Chapter Thirteen

At ten thirty on Saturday morning, Kate changed into a pair of silky olive pants and a warm beige twinset. She was meeting Livvy for lunch after doing some Internet research at the library, and she enjoyed the chance to put on a pretty outfit even though she and Livvy weren’t going anyplace that required a particularly nice dress code.

After fastening on a beaded necklace, Kate slipped into a pair of comfortable beige pumps and transferred the contents of her handbag into one that matched the pumps. Then she headed for the library.

Livvy was busy. Kate slipped by her with a wink and a wave and went straight upstairs to the computers.

Quickly, she slid into one of the few empty seats and opened an Internet browser. Although she had done a search on “Emmaline Ashford” at home last week, she wanted to try it again on the faster, more powerful computers in case a link showed up that she hadn’t seen before. And this time, she was going to try more specific sites.

First, she brought up the home page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With Livvy’s library code, she was able to gain access to the entire paper. She typed “Emmaline Ashford” into the search box and hit Enter.

A moment later, she saw she had gotten no results.

There were a few other options. She also searched on the Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer, both of which featured local news. But she found no news about one Emmaline Ashford. On a hunch, Kate ran a search for “Emmaline Ash,” but she came up with the same results.

She sighed. She’d have to try being less specific. This time, she just searched for “Ashford” on the Inquirer site. If Emmaline’s husband had indeed passed away, perhaps his obituary would be listed. Or perhaps she would get lucky, and something would have been posted recently about one of Emmaline’s articles.

A few minutes later, she came up empty yet again. It was as if Emmaline didn’t exist. Not a single mention at all, even for just “Ashford.” It was hard to believe there were no Ashfords in Philadelphia. Perhaps they were all quiet and unnewsworthy people.

Sighing again, she gave up. It was time to meet Livvy for lunch, anyway.

Kate was just closing the Internet connection when she heard her name called. She turned to see Livvy walking toward her. Her sedate navy suit and accessories made her look every inch the librarian, particularly when one noticed the glasses pushed haphazardly atop her head and the pencil she’d obviously forgotten she’d tucked behind one ear.

Kate greeted her, then reached out and gently removed the pencil. “Here.”

Livvy rolled her eyes, accepting the writing instrument and stashing it in her handbag. “Sheesh. You can’t take me anywhere, can you?”

Kate laughed. “Ready to eat?”

“Famished!” Livvy tugged open the door and motioned to Kate to precede her.

They walked the short distance to the diner. Kate shared her excitement over the impending visit from Andrew and his family the very next day.

Moments later, the friends were seated at one of the blue vinyl booths along the wall.

“Afternoon, ladies,” drawled LuAnne Matthews. The waitress was wearing a polyester dress and a white apron tied around her sturdy waist. Horn-rimmed glasses dangled from a jeweled chain around her neck until she snatched them up and perched them on her nose. “What can I get y’all today? Special’s chicken-noodle soup and tuna salad on our tasty ol’ homemade bread.” She paused, her pencil hovering expectantly over the order pad in her hand.

“The special sounds good to me,” Kate said. “And could I have hot tea?”

“Sure thing, honey,” said LuAnne with a grin.

“Coffee for me,” Livvy offered. “And the special works for me too, LuAnne.”

LuAnne scribbled on her pad and then ripped the top sheet off with a flourish. “I’ll be back faster’n a possum crossin’ the road on a hot day!” She winked and then whisked away.

Kate and Livvy looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Now there’s an image I won’t forget,” Livvy said. “So. Tell me what’s going on with your new friend’s drama.”

“That’s an excellent word for it.” Then Kate said, “So let me tell you all the things she’s told me—and some she hasn’t.”

She went on to enumerate the finding of the wig, the discovery of the sneakers, finding the hospital bracelets and the prescription medication bottle, and the existence of Emmaline’s sister, Francie. She told Livvy about Emmaline’s plea for silence when she arrived to visit the previous afternoon. Then she repeated the odd conversation she overheard between Francie and her husband. She sat back and crossed her arms when she had finished.

Livvy said, “Gracious! I agree, it does sound as if she’s deliberately hiding something, doesn’t it?”

“At this point, I’m positive that she is,” Kate said. “Did I ever tell you what Dr. McLaughlin said to me?” She repeated her conversation with the physician in which he had insisted that she not worry about Emmaline. “He actually has a background in cardiac care,” Kate said. “Since he told me not to worry, I’m fairly confident she isn’t having significant heart trouble.”

