44 Cranberry Point (7 page)

T
he board meeting over, Bob Beldon left the community theater, situated just off Heron Street. He’d been active in theater since his high-school days; drama class had been his favorite and he’d starred in a number of school productions. If not for Vietnam and everything that happened afterward, he might have considered a career on the stage.

These days he got what he called his “theater fix” by participating in local productions. Currently he served on the board of directors and the group had discussed a number of potential plays for next year’s season.

Bob was still thinking about the merits of
Our Town
vs.
The Matchmaker
as he drove down the winding road that led to Cranberry Point. The name of the road always amused him. As far as he knew, there weren’t any cranberries growing in the area. There were cranberry bogs in Washington State, but none in or near Cedar Cove. Whistling “Hello, Dolly,” he continued driving, free for the moment of the burdens that oppressed him. This was what he loved about the theater. He could immerse himself in a role-in the whole process of staging a play-and put aside his troubles. His
friends in AA might call it denial, but the theater gave him a ready excuse.

Knowing Peggy, she’d have dinner started. Since it was Monday, he guessed she’d probably prepared either stuffed green peppers or her fabulous meat loaf. Either meal suited him just fine.

Still whistling as he pulled into the driveway, he found his wife watering her herb garden. Any time of year, her gardens were something to behold. The name of their B and B, Thyme and Tide, had come from both their proximity to the sea and Peggy’s herbs. And of course the old saying about time and tide waiting for no man…

Speaking of time, without guests, they both had plenty of that on their hands. Money was tight, but Peggy was as skilled at budgeting as she was at every other household task. Bob couldn’t imagine how they’d manage their money situation otherwise, but thankfully Peggy had it all figured out.

He drove into the garage and then walked out to greet Peggy. Garden hose in hand, she smiled as he approached. The sun was still high, although it was almost six o’clock. According to the calendar, summer would officially arrive later in the month, but as usual it would take another six weeks to show up in the Pacific Northwest. August and September were almost always spectacular. Bob had to remind himself of that in February and March, when the constant drizzle dragged down his normally good spirits.

“Hi, honey,” Bob said. He stood at the edge of her garden. The fennel bulbs were flowering, and the parsley and cilantro were just peeking up from the dark, rich soil. “What’s for dinner?”

“Meat loaf. How’d the meeting go?”

“Just great.” He couldn’t contain his smile.

“What’s that grin about? Are you keeping something from me?” She jokingly aimed the hose in his direction.

“Not a thing.” He chuckled, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I was just thinking we’d probably have meat loaf tonight, is all.”

Peggy walked over to the side of the house and turned off the water. “I’m about finished here.”

Bob nodded.

“If you’ve got a moment, I’d like to talk.”

He hesitated. When Peggy asked to speak to him in that formal way, it generally wasn’t about anything pleasant.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not really.”

She seemed rather closemouthed about it, which wasn’t good. Now that he studied her, Bob realized he should have seen the signs earlier. Peggy was a talker, a natural conversationalist. She could-and did-talk to anyone about anything. Many of their guests were repeat customers Peggy now counted as friends.

Bob followed her into the mudroom off the kitchen. Peggy changed out of her rubber shoes and methodically put her gardening supplies on the shelf. The contrast between her highly organized work areas and his-well, sometimes it embarrassed him a little. He could be such a slob, he thought ruefully, and yet Peggy was so tolerant of his carelessness, for which he could only be grateful.

“What’s going on?” he asked as they entered the kitchen.

Peggy automatically poured them each a cup of tea and set the mugs on the table. “I got a phone call from Hannah Russell this afternoon.”

Bob felt the sudden need to sit down. He yanked out the chair and sat, reaching for his tea.

“I’m so worried,” Peggy said, sitting across from him.

That got Bob’s attention. “About what?” They’d been caught up in this nightmare for so long that he’d grown accustomed to the tension. It had become part of his reality and there was nothing to do but stand firm in the face of each new shock.

