Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (16 page)

Mrs. Bernbaum shook her head slowly. She hadn’t even thought of that. Slowly she got out of her chair, the lateness of the day and now this worry made her years weigh heavily on her. She went into the bedroom. Right away she could see some of Anita’s things were gone.

She returned to the living room saying, “I’m so mad at her! Her toothbrush, hair brush and a small bag are gone. And it looks like some of her clothes are missing too. Oh, I’m really annoyed with her. This is so unlike her. Did she just want to worry me?”

Dickie hurried to his aunt, slipped his arm around her and guided her back to the chair she had left. “Now, now, I’m sure she didn’t mean to worry you. Maybe she was just mad and decided to leave. I’ll bet if we call her home tomorrow or the next day, she’ll answer the phone.”

“She’s isn’t a hiker? You don’t think she would have tried to go off into the woods on her own, do you?”

“Anita? Oh no, she’s very much a city person. I don’t think you could have dragged her out into the woods.” She stopped. “Unless, someone did drag her off.” There was a look of horror on her face. “Oooh, could it be the work of a serial killer?” She was getting upset again.

“No, no, it sounds like your caregiver just took off. Maybe she was mad, but if her things are missing we can assume she planned to leave. And she is an adult, so of course she has the right to leave if she wishes. Do you want us to pursue a search of Juneau?”

They all looked at Mrs. Bernbaum while she considered the situation. She looked at Dickie who suggested, “Why don’t we wait until we try to call her in San Francisco. If we can’t reach her by phone by the day after tomorrow, we’d better take steps to search for her. And if she just missed the boat, she’ll probably catch up with us at our next port, right?”

“Yes, our agent frequently works with passengers to help them arrange transportation to catch up with the ship they missed. If that is what’s happened to Ms. Fernandez , you’ll be seeing her in Sitka. If we hear anything from our agent we’ll let you know. Likewise, if you hear from her or contact her, please tell us.”

Dickie nodded solemnly. “I think that since some of her things are missing, she must have decided to leave. As soon as we find out for sure, we’ll let you know. Thank you for your help.”

When Dickie let the men out he returned to his aunt and said, “Now don’t you go getting yourself all upset about this. It was very inconsiderate of Anita to act so irresponsibly, but we’ll straighten it all out when we get home. Meanwhile, remember this is your life quest. It’s something you’ve wanted to do and you’re doing it. Don’t let Anita’s peevish behavior ruin it for you.” He looked at her carefully, trying to interpret her expression. At her nod, he smiled. “Okay, will you need some help getting to bed?”

“I’m not senile yet, Dickie.” She realized her reply was a little sharp so she patted his arm and said softly, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’m tired from our day out so I’m sure I’ll sleep in spite of my worry about Anita.

“I can give you something?”

“No, I don’t like those pills. They make me stupid the next day. No, if I don’t sleep, I’ll just sit here and watch the waves. Don’t worry, go on and meet up with the others for the dancing or whatever it is you young people do at this time of the night.” She waved him away so he left, somewhat reluctantly. She sat back and thought about her conversation with Anita this morning. She still couldn’t believe Anita had gotten mad enough to abandon her after years of putting up with her demands. And she was ashamed to admit she didn’t tell Anita often enough how she appreciated her care and her attention to all the details, even though she paid Anita generously to do them. Admittedly, sometimes Anita was too bossy, but right now she didn’t care about that. She just wanted to know where she was, and that she was all right.

She walked crisply across the marble lobby, bathed in the love shining from Nate’s eyes as he stood beside the table waiting for her. She was glad she wore her new Channel suit with the silver fox fur piece draped over her shoulders. She knew she looked smart. She took pride that her tiny hat was tipped charmingly over her forehead, the attached veil slightly masking her eyes. And she knew others, not just Nate, were admiring her. She smiled at him as she slipped into the chair he held. Mariso arrived just then with the drink Nate had ordered for her.

“Good evening, Mrs. Witherspoon. Here’s your Martini, just as you like it.”

She smiled at him, removing her gloves and carefully laying them on the little cocktail table before taking a sip, then sighing with approval. “Perfect, perfect as usual Mariso, thank you.”

