Miz Scarlet and the Vanishing Visitor (A Scarlet Wilson Mystery) (6 page)

“Does that mean you can swim?” I inquired. Jenny
bobbed her head. “In that case, you’ll be happy to know we have a
storage rack down by the pond with a kayak and a canoe. The water’s
about eight feet at the deepest point. It’s pretty good swimming,
but just remember you’re sharing Mother Nature’s playground with
the other critters. And don’t try to pet anything wild.
Rabies.”

“Cool.”

“We should get these dogs out for a tinkle. Want to
help me?”

Kenny joined us at the front door, and we stepped out
together to do a loop around the neighborhood. Staying on the
sidewalk, he and I pointed out the sights to the young girl. She
was duly impressed by the waterfall that cascaded down over the old
stone wall.

“This must have been a great place to grow up,” said
Jenny, awe in her voice.

“It was,” Kenny acknowledged. “I have a lot of good
memories of Cheswick.”

“You grew up here? I thought you lived in New
Jersey.”

“My dad changed jobs when I was a teenager, so we had
to move. Bur and Scarlet were old friends of mine from high
school.”

“My mom was from Boston. That’s where I was born. I
don’t remember it, though. She moved to Maine when I was two, and
then to Vermont when I was seven. And when I turned ten, we moved
to New Hampshire.”

“No grandparents, aunts and uncles?” I probed.
“Cousins?”

“She had a sister who died when she was twenty. My
grandpa died when I was six-and-a-half. Grandma lived with us in
Vermont. She died four years ago.”

“You’ve had a tough time of it, haven’t you?” That
just slipped out of my mouth and as soon as it did, I wanted to
take it back. The look on Jenny’s face told me the wounds were
still very raw. And yet, it was true. The child had suffered
serious losses in the past few years, and the wicked stepfather and
Richie were the straws that could have broken that camel’s
back.

“What was your grandmother like?” the security
consultant wanted to know. I looked at Kenny and saw him studying
his subject with great curiosity. Was he doing a background check
on the child?

“Oh, Nana was wonderful. She was a science teacher at
the local high school. She used to practice her lesson plans on me
before she’d use them in class. We did a lot of hiking in the White
Mountains, the three of us.”

“Did your grandparents have any relatives?” Captain
Peacock was on a mission.

“Nana had an older brother, Vance, and a younger
sister, Violet. I think they’re both dead because they didn’t come
to Mom’s memorial service. And Poppy had a younger brother who died
in Vietnam.”

“Were they from Maine?”

“Born and bred,” Jenny laughed. “Poppy was the
manager of the local grocery store. I used to go visit him at work
on Saturdays.”

“Sounds like your family loved you a lot, Jenny.”
Those intense eyes trained on the teenager and didn’t let go. What
was Kenny up to with all this interrogation? Did he know something
I didn’t?

“They did. I had a really nice life, up until my mom
got sick. And then....” she sighed heavily, shoulders slumping, her
voice breaking off. She turned away from us, trying to keep her
composure. That didn’t stop Captain Peacock. He ignored my glare
and kept on picking at that scab.

“And then what?”

“Mom got worse and had to quit her job because she
couldn’t think straight. That’s when my stepfather moved in.”

Why hadn’t anyone stopped Steve from taking advantage
of Jenny’s vulnerable mother? Didn’t the woman have any
friends?

“He insisted they get married, so he could take care
of her. And he made her sign over the house to him, so she wouldn’t
lose it to all the hospital bills.”

“That explains a lot,” Kenny decided. “Jenny, would
it be okay with you if I tried to find your family?”

“But I don’t have one. My mom....”

“Maybe your mom’s family lost touch with her, for one
reason or another. Would you mind if I tried to find them?” he
asked again.

“Sure. But I don’t think you will.”

“Let me worry about that. In the meantime, Miz
Scarlet will get you settled here and show you the ropes of running
an inn. Frankly, I’m glad you’re here. She can use the help.”

“Oh?” I glanced over at him in time to catch a
wink.

“We’ve been dating for months now, and every time I
want to whisk her away for a date, somebody needs her to do
something.” There was that boyish grin I so loved. “You could start
now. Any chance you could take the dogs back to the house and ask
Bur to call up for a couple of pizzas?”

