Finally Home (Chapter Eight)

Finally Home

D. A. Ratliff

Chapter Eight

Lia stood amid the broken glass staring at the note in her hand. She heard Sadie’s voice, muffled, distant. Thoughts whirled through her mind—who, who could be doing this?

Sadie’s voice broke through the fog surrounding her. “Lia, I’m calling the police.”

She could only nod as Sadie rushed from the room. Lia felt the rough texture and the weight of the brick in her hand. There had to be a reason someone wanted her gone and was willing to go to any lengths to make that happen. A memory of when she was twelve years old flashed in her mind. She had entered an art contest and came in third. She was devastated, but her stepfather had given her advice, and his words echoed in her head. “Your competitors are several years older than you with more experience. As long as you do your best, there will be a day when you are the better painter. You must never give up.”

“I must never give up.”

Sadie was on the phone with 9-1-1 when she returned to the living room. “Child, she says to get away from the window in case whoever threw the brick is still here.” Sadie took her arm, and they walked into the entrance hall to wait for the police.

“Sadie, what’s going on here? Who would do this?”

“I wish I knew.”

“I have to believe that Magdalene and the family would come for the estate by legal means. I don’t see any of them capable of doing this kind of violence.” The faint sound of sirens reached them. “Sadie, did Josephine have any enemies that you know about?”

“No, I can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt her or have reason to hurt you.”

The sirens silenced, and shortly, three squad cars pulled up in front of the house. Officers from two units began searching outside as one came to the door. “Ma’am, what happened here?”

Lia and Sadie recounted the incident as the officer took notes. His phone rang, interrupting them, and he relayed a message when it ended. “Ms. Sinclair, we have an alert on your address that tags Detective Irving regarding patrol calls to this location. That was the detective. He wanted me to tell you that he is on his way and has also ordered forensics.”

“Thank you. We’ll be in the kitchen if you don’t need us. Please ask Detective Irving to join us there.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be outside, checking the perimeter.”

Sadie headed straight for the coffee pot. “We need coffee.”

“That sounds good.” Lia was about to sit on a barstool. “Have you seen Rhett?”

“No, he was sleeping on the chair beside the fireplace when the window smashed.”

Lia walked over to the chair, concerned about the cat. “I don’t want him jumping out of that window. Need to find him and put him in a room.”

“I’ll fix the coffee, then help you look.”

By the time Irving arrived, Sadie had discovered Rhett hiding behind a shower curtain in an upstairs bathroom. Lia put him in her room, where he had water and litter, and they were coming downstairs when Irving arrived.

“Detective, would you like some coffee?”

“I would but walk me through what happened first.”

When done, Irving excused himself to talk to the officers, joining them in the kitchen a few minutes later. He sat on a barstool next to Lia and took a sip of coffee before he spoke.

“The officers have canvassed the area. No one saw anything except for a neighbor two houses up the street. She saw a man on a bike, riding by roughly about the time the brick came through the window. She only caught him from the back and said he looked average. We have no idea if that was the person who threw the brick. We’re taking a description from her, but not sure how much good it will do.” He drank more coffee. “The house across the street has a doorbell camera, so trying to get hold of the owner right now.”

“Not much to go on, Detective.”

“No. You don’t have security cameras or a doorbell camera, do you?”

Sadie spoke up. “Miss Josephine hated all that security business. Thought people should trust their neighbors. Took forever to get her to install an alarm.”

Irving chuckled. “Might have worked that way years ago, but no longer. Ms. Sinclair, any further thoughts about who these people might be? Someone ran you off the road yesterday and threw a brick through the window today. They’re trying to get your attention, and they’re getting mine.”

“I’ve tried to think who could be behind this, but I don’t have a clue.” Lia rubbed her forehead. “I don’t think Josephine’s family would do this. I don’t.”

“What about you, Ms. Pickett? Do you have any idea who would be behind this?”

“Detective Irving, I don’t know. If it’s not Magdalene or one of them—I don’t know.”

