Valise in the Attic (8 page)

Still, the morning stretched on until Annie’s stomach growled, and she knew it must be getting close to lunchtime. They finally must have had a shoot the director liked because they called it a wrap.

“The director wants to do interiors over the weekend, so we won’t be shooting our last large group scene until Monday morning in the town square,” the young assistant said as he wove through the crowd of extras. “If we need you, you’ll get a call sometime over the weekend. Since it’s a large group scene, it’s likely we’ll need everyone.”

“Well, the town square should be warmer,” Ian said as he rubbed his hands together. “I’m ready for some cocoa. Are you with me?”

“Not me,” Alice said as she walked up to join them. “I’m having chowder—a big bowl of it. I’m starving.”

“Oh, chowder sounds wonderful!” Annie agreed as they headed for wardrobe. She changed quickly and headed for the door of the wardrobe trailer.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Betty asked dryly.

Annie looked around. “I don’t think so.”

“You need to leave the suitcase, dear,” Pat said.

Annie looked down at the small valise and considered leaving it behind. After all, it had gotten her mugged. At the same time, she loved the warm colors of it and really wanted to use it in the coffee-table project. “This suitcase is mine,” she said. “I brought it for the shoot.”

“Oh, all right then,” Pat said. “You have a nice day now.”

Annie thanked the ladies warmly and said she’d probably see them Monday. Then she hurried out to join Alice and Ian. Alice held up the canvas-covered suitcase she’d brought but hadn’t needed for the shoot. “I remembered to collect this in wardrobe,” she said. “Are we set to go?”

“I am so ready,” Annie said. “I can almost taste the chowder now.”

“I’ll meet you ladies there,” Ian told them.

Annie and Alice headed to the convertible and tossed the cases into the backseat before heading off. As they drove, Annie saw signs of melt everywhere. The pine trees were almost bare of the white trim they’d been wearing for days and a trickle ran down the side of the road where the plowed piles of snow were shrinking.

“If we get a lot of melt today, I hope it doesn’t turn too cold tonight,” Alice said. “The roads will get nasty if it does.”

Annie nodded, though she didn’t plan to leave Grey Gables for the next couple of days. That is, not unless she was struck by a sudden flash of inspiration about Herb’s present. She sighed.

“Why so glum, chum?” Alice asked.

“Oh, I was just thinking about my son-in-law’s Christmas present,” Annie said. “I still haven’t found anything for him that really jumps out at me.”

Alice glanced sideways at her. “With how slow the mail moves this time of year, you probably should figure something out soon, or it’s going to be a great after-Christmas present.”

“I know,” Annie said weakly. “Ian suggested a book. I know Herb likes to read, but picking a specific book is so hard. I don’t know what he’s read.”

“You could get him a gift card to the bookstore there,” Alice said. “Do they have one close by?”

“There’s a little independent one in Brookfield,” Annie said. “I heard the big chain store closed.”

Alice nodded as she drove. “I guess it’s a hard time to be a bookseller with those electronic book readers.”

Annie shuddered. “I can’t think of a less cozy way to read a book. It would just be something to pile on top of the laptop I rarely use. LeeAnn teases me about being a bit technophobic.”

“She’s not?”

“Oh, no,” Annie said. “She and Herb love their computers. And you should see their cellphones. They do so many things—I’d never figure one out. The last time I was in Texas, I was telling them about a shop I had seen in Storm Harbor, and by the time I was done describing it, LeeAnn had found a photo of it. Her phone can search the Web. How crazy is that?”

“Maybe Herb would like some new electronic gadget,” Alice said.

“Maybe.” Annie made a mental note to ask LeeAnn about it, and then she smiled as they pulled onto Main Street. She was really ready for a hot bowl of chowder.

9

Annie followed Alice out of The Cup & Saucer, smil ing with the cozy warmth that only a belly full of clam chowder brought her. She almost didn’t mind the cutting wind—much. The sidewalk was completely clear now with the warm sun having melted off the small piles of snow that huddled in the shadowy cracks between each building.

Then she stopped and groaned in annoyance.

“What’s the matter?” Alice asked.

