The Puzzle (30 page)

Barely able to pause to type notes on my laptop late into the night, I found everyone’s outrageous statements and accusations that were tossed back and forth intriguing. Originally, it was my final commitment to Stephen that started me on this journey, but somewhere along the way, I became fascinated by this unconventional cast of characters, some of whom I had grown attached to over the last several months. One in particular, I needed to address,
pronto
.

Reluctantly, I entered my shop with the single-minded purpose of revealing the identity of a seventy-year-old hacker. Hey, if she
googled
, why not hack too? Obviously, she was multi-talented. Who taught her? If it wasn’t so serious, I might have found it humorous. Hacking, without a doubt, had no age limits. Now if she could hack into and improve the numbers on my book sales, I was going to give that woman a raise.

“Hi, Sam,” she greeted when I entered.

“Have a seat, Martha. We need to talk about your access qualifications.”

“My what?” she asked mystified, giving me a strange look.

“To be perfectly blunt, I’m talking about your hacking expertise. Jack said your reputation is quite extensive.”

“Jack? I figured
,
he knew what I was up to. That man has eyes everywhere in this town,” she said, dropping into a chair.

“Martha, how could you put yourself in such a dangerous situation? Didn’t you realize the consequences of your illegal actions? Weren’t you afraid, that if caught, you might go to jail?”

“Sure,” she admitted. “But, here I was, seventy years old, and Stephen was in his late thirties. Who had more to lose? If they caught me, I could maybe plead ignorance, insanity, old age, or anything and then throw myself on the mercy of the court. Stephen? He wouldn’t have a chance. Believe me, I gave all the consequences serious consideration.”

I stared at this crazy woman, who probably loved Stephen very much to take such an incredible risk. How could I not love her for her unselfish behavior? “What were you thinking?” You know that was a very foolish thing you did, don’t you?”

“Don’t you think I didn’t know that? But it was my choice.”

“Why did you take that risk? There’s something I’m missing here. I just don’t get it.”

She sighed. “I did it because I so desperately wanted Stephen to be my son and was willing to personally risk everything to find out on a slim chance that maybe he was.”

“How could you possibly prove you were Stephen’s mother?” I asked, totally perplexed.

“Because, I pinned a small ribbon and a medal to the note. I was hoping the orphanage might have kept them with his records. It was a small gesture on my part that was different from Anna’s, but later on, it might link me more than Anna to Stephen in the future.”

I was speechless. I never realized what a difficult decision it must have been to give up a part of herself, walk away, and live the rest of her life never knowing. If she was this emotional now, how was she back then? “It must have been very heart-wrenching.”

“It was a decision I made that later on couldn’t be reversed. I realized it would always haunt me unless I took action to help Stephen. In comparison, what was hacking going to cost me?”

I didn’t have a good enough answer for her. What could I say? She sounded about as desperate as Jack was. Both of them were so caught up in their own obsessions. Was I any different? I didn’t think so. We all wished we could magically turn back the clock, making different decisions than the ones we chose. Whatever she had to tell me, I was more than anxious to hear it, good or bad. “Can I ask you what he found out?”

“He must have broken an access code to gain entry to specific files when I wasn’t around.”

“When and how did you find out about this?”

“Out of the blue, he arrived at my door, drunk and laughing, explaining he couldn’t believe the end result, waving some papers in the air,
‘his proof,’
he said. Then he stormed out. Next thing I heard he was found dead and his laptop had vanished. It was dreadful. I was heartbroken, and had no one to confide in.”

I sat there listening, but was still confused. “Why work for me when I was always running around and inquiring about Stephen? That must have been very difficult for you to stomach. Why would you subject yourself to that constant reminder of him?”

“If I stayed close to you and the course you were following, then I, too, might possibly find out who Stephen’s real mother was. No one would have suspected you. I, on the other hand, would have been too obvious. The gossips would have had a field day with that one. Every detail you uncovered got us both closer to the truth.”

I sat there realizing that by taking on this task way beyond what I would have thought possible, I was not in this for myself any longer, but for a lot of other people too. Would they ultimately be disappointed in me?

“Do you trust me enough to keep on working on this to see where it takes me, good or bad?” You might not like the results when
its
all over.”

She smiled, nodding. “Of course I trust you! Why, you’ll cut a path to the truth in no time.”

Chapter 62

If The Shoe Fits

I was dreaming of those shoes in that store window for three weeks and finally gave in to the urge to splurge. After working hard and slaving away at detecting and interviews, I figured I deserved a treat. I was goal-oriented. It was what kept me going; like the gold at the end of a rainbow, only this gold was going on my feet.

It didn’t matter that I only went out to dinner occasionally. A girl had to treat herself now and then to make it all worth it. It was pure indulgence as I tried on the barely-there heels and practically whimpered with guilt-ridden pleasure. Stephen would have considered them a worthless extravagance. I sighed as I turned around slowly.

The shoes fit me perfectly and were totally useless as a functional part of my everyday wardrobe in Highlands. In other words, they were just what the doctor ordered. I spun again in front of the mirror. Stephen would have complained how flashy they looked. I put one foot forward, posing like a model. Where was my resistance? My cast iron will?

“And I thought I was the only indulgent one in this town,” Barbara said, suddenly appearing beside me, laughing. “Go ahead, buy them. They look great on you.”

