Susannah's Garden (23 page)

“W
hat’s wrong?” Carolyn asked, closing her truck door and trotting toward the house. Susannah waited on the front steps.

She had frantically phoned, not knowing who else to call after finding the note. Whoever had broken into the house must have left it; maybe she just hadn’t noticed it last night. Why that person wanted to see her remained as much a mystery as everything else.

Carolyn joined her on the steps. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sound so panicky.”

Susannah got up and led her inside, directly to her childhood bedroom. “Read that,” she said, pointing to the small desk where the message still lay.

Walking slowly into the room, Carolyn advanced toward the desk.

“Do you know who wrote this?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Susannah.

“I have an idea.” She’d considered nothing else in the ten minutes it’d taken Carolyn to drive into town.

Susannah sank down on the edge of the bed, her heart racing and her palms sweaty. She felt light-headed and realized she hadn’t eaten since that morning. The thought of food, however, made her want to gag.

“The cemetery,” Carolyn said. The mattress dipped as she sat down beside Susannah.

“At seven.” Thankfully it would still be light then, although Susannah hadn’t made a decision yet. Should she go? Or not? She tried to work out the consequences of each action.

“Do you think it might be Jake?” Carolyn asked in a hushed voice.

“I can’t think who else it would be.” Sharon had said she’d get in touch with him; apparently she had.

“It makes sense,” Carolyn said. “We now know why he left and, more importantly, why he didn’t come back to Colville when you got home.”

Shocking though it was, all this information about Jake’s problems with the law explained a great deal. After her return from France, the only address he had would’ve been the family home. Knowing what her father had already done to keep them apart, he might well have avoided any contact, for his own protection and hers. If, by chance, he had written, she could easily believe that George Leary had destroyed the letter.

“Jake must’ve heard that you’ve been looking for him,” Carolyn suggested.

Susannah nodded. “Sharon told him. She said she would.”

“Are you going to go?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Carolyn stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding! I thought this was what you wanted.”

“I did at one time. Now…I’m not sure.” Indecision gripped her and she plowed her fingers into her hair. “Life can get very complicated,” she said with a beleaguered sigh.

“If it is Jake, he’s taking a tremendous risk.”

“I know.” If word of this got out, Jake would immediately be arrested and sent to jail. He could very well end up in a federal prison.

Feeling shaky, Susannah moved into the kitchen, followed by Carolyn. She put on water for a pot of tea.

“You look pale,” Carolyn commented. “You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?”

“It’s not just the note, it’s Chrissie, too,” Susannah said, dropping teabags into the two mugs still unpacked. “I saw Troy with someone else yesterday afternoon and confronted Chrissie.”

“It didn’t go well?”

Susannah snickered. “You could say that. I have no idea what Chrissie sees in him. I wish I trusted her judgment, but I don’t.” What bothered Susannah most was that she recognized how easy it would be to treat her daughter the same way her father had treated her. In fact, Chrissie’s accusations were an eerie echo of the things she’d said to her own father. Here it was—her youthful rebellion staring her in the face, as though her teenage self was being channeled through her daughter. Susannah had a glimpse of the frustration her father must have felt. Even worse, even more ironic, the man in question was Jake’s son….

The whistle blew as the water on the stove reached a boil. Susannah filled the mugs and set them aside to steep.

“Would you go with me?” Susannah asked. “The note
didn’t say anything about going alone.” The prospect of going at all filled her with a mixture of excitement and guilt—the guilt because she’d be keeping this secret from Joe.

One meeting. Just one. She’d apologize for her father’s behavior and leave it at that. The only other thing she needed to do was obtain some assurance that despite her father, Jake had had a good life. With all her heart, she wanted him to be happy. She’d ask about Troy, too; perhaps he had some influence with his son. Yes, Jake might be able to help her.

“You want me to go with you?” Carolyn shook her head. “Even if the note didn’t say anything about it, I’m sure he expects you to go by yourself.”

“I guess you’re right,” Susannah said reluctantly. “He’d probably figure it’s safer for him if I’m there alone.”

Susannah removed the teabags and took a carton of milk from the refrigerator. “I find the cemetery a curious choice, don’t you? Like those Gothic romances we read in high school.”

“Yeah,” Carolyn agreed, stirring milk into her tea. “The ones with the heroine on the cover, wearing a nightgown and holding a candle. It’s always dark and there’s usually a cliff.”

Susannah smiled. “And she’s following the directions of an anonymous note.”

“A note that leads her to the cemetery,” Carolyn said with a grin. “Perhaps this is Jake’s way of telling you the relationship is dead.”

They both sat at the kitchen table. Susannah suspected he’d chosen the site because it was unlikely they’d run into anyone who might recognize him at the graveyard. She told Carolyn this and they both laughed.

“Yeah,” Carolyn said. “Dead men don’t tell tales.”

Briefly, Susannah wondered how many other chances Jake had taken over the years, risking imprisonment by coming down to the States. She assumed he’d come back for Sharon or perhaps she’d occasionally gone to him.

“You’re sure you can do this alone?” Carolyn asked worriedly. “I’d offer to wait at the entrance but he hasn’t said where you’re supposed to meet him. It might be right at the gates, and if that’s the case, he might disappear if he sees me.”

