Previously Loved Treasures (Serendipity #2)(62)

Peter chuckled. “You’re writing again, aren’t you?”

Caroline nodded. “It’s the best work I’ve ever done. It’s the desk. It has some sort of magic, doesn’t it?”

Peter laughed again. “The magic is in you. Oh, it’s a good desk, a strong desk, one that will be with you for years to come. But it’s simply a touchstone that enables you to believe in yourself.”

Caroline rolled her eyes and gave him a look of doubt. “Mister Pennington, you’ve got more secrets than heaven itself.”

Peter stood behind the window and watched Caroline’s car pull away. Not more, he thought, but almost as many.

~

That afternoon Caroline gave Wilbur the watch.

“Thank you,” he said with an expression of puzzlement. “It’s a bit heavy for my taste, but I surely appreciate the thought.”

“Don’t just put it in the drawer,” she warned. “You’ve got to wear it.”

“I will,” Wilbur nodded. “I can use it for when I’m gardening—”

“No, you’ve got to wear it all the time.”

“All the time?”

“Yes. Don’t take it off! Not for sleeping, showering, anything!”

“Well,” Wilbur said, “if it means that much to you…” He pulled the watch onto his arm and snapped the band shut.

“Promise me that you’ll never take it off. Not for any reason.”

Wilbur felt the urgency in her voice and nodded. “I promise.” That the request seemed illogical was of no consequence. It was important to Caroline, and for that reason alone he would do it.

That afternoon Wilbur began checking the time on the clunky wristwatch just as he had done with his grandfather’s pocket watch. At first it seemed an unnatural movement, something he had to stop and think about before doing, but within a day the newness vanished and he stopped fingering the pocket that for so many years had been the resting place of time.





Money in Mackinaw





For two weeks Max continued his nightly raids, and the more bounty he accumulated the better he felt. Every new trinket or piece of silver he carried to his room gave him greater confidence and power. When he held a watch or serving spoon in his hands, he could feel a surge of strength move through his body. In time he would become invincible; then he would shake loose Caroline and her band of misfits. He would find a way to get what should have been rightfully his.

A triumphant gleam settled in his eyes, and a smile curled his lips.

Laricka was the first to notice. “Ah,” she said eyeing Max across the dinner table. “Look at you. At last, a smile on your face.” Laricka attributed it to the fact that Max had given up his late-night carousing, and he was content to let her stay with that impression.

On the fourteenth day, the excitement of what he’d done became too great for Max to contain. He decided it was time to reap the rewards of his work. Late in the afternoon when Caroline and Rose were busy in the kitchen, Laricka with her grandsons, and Doctor Payne engrossed in the latest dental magazine, Max slipped out of his room with a large bundle tucked under his arm and left the house. This time he would not make the foolish mistake of taking things to Harrison where they could eventually find their way home, nor would he go back to Blue Neck to be cheated by the insufferable Buddha. On this day he’d allowed plenty of time to drive to Mackinaw. It was far enough away for lost things to stay lost, and, given the transient nature of the town, few if any questions would be asked.

Max slid behind the wheel and laid the bundle on the seat beside him, so close that it rested against his right thigh. The touch of the bundle was cool and hot at the same time. It had an energy of its own; it gave life and strength. Holding each object and recalling the moment he plucked it from its nesting place gave Max indescribable pleasure, and for that reason he hated to part with the treasures. But the collection was worth something, enough perhaps for him to spend a full week with Maggie Sue. It was the kind of money he couldn’t afford to ignore.

It was early dusk when Max arrived in Mackinaw. He needed gas for the car and directions. A pawnshop was almost never on the main drag. Places like that were down a darkened side street or tucked in the far end of an alley where people could come and go with anonymity. People who pawned things seldom came back for them, so there was no need for the shop to be located where it was easy to find. Max imagined Ida’s silver serving spoons turning yellow as they waited to be reclaimed, and he laughed aloud.

A short distance from the highway Max spotted a neon sign that blinked “Abe’s Gas–Open 24 Hours.” He pulled in next to the self-service pump, got out, and unscrewed the gas tank cap. He lifted the hose from the pump and stuck the nozzle in the gas tank, but when he pressed the handle nothing happened. Max banged on the side of the pump and shouted, “What the hell—”

The skinny attendant standing in the doorway called out, “If you ain’t using a credit card, you gotta pay first.”

“You’re shittin’ me!” Max said.

“Nope.”

“Stupid way of doing business,” Max grumbled. “In Rose Hill, Harvey lets you pump the gas then come inside and pay what you owe.”

“This ain’t Rose Hill, and I ain’t Harvey.”