Sea Glass Summer (37 page)

‘I'd only want a wife that likes children. And let me have a dog and a cat. Sarah told me you've talked to Jumbo's breeder about a puppy for us . . . I mean for her and Evan. I love Jumbo and Dusk.' He stroked the sleeping cat. ‘I suppose if my wife wanted a bird I'd have to deal with that, but I've really tried to get fond of Feathers and I can't, however long I stand talking to him. It's sad for him; he should be with someone who loves him, instead of just making sure his cage is cleaned, and he always has enough water and seed, and can reach that calcium thingy from his perch.'

‘Perhaps it would make the talking part easier if you recited poems to him. I'm sure with your memory you know several by heart.'

‘That's a good idea.' His smile flickered again. ‘Evan says there's a great one called
The Walrus and the Carpenter
in
Through the Looking-Glass
. But for the time being I could recite one of Pooh's hums. They always make me feel happy and safe.' A pause, during which the little flame went out. ‘About that jewelry box, Gwen.'

‘Yes, dear.'

His hands were again on his legs, but the grip on his knees was tighter than before. ‘I know what you have to be thinking, it's what I'd figure in your place – that Sarah went into her bedroom after Evan and I finished dusting, and moved it herself. But I don't see why she would have done. Those earrings she has on this evening were the ones she's been wearing all day. Same with her watch.'

‘Perhaps she couldn't remember where she'd put either before taking her shower and did what we all do in frustrated moments – start searching any likely place, even while knowing we didn't put the item, or items, there. But that's not the issue, is it, Oliver? You think someone went into Sarah's bedroom, either by accident or out of curiosity, and in the course of poking around may have stolen something from that box. And your dreadful fear is that someone was Elizabeth.'

He nodded, unable to look at her.

‘Do you know of anything in that box that was of special value to Sarah?'

Now he looked at her, tragedy written on his face. ‘A ring that belonged to her great-grandmother. It had diamonds in it and some other stone. Yesterday afternoon Sarah got a phone call from her ex-husband. And afterward she told Evan and me what it was about. He'd thought his mother had given Sarah the ring and wanted it back. I guess it's quite valuable. She explained his mistake and I expect he felt a fool. She hasn't been wearing it because it needs fixing and she should get it into a jeweler instead of leaving it languishing in the . . .'

‘Jewelry box on her dressing table,' Gwen finished for him. ‘And will have felt safe doing so, home burglaries in Sea Glass being few and far between. I understand your panic Oliver; what we need to do is go tell Sarah so she can take a look and see whether or not the ring is missing.'

‘If it is gone there'd have to be a police investigation. It would be terrible if it turned out Elizabeth was the one who stole it, but at least then Sarah would get it back. It would be even worse if it never turned up. The never knowing for sure whether it was my uncle's wife who did this to her.'

Gwen put her arm around him. ‘What makes you think Elizabeth capable of having taken it?'

‘I feel wicked,' Oliver squeezed his hands together, ‘because maybe she wouldn't do anything like that in a million years, but what if she and Gerard are broke? I'd always thought they were loaded. I don't know about her people, but my grandparents on that side seem to have had lots of money and it all went to Gerard. Grandpa didn't tell me that; I overheard Brian's parents discussing it a while back. But for some time now I've been wondering if it's all gone.'

‘Fortunes placed in the wrong hands can disappear almost overnight. The stock market hasn't been kind in several years.' Gwen was glad to see Dusk open her eyes and gravitate to his lap. ‘I understand your uncle is a professional investor, but even they can sometimes get things badly wrong.'

‘He's something called a day trader, and he's in the room he turned into an office most of every day. Only I think he's only been pretending to work since moving into that house.' Oliver stroked Dusk. ‘I know Elizabeth's upset at how much he drinks and she has those bad headaches. Twyla knows about them and she says they can be worsened by stress.' The eyes now meeting Gwen's were shining with tears. ‘I keep remembering Grandpa telling me that we shouldn't be too quick to condemn, because desperate circumstances can lead to desperate measures. And I suppose I can see why Elizabeth could've been tempted to steal that ring, but there's Sarah . . .' His voice trailed miserably away.

