The Gilded Curse: Will the young heiress be the next victim of her family's curse? (35 page)

“So why do they have to? Does someone have to be on duty all the time?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The Coast Guard has asked us to have someone continually. They simply don’t have the manpower to assign to the island full-time.”

“So I guess they still think there’s a threat.”

He nodded, which was all he could do for now. He couldn’t tell her the Coast Guard was putting pressure on the management to close the island early and send everyone home. Last he heard, even President Roosevelt worried about his friends on Jekyll being unprotected. Prentice was holding off as long as possible. The club needed the money to survive, and now that both the tennis and golf tournaments had been cancelled, the revenue was far below the season’s normal income.

When they reached the chapel, he unlocked the back door and let Lexie in, turning on the lights as he entered. She waited for him, then followed him over to the piano.

“Why don’t you sit over there and get comfortable?” He pointed to the first pew. “It’ll be at least an hour before the minister arrives.”

Lexie seated herself in a spot where he could see her if he glanced to his left. Her gaze fell on the stained glass window behind the altar as he sat down on the piano bench and began to play.

Lexie focused on the rich blues and reds in the stained glass image while the piano music resonated through the small chapel, carrying her back through the years.

“Grandmother, what are those people doing in that picture?”

“They’re coming to worship the Christ Child.”

“The baby?”

“Yes, dear. That’s the baby Jesus, the Christ Child.”

“Is that his mother holding him?”

“Yes, Alexandra. That’s his mother, Mary.”

“Are those other people his friends?”

Grandmother’s tender eyes smiled down on her, warming her heart. “Yes, dear. They were his friends so they brought him presents.”

“I want to give him a present too.”

“You can, Alexandra. You can give him your love.”

“But how can I give him that? I can’t wrap it in a box.”

“No, but you can give it to him by praying to him every day.”

“I can do that!”

“Of course you can, sweetheart.”

Lexie’s eyes misted remembering the child who sat here looking at the picture with her grandmother. Somehow, she had forgotten the conversation. But the years between vanished as Russell played hymns that struck a chord of familiarity in her heart.

When did her mother’s fear of the chapel erase the comfort she remembered now? Why did she accept those fears as truth? Mother had been wrong. And now she knew Mother had been ill, mentally, until she had completely lost touch with reality. Mother’s beliefs were not hers, and neither was her illness.

She closed her eyes, letting the music penetrate the walls the years had built, the soothing rhythm saturating her with peace. She hadn’t proved to be much of a friend to the Christ Child, having given up her habit of prayer for many years. Was He upset with her for forgetting Him? Would He let her make it up to Him if she started again?

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for forgetting you. I truly want to know you again. I don’t have a family anymore, so I’d really like to be part of yours, if you’ll let me. I’m scared, because there are bad people around, and I don’t know who they are or what they want, much less why they’d hurt an innocent old man like Abner Jones. Could you please help me understand what they want at the cottage? And dear Lord, please make Abner well
.

Before she opened her eyes, another image appeared. A secret hiding place. Only she, Robert, and their father knew about it, and now she was the only one left.

Chapter 38

“T
he wind has picked up.” Russell glanced at the sky as they walked to the clubhouse for lunch after church. Occasional strong gusts pushed the palm trees sideways and whistled around the building. “Looks like there’s another cold front coming.”

“And it was so pretty and clear this morning too.” Lexie held on to her hat as the wind whipped her hair. “I had hoped to enjoy the fresh air today after last week’s dreary weather.”

“Well, you know our winters in the South. Cold one day, warm the next. This one might blow through pretty fast, and afterwards it’ll probably be cooler, but clear again.”

They entered the dining room where the Maurice sisters waved them over. Lexie didn’t recognize the other people at the table. Marian introduced Lexie and Russell to her nephew and his wife and invited them to join.

Lexie wanted to talk to Russell about what she remembered in the chapel, but privately. However, it was rude not to accept the sisters’ invitation after staying there the past two weeks. The newly-arrived relatives caught everyone up on the rest of the family back home in Pennsylvania. Like so many others, the people in their community were involved in the war effort, with more and more men volunteering for the military.

The government had stopped the sale of new cars, which especially annoyed the couple, who wanted to purchase a new model. Apparently, giving up that opportunity proved too much a sacrifice for them. Lexie bit her tongue, afraid she might offend the guests if she revealed her true feelings about their selfishness.

After the meal, Russell checked his watch and pushed back from the table.

“Please excuse me. I have some business to attend to.”

“On a Sunday? My dear, don’t you ever take a day off?” Peg said, shaking her head.

“Not during the season, I’m afraid.” Russell smiled at the group and stood. “However, I don’t mind. It’s my favorite time of year, since I get to see you lovely ladies.”

The sisters giggled. “Russell, you charmer. Run along now, if you must.”

Lexie gazed up at Russell, wanting to go with him. She had really hoped to spend the day with him but then remembered he was relieving one of the guards that afternoon. She almost offered to ride patrol with him but suppressed the urge. No doubt the idea wouldn’t be met with approval. But maybe he had time to visit Abner before he went on duty.

“Russell, I’d like to check on Abner. Will you be going by there?”

He glanced at his watch again. “Sure. Are you ready to go now?” Lexie looked at the others at the table and smiled. “Please excuse me. It was a pleasure to meet you. I’ll see you later at Hollybourne.”

On their way to the infirmary, they talked about the newcomers and the news they’d brought. Before Lexie had a chance to tell Russell what was on her mind, they had arrived. She’d have to wait until later.

Abner sat on the side of the bed staring out the window as they walked in.

“Good day, Abner. You going somewhere?” Russell teased the older man.

“I’m ready, if they’ll let me. Tired of lying around here.”

