LeAnn woke up alone in the bed. She looked at the alarm clock and saw it was after nine.
Matt had left her a note on his pillow. It read, “Sorry, baby, Dad needed to meet with me and the day manager this morning. You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you. Call me when you get up. I love you, Matt.”
She got out of bed and looked out the large patio window. It was cloudy outside. There wasn’t much time to get ready to go see Amelia Tabor. Luckily, Cable was only twenty five-minutes away. She called Matt, but it went straight to his voice mail. She left him a message saying she would talk to him later.
While brushing her teeth, she went into the kitchen to start the coffee. She turned on the TV to see the weather report. According to the weatherman, it was going to rain, and with a chance of the rain turning to snow. She had so hoped to see the first snow of the season from her her new home on the island.
Carrying a mug of coffee, LeAnn turned off the TV and went to take her shower. “Oh God, please let this day go better than yesterday,” saying a silent prayer.
Dressed in navy blue slacks and a cream colored turtleneck sweater, she slipped on her shoes. She glanced at the clock and saw it was after ten. Hurriedly, she grabbed the box, journal and ledgers. Finding her car keys she raced to the door, locked it, and headed for her car.
Each mile closer to Cable, she got more nervous. She was about to meet the woman who had grown up in the house she had bought. The house that LeAnn had always dreamed of living in. The house that didn’t want her there.
Coming up on Lake Drive, LeAnn slowed the car and made the turn. She once again pulled up to the modest little cottage. How different this house was from the large Victorian home Phoebe lived in. It was small and quaint, a little like what would be in a child’s fairy-tale. It even had lace gingerbread trim on the upper part of the porch.
LeAnn picked up the things she had brought from the passenger seat and got out of the car. She walked up to the door and before ringing the door bell, she took a deep breath, just as she had done at Phoebe Armstrong’s. The door bell rang inside, and in a few seconds a tall thin woman answered the door. Her hair was dyed brown, and LeAnn could see that in her youth she had been quite beautiful.
“Miss Tabor, I’m LeAnn Klein.”
“Please come in, Miss Klein.” Amelia held the door open for LeAnn. The house was beautiful inside. LeAnn followed Amelia into a great room that was part of the kitchen. It was all one big room with a hallway to the left. LeAnn assumed that was were the bathroom and bedrooms were. The room was decorated modestly with antique furniture. The furnishings might have been from the Tabor Island home, LeAnn guessed.
“Please, won’t you sit down?” Amelia Tabor said politely and showed LeAnn to the couch. “Can I offer you something to drink, Miss Klein?”
“No, thank you, and please call me LeAnn.”
“All right, and you may call me Amelia.”
“Amelia, these things belong to you. I know you said that you didn’t want anything from the house, but I found this box under the floor in the large front bedroom, and I truly feel you should look at them.”
“That would have been my mother and father’s room.” Amelia said somewhat confused. “What do you mean, you found them under the floor?”
LeAnn hesitated then continued, cautiously, “I found a beautiful Persian rug in the attic and wanted to put it in the bedroom. But, if you want anything back -”
“Miss Klein, I told you, anything you find in the house that was left is of no interest to me. That is why I don’t understand why you have come. I want nothing from that house. That house holds only sad, painful memories for me.”
“I’m sorry, but, well, here. This is what I found under the loose floorboards under the bed in that room.” LeAnn held out the box and ledgers.
“What are these?” Amelia asked as she reached to accept the things LeAnn was holding out to her.
“Please, open the box, Amelia.”
Cautiously, and glancing at LeAnn, Amelia opened the box. She gasped as she immediately recognized the velvet box. She closed her eyes as she reached in and took out the box.
“Oh no, my bracelet,” she said as she started to open the box. Tears in her eyes, her hands trembled as she took the bracelet out. LeAnn’s heart was breaking for this woman. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe this was cruel, LeAnn thought.
Amelia held the bracelet in her hand and turned it over and over. She clutched it to her heart closing her eye. Then, opening them she looked at LeAnn. With trembling lips she said, “The name of the song of our first dance together was ‘Your Heart Belongs To My Heart’. Where did you find the bracelet?”
“In one of the trunks in the attic along with the most beautiful gowns I’ve ever seen.”
A small smile formed on Amelia’s face as she remembered her ball gowns. “Yes, I did have some incredible gowns. Our balls were amazing.” Amelia was silent for a while reminiscing about the dances they had in the ballroom. The she looked down at her lap.
“What are these letters?” She looked up at LeAnn with a puzzled look on her face.
“Amelia,” LeAnn said gently, “those letters have never been opened.”
Amelia looked at LeAnn, confused.
“Look at the return address.”
Amelia held one of them up and dropped it immediately as if it was on fire. “Is this some kind of joke?”
LeAnn shook her head but didn’t say anything. Amelia picked the letters up again.
“Oh God, Jonathan!”
“Your father must have intercepted the letters. There are twenty-three of them.”
Amelia’s eyes filled with tears, and she excused herself. She ran out of the room with the box clutched in her arms.
She was gone for quite awhile, and LeAnn started to worry that she had caused the woman to have a heart attack or something. Just when LeAnn started to go check on her, Amelia came out with a tray of coffee and cookies. LeAnn could see she had been crying. She also noticed that she was wearing the bracelet.
“Please forgive me for running out so rudely,” Amelia said as she placed the tray on the coffee table.
“Not at all! Please, do not apologize. I’m sure this is quite a shock. I’ve also brought your journal and your father’s ledgers.”
“My journal?” She took it from LeAnn and caressed the cover, “Did you read it?”
LeAnn turned red from embarrassment and answered slowly, “Yes, I’m sorry. But I can explain why.”
