Cupid's Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow (21 page)

“Ah-ah-ah,” Jacques said from the other room.

~*~

Mavis carried her specialty muffins over to Katie’s back door bright and early the next morning. She tapped on the door before opening it, seeing a young man at the table. “Well, hello,” she greeted him. “Who might you be?”

“Hi,” he said with a smile. “I’m Eros. . . . Jonathan’s—”

Jonathan had seen his mother coming across the lawn through the front window of the carriage house. He hurried to pull on some pants, grabbed a shirt, and put it over his head as he ran toward the kitchen. He arrived in time to hear the exchange. He shook his head and moved his arms side to side, signaling for Eros to cut off his statement.

“Son,” Eros said watching his
father
curiously.

Jonathan caught his mother as she fainted in his arms.
“Really?” He sighed in exasperation. “How am I going to explain that one?”

“She’s unaware of the birds and the bees?” Eros asked.

“You are really on a thin line, here, “ Jonathan said. “Get some water or something.” Jonathan sat his mother in the chair while Eros filled a glass and splashed it in her face.

“For her to drink,” Jonathan gritted out and looked like he was about to throttle Eros when his mother sputtered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just found out,” Jonathan said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Mavis took one look at Eros and smiled with joy. “I can’t believe my eyes. I finally have a grandchild, and he looks just like your father.”

Jacques came into the kitchen eating an apple. He took one look at the occupants and backed back out.

“Get back here,” Jonathan said. “I left you to guard the place.”

“Since when is your mother a stranger?”
Jacques asked.

“What is happening that you need to place a guard?” Mavis said.

Amber walked into the kitchen next.

“Hi, Mom,” Eros said.

Mavis craned her neck to see Amber. “But I don’t understand. You only just met.” She looked back at her son.

“She has had amnesia,” Jacques said.

Mavis narrowed her eyes on Jonathan. “Well, what about you? Why didn’t you remember?”

Jonathan looked around and saw everyone looking at him for an explanation. He scratched his head. “Yeah, it’s really hard to explain.”

“It’s not that hard,” Eros said. “She has a madman who is seeking the secrets of immortality after her.”

“She what?”
Mavis asked.

“Just one second.” Jonathan grabbed his son by the collar and led him out of the room.

Mavis watched them leave and then turned to Amber. “Come sit here, dear.” She patted the chair beside her. “You must be so relieved to finally be able to be together again, and I know all about Jonathan’s involvement with the witness protection program.” She cupped her hand around her mouth. “Although he doesn’t know that I do.”

Jonathan led his
son
down the hall and plopped him into a chair.

“It’s been awhile since you’ve done that,” Eros said.
“Brings back memories.” He grinned up at him. “Like the time when . . .” He trailed off. “Yeah, we don’t need to bring that up again.”

Jonathan ran a hand through his hair and looked back at him. “Please keep in mind that my mother . . . the one in the kitchen, doesn’t know anything about this.”

“Nothing?” Eros asked.

“No,” Jonathan said. “I wasn’t exactly born like this.”

“Are you sure?” Eros asked. “That’s not normally the way it happens, and Zeus is—” He paused. “Do you have any photos of your earthly father?”

Jonathan whipped out his wallet and found an old photo that he’d always kept. He turned it so that Eros could see. “Well?”

“It’s him.” Eros smiled widely.

“It’s who?” Jonathan asked.

“Grandpa Zeus,” Eros said, “although he does look much younger without the beard.”

“This is too much.” Jonathan groaned.

“It’s really very simple. You’re like Hercules,” Eros said. “You were born to a mortal, but you had to prove yourself in order to take your place again among the gods.”

“This,” Jonathan circled his finger around in a circle, “is going to be too much for my mother, so stop with the fantasy stuff, and stick to the real world . . . and absolutely nothing about Zeus being my father. You got it?”

“Good morning,” Harold said as he came down the stairs.

“Harold,” Jonathan said, “perfect, this is Eros.”

“How do you do, Eros,” Harold said. “That is an interesting name. I was reading up on my mythology last night and Eros, coincidentally, is what the Greeks called the Roman god of love, Cupid.”

“Exactly,” Jonathan said. “Harold, meet Cupid, the owner of the arrow.”

“You have my arrow?” Eros said excitedly.

Gloria came down next. “You didn’t tell me we have company.
Hello, dear.”

“Company?”
Mavis asked as she came down the hall. “He’s family. Meet my grandson.”

Harold looked at Jonathan in surprise. “Apparently, the potion has side effects.” Kisses joined the party, hopping up on the chair with Eros.”

“What a pretty kitty,” Mavis said. “I left my doggie at home today so as not to bother her.” Mavis watched him with a loving glow in her eyes. “She certainly loves you.”

Jonathan started shaking his head the minute his mother mentioned love.

“I’ve had her since she was a kitten,” Eros said, watching him give the no signal and then relax.

Mavis said, “How old is she?”

“Kiss?” Eros asked. “I guess she’s about twelve thousand years old now.”

“Ah-ha,” Jonathan intervened. “What a kidder. He means twelve years,” he corrected with a not so loving gleam in his eye. He looked away and then groaned. Walking up the steps of the porch was Tom.

“Mom,” Jonathan said, “I know this is not going to make sense, but don’t say anything to Tom about Amber or—um—my son.”

“Sure thing!”
Mavis said, making him do a double take.

Yeah
, Jonathan thought,
I really do need a new catch phrase
. He turned to Eros. “You are Ross, and you are from Kansas . . . and you are Katie’s nephew. Got it?”

Ding dong.

Jonathan opened the door. “Good morning, Tom,” Jonathan said. “What brings you out?”

“I wanted to speak with Miss Smith.”