Chapter Six --

Jenny glanced at me and then at Kenny. She had a tiny
smile on her face, a knowing smile. “Sure. Come on, guys.”

We watched her walk away, the terriers trotting
beside her. With time, she might let go of some of that pain. It
wouldn’t happen overnight. Considering her background, it was
possible that she could, with the right support, get herself
through college and have a productive life, providing we could keep
her safe. A lot depended on whether or not the New Jersey State
Police could figure out who Hinson was, who his accomplices were,
and what happened to the rest of those missing uncut diamonds.

“I think Stepfather Stevie’s been a naughty boy,”
Captain Peacock announced.

“You do?”

“I do.” Kenny slid his hands around my waist and gave
me a proper kiss before he continued. “He married a woman suffering
from mental confusion as the result of her cancer treatment. He got
her to turn over ownership of her house, which should have gone to
her daughter.”

“That’s terrible. You’re not going to let the bastard
get away with that, are you?” He kissed me again sweetly.

“Heavens, no.”

“Promise,” I insisted firmly. My dander was up, my
feathers clearly ruffled by the thought that Steve had taken
advantage of a teenage girl.

“Promise,” he told me, hand up in the air. A moment
later, he tried to kiss me, but I was too riled up.

“What are you going to do about it?” I demanded,
pulling away.

“Do about it? I’m going to track the creep down and
see that Jenny gets what she is owed.”

“Jenny needs a lawyer, someone to protect her legal
interests.”

“Yes, she does. We’ll talk to Bur. He’ll know
someone.”

“Good.

“Good is right.”

“When?”

“When what?”

“When are you going to start?” I wanted to know.

“I already have, Scar. I put my peeps on it before we
left New Jersey.”

“Excellent,” I grinned, rewarding him with an
enthusiastic kiss. When we finally came up for air, I pointed out
the obvious. “You’re the best.”

“I am. Let’s head back to the house before we get
carried away and find ourselves in trouble.”

“How’s that, Captain Peacock?”

“Sometimes you’re too great a temptation, Miz
Scarlet. I find you hard to resist.” He tweaked my cheek with thumb
and forefinger.

“In that case, I guess it’s a good thing you’ll be
sleeping in the library.”

Bur was pulling out of the driveway when we returned,
on his way to Tony’s House of Pizza. I found the teenager in the
living room with Mr. Hornblower and the Googins girls.

“Shall we set the table, Jenny?”

“Sure.” She followed me into the dining room,
marveling at the massive table and its many chairs. At the moment,
Mr. Hornblower and Mrs. Blevins were our only guests, so we set the
table for eight. Tomorrow afternoon, the Reinharts would need a
ride from Bradley International. I’d move Jenny into Lacey’s room,
so they could sleep in the Red Oak room.

“And this is the butler’s pantry,” I informed her, as
we walked through to the kitchen. “We keep this area for coffee in
the morning, snacks for guests, and even wine storage. Just so you
know, Jen, I’ll kick your fanny out of this inn if I catch you
doing anything illegal. Got it?”

“Got it. How come you never had any kids, Miz
Scarlet?”

“Oh,” I shrugged off the question. “Sometimes life
gets complicated. Motherhood just wasn’t in the cards for me.”

“Too bad. You would have been a good one,” she
decided. “A little bossy, but good.”

Even as my eyes flashed, I realized she was teasing.
That big grin on her face said it all.

“So, it’s like that, eh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Best subject in school,” I demanded.

“Science, followed by English and math.”

“Worst subject.”

“Driver’s ed.”

“Driver’s ed?” I was shocked. She seemed like a
fairly competent girl. How did she miss that? I asked.

“My mother couldn’t take me on the road much, so I
didn’t get to practice. I never did get my license.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

I made a mental note to check with an old colleague
of mine, Bob Horshak, at the local high school. He was an
industrial arts teacher and taught driver’s ed on the side. If
Jenny was going to stay with us, she’d need her license, especially
if we got her signed up to start nursing school in the fall. Maybe
he could tutor her so she could pass the Connecticut MVD test by
the end of August. I’d take her out for practice driving after Bob
gave me the thumbs-up.

