The Precipice (4 page)

A shiver ran down Elizabeth’s back at the thought of the tunnels. They were cold, damp, and dark and they just gave her the creeps. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to explore them and did her best to push that thought from her mind.

After finishing the first round, Rashelle reached over and refilled their glasses. The wine was starting to take effect and Elizabeth was enjoying its warmth. They had been catching up for a lengthy period of time, what seemed like only minutes to them, when the last giggle faded to silence. Only the crackling of the fire in the fireplace was audible. Rashelle decided it was time to fill her in on what had been going on at the inn. Her face turned serious and she leaned over to place her wine glass on the table. She scooted ever so slightly forward in her chair, folded her arms as if in a hug, and looked deeply into Elizabeth’s eyes. Suddenly Lizzi became very uncomfortable. It wasn’t as bad as when Kurt was holding her hand because she knew Rashelle. But it was as if they were both searching for something inside of her. Obviously something was awry. Rashelle began in whispers.

“Elizabeth, I need to tell you what’s been going on here. I’m sure your grandmother hasn’t told you much, if anything. And this probably shouldn’t come from me, but you really need to know.”

Elizabeth sat perfectly still, not breathing. She wondered what she going to reveal; what had her grandmother kept from her
?
She finally found her voice, “Girard’s disappearance?”

“No. We’re not really concerned that that will turn into anything. Apparently it’s happened before. Actually, what is worrying Amelia is some attorney—I think he’s from New Jersey—who is pressuring her to sell.”

“Sell what…the inn?” She was incredulous. Her voice rising with each word.

Rashelle tried to bring the volume back down. “Yes! I don’t think she would ever do it. It would break her heart to see this place fall out of the family holdings. But this guy has been relentless. But that’s not even the worst of it.”

“…It’s not?” Elizabeth held her breath again, this time freeing her hand of the wine glass by placing it on the table next to Rashelle’s. She pressed her hands together as if about to pray and wedged them between her legs near her knees. She looked expectantly into Rashelle’s eyes.

The creaking wooden foyer floor announced the arrival of Amelia and Anthony into the lobby. Amelia bid goodnight to her head chef as he headed out the front door and she headed toward the sitting room. Kurt must have left through a different door. “Well, girls, it’s getting late. I’m going to turn in. You might think about doing the same.”

“We will, Nana. We’re almost caught up.” Elizabeth didn’t dare look at Rashelle. They both wished Amelia a good night. After watching her ascend the carpeted stairs to the left of the front desk, they turned and looked at each other.

Elizabeth spoke first. “Okay…Go on,” she pressed her.

“Oh, Elizabeth. I don’t know if I should—”

“What! You’ve gone this far. If she asks, just tell my grandmother that I dragged it out of you. Now, spill.”

“Okay, okay. The worst of it…is that the fourteen-year-old daughter of one of our guests is missing. The parents didn’t say anything right away because they thought she had taken a longer walk around the grounds than expected. When she didn’t show up for dinner last night, they thought she just made other plans. By noon today, they asked to speak to Amelia. She called Chief Austin who was tied up and didn’t show up until dinner time. He left just before you got here. He had his men searching the property, walking through the woods, but couldn’t accomplish a lot in the waning light. He said he’ll come back in the morning. Just between you and me, I think the parents are afraid she ran away.”

That wasn’t the only possibility of what could have happened to her around here.

There were many other possibilities, including getting swept off the rocks by the lighthouse by a rogue wave. Elizabeth recalled a story that surfaced periodically about a little girl and her father who were swept away by just such a wave. It’s not all that common, yet warnings are posted near danger areas, such as the Pennington Point Lighthouse, specifically for the unsuspecting tourist. The tragic story of the little girl and her father must have happened quite a while ago because Elizabeth didn’t remember it happening; only the stories people have told since. Of course, as a lot of stories go, the details change along the way. Sometimes it was a little girl and her mother. Either way, it was a tragic story.