I glanced up, startled from my reverie of fantasy. “Oh! Hi. They are a little too excessive for here, don’t you think?”

“Of course they are,” she replied, smiling. “But that’s the very reason to get them. If you wear them only once, that experience alone will be worth it.”

I had to laugh at the ridiculous thoughts running through my head. I had tossed out every objection my rational mind had come up with. “I really shouldn’t…”

“Like a lot of things we shouldn’t do,” she countered, “we somehow do them anyway.”

“You know, you’re right on that one,” I agreed, realizing how true that was.

Barbara sat down opposite me. “After a while, you’ll regret why you waited so long to reward yourself a little happiness.”

As I sat, I looked down at the shoes. “You’re probably right. It’s not a practical thing to do, but I adore them.” At that point, I was pretty sure where our conversation was going.

“If you change your mind and come back, they might be gone and you’ll only have the memory of walking in them that one time,” she said softly.

I nodded, knowing we weren’t talking about the shoes any longer. “It must have been very painful to leave Jack. Why were you forced to walk away from something that seemed so right? I know the age difference was an issue and you were underage.”

“It was leave or he went to jail. I certainly didn’t want that to happen because I was pregnant with his child,” she whispered.

“Did I just hear what I thought I heard?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“You did,” she replied, her voice low.

“Barbara, you need to check what people are nipping in this town,” I gently chided.

She laughed, leaning in closer. “Personally speaking, Samantha, I think it’s the water.”

“Did your parents suspect anything about your condition back then?”

“No. Nor did Jack or he would have gone to jail for sure. I agreed to leave and was sent off to a private girl’s school. Sorry to say, I miscarried after three months. And because of internal complications from that incident, I found out later in life, I was never able to have another.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, did you ever tell Jack about it?”

“What was the purpose? He’s gone through enough over the years. Why burden him with more heartache? That’s why I’m so supportive of you and what you’re doing.”

I frowned. “It’s tougher than I thought it would be. No one is very cooperative and they are tight-lipped. I have to pry every little detail from them, one at a time. It’s so frustrating.”

“I know. We’ve been like this for years. It’s hard for some of these people to accept change. They’ve been harboring their little secrets for ages, while nursing their own emotional injuries. I figured it might take an outsider tied to us all to try and figure it out. Stephen’s death not only involved you, Sam, it affected all of us.”

“I can see that now. I just don’t know if there is much more to find out though. I’ve run high and dry. How could someone, who had everything to live for just go and give it all up? There were plenty of other people around him that loved him for who he was, but he only focused on what he couldn’t have. Nothing else seemed to matter. No one needs to have biological parents to make up a family. I didn’t and I did just fine.”

Barbara did a double take. “…What did you just say? …You were adopted?”

“Of course,” I responded. “That’s why Stephen and I bonded so well from the very beginning when we first met. It was an on-the-spot connection. I thought you knew.”

“No. I didn’t. Well, that accounts for why Stephen never spoke much about your background. Are your adoptive parents by any chance still alive?” she asked.

“No. They passed a while ago. Bad heart and cancer.”

“Did you ever try to pursue your biological parents like Stephen did?”

“No. I had absolutely no interest at all. They were the only parents I needed, and that alone was enough for me. I was happy to leave it at that. Stephen couldn’t.”

“I see. So, you found his obsession a little strange?”

“In the beginning, I did, but not now. Before long, I found myself caught up in Stephen’s obsession, but for a completely different reason.”

“And what reason was that?” she prompted.

“His death appeared so senseless and unnecessary. I thought that by coming here, I could understand why he died the way he did and make some sense of his final months. It was something I wanted for him, before I moved on with my own life.”

“That’s all well and noble, but what about now, Sam? What do you want out of life? Surely, there must be something out there for you?” She was pushing me to face some hard truths about my future plans.

I sighed uncertainly. “Maybe I’ll recognize it when it finally comes along.”

“If and when you do find it, will you just up and leave all of us and move on? Personally speaking, I hope not. We’ve all become fond of you’re…you’re…” She sat there thinking. “How can I diplomatically put this?”

I began to laugh. “…My delicate and socially discreet style?”

She looked at my feet, laughing too. “If the shoe fits!”

Chapter 63

Bleeding Hearts And Tarts

I had to admit it was a bit unusual for them to have a secret rendezvous, but at the Scones And Tarts Tea Room? I was a few minutes early for this private meeting and opted for a window table, adapting smoothly to my new modus operandi, sitting in a visible location, and thus becoming invisible: a questionable line of reasoning when I noted I was the only one there.

At three in the afternoon, it was hardly teatime, which was served precisely at four. The owners must have made an exception for their two friends. I never thought I would consume so much tea, but recognized I had not only developed a taste for the brew, but also a taste for methodically unraveling this web of deception and all its underlying secrets.

I laughed to myself, as I recalled considering showing up in my new brassy shoes to this get-together, but quickly nixed the idea. The two of them would have been shocked at the mere idea of such a blatant social blunder in the afternoon. I turned as I heard the subtle tingle of the bell on the door and smiled. Betty and Hazel entered quietly and gracefully, walking straight toward my table of choice.

“Ladies, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Samantha, we’re so glad you could make it,” said an excited Betty, as she sat down.

Hazel quickly grabbed a chair. “We’ve been beside ourselves since we called you.”