The House on Seventh Street (24 page)

Feeling a bit more enlightened, though heartbroken and astonished, she sat with Kate in the shade for an hour talking about her decision to keep both houses, her connections in the East, and how she wanted to spend more time with her daughter and grandchild. Kate was pleased to know she'd have her friend close by.

Winna went to collect her tripod. “I promise—it won't take me more than half an hour to get the picture I want.”

Returning to the window, she changed lenses and shot, capturing abstract angles in the foreground, on through an open door to an adjoining room and an old rocking chair backlit by the radiant light of a window. As she worked, the tears gathered and she tried to laugh off the thought that the lonely rocking chair could possibly stand as the symbol of her loveless future.

CHLOE WAITED
IN
her garden, a picture of loveliness lounging on the garden bench in the shade with a wild display of black-eyed Susans at her feet. She waved when Winna drove up and walked briskly toward her sister's new car—a bright blue Dodge Durango.

Emily popped out of the passenger seat. “Aunt Chloe, you sit up front with Mom,” she called, jumping into the back seat with the dogs.

Chloe gave the car a quick look. “You finally broke down and bought a new car—it's kinda inelegant and rugged for an old lady though.”

Winna smiled in recognition of the truth. “If I'm going to compete with Ansel Adams and William Henry Jackson, I'd better be able to get around off road.”

“They probably rode mules,” Chloe said, fastening her seat belt.

Winna had arranged to meet Lloyd Collins at the entrance to Unaweep Canyon. He was the man who had found her father's body. She had invited Emily and Chloe to come along. Both had said that they wanted to see the place where Henry Grumman had died. Cutting through the desert landscape, she drove south out of town toward Whitewater.

Emily leaned close. “Aunt Chloe, I finally got to meet Todd at the hospital. How's married life?”

“Things are going well. Todd's my favorite husband, so far.”

“He's really good looking. When did you meet him?”

“The year before Dad died. It was love at first sight for both of us. Juno says we knew each other in a past life.”

“Cool,” Emily said. “I've always wondered about that kind of thing. Back there—in the other life—was he a man and you a woman or vice versa?”

“Hell, I don't know, we could have been two butterflies. My sense of it is that he was man and I was woman.”

“I agree,” Winna said. “You are both so overwhelmingly male and female that I'm sure a few centuries couldn't change that.”

“When am I going to spend some time with this overwhelmingly manly man?”

“Soon, Emily, soon. I should cook dinner for all of us—or something—I've been painting like a mad woman. Speaking of mad women—Winna, when are you going to give me a key to the house? You changed the locks—again.”

“Yep, I did and I'm not giving out any keys until we know who was breaking in.”

“So you suspect me?” Chloe sounded offended.

“No. I'm just following advice.”

“Whose?”

“The police.”

“Don't worry, Chloe, she hasn't given me a key either,” Emily lied.

Whitewater and the mouth of Unaweep Canyon were only fifteen miles south of Grand Junction. Anxious about her sister's feelings—she supposed Chloe was sulking—Winna looked at her watch. They would be on time. She turned right onto State Road 141.

“We're looking for a signpost for 31 4/10 Road. Keep an eye out for Collins. He'll be on the left.”

After about a mile, they saw a brown Range Rover waiting for them in the turnoff to a dirt road. Winna pulled up beside him and rolled down her window.

“Hello,” she called to the young man she assumed was Lloyd Collins.

“Do you want to ride with me or follow?” he asked.

“I'll follow.”

He backed out and turned left on 141, the road that ran through the canyon's green fields where cattle and horses grazed, farmsteads and fences, a rancher's paradise with blue mountain vistas. As they moved south, the canyon walls changed from gray Precambrian rock to sandstone cliffs and mesas. The earth turned red, and green groves of cottonwoods gathered along the streambed.

Winna saw Collins's brake lights go on as he slowed and turned left onto a dirt road. Dust from the Rover poured over Winna's SUV. They put up the windows as the road grew steep and rocky. Winna slowed down and shifted into four-wheel drive.

“Hold on, this is steep!” Winna called out to her passengers as the road narrowed, forcing her to drive very near the edge of a deep ravine. For what seemed a very long time, they bumped along the rutted road wondering if this had been a good idea.

Lloyd Collins's Range Rover stopped. Winna pulled up behind him on the road high above a dry streambed. The women got out of the car in silence and walked to greet their guide.

Following handshakes, he said, “We're on the road where the car was found.”

“Right here,” Chloe said.

“I don't know. I wasn't here when they found it, but if you look way down there to that streambed, you'll see where we're going. I was hiking down there.”

Winna looked at the winding road. “I don't know why he took this road. When he drove me here, the road he took was in much better condition. I'm surprised that Dad was able to get his car up here—it's really steep and rough.”

“He had to push it hard to make it this far,” Collins said. “That's probably why the engine blew and the car caught on fire.”

“What on earth was he thinking?” Emily said.

Chloe knew the answer. “He knew it was time to die and came up here to be in nature.”