Elizabeth sank back in her chair and took a deep breath. This was all Nana needed. The daily stress of running the inn was taking its toll, but the latest couple of developments could prove to be too much for her. The last thing she needed was the bad publicity from a police investigation. This could also feed into this attorney’s intentions.

They finished off the bottle of wine well after midnight and decided to call it a night. Elizabeth thought she had never felt this tired before. It took everything she had to hoist herself out of her chair. Hopefully things would look better in the morning light.

Elizabeth headed to her car out in front of the inn to retrieve her belongings. She was not going to bother moving her little Z4 until morning. The only thing she could think about right now was getting some much needed sleep. When she reached in from the driver’s side she noticed her cell phone on the passenger seat next to her overnight bag. “Shit!” She had forgotten to call Vera. Somehow it had never crossed her mind during the long drive up. Picking up the phone, she noticed that she had missed two calls. They were probably both Vera. Well, she would have to deal with her in the morning.

____________

With the strap of her overnight bag slung over her left shoulder, Elizabeth eased open the door to her great aunt’s room. She paused in the doorway and peered into the dark room, fully expecting to see Cecelia fast asleep under the covers. She winced as she flipped the switch on the wall inside the door that illuminated the small ceramic floral lamp on the table next to the bed on the left side of the room. She felt herself breathing a sigh of relief. Her great aunt would have been in bed long before now so she must have taken a different room after all. That was uncharacteristically nice of her. Certainly not the Aunt Cecelia she remembered from her childhood.

Elizabeth stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. She was so completely exhausted, and feeling the effects of too much wine, that she decided not to bother changing into the comfortable sweats she usually sported at bed time. She tossed her bag onto a small chair with a woven cane seat next to the window looking out to sea on the right side of the room. A faint creaking sound emanated from the obvious antique. It was one of a pair of chairs placed like bookends on either side of the small round table in front of the large picture window. It was the perfect spot to enjoy the start of the day with a strong cup of Earl Grey or to watch dusk creep over the estate with a glass of dry merlot before heading downstairs for a late dinner.

Elizabeth grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste from the side pocket of her bag and quickly made her way to the bathroom, tucked to the left of the bed. After freshening up, she headed straight for the bed, pulling her shirt out of her slacks and unbuttoning the French cuffs of the white cotton shirt, to give herself more wiggle room while she was sleeping. She turned off the table lamp next to the bed. Slipping quietly under the covers, she felt her whole body starting to relax. She breathed in the faint lilac scent that was ironed into the bed linens for that extra special touch for which the inn was famous. Her eyes closed and she quickly started to drift off. She didn’t notice her great aunt open her door and peek in as if checking on her. The door made a soft click when it closed. Elizabeth opened her eyes for a moment, but was too tired to move, so she closed them again until morning.

Chapter 4

A
fter a restless night’s sleep, Elizabeth awoke to the annoying ring of her cell phone. She was groggy from the long drive and one too many glasses of wine the night before, but she knew who it was. Elizabeth reached for the phone on the bed side table where she had tossed it in the wee hours of the morning. She sat straight up as she read the caller ID.

“Hey, Vera,” trying to sound up-beat and positive. She cringed in anticipation of what was coming.

“ELIZABETH! WHERE ARE YOU?” Her voice sent a shiver down her spine. “We have a lot of work to do! I expected to see you in the office first thing this morning so we could get started.”

Elizabeth had the strange feeling that Vera knew where she was already. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.
Stay calm.
She struggled to keep from getting sucked into Vera’s emotions.
“Vera, I’m sorry.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. “I forgot to call you last night. My grandmother asked me to come up and give her a hand with some things—”

“ELIZABETH! Where is your sense of priority? Drescher is our biggest client and a real power broker in this city. This is not someone you ever want to disappoint. He knows how to make things happen and he can make things happen for us. He is entrusting us with one of his biggest projects ever. How can you run off at a time like this?”

