back her blanket and they left her alone and the lights and sirens went screaming down the street. The commotion brought the patrons of the bar out onto the curb. Harley trundled over to her where she stood on the stoop watching.

“Who’d they take away?”

“Is Edwin Beaudin in there tonight?”

“He’s gone. Got in his car and left town today.”

“That’s not possible. His granddaughter didn’t tell me and if she didn’t tell me then... Oh no, she doesn’t know.”

“That her in the ambulance? She hurt bad?”

She shook her head. “I mean, yes, it’s her, but I don’t know if she’s hurt bad. What did Edwin say? How long will he be gone?”

“Said he was going to call Monique when he got there. Didn’t want her to try to talk him out of going.”

“Where’s there, Harley? Where did he go?”

“All the way to Florida if you can believe it. Said he had a friend from the army there who’s been asking him to come down.”

“But what about Jim O’Connell’s boat?”

“They’re back. It’s twins.” Harley grinned.

“Oh, heaven help all of them.” She patted Harley’s arm. “I’ll tell Monique you asked after her. I gotta go.”

The first person she saw when she arrived at the clinic was Officer Gardner. His girlfriend was hurt on her watch and it was her fault. She didn’t even know what she would say to him.

He met her at the door and pulled her outside away from the waiting room full of people and the Emergency Department staff.

“I’m sorry, Lenny. I’m so sorry. All my fault.” She started to shiver again and it was hard to talk.

Lenny took his jacket off and put it around her shoulders.

“She’s all right. She woke up in the ambulance. By the time she got here, they said she was fine except she’ll need a few stitches.”

She looked up at him.

“Shouldn’t you be in there with her?”

“She sent me to look for you. She’s worried about you.”

“I love her all to pieces. Please, go tell her I’m fine. I’m just fine.” Suddenly, she was bawling, head bowed, shoulders shaking, all out. “I’m sorry.” She pushed his coat at him. “Thank you. Go”

When he didn’t leave she pushed on his shoulder. “Go.”

He did not budge.

She looked up at him. “She said I was to make sure you were all right and I wasn’t to take your bull, her word not mine, about being fine when you aren’t. Clearly, your friend knows you well.”

He put his jacket back around her shoulders and led her across the street toward Mandrel’s.

“I should get back to work.”

“You trying to get me into trouble? What did you eat for dinner?”

“Corn chips and a candy bar.”

“I thought only kids ate that badly.”

“Kids made my dinner.”

He held the door and they took seats at a booth. “I don’t have my wallet.”

“Hey, Kelly, do you know where Mia lives?”

“She forget her wallet again?”

“Really, shouldn’t you get back to Monique?”

“I’ll go as soon as I see you take the first bite of your food.” He looked at Kelly. “She’ll have the grilled chicken breast sandwich with lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat bun, carrots and a glass of orange juice. I’ll have a coffee to go.”

“She fell. I never should have let her help me.”