A String of Beads (Jane Whitefield, #8)(106)

“It all sounds very logical,” said Jimmy. “Are they logical?”

“It’s another dog and rabbit story,” said Jane. “They’re dogs, and we’re rabbits. The dog chases the rabbit for fun. The rabbit runs just for the chance to be a rabbit again tomorrow. The rabbit almost always wins.”

“Almost always.”

“It’s the best we can do.” She went back to scrolling down through the articles posted on the Western New York websites.

The next day was Saturday. When Jane returned from her early morning run, showered, and dressed, she picked up the laptop and looked at a map of New Hampshire. She had never been on Route 4, but she could see it intersected with Interstate 89, the major roadway that she’d driven to get here.

After breakfast she said, “I’m going out for a while.”

“Anywhere interesting?” asked Mattie.

“I’m just going to explore the area a little.”

“I can show you some of it,” Mattie said.

Jane glanced in her direction, and in the corner of her eye she saw Chelsea look up at Jimmy, and Jimmy meet her gaze. “Okay. Glad to have you.”

Jane waited while Mattie went to her room and returned with her purse. “Bye, you two.”

Jimmy and Chelsea said bye in chorus, as though they had practiced.

Jane and Mattie went out to the sidewalk, and Mattie sighed. “I’m so glad to get out of there for a while. Those two are so eager to be alone I can’t stand it.”

Jane glanced at her. “Besides being in the middle, are you okay with that?”

“It doesn’t matter if I am or not. They’re adults, and the universe works the way it works. I don’t get a vote.”

“Do you like Chelsea?”

“I think she’s nice,” Mattie said. “I like having her around. She’s cheerful and helps with the chores, and she seems to be keeping Jimmy from getting too claustrophobic.”

“Do you like her as a daughter-in-law?”

Mattie’s head swiveled to look at Jane. “That’s a little sudden. Especially sudden when you’re talking about a girl who’s been hurt so much. I’d like to get to know her better before that. Forget me. I’d like time for Jimmy to get to know her first. But I like everything I’ve seen so far.”

“It wouldn’t bother you that she’s not Onondawaga?”

“She certainly isn’t.” Mattie walked along for a few steps. “I guess my thoughts on that subject have changed over the years. Your mother was as white and blond as Chelsea. But then I saw you come along, and watched you grow up. Is there anybody who’s more Seneca than you are? You look like my great-grandmother. And you think like my great-grandfather.”

“Thank you.”

Mattie laughed. “It wasn’t meant as a compliment. But the fact that you think it is proves what I said.”

“So you think she’s helping Jimmy get through this?”

“So far. Jimmy’s lonely. He’s dated plenty of girls, but the relationships went only so long. He’s never married, and it seems to me that at his age he’s running out of chances. If it turns out he was just waiting for this one to come along, I’ll be delighted. If not, she’s still a nice person, and he could do worse than ending up with a nice friend.”

Jane and Mattie got into the Passat, and Jane drove south out of Hanover. Jane said, “Mattie, I’ve got some other things we should talk over.”

“All right,” said Mattie.

“I no longer think that the worst thing we need to worry about is police officers coming to hold Jimmy for extradition to New York State.”

“What, then?”

“I think that the men who are searching for us, and who broke into your house to kidnap you, are Mafia soldiers.”

“You do?” asked Mattie. “Why? What would people like that want with us?”

“They seem to be trying to protect the man who drugged Chelsea. I think he was the one who killed her boyfriend and tried to get it blamed on Jimmy.”

“So the way they’d help this man would be what?”

“First, making sure she’s not around to charge him with rape and testify at his trial.”

“Oh, that poor girl.”

“Yes. And they still need to have someone blamed for the murder, and that means they want to find Jimmy, too.”

“I guess we aren’t going home anytime soon.”

“I hope I’m wrong. The reason I’m telling you this is partly to get you to think differently. Trouble is not going to be police cars or police officers. And these men don’t look like the gangsters on television. They could be any two or more males between twenty and fifty.”

“You’re not exactly narrowing it down.”

“I know.”

They drove onto Interstate 89 and then got off on the Route 4 exit. They rode along the curving route to Canaan and stopped at a small park across from the local market and restaurant. In the park was a gathering of tables and booths. Local artisans sold goat cheese, maple syrup and candy, handmade jewelry, herbal soaps, embroidered hangings, and knitted scarves. Jane and Mattie browsed, and then went back to the restaurant where Jane had parked the Passat, and drove on.