I should have asked her about Sophie. If Sophie was as avid a collector as Harriet, I’d bet Mac had done some work for her, too. And seeing as Sophie was agoraphobic, she may have had to go to Sophie’s home. I wondered how I could approach her to find out. Mac had erected such a wall between us, I wasn’t sure I’d ever manage to scale it.
I headed toward the south end of Millbury, and found myself walking past Dottie Brown’s house. To the right of the above-ground pool that was covered now for the winter, Sam had created his pumpkin patch. It encompassed almost half of the backyard. Bet Dottie was thrilled about that.
There were three large pumpkins growing amid a vast bed of waist-high dark green leaves. Sam had erected wooden shelters above them, presumably as protection from the wind, and in the chill of the morning, they were also lovingly covered with blankets. The largest was snuggled under a Thomas the Tank Engine comforter.
Sam waved and came over to the split-rail fence when he saw me and Jasper.
“How are the pumpkins coming along, Sam?”
“Oh, well, you know, it’s a full-time job, what with watering, fertilizing, and weeding. You have to watch them all the time.”
“They’re amazing. I can see where it could be quite a project.”
“I’ve developed a new program this year. Molasses, fish kelp, and milk.” He held up a canister with a sprayer attached. “They say the reason punkins split is because they’re calcium deficient. I bathe them every day with my secret recipe.”
He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “Think I might have a chance this year though. Especially with Georgia over there.”
He pointed toward the biggest pumpkin.
“She’s a beauty. Good luck, Sam. See you later.”
Jasper and I headed home, and like a montage in a movie, we gradually walked into morning. The daytime sky was now a wintry white.
• • •
When I opened up Sometimes a Great Notion, a message from Angus was on the answering machine saying Ardine Smalls was doing a fabulous job. She’d been at the auction house with him for most of the weekend, writing up descriptions of each item for the auction catalog. I smiled as he raved about her vast knowledge of collectibles, and how she’d given him lots of contacts to advertise the event.
Marybeth also left a message asking if I was available to visit some more retail locations.
I sighed. A very deep sigh.
Alice, over in her corner, gazed at me sympathetically.
“I know, Alice. I’m trying to keep an open mind, but my heart’s just not in it.”
With the weather turning colder, I’d need to change her outfit soon. Or at least add a jacket to cover up those bare fiberglass shoulders. “See, I want to keep the store but I don’t want to go through our entire savings to do it. Joe’s doing a good job of that all on his own.”
I decided I would only turn on the lamp on the Welsh dresser and the one by the register. No sense wasting electricity. I should start riding my bicycle more, too.
“Why the hell is it so dark in here?” Martha asked as she came into the store a few minutes later, with Eleanor on her heels.
“I’m trying to conserve energy.”
“For God’s sake, don’t be so cheap.”
Fine for Martha to say. She’d never had to worry about money. Teddy Bristol had spoiled her for years and then left her very well-off. She didn’t have to work—apart from her volunteer activities and the Historical Society.