“Hannah,” Peggy continued as if it should be obvious. “Her mother and father are both gone. She’s like a lost soul. She’s foundering, Bob.” She paused for a moment. “I talked to Hollie today, and she said that in her opinion, Hannah needs a sense of security. I agree with her.”

“I suppose that’s only natural when someone loses both parents in such a short time.” Bob envied the closeness between his wife and daughter. He knew that during his drinking years, he’d lost an important part of his children’s lives.

Peggy’s hands tightened around her mug. “Hannah phoned to thank me for my letter.”

Bob had forgotten that Peggy had written the girl. It was just the sort of thoughtful thing she’d do.

“She wanted to tell me she’s moving.”

“Where?”

“That’s just it,” Peggy said, and her face darkened with concern. “She doesn’t know. She’s sold everything she can. Hollie says that Hannah’s running away from her pain-that she’ll carry it with her wherever she goes.”

Bob nodded. “Hollie’s right. I’m not sure leaving California’s a good idea for Hannah. She might regret it later, selling things she’ll wish she’d kept.”

“That’s what I told her, but she said it was too late. What she didn’t sell she gave away.”

Bob’s own concern grew. His unease didn’t revolve solely around Hannah, either. She might inadvertently have sold something that would help solve this mystery.

“That’s not all,” Peggy said. “I got the impression that
she’s going to travel aimlessly around the country until she finds a place that…feels comfortable. That’s how she put it.”

Bob sat back in his chair and mulled this over. The young woman was vulnerable. Wandering from place to place wasn’t what he’d want for his own daughter. “What about family? Surely she’s got aunts and uncles and cousins?”

“Apparently she doesn’t have anyone close.”

“I see.” Bob sipped his tea.

“I asked her to call us from time to time.”

“Good.”

“But I don’t know if she will. She sounded so confused.”

Bob considered what he knew about Hannah for a moment and felt a pang of sympathy. “Did you ask if there’s a way for us to keep in touch with her?”

Peggy nodded. “She has a cell phone and she gave me the number. The thing is, Bob, how involved do we want to get in her life?” Her gaze held his and he understood his wife’s question. She felt a certain responsibility to Hannah. After all, it was in their home that her father had died. And yet-did they want to take on the young woman’s problems? That could be more than he and Peggy were really equipped to handle.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Me, neither.”

“So, what do you think we should do?” Bob asked. He trusted Peggy’s intuition. Hannah aside, Max Russell’s death was an uncomfortable subject. It brought up too many unpleasant memories for him and his wife, memories Bob preferred to leave buried.

“I’m not sure, but I do feel badly for her.”

Bob agreed. It was hard enough succeeding in the world
with
parents, and usually much harder without. His own children had faltered, but with love and patience had eventually found
their way. No thanks to the example he’d set in their early years, Bob admitted. Perhaps this opportunity to help Hannah was also a chance to make up for his missteps twenty-five years ago.

“We should phone her at least once a week,” he said decisively. It didn’t mean they had to become parent-substitutes, just friends…

Peggy nodded slowly. “That would help, I think,” she concurred. “Then Hannah will know there are two people in the world who care about her.”

“Right.” Bob felt better having made the decision. This was a positive thing to do and just might help him deal with everything that was happening in his own fragile world.

O
livia Lockhart Griffin hurried home from the courthouse. Jack had phoned earlier in the day and said he’d be late for dinner. After an idyllic but all-too-brief Hawaiian honeymoon, they’d both been inundated with work. Jack had put in late hours all week and been at the office nearly nonstop the entire weekend. Olivia hated having him gone such long hours, but when he was home, it was lovely. She hesitated-for the most part, it was lovely. Naturally, there were a few adjustments they each had to make, and some of those were more difficult than she would have expected.

