Losing Control (17 page)

“Maybe she hid things in other
places. What about the desk? Those old roll-tops used to have secret compartments.
At least my grandmother’s did. She used to hide dirty books in hers.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I saw her hide them there when
Connie and Beau took me to visit her one summer.”

“And then you waited until she was
outside or wherever, and sneaked one out to read?”

“Ha! Exactly!”

They giggled like schoolgirls. It was
the first time Fawn really felt close to her mother in years. She took
advantage of the camaraderie, began to stroll down memory lane. June was
willing to go along, recollecting all manner of scenes involving Connie and
Beau at the beach house. It surprised her that she actually had good memories
of her parents. And that reality gave her and Fawn a base to build upon, to
become friends instead of merely mother and child.

They examined the desk, jiggling
drawers and sliding their palms over any edges that might reveal a latch.
Fawn’s hand nudged a lever on the back of a drawer, pricking her skin till it
bled and opening a secret chamber below.

“Ouch! What is this?”

They peered round, made sure Brisby
wasn’t about. She had come downstairs an hour or so earlier with her purse, and
announced her intention of walking to
Bodega
Bay
. She had muttered something about
needing more flour, but once she’d gone they checked the larder and found an
ample supply.

“What do you think she’s up to?” June
had questioned as they watched her stomp away.

“I have no clue, but it worries me.
I’m going to call Taury.”

She went looking for her cell phone,
couldn’t find it. Then, when she tried to use June’s, it was dead. Now they
were waiting for it to charge as they made their search of the study.

“Are you cut badly?”

“No, it’s fine. But, look, Mom! This
compartment is full of papers!”

She held out several documents. They scanned
them with excited eyes, hoping to find something useful.

“Oh my God! This is a will!” Fawn
exclaimed. “It’s James Trahern’s will, dated three days before he died!”

“What does it say?”

“As far as I can understand it, he
left everything to Taury, Libby and Inger! The only mention of
Elizabeth
is a seething paragraph about her
mistreatment of him, their children, and anyone else that came across her path.
He must’ve hated her! It particularly mentions the shares of his company, and
how he wanted Taury, his sister, and Inger to take control of them.”

“Fawn, can this change what’s going
on in
San Francisco
?”

Fawn looked at her, hopeful, and
began to think. Then a frown darkened her face.

“Oh, I don’t see how it could after
so long. He’s been dead four years. An older will must have been probated. I
doubt this one has any merit at all.”

“As soon as my phone charges up, I’m
calling
Kent
! He’ll know whether it does or not!”

Fawn folded the will, placed it
safely within the pocket of her lavender robe.

Brisby hadn’t returned by teatime.
They fretted over her disappearance but could do nothing. June’s phone was not
cooperating. Either it was accidentally damaged somehow or deliberately
sabotaged. And Fawn’s phone was still missing. Things were adding up to make Brisby
a suspect in isolating the two women. For what reason, they couldn’t decipher.

“Maybe I should walk to town, Fawn. I
can borrow a phone there, and bring someone out to get you. The police, or
whoever. But I don’t feel right leaving you here on your own.”

“I’d be more afraid having you
wandering around out there by yourself in unfamiliar territory. I’m not sure
which direction you should go. Brisby headed north, but at this point I’m
questioning whether she was going to
Bodega
Bay
or had some accomplice waiting for
her down the road. I wish we had brought a laptop! But then again I don’t know
if there’s a wireless connection here. I’m starting to get a bit scared.”

“I won’t let harm come to you. As
long as I have a skillet or a small table to whack someone over the head with,
we’ll be all right!”

They skipped tea, played gin rummy
until dinnertime. Then they huddled in the warm kitchen, cooking up a batch of
old fashioned chicken noodle soup with cornbread muffins.

“I remember when you’d make this for
me after I caught a cold, or had the flu. It always gave me a good, homey
feeling.”

“I loved cooking for you. Still do.
Fawn, I have to admit this whole situation is wrecking my nerves. Do you think
anyone would be brazen enough to try to hurt us?”

“It would be a stupid move, since Dad
and Taury will be here by morning. But then Brisby knows that, and if she tells
someone…”

“I think we both know who that
someone is.”

“Yeah, I just didn’t want to speak
her name.”

“Maybe I should try to find the
town.”

“No, it’ll be night soon. We’re
better off staying put. We can lock all the doors up tight, and be on our guard
till dawn. I guess I won’t be the first bride to have dark circles from lack of
sleep.”

“You’ll still be beautiful, darling!”
Her mother hugged her. Fawn stared out the kitchen window over June’s shoulder,
watched the angry sea abuse the shore. The sunset was marred by a mountain of
black clouds that refused to release the sun – it seemed tiny and insignificant
in their grasp.

Night fell quickly; the two women
tried to play cards but neither could concentrate. Fawn flicked on an antique
Art Deco radio, the kind that stood tall like a chest of drawers. The reception
was terrible; all she could find was an oldies station that played a scratchy
rendition of
Blue Moon
. She turned it off.

“What about the stereo?” June asked.
“Maybe that works.”

Fawn shrugged, opened up a 70s stereo
console. There were neat stacks of old 45s and albums in a stand nearby. Fawn
looked through them; found dozens of smooth jazz tunes to pick from. She
settled on a Billie Holiday record, set it on the turntable and switched it on.