“You’re right. Anyway, I’ll be fine.” She
would
tell Joe about it, she resolved. Her husband deserved to know.

“I’ll stay here at the house until you get back,” Carolyn said.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yes, I do. Someone needs to know where you are. Besides, I’m dying of curiosity.” She giggled then, sounding just as she had in high school.

At twenty minutes to seven, Susannah took time to freshen her makeup and brush her hair. Her nerves were on edge and she considered changing clothes, wearing something more feminine than her jeans and black cotton sweater. She examined herself in the hallway mirror, sucking in her stomach. No doubt about it, she wasn’t seventeen anymore, but then Jake wasn’t, either.

“How do I look?” she asked, twirling around for Carolyn to comment.

“You want the truth?”

“Of course I do.” Susannah had already decided it must be bad. She tucked her hair behind her ears and realized she was trembling.

“You look like you’re about to throw up.”

Laughing softly, Susannah admitted, “That’s exactly how I feel.”

The phone rang, startling her. Susannah moved toward the kitchen with leaden feet, almost afraid to answer.

It rang again.

“Aren’t you going to pick it up?” Carolyn asked after the third ring.

Susannah’s instincts said to ignore it, but too much was at stake and she reached for the receiver just before the answering machine clicked on.

“Leary residence,” she announced stiffly.

“Is this Susannah Nelson?” a crisp female voice asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m glad I caught you. This is Michelle Larson from Altamira. I’m sorry to tell you this, but your mother’s taken a bad fall. We’re transferring her to Memorial Hospital.”

Susannah’s heart leapt into her throat. “Is she all right?”

“I can’t say for sure. It looks like she’s broken her hip.”

“Oh, no!”

“According to our records, you have power of attorney. Is that correct?”

“Yes.” If they were asking Susannah this, it probably meant her mother was unconscious.

“We’ll need you to sign the forms at the hospital.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.” Susannah banged down the phone and automatically headed for the door.

“Susannah!” Carolyn raced after her. “What happened?”

“It’s Mom. She’s fallen—they’re taking her to the hospital.” She scrawled a note for Chrissie, scooped up her purse from the hall table and had just opened the door when Carolyn stopped her again.

“What about meeting Jake?”

For a fleeting second, Susannah had completely forgotten. “You go.”

“Me?” Carolyn flattened her hand against her chest.

“I don’t have any choice. Mom needs me.” She hated to ask this of Carolyn, but there was no one else.

Slowly, her friend nodded. “Okay.”

“I owe you,” Susannah said, and rushed out the front door.

“Yes, you do,” Carolyn said, following her. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

T
he gate leading into Calvary Cemetery was closed.

“Oh, great,” Carolyn muttered as she parked the car on the road and climbed out. There was space enough for her to squeeze through and walk onto the cemetery grounds, which she did.

Glancing around, she searched the area for any other parked vehicles and saw none. Being in a cemetery by herself was a little…well, scary—even if she wasn’t a woman who scared easily. The note hadn’t told Susannah exactly where she should meet Jake—or whoever her mysterious visitor was. Although Calvary Cemetery didn’t have extensive grounds, it was large enough to hide in if someone wished not to be seen.

With her arms hugging her middle, Carolyn marched down the center of the paved roadway. The most logical place to wait, she supposed, was George Leary’s grave. After a quick search, she located it. His marble tombstone
noted his birthdate and the day he died and nothing else. Like her own father, he’d been a frugal man. Any added adornments, any words of comfort—a quote or a Psalm—were not desired.

Sighing, Carolyn looked up. The cemetery was dead silent. Carolyn grimaced at her unintended pun. No one, not even the groundskeeper, was anywhere in sight. There didn’t appear to be any other visitors.

“This could be a very long night,” she mused aloud, checking her watch. Five to seven.

Pacing up and down the row of tombstones, she glanced at her watch repeatedly. Each minute seemed to drag interminably. This was obviously a waste of time and she grew disheartened.

Walking over to the site where her own parents had been laid to rest, she crouched down and ran her hand over the large marble headstone. She’d last visited only a few days ago. The flowers she’d brought for them, for Lily and for Doug had gone limp by now and been removed.

Many of the grave sites were adorned with artificial flowers. She preferred a fresh-cut bouquet from the garden her mother had planted all those years ago. It seemed a fitting gesture.

By seven-thirty, she knew Jake wasn’t coming. He’d probably seen her waiting and decided not to make an appearance. He didn’t trust Carolyn, and there was no reason he should. She assumed he wasn’t willing to risk his freedom for the opportunity to meet with her. It was Susannah or no one.

To be on the safe side, Carolyn waited another fifteen minutes, then returned to her truck. She hated to be the bearer of disappointing news but there was no help for it.

When she got back to the house, she noticed that Su
sannah’s car wasn’t parked outside, which meant she was still at the hospital. Not bothering to park, she drove directly to Memorial.

The hospital, a three-story brick building two blocks north of Colville City Park, was the tallest structure in the county and the pride of Colville. Carolyn had only been five or six at the time of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and she remembered every detail. The high school band had played and there’d been a tour of the facilities that included cookies and juice for the kids. That, in particular, had made an impression on her.