Run off? She is heading for the deep end. She needs a lifeline before she goes over the edge.
“Vera. I brought supplies with me to get started—”

“Get started? You know how we operate. We brainstorm together. We sit in the same room and think out loud together. That’s how we work best. What were you thinking?!” Her voice was loud and grating on her nerves. Elizabeth struggled to remain calm. A tension headache was creeping up the back of her neck. She stood up and started pacing around the room. She could think better on her feet.

“Vera. We can work separately first, and then get together to hash through some ideas. Our time could be better spent if we came up with some original concepts on our own.”
Uh-oh.
Elizabeth was afraid she had just overstepped an invisible line.
Was Vera worried she wouldn’t come up with anything fresh?
“I can fax you what I come up with from here.” She was throwing her a bone. Would she grab it or leave it right where it had landed?

“…Alright, but I want you to keep in touch. Jack is already asking to meet with us again. He particularly wants to talk with you about this. I’ll give him your cell number so you can consult with him while you are away. But you take care of whatever it is that your grandmother needs taking care of and get right back here. Keep in mind you can always hire someone to take care of a lot of things. And let me know when you will be back.”

Her voice was still firm and demanding, but she seemed to be softening a bit. Maybe she was beginning to realize how unreasonable she was being. There was no need to be so bent out of shape and to treat her like this. No wonder she had trouble keeping staff. Elizabeth wondered why
she put up with her.
She hung up and rubbed her forehead with her hand. Her head was throbbing. She threw her phone onto the flowered coverlet that was bunched up on the bed and shook her head.

The bright spot of the morning was the brilliant sunshine spilling in through the windows. The sun always lifted her spirits; she couldn’t wait to get outside. Perhaps she would take her sketch pad on a walk down to the lighthouse. Then she remembered the inn’s famous brunch and Amelia’s French toast. The lighthouse would have to wait.

A knock at the door startled Elizabeth, but was followed by a familiar voice. She smiled and let Rashelle in. She was carrying a tray laden with covered dishes and a vase with a long stemmed yellow rose from Amelia’s garden.

“Breakfast, sleepy head!”

“Oh, Rashelle. Thanks. You didn’t have—”

“Well, of course I did. Brunch only runs for twenty more minutes and I knew you wouldn’t want to miss the French toast.”

Rashelle carried the tray over to the windows and placed it on the small table with a floral tablecloth on it that did not match the floral bedspread. Elizabeth glanced at the clock next to the bed and noticed it was later than she realized. “Ten-forty! How did it get to be that late?”

“Yeah, Amelia has been asking for you. I think she wants to see you as soon as you can get downstairs.” Rashelle offered no details, but scurried out the door under the guise of returning to work.

Breakfast tasted even better than she had remembered. She savored every bite, while watching the sea gulls circling outside the window. They were mesmerizing. She had a front row seat to the ocean. After finishing the very last morsel of her scrumptious meal, Elizabeth pulled herself away from nature‘s performance and made her way to the bathroom. She showered quickly, left her bed looking like she had just rolled out of it and went in search of her grandmother.

____________

On her way out the front door of the inn, Elizabeth noticed there were two squad cars parked on the circular driveway. Chief Austin must be back to continue the search for the girl. She headed in the direction of the garden, a half-acre plot located twenty-five yards behind the main building of the inn and surrounded by a white picket fence. An oversized gate on the side facing the inn enabled the roto-tiller to pass through the opening for the spring tilling. Elizabeth was pleased to find her grandmother puttering busily in her garden. Amelia looked up as her granddaughter reached the gate and smiled warmly. She took off her gardening gloves and placed them next to the basket she was using to collect herbs and squash, but left her wide-brimmed rattan hat on her head, meeting Elizabeth at the gate.

“Well, hello, Elizabeth. You’re finally up and about.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m afraid you missed brunch, through.”