“I promised the twins I would try to be green for the whole month of December. They’re all gung ho about recycling at their school,” Annie said. “I’ve always been careful about putting out the recycling, even in the snow. And last year I changed all my lightbulbs to compact florescent, even though sometimes they seem to take forever to give off any light. But I forgot to bring my cloth bag for the yarn I have to pick up at A Stitch in Time. I’ll have to use one of Mary Beth’s bags, and that’s definitely a green taboo.”

“I don’t have a shopping bag either,” Alice said, frowning slightly as she thought. Then she laughed. “Hey, how about the valise? You could put all the yarn you possibly want in it.”

“Good idea,” Annie replied, sighing with relief. The women stopped at Alice’s car, and Annie grabbed her valise. She was so glad Alice had thought about that. She was sure the twins would quiz her on her green activities when next they called, and she didn’t want to disappoint them.

She carried the case into the needlework shop. Kate smiled at them from behind the counter, while Vanessa leaned against it. Mary Beth was nowhere to be seen, but Annie knew that Kate and Mary Beth often worked every other day in the winter when the customer load was so much lighter.

“Ah, more movies stars,” Kate said. “Did you two have as much fun during the filming as Vanessa?”

“I doubt it,” Alice said, her blue eyes sparkling. “I didn’t have any handsome young men swooning over me.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Logan wasn’t swooning.”

“He looked pretty swoony to me,” Alice said. “Didn’t it look that way to you, Annie?”

Annie held up a hand. “I’m not getting involved in teasing. I get enough of it myself. I did think Logan seems like a very nice young man.”

“He is that,” Kate agreed. “You would hardly know he works in Hollywood. I always imagined the young people in movies to be spoiled and out of control. He wasn’t like that at all. He even helped haul some boxes off the upper shelves in the back room here. I thought Mary Beth was going to adopt him on the spot.”

“That definitely doesn’t fit the mold of the Hollywood wild child,” Alice said.

“Logan would never be like that,” Vanessa said loyally. “He doesn’t even drink.”

“He’s not old enough to drink, is he?” Annie asked.

“Not legally,” Vanessa said. “But he told me a lot of kids he’s worked with are already drinking or worse. He said that he had promised his grandmother not to do those things when he went into acting, and he’s kept his promise.”

“He sounds like a keeper,” Alice said.

“I don’t think we need to be considering keeping him,” Kate interrupted. “I don’t mind Vanessa spending a little time with him, but let’s keep in mind that he won’t be staying in Stony Point. And,” she turned her attention solely to Vanessa, “you’re both only in high school. You can talk about keepers after you graduate from college.”

“That’s not how you and Dad did it,” Vanessa teased.

“And if that’s not proof,” Kate said, frowning slightly. “I don’t know what is. Don’t do what I did.”

“I know,” Vanessa said, holding up her hands in surrender. “Logan and I are just friends, really. Logan’s great to talk to, and we have fun together. That’s all. Speaking of which, I’m thinking I’d like to stay in town this weekend and not go with Gram and Pops to Vermont. Would that be OK?”

“You’ve had this trip planned for months,” Kate said. “How do you think they’d feel about being thrown over for a boy?”

“Gram would be cool,” Vanessa insisted. But then her face fell. “Pops wouldn’t. I guess I’m stuck.” She turned around and moped against the counter. Then her eyes fell onto Annie’s valise. “Hey, cool suitcase.”

“Thanks,” Annie said. “I used it for the movie, and now I’m going to use it for carrying home some yarn. I’m embracing the green movement and not using plastic bags. Well, not today anyway.”

“Some of our customers bring cloth shopping bags in here,” Kate said. “But a valise will be a first.”

“I forgot my cloth bag,” Annie said. “I guess I’m still new to being environmentally responsible.”

“Her grandkids are making her do it,” Alice chimed in.

Laughing, Annie admitted that they were.

Vanessa leaned closer to look at the small suitcase. “That is really a cool bag. I love the color, and it’s so retro. Do you think I could borrow it for this weekend trip? It would be a perfect overnight bag.”

Annie looked down at the valise. “I guess that would be fine. The locks are broken, but it closes fine. You weren’t going to use it for checked baggage on a plane anyway, right?”

