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Dorrie, Ray and Jessica all turned to see the woman standing in the doorway.
“Sorry to come in without knocking,” Carol said, “but when I started to knock the door just opened.”
“Oh, that was Pumpkin,” said Jessica. “He knows how to open the latch.”
Carol looked startled. “But only for people he trusts,” Dorrie reassured her. and pulled out a chair. “Please sit down.”
Carol looked around nervously from face to face. Then her eyes found Jack sleeping on the floor next to Ray’s feet. “What a beautiful dog,” she said.
“I like her already,” Ray nodded looking at Dorrie. He stood up at his chair and introduced himself. Carol looked at Dorrie, apparently a little confused that they all seemed to know her.
“Your ring gave us a little mystery to play with,” explained Dorrie.”
Carol relaxed. “Then I guess you know I’m the woman who left the ring on your porch,” she said, this time looking at all of them. “I’m Carol Peters.”
“I didn’t know until I saw your signature,” said Jessica.
“I suspected,” said Dorrie, “That’s why I wrote the note on the card but I wasn’t sure until I saw your signature either.” Dorrie offered her a cup of tea.
“Thank you for saving the ring.” Carol gratefully took a sip of the warm beverage. The rain had stopped but the night was getting cool. “I am still not sure why I asked you save it, but I think I have involved you all in something I shouldn’t have. It’s really my problem to figure out.”
“No, it’s not,” said Jessica, “You didn’t kill that woman. He did.”
“How did you know about the dead woman?” Carol asked.
“It’s been our mystery game,” said Jessica. “Only it turned out to be a little more serious than we thought.” Then Jessica turned to Dorrie, “And we were both wrong. Who would have thought of a rain poncho.” She nodded toward the thin green plastic coat in worn over Carol’s clothes.
Carol still looked confused about how they knew these things so Ray showed her the newspaper article and the ad, and then told her what they had found out about the dead woman from her aunt.
“I am sorry to have involved you all in this.” Carol apologized. “I only thought he might chase after me. I didn’t realize he would be after the ring.”
“It’s ok,” Dorrie said as she refilled the tea pot. “I think we all wanted to be here so to speak. We could have handed the ring to the police at any time. Now, tell us how you got involved in this.”
Carol took a sip of her tea. She hadn’t told anyone about her life with Eric. Not that she had anyone close to talk to. As he had become bigger in her life, everyone else faded away. It was only to herself that she had repeated the events, trying to figure them out. As she looked at their interested faces, she realized how good it felt to tell someone.
“I met him a year ago at work,” she began. “I was 20 and I didn’t really know what I was doing with myself. I wasn’t in school but I managed to get a good job as a receptionist in a law firm that handled very big clients, in LA.”
“Wow,” said Jessica. “You have come a long way.”
Carol nodded. “I came straight up Rt 5. Honestly, I never really thought about it. All I knew was that I had to get out of there.”
“The firm specialized in Environmental law, which attracted me. I later found that their clients were the big companies, logging and mining and they were fighting for the other side of what I believed in. But they treated me very well which was something I wasn’t used to.
“There were a lot of attorneys on staff but Eric was one of the high flyers. He was only in his early thirties but his uncle was top partner. For some reason, he took an interest in me. I didn’t really understand it. He could have his pick of any women in the office. I didn’t think I had anything special to offer, but still he was interested.
At first, he would come by the desk and thank me for his messages. Then he stayed longer at the desk and asked me about myself, again something I wasn’t used to. I really didn’t have anything to tell but he seemed to find it all interesting. Finally, one day he asked me to lunch.
“I was thrilled. I had never been part of this world before. He took me to a little restaurant over-looking the ocean. I ordered shrimp, mostly because it was the only thing on the menu I had eaten before. He ordered some fish I had never heard of. The staff seemed to know him and clearly, he was very comfortable there. I guess he could tell I wasn’t comfortable because he leaned over at one point and told me I didn’t have to be intimidated. I was with him so they would respect me. Looking back on it, I now see that was an arrogant thing to say, but at the time it made me feel cared for. Something never felt in my life.
“The relationship went on like this, with us spending more and more time together. I felt it was getting serious and I was thrilled. I was so glad to have him in my life looking out for me. That is how I thought of it even though I was doing more and more for him. Soon I was living in his apartment.
“One night he took me out to dinner and proposed. I had hoped for it but wasn’t expecting it.” She told them about the ring and how the band was bent and broken and how he had told her the story about it having been his grandmother’s ring. “At the time there seemed to be something not quite right about the story but I didn’t have a family so for me it was touching. I just accepted it.” Then she told them about getting the band repaired and how he hit her when she told him she had it repaired instead of replaced.