After living for almost twenty years without a husband, Olivia was surprised at how easily she’d slipped back into the habit of sharing her life with a man. For the first time since her youngest son had left the family home, she put real effort into creating meals. She sat at the kitchen table now, leafing through a recently purchased cookbook, intent on luring Jack home with a healthy meal made just for him. One regular argument she had with her husband concerned his poor eating habits. Jack tended to grab whatever was quick
and easy. Olivia frequently told him his diet contained far too many carbohydrates and fats to maintain a healthy lifestyle; he just as frequently shrugged off her concern.

She studied the recipes. Tofu stir-fry? Probably not, but she’d try it later on. The telephone rang, and thinking it might be Jack, she got up to reach for the receiver.

“Hello,” she said cheerfully.

“Howdy, little sister.”

“Will!” Her brother lived in Atlanta. It had been a real disappointment to her that he hadn’t made it to Cedar Cove for her wedding. When she’d called to tell him she’d decided to marry Jack, she’d hoped he’d be able to share her special day. Apparently she’d caught him off guard, because he’d hesitated and then stuttered a weak excuse. She couldn’t recall what it was just now, but at the time she’d thought something was wrong, although she couldn’t figure out what it might be. Perhaps he wasn’t getting along with Georgia, her sister-in-law, or maybe he had problems at work…

“So how’s the happy bride?” Will asked, echoing her cheerful tone.

Olivia leaned against the kitchen wall and sighed. “Wonderful. Oh, Will, I don’t know why I waited so long. Jack is so good for me.”

She loved her husband’s spontaneity. Her idea of a honeymoon was to laze on the beach and catch up on her reading. Jack wouldn’t hear of it. Every day he had plans for them to go and see and do. Olivia wouldn’t have seen any of what Hawaii had to offer if Jack hadn’t coaxed her into visiting the tourist sights and activities. The nights were the best. After dinner, they danced under the stars, swam in the fabulous hotel pool and made love until they were spent.

“You sound happy.”

“I am.”

“I’m glad.” He seemed genuinely pleased for her. “On another subject, have you talked to Mom lately?”

“Of course.” Charlotte made routine visits to Olivia’s courtroom, and usually brought her knitting, and often a friend or two from the Senior Center so she could brag about her daughter the judge. Her mother had shown up alone on Friday afternoon, and they’d chatted afterward, but now that Olivia thought about it, Charlotte had been mysteriously absent all week.

“What did she have to say?”

“Say? Mom?” Olivia repeated. “Well, not much, really. She did tell me that the seniors triumphed in court while I was away. Which I heard from plenty of other sources-trust me. But she’s had such strong community support that she’s finally got the ear of the mayor.”

“Did she mention Ben Rhodes?”

“Her latest boyfriend?” Olivia teased. Her mother had spoken about Ben a number of times, but she’d never said anything out of the ordinary. Ben was retired Navy, a widower, and Olivia had assumed he was simply a new addition to her crowd of friends. Charlotte had a way of collecting lost souls.

“Exactly what do you know about Ben?” her brother pressed.

“Not a lot. Why do you ask?” Olivia mulled over what she’d heard about him and realized she didn’t really know all that much. “I understand he moved to the area a couple of years ago. I remember Mom saying that Ben’s a great bridge player. He apparently spends most days at the Senior Center.”

“What about his claims to be a retired Navy admiral?”

Claims?
Interesting choice of word. Their mother had
brought this up a number of times. “I gather Ben served in the Navy.”

“So he says. Has anyone checked into that?”

“Of course not.” Olivia was astonished by the suspicion in her brother’s voice. “Why should we?”

“Because, my naive little sister, I don’t think either of us has fully grasped what’s happening to our mother.”

Olivia frowned. “Why do you say that?”

Will sighed heavily. “I phoned Mom twice while you were in Hawaii and all she could talk about was Ben this and Ben that. She hardly mentioned anything or anyone else. It got me thinking that we need to find out what we can about this man who’s taking up so much of our mother’s time.”

