Valise in the Attic (4 page)

Alice carried a basket covered in tea towels, and Annie’s stomach growled in anticipation. Alice’s goodies were always fantastic. Annie fully believed her friend could make a living with her baking if she wanted to, but Alice preferred selling Princessa jewelry and Divine Décor items at home parties. Baking was Alice’s play, and she didn’t want to rob it of any of the fun by making it a job.

Annie had the door open by the time Alice reached the top of the porch steps. As her friend stomped snow from her boots on the mat, Annie took the basket. Boots sniffed the air through the door, but it was too cold for the cat to be interested in dashing outside.

“Ready for an attic adventure?” Alice asked as she came in and slipped out of her long wool coat. The forest green sweatshirt she wore underneath made Annie laugh out loud. Alice had cross-stitched “Attic Adventurer” across the front along with images of piles of trunks and hatboxes.

“Oh, that is wonderful,” Annie said. “When did you make it?”

“About a month ago,” Alice said grinning. “You cannot imagine how itchy I’ve been to have a reason to wear it.”

“Today’s the day,” Annie said. “But only after spending some time with whatever is in this basket. You have me trained. I practically drool whenever I see you carrying a basket my way.”

Alice laughed. “This is drool-worthy stuff—zucchini and blueberry bread. I froze bags of blueberries and shredded zucchini last summer just so I could make this to remind me of summer in the dreary winter. It’s even healthy!”

They walked back to the kitchen and settled down at the small table near the window with fresh mugs of coffee and thick slices of warm bread. “How has the attic organization been going?” Alice said.

“It’s on hold again,” Annie said. “I need to bring down at least a few Christmas decorations. It’s hard to get excited about decorating without LeeAnn and the kids here. I keep putting it off.”

“I always do a few things,” Alice said. “I like candles in the windows and wreaths. Then I put out the crèche on the fireplace mantel. I don’t always do a tree, though when I don’t, I usually wish I had. I love the smell of pine in the house. Every year I think I’m not going to do much, but then I add and add more decorations as Christmas gets closer.”

“I thought I would pass on a tree this year,” Annie said. “It just gives Boots new ways to make mischief.” Then she paused and laughed a little. “Listen to me. I sound a little Scrooge-like.”

“I don’t think you could be like Scrooge if you tried,” Alice said. “So should we poke around for Christmas decorations while we’re up there today?”

Annie waved a hand. “No, no poking. We’re going to grab the suitcases and get out before a mystery tackles us. With the movie and Christmas gifts to find, I have enough to do. No mysteries.”

Alice just shook her head smiling. “I think I’ve heard that before. Usually just before a really juicy plot unfolds.”

Annie moaned, because she knew Alice was right about that. Surely the mysteries would give her time off for Christmas. Wouldn’t they?

After chatting a bit about Christmas projects, Alice took a last gulp of her coffee and stood up. “I’m ready for the attic challenge,” she said. She took a dramatic stance. “To the attic!”

Annie turned a longing glance at the rest of the warm loaf of bread on the counter, but decided her waistline would be better off if they went ahead and began the hunt. She laughed and echoed. “To the attic! Back off, mysteries; we’re on our way!”

4

When the women reached the attic, Alice looked around approvingly. “Every time we come up here, it looks a little more organized,” she said. “Betsy would be so impressed.”

Though the attic still held an amazing array of all sorts of things, many were now in boxes or plastic bins with clear labels. Even several of the large steamer trunks now had tags hanging from them with a general list of the contents.

“I actually piled up a lot of small suitcases over here,” Annie said, slipping through the neat rows of trunks and boxes. “I saw this cute coffee table in a decorator magazine. It was made from old suitcases and small trunks with a top made from distressed wood. I thought it was wonderful. After Christmas, I’m going to show it to Wally to see if he could make one for me.” Annie stopped at a large stack of luggage. “As you can see, I probably have a few cases to spare.”

“Are they all empty?” Alice asked.