“I wish I could say that it was after he hit me that I began to see through him, but honestly I don’t think it was until I began wearing the ring that things began to fall apart. It was then that I began to question him, but most importantly I began to see the woman.”
Carol looked off remembering the first time the vision came to her. “I started seeing an image in my mind of a young woman. She was beautiful and sweet looking, lying in bed like she was asleep only somehow I knew she was dead.”
“His fiancé,” said Ray.
Carol looked at him startled as though just remembering they were there. She thought for a moment. “I guess,” she said. “I don’t know who she was.”
Ray handed her the newspaper article about the death. He pointed to the picture of the woman who had died.
“Then I’m right,” Carol’s eyes scanned the photo. “She was dead when I saw her.” She looked up at them with eyes that were, for the first time, more sad than scared. She pointed to the picture of the pretty young woman. “She looked just like that only like she was sleeping when I saw her. On her hand I saw a ring. Somehow I knew it was the same one he had given to me.” Carol passed the newspaper back to Ray.
“Did you actually find her body,” asked Jessica, slightly horrified at what that would be like.
“No,” said Carol, realizing that her story must seem very strange. She had learned to keep most of her thoughts to herself. It was safer that way. Suddenly she wondered if she should just ask for the ring and go. Then just as quickly, she remembered the cat opening the door for her. And how none of them thought that was unusual. Maybe there are some people she can trust.
“I saw it in a vision.” When no one seemed to think that was strange she continued, “I didn’t really understand what the vision was telling me at first.” Then she shook her head and looked up and smiled. Dorrie thought her smile was beautiful. It was the first time Carol had smiled since she had walked in. Dorrie could see immediately what this man had seen in this girl. She was a hidden gem, a very beautiful young lady who had no idea of her charm. Someone who would make him look good, and still someone he thought he could control.
Then Carol’s smile faded and she said. “I guess I still don’t know what the vision is telling me. I have worried many times that he is right and I am just crazy.”
“You aren’t crazy,” said Dorrie. “The ring has talked to me too.”
Carol sat up. “Tonight, I waited for him to come find me.” Her voice grew strong. “I was going to tell him I knew he killed this woman and I wasn’t going to be afraid.” Then her voice grew quieter, “But he didn’t come so I laid back down to try to sleep and I saw the body again. This time I noticed something I hadn’t noticed before.” She shook her head. “It was funny because I had been haunted by that image a hundred times, but only tonight did I notice that the woman’s fingers were bent. I realized that was why the ring had been cut. Not off his grandmother’s bent fingers, this woman’s bent fingers. I have no idea why he would have killed her but it almost seems like it must have been to get the ring.” She shook her head sadly.
“That’s what we are thinking too,” said Dorrie. “According to the dead woman’s aunt, the diamond was found right in Washington on her father’s land. We think he wanted the gem to show investors for mining prospects.”
“That would make sense,” Carol shook her head sadly. “His big clients were the mining companies. He would think like that.” She didn’t want to think he could kill for that but she couldn’t deny it to herself. They all took a minute to absorb this.
Then Ray spoke up “How hard is it to break a ring band?”
“If it’s gold, the metal is soft enough to cut,” said Dorrie. “The setting would be harder to cut because it would include other metals to make it stronger.”
“That would explain why the band looked mangled. Like he cut it off quickly,” added Carol.
Dorrie looked at the ring lying in the table. The diamond was quite now. Almost ordinary looking. The band was yellow gold which had made it look a little old fashioned. She Imagined Lisa’s father choosing that metal because it was pretty, because it might delight a child.
Carol now sighed “I bet that’s why he chose me out of all the other women in the office.”. The sadness drained from her voice only to be replaced by diffidence “He was probably looking for the woman who he could give the ring, tell the story about his grandmother and get to change the band He picked me out of all the women because he thought I would be easy to use.” added Carol now becoming more dejected.
“Well, he couldn’t have been more wrong.” Jessica said. “He thought you would just do what he said and get the band replaced instead you tried to honor a family heirloom and got it repaired.”
“I was trying to be nice,” said Carol.
“And you were,” Dorrie recognized now seeing, like Jessica, how Carol had foiled his plans. “And niceness was something he never expected. How shocked Eric must have been when you had the band repaired instead of replaced. The mended band was evidence of his crime and it was still there and the coveted diamond was now on your finger.” But now Dorrie hesitated. “Do you think the mended band would be enough to get the man arrested?” Dorrie wondered out loud.
“It might,” said Ray. He wasn’t too sure either. He wanted it to work. He knew that the whole mystery, protecting Carol, and exposing this man was very important to Dorrie and he realized it had become important to him, too. “It certainly might reopen the case and that would at least be inconvenient.”