“Like an old Indian wandering off alone?” Emily looked skeptical.

“Yes. Those really connected with nature—”

Emily interrupted. “Why didn't he just sit here and wait for death to come instead of falling off the cliff?”

Winna was not in the mood for an argument. “We can't know the answers to these questions and never will. So let's not speculate.”

Collins asked if they would like to go down to the place where he found Henry Grumman's body. They returned to the cars and continued up before the road turned on itself and went downhill.

After descending for a while through the canyon where the streambed ran, the Range Rover came to a stop and the driver's door swung open. Feeling queasy, Winna pulled up behind and they all got out.

“Follow me,” Collins said as he prepared to walk down a slope to the streambed. “Does anyone need a hand?”

“Thanks,” Winna said as she took his arm.

Emily, in hiking boots, and Chloe, in flip-flops, scrambled down on their own. He led them across the streambed toward a rock slide.

“He was there,” he said, pointing. Coming closer to a large boulder that had fallen and diverted the stream, he stopped. “Behind there.”

“How on earth did you see him?” Winna asked.

“Just luck—how much detail do you want?” Collins looked uncomfortable.

“I don't want any detail,” Chloe snapped. “This doesn't look right. It's not what Daddy—what he—” She backed off, sobbing, and headed back up to the car.

“Excuse my aunt,” Emily said to their guide. “She's not upset with you, Lloyd. How are you doing, Mom?”

“I'm okay,” Winna said, looking at Collins. “I do want details. Please tell me.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking concerned.

“I'm sure.”

“I was walking upstream with my dog. He found the body and brought out a bone.”

“My God, that must have been terrible for you—finding him,” Winna said. “It's why I didn't search. It's like my nightmare, Emily,” she said, moving into her daughter's arms.

Collins looked down at his boots. “It's something I can't forget. I'm happy I was able to put an end to your search. It was in the papers so I guessed who he was,” he said, his voice wavering.

Winna took his hand. “Thank you, Lloyd. Now, will you two give me just a few moments here alone?”

Collins and Emily withdrew and headed back to the cars. Winna sat down on a nearby stone. “Dad—Daddy, I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I don't think you even noticed, but I neglected you.” She looked around and, seeing some weathered wood, picked it up. She found tufts of tall grass growing near the streambed and, with that, lashed two small pieces of wood together to make a cross. Placing the cross inside the enclosure where her father's body had lain, Winna prayed for the deliverance of his soul.

WINNA THOUGHT
BACK
to the morning after she had found the ring. John had called to check on her health. Trying to sound normal, truthful, she had said that she was ill. When he asked for details, she led him to believe that she had tried to go out too soon after her release from the hospital. He offered to come for a visit and she had panicked.

“I hate having company when I'm ill—I just want to hibernate. Please understand.”

He'd called that night to check on her and again the following afternoon. Winna did her best to sound under the weather. She was self-conscious about going out of the house or into the garden where he might see her. Admitting to herself that she trusted no one, she had told Seth not to come to work. After a couple of days, she concluded that she had painted herself into a corner. She called John.

“I'm much better,” she said, “but I haven't been honest with you.”

Silence.

“It's hard to explain, but I've hit a wall. I'm unsure.”

“About what?”

“Us.”

Silence.

“This is hard, John. I'm terribly fond of you, but I'm not ready to accept what you are offering. I—I can't see you anymore.”

“This is sudden. What's happened? I can't believe you are dumping me again.”

“It's me—not you. My life—all this—has overwhelmed me. I'm sorry, but after all that has happened I hope you will understand.”

Following John's attempts to reason and bargain with her, she managed to say goodbye with a finality that she hoped was convincing. She put down the phone and cried. The next day she called Seth and asked if he could show up on Saturday. She needed help with the yard sale they had scheduled for the following weekend.

ON SATURDAY MORNING, Emily arranged for a sitter to watch Isabelle and arrived at the kitchen door before Seth. The dogs barked wildly—music to Winna's ears. Emily hugged her mother and admonished the dogs for leaping on her.

“You should teach them better manners, Mom.”

“I should,” she said, “but will I?”

Emily handed her an envelope from the drugstore. “Here, I brought you a set of the pictures I took at Hanging Lake. I think I got some great shots and want a pro to have a look at them.”

Before Winna had a chance to thank her, the dogs broke into another barking frenzy. Chloe opened the unlocked door and they greeted her with jumps, kisses, and little cries of pleasure.

“What a welcome,” she said. “I love it. They are so cute, Winna. They really like me.”

“They like everybody,” Emily said.

“The muscles will be here soon.” Winna was delighted that her workforce had shown up on time. “First, we'll look through boxes and price things. Look what I bought. We get to play store.” She held up a handful of string tags and a package of stickers. “We can start with the boxes in the front hall. There are boxes in almost every room. Once they're priced, they'll go out to the garage.”

“Price everything low, right?” Emily asked.

“Not too low,” Chloe countered.