The detective stood. “I can’t justify surveillance on the house, but I can set it up to have a cruiser drive by often. I’ll try to have one park outside the house while waiting for calls. We’ll do what we can. Be sure to leave all outside lights on so that the officers have good visibility of the house. Interior light or two wouldn’t be bad either.”

They walked him to the front door. Irving added before he left. “I know you have an alarm system, but you might consider installing security cameras.”

Lia nodded. “I agree. We’ll look into that immediately.”

~~~

Danny returned from his last class of the day shortly after the police left and insisted he’d clean up the shattered glass. He also measured the window, and Lia called a window contractor who promised to arrive by three to install a new pane of glass. Her next call was to the property insurance agent, who said he would send an adjuster right out to assess the damage before repairs.

As she ended the call with the insurance company, she noticed Sadie digging through a drawer in the kitchen desk. “Looking for something?”

“Miss Josie had a security company give her an estimate on putting in cameras because Jasper tried to convince her she needed the extra protection. She didn’t think she did.” She handed Lia a folder. “I kept the estimate if she changed her mind.”

“You’re a jewel. This saves so much time.”

“And this is the company Jasper recommended.”

“Good, I’ll call them right now.”

~~~

The window installers arrived on time, and Lia watched with fascination as they slipped the massive piece of glass in place and glazed it. She was looking out the newly installed window when a car pulled up. Cade.

He took the steps two at a time and entered the house. Spotting Lia, he stood in the living room doorway, hands-on-hips. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Cade, I called the police. They were here in seconds, and Irving came as well. We have the window fixed, and a security company will be here tomorrow to install an upgraded security system.” She stopped, but he continued to glare at her.

“You should have called me.”

“You told me you were going to be busy and unable to talk all day. I was planning to call you tonight. How did you find out?”

“When the depo was over, I checked my messages. Irving left one about finding the car that hit us. I called him, and he told me about the brick.”

He walked to her and pulled her into his arms. “You call me if anything happens. I don’t care what I’m doing.”

Lia rested her head on his shoulder. “I will, I promise.”

“You better.”

“Time for coffee?”

He smiled. “I do.”

In the kitchen, Sadie poured Cade a cup of coffee and placed a plate of lemon bars on the counter. “I think we could use a little sweet treat.”

Cade grabbed on and ate it in two bites. “Sadie, my mom could learn a few lessons about baking from you.”

“Don’t be silly. Your mama is a great cook. Now the girls will be here soon to clean. I’m going upstairs to collect the laundry.”

After Sadie left, neither Lia nor Cade spoke for a moment. When they did, they spoke at once.

“Lia, listen….”

“I’m sorry, I should….”

Cade laughed. “You first.”

“I was going to say that I am sorry that I didn’t call your office and tell Leona what happened, but I was afraid she would interrupt you. I didn’t want to disturb you at work.”

“You are never a disturbance, and you should have let me know. I keep my phone on vibrate when I’m in a depo, so anytime you need me, call me.”

Lia sat quietly for a few seconds, Cade’s words echoing. Anytime you need me. That was the problem. She was beginning to need him too much, which frightened her.

“I will. Let’s hope that nothing like this happens again.”

“I’m hoping not.” Cade glanced at his phone. “Nearly five. I need to get back to the office. We have a meeting with our client tonight to go over some things. Opposing counsel is deposing him on Wednesday, and we have two more depos to take tomorrow.” He stood up. “I’ll call you tonight.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You call me if anything happens. Promise me.”

Lia felt his hands squeeze her shoulders, and the need for him to kiss her flooded her with warmth. “I promise.” She hoped he couldn’t tell she was trembling.

“Good. Gotta go.”

They walked to the front door. Before he stepped out the door, Cade leaned to kiss her on the cheek. “I need you safe, Amelia Sinclair.”

Lia stood at the front door long after he had gone, barely noticing Sadie behind her.