“Oh, Rashelle made sure I didn’t. She brought a tray to my room.”

Amelia chuckled. “What a good friend. She really looks out for you.”

“Yes, she does. It’s great to see her—to see everyone.”

“It’s wonderful for us to see you, too. It’s been a long time. We’ve missed you.” Amelia paused. She sensed she might be making Elizabeth feel a little guilty so she quickly changed the subject. “Let’s take a walk down to the light,” she urged as she closed the gate behind her. Elizabeth was always up for a walk, but this time she had a feeling that the conversation would not be pleasant. They started across the side yard toward the path to the lighthouse. The breeze off the ocean tugged at the brim of Amelia’s hat. She reached up and held it down with the palm of her hand until they reached the path where the trees protected them from the wind off the water.

“Elizabeth, thank you so much for coming up on such short notice like this.”

“Nana, I would do anything for you. You know that.”

“And I really appreciate that. Things are somehow always better when you’re around.” They shared a smile between them. Amelia had a tired twinkle in her eye. “Elizabeth, I don’t know how much Rashelle told you last evening, but there are some things that are going on that I think you should know about.” She glanced over to see if there was a nod of acknowledgement from her granddaughter.

“Shelle did tell me about the missing guest and, of course, the real estate attorney…”

“Yeah, he’s been a bit annoying…rather persistent, that one. If I didn’t know better, I would wonder if the disappearance has anything to do with him. I have a feeling he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

“Nana!” Elizabeth scolded. Her feet stopped abruptly on the path.

Amelia stopped a few feet away. She turned back to see her granddaughter’s look of disbelief and disappointment. “Oh, I’m not entirely serious. He has just worn me to a frazzle. I don’t know where to turn at this point. He calls, writes letters. He won’t let up.” She grabbed Elizabeth by the arm and started her moving back down the path. “That’s why I asked you to come. I just need a little help with this one. It’s getting to be too much for me. I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Elizabeth hated to hear those words. She knew they were true. She couldn’t imagine the inn without Nana. She couldn’t imagine life without Nana. She took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts out of her mind for the moment.

“I’m a little concerned about this girl’s disappearance. With these woods and the rocks at the lighthouse…well, it just doesn’t seem like there could be a happy ending in all of this. It has already been since Thursday afternoon since anyone has seen her. What if one of the other guests did something to her? I can’t even bear that thought. I haven’t let Chief Austin near the guests yet. I really don’t want to involve them…upset them until we absolutely have to. Of course, he thinks I’m jeopardizing the entire investigation.”

“I hate to say it, Nana, but he may have a point. If one of the guests did do something, he’s not going to stick around long enough to be interrogated the next day.” Amelia shot her a look of concern.

Elizabeth suddenly wished she hadn’t gone so far. “But really, that probably isn’t the situation anyway. It may just be a matter of the girl wandering off, not knowing the area, and finding herself somewhere that she is not familiar. Thank goodness it’s summer so the nights aren’t terribly cold. It could be a lot worse. The Chief and his men will find her this morning. You’ll see,” she reassured her grandmother. She only wished she could believe her own words. She didn’t have a good feeling about any of this.

A snap of a twig in the woods a few yards in startled the two so they stopped and listened. They couldn’t see anything. The woods got thick just a few steps off of the path so whatever made the sound was out of sight. They both dismissed the sound as a couple of scampering squirrels and started back down the path.

Elizabeth was anxious to keep the conversation going so she continued even though they were walking single file down a narrow section of the path. “So, now what about Girard?” she asked speaking loudly to send her voice over her grandmother’s shoulder.

“Oh, I spoke to his brother, Renard, this morning and he told me Girard had returned. He said his errand to find the right parts for the riding lawn mower took longer than expected. He had to travel quite a distance and try a few places before he was successful.”

Elizabeth shuddered to herself. The mere mention of Renard’s name gave her the creeps. She just wished he would leave her alone. She wished he didn’t work at the inn. She would have to try to avoid him while she was there. “So you haven’t actually seen him. But Renard says he’s back.”