“I don’t know,” Annie said. “I haven’t opened all of them.”

She looked over the pile and picked up a small leather-covered valise. The corners of the suitcase were capped with silver to protect them from bumps. Annie liked the different shades of brown in the leather. The large sides of the case were clad in a smooth milk chocolate-color leather while the edges were bound in caramel-color strips. Each of the short sides of the case was covered in leather the color of dark chocolate. The end result was almost mouthwatering.

“That’s a nice one,” Alice said. “You know, I think one of the cases that the prop master held up looked a lot like that one. I remember thinking it looked like a candy shop.”

“Well, then we know this one will work,” Annie said. “Which one do you like?”

Alice rooted a bit, and then pulled out a small case covered in horsehair canvas and trimmed in reddish leather. “I think this is Hermes,” she said, examining the hardware closely. “Look at the engraving on the metal. It looks like it was done by hand. I’ll bring this one.”

“Hermes?” Annie said. “Is that valuable?”

“It’s designer and seems to be in nice shape,” Alice said, “but I don’t think it’s particularly valuable. Unless, of course, it contains a stash of cash or diamonds.”

Annie shook her finger. “Don’t talk like that,” she said. “You never know what we might find.”

Alice flipped the latches and opened the case. A creamy linen-covered tray fit down into the case with elastic straps running the length of the tray to catch small items you might not want rattling around in the suitcase. Nothing lay in the tray, but once they lifted it out, they saw a small bundle of sepia-toned photos tied in a ribbon. “No diamonds,” Alice said as she took the bundle from the case. “Just someone’s photos.”

Annie took the bundle and gently untied the ribbon. “Oh, I recognize these,” she said as she leafed through them. “They belonged to my grandfather. Look, that’s him in his uniform.” She held the photos out for Alice to see. Her grandfather stood very erect; he looked so young and dashing. She felt a pang of melancholy that she couldn’t carry the bundle to her grandfather and have him tell the story behind each one. She had always loved hearing him tell stories. “My grandfather loved photos. I saw another bundle like this in Gram’s room. I’ll put these in with them.”

“All right,” Alice said, “now you open your case. Maybe you got the diamonds.”

Alice set her case down and held her breath as Annie snapped it open. The inside was completely empty. “Ah-ha, no mystery here!” Annie exclaimed. “Just an empty box.”

“Oh well, I guess we can’t score a juicy mystery every time we come to the attic,” Alice said with a mock pout. “I think we should console ourselves with some more zucchini bread.”

“That sounds good.” Annie looked over the pile of luggage. “Do you think we should take another case, just to help out? That young man seemed anxious to get enough.”

“Oh, tempting fate,” Alice said, with a grin. “I’m game. I would cheerfully open them all. With your history in this attic, we’d be sure to find a mystery in one of them! Are you sure you want to open another one?”

Annie pulled another case from the pile. This small, hard-sided valise was covered in printed fabric. The background was charcoal gray with a small fleur-de-lis print. It was a pretty case, though faded. Annie liked the feminine quality it had. Her hand rested on the brass locks for a moment, and then she put it carefully back in the pile. “Let’s not tempt fate,” she said. “I think some zucchini bread is a better idea.”

“Well, I would love to find a mystery, but eating sounds like a great backup plan,” Alice said, shrugging good- naturedly. They hurried downstairs to cut a slice while the loaf was still warm.

Annie smiled as she looked back at the attic. Somehow it seemed like a victory to get out of the attic with nothing that anyone could possibly consider mysterious.

They snacked on bread for a while, and Annie asked how the Divine Décor business was going.

“When the tourists leave, I always have a bit of a lull,” Alice said, and then waved a hand in the direction of the window. “No one wants to go to any parties in this kind of weather. But it never completely dries up. My customers like to give little knickknacks for Christmas. In fact, my sister asked me to send her a couple things just last week. Which reminds me, I need to go package it up and run to the post office.”