“He definitely implied that,” Livvy said, putting her finger to her chin. “Plus, even if he’s not an oncologist, would he have been so emphatic about you not worrying if she had cancer or any other life-threatening illness?”

“I don’t think so,” Kate said. Livvy had a great way of putting things into perspective. “So it’s likely, in my opinion, that Emmaline doesn’t have cancer or a serious heart condition.”

“I agree,” Livvy said. “The question is, what is really ailing this lady?”

Kate held up a finger. “For a while, I suspected she is having problems with anxiety, which could lead to panic attacks. But her symptoms don’t closely resemble the ones most people with panic disorder suffer.”

“Panic attacks.” Livvy leaned back, nodding thoughtfully. “That could fit, though, couldn’t it?”

“Especially if she’s got hang-ups about anyone finding out. You know, thinking she’s crazy.”

Livvy was still nodding. “Could it be that simple?”

Kate snorted. “Somehow, I doubt it.”

LuAnne came back with their hot drinks as well as glasses of ice water and utensils, and the talk turned to community and family concerns.

Later, after the two friends departed, Livvy turned to Kate on the sidewalk in front of the diner. “So, what are you going to investigate next on Emmaline? Every time I talk to you, something has changed. First it sounds like she has heart trouble, then you wonder if she could have cancer. Dr. McLaughlin acts decidedly odd. Now you suspect she might have an anxiety disorder. And it’s possible the medication she takes for that could be causing the chest pain and shortness of breath. And the sister...What was that all about? What reason could she possibly have for refusing to let Emmaline come back to Philadelphia?”

“All great questions that I’ve been mulling over too,” Kate said. “It sounded to me as if having Emmaline was causing problems for Francie and her husband in Pennsylvania.” Kate thought back over the meal she and Paul had unwillingly shared with Emmaline at the Bristol. “And they would be justified not to want her living with them. I suspect she can be quite the agitator, although from what I heard, there may be something specific she did to cause significant harm.”

“You think she’s dangerous?” Livvy sounded worried.

“Not physically,” Kate said. “But I wonder what kind of trouble she is capable of stirring up.”

“Yikes! That’s unsettling. So back to my question,” Livvy said. “What next?”

Kate thought over her options. “I suppose the first thing I am going to have to do is confront her directly. I’ve been too polite. Every time we’ve talked about illness, I’ve allowed her to slip out of the conversation without giving me the truth. Next time, no evasions.”

“No evasions.” Livvy nodded her head once, short and sharp, for emphasis. “Good luck. And be careful, Kate. Emmaline Ashford doesn’t sound like the most stable domino in the design.”

TO WORK OFF HER LUNCH, Kate decided to take a walk.

She had an idea regarding her stained glass, and she wanted time to think it through before she closed herself into her studio again. Besides, she needed to work off a few pounds, and what better way was there than walking? She couldn’t even imagine having the discipline to run like Paul.

As she walked along Smoky Mountain Road toward town, a car came over the hill in front of her and closed the gap. As it drew closer, the vehicle slowed. Kate stopped.

It was a midsize SUV that Kate instantly recognized as the vehicle parked in Emmaline’s driveway during Francie’s visit.

As the SUV halted, the window on the passenger side where she stood rolled down with a barely audible whir.

“Hello, Kate!” called Emmaline.

“Hi, Kate.” Francie put on the flashers and waved from behind the wheel.

“Good afternoon,” Kate said. “You picked a beautiful day for a drive.”

“We’ve been exploring,” Emmaline said. “When we were little, we used to come down here and stay with Grandma for two weeks every summer. It’s interesting to see what’s changed and what hasn’t.”

“Have you found it very different?”

Emmaline hesitated. “Yes and no. There’s not as much development as we had feared, but stores have gone out of business. Old homes are gone, and new ones have been built on the same spots.”

“How about you, Francie? Has Copper Mill changed very much from the town you used to visit when you were a child?” Kate leaned down a bit so she could see the driver.

“No.” Francie made a face. “It’s little,” and they all laughed.

“You can say that again,” Kate said.

“I’ll be thankful when I can go back to Philadelphia,” Emmaline said. “I don’t think I’m cut out for small-town life.”

