Previously Loved Treasures (Serendipity #2)(69)



~

Joe watched as Max went into the drugstore and came out carrying a small package. He stayed a full block behind when he trailed Max back to the Sweetwater house, and when Max parked in front of the house Joe circled the block. When he came around the second time, Joe parked the truck directly behind Max. He scrunched down in the seat and began watching the house. Luckily he had a bottle of Jack Daniels to keep him company.

~

When the clock chimed twelve, Max came to the dining room with his camera ready. He’d expected that everyone would be gathered for lunch, but no one was there. Not a single person. Doc was in the back yard snoozing behind a dental magazine, Wilbur and Louie were watching a ballgame, and Laricka could be heard threatening the two grandsons with punishment if they didn’t stop running through the house. Rose was nowhere in sight. Max wandered from room to room looking for her. She was usually in the kitchen fixing lunch at this time but not today. There was no tray of chicken or ham on the counter, no dishes set out, no chopped up vegetables. Even the salt and pepper shakers were stored away.

Max walked into the center hall and hollered up the stairs. “Hello?” His voice was loud but not angry. Actually for Max it was an almost friendly sound. “Anyone here?”

Caroline came from the top floor. “I’m upstairs working. What’s the problem?”

It would seem entirely too suspicious to flat-outt ask where Rose was, so Max settled for, “Where’s lunch?”

“Breakfast ran really late this morning, so we decided to skip lunch,” Caroline said. “I can fix you a sandwich if you want.”

Anxious as Max was to get the picture taken, he couldn’t run the risk of looking like he was up to something. “Oh, okay.” He wasn’t the least bit hungry but to decline the offer would mean questions.

He followed Caroline through the hall and into the kitchen. He sat at the counter, and as she scooped up some leftover chicken salad, he said, “Nice how you’ve got Rose here to do the cooking and all, huh?”

Caroline looked over and smiled. “Yes, it is nice.”

“She’s good for the place, gets along with everybody.” Without skipping a beat Max segued into asking where she came from and whether she was married.

Caroline moved past the question without answering. “Having Rose here has certainly made it a lot easier for me. I’ve gone back to writing.”

“Good.” Max nodded. “Good to do something you enjoy.” More flies with honey, he reminded himself.

“I’m really glad to hear you say that, Max. I’ve been worried that you were still angry with me because of the house.”

“Nah,” he said. “I’m over that. I figure if this is what Ida wanted, then it’s good with me.”

“I never thought of it as me or you owning the house,” Caroline answered. “We’re family, so I’d like to believe we own it together.”

A bitter swell rose in Max’s throat. “Yeah,” he said in a hollowed-out voice, “except your name is on the deed.” He picked up the sandwich Caroline had made and started toward the door. “I’ve got a few things to take care of. See you later.” The tone of his voice was glossed over, not to the point where it sounded chummy but enough to hide the anger churning inside.

Max headed back toward his room, but on the way he stopped in the bathroom and flushed the sandwich down the toilet. He didn’t want a hand-out sandwich; what he wanted was what should have been rightfully his anyway. He stood there and watched the last chunk of chicken swirl away; then he carried the plate back to the kitchen and plunked it down in the sink.

The afternoon seemed endless as Max waited for the dinner hour. He listened hoping to hear Rose in the kitchen, but there was no sound until almost five-thirty. When he walked into the kitchen, Caroline was preparing dinner.

“Where’s Rose?” he asked.

“Sara’s not feeling well,” Caroline answered. “Rose is taking care of her.”

“What about dinner?” The agitation in Max’s voice was now apparent.

“I’m afraid you’re stuck with me tonight.” Caroline laughed.

“Shit!” Max turned and walked out of the room.

“But I thought you said…”

~

Joe Mallory sat in the truck watching the house for six hours, but he saw very little. Two women came and went, but neither of them were Rowena. Inside the house he could see nothing until the lights were switched on shortly after sunset. At first it was only shadows moving about, but gradually they took shape and came into view. Using darkness as a cover, Joe stepped out of the truck and crept closer to the window. He could see into what was most likely the parlor.

The first person to arrive was a tall man with light hair. He carried a sheath of papers and settled in the high back chair. Next came a man in work clothes, rounder than Max but only a head taller. The two women were back, but still no Rowena and no Sara. He moved closer to the house and squatted behind the azalea bushes.

When Joe heard voices, he raised himself up and peered into the window. That’s when he thought he saw Rowena, not in the front parlor but walking through the back hall. She was little more than a shadow with brown hair, but he knew it was Rowena. She was unlike the others, taller, straighter, a youthful lean body. She stopped a moment and called out something; then the others rose and walked toward the sound of her voice. They disappeared into a room where he could no longer see.

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