Annie brightened. “Would you mind taking a package for me? I finished Joanna’s scarf last night, and I have the package all set to go to Texas. I have to admit, I was hoping to avoid going out in the snow at all today.”

“I’ll be glad to take it,” Alice said, “but you have to be careful. You don’t want to turn into a winter hermit. We have some folks in town who disappear into their nests all winter.”

Annie laughed, since that was very close to what she’d been thinking about herself earlier. “I don’t think you would let me be too much of a hermit,” she said.

“I’m just returning the favor,” Alice said. “You brought me out of my shell when you came home to take over Grey Gables. The least I can do is keep you from turning hermit.”

Annie smiled. She still found it hard to believe her vivacious friend had withdrawn so much after her divorce, but all the Hook and Needle Club had confirmed it. Now Alice was one of the most outgoing people in Stony Point.

Annie gratefully got the box. As she carried it out of her room, she looked at Alice fretfully. “It’s kind of heavy,” she said. “I’m not sure you should carry it in the snow.”

“Don’t worry, I have experience with snow.” Alice grabbed the box as if it were empty and headed on her way. Annie peeked through the curtains, following her friend’s progress back to the carriage house, just to be sure she got there safely.

Sighing, she turned to Boots, who had come to rub against her ankle while she watched. “It looks like I’m the only person in Stony Point who doesn’t know how to handle the snow.”

Boots purred agreeably, and Annie scooped up the cat as she decided on what to do with the rest of her cozy day at home. She was halfway across the room when the phone rang. She dumped Boots gently on the sofa and snagged the phone.

“Mrs. Dawson?” a brisk female voice asked.

“This is she.”

“This is Kathleen Kensington. I’m calling to say we would like you to be on set in the morning at 6:30. You won’t need to wear anything special as wardrobe will outfit you. It might be good to plan your clothing around ease of removal since you will be changing quickly. Wear your hair loose if possible to make it easier for hair and makeup.”

The voice paused, as if checking a list and Annie was able to squeeze in a question. “Where will the set be?”

“Down on Grand Avenue,” Ms. Kensington said. “At the harbor. We’ll be setting up tents and trailers to use for our staff, so it should be easy to spot from the street. We’ll be the place that is very well lit.”

Annie shivered at the thought of heading out while it was still dark. That definitely would be scary driving. Then scary driving made her think of Stella’s story of the car driving off the road. “Ms. Kensington, were you in an auto mishap yesterday morning? Someone told me a car went off the road.”

Ms. Kensington made a disgusted sound. “Yes, that was me. Well, actually … Samuel and me. Someone ran us completely off the road. On these narrow roads, you would expect a little more courtesy.”

“I hope you weren’t injured,” Annie said.

“No, nothing like that,” the woman said, and then she sighed. “But my Jimmy Choos were completely ruined. I wish I had been driving. I’m originally from Minnesota. I handle snow better, though we don’t normally run visitors off the road there.”

“I assure you, we don’t do that around here either,” Annie said consolingly. “I’m originally from Texas, and I’ve found people here to be very kind. I’m sorry you had such an unpleasant first encounter. I hope Samuel wasn’t injured?”

“No, we were both fine. I expect Samuel’s rental-car company will be disgruntled about the scraped paint, but that’s not really my worry. Thank you for your concern though. We’ll see you on set in the morning.”

With that, the woman quickly hung up the phone. Well, that’s one mystery solved, Annie thought. She placed the phone gently in the cradle and looked around her cheerful front room. A little light housecleaning seemed in order, so she set about to do it.

By bedtime, Annie had the wood floors glowing and every speck of dust captured and removed. She liked keeping a clean, tidy house, though sometimes the ease of doing so made her feel a little nostalgic for the days when Wayne would forget to wipe his feet and track up her newly mopped kitchen floor. Or the years when LeeAnn was like a force of nature, carrying in collections of rocks, brightly colored leaves and even the occasional small creature.