“Can you fill the two pitchers with water, please?” I
showed her the ice machine and the wet sink in the butler’s pantry.
“And then fill the goblets.”

We all hung out in the living room after dinner,
chatting. Mrs. Blevins turned out to be a very funny woman, and she
shared stories of her years as a botany professor in the Midwest.
Mr. Hornblower was a retired businessman, who had a penchant for
gardening, so they discussed the pros and cons of genetic plant
engineering. Lacey and Laurel got in on the action when they
introduced the subject of the Four Acorns Inn bird garden and asked
Hilda to take a look at it and suggest things we could do to
improve it.

By nine, my mother was ready to retire, so I
accompanied her to her bedroom. She maneuvered her wheelchair into
her bathroom. A moment later, I heard the whirring of her
battery-operated toothbrush.

Ten minutes passed before she emerged, in floral
nightgown, and I helped her into her bed before stowing her
wheelchair in the corner.

“Scarlet, there’s something not right about that
girl’s story,” my mother confided. I glanced down, unsure of what
she meant. “She’s clearly had a loving family.”

“Why do you say that, Mama?” Curious, I handed Laurel
the ball and let her run with it.

“When you observe her with other people in
conversation, she’s very interested, almost hungry for it. She’s
comfortable around adults, like she’s spent a lot of time with
them. She doesn’t have that normal teenage desire to get away from
the old fogies.”

Time to share a little of Jenny’s story with her.
When I got to the part about Stepfather Steve, Laurel grimaced.

“How tragic.” Two words. They summed up the last
couple years of Jenny’s life so succinctly. “What are you going to
do about it?”

I was reminded of my mother’s earlier comments about
the Wilson side of the family being responsible for my feistiness.
The truth is the Googins girls never can keep out of other people’s
business, even when they know better. Lacey and Laurel always find
a way to insert themselves into situations whenever they feel
fixing is needed, whether it is welcomed or not.

“Just between us, Kenny is looking into it. He is
convinced that Jenny has family and he wants to know why they
weren’t at the memorial service.”

“Not at the service? Terrible. Did they know her
mother had died?”

“Good question, Mama. Maybe Steve was too busy
stealing the family fortune to notify them.”

“She’s a smart girl. She should be in school,
Scarlet.” My mother looked up at me expectantly, as I arranged her
bedcovers.

“We’re working on that. And I’ve got to see about
getting her a driving instructor.”

“Dear lord, don’t tell Lacey that. She’ll insist on
taking the girl out on the road and we don’t want the girl to pick
up all those bad driving habits!”

My mother has several grandchildren, of whom she is
very proud. Lacey, on the other hand, never quite got the requisite
number she planned for, and she was likely to adopt Jenny, whether
the teenager wanted to be or not. Even as I acknowledged my mother
had a point, I smiled. Lacey might just be the ticket for a lonely
orphan in need of instant family. Then again, my mother seemed to
have already laid claim to the girl as her protector. When it
rains, it pours.

As soon as I bid my mother sweet dreams and shut her
door, I made my way down the hall to the Red Oak room. Jenny was
sitting in the chair, staring down at her Smartphone.

“Busy?” I asked.

“No,” she frowned. “I can’t figure out what to do
with my stupid phone. My charger is in my backpack.”

“Where is your backpack?” I wondered.

“I stashed it at that house where Richie took
me.”

“Cops probably have it,” I replied. “What kind of
charger do you need? Maybe we have one that will work.”

I took her down to the library, where we kept an
ancient Mac and a drawer full of abandoned electronic adapters of
every make, model, and size. Kenny was sitting on the sofa, waiting
for my return, and slightly surprised I brought company with
me.

“Jenny needs to charge her phone. She left her
backpack in Bay Head. Any chance the cops found her stuff?”

“I’ll call Sarge tomorrow and ask. If it’s there,
I’ll pick it up and bring it here on the weekend.”

“Does that mean you’ll be staying with us again,
Captain Peacock?” I deposited the box of plugs and adapters on the
coffee table before him.

“It just might. Let me see the phone, Jenny. What
have you got there?”

“White or red?” I asked, on my way to the butler’s
pantry.