Gwen put her arms around him, knowing that the person he needed most at this moment was another. She was also recalling a beloved voice from the past – reassuring her as a daughter that a mother is the forever shoulder. She was also picturing a three-year-old Sonny standing in the open doorway as she was about to drive away on a short errand and how she had always kept the car windows open so she could respond to his ‘Wave Mom, promise to keep waving.' The echo of that small voice had returned hauntingly through the years. She suddenly ached to hold that little boy in her arms again. She wished she could tell Oliver that his mother had never stopped waving . . . and what she and his father wanted most was for him was the love and security of two wonderful living parents. She disengaged him gently and got to her feet.

‘It's the not knowing, dear, that can sometimes be the worst part. Why you don't stay here and continue keeping Dusk company while I go down and tell Sarah and Evan about the jewelry box being moved.'

‘But that would be cowardly of me.'

‘Not at all.'

‘Are you sure? I don't want her to see me looking upset.'

‘Good thinking.' She gave him an encouraging smile before going out the door. As it turned out she didn't have to go down the stairs because Sarah and Evan were coming up them.

‘Everything OK?' they asked simultaneously.

She explained as succinctly as possible without lowering her voice; it wouldn't do for Oliver to think she felt compelled to whisper.

‘Oh, that poor boy!' Sarah reached for Evan's hand. ‘As if he hasn't been through enough already!'

‘Why don't you two take a look. I'll go back and sit with him.'

They nodded and she returned to Oliver. Several minutes passed, during which she held his hand without speaking. Nothing can be more stress adding at tense moments than someone offering up platitudes and clichés. The brief but endless wait ended when Sarah and Evan came in. Both were smiling and Oliver was instantly on his feet. Relief flowed through Gwen on watching them gather him into a hug. It was Evan who spoke; she thought Sarah might well be too choked up to do so.

‘Sarah's ring isn't gone.'

‘It isn't?' There was no describing the joy in Oliver's voice. ‘I was so scared.'

‘Understandably.' Evan clasped his shoulder. ‘The box had been moved. Human nature being what it is there are always those types who have to look in other people's medicine cabinets and otherwise nosy around.'

Gwen slipped out and returned to the living room, intent on collecting up any remnants of the potluck, but that had already been done. The same proved true of the kitchen and patio. Everything back to normal. She phoned Twyla to ask how Sonny was doing and, that news being reassuring, said she would stay on a little while longer. Sarah and Evan joined Gwen in the living room. She was seated in one of the linen-covered armchairs and they took the sofa.

‘How is he?' she asked.

‘Like a huge weight has been lifted,' said Evan, ‘but worn out. Fell almost immediately asleep after we tucked him in and listened to him saying his prayers.'

‘We have to do better at remembering to say grace before meals.' Sarah's face was troubled.

Gwen looked at them both. ‘There's something the two of you are holding back. The ring really is safe, I trust?'

‘Oh, yes.' Sarah bit down on her lip. ‘But something else was taken. Some drawings Oliver had found in his bedroom at the Cully Mansion. I'm sorry, Gwen, that we can't be more explicit now – it's a matter of keeping Oliver's confidence . . .'

‘I understand, my dear.'

‘He gave them to us yesterday and I put them in the jewelry box; it was a convenient storing place and it looks like Elizabeth found them and was sufficiently motivated for some reason to risk taking them. Evan thinks she panicked.'

He returned her look. ‘Guilty consciences have that effect.'

‘It certainly looks as though she made a hurried departure because she dropped one sheet of paper. We found it on the floor by the bed; the side closest to the door. Of course we could be judging unfairly,' her eyes sought comfort from Evan, ‘but, rightly or wrongly, Elizabeth does stand out as the likeliest person, given that Gerard, who does come off as amazingly self-absorbed, was concerned by what he believed to be her prolonged absence.'

‘Sadly, I'm with you there.' Gwen sighed.