“Come on, child, let’s start dinner. Danny’s friends are staying the night to study for an exam. We got growing boys to feed.”

Lia chuckled. “Hope we bought enough food this morning.”

~~~

After dinner, Sadie sent the boys off to the ground floor to study with the promise of snacks later.

“Those are good boys.”

“They are.” Sadie was loading the dishwasher and paused. “There was a time when I was his age that Danny and Marcus would have never been friends with Will and Tate. That old thing called skin color, but now, might not be to everyone’s liking, but it warms my heart to see these boys not care. They are happy to be friends.”

“It’s a good thing. Let’s hope that eventually, no one will care.” Lia finished putting up leftovers and helped wipe down the kitchen counters.

“Sadie, if you aren’t too tired, could we go upstairs and look for the jewelry? I’m restless and need something to do.”

“I was just thinking that. I’m worried sick about what happened to that ring and necklace. If they are not in the bank box, they must be somewhere in this house.”

Two hours later, Sadie went downstairs to get coffee, leaving Lia sitting in the middle of the floor in Josephine’s bedroom, surrounded by drawers pulled from a dresser. She leaned against the bed and closed her eyes. They had already searched a chest and one other dresser, the mattress, and found nothing. It wasn’t that she wanted to find the jewelry for its value but Sadie’s insistence that the pieces were important to Josephine.

A tear slid down her cheek, and the sense of loss that swept through her was overwhelming. She hadn’t expected to become emotionally attached to someone she barely knew and would now never know. But she had grown to love the people who did know her grandmother and felt she knew Josephine through their eyes. She needed to honor the woman who instilled love and respect in others.

With only a small area of the bedroom left to search, a thought that she didn’t want to have had begun to gnaw at her gut. Did someone steal the jewelry? It was possible, but who could have done it? Who had access to the house? Should she talk to Cade or Irving? She decided she should speak with Cade first.

Sadie returned with coffee as Lia replaced a drawer. Sadie handed her a mug and then sat on the fainting couch. Lia laughed as she sat on the bed.

“That fainting couch, as you call it, suits you. You look like a lady of leisure.”

“This thing has been in your family for generations. Miss Josephine had it recovered a few years ago. Her grandmother had it covered in a gaudy red and blue striped silk. She hated it and ripped the fabric off herself before sending it to the upholstery shop. Said she was embarrassed for anyone to see it. Had it hidden in the attic forever, but when she redid this room, she wanted to use it.”

“Red and blue stripes do not sound like Josephine’s taste.”

“Not at all, child.”

“What all is in the attic?”

The distant look that crossed Sadie’s face disturbed Lia. She waited for Sadie to answer.

“After your father’s death and later your uncle’s, Josie had any reminders of her sons boxed and taken to the attic. She left some photos downstairs but few along with the photo albums, but she never looked at those.”

A cold shiver ran through Lia. “She ran from those memories.”

Sadie nodded. “That she did. It broke my heart to see her so hurt. Yet, to the world, she put on a brave front. She could be formidable if you tried to push back at her, but there was gold in her heart.”

“I would like to go through the things in the attic.”

“I thought you would. There is a key to the attic door in the kitchen. I’ll show you tomorrow.”

“Thanks. Let’s see if we can finish here.”

It was late when they got through the walk-in closet and put everything back. “Sadie, I love those hats. I didn’t know anyone could have so many.”

“Lawdy, when she decided to take the small room next to hers to enlarge the bathroom and add that closet, we teased her that she was only enlarging the closet for her hats.”

“Hats, scarves, and jewelry—she had style.” Lia turned out the light and closed the door behind them. The darkness they left mimicked the darkness Josephine left behind. Lia wished she could turn on that light again.

~~~

Dust had settled over the stacks of boxes and large trunks lining the walls of the spacious attic. Lia adjusted the mask that Sadie insisted she wore while vacuuming the dust accumulated over a few years. There were windows in the attic on each end of the house covered in shutters, and she opened the shutters to let in the early morning light.

