Finders Keepers (32 page)

He lifted his head and studied the canopy of oak trees that arched over the rooftops around the square. Though Elizabeth had warned him of it, he was only just beginning to realize that this walk along the Christian path wasn’t going to be easy. One slip, and he might lose something— or someone—very important.

“Anyhow,” Pearlene said, “if Liz didn’t bother to tell you where she was going, well, I guess that tells the both of us where you stand in her books.”

“It does?”

“At the bottom of the list. ’Course, she wouldn’t have gone off like that if she didn’t figure she was at the bottom of your list, too. And I thought I had you two pegged.”

She paused for a moment, gave a shrug, and then went back to her sweeping.

Elizabeth helped Nick take off his sneakers, once again thanking heaven for Velcro, and shook the sand out of them. “I had no idea you’ve had sand in your shoes ever since we left Florida, sweetie,” she said as he reached up to give the Eastons’ door his characteristic rapid-fire knock. “Hasn’t it been bothering you?”

“Oh, Mommy, the sand keeps my toes awake. When I feel the sand, I know my feet are still there.”

Elizabeth laughed as the sound of running flip-flops carried through the closed door. In less than a heartbeat, the door flew open and a swirl of red hair and skinny arms and legs came flying outside.

“Nick! Nick, you came back!”

“Here I am, Magunnery!” Nick hugged the little girl, doing his best to pick her up as they danced around and around on the front porch. “I went to the ocean, and I thought I would never see you again.”

“Can you play?” Her bright eyes focused on Elizabeth. “Can Nick play with me, Miss Hayes? I want to show him my new bed. Daddy made me a bed, and you can put stuff in the drawers underneath, but you can’t jump on it, Nick. Not even if you really, really want to.”

“That’s fine,” Elizabeth said as the pair raced into the house. “Go ahead.”

“Hey, Elizabeth.” Luke Easton stepped out of the kitchen and held up a damp dishcloth in greeting. “Welcome back. Come on in.”

“Thanks. How’ve you been?”

“Getting by. You?”

“We had fun at the ocean.” She gave a little smile. “But I’m glad we’re home.”

“Montgomery missed Nick.”

“Likewise. How are things in town?”

“About the same. Boompah’s getting around better. He’s decided to put in a deli.”

“No kidding?”

“You weigh your salad or your sandwich on his little scale, and off you go. Ruby McCann’s already complaining. She says fresh fruit will weigh more, and that’s not fair because it’s so good for you.”

Elizabeth laughed. Luke looked a hundred percent better than he had the day she’d told him she was leaving on a vacation. Maybe Zachary had been right that he needed the total responsibility of caring for Montgomery. Keeping his mind on his daughter seemed to have done Luke a world of good.

Their house, unfortunately, wasn’t faring quite so well. Elizabeth had never seen so much clutter in her life. Piles and piles of newspapers, discarded sweaters and jackets, junk mail, cast-off shoes, cereal boxes, and Little Debbie wrappers lay scattered on the floors, sofa, and table.

“Uh, sorry about the mess,” Luke said, following her focus around the room. “Ellie was … she didn’t … but I’m not as …”

“It’s OK.” Elizabeth touched his arm. “So, how’s your business going these days? Are you back at work full time?”

“Yep. I just got a good contract.” He gave her a sheepish glance. “It’s, uh, the mansion. I guess you know about that.”

“Zachary indicated he was going to go ahead with the plans for his architectural firm.”

“He is—if he can blow past Phil Fox at the council meeting tonight.” “It’s tonight?”

“Boy, you are out of touch. Listen, Elizabeth, why don’t you leave Nick here and head over there? I’m sure Zachary could use some support—if that’s what you could give him.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Oh, Luke … I really don’t think Zachary needs or wants anybody around. In fact, I expected you to tell me he’d moved back to Jefferson City.”

“Zachary Chalmers? Why would he do that?”

“The last time we spoke, Zachary told me he was planning to move forward with his life. Conquer new worlds, that sort of thing. You know how he is. He’s one of the most single-minded and self-focused men you could ever meet. And he’s so driven. I think ambition runs like ice through his veins.”

“Are you sure you’re talking about Zachary Chalmers? There’s not a chip of ice in that man. After Ellie died, he spent hours over here with me. He took time off from work to come check on me. He called at least once or twice a day to make sure I was hanging in OK with Montgomery. Boompah told me Zachary took food over there when he was sick, and he said the two of them have gotten to where they play dominoes together a couple nights a week.”

“Zachary plays dominoes?”

“Sure. And Ruby McCann says Zachary started dropping off her fresh milk at the library every morning, so she doesn’t have to figure out where to park her DeSoto. I also know for a fact that he drummed up two or three legal cases for Sawyer-the-lawyer to work on. The fellow hasn’t been seen sleeping on his desk in the last month. Zachary’s one of the most decent men I ever met.”

“Are you sure you’re talking about Zachary Chalmers?”

Luke stared at her, and then they both began to laugh. “But I never saw that side of him!” she protested.

“Well, you’ve been gone forever and a day.”

“I have not.” She folded her arms and tapped her foot. “Look, I know Zachary can be kind. I’ve seen him reach out to people in a stiff sort of way. I mean, he did use up his vacation days to manage the Corner Market for Boompah … and he led us all on that search through the park for you right after Ellie’s funeral … and he helped out with the police when Nick and Montgomery threw the rock through Phil’s window … and maybe …”

“Maybe you don’t know the real Zachary Chalmers. He’s a good guy. You ought to go over to that council meeting and support him.”

