The Package Page 5

  Peggy looked at her samples again. “That’s what I was thinking, and then maybe I can find another solid to complement the yellow in the prints.”

  While the other women chatted, Annie focused on finishing the sleeve on her jacket. The jacket was coming together nicely. She could just picture the sweet newborn who would wear it.

  Gwen’s voice broke through Annie’s thoughts. “So you hit a dead end with finding your elusive Joan?”

  Annie nodded.

  “Do you even know if the stock is worth anything?” Kate asked.

  “I need to find out what Ocean Side Partners is first,” Annie said. “I just haven’t had time to get over to the library, and my laptop is on the fritz.”

  “What if they are out of business, and you can’t find them at all?” Peggy smoothed over her quilt block.

  “Which would make the stock worth nothing.” Stella arched an eyebrow.

  That thought had crossed Annie’s mind too. “I still feel like I should make an effort to return the stock to its owner.”

  Annie checked the clock. It was nearly time to go. The hour had flown by.

  Peggy rose to her feet. “Let me know how tomorrow’s class goes.”

  Gwen and Stella had already packed up their bags.

  “We have a pot-roast special at The Cup & Saucer if anyone is interested.” Peggy picked up her fabric squares and hiked the straps of her supply bag on her shoulder. “I gotta run.”

  Annie’s mouth watered. Fresh pot roast sounded way better than leftover chicken. Wally and Douglas were probably back out at the house banging hammers, not exactly a pleasant atmosphere to eat or crochet in. “I’m in,” said Annie.

  “I’ve got another party to get ready for,” Alice moaned. “And I need to think about the best way to get teenage girls excited about cross-stitch.”

  “You’ll do great,” said Mary Beth.

  After saying her goodbye, Annie stepped out onto the sidewalk and headed one door down to The Cup & Saucer. When she stepped inside the little restaurant, Peggy was already taking an order at a table. The aroma of rosemary and basil swirled in the air. Annie scanned the room feeling a rising disappointment. The tables were full.

  A man waved at her from a corner table. Ian Butler, the mayor of Stony Point, indicated an empty chair at his table. Annie made her way through the crowd. Ian was dressed casually in khakis and a light blue button-down shirt.

  Annie took the chair Ian offered her. “Thanks, I had my stomach all set on pot roast.” She noticed his empty plate. “You’ve already eaten.”

  “I’ve got blueberry pie coming.” Ian patted his lean stomach. “I saved just enough room.”

  Peggy appeared at their table with two plates. She set the pot roast in front of Annie and winked. “I saw you come in.” She set a dessert plate of pie with a dollop of ice cream in front of Ian. “And for you, sir.”

  Ian rubbed his hands together before picking up his fork. “Thanks, Peggy.”

  “Best service in town.” Annie savored the richness of her first bite of beef in gravy. The meat was so tender it pulled apart with her fork.

  “Can’t beat the Tuesday specials,” Ian commented between bites.

  “Cooking for myself isn’t exactly fun.”

  A sadness crossed Ian’s expression and the sparkle in his eyes dulled. “I know what you mean.” Like Annie, Ian had lost a spouse suddenly.

  Annie’s heart went out to this sweet man. “Thank goodness we can come and eat at The Cup & Saucer.” She tried to sound upbeat, but a chord of sorrow had struck inside her as well.

  Ian managed a smile. “So I understand you found something interesting in Betsy’s attic, again. I talked to John from the bank the other day.”

  Annie nodded. No surprise that Ian had heard. News traveled faster than a rocket ship in Stony Point. “I think I am going to have to give up on this one. I can’t find anyone named Joan who left the package with Gram. And this Therese Gilkerson could live in Timbuktu for all I know.”

  “Joan?” Ian placed a forkful of pie in his mouth and chewed.

  “The note was left over a dozen years ago. Nobody remembers a Joan who lived around here at that time.”

  Ian crosshatched a design in his ice cream with his fork. “What if she didn’t live here? What if she was just visiting?”