After she finished sucking away as much dust as she could, Lia scanned the labels on the boxes as she walked around, stopping when one small box labeled Olivia and Jason caught her eye. Her hands shook as she picked the box up and headed downstairs.

Sadie took a tray of scones out of the oven and looked over her shoulder as Lia entered. “You all done?”

“I have dust all over me, but thankfully none in my nose. I got up the worse of it, enough for us to search through the boxes without sneezing our heads off.”

Sadie placed the scones on a plate, setting them on the counter beside Lia. “What do you have there?”

“A box with my name and Jason’s on it. Can you hand me a pair of scissors?”

Lia used the scissors Sadie retrieved from a drawer to cut through the packing tape on the box. Inside was a polished walnut box.

“Oh, Lia, I was with Miss Josie when she bought this box. We went to an art fair on the boardwalk about ten years ago, and there was a man from Walterboro who did such beautiful woodwork. Josie bought his one, and I bought a smaller one myself.”

“Let’s see what is inside.” Lia opened the box, and a flush of heat swept through her. The box contained photos of Jason and her at various ages through her graduation from college, a photo of her receiving her graduate degree, and Jason’s graduation from the Naval Academy. She had tried to preserve clippings from newspapers of her art shows, ballet recitals, Jason’s sports, and an article about his commission as a Lieutenant Commander by slipping them into protective plastic sleeves.

“Sadie, where did she get these photos?”

“Child, I don’t know. I know she missed you and regretted never meeting Jason, and it gnawed at her. With her sons gone, you and Jason were all she had, and you weren’t here.”

“Why didn’t she contact us? I know Mom would have loved to hear from her.”

“I have to think it was because she worshiped your grandfather and wouldn’t go against his wishes, as regretful as they were. When he was gone, she felt it was too late.”

“The photos are of our entire childhood into adulthood. Did she hire someone to watch us?”

“I don’t know for certain, and I never saw these photos, but from this, I suspect she did.”

“I wonder what else is up there. Too many surprises, maybe.”

“We have freshly baked cinnamon scones and fruit. Let’s eat, and then we will see what she stashed away.”

~~~

“Sadie, these dresses are amazing.” Lia held up a red silk dress with crinolines. “Love the off-shoulder neckline and the ties on the arms.”

“You would look lovely in that dress, and I believe it would fit you.”

“You think it would?”

“Yes, take it downstairs and try it on to see.”

“I will.” Lia folded the dress and placed it back in the box. A larger box sat underneath it, and when she opened it and unfolded the tissue paper, she gasped. She pulled an ivory sheath gown from the box—a wedding gown.

“Sadie, was this Miss Josie’s wedding dress?”

“Yes, it was. There’s a photo of her in the library downstairs in that gown, taken on her wedding day.”

Lia held the dress against her body. The sheer beaded top and the shimmering crepe charmeuse gown seemed to flow around her. “How beautiful.”

“I believe that gown would fit you as well.”

Lia said nothing as Cade’s face flashed in her eyes. She quickly placed the gown back into the large white box. She was, thankfully, distracted by Sadie.

“I found your dad’s boxes.”

Lia stepped over to the box Sadie found. “Let’s see what’s here.”

There were five boxes containing textbooks, awards, clothes, sports equipment, and toys. Lia picked up one trophy. “Best Pitcher Beaufort Bears Little League” She smiled. “I remember my mom telling Jason that Dad was a good baseball player. I am finding out Jason is more like our father than we realized.”

“Then he is a good man. Your father was kind and caring, and he tried to help Bradley, but no one could help him in the end.”

Lia moved the last box from atop another one. “Here’s a box marked Bradley.”

She opened it and found it contained items like in her father’s boxes. “Tells us nothing. Just that he was involved in sports when he was young and then nothing in his teen years.”

Sadie picked up a small box inside one of Bradley’s larger boxes. “No label on this one.”

Lia used the utility knife to cut the tape and found three men’s watches, cufflinks, a money clip, and several letters without envelopes. She unfolded one of the letters and read the first few lines.

“Sadie, listen to this.” She began to read aloud.

“Susi,

I have told you that I don’t believe your story. Bradley was not in Beaufort during the time your child was born. He was in New Orleans, gambling and drunk most of the time. If you persist in attempting to blackmail me, I will go to the authorities.”

“Do you know anything about this?”

“I heard rumors that Bradley fathered a child, but it was never confirmed, and to my knowledge, Miss Josie never acknowledged any child.”

“This Susi apparently sent this letter back to Josie. You are lying. You know he’s the father is written across the bottom of this letter.”

Lia picked up the other letters and looked through them. “These other letters accuse Bradley of being her child’s father but no other name than Susi. It appears the child was a girl.”

“As I told you, I only heard rumors, and the one time I asked my mother about it, she scolded me about being nosy and staying out of other folks’ business.”

“That photo of the infant we found in the safe deposit box. Could that be the infant this Susi is talking about?”

Sadie shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

“Anyone that you can think of besides Jasper that might know anything?”

“The only person I can think of is Miss Ginny, Virginia Reynolds. She was Miss Josie’s best friend since childhood.”

“Jasper said she was out of town.”

“I heard from Lynn Marie yesterday that she was back.”

“Good, I need to go see her.”