She parked and walked into the hospital foyer. The volunteer at the information desk directed her to the second floor, where Carolyn found Susannah in the small waiting room.

“How’s your mother?” she asked, joining her friend.

“She’s in surgery.” Susannah chewed on the end of her fingernail. “It’s a bad break—her bones are fragile and the doctor said he might end up doing an entire hip replacement.”

“Oh, no.” That kind of surgery wouldn’t be easy on a woman of Vivian’s age.

“Did he show up?” Susannah asked.

Carolyn shook her head.

Susannah shrugged. “I was afraid of that.”

“But you’d hoped?”

She shrugged again.

Carolyn knew her friend had mixed feelings regarding this meeting, so perhaps his not showing was just as well.

“You feel someone’s been in the house several times recently, isn’t that right?”

Susannah nodded. “And some things have been taken.” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t believe anymore that
these were random thefts, although at least one was made to look that way. It had to be Jake.”

“Then perhaps he’s hiding in the area. He might’ve come to the house, hoping to see you, and then realized you weren’t staying there alone. He couldn’t compromise himself by letting Chrissie see him.”

“You’re right.” Susannah paused as she considered this possibility.

Everything was beginning to add up for Carolyn, and she guessed that the end of her friend’s search was near. Susannah was paying the private investigator to track Jake down, but all this time he’d been practically under their noses.

Carolyn sat down on one end of the sofa and reached for a magazine—a six-month-old issue of
Reader’s Digest.
It was hard to wait alone and although Susannah didn’t appear interested in conversation, Carolyn had no intention of leaving her.

“Mom!” They could hear Chrissie’s high-pitched voice from the elevator lobby.

So this was Susannah’s daughter.

“Chrissie!” Susannah dashed out of the room, and Carolyn watched as mother and daughter hugged.

“Is Grandma okay?” Chrissie demanded, tears in her eyes.

“You got my note?”

“Yes—how’s Grandma?” she asked again.

“Grandma’s in surgery, but it seems to be going well.” She glanced at her watch. “I don’t think it’ll be much longer.”

“Poor Grandma.”

Carolyn put aside the
Reader’s Digest
and stood. Now that Chrissie was here with her mother, she wasn’t really needed.

“How’d it happen?” Chrissie seemed to be badly shaken.

“I talked briefly to the nurse from Altamira. She stopped by the hospital and explained that Mom had been playing pool with one of the other residents.”

“Pool?” Carolyn repeated incredulously.

A quick smile curved Susannah’s mouth. “Mom was using her cane as a pool cue and lost her balance. She broke her hip, but Michelle, the nurse, seems to think she also hit her head on the edge of the pool table when she went down.”

“Oh, no.” Chrissie covered her mouth in horror.

“Whoever she was playing with was extremely upset and had to be sedated.”

Carolyn knew Susannah hoped her mother would adjust to life in the assisted-living complex. In the beginning Vivian had been full of complaints; lately Susannah hadn’t said much about her mother’s dissatisfaction. It seemed to Carolyn that if Vivian was socializing with the other residents, that was surely a good sign. Now this.

“I think I should go back home,” Carolyn said, preparing to leave.

“Oh—forgive my bad manners. Carolyn, this is my daughter, Chrissie. And Chrissie—this is one of my best friends in the whole world, Carolyn Bronson.” Chrissie murmured a polite hello, but Carolyn saw the speculative look on her face.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Susannah said fervently as Carolyn started to leave.

“What are friends for?” she teased.

They hugged goodbye and Carolyn left the hospital. It’d grown dark—not surprising since it was now ten o’clock. On the off-chance that Jake might have shown up after all,
she drove past Calvary Cemetery, which was in the opposite direction of where she needed to go. Just as she’d expected, the cemetery gates remained closed and there wasn’t a car in sight.

Turning around, she drove back into town, reversing her route to get home. The evening was hot and humid. Carolyn preferred not to use her air-conditioning, so she kept the windows down. As always, she breathed in the scent of fresh-cut wood as she neared the mill, savoring it. Huge stacks of timber filled the yard, the sprinklers spraying them with water.

Carolyn wished she had a way of reaching Dave; she would’ve liked to talk to him, tell him what had happened. That wasn’t possible, though, and she told herself not to count on his presence. He’d be leaving town soon. Leaving her.

Once past the city’s outskirts and the mill, she increased her speed, but was quickly passed by another vehicle, driving well above the posted limit. She recognized the truck—and its driver—almost right away.

It was Troy Nance, and he wasn’t alone.

Carolyn’s headlights revealed two people in the truck’s cab. The passenger was a woman with short blond hair, her head resting on Troy’s shoulder.

Earlier Susannah had mentioned seeing Troy with someone else. A blonde, she’d said. Not that it was any of her business, but Carolyn was curious. Maintaining a discreet distance, she followed Troy to the Roadside Inn. He parked, and the moment the blonde climbed out of the cab, it was abundantly clear that they were more than friends.

While Chrissie waited at the hospital for word on her grandmother’s condition, Troy was out with some other woman.