Jean drove Alice and James out to Bluff Road just before sunset so they could meet Diana and talk business. Jean wanted the excuse to visit with Daniel in his home, but she was curious about his sister, as well.
How a man treats his sister says a lot about his relationship with women, she thought. She’d met too many bastards who’d revealed clues too late—kicked their dogs, swerved to the shoulder just to hit a raccoon, cursed their mothers, bullied sisters. Without her own kids, she was “Auntie” to James and Lucy. She liked James for being protective of his sister without being bossy. He’ll be a good one!
James rode in the back, daydreaming out the window and bobbing to whatever streamed through his earbuds.
Alice made notes in her iPad as they approached the property and got out immediately when they parked. She shot a 360-degree series of the property in front of the house while Jean rang the doorbell and James kicked gravel into a pothole. The door opened just enough to squeeze through, but nobody was visible.
“Please, come in,” Daniel said, too far back for them to see. “Excuse my appearance. I’ve been in the workshop.”
Jean led the way as the three of them rushed through the doorway that slammed shut behind them. Daniel was just a dark figure in a dark room, only slightly lit by a red LED nightlight in the far hallway. One large picture window nearly filled the back wall, covered with a double layer of black fabric. Not one glimmer of the last of the sunset bled through.
Daniel flipped on a light and began stripping off his hat, ski mask, scarf, gloves. James took a step backwards, to the door.
“I hope I didn’t scare you,” Daniel said. He hugged Jean and shook hands with Alice and James. He told James, “You looked pretty pale, there. This is just my daylight getup.”
James managed a nervous laugh and said, “I couldn’t be as pale as you. Are you, like, albino?”
Daniel smiled. He’d heard that before. “Not quite albino,” he said, and indicated his light brown hair. “Just pale. My sister, Diana, even more so.”
As if on cue, Diana’s bedroom door opened upstairs and she stood silhouetted in the backlight from her room, her body visible through her floor-length silk dress, the same green as her eyes. She appeared to glide down the stairs, those green eyes watching James’s gaze watching her move. She also wore a white silk scarf at her neck and white gloves. She made quite a contrast when she stood next to Alice’s baggy overalls and sweatshirt. Alice was more circumspect than James in her appraisal of Diana’s body.
“Diana,” Daniel said, “this is my friend, Jean. And her friends, Alice and …?”
“James,” Jean filled in. “Son of Marie, who owns the hair studio that Daniel visited.”
Diana didn’t extend a hand. She offered Jean a curt nod with no eye contact, then smiled and offered a more gracious nod to Alice and James. “A pleasure,” she said.
Jean felt a chill and rubbed her arms.
“Would you like some water?” Daniel asked. “Some tea or coffee?”
“I’d love some coffee,” Jean said.
Alice said, “Nothing for me, thanks.” She fidgeted with her iPad, eager to get to work.
James tried not to look like he was looking at Diana’s figure. She was a little taller than James, and her nipples hardened in the cool room. She couldn’t resist moving closer to tease him a little.
“James?” Daniel said.
James startled and just said, “What?”
Daniel said, “Sorry, we don’t have any soda. I’ll be sure to stock some if you’ll be working here.”
James shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m only supposed to have one pop a day, and I had one for lunch.”
Diana leaned closer, almost breathing in his ear. He felt something stir in his pants and shifted his stance.
“You say ‘pop’ out here instead of ‘soda’?”
He started to speak but felt his voice tighten to a squeak. He cleared his throat and said, “Um, yeah. ‘Pop.’”
Daniel clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Well, Alice and Diana, you probably want to talk landscaping. Jean, care to join me in the kitchen?”
“Sure,” she said, and flashed him a smile, “I can grind beans, or something.”
Diana indicated the couch and said, “Please, have a seat.” She sat between Alice and James, but closer to James. Diana noticed Alice’s lips pressed into a line of disapproval.
Or jealousy? she thought. She considered that a promising sign.
James said, “Why does your couch face the wall?”
Diana laughed and patted his knee. He squirmed closer to the arm of the couch.
“It’s a beautiful window looking across to Canada,” she said. “Daniel seals it up for me every day because I’m violently allergic to sunlight. We can open it in a few minutes, if you’d like?”
“Nah,” he said. “It’s okay.”
Diana turned to Alice. “Well,” she asked, “what kind of landscaping do you do?”
“Heavy natural landscape is my specialty,” Alice said. “Your allergy, it must be difficult for you …”
Diana waved a dismissal. “One adjusts,” she said. “But I can only visit our grounds at night. I like space to walk and large things easy to see. Not all that brush. Maybe big rocks among those trees.”
“Boulders?” she asked. “How big is too big?”
Diana offered her first smile. “Yes, big boulders. Clear out that brush and ferns for walking paths. At the gate … here.” She stood and offered a hand up to Alice, then led her to a photograph on the wall behind them. “Here’s what you see from above.”
Alice examined the aerial photo of the property while Diana stood back, appraising Alice with an upraised eyebrow. James fidgeted on the couch, watching Diana watch Alice. Alice photographed the photo and made some notes on her iPad. “Most of the boulders around here are glacial erratics,” she said. “Granite from Canada delivered by melting glaciers about twelve thousand years ago.”
Diana feigned interest. “I didn’t know that. You see what we have—trees and brush and ferns and gravel.”
Alice turned to face Diana, excited and eyes glittering. “But what great trees!” she said. “Even a few of the last old growth in the county. Of course, they block some of the light to the house, which is good for your condition but might have resale consequences.”
“I don’t want to cut any of them,” Diana said. “For shadow and privacy. I just want to walk among them at night without tripping.”