“That’s more like it!” June
announced. “Her voice can soothe away any trouble.”

“I wish she could soothe away mine!”
Fawn began to pace back and forth. Her abdomen was sore; it hurt to walk but
she was weary of being weak. “Oh, I wish the night would pass! Why did they
build this house way out here? Why didn’t they at least put in a land phone,
and a TV? Or satellite internet? What is this, the Middle Ages?”

“Calm down, Fawn. Getting upset won’t
help. Maybe you should lie down.”

“I’m afraid to, Mom. I’m sleepy, and
I’m scared if I go to sleep something…” There was a banging outside. “Did you
hear that? Is Taury here?”

She ran for the front door, almost opened
it but once she saw the cause of the noise she stopped. The wind had gathered
strength, was tossing unattached tree limbs and garden decorations all about
the yard. She clicked on the outdoor lights. They went back out again.

“Great! The power’s out!”

June came trailing behind her with a
flashlight.

“Do you think the storm made them go
out? I haven’t heard any thunder or seen lightning yet.”

“It must have. What else could have
done it?”

“Fawn, let’s go in your room. I’m staying
in there with you tonight!”

Fawn nodded. They entered her room,
bolted the door. Then they curled up on the bed and tried to read books by the
yellow glow of an oil lamp. The noises outside grew louder, more frightening. A
sudden bam shook both of them to the core – June screamed.

“Oh my God! I wish we’d never come
here! I believe we were safer in
San Francisco
!”

“I feel like I’m stuck in
The
Haunting
. That’s Taury’s favorite movie. You know, the one where Julie
Harris and some other psychic types are investigating a haunted house?”

“Yes, I like that film myself, but if
someone besides you takes hold of my hand like they did hers in the movie I’m
going to screech like a twelve year old!”

The storm took its cue; hit the sky
in a fit of hysterics. Thunder bellowed and lightning crashed. A tree toppled
over, slamming through the window, smothering the lamp.

Both women shrieked, sought refuge in
the living room.

A blast of lightning revealed a
shadow at the front door. June squealed when she saw a man’s face.

“Fawn, block the bedroom door so no
one can get in through the window!” she whispered.

“Why? Did you see someone? Maybe it’s
Taury!”

“No! It’s a big man. I’ve seen him
before.” She paused then gasped. “It’s the man who drove us to the hospital!”

“Are you sure it was Greg?”

“Yes! Oh, God, there’s another one!
Look!”

She pointed out the side window, a
huge man, illuminated by a series of lightning flares was pouring something
around the edge of the house. The potent odor of gasoline filled the air.

“It’s Greg, and Henry! They’re going
to burn down the house!” Fawn yelled as she watched the figure drop a match.

It caught the long grass in front of
him; a line of golden flames danced through the yard. The wind shifted, the
fire captured the man’s pants leg, surged up it like a snake then engulfed him
in a hell of his own making. The other man came forward, tried to roll him on
the ground. The wind smacked them both, seemed intent on swallowing them.
Finally the man smothered the fire on the other one’s clothes and pulled him
away.

The track of flames aimed itself
towards the house. Once it had a taste of the brittle old wood it savored it,
and came back for more. A few burning branches broke loose from the willow
trees, fell upon the roof, lighting it.

“We’ve got to get out of here, Mom!
Right now!”

“But those men, won’t they stop us?”

Fawn peered out, could see the lights
of a vehicle racing into the night.

“They’ve left! Come on!”

They rushed through the living room;
Fawn stopped, grabbed the tiny painting of the blue-eyed girl, slipped it into
her pocket.

They fled the tragic beach house, now
lost to a wall of fire and smoke, the smell and heat so powerful it seemed to
singe their lungs.

“There, Mom!” Fawn shouted above the
wind. She was pointing to a small shed on the edge of the property. They made
their way to it, closed the door tight behind them.

The house put on a show of fire and
light; they were the unwilling audience, watching through a round portal in the
shed’s door. Fawn cried softly as the building collapsed, thinking of Inger and
Jim, and the love they’d shared in that place. She had been imagining earlier
in the day that Taury might actually have been conceived there; and fancifully
deemed it a shrine to the passion that true love can inspire. The rain offered
a sad accompaniment to her tears, and in doing so, drowned out the fire, too
late to save the house - it was gone, forever.

EIGHTEEN

The rain swept through quickly,
leaving in its wake an eerie quiet that was unsettling.

The dawn came in a harsh mix of pale
yellows and grays. Fawn, dressed only in thin silk pajamas and her lavender
robe, shivered so violently that her teeth chattered.

Then the ear-shattering sound of
sirens lured them out of their lair. A fire engine and two police cars pulled
up. Brisby stepped out of one; came trudging over to them with a look of abject
guilt on her white face.

“I feared something would happen but
never this!” she sobbed. “The Mrs. told me to keep her informed, that’s all. I
never wanted any harm to come to you!”

“So you told Elizabeth Trahern we
were here? Then you conveniently disappeared, with my cell phone, before she
sent those damned thugs out here to do us in?” Fawn questioned her in
unsympathetic tones. She was exhausted, in pain, her knees shaking so badly she
didn’t trust them to hold her up. She leaned on her mother, who slid an arm
about her waist.