“How’s that head doing?” Russell placed his hand on the man’s sloped shoulder. The bandage wasn’t as thick as it had been.

“Doc says it’s healing up. Guess my head’s pretty hard.”

Russell laughed, and Lexie thought she saw the hint of a smile on Abner’s face.

“Well, thank God for that!” Russell chuckled, patting Abner’s shoulder.

“Mr. Jones, can we get you anything?” Lexie moved closer to the bed.

“No, miss, but thank you. I just wanna get out of here.”

“You will when you’re all healed up.” Russell stepped away from the bed. “Sorry Abner, but we need to go now. Good to see you looking better.”

As Lexie turned to walk away, Abner put his hand on her arm. “Miss, I just thought of something.”

Her heart halted. What had he remembered?

“Yes?”

“Do you think you could get me a radio? It’s pretty quiet in here, and I don’t read much.”

She blew out a breath. “Of course. We can find one, can’t we, Russell?”

“Sure. Be right on it.”

When they left the room, Lexie turned to Russell. “For a minute, I thought he had remembered something.”

“Yeah, me too. Well, maybe he still will at some point.”

Outside, the overcast sky had darkened to gunmetal gray. Russell checked the time again. “Lexie, I really need to get to the stables. Do you mind walking back alone? I think you can get to Hollybourne before the rain starts.”

“No, of course not. You go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you later. Promise.” He winked and gave her that endearing dimpled smile.

“I hate for you to be out in a storm on horseback. How long will you be on duty?”

“Should be at least eight hours. But don’t worry. I’ve got some dungarees to change into and a slicker in the barn.”

“Take care, then. I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely!” He kissed her on the forehead and walked away.

Although it was windy, the air was balmy and tropical, the way southern weather feels just before a storm. Lexie hiked along the road with her head lowered against the wind. An occasional strong gust pushed her hard enough to make her stagger. What would it feel like to be here in a hurricane if this was just a cold front?

Even though she’d pass right by Hollybourne, Lexie had to make another stop first.

Destiny looked lonely sitting by itself at the end of the compound, or did she just feel guilty about not going there since she found Abner? She shuddered at the memory of him lying on the floor in his dried blood. She shook her head to get the image out. Abner was fine, thank God.

She looked up at the roof and noticed some new shingles, indicating the workmen had replaced the damaged ones. Was the work on the house finished yet? She didn’t have a chance to ask Russell about it. When she stepped onto the porch, she noticed the trim around the door and windows had been painted. She hadn’t requested that work, but it definitely improved the appearance of the exterior. Based on the odor,
the paint was still fresh, maybe even wet. A glance to her left confirmed her suspicion. A can of paint sat beside the wall next to another can holding brushes. The workers must’ve tried to get some painting done yesterday after the rain quit but left everything to resume on Monday.

Not wanting to get any paint on her clothes, Lexie decided to use the back door instead, assuming it probably hadn’t been painted. The wind whipped the trees back and forth as she hurried around to the rear. She was right. The back door still looked as aged and weather-beaten as it had before. She pulled it open and stepped in, hearing thunder rumble in the distance. The smell of paint and new wood greeted her as she entered the kitchen. A quick glance around assured her she was alone. Not that she expected anyone to be there on Sunday, but she didn’t want anyone else to see the secret place if it still existed.

She walked over to the dumbwaiter and pulled up on the handle. The metal cage inside was empty of any worker’s tools. Good. They wouldn’t be in her way. She leaned in and looked around, but what she looked for would be difficult to see from where she stood. She would have to climb inside. Her heavy coat was too bulky, so she dropped it on the floor. Getting in a space just big enough for trunks and suitcases wasn’t as easy as it had been ten years ago when she was a good bit smaller.

Lexie strained to see in the dim light of the small elevator, dark and quiet, with very little light coming from the opening—like a tomb. She shuddered. Strange that she ever thought it was a fun place to hide.

She raised her fingers to the top of the cage and ran them along the openings until her fingers hit solid metal. Peering up into the shaft, she saw the shape of a box. It was still there. She and Robert had found it one day when they were playing. When they asked their father what it was, he said, “a secret hiding place.”

She never saw the inside of it, but always wondered what was hidden there. She’d imagined all kinds of things when she was a child—did Father keep a souvenir, a favorite rock, or maybe even gold coins, like a pirate? Father never told them anything else, and she never saw him remove it. Surely it was empty now. But maybe there really was something important inside it. And maybe it was what someone else wanted.

How could she get to it though? It was on top of the outside of the cage. She groped around the inside edge of the dumbwaiter. At the edge where the top and side joined, she felt a latch, one like that on a jewelry
box. She pushed it this way and that, heard a click, and a small hatch door creaked open, creating a gap which appeared large enough to get the box through. She reached her hand up through the space, but the box was attached firmly by a clasp on each end. As she struggled to unhook one of them, a deafening clap of thunder shook the house. She jumped and her hand pushed the clasp open. Her arms grew heavy while she worked to free the box over her head.

The back door slammed and she jerked, cutting her wrist on the metal opening. “Ouch!” came out in reaction to the sudden pain. Was someone there? Did they hear her? Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she listened for more sounds. But all she heard was the roar of the wind and raindrops pelting the house. The wind must’ve caught the door again. Why hadn’t they fixed that yet?

She couldn’t stop yet, not before she got the box. Trying not to think about the rusty cut on her wrist, she worked until she finally got the other clasp open, then maneuvered the box to fit through the opening. As it tilted into the space, she grabbed its edges and pulled it inside. Was this what they’d been looking for? The metal box was heavy, but she couldn’t tell if it contained anything. She shook it, but nothing rattled. She tried to open it, but couldn’t. She could barely see anything now since it had become so dark outside. She’d have to get out of the cage and carry the box to a window for a better look.