“And I mean it. If you find out something, or if you want to know anything else about her, even something small, let me know. Susan deserves to be remembered by the people who loved her.”
Annie jotted down the telephone number he gave her and soon they said goodbye. Poor man. It was bad enough that he lost the woman he loved, but to carry that guilt all these years had to be terrible for him.
But at least Susan hadn’t been entirely alone after her parents died. She had had someone who loved her and who wanted the best for her. Just knowing that made Annie feel so much better. Now if she only knew who wanted her to leave Susan’s past buried and forgotten.
****
“You just called him up? In California?”
Annie nodded. “I did.”
Kate looked back down at her crochet. “I could never do that. Just call up somebody like that, somebody I don’t know. What did he say?”
The ladies of the Hook and Needle Club all paused over their projects. All, that is, except Stella. She did not slow the swift, almost-mechanical click-click-click of her knitting needles.
“I met young Prescott when I lived in New York.” She pressed her withered lips together. “I didn’t like him.”
Annie had to hold back a smile. Stella wasn’t really as crusty as she seemed sometimes, but it could be difficult to get past her prickliness.
“He was very nice when I talked to him,” Annie assured them all. “He still feels bad about not being on deck with Susan that night, even after all these years. And he told me to call him anytime. That’s pretty accommodating of someone who owns a big company like that, don’t you think?”
“All I remember about Archer Prescott is that he treated Susan like a queen.” Mary Beth shook her head. “Jewelry and expensive clothes all the time. I hardly recognized quiet little Susan anymore. She looked more like a runway model or something. The few times she was in town, of course.”
“What a life. A handsome rich guy to cater to your every whim. And that on top of being a beautiful blonde.” Gwen sighed. “What a life.”
Mary Beth sighed too. “I could have used someone like that in my life twenty or thirty years ago.”
“It’s not too late,” Alice insisted. “Mr. Kendall at the bank always seems to perk up when you’re in there.”
Peggy and Alice exchanged grins, and Mary Beth rolled her eyes.
“Spare me. Mr. Kendall is eighty if he’s a day.”
Stella stopped knitting and looked up. “Anything wrong with eighty?” She narrowed her eyes at Mary Beth and then the tiniest hint of a smile crept into her expression. “Besides, I happen to know Aaron Kendall is just a young pup of seventy-six.”
Annie laughed. “Maybe he’s holding off courting you until after you get the shop all spruced up, Mary Beth. Did you ever get things set up for Tom Maxwell to put your cabinets in for you?”
“Ugh. You know, every time I think that company has it right, they find something else to mess up. I looked inside one of the boxes, and the units they sent don’t have the dividers I wanted. They have promised me they’ll have the right ones in by the end of this week. Absolutely.” Mary Beth shrugged. “But they gave me free shipping to make up for some of the hassle, so I guess it’s not all bad.”
Peggy knotted her dark olive thread and began appliquéing another leaf on her quilt block. “I gave you Tom’s number, didn’t I? Of course, Wally will be glad to do it for you sometime after Christmas.”
“I don’t think I can wait quite that long, as much as I’d like to. But, yes, you did give me the number. If I ever get the right cabinets in here with all the right accessories, I’ll definitely call him.”
The mention of Tom Maxwell reminded Annie of her desire to see Susan’s old house again, which reminded her about checking into Susan’s will. It was a pretty afternoon, cold but sunny. Maybe this would be a good day to head up to the courthouse in Wiscasset. It was only about thirty miles away.
****
The Last Will and Testament of Susan Alexandria Morris was, for a legal document, relatively short and straightforward. It stated her place of residence as Lincoln County, Maine, and named Archer Lee Prescott as her executor. The crux of the whole document was contained in Article II, Section 1:
I give, devise and bequeath all of my property which I may own at the time of my death, real, personal and mixed, tangible and intangible, of whatsoever nature and wheresoever situated, including all property which I may acquire or be entitled to after execution of this Will, to Archer Lee Prescott, to be his absolutely, if he survives me.