She glanced at her watch. “Well, it’s probably almost over.”

“Nah. Phil’s got himself a platform. The meeting could go on all night.”

Letting out a breath of resignation, she gave him a nod. “OK, but I won’t be out long. I’m just going to drop in over there to show I’m behind Zachary.”

Luke grinned. “Yep.”

“But I don’t like his attitude toward historical preservation.”

“Nope.”

“And I think he can be very self-focused.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And bullheaded.”

“Bye, Lizzy.”

She turned and headed out the door. Why was she going to the city council meeting? Why? For the past two days, all the way back from Florida, she’d told herself she wasn’t going to think about Zachary Chalmers. Wasn’t going to ask about him. Wasn’t going to look him up. Wasn’t even going to glance in the direction of his office.

As she hurried across the street toward the city hall, she smoothed the wrinkles on her cotton skirt. She’d been driving all day, her hair was a wreck, and she hadn’t even thought about makeup or jewelry. Zachary would probably make a face when he saw her …

She pulled up short and squared her shoulders. What was she worrying about? She didn’t care what Zachary Chalmers thought of her. She just didn’t want a parking lot next door.

“All right, you’ve made your point.” Mayor Cleo Mueller was addressing Phil Fox as Elizabeth slipped into the back of the room and found an empty chair. “If you wouldn’t mind sitting down, Phil, we might be able to get this meeting finished up by midnight. Viola, read back through Phil’s proposal, please.”

The plump-cheeked owner of Dandy Donuts, who served as recording secretary, stood and cleared her throat. “Councilman Philip Fox—that’s with one
L
in Philip—proposes that the city of Ambleside offer Zachary Chalmers Lots 54 and 55 in the new McCann subdivision in a fair exchange for the property at 100 Walnut Street. Councilman Fox further proposes that Lots 54 and 55 be rezoned from residential use to mixed use. And last, Councilman Fox proposes that the building known as Chalmers House be dismantled except for the front parlor, as per the written requests in the Ambleside town charter and the letter from Grace Chalmers. Both documents are on record. The Chalmers House parlor is to be used as a museum honoring the Chalmers family and as a parking-attendant’s office. The grounds of the property are to be paved into a paid parking lot for the use of the citizens of Ambleside and out-of-town visitors.”

Viola looked up and blinked. At the sight of the mayor’s reassuring smile, she heaved a breath of relief and sat down again.

“Thank you, Viola,” Cleo said. “OK, folks, we have a three-part proposal before the council, and we’re going to have to take it apart for discussion a little bit at a time. Now, I know a lot of you people want to have your say, so if you’ll all be patient, we’ll get to you one at a time. The first part of the proposal involves a property exchange. Lots 54 and 55 sit on the edge of the subdivision, right next to the highway. That makes them a logical site for an office complex—”

The mayor halted as Zachary Chalmers stood. Elizabeth had a feeling she’d been through all this before. The hopelessness of saving Grace’s home swept over her. Zachary wanted an office. The town wanted a parking lot. One way or another, Grace’s legacy was about to end.

“If I might have permission to address the council,” Zachary was saying, “I think this matter can be resolved in a very few minutes.”

“A few minutes?” Cleo smiled. “Well, now. That’s to my liking. What have you got to tell us, Mr. Chalmers?”

“Just this: The property at 100 Walnut Street is mine, and I’m not going to trade it to the city.”

As he started to sit, the room erupted. Cleo hammered his gavel on the folding table so hard that Elizabeth feared it might collapse.

“Now hold on a minute there, Zachary!” Phil Fox jumped to his feet. “I thought we had an understanding. You’ve got a copy of that town charter. You know good and well you can’t raze the old mansion for your office!”

“Phil, you’re out of order,” Cleo bellowed. “Now sit down, and everybody hold your horses!” He grabbed his suspenders and adjusted them angrily. “I haven’t even opened the floor for discussion. Zachary, were you finished?”

“I guess not.” Zachary pulled a thick legal file from a briefcase beside his chair. “I have various documents here, and I’ll make them available to the public. Basically, they reflect a number of legal opinions and a great deal of research. The bottom line is that the document in Mr. Fox’s possession was never legally recorded in the records of the city of Ambleside. It may look like a town charter, but it’s not. It was never voted on. It was never adopted. Nothing. That’s how Phil was able to lay his hands on the thing so easily. What he’s been calling the town charter is just an old piece of paper that reflects one man’s desires for his property—and it’s not any more valid than the letter written by Grace Chalmers. Neither document is a will, and neither will stand up in a court of law.”

“Now I don’t know about that!” Phil said, again leaping to his feet.

“I also have here,” Zachary went on, “the legal will from Grace Chalmers that deeds her property to me. It’s been through probate, and not a soul has stepped forward to contest it. A week ago, the matter cleared the courts, and the property was designated as mine. Here’s a copy of that document.”

Despite Elizabeth’s misgivings, a thrill surged through her as Zachary laid one brick after another in a wall that would barricade Phil Fox from the Chalmers property. Zachary was fighting for what belonged to him. Brick by brick, he was building himself a place of his own. And, in spite of her own desires for the mansion, she championed his cause.

“So,” Zachary concluded, “the property’s mine, and I don’t want to exchange it for a lot in a subdivision on the outskirts of town. I’m going to build my architectural firm at 100 Walnut Street. As far as I can see, that settles the situation and makes the proposal of Councilman Fox irrelevant.”

Half the room burst into cheers. The other half filled the basement chamber with boos. Zachary strode to the council table and set copies of his documents in front of the mayor. As he returned to his seat, Phil Fox stood.