The women shared a smile. “Great!” Alice said. “I hate cutting trees. I’d like to walk a bit before it’s too dark now. Then back in the daylight for measurements and jobs for James. Then I can bring you a selection of lot plans and computer simulations for all four seasons. Then the rocks.”
Diana stood closer, until they nearly shared breath. “How long for that?”
Alice needed the work but didn’t want to seem eager. She felt lightheaded when she held Diana’s green-eyed gaze. She spoke in a near-whisper. “A week. James and I have to map and inventory, take some measurements …”
Diana whispered back, “Just you two. Please, no more people. I require much privacy.” She nodded toward the kitchen. “Not like my brother, the people person.”
Daniel, re-swathed in his protective cocoon, strolled with Jean on a path just outside. The sun was down but aggravating light still reflected from the overcast. Through walls, insulation and several layers of enamel, Diana concentrated her hearing to catch their banter.
“You look like a caterpillar,” Jean said. “Especially with those awesome goggles.”
Daniel laughed a muffled laugh and took her hand. “Maybe you’ll like the butterfly?”
“Maybe. Probably. Okay, for sure!”
In the living room, Alice said, “We can manage nicely, just us two. I can rent and handle the heavy equipment myself. We’ll get James on the brush right away.”
Daniel and Jean stopped under a huge cedar beside the driveway. He peeled back his muffler and ski mask and she kissed him in one swift move. He kissed back, hugging her close.
Diana paused in her conversation with Alice, cocked her head as though listening to a quiet conversation.
“Tomorrow, perhaps?” she asked.
“It’ll take some shuffling,” Alice said. “But, yes, James can make progress on the brush while I figure how to get the equipment in here with minimal damage. Right, James?”
James stood and nodded, still captivated by Diana. Neither woman looked his way.
“Yep,” he said. “I mean … yes. Sure. No school tomorrow. I’ll bring my Weed Eater.”
Alice shook her head. “This heavy brush is too much for your Weed Eater. I put a sling blade in Jean’s trunk with some other tools. Remind me to drop that off for you before we leave.”
“What’s a ‘sling blade’?”
“Some say ‘brush hook.’ It’s heavy and sharp, like those Scottish swords Lucy says you like.”
James blushed and said, “Oh.”
Diana reached out her hand and Alice met the handshake, lingered. Alice’s hand came back slowly, her expression flushed, quizzical. James looked from one woman to the other and registered their mutual attraction with some disappointment. The movement in his jeans registered no disappointment at all. He noted no fangs in Diana’s smile. Lucy asked him to look.
“Very good,” Diana said. “You have family, Alice?” She held Alice’s name into a soft hiss at the end.
“My parents,” Alice said. “In eastern Washington. Yakima.”
“Interesting word, ‘Yakima.’ Could be from anywhere. Anyone here in town?”
Alice shook her head. “Just Rascal, my cat. I’m pretty self-contained.”
Diana threw a bitter look toward the shrouded window and the invisible couple beyond.
“I understand,” she said. “I have a plant.”
“A favorite plant?” Alice asked. “What kind of plant?”
Diana turned for the stairs and called over her shoulder, “Venus Flytrap, a Black Star. Remember, I can’t answer the door in daylight. Thank you for coming.”
Alice and James waited for Jean beside her car in the driveway. James practiced swinging the blade through a clump of salal. Alice occupied the wait by sketching out some lot features nearest the house. Daniel and Jean strolled around the corner of the house, holding hands. Daniel carried most of his extra clothing, his face red and slightly swollen in the dusk.
“Hey, James,” he said. “You can practice on that tangle between the house and the bluff. That’s a mess.”
James asked Alice, “How much time do we have right now?”
“I have a little more to sketch, lists to make. Go ahead, knock yourself out. I’ll holler when we’re ready.”
Jean handed Alice her keys.
“Would you mind taking James back to town when you’re ready?” she asked. “Daniel will give me a lift to the boat later.”
Alice shrugged as though expecting this development. “Sure, no problem.”
Jean looked exuberant. “Thanks! I just got a look at one of his weird sculptures—you don’t mind me calling it ‘weird,’ do you?”
Daniel bowed slightly and said, “No other word would do.”
“He’s also invented a desalinator,” she said. “Could be hot in the boat trades.”
“That’s great,” Alice said. Her tone was flat and her body already leaned toward town.
A flicker of disappointment passed over Jean’s face, then she revived her exuberance. “Anyway, I’ll see you in town. Keep the keys, I have a spare.”
“Good evening,” Daniel said, and shook Alice’s hand. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to my sister.” He waved to James who hacked at head-high salal at the back corner of the house. James registered no recognition, and Daniel took Jean’s hand.
Alice spoke to Jean’s retreating back. “I’ll drop the keys at the boat haven.”
Jean waved an acknowledgment without turning around. Alice looked on, uncomfortable without knowing why. She looked at the house and, in the darkness, made out a second-floor curtain slightly parted, no figure in sight. Daniel opened the front door for Jean, and when the door closed, Alice shuddered. She joined James at the back of the house where he already showed good progress.
“Let’s get back,” she said. “We’ll get everything we need for the morning. I’ll pay for your time today.”
“Okay,” James said. “Cool!” He set the blade against the house and donned his earbuds.
Back at the car, Alice asked, “Didn’t Jean and the sister look a lot alike?”
James removed an earbud and said, “What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing,” she said.
Alice paused several times in the long driveway to make notes and to take more pictures.
“I should’ve taken a picture with you and the blade,” she said. “Your mother would love it.”
James nodded, but she couldn’t tell if he agreed with her or with his music.