Just then, Kate saw Francie lean across the seat and tug at Emmaline’s sleeve. She said something in an undertone, but Kate still caught the comment.

“You have several more months here, you know.”

Kate acted as if she was unaware of the tension between the sisters, although she was saddened to see Emmaline deflate as thoroughly as a Thanksgiving balloon after the Macy’s Parade. What on earth could the cryptic comment mean?

“Well,” said Francie, leaning toward Emmaline’s side once again. “I had better say good-bye now. I’m leaving as soon as we get back to the house to drive back to the airport.”

“It was nice meeting you,” Kate said. “Have a safe trip home, and please come and visit Copper Mill again.”

“Will do. Good-bye!”

“Good-bye.” To Emmaline, Kate said, “Don’t forget our spa date. I’ll pick you up in a little while, all right?”

“All right. I’ll see you then.” It was nearly a whisper.

Emmaline gave Kate a wave as they drove off, but Kate noticed her friend had barely said a word since her sister had admonished her.

She wondered if Emmaline was disappointed that Francie wasn’t staying longer. But even more, she wondered what was going on that necessitated Emmaline staying away from Philadelphia when she obviously longed to return to the city she called home.

AFTER SPENDING about an hour working in her studio, Kate decided to arrive a little early at Emmaline’s house for the spa appointment. She figured she needed the element of surprise to keep Emmaline off balance, to get her to answer her questions honestly without having time to formulate answers. She’d witnessed Emmaline lying to Francie about her health, and she strongly suspected that Emmaline had also been lying to her, although separating truth from lies had been difficult because Emmaline shared so little information. She intended to correct that.

Kate pulled into Emmaline’s driveway about thirty minutes before they needed to leave for the spa. She hoped that would be long enough to get them started on their discussion if Emmaline would answer Kate’s questions without any evasions or diversionary tactics.

She was surprised to see another car in the driveway, so she pulled her Honda alongside the curb. Who might Emmaline know in the area who drove a dark green Mercedes?

The moment she stepped out of her car, she found the answer: Dr. McLaughlin came striding down Emmaline’s walk directly toward her.

He wore casual clothes—khaki pants with a white shirt, a brown suede bomber-style jacket, and shiny loafers. He stopped short when he saw her, clearly dismayed.

“Hello, Dr. McLaughlin,” Kate said, completely shocked to see him at Emmaline’s house. Still, she stood squarely in the middle of the sidewalk. She had made up her mind to have this chat with Emmaline today, and he could just answer her questions too. She was in no mood for evasion. From anyone.

“Hello, Kate. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“It certainly is.” Kate relaxed her shoulders and tossed in a little extra Southern belle attitude for good measure. “What are you doing in these parts, Dr. McLaughlin?”

“I stopped to visit Ms. Ashford.” He squared his shoulders when Kate only stared at him with raised eyebrows. “You know I can’t discuss more than that with you.”

“Oh, so it wasn’t a social call.” If he was worried about doctor-patient privilege, then he must have been there in an official capacity.

“Uh, no. No, it wasn’t.”

“So, you were here as her physician.”

It wasn’t a question, and he looked chagrined, realizing he had just been outmaneuvered. “I’m not her primary physician, no.”

“Listen, doctor. I’ve been very concerned about Emmaline,” Kate told him. “She seems to have more potential illnesses than an entire wing of the Pine Ridge Hospital. And she doesn’t seem happy with her medical care.”

The doctor stared at her. Finally, he said, “Perception is often different from reality.”

Kate stared at him. “Meaning?”

“Nothing. I can’t tell you anything, Kate. I’m not saying another word.” The physician clamped his lips shut, making an emphatic gesture.

“All right...okay,” Kate said, abandoning her plans to not let him pass. She stood back and let him stride past her to his car.

So much for Mrs. Tough Girl. She hoped she could better maintain her stance with Emmaline.

The doctor reached the car and opened the driver’s side door. Then, with one leg already in the car, he paused. “Kate? Be careful, okay?”

She was taken aback. “Careful about what?”

Her first instinct was to assume he was warning her about disease, as if perhaps Emmaline had something communicable. Then she stopped and thought about it. Could he be referring to Emmaline’s unpredictable personality? The idea gave Kate a little chill.

“Just be careful,” he repeated. At that, he slid the rest of the way into his car and slammed the door.