Shaking her head, “No need to explain. I guess after all these years it really doesn’t matter.” Amelia looked toward the fireplace as her eyes filled with tears again. “I really missed my mother even though I never knew her. I know that she died when I was five, but I didn’t remember her. How awful not to have known one’s mother. That’s why this journal was so important when I was growing up. Do you have a close relationship with your mother?” Amelia asked looking at LeAnn.
Now it was LeAnn’s turn for her eyes to tear up. “I lost my mother and father two years ago in a plane crash.” LeAnn looked down at her hands.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I guess we’ve both had a lot of sadness in our lives,” Amelia said, handing LeAnn a cup of coffee.
Accepting the coffee with a smile of thanks, LeAnn said, “Please, Amelia, can I tell you what has been going out on the island? I really need your help.”
After LeAnn told Amelia everything that had happened at the boathouse, she watched the shocked reaction on her face.
“I can’t believe it,” Amelia said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Nothing ever happened when I lived there. After Jonathan was killed, my father and I never spoke again. I was so angry at him, and I blamed him for Jonathan’s death. My father started to travel more than usual. After a year and a half, I just couldn’t live there any longer and moved here. I lost the love of my life on that island, and I didn’t want to stay there any longer. I knew there would be no one else for me except Jonathan. I also knew that I was the love of his life. We shared something very special that only happens once in a lifetime. If you did read my journal, then you read the last entry that said when Jonathan died, so did I…. and I did.” Tears started streaming down Amelia’s face.
LeAnn was afraid that the same thing was going to happen that had happened with Phoebe; that Amelia was going to flip out on her. “I should go. I don’t want to take up anymore of your time. I just felt you should have your things, especially the letters. If I have upset you, please forgive me.” LeAnn begged. “I know that I have stirred up some sad memories, but I really love your island, and I’m trying to figure out what is so angry out there and keeping me from living there.”
“I wish I could help you, but I can’t. I’m sorry.” Amelia said too quickly. She had suddenly turned cold. “Thank you for bringing me the letters and the bracelet,” she said standing.
“You’re welcome.” LeAnn turned to Amelia, “I would like to visit you again, if that’s all right with you.”
Amelia looked at LeAnn, “Oh, we’ll see each other again.”
LeAnn thought there was a sinister look in Amelia’s face. As LeAnn stepped onto the porch and walked to her car, she heard the door to the house close behind her. She knew that Amelia was on her way to start reading the letters her beloved Jonathan had written to her so many years ago.
LeAnn broke down in sobs of frustration as she started to drive home. The visit had gone well, but the sadness that surrounded that woman’s life was incredible. LeAnn was upset that she was no closer to solving what was going on the island,
Soon she pulled into the parking lot at Ridgewood’s. She looked at the clock in her car and saw that it was almost two o’clock. “Good grief, where did the day go?” she said to herself. As she reached for her purse, her cell phone on the passenger seat rang.
“Where are you?” It was Hannah, sounding very excited.
“I’m in the parking lot. Why?”
“I’ve been trying to call you for over an hour!”
“I was with Amelia Tabor, remember? Why have you been trying to reach me? What’s wrong?” she asked her friend, concerned that something had happened to Adam or Matt.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. Anyway, did you hear the news?” She didn’t give LeAnn a chance to answer. “Phoebe Armstrong died this morning! Actually, the news said she died in her sleep.”
There was no response on the other line.
“LeAnn are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here.” She said in a soft voice, “I killed her.”
“What?”
“I might as well have. I upset her, and I probably caused her to have a stroke or heart attack.”
“Are you serious? She was ninety-three years old, LeAnn, ninety-three!”
“Hannah, I don’t want to seem rude, but I need to go. The woman I met with yesterday is now dead. The other woman involved in whatever this is, just got twenty three love letters from a dead lover, given to her by me! I left her sobbing. I can’t take anymore, Hannah. I’m going to lose it any minute. I’ll talk to you later.” LeAnn hung up on her friend. She got out of the car and ran up to the condo, hoping she’d find Matt there.
It started to snow as she ran up the stairs and knocked on the door.
Matt answered. When he saw her asked, “Why are you knocking?
“Probably because I don’t have a key,” she answered then grabbed him and burst into tears.
He held her for a moment and after awhile asked, “What in the world has happened? What’s wrong?”
“Matt, everything is wrong. Phoebe’s dead, and I probably killed her. I left Amelia crying, and she’ll probably die tonight!”
He chuckled a little and guided her to the couch and sat her down. He just let her cry, knowing she was emotionally drained.
A few minutes had passed, and LeAnn seemed to have calmed down a little. Matt thought it was safe to say something.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, I don’t want anything. Just hold me.”
“That I can do,” he said, understanding she had been through a lot. He held her tightly.
She looked at him and kissed him with desire. He returned her kiss with equal passion. LeAnn stood up, took his hand, and led him into the bedroom.
When they got up from their nap, she stood and looked out the large window and saw that it was snowing heavily. Large, feathery flakes were falling. It was beautiful. The ground and trees were white, and the lake was a grey blue contrast to the white. It was like a Currier and Ives Christmas card; the only thing missing was the horse and sleigh.
Matt came up behind her and put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. She moaned slightly. She didn’t want this moment to end.
“It’s so beautiful her,” she said in a whisper.
“You’re beautiful,” he replied, his lips still kissing her neck.
Smiling slightly, she whispered, “You just love my body.”
“That too,” he said, laughing. “I’m going to turn on the fireplace in the other room. It’s great how now all you do is flip a switch and instant fire!
“Great idea. I’ll join you in a minute,” LeAnn said.
She was left with her thoughts as she looked out toward her island. “What’s going to happen now? Phoebe’s dead, Amelia has her twenty three-letters, and my boathouse is haunted.”
Matt called out to her from the other room. “Fire’s ready!”
She went to join him.