“Oh, my dear.”
Veronica’s heart sank. “What’s wrong, what’s happened?”
“She’s refusing to eat. They’ve tried all her favorite foods, I even brought over a trifle, but she simply won’t do it.”
Poor Polly. She must be miserable to not eat even one bite of trifle. Who knew what was going on in that place? Tears pricked Veronica’s eyes. “She has to come home, Mum.”
“You know I can’t do that. The nursing staff says that it’s typical, that she just needs more time to settle in. She’ll be fine in no time.”
The cheery offhandedness in her mother’s delivery only increased Veronica’s anxiety. Her mum was desperate to believe what the staff said was true; she wanted so badly for both of her daughters to be happy.
“I’ll be on the next flight out.”
“Don’t rush anything. I’ll keep an eye on her, I promise.”
After Veronica hung up, she called the airline, but flights were backed up after the storm and she wasn’t able to get a seat until tomorrow afternoon. She switched her reservation and headed back to Miss Helen’s office. The past night felt like a dream, one that had dissipated in the morning light, and now the real world was pressing in on Veronica on all sides. For a brief moment, she considered collecting her suitcases and disappearing into the snow-covered city with her proverbial tail between her legs, but she couldn’t do that to Joshua. Not after the three days they’d spent together.
“I can’t remember his name for the life of me,” Miss Helen was saying to Joshua when Veronica returned. “How angry Papsie would be. He loved the man.”
“Who’s that?” Veronica asked.
“The organist who used to play for us at dinner.”
Joshua explained. “We can’t find a Lillian Carter in Pine Knolls, and Miss Helen said the family believed she ran off with the organist who used to play here.”
“He left our employ right as Miss Lilly went on the lam, and we always wondered if there was a link,” said Miss Helen. “But then the family started fighting amongst ourselves, over inheritances and the like, and it never came up again. But I simply can’t remember his name.”
The answer came to Veronica out of the blue. “Archer Graham,” she said. In her head, she could see it clearly on the page, written in fountain pen.
“What?” said Joshua.
“Archer Graham,” she repeated. “I’m pretty sure that’s who it was.”
“Brilliant!” Miss Helen snapped her fingers. “That’s it. You’re right.”
“How do you know that?” Joshua asked Veronica, dumbfounded.
“He wrote a letter to Mr. Frick, confirming that he’d be playing for him for another season. It was one of the documents downstairs.”
“Well done, girly,” said Miss Helen. “You remind me of Miss Lilly. The woman had an uncanny ability to remember details like that, to know exactly where items were that I’d lost. Too bad she was a brazen hussy of a woman.” She shook a bony finger at Joshua. “Yes, Archer Graham. That was it. Call again and ask for that name.”
Joshua dialed the operator. “I’m looking for a phone number and address for an Archer Graham in Pine Knolls, please.”
There was a pause. He scribbled wildly on a notepad, then hung up the phone. “We’ve found him.”
“So they did run off together,” said Miss Helen. “My hunch was right, yet again.”
“Do you want to call her?” Joshua turned the notepad so it was facing Miss Helen.
She shook her head. “No. That’s not the way to do it. I want to see that woman’s face when I question her. How far away is Pine Knolls?”
Joshua studied the map. “About two hours.”
“My car is outside,” said Miss Helen. “The roads are probably being cleared by now.” She looked at each of them, her usual glare of disdain replaced by a waggish gleam. “Do you want to join me? It’s always nice to have company on a jaunt into the countryside.”
“I’m guessing my classes are canceled today,” said Joshua. “I’d love to. Veronica, are you in?”
The question wasn’t delivered warmly.
The alternative to joining them was to spend the time waiting in what was probably an already-crowded airport. This would keep Veronica’s mind off of Polly’s plight, and give her the chance to apologize to Joshua for her selfish decision to steal the diamond. Also, she had to admit, she found herself eager to find out more, to meet the supermodel of the 1910s.
“Yes. I’m in.”
Veronica sat in the back of Miss Helen’s Lincoln Continental trying to focus on the horizon, which her father had always said helped prevent motion sickness. Maybe on the open seas, but it sure didn’t work on the winding roads north of the city. First of all, there was no horizon, only tree after tree whizzing by the window at a dizzying rate. Secondly, Miss Helen didn’t bother to obey the speed limit or proper driving etiquette. She tended to come up fast behind some unsuspecting driver, then stamp the brake repeatedly, coming perilously close to the back bumper of the car ahead of them. Joshua reached for the dashboard a few of times to brace himself, but after the fourth time, Miss Helen gave him a dirty look and uttered something under her breath about “lily-livers” and he’d been sitting on his hands ever since.
The temperature had risen above freezing, turning last night’s snow piles shiny and wet. Water sluiced from underneath the drifts that lined either side of the roads, and Veronica thanked her stars it wasn’t icy. Otherwise they’d certainly end up in a ditch before making it to Pine Knolls. The only thing that kept Veronica’s heart rate from skyrocketing was the fact that she was utterly exhausted. She hadn’t gotten much sleep the past two nights, as the rattling of the windows had kept her from sleeping soundly. A foggy fatigue weighed down her every thought.
Other than seeing Polly, she didn’t have much of a reason to return home, and the thought of what was ahead depressed her terribly. Explaining to her mother that she was all washed up. Dealing with Sabrina’s wrath and disappointment at her misbehavior. Going back to work for Uncle Donny.
A couple of hours later, they reached the main street of Pine Knolls, where the storefronts looked tired and shabby against the white gleam of new snow. They crossed over a set of railroad tracks and, with Joshua’s assistance on the map—Veronica didn’t envy him that task one bit; at one point he’d turned quite green—they eventually pulled up to a small farmhouse with gray shutters, set off from the road by a rock wall. An enormous oak soared over the front yard, the branches like splayed fingers.
Miss Helen pulled into the driveway and jammed the gear into park. For the drive, she’d put on a ridiculous hat with a wide brim and a ribbon, as well as leather driving gloves, as if she were handling a horse-drawn carriage, not a modern car. The woman was not of this time.
“Shall we go in?” asked Joshua.
“Maybe it’s not the right house.” Miss Helen had only peeled off one glove, like she was having second thoughts at the entire venture.
“I’m pretty sure it is,” answered Joshua.
Veronica tried to allay her fears, lower her expectations. “She may no longer live here, or might have passed away,” she offered.
“Dead? No. That woman had nerves of steel. She’ll definitely outlive me.” The second glove came off with a flourish. “Time to give her a piece of my mind. How dare she run away like she did!”
A narrow path to the front door had been cleared, and Joshua let Miss Helen go first. Veronica moved to follow, but Joshua did so at the same time, and they bumped into each other.
“Sorry,” she said. “Go ahead.”
“No. You go.”
Miss Helen by now had reached the porch. “Come on, you two.”
Veronica touched the arm of his coat and spoke softly. “I’m sorry, Joshua, about the diamond.”
“So you did take it,” he whispered.
“I did, and I’m sorry about that. I’d like to explain.”