Annie laughed to herself. No one would guess now, looking at the fashionable, self-assured woman that LeeAnn had grown up to be. Sometimes Annie looked at her daughter and tried to find some glimpse of the wild child she had once been. Usually she found it in the quirk of LeeAnn’s smile or the occasional flash of her temper. Then, with that warm smile of nostalgia on her face, Annie ended her quiet day at home.

The morning of the filming started well before dawn. Annie groaned as the alarm clock beeped insistently in her ear. Boots shifted and stretched from her usual place on the bed, and then snuggled against the small of Annie’s back like a purring heating pad.

Annie reached out and swatted at the clock until it fell silent. “Why did I agree to this?” she asked Boots.

The chubby cat didn’t even bother to meow and merely curled herself up tightly as Annie sat up and felt around on the floor with her toes until she found her slippers. When Ms. Kensington had told her that everyone needed to be on set by 6:30 in the morning, Annie had almost said no, but then she imagined Alice giving her the big puppy eyes again. She didn’t want to disappoint her friends.

“Why am I a pushover for everyone?” Annie moaned.

Boots looked up at her and sneezed.

“I agree,” Annie said. “It’s a sickness.”

She shuffled to the closet and dressed as warmly as she could, starting with her silk long johns. Alice had called to offer to carpool so Annie wouldn’t have to drive in the scary snow, but Annie wanted to take her own car. Now as she peered out the window at the dark morning sky, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. Alice was a much more confident driver in this kind of weather.

She headed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee for her thermos. If she had to go out in the cold, she’d at least bring something hot to drink. Finally, she couldn’t put it off any longer, and she headed out into the dark cold morning. It was every bit as unpleasant as she’d expected, but she took a moment to appreciate the stars still shining in the clear night sky. At least it wasn’t likely to snow with the sky so clear.

The sky looked like a smooth black blanket scattered with bits of fairy dust. There were so many stars. Their home in Texas had security lights that came on anytime Annie stepped outside, and her neighbors all had their night lights on too. All that light pollution pushed back the fearfulness of night, but it drove away some of the wonder too. She never saw so many stars when she had looked up into the sky there.

A howl of wind rushed through the trees in the yard and made Annie jump. It was far too cold outside for more of her woolgathering—not unless she was going to find a way to wrap all that wool around herself for warmth.

Annie made the drive to the waterfront carefully. Sometimes the roads got icy at night after a bit of sun melt during the day. She was surprised at how brightly lit the pier was; Ms. Kensington wasn't kidding about that. You definitely couldn’t miss the spectacle that the film crew made. A large crowd of people stood in huddled clumps under huge lights.

Annie grabbed her two suitcases and the thermos, and headed out. The wind was frigid but the huge lamps gave off more heat than she expected. They were almost blinding to look toward, but they were certainly nice to stand near for the warmth.

Annie spotted Alice and slipped through the crowd to reach her friend.

“You made it,” Alice said with a grin. “They’re taking people in groups into the wardrobe trailers to get dressed and made up.”

“I hope we’ll at least get to wear something warm,” Annie echoed. Surely if they wanted a movie filmed in winter, they would have all the extras dress for the weather. She tried to imagine what kind of clothes they might be given. If they wanted old luggage, they probably were filming a period movie of some sort. Then she thought of how rarely women wore pants back in the nineteen fifties and before. The thought of changing into a skirt and standing where the wind could slip up her legs made Annie shiver even more. “Have you seen the clothes?”

Alice pointed and Annie saw a group that had already been in wardrobe and were now standing under a canvas tent. Big heaters were set up near the tent to keep the group warm. Annie noted right away that the women clearly wore dresses or skirts under the long coats.

“Look on the bright side,” Alice said, giving her a supportive shoulder bump. “We get to stand in the warm spot after we’re dressed. Think how glamorous we’ll look in those costumes. We’re apparently going to be well-off people from the early fifties.”