“No, I’m using it for crammed baggage in my grandparents’ car,” Vanessa said taking the valise and giving it a hug. “Thanks a ton. I really like it. It’s all yummy chocolate and caramel.”

Annie smiled. “That’s what I liked about it too. I guess we sweet-tooth travelers have to stick together.” Then she looked at her empty hands. “Now I don’t have a bag for my yarn.”

Alice laughed. “No problem, I’ll go get the other suitcase.” She pointed at Vanessa. “No falling in love with this one too.”

“I promise,” Vanessa said. “Mom, can I go put this in the car and then walk down to Maplehurst Inn? I promised to meet Logan there for a hot cocoa next to the fire.”

“That’s fine,” Kate said. “Tell Logan I said hi.”

“I’ll walk out with you,” Alice said. “I’ll be right back with the other case.”

As soon as the two had left the shop, Kate pulled out her cellphone. “Just a sec,” she said to Annie. Annie smiled as Kate called Linda Hunter and asked her to keep an eye on Vanessa when she got to the inn. “Vanessa has pretty good sense, but that young actor is awfully good looking,” Kate said into the phone. “I just don’t want her getting any ideas about going upstairs to his room.”

Linda must have promised to keep an eye on them because Kate smiled and thanked her before slipping the phone back into her blazer pocket and turning to help Annie. Annie picked up more of the fine crochet thread she was using for her filet crochet runner, and then looked over a new display of baby-weight yarn that had metallic strands twisted in.

“I love this,” Annie said. “You know, I think I have the perfect pattern for this. You talked me into it last summer. The lace sweater vest?”

“The one with the nice long points at the front hem?” Kate said. “I love that one. I think you’re right, this yarn would be great for it. Are you going to make one for yourself or someone else?”

“Myself,” Annie said. “I’ve made all my presents.” Then she felt the nudge of guilt about Herb’s gift, but mashed it down. Whatever she gave her son-in-law, he definitely wouldn’t want a lace sweater vest.

“You should get the blue,” Kate said, pulling Annie out of the small guilt attack. “It would be perfect with your coloring.” Kate helped her pick out enough skeins in the same dye lot to do the vest.

When Alice came back, Annie piled the yarn into the small suitcase. The women chatted for a while, and Alice picked out some more silk ribbon for her practice embroidery projects.

“I’ve already embroidered silk flowers on a pair of bedroom slippers I bought for my mother, a vintage handbag I bought for my sister, and a whole set of place mats,” Alice said as she counted the things off on her fingers. “By the time Stella is ready, I’m going to be fluent in these roses. They aren’t hard, really, but we know how picky Stella is.”

Finally they headed back out into the cold. Annie was looking forward to getting home. Alice had to drop a Divine Décor order off to a client at the southern end of Main Street. Then she continued south a bit and made a wide circle back around to catch Grand Avenue past the waterfront.

“Aren’t we going the long way?” Annie asked.

“A little,” Alice admitted, “but I hate turning around and coming back the same way I went. Sometimes you see interesting things when you take the scenic route.”

“That’s fine,” Annie said, although she could have done without the scenic route. Her knees were beginning to ache again, and the glamour had worn off the movie business somewhere about the fifth time they took the same short boat ride in a frigid wind. Still, she couldn’t help but look for the wardrobe trailers as they passed. It was hard to believe how quiet the area seemed now.

The Mustang reached a long empty stretch of road near the waterfront, and they heard the roar of an engine behind them. A dark SUV rushed up on their bumper. “Hey, no passing here,” Alice grumbled, glaring into her rearview mirror.

The SUV driver clearly didn’t care as the vehicle crossed the double yellow line and moved up beside Alice’s convertible. They rode side by side for a few moments. Alice let up on the gas to slow her car so the other car could get by her. Instead the SUV slacked off on speed also and kept pace beside her.

“Well, pass already!” Alice yelled, waving at the SUV to move forward. “This isn’t a one-way road, buddy. If someone comes around one of the curves coming up, there’s going to be an accident.”

Annie put out a hand to brace herself against the dash. Something about the SUV’s dark windows as it kept pace with them seemed ominous. There was no glimpse of the driver inside the vehicle.