Evan reached for Sarah's hand. ‘This is the possible scenario. Elizabeth, feeling the onset of her headaches, decided to look for a place to lie down for, say, five to ten minutes, and while lying on the bed saw the jewelry box and on getting up lifted the lid out of curiosity or . . . in hope of finding something worth taking. My Aunt Alice has a saying she says came down from her Scottish grandmother – a needy body is a greedy body. We are assuming some financial reverses on the Cullys' part. But right there on top, to drive out any possible larcenous thoughts, were those folded-up drawings.'

‘Regrettably, I too wonder if she thought about helping herself to a piece of jewelry. With so many people in the house it would be difficult to point suspicion in one direction.' Gwen shook her head sadly. ‘Before Elizabeth and Gerard arrived, Nellie talked to me in the den about what she learned this morning from Robin Polly about the likelihood of their being in financial straits.' Gwen relayed what had been imparted to her, ending with the discovery of missing items, including the silver clock that had first ignited Robin's suspicions, at the antique shop at Dobbs Mill. ‘They're all at Nellie's house and she wants to show them to us.'

‘I think that little clock would have a very special meaning for Oliver, considering its provenance being a gift from Nathaniel Cully to his wife on their fortieth anniversary.' Evan was still holding Sarah's hand. ‘He's developed a strong interest in Nat, as he's come to think of him.' His eyes gleamed thoughtfully. ‘I do think the one positive thing we can glean from this incident of the drawings is that if Elizabeth is the one responsible for such a stupid move, she would not appear capable of contriving an intricately malevolent plot.' He was looking at Gwen, but she was sure he was communicating privately with Sarah about something that had been worrying them both.

‘Yes, there is that.' What Gwen thought of as the lovely face eased. ‘It certainly wasn't smart of her to sell what she'd lifted from the Cully Mansion so close to Sea Glass.'

‘And now we have it from Robin Polly,' Evan was still holding her hand, ‘that's she's going to some gallery in Boston on Tuesday. Meaning she's either rethought the wisdom of disposing of stuff so close to her own backyard or what she has at her disposal is significant enough to warrant taking it to someone who would pay the full value of what's on offer.'

‘I wonder if it could be that dour portrait of Nathaniel's father,' suggested Gwen. ‘She could always claim to have put it in the attic. I can't imagine it was painted by someone famous, but I suppose even great artists could have their off days.'

Sarah spread her hands. ‘From your description he, or she, would have had to be comatose at that time.'

‘I'll talk to Aunt Alice and have her help make up a list of galleries we can check on starting Wednesday. The trouble is,' Evan paused, ‘even with something – and if it's big, what then? – I'm sure Oliver wouldn't want us to turn her into the authorities, or rat her out to her husband, who may not be in the know. Whatever else those two are, Gerard was Oliver's father's brother and only sibling. And yet how do we, including Twyla of course, abandon him to their supposed care?'

This was unanswerable. Gwen saw zero comfort in Sarah and Evan saying optimistically, if tritely, that something might occur to present a solution. She got to her feet. ‘I'm going to leave and let you talk some more on your own. I need to be getting home. Sonny may still be up.'

They came with her out to her car, Evan carrying the picnic basket with the cleaned dishes inside; before getting in she looked up at the sky. Pink clouds. They always brought memories. Her mind went to them on the short drive home. Sonny in the car with her one late afternoon or evening; she pointing upward, and his awed delight. Throughout his childhood they would always smile in a moment of special closeness on seeing them. One day when he was a young man, still in college, they were having lunch together when he paused in the middle of a sentence and said, ‘I love you Mom.' She told him that was wonderful to hear, that she loved him too. And he looked at her and said, ‘I saw pink clouds today.'

She entered the house through the garage and put the basket down on the table. Twyla came in from the foyer and told her, without delaying for questions, that it had been a good evening and Sonny was in the book room. She found him seated on the sofa and sat down beside him. He was staring straight ahead.

‘I love you, Sonny.'

‘I know. I love you too.' He leaned his gray head against her shoulder and they sat like that until he went up to bed. She followed him to the stairs, stood gathering herself together, then returned to the book room with Twyla and told her about the potluck and all that ensued.