“It would prove that he lied about Lisa throwing the ring at him.” Dorrie let herself think about this for a minute. If the police could see the band had been cut maybe they could see he cut if off of Lisa’s finger. And maybe this could somehow show he killed Lisa She shook her head. The case sounded flimsy. It had a lot of maybe’s and her head was beginning to hurt again. Pumpkin was being no help at all. He was just sitting there with his head cocked in that strange way he did when there was something she was supposed to see and he wasn’t going to tell her what it is.
“Then the ring doesn’t help us,” said Jessica. She wasn’t OK with maybe and inconvenient. This man had killed someone and needed to be brought to justice. It had only been a few days, but it seemed as though they had spent almost every minute following where the ring had led them.
“If the ring can’t convict him,” said Ray with sigh, “Then it looks like our trail has ended.” When Ray said the word ended, Dorrie thought about how it began.
She remembered the frustrating morning. The customer who wasted her time and talents, like so many others recently, with questions about stones that they really didn’t care about. It was one of those mornings when she doubted her choice to leave her steady job to move across the country and start her shop. When she had locked up her store that morning to go for a walk, she had many doubts but she still believed in what she was doing. That is when she made her wish. She asked to better understand the intention of others and attract customers who valued stones for their magic as well as their beauty. Dorrie realized that in some ways Carol was that person. She didn’t buy a crystal; she brought one. For Dorrie, the mystery began with her wish. She looked over at Pumpkin. He wasn’t quite nodding but at least his head was not cocked anymore
Now Dorrie closed her eyes and let thoughts go deeper. Pumpkin climbed into her lap and together they traveled back unlocking the tiny thread from the button and entering the silk bag. They wound around the ring’s band following its crooked curve to the diamond. She saw its image, brilliant now, clear and pure, sending out tiny rays of light.
Dorrie got up from the table and moved to her stool by the window. The clouds had cleared and the moon was shining through the trees inviting her to come out. “It is time,” the moon whispered. “It is time.”
Pumpkin nudged Dorrie and together they went outside. The wet grass soaked Dorrie’s bare feet. Pumpkin rubbed himself against her ankles. “It’s time,” he said.
She knew he was right. Magic was the only thing that would move this forward but the farther she walked into the yard the more her feet felt stuck. She just stood there feeling her toes sinking into the spongy soil when suddenly Pumpkin dashed off. He ran down the hill behind her house. Dorrie panicked, He had never run off before. Without thinking she ran down River Road after him. He was faster than she thought he would be. She was having trouble keeping up. Still she ran faster trying to keep sight of his orange fur in the moonlight. Then just as she was beginning to get winded, she realized her feet were no longer touching the ground. She was flying. Or at least airborne She wasn’t quite sure what to call it since she didn’t really know how it happened. She zoomed past Pumpkin now and he jumped up and caught her pant leg.
“I think I’m flying,” Dorrie yelled.
“Of course, you are,” said Pumpkin, climbing up her leg to her shoulder and comfortably perching as though he was a happy dog riding in the car with the window open.
“You ran off on purpose!” cried Dorrie, her hair flapped behind her like a cape.
“How else would you ever make the right wind?
“I am flying!” she cried, this time in sheer delight. She was like a kid seeing a whole new world. “Look, I am sailing on the wind down the river,” she cried to Pumpkin as they flew toward the bridges that connected the two sides of the city.
“Watch out,” cried Pumpkin.
Dorrie arched her back and soared over the string of lights that decorated the top of the Burnside bridge and then went closer to the shore, flying in front of the lights of the white stag on the Portland Oregon sign. “How do I look?”
“For years you have been afraid to be a witch and now you are posing! Pumpkin swished his tail as best he could from his perch.
“Hang on,” she cried and turned back up the river, swooshing under the sky tram.
“Be careful!” shouted Pumpkin over the wind. “You almost crashed into the tram!”
“I can crash?”
“Of course! Just because you are witch, doesn’t mean you can’t screw up.”
All of Dorrie’s fears fell in to her like lead weights and they started to sink. Pumpkin had to dig his claws into her shoulder to stay on until the pain pushed away the fear and they began to climb again. Once they were again above the buildings Pumpkin whispered into Dorrie’s ear, “It’s OK. Even if you are a witch you can still be human. Now before I fall off, remember Mother Moon helped you finally fly to help Carol.”
The flying wasn’t just for fun. There was something she needed to see. She flew back up the river toward her home. The trees covered the hills in blackness, only an occasional light broke through as she went farther upstream. Flying lower over the river now she could see her house and the light in her kitchen. Then just as clearly, she saw another light, smaller like the light of cell phone. The little light was coming from a car a block from her home and there were the head lights of another car driving slowly through the streets. She realized everything was in place. Quickly she felt herself descending and her feet touched the ground of her yard. Pumpkin jumped off her shoulder and leapt to the steps. The trial had not ended. Everything was just waiting to be set into motion.