The SUV suddenly swerved over, as if trying to get in their lane right on top of them. Alice leaned on the horn as the two vehicles bumped hard. The little convertible was rocked by the impact, but Alice kept it on the road.

“This guy’s crazy,” she yelled. She was gripping the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles turned white from the effort. “What is his problem?”

The SUV still didn’t pass, and again it came over on them, bumping Alice’s Mustang and shoving them toward the narrow shoulder and the rocks just beyond that.

“It’s trying to force us off the road!” Annie exclaimed. She reached into her coat pocket and fished out her cellphone. With shaking hands, she dialed 911 and told the operator what was happening. Her voice sounded high, almost shrill in her ears. She fumbled and nearly dropped the phone when the SUV made contact with the convertible again.

The Mustang ran along the shoulder for a moment, kicking up slush, before Alice could wrestle it back into the road, barely in time for the turn ahead. Side by side, the two vehicles turned onto Ocean Drive, the road that ran in front of Annie and Alice’s homes. Alice spotted a pickup coming their way in the other lane. She hit the gas hard and jumped ahead so the SUV couldn’t bump her again. The SUV driver must have spotted the truck barreling toward it, because the driver wrenched the big vehicle to the right and dropped behind Alice’s convertible.

That’s when the women heard the sound of a siren. The SUV turned off onto the gravel road that led to Butler Lighthouse. The driver used the road to make a turnaround, racing off down Ocean Drive in the opposite direction. Alice pulled off the road into the circular drive for the carriage house, and both women waited for the police car as their hearts pounded.

The police car pulled into the drive behind Alice’s convertible. When the officer got out, so did Annie and Alice. The officer walked up to the convertible, shaking his head as he looked at the damage to the beautiful car.

“We got a call someone was trying to run you off the road,” the officer said. He pointed at the dents. “It looks like he made a good effort. It’s awfully early in the day for a drunk driver.”

“That driver wasn’t drunk!” Alice said, and Annie saw tears in her friend’s normally bright blue eyes. Alice loved that convertible, and Annie knew it must hurt to see the side so banged up. “He might have been crazy, but he seemed in control of his vehicle. He turned around when we heard your siren,” she said. “He must have run right past you. He was driving a big dark SUV.”

The officer nodded. “I did pass an SUV. I didn’t know it was involved in the incident though. You keep saying ‘he’; did you get a good look at the driver?”

Both women shook their heads. “The windows were dark,” Alice said.

“Did either of you get the license number?”

Annie and Alice both looked at each other. Neither had. “Wow, some mystery solvers we make,” Alice said with a shaky laugh.

“That’s perfectly understandable,” the officer said gently. He pulled off his leather gloves and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. “The experience must have been pretty scary. Why don’t you ladies go in out of the cold? I’m going to take some photos of the damage, and then I’ll come in and take your statements.”

They nodded and headed up the steps into Alice’s house. Even as stressed as she was, Annie couldn’t help noticing all the charming touches Alice had added to the place for Christmas. Her friend certainly was a skilled decorator, and her house was a testament to how lovely the Divine Décor items worked with the older-style homes in Stony Point.

“Do you want some tea?” Alice asked. “I would offer coffee, but I definitely don’t need to be hyped up any more than I already am.”

“Do you think this had anything to do with my mugging yesterday?” Annie asked, hugging herself as a wave of shivering passed over her. Alice’s house was warm and snug, but Annie wasn’t sure she was going to feel warm for a while.

“I don’t know,” Alice said softly as she turned to walk toward her cozy kitchen. In a quieter voice, she added. “I’m wondering if it might have something to do with John.”

“Your ex?” Annie said, stopping short in surprise.

“I know it’s probably silly, but we didn’t part on the best of terms last time,” Alice said with a sigh. “Or any time actually.”

Annie remembered John MacFarlane’s last trip to Stony Point. The man had frightened her, but even though she didn’t have a very high opinion of him, she couldn’t quite imagine him deciding to run them off the highway for no clear reason. Now if money were involved, then she could see it. “Has he contacted you looking for money?” she asked.