Luke and Leia loudly announced Seth's arrival at the kitchen door. After greetings, Winna put everyone to work. The women bickered about prices and tagged items for sale, Seth carried old furniture from the attic and boxes into the garage where he had set up temporary shelves and tables for display. In one of the boxes, Winna found the old apple peeler and took it to her kitchen. The dogs followed. Leia had something dangling from her mouth.

“Sit, Leia,” she commanded. Leia obeyed, offering up what looked like a rhinestone choker. “Where did you find this? Lord, help me—I hope it's not diamonds.” Just in case, she fastened it around her neck.

THAT NIGHT AFTER everyone had gone home, Winna looked at Emily's pictures of Hanging Lake. She smiled at some of the more artful shots of the waterfalls. Emily had captured close-ups of dragonflies and some wonderful shots of Hugh as he struggled up the trail with Isabelle asleep in the backpack. She smiled at the memory, then looked again at all the photos including the ones she took of Emily, Hugh, and the baby at the sidewalk cafe. She hadn't gotten the shot she wanted.

She put the pictures away, checked the doors, and made herself a light supper. Pouring a glass of wine, she picked up her senior class yearbook, which she had finally stumbled upon that day as she was going through boxes for the yard sale. Thumbing through it, she found Maggie's picture first. Her old friend smiled at her over a shoulder, blonde curls tumbling down her back. Winna kissed the image and filled up with tears. She wondered what Maggie's life had been like as John's wife. Was he good to her? Johnny Hodell looked out from the next page, dated by his crew cut. Winna knew that face lit by moonlight, the smile that summoned her into his arms, the churlish twist of his lips as he pushed her away with cruel words. Remembering who they were back then, she shuddered. A few pages back, Winna smiled at her young self, the large eyes exaggerated by her pixie haircut. Her first reaction to that fresh young face was sadness mixed with judgment against a fool. She looked again with the eyes of her heart.
I needed love.

She flipped through the rest of the yearbook looking at the faces of lower classmen, remembering few. She found Kate, as she looked then, posing without a smile under the neatly trimmed bangs of her pageboy. Near the end of the pages reserved for high school juniors, she came across the name Seth Armstrong Taylor and searched the group picture to see if she could find his face. He was there, the tallest boy in the back row, looking bored. Winna hadn't known him then.

The dogs began to bark and Winna went to the window. It was dark but headlights glared at the end of the driveway. Someone had pulled in. She drew away from the window and checked the lock on the kitchen door, then hurried to the unlit dining room and stood at the window. In the dark, she couldn't identify the car. Whoever it was backed out and drove away in the opposite direction. The driver was simply turning the car around; Winna let out a long sigh of relief.

PEOPLE FROM ALL over town came to look at the venerable old house, the garden, and the Grumman family's castoffs. Winna had planned to hold the sale on both Saturday and Sunday, but so little remained by late Saturday afternoon that she decided she would take the rest to the Salvation Army. Emily, Chloe, Todd, Hugh, and Seth helped—the women with sales and the men with loading large pieces of furniture into shoppers' cars and trucks. While they waited for customers, the guys watched baseball on the TV they had set up in the garage. Winna served sandwiches and cookies to her helpers and kept the lemonade flowing for both workers and shoppers. After lunch, the men broke out the beer.

During breaks between customers, Chloe, Winna, and Emily sat on the verandah.

“What did you think of my pictures, Mom?” Emily said with a proud smile.

“They were great—let me get them. I'll show you my favorites.” Winna disappeared into the house and reappeared with the envelope in her hand.

“Pass them down to me,” Chloe urged.

Prints in hand, Winna went through her daughter's images, giving praise and some light critique. “You have talent. Would you like to come with me on my next photo shoot? I could even teach you the darkroom.”

“Look who's here,” Chloe said, pointing toward the driveway.

John Hodell's Mercedes convertible, top down, pulled up the drive and parked. Aware of their breakup, Emily nudged her mother's side with her elbow. Winna put the pictures down.

“Why is he parking there?” Emily said.

“I don't know,” she said. “Maybe he feels entitled.”

He got out of his car and looked around, as if he were looking for someone, then turned and moved toward the tables loaded with merchandise spread out in the sun. Winna decided it would be civilized to greet him. She walked across the verandah and down the front steps.

“Hello, John,” she said, approaching a table full of old games. “Are you looking for anything special?”

He smiled. “I'm looking for you,” he said. “I miss you, Winna.”

“Now is not the best time to talk,” she said, glancing down at her bare feet, surprised to see she had walked off and left her sandals behind.

“When is the best time?” He looked hurt.

“Good question. Maybe we could have lunch sometime,” she said, backing away, disappointed with herself. Why had she opened that door?

“If that's what you want.” He glanced toward the garage and saw Hugh, Todd, and Seth, then frowned at Winna before he headed off to join them. Looking back over his shoulder, he called, “You'll hear from me.”

To Winna, it sounded like a threat.