Then turning to her husband she asked, “Been waiting long darling? I promise I did hurry.”

Nate’s smile was indulgent. “No problem, I needed a little time to think; and to unwind with a couple of those.”

“What about?” Seeing his puzzled look she repeated, “What were you thinking about?”

“How lucky I am, of course.” His tone was light, but his eyes were serious. He scanned her face. “I still can’t believe how lucky I am. I found you. I went to war and came back in one piece. We’ve been married for five years and, impossible as it sounds, I find I love you more each day. Tell me, how can that be?”

She reached out and clasped his hand, tears springing to her own eyes. “Love, I’m the lucky one. You make me so happy.”

“Oops, I guess I should take this back then.” He kept his face serious, but his eyes were dancing with mischief.

“What’s that? A present? Did you get me another present?” She couldn’t help herself, she loved presents; especially she loved the ones Nate picked out for her.

“I thought it would match your brooch.”

Unconsciously one hand went to finger the Heart of Persia pinned to her suit lapel at the same time her other hand darted out to retrieve the box he held. She opened it to reveal a bracelet of baguette diamonds and peridots, interspersed with round cut rubies. It was wonderful. She looked at him with shining eyes and then held out her wrist for him to fasten the bracelet.

“How did you ever find something so perfect? It just matches. Nate, you spoil me so.” She couldn’t stop admiring her wrist, twisting her arm so the dim lights caught in the stones of the bracelet. “I’ll treasure it.”

He watched her closely and deciding she really did love it, he relaxed and sipped his drink. “Drink up, little lady. We have reservations at Ernie’s. We’re meeting the Amersans there. Business tonight, but if all goes well we’ll stop at Bimbo’s 365 for a little dancing before going home, all right?”

She laughed. Their life was like that, business meetings in posh restaurants, dining with the elite of the city, dancing and clubbing with the trendy group and stunning gifts for no reason at all. And she never took one minute of it for granted. Always, every minute she was thankful for finding Nate. She knew enough to enjoy every moment. But later that night she would wonder if she always suspected it would end suddenly.

It was during coffee and liqueurs, after she and Irene Amersan had returned from freshening their make-up, it happened. The two uniformed police officers pulled Nate’s chair back, grabbing him by the arms and pulling him to his feet before slapping cuffs on him.

“Nathaniel Witherspoon, you’re under arrest.”

“What, what are you saying?” Nate’s face turned white, then suffused with the red of either embarrassment or anger.

“Nate, Nate, what’s happening?” She was confused, frightened by the policemen’s belligerence.

“Flo, call Clarke. Tell him to meet me down at the station...” Nate had control of himself now. Even as the policemen were hustling him out of the crowded restaurant, he called over his shoulder to the Amersans, “Don’t worry Buddy, just a misunderstanding. My lawyer will get it all straightened out. I’ll call you and tell you all about it.” Then with a last smile at his wife, he was gone.

It seemed an eternity, but actually it was probably only a few moments until all the other diners turned their attention back to their dinners, although it was apparent they were still discussing the vulgar interruption.

Flo shook herself out of her shocked trance and smiled apologetically at the Amersans. “I’m so sorry our dinner was interrupted.” She signaled the waiter for the check.

“Let me get that.” Buddy reached for it, but Flo snatched it from the waiter.

“No, Nate is paying for this.” Her voice was shrill with panic as she took bills from her purse and laid them on the tray. Then she smiled tightly, attempting to make the situation seem normal. “I’m sure it is all just a misunderstanding, but Clarke will get it all settled and Nate will give you a call to explain everything. Meanwhile, I know you will excuse me, I find I have some business to attend to.” She got up, collected her purse and gloves, and then strolled through the elite restaurant, chin high, not even glancing at the other diners.

She took a cab to their apartment building, high on top of Russian Hill overlooking the Bay, where she went directly to the phone and attempted to reach Clyde Clarke. It wasn’t easy finding him, but she was determined. Already Nate had been gone far too long. Then as Clyde instructed, she settled in to wait for his call, or her husband’s return.

