The Key in the Attic(10)
“You know, Annie, maybe we should put the puzzle up and do some brainstorming on how to help Mary Beth. Whatever these letters are that we’re supposed to find, if they’re even still around somewhere, they’re not very likely to be a practical help to her.”
“I suppose you’re right.” With a wistful sigh, Annie folded up her copy of the clue and put it in her purse. Then she pulled out a second notepad. “OK, let’s brainstorm.”
Alice and Annie spent the rest of the evening dreaming up and then discarding ideas until Alice finally gave up and went home to bed.
****
The next morning, Annie sat on the porch drinking coffee, watching the world wake up, and watching the sea. There was something mesmerizing about the waves that rushed to the shore, hurrying one after another only to immediately retreat. Annie listened to the hypnotic sound of the water as it crashed over and over against the rocks and sand, until the sound seemed to be a part of her, like the beating of her heart. Her gaze took in the gulls that circled endlessly above the water, which was gilded with the light of the dawn. The electronic ring of the telephone broke the spell.
“Hi Grammy!” called a chipper little voice as soon as she said hello. Her grandson—her little chip off the block—had always been an early riser, much to his mother’s dismay.
“Hi there! How’s my John?”
“We went swimming and rode a pony.”
Annie smiled, picturing John’s little face, big eyes shining, wiggling all over with excitement. “And when was this?”
“Yesterday. It was Mikey Morgan’s birthday. He had a bounce house too. And I won some gummy worms for pinning the tail on the donkey.”
“Oh, how fun. And did you have cake?”
“Uh-huh. It looked like a fire truck, but Jenny stuck her hand in it. Right where the ladder was.”
Annie held back a giggle. “Oh, that’s too bad. And who’s Jenny?”
“Mikey’s baby sister. He has two, but she’s the little one. His other one is Kendra. Jenny just turned one year old.”
“And did your sister go to the party too?”
“For a little while, but then she went home.”
“That’s not much like Joanna. Wasn’t she having fun?”
“Until the clown came.”
“Oh, dear. I know she doesn’t like those. Was she OK?”
“She ran into the house and told Mommy she wanted to go home right then. But she didn’t cry this time. Mommy said she was doing better.”
“What did you think of the clown?”
“He smelled funny. Mommy said it probably was the kind of makeup he used. He made balloon animals, and those were cool, but besides that he was pretty lame.”
Annie turned a laugh into a slight cough, wondering which of the “big kids” her grandson picked up his newest slang words from. “That’s too bad. But I’m glad the party wasn’t lame.”
“Mom said when you come back home, and we have my birthday, we can have a pony again too.”
“Well, that’ll be fun.”
“When are you coming home, Grammy? I mean really coming home and not just visiting?”
“Now, sweetie, you know I live up here now. My Grandma Betsy loved this house, and now I’m loving it for her too. You don’t think she’d want me to let somebody else live in her house, do you?”
“No, I guess not,” John said grudgingly. “Did she want you to leave us forever?”
“Now, honey, you know I haven’t left you forever. I come see you all the time, don’t I?”
“But you don’t live here close to us like you used to. Mommy says it’s like losing Grandpa all over again.”
Annie felt a pain deep in her heart. After her husband Wayne’s sudden death, her daughter LeeAnn had told her in so many words that she wasn’t needed to help with the children anymore. Coming from Texas to Maine to see to Gram’s estate had been a wonderful distraction, a chance to get away and establish herself as her own person, not just someone’s mother or someone’s grandmother. Now she was at home here in Stony Point, even though she knew LeeAnn and the kids would love to have her back.
“Sweetie,” she said softly, “can you ask Mommy to come to the telephone?”
“Moooooooooom! It’s Grammy!”
Annie held the phone away from her ear until she heard her daughter’s voice.
“Mom. Hi.”
LeeAnn’s voice sounded thick, a little sleepy. She hadn’t been up long.
“I’m sorry, honey. I wasn’t thinking about the time when I asked John to speak with you. I sometimes forget it’s an hour earlier down there than it is up here. I didn’t wake you, did I?”