~~~

Virginia Reynolds expressed delight when Lia called and asked if she could visit. They arranged to meet for tea that afternoon at the Reynolds’ house. Only three blocks from Josie’s house, Virginia Reynolds’s home was larger than Josephine’s and located on the water.

The curved wrought iron gate was open as Virginia said it would be, and she drove inside, parking next to the house. A woman wearing a maid’s outfit answered the door and showed her into a sunroom overlooking the water. She stood at an open window, gazing at the calm water when Virginia Reynolds entered. Lia stifled a laugh as her grandmother’s friend with her bright red hair and colorful pants, and top seemed like the perfect friend for Josephine.

“My darling Olivia, how I hoped to meet you someday.” Virginia hugged her tightly and motioned her to sit on a colorful settee. “Wanda will bring tea in a moment.”

“It is good to meet you, too, Ms. Reynolds. I have been learning about my grandmother through the people who knew her and who better than you. Jasper told me you were her closest friend.”

“Call me Ginny or Miss Ginny, as everyone seems to call me.” She swept a manicured hand in the air and laughed. “I admit to liking the Miss part. Makes me feel young again.”

Wanda entered with a tray holding a pitcher of tea, glasses, and a plate of small cookies dusted with confectioners’ sugar. She placed the tray on the low table in front of the settee and left.

“Tea is cold and sweet around here, so I hope you approve.” Virginia poured the tea and sat back in her chair.

Lia took a sip and smiled. “I detect a hint of peach, and it is delicious, Miss Ginny.”

“Good. The first thing I want to say to you is that when Josie told me she was going to leave her estate to you, I was thrilled. Those nieces of hers are greedy little strumpets, as far as I am concerned. So, she had the good wisdom to leave them out. Have you met them yet?”

“Yes, Magdalene paid me a visit soon after I arrived to let me know how distraught they were that Aunt Josephine didn’t leave her the house and the money to all of them.”

“Not surprised. They and their mother, Penelope, were always gold diggers, trying to get money from Josephine and Franklin. You should know your grandfather despised them.”

“From what I can tell, they did little to ingratiate themselves with anyone. Shortly after I received a message warning me to leave town, Magdalene invited me to dinner with her family.”

“I dare say that was an experience. But someone warned you to leave town? Tell me about this warning. What in heaven’s name did they say to you?”

Lia filled Ginny in about the treats and the brick thrown through the window. When she finished, Ginny shook her head, a look of disgust on her face. “I am glad the police put a bit of fear into Magdalene, does my heart good. And I am glad that Jasper and his son are taking care of you.” Ginny smiled, adding, “So glad that Cade came home. That woman he married was not right for him, and your grandmother agreed.”