  Annie sat up a little straighter. “That would explain why I don’t remember Gram having a friend named Joan. Maybe she was someone visiting Gram from out of town.”

  Ian shook his head. “There may have been a Joan visiting at that time, but I would have remembered if she had stayed with Betsy. She must have been visiting someone else.” He tapped his fingers on his forehead. “Let me ask around and rack my brain a little bit.”

  “Thank you, Ian.” Annie draped her hand over Ian’s, feeling a spark of warmth. “I was ready to give up.”

  Peggy appeared at their table and placed a glass of water in front of Annie. “Forgot about that.” She straightened her back and placed her order pad in her apron. “So, Ian, did Annie tell you about our plan to get three generations of women in Stony Point to work together on a project?”

  Ian lifted his head a little higher. “Really, I love anything that builds community in Stony Point.”

  Annie’s cheeks warmed. “It’s just in the planning stages right now.”

  “But it is going to be fabulous. Tell him, Annie. I gotta go. A customer is waving at me.” Peggy darted to the other side of the room.

  Ian leaned toward her. “I’m all ears.”

  “It wasn’t just my idea. Alice and Peggy helped. We are trying to get the teens in Mary Beth’s class to work with the seniors to make some layette sets for the newborns at the hospital. Of course, the Hook and Needle Club would help out.”

  Ian’s expression brightened. “That is a great idea. What a positive thing to do for the community. You might be from Texas, Annie, but you are thinking like a true Stony Point native.”

  Ian’s compliment warmed her heart. “Really?”

  “So are you planning a big ceremony when you present the gifts to the hospital?”

  “I … I … um … really hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

  “I can help you set something up.” Ian wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin. “Mike Malone has taken on a high school student as a reporter for The Point. The kid is a pretty good photographer too.”

  “Should we really make such a big deal about it?”

  “It’s great PR for Stony Point. Please, let me see what I can put into place.”

  Annie took a sip of water for her dry throat. This project was growing bigger and more involved by the minute. She hoped she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew. “Everything is still kind of tentative.”

  “I understand.” Ian rose to his feet. “Just keep me in the loop. And I’ll let you know if anything jars in this old noggin about this Joan person.” He snatched up Annie’s meal ticket, which Peggy had just left on the table. “I got this.”

  Annie watched as Ian ambled through the restaurant, stopping to greet people and shake hands. As he paid the bill, Ian said something that made the woman behind the cash register throw back her head and laugh. If there was anyone who was proud of his town, it was Ian Butler. Ian turned and offered Annie a wave before disappearing through the doors of The Cup & Saucer.

  Annie finished the last few bites of her pot roast and then headed down the street to Malone’s, to pick up supplies Wally had requested and pay her bills. She had just left the store when her cell phone rang.

  “Wally here. Look, I’m tied up on this other job and won’t be able to get over to your place.”

  Annie opened the door to her Malibu. “That’s all right. I understand.” A quiet afternoon at home would be nice for a change. The hammering and the scraping and the sawing had to happen, but she had been seriously thinking about going to the public library to work on her crochet project for her own peace of mind.

  Rain spattered ligh
tly against her windshield as she drove home. Grabbing her umbrella and her bag, she raced up to the porch. The supplies she bought would just have to wait. She burst through her door shaking out the umbrella.

  Boots trotted toward her and wailed. The cat was insistent in her meows as though Annie would understand exactly what she was saying. After putting away her coat and umbrella, Annie stepped into the living room. Her skin tingled. She walked over to the desk. A tiny gasp escaped her lips.

  The drawer to the desk was open an inch or so—not as though someone had been sloppy but in a hurry. Slowly, she slid the drawer open; the contents looked jostled. A votive candle had been knocked to the floor. Boots may have knocked the candle over, but she couldn’t open drawers.

  Annie’s heart hammered as she scanned the room. Nothing else looked out of place, but the drawer was enough.

