Elvis looked back over his shoulder, meowed and bobbed his head as though in agreement about his affection for his tower.
“I’m glad you like it, Elvis,” Mr. P. said.
I opened the back driver’s-side door and the cat jumped onto the backseat. Rose climbed in beside him. Mr. P. took the front passenger seat.
“We don’t have to pick up Avery,” Rose said as she fastened her seatbelt. “She’s gone to a very early movie, part of that film festival the library is putting on.” She smiled. “I’m glad she’s making some friends her own age.”
“Me, too,” I said.
“What’s the plan for the day?” I asked once we were headed for Windspeare Point.
“I’m going to do a little more digging into Mr. Cameron’s background. His work history so far seems to be very spotty,” Mr. P. said.
“Charlotte is going to an aquacize class at the gym and Liz is having a massage,” Rose added from the backseat.
We were at a stop sign so I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “And what are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m going to charm tourists into spending a lot of money,” she said with a completely straight face.
“I have no doubt about that,” I said.
“I didn’t tell you—it turns out that Maddie Hamilton lives two houses away from Chloe Sanders’ parents. Charlotte is going to talk to her, too.”
I had a soft spot for Maddie. She was the reason I had my father’s guitar. She’d found it at an estate sale, had it restrung and given it to me on my fifteenth birthday.
Rose had called Ashley Clark, and she and Casey were waiting on the front step of their little cottage. Rose fished one of the dog biscuits she and Avery had made out of the paper bag. The dog sniffed it and then took it from Rose’s hand. The look he gave her was pure adoration.
When we got back in the SUV, Elvis had positioned himself on the far side of the backseat. He was looking out the passenger window at the street, ignoring the rest of us. It was pretty clear he was sulking.
Rose took another small bag from one of her totes and set it on the seat. I caught the distinctive smell of sardines. So did the cat. He turned to look at Rose, whiskers twitching. “Did you think I forgot about you?” she asked.
He walked across the seat and poked the bag with a paw.
“Is it all right if I give him one?” Rose asked.
“Yes, go ahead,” I said.
She took out a star-shaped cracker and set it on the seat. The smell of sardines grew stronger. Elvis sniffed the treat and must have liked what he smelled because his green eyes all but closed in bliss. I made a note to use my own nose next time I was offered a plate of Rose’s star-shaped cookies.
When we got to the shop, Avery was set up on an old table outside, painting picture frames. Mac was inside.
“I talked to a couple of people about Helmark Associates,” he said.
I could tell from the expression on his face that he hadn’t come up with anything useful. “No luck?” I said.
He shook his head. “Helmark was formed when People Plus and JobCore merged about a year and a half ago. That’s when Jeff Cameron started working there, along with quite a few other people. JobCore offered a buyout, which a lot of their staff took advantage of. People Plus did the same kind of thing with an early retirement package. The new company hired a lot of people in a short time.”
I made a face. “It was worth a shot. Thanks.”
“I did learn one thing,” Mac said, “although I’m not sure how it will help. Jeff Cameron had only been at his previous job about a year. Before that he had a gap in his résumé, which he explained by saying he was traveling around Europe working at different jobs for a few weeks or a few months. Apparently he didn’t have any references or contact information from any of them. Helmark was short staffed and that really didn’t make a difference to them.”
I frowned. I wasn’t sure how the information would help, either. “It’s something for Mr. P. to look into,” I said. I smiled. “Thanks for trying.”
“Anytime,” he said. He gestured at a large cardboard box on the cash counter. “How do you feel about accordions?”
“They worked for Lawrence Welk and Weird Al Yankovic,” I said. “Why?”
“I helped Glenn move a sofa for his uncle last night. The old man offered me a couple of accordions that Glenn said have been in the house since Adam was a cowboy. Now I’m starting to think I should have taken the bottle of homemade beer instead.”
I made a face. “Accordions are tricky. There’s not a very big resale market and there’s a lot of junk out there.”
“I knew I should have gone with the beer,” Mac said. He smiled, which told me he really didn’t mean it.
I set my things down on the cash desk. “Hang on a minute,” I said. “Let me take a look. The big thing with old accordions is whether they can still be played.”
I pulled the smaller of the two instruments out of the box. It was made of red plastic and I knew at once it was a child’s toy. “You might get a dollar for this at a yard sale,” I said.
Avery was just coming through the shop, probably headed for the second-floor staff room to see what Rose had brought to eat in her overstuffed tote bags. “Can I have it?” she asked. She fished three quarters out of the pocket of her jeans and held them out to Mac. “I don’t have a dollar.”
“You can have it,” he said. “But you don’t have to pay me.”
Avery took the accordion from me and held the quarters out to Mac. “Nonna will have a cow if she thinks I’m taking advantage.”
“All right, then,” Mac said taking the money from her hand.
Avery beamed with happiness, clutched the plastic accordion to her chest and took the stairs two at a time.
Mac walked over to me.
“What is she going to do with that?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” he said.
“I like that she isn’t worrying so much about what other people think.”
“You can thank Rose for that,” Mac said. “And you deserve some credit, too.” He gave me a nudge with his elbow.
“You know, I’m glad it’s worked out, Avery moving here with Liz.” I looked up at the ceiling, half expecting to hear the sound of the toy instrument coming through from upstairs.
“Liz is going to have a cow when Avery takes that thing home, you know.”
I held up both hands. “Don’t look at me. You’re the one who sold it to her.”
Mac shook his head and laughed. Then he gestured at the box. “What are we going to do with that one?”
“Hang on a second,” I said. “At least let me take a look.” I lifted the second accordion out of the box. It was black, a bit larger than the one Avery had just disappeared upstairs with. I slipped my hands through the straps and squeezed. It was still playable, and to my uneducated ear the sound was fine.
I turned the instrument around to check the name, although I had a feeling what I was going to see. HOHNER STUDENT IVM it said on the front of the accordion. “We should be able to get a few dollars for this one,” I said.
“Well, that’s good,” Mac said. “How much are you thinking?”
I shrugged. “Four, maybe five . . . hundred dollars.”
His mouth actually fell open a little. “You’re not serious?”
“Yes, I am,” I said, grinning at him. “I know about this much about accordions.” I held up my thumb and index finger about half an inch apart. “But I know that Hohner is a quality instrument and this particular accordion is in very good shape. I’ll see what Sam thinks, but this is better than a growler of Clayton McNamara’s beer.”
Rose came downstairs then, carrying two mugs of coffee. She handed one to me and the other to Mac. “There’s rhubarb cinnamon coffee cake in the staff room,” she said. Then she smiled up at Mac. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said slowly, frowning in confusion.
She patted his arm. “Liz is going to kill you when she finds out you sold that accordion to Avery,” she said. She turned to me. “I’m just going to put out those quilts you washed,” she said. “We should get two bus tours today.”