“C’mon in, and I’ll go get her,” Jonathan said as he opened the door. Tom stepped inside, looking at all the people assembled.

“Good morning,” Tom said as he entered and stood by the door.

“Good morning, Tom,” Gloria said. “Would you care for a cup of coffee?”

“Thanks for the offer, but not today,” Tom said. “I’m here on police business.”

Jonathan half jogged to the kitchen to get Amber who was still sitting at the table with Jessie. “I didn’t see you pass me,” he said to Jessie.

“You were fairly busy.”

He turned to Amber. “Tom is here and wants to talk with you. Eros is now called Ross.” He looked at Jessie. “He’s your cousin, Katie’s nephew, and is from Kansas.” He looked back at Amber. “Got that?”

Tom waited by the door, watching as everyone waited. “Hi,” Tom said when he noticed the young man he’d never met before.

“This is Katie’s nephew, E—Ross,” Jacques said. “He is from Kansas, of these United States.”

“I’m Ross. I’m from Kansas,” Eros repeated with a grin.

Tom nodded.

“Yes, he’s just visiting,” Mavis said. “He’s Katie’s nephew.”

Tom nodded again.

Jessie came down the hall first. “Why hello, Tom,” she said. “How is your dog doing?”

“She’s fine.”

“Have you met my, uh, second
cousin Ross from Kansas?”

“Yes, I have.” He nodded toward Eros.

“I’m Ross, from Kansas,” the boy said again. Tom nodded.

Amber and Jonathan came down the hall together.

“You wanted to see me?” Amber asked.

“Yes, ma'am,” Tom said. “I am here with some bad news.”

“We ran the prints from yesterday at the motel,” Tom said.

Amber reached out and took hold of Jonathan’s hand. “We found that for one thing the room had already been dusted.” He looked at Jonathan suspiciously.

“We ran the prints from yesterday at the motel.” Tom said.

Amber reached out and took hold of Jonathan’s hand. “We found some prints belonging to an Amelia Jones who went missing in the 1920’s.”

Tom showed held up a photo. “Have you ever seen this woman?”

“No,” Jacques said looking at a different photo than the one Jonathan had shown him earlier. It looked to be the same news clipping just a different face. “1920s you say? They must not have cleaned that room in a long time,” Jacques said.

Amber didn’t know how but the photo from that news clipping that had haunted her for years had magically been changed. She looked up a Jonathan who winked at her.

“We also found prints that belonged to a man by the name of Joseph Marconi,” Tom said. “He’s an unsavory character with ties to the mob.” He held up another photo.

“I’ve never seen him before,” Amber said looking at a man in sun glasses with palm trees behind him.

“Ah,” Mavis gasped. “Is there any good news?”

“No,” Tom sighed, “only more of the same. . . . Cupid is still at large.”

“Cupid?” Mavis asked. “What a shame this close to Valentines.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

“Well, don’t you know that if anything happens to Cupid all love will be lost in the world?” Mavis explained.

“Must have some truth to it,” Tom said. “My wife asked me for a divorce this morning.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry Tom,” Mavis said. “I never would have made that awful joke if I’d known.”

“I know and I appreciate it.” He tipped his cap.
“Ladies.” He stepped out front with Jonathan following him.

“I appreciate you coming by,” Jonathan said.

Tom looked out across the porch and out across the lawn toward Mavis’s driveway. The shattered window on the golden Cadillac was clearly visible.

“You wouldn’t know about some shots being fired last night around Mockingbird Lane would you?”

“No?” Jonathan said.

“Where were you last night around the hours of two a.m. and four a.m.?”

“Here,” Jonathan said. “Why?”

“Fishermen found the body of Mr. Bigelow early this morning in the swamps.”

“We’ve kept round the clock surveillance here since you told me that the shooter was missing,” Jonathan said, the only one who had left last night after they had come back from Mockingbird Lane had been René.

Tom shook his head and sighed.

“What is it?” Jonathan asked.

“It may be unrelated,” Tom said, “But the gentleman Mr. Bigelow identified that had been around the motel the day that Miss Smith’s room was ransacked was that of Joe the Fish.” Tom looked at him. “I wouldn’t at all be surprised to find his death was a result of it. If you find out anything I want to know.”

Jonathan nodded. “Of course.”

“I’m serious,” Tom said. “According to my information,
Joe the fish
, is one of the Mob’s highest ranking hit men, although we’ve never been able to prove it. I don’t know who he is working for, but he is one of the reasons they have the phrase, he went to sleep with the fishes, if you get my meaning.”

Jonathan returned to the house to find everyone waiting on him. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

“We are not in Kansas anymore,” Eros said.

Tom passed Katie on her way into the house. “Morning, Miss Katie.” He nodded. “I met your nephew.”

“My what?” she asked, somewhat taken aback. “I mean . . . you did?”

“Sorry,” Tom said. “I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise.”

“I won’t let them know that I know.” Katie winked.

Tom shook his head as he watched her go inside.
“Surprise!” He heard them shout to the roof top a minute later. “That is one strange family.”

“You think he bought it?” Katie asked as they all watched Officer Tom get into his car.

Charlene drove up into the drive as they were all still watching out the window.

“Remember,” Jonathan said, “he’s Ross from Kansas.”

“Why are we hiding his identity?” Mavis asked.

“Because there are some bad people who are looking for Amber and her son.”
He watched his mother’s sour expression when he said her. “Our son,” he amended.

Mavis nodded her approval while Eros grinned.

“Hey, everybody.” Charlene came in wearing a big grin on her face. “Best night ever!” She glanced over at Amber. “I just wanted to see if you wanted to go pick out frames for some new glasses.”