“You met his ex-wife?”

Miss Ginny’s eyebrow raised a bit as she continued, “I did. Josie and I were friends with Cade’s grandmother, and once when I was in Chicago to see friends, I asked them to join us for dinner. She was the most annoying woman who only wanted to talk about herself. Cade was obviously distressed. Not long after, he returned to Beaufort.”

Lia was secretly pleased but tried not to give her thoughts away. “There is one thing I would like to talk to you about. A couple of pieces of jewelry are missing, and Sadie remains convinced Miss Josie would have kept them at the house.”

“What pieces?”

“An emerald ring and a pearl and diamond necklace. We’ve looked for them everywhere, even the safety deposit box, and no sign of them.”

“Oh no, she kept those pieces at the house, would never put them in the bank box. They were too important to her, and she kept them close. You can’t find them?”

“No, Sadie and I have searched Josephine’s room twice. We pulled the drawers out the last time, looked underneath, and searched the mattress. Nothing. Do you know where she kept them?”

“Yes, in a small porcelain box on the dresser.”

“The oblong box with a gold fleur de lis?”

“Yes. I begged her to put them somewhere safe, but she said not to worry. They were safe.”

“We looked. They aren’t in the box.”

“If those pieces of jewelry are gone, someone stole them.”

“I’m going to tell Jasper and Cade and then report it to the police.” Lia paused. “There is one other thing I would like to ask you.”

“Anything, my dear.”

“When we were at the bank, we found an envelope with the photo of an infant inside. There was no name or any other information on it. I left the photo and other documents from the safety deposit box that I wanted Jasper to review at his office. I was hoping he would know who the infant was. Sadie didn’t know. Then we found a note she wrote to someone named Susi claiming Bradley couldn’t be the father, that he wasn’t in Beaufort then. Do you know anything about this?”

Ginny dropped her eyes for a second, then looked at Lia. “I know what the rumors were. I don’t know anything about a photo, but Josie told me that someone was trying to blackmail her—claiming that Bradley fathered her child.” She rubbed her chin. “Josie said it was impossible. Bradley had been in New Orleans for fourteen months before returning to Beaufort.”

“Do you think he could have returned without her knowing?”

“Yes, Bradley would have come back to hit up his marks. He was quite a whiz at poker. Rumor had it that he won a lot of money gambling at some club on Lady’s Island.”

“You think it’s possible Bradley had a child.”

“Possible, yes, probable, I have no idea. If there is a child or someone who thinks there is a child, that may be the reason for the threats.”

“One other question, I found a box with my name and my brothers on it, full of photos and clippings about recitals and sports. Did she spy on us?”

Ginny hesitated. “You must understand, she loved you both, but Franklin was too obstinate to give in. She hired a private investigator to keep her informed of how you and your brother were doing, take photos occasionally and well, attend your graduations, and the like. She didn’t want to intrude, but she was desperate for any word of how you were doing. She never meant to be intrusive.”

“It seems very strange.”

“Lia, she loved you, and there was no intent to intrude on your privacy. What worries me is that someone does want to intrude on your life. I shudder to think if Bradley does have a child. She could be the reason you are getting these threats.”

“I am beginning to think so. I have taken too much of your time, but I hope we can talk again.”

“We certainly will. I have so much to tell you about your grandmother.”

Lia drove home, her mind reeling. She had to learn more about the possibility of another grandchild and if they were behind the threats. Her phone rang as she pulled into the driveway and displayed a local number.

The voice, masked and electronic, said, “We want what is ours. You know what it is.”

She dropped her forehead onto the steering wheel. This had to end.

~~~~~~~~~~

Coming up in Chapter Nine: As the threats escalate, Lia is determined to find out the truth, but she finds herself in more danger.

____________________

Finally Home is a mystery romance novel being serialized on Vocal.media.

Link to Chapter One: https://shopping-feedback.today/fiction/finally-home-j41pad0zyc%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}