She paced their living room alternating between bubbling rage at the police for treating Nate so poorly and her worry about the cause of the problem. She just couldn’t imagine what trouble Nate could be in.

They had married as soon as Nate returned from war, then set about establishing themselves as one of the new hot couples on the San Francisco social scene. Nate had an idea about reopening the gold mine outside of Skagway his father had left him. He spent a lot of time in Alaska investigating the feasibility, working with an old friend, Smithy, who agreed to be his man on site. When the assay reports came in, their excitement couldn’t be contained. Nate’s father had always claimed the mine was worth millions and now it looked as if it was true.

Nate was in his glory. He oozed optimism. Money poured in, everyone wanted to invest. Everyone wanted to be part of the dream. Everyone wanted to own a gold mine, specifically the Lucky Jewel Gold Mine.

They lived well, and why not? People were shoving money at him. When the mine started producing it was going to be just that, a gold mine, a money well, an infinite source of money. Nate bought them a beautiful apartment; they had a car to use on the weekends if they went to the country; he couldn’t buy enough jewelry and furs for his wife, and he invested in the newest, most modern equipment available to free the gold in the mine.

It was a fairy tale. Ever the realist, Florence was aware there were some problems. While Nate didn’t tell her what was troubling him she could tell he was worried about something. In fact, he was planning to go north next week, he said, to help work out the kinks in production. But he was confident he would soon have it all under control. After all, he explained patiently, it was a new operation. Smithy, his general manager, was still working out the bugs.

Still, Florence couldn’t see how Nate’s arrest tonight could have any thing to do with the mine. After all the gold mine was in Alaska, how could that effect them clear down here in San Francisco?

Maria interrupted her pacing when she brought in a tray of coffee and toast. “Is everything all right, Mrs. Witherspoon?”

“Yes, yes thank you, Maria. I didn’t even hear you come in.” She realized it was morning already and she still hadn’t heard from Clyde.

She had only taken a sip of coffee before Maria returned, this time followed by four policemen. Maria was so distressed she was twisting her hands in her apron, “I had to let them in. They have a paper...”

“What is it you want?” she coldly asked the one in charge.

“I’m sorry, madam. We have a search warrant.” He handed her the paper in his hand and motioned his men to their tasks.

Flo looked at the paper blankly, then told Maria to go back to the kitchen while she went to the phone and tried to get through to Clyde Clarke. She couldn’t reach him and when she hung up the phone rang shrilly. She grabbed it believing it to be Clarke only to find it was Josie, her husband’s secretary.

“Mrs. Witherspoon, is Mr. Witherspoon there?”

“No, I’m sorry he isn’t, Josie. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, Mrs. Witherspoon, there are policemen all over the place, going through my files, taking papers and records. They say they have a court order. They say they have the right to take anything or everything. I just don’t know what to do?”

Flo took a deep calming breath before trying to say anything. “Josie, take the paper from them and then let them take whatever they want. After they leave, do your best to straighten up. I’ll get back to you later and let you know what Nate wants you to do. And Josie, thanks for calling.”

When she hung up, the phone rang again and it still wasn’t Clyde. This time it was one of Nate’s investors. He read the story in the morning’s Chronicle and wanted to talk to Nate. He got a little nasty with Flo demanding his money back. He said he was withdrawing his investment in the Lucky Jewel and threatened, “Nate had better, by God, get my money back to me.”

The next call was from another investor, equally as belligerent. The next was from a newspaper reporter, and then Maria came in saying there were three reporters at the door who wanted to talk to her. That’s when she took the phone off the hook and told Maria not to answer the door.

Flo was overwhelmed. She wandered through her apartment, watching the policemen paw through Nate’s desk, pushing papers of no interest to the floor, not concerned about the mess they were making. Her bedroom seemed vandalized. Not just Nate’s bureau and closet, but her things were searched and discarded in heaps. The bed had been torn apart, the mattress half off the bed, the pillows thrown in the corner. She returned to the living room and sank down on a chair near the window. She didn’t know what to do; she didn’t know what was happening.