Murder on the Cliff (31 page)

Authors: Stefanie Matteson

Lew’s glance followed Charlotte’s. “I can just envision the next Marianne Montgomery collection,” he commented with a devilish grin. “The return of pea jackets and bell bottoms.”

“She could call it ‘Anchors Aweigh’,” said Charlotte.

Lew burst into laughter.

As he joined them, Spalding figured out from the direction of their glances what they were laughing about, and adopted the expression of pained forbearance that he assumed with regard to anything that had to do with Marianne’s sexual eccentricities. Charlotte suspected, however, that he was fascinated by the ease with which his stepdaughter acquired and shed men.

“We were just observing that Marianne doesn’t seem too upset about Lester’s arrest,” said Charlotte.

“She’s not upset about the arrest, but she’s pretty damned upset about him trying to kill her. Actually, I think that’s what this is all about,” he added, nodding at the couple. “A combination of nervousness and the need for male companionship. I can’t say that I’m all that displeased about Lester’s being out of the picture,” he added. “But I’m worried about what’s coming next.”

Charlotte looked over at the handsome naval officer. “A naval officer isn’t a typical choice for Marianne,” she oberved. “Maybe the incident with Lester has inaugurated a shift toward a more conservative choice of lovers.”

“I certainly hope so,” said Spalding, with a weary shake of his white head. After a pause, he pulled a newspaper out from under his arm and opened it up to show it to Charlotte and Lew. “I thought you would be interested in seeing this,” he said.

It was a Japanese newspaper. An aerial photograph on the front page showed the Temple of Great Repose in Shimoda, the temple where Okichi had lived with Townsend Harris and which was to be the site of Okichi-
mago
’s funeral service. The courtyard in front was packed with people; others waited in long queues outside the gates.

“What are all those people doing there?” asked Charlotte.

“Pilgrims,” said Spalding. “Okichi-
mago
and Shawn are the front-page story in every newspaper in Japan. They’re calling it the greatest love story of the century.” He turned to the second page, which showed photographs of Okichi-
mago
and Shawn, both individually and together. “Lovers are flocking to the temple from all over the country to pay homage to them.”

“It’s like
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
,” said Charlotte. “Immortality in this world and the next.”

“Exactly,” said Spalding. “They’ve been beatified.”

They were joined by Just-call-me-Ken, whose eyes shined behind his sporty aviator glasses.

“I see that you’ve seen the newspaper,” he said. “I got a call from Kanazashi-
san
in Shimoda this morning. He says his hotel is full of pilgrims who have come to visit the temple. He wants to organize a tour for the Japanese to visit the temple in Newport. I’m going to work with him on it. Our goal is to make the Newport festival as big as the Shimoda festival.”

“If the story of Okichi and Townsend Harris could become a legend, I suppose the story of Okichi-
mago
and Shawn could become an even bigger legend,” said Lew. “Maybe Yoshino Electronics will make a movie of it,” he added.

“I’m too old to play the part this time,” Charlotte said as she looked again at the newspaper. A close-up showed a young couple laying a bouquet of red camellias on the gallery of the temple.

As she looked up, she caught a glimpse of a tall, distinguished-looking man out of the corner of her eye. He was talking with Paul Harris. It was Jack Lundstrom, her fourth husband. Like Paul, he was an art collector. As a successful businessman, he had plenty of money to spend on art, and he had amassed a valuable collection of modern paintings. Charlotte guessed they were talking about the influence of the
ukiyo-e
artists on the modernists.

Turning her head, she caught Connie’s eye, and fixed her with the accusing stare that had often withered her leading men.

Connie’s blue eyes sparkled as she made her way across the terrace. “Isn’t it nice that Jack could make it to the party,” she said as she reached Charlotte’s side. “He just happened to be in town, and I invited him to come. I knew he’d enjoy meeting Paul.”

“He just
happened
to be in town?” said Charlotte sarcastically.

Connie smiled. “He’s going to be staying with us tonight,” she said. “I knew you wouldn’t mind. You two are such good friends.”

Charlotte took a sip of her drink and thought again of her dream. She had thought that when she saw Jack, she would know which to choose: the temple or the cathedral. But she was just as confused as ever. More so, because his intentions, which had been vague before, were now clear. He wouldn’t have come to Newport if he weren’t seeking a reconciliation. The thought of the dream reminded her of Aunt Lillian, who had spent fifty-six years out in the ocean on her white rock. “Where’s Aunt Lillian?” she asked.

“She just called,” said Connie. “She said she wasn’t feeling up to coming. She’s been working on her will. She says she has to be ready when the time comes. But she’s been saying that for the last twenty-five years. She asked me to give you a message. I didn’t really understand it, but she wanted me to pass it along exactly as she said it. Maybe you’ll understand. Sometimes I think her mind isn’t what it used to be.”

“What’s the message?” asked Charlotte.

“She wanted me to tell you that she’s leaving you the Japanese wisteria chest. She said to be sure to tell you that it’s for your temple, the temple of your dreams.”

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Drew Padrutt

ISBN: 978-1-5040-3713-6

This edition published in 2016 by
MysteriousPress.com
/Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

180 Maiden Lane

New York, NY 10038

www.openroadmedia.com