“Yes. I have no reason not to believe him.” She turned and looked back with a puzzled expression on her face. “Besides, I think I have more important things to worry about right now.”

Elizabeth had to agree.

Amelia stopped at the bluff overlooking the lighthouse. The two Penningtons leaned against the railing looking out to sea. “You know. I hate to admit it, but this guy has me thinking about what it would be like if I did sell the place.”

“Oh, Nana, you don’t mean it!”

She paused to gather her thoughts. “Elizabeth…I have been doing this my whole life. Believe it or not, I’m getting tired.” She took her granddaughter by the shoulders and looked squarely into her eyes. She spoke softly. “There is no one to take over. It takes an awful lot to run a place like this. I’m not sure I have what it takes anymore. Maybe it’s time for a change…for all of us. You have your career in the city and there is nothing wrong with that. No one is asking or expecting you to give up everything you’ve worked so hard for.”

Elizabeth felt herself reeling, “Well, Rashelle is working out well. You could give her more responsibility and I could check in from time to time.” She was desperate to change her grandmother’s mind. She was giving in too easily.

“Lizzi, you can’t do a good job of running a place this size by checking in once in a while. You would spread yourself too thin and do neither job well. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t had a long time to think about this. It’s not exactly a snap decision.”

“But the inn has been in the Pennington family for generations,” she choked on her words. A tremendous wave of guilt flooded over her. She had left home and gone off to the big city in search of a place to establish herself as a designer, leaving everyone behind to carry on with the inn. Now her grandmother was considering the wild suggestion of a greedy attorney whose only intentions were personal gain
.
“I could make it work,” she continued to plead. Her world was slipping out from underneath her. She grew up here. How could she possibly say goodbye to all of this? Her heart was breaking wide open. She was fighting back the tears.

“Elizabeth, things would be different if your parents were alive. Unfortunately things turned out differently than we all expected. Life works that way sometimes.” She felt as though she was throwing far too much at her granddaughter. So much of this was falling on Elizabeth’s shoulders even though she had no control over it.

This was probably not the best time to broach the subject, but Elizabeth really wanted to know what had happened to her mother and father so many years ago when she was too young to remember or understand. She needed to know now. “Nana, could you tell me what happened to my parents? I know we never speak of it…but I really would like to know.”

“Oh, I know we never really talked about it over the years. And you deserve to know. Unfortunately, no one really knows
exactly
what happened. Do you remember them at all?” She was changing the subject slightly. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. “Your parents loved you so very much. Either one would have given their life for you.”

Elizabeth stared intently at her grandmother as Amelia paused to gather her thoughts. Voices from below caused them both to turn. They saw the police chief and the inn’s tennis pro making their way up the path from the lighthouse toward them. Chief Austin was a man of insignificant stature and a little extra weight around his middle. He had a large round head with a receding hairline of stringy, almost oily, short, white hair. He was carrying a clear plastic bag at his side that he held close to his leg as if he were trying to be as discreet as possible about it. There was something light purple in the bag, some sort of fabric. Perhaps an article of clothing. Evidence? The two seemed like an odd couple of people to hook up. She wondered if the chief was questioning Kurt. There was something about Kurt that Elizabeth found intriguing. She was trying very hard to push away the feeling, but it surfaced involuntarily. Her stomach felt like a couple of Monarchs had just emerged from their cocoons. She willed herself to get a hold of herself. She had a nagging feeling that he could be a suspect. Something was making her feel very uncomfortable. The two men stopped at the bluff to join them.

“Well, good morning, gentlemen,” Amelia offered.

“Good morning, ladies,” the chief responded.

“Ladies,” Kurt nodded and remained slightly behind the chief. Elizabeth averted her eyes from his.

“Amelia, I wonder if I might have a moment of your time.” The chief kept to the business at hand.