  She raced up the stairs. When she opened her bureau drawers, she saw that the sweaters had been moved from where she remembered.

  Annie dropped to her knees and reached to the back of the closet. She pulled shoes off the box and slid the box across the carpet. She held her breath as she lifted the lid and dug down through the yarn. Her fingers brushed over the soft paper the stock certificates were printed on.

  That settled it. She was putting these certificates in a safe-deposit box. She took the certificates downstairs and got the final one out of her purse. Once they were all together in an envelope—and she had counted them to make sure there were fifty—she called the chief of police to let him know she suspected a break-in. As she had expected, no report could be filed because it didn’t look like anything had been taken or any damage done. Chief Edwards was sympathetic and promised that a patrol car would go by Grey Gables tonight.

  She wrapped the envelope containing the stock certificates in a plastic bag, grabbed her umbrella, and headed out the door. Once on the porch, she jiggled the doorknob to make sure it was locked. She’d been in such a hurry when she’d come home, she couldn’t remember if she had taken her keys out and unlocked the door or not.

  Annie set the envelope on the passenger seat. Her hands were shaking as she turned the key in the ignition. She inhaled deeply to calm herself. The rain was falling hard by the time she turned off Maple onto Main Street. She rounded the hill and stared in the rearview mirror. A dark blue van followed close behind her. There was no parking close to the bank, so she circled the block.

  She found a space around the corner. The rain had cleared most of the people off the sidewalk. Juggling the waterproof package in one hand and her umbrella in the other, she made her way up the sidewalk. Footsteps echoed behind her. When she turned to see who was following her, only two older gentlemen shuffled along. Yet the footsteps had sounded strong and energetic.

  Annie quickened her pace. No matter how many deep breaths she took, she couldn’t calm her nerves. She pushed through the bank doors. Several people craned their necks in her direction. John Palmer wasn’t behind his desk.

  She approached a red-headed bank teller. “Can I help you?” The teller smiled and laced her fingers together.

  Annie pressed the package against her chest. “I need to get a safe-deposit box.”

  The teller’s expression clouded with concern. “Are you all right? Your hands are shaking.”

  “I guess … I was just … spooked.”

  “I should say.” The teller grabbed a single sheet of paper and skirted out from behind the counter. “Come right this way. Have a seat here and fill out this application. We will need an initial payment.”

  As she listened to the swirling of her pen across the paper, Annie calmed. The certificates would be safe here. Her pen hovered above the paper. What if it wasn’t the certificates the thief was after? She shook her head. It had to be. She couldn’t think of anything else of value worth breaking into her house for. Whoever had broken into the house thought the certificates were worth something.

  If she could just find Ocean Side Partners, she would know for sure.

  The teller led Annie into a windowless roomed filled with a wall of metal boxes. Annie placed the certificates in the bottom of the box. She’d be glad when these could be returned to their owner.

  She thanked the teller and left the bank. When she checked the rearview mirror, the same van she had seen before was behind her. Annie zigzagged through town, taking the long way home. When she checked her rearview mirror again, no one was behind her.

  A knot of tension had formed at the back of her neck by the time she finally unlocked the door and stepped into the living room of Grey Gables. She pressed her back against the door and stared at the ceiling. She didn’t need to face this alone.

  She picked up the phone and called Alice. As she explained what had happened, a tear warmed her eyelids.

  Alice was sympathetic. “How are you doing?”

  “To be honest, I am really shaken up by the whole thing.”

  “How about I come over? We can make popcorn and watch a movie.”

  Annie sighed with relief. “What would I do without you, Alice? Bring your cross-stitch. I’ve just got to put the finishing touches on my infant jacket. We can work on our projects together.”

  Ten minutes later, Alice rang the doorbell. Annie found a black-and-white Grace Kelly film on the classic movie channel. They munched on popcorn while Alice talked about her ideas for the class.