Now that her brother had alerted her, it occurred to Olivia that their mother
had
been seeing a great deal of Ben, especially lately. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” she felt obliged to say. Ben and her mother had become good friends. Over the years, Charlotte had grown fond of a number of men, including one retired actor in the local nursing home. Because of a stroke, Tom Harding had been unable to speak, but her mother had managed to carry on long conversations with him. Meeting Tom had led to the advent of Cliff Harding in their lives, and Charlotte was friendly with him, too. And now Ben. He was new to Cedar Cove and obviously feeling a bit lost. Frankly, Olivia couldn’t see any harm in the friendship.

“I don’t think there’s any need for alarm…yet,” Will agreed with a certain reluctance, “but as I said, how much do we really know about this man?”

“Well…”

“Just what he tells us, right?”

“Well…yes.” The doubts Will raised made Olivia’s suspicions
begin to mount. Caught up in the events of her own life, she hadn’t paid nearly enough attention to their mother.

“No one’s heard of Ben until the last year or two, am I right?”

“Yes,” she murmured. “He moved into the area and started showing up at the Senior Center.”

“No family.”

“Not here.” Olivia briefly recalled Ben talking about children in other parts of the country, but nowhere in Washington State.

“Don’t you find that mildly suspicious?”

Olivia considered the question. “Not really.”

“Then maybe you should.”

She was feeling worried now but not ready to acknowledge it to Will.

“A strange man, without any connection to Cedar Cove, moves into the area. Then he seeks out our mother and before we know it, the two of them are thick as thieves.”

“I’ve met Ben,” Olivia inserted. “He’s a perfect gentleman.”

“Wasn’t it Ben who talked Mom into this ridiculous protest rally? The man’s responsible for getting our mother arrested and you think he’s a good influence?”

That gave Olivia pause. “I think Mom was as much to blame for what happened as Ben.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve been on your honeymoon, Olivia. You’re in love and that’s great-I couldn’t be more pleased for you-but you’re looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.”

What he said was true…to a point. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I’m afraid,” her brother said slowly, “that Mom might
be at risk. How would you feel if some man swindled her out of her life savings?”

“Ben wouldn’t do that!”

“Are you sure, Olivia? Would you stake our mother’s financial future on your feelings?”

She hesitated. Sitting on the judge’s bench, she’d seen far too much of the pain one person could inflict on another. Her hand tightened around the receiver at the idea of anyone taking advantage of her mother.

“You’re confident Ben’s a stand-up kind of guy?” her brother said, his voice edged with suspicion. “Enough to risk Mom’s future?”

“No,” Olivia admitted reluctantly.

Will leapt on her answer. “That’s what I thought. It’s up to you, little sister.”

“What’s up to me?”

“To check out this Ben Rhodes. I’ve heard about men like him who prey on widows. I’m sure you’ve seen the same TV shows I have. We can’t be too careful. I’m not there to protect Mom, but you are-and you must. We wouldn’t forgive ourselves if we’d stood by and did nothing while a stranger ripped her off.”

Olivia didn’t know what to say. Will had read so much more into this relationship than she had. He was correct about one thing, though; she’d been preoccupied with her own life.

“What should I do?” she asked.

“Look into his background,” Will answered promptly.

“But…” Olivia’s mind whirled. “Mom would find out if I started making inquiries about Ben and she’d be furious.”

“Then hire someone.”

Going behind her mother’s back went against her sense of rightness and propriety. “I’d feel better if we discussed this whole thing with Mom first.”

“No way.” Her brother was adamant. “She’d accuse us of interfering in her life.”

“Aren’t we?” Olivia didn’t think they should dismiss the obvious.

“Yes, but it’s for her own good. Don’t do it yourself. This investigation should be handled by a professional.”

Olivia was of two minds on the matter. Instinct told her she could trust Ben, but at the same time her brother was right. They knew next to nothing about this man who’d become so important to their mother.

“Do you know a private investigator?” Will asked.

“I do. Roy McAfee is a retired Seattle detective. He’s good.”

“Hire him and don’t put it off, Olivia. This could be important.”

She sighed unhappily. “All right. I’ll talk to Roy.”

“Good.” Her brother sounded as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “So how’s everyone in good ol’ Cedar Cove these days?” he asked, the change in his mood immediate.

“Just fine.”

“How’s Grace?”

Funny he should ask about her friend. “She’s fine, too.”

“Do you still get together every week?”

“Wednesdays for aerobics class, but that’s about it. I don’t see her as much as I’d like.”

“How come?”

Again Olivia wondered at his sudden interest in Grace. “She’s pretty involved with the Dog and Bachelor Auction, which is happening next month. Why all the questions?”

“No reason. It’s just that I know you’re such good friends.”

Funny he didn’t ask about Justine and Seth or James and Selina. She would’ve savored the opportunity to brag about her grandchildren.

“We e-mailed each other for a while,” Will confessed.

Grace had never mentioned that to Olivia. “Really?”

“It was no big deal-we’re just friends.”

The conversation stopped and started after that, with a few more questions about Grace, until finally he ended it. Olivia returned to her dinner plans. Not until she was putting the finishing touches on the grilled Pacific salmon, wild rice and steamed asparagus did it hit her. Her brother was obviously concerned about their mother’s relationship with Ben and perhaps rightly so; that remained to be seen. But he had another agenda. And it had to do with Grace.

He seemed awfully curious about her, Olivia mused. More than once he’d drawn the conversation back to her friend, asking her what Grace was up to and whether she was seeing anyone. If they’d been e-mailing each other, then wouldn’t he know how Grace was doing?

Just as she started to put a few ideas together-very tentatively-the back door opened and in walked Jack. “You’re looking thoughtful,” he observed, standing in the doorway off the kitchen.

“Jack!” Not hesitating, she flew into her husband’s arms and spread eager kisses across his face.

Jack locked his hands at the small of her back, smiling down on her. “A husband could get accustomed to this sort of reception.” He kissed her soundly in return.

Olivia rested her head against his shoulder and sighed, loving the comfort of Jack’s arms around her. “I just had the most…disconcerting conversation with my brother.”

“What about?”

Olivia told him but excluded the portion about Will’s repeated questions regarding Grace.

“Are you going to contact Roy?” Jack asked when she’d finished.

“I suppose I should. Will was concerned and although I think he’s overreacting, it can’t hurt to know for sure. I guess there’s always a chance that Ben’s a con man. The clever ones usually have the most convincing aliases. But the truth of it is, I hate the thought of Mom finding out what we’ve done.”

Jack didn’t say anything for a long moment. “You can trust Roy not to let any of this out,” he finally said.

“I realize that.”

Jack shrugged. “Personally, I don’t think having Ben investigated is all that necessary.”

“Me, neither,” she concurred, but she’d decided to do it-if only to reassure her brother.

After dinner Olivia and Jack cuddled in front of the television for a repeat episode of
Law & Order.
Olivia had seen this particular show earlier in the year, although Jack hadn’t. She didn’t object to watching a rerun, but she found herself returning to the conversation with her brother.

Will had talked about e-mailing Grace. Then there was all his interest in what she was doing, whom she was seeing. Although he hadn’t actually said anything, she’d sensed Will’s disapproval of Grace’s participation in the Dog and Bachelor Auction.

A few months ago, Grace had gotten involved in an Internet relationship with a married man. Her friend had been duped, lied to and strung along. Now, with a growing sense of horror, Olivia wondered if that man could have been her brother. Grace’s heart was broken after the end of her romance with Cliff Harding, and that was when she’d told Olivia about the other relationship, accepting the blame for her role in this fiasco. Grace had never revealed the name of the married man. At the time Olivia had assumed it didn’t matter, that she wouldn’t have known who it was, anyway.

Now she wondered. Could it possibly have been Will?

She tried to dismiss the thought. No, of course not! Her brother would never do anything so underhanded. And if he had, surely Grace would have told her. But if what Olivia suspected was true, it explained Will’s weak excuse about not being able to attend her wedding.