  “I know I can find some photographs of a Betsy Original and pictures from the magazines she was featured in. I can bring the Betsy Original that I have. All those girls have probably seen the landscape of Butler’s Lighthouse that is hanging in the public library,” Annie added.

  They both worked on their projects into the evening until Alice yawned. Annie hugged her friend at the door. “Thank you.”

  “Tomorrow is the big day,” Alice commented as she flipped open her umbrella.

  Annie watched from the porch while Alice made her way down the stairs and along the path to the carriage house. Annie stood for a moment with her arms crossed, listening to the rain patter on the roof of the porch.

  She slipped inside Grey Gables, sliding the dead bolt on the front door and double-checking to make sure it was locked.

  7

  Annie pulled up outside A Stitch in Time ten minutes before the teen class was set to start. She gathered together the envelopes that contained photographs of Gram’s designs and magazine clippings featuring her work.

  Gwendolyn came up the sidewalk. “Can I give you a hand?”

  Annie handed her the envelopes. She leaned back in the car to grab the framed original from Grey Gables. Inside the store, Alice had already found a seat. Both Kate and Mary Beth were waiting on customers. Mary Beth offered Annie a welcoming smile.

  As Kate made her way back to the cash register, Annie asked. “Is Vanessa coming today?”

  “I don’t think so, but I keep hoping.”

  “She’ll come around.” Annie smiled before making her way to the circle. She leaned the print against the wall.

  Alice studied the cross-stitched picture of jagged rocks of the Maine coastline. “That really is one of her most striking pieces, isn’t it?”

  “It’s always been one of my favorites.”

  “What if we create a sense of drama by covering it with some fabric and then revealing it at the right moment?” Alice’s shoulders hunched up in excitement.

  “That’s a great idea,” said Annie.

  “I think Mary Beth has some scrap fabric in that box.” Alice pointed toward a shelf.

  Annie found a calico print that would be big enough. “Should we tell them about the project with seniors before we start the lesson?”

  Alice pulled a stack of cross-stitch projects in hoops out of her bag. “I hope they go for it.”

  Annie stared at the pile of hoops in her friend’s lap. “Alice, are those all unfinished projects?”

  “Yes, I am a little A.D.D. when it comes to starting projects. The exciting part is when I first get the suppli
es and think about how great the project is going to be, and then reality sets in—I realize how much work it is going to be.”

  Annie laughed. She had seen enough of her friend’s completed projects to know that many of them indeed made it into a frame. “Everyone has a different style, don’t they? I can’t start a second project until I have completed the first.”

  Gwen stood behind a chair. “My weakness is buying supplies. I have so much yarn that I had to buy a bureau just to store it. I keep telling myself that I can’t buy more yarn until I use up some of what I have, but then I see a beautiful color, and I can’t help myself.”

  The doorbell dinged, and Taylor entered the store, followed by Lily. A few minutes later, Mackenzie with Erin trailing behind her came through the door. All of the girls settled into their chairs, each with a hoop and aida cloth and a selection of thread. Lily had already started on her project. The girls looked up at Alice expectantly.

  “Before we get started with the lesson, we have something we would like to share.” Alice couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. She looked toward Annie.

  Annie felt a little flutter in her stomach as she spoke. “Last week, Taylor mentioned that it would be neat to do a project that wasn’t just about making something for yourselves.”

  Taylor nodded, her eyes growing wider. Erin leaned forward, showing interest.

  Annie took in a deep breath. Maybe this would all come together.

  “We were at the assisted-living place on Elm Street a few nights ago, and Annie got the most wonderful idea.” Now Annie understood why Alice was so good at her job. Her enthusiasm would convince an Alaskan that she needed air-conditioning.

  As Annie explained the project to the girls, Taylor was the only one who visibly offered a positive response.

  Annie laced her fingers together. “So what does everyone think?”

  Mackenzie crossed her arms. “Would this mean it would take more of my time?”

  “We haven’t worked everything out, but we might have an evening or afternoon up at Seaside, and the older women could maybe come here during your class.”