Pickin' Murder: An Antique Hunters Mystery (4 page)

Chapter Five

CC arrived at the Italian Village, a Chicago landmark. Tony was already waiting. He had reserved a special booth in a quiet corner on the second floor. The twinkling white string lights wrapped around the booth, creating a romantic atmosphere. Tony stood up to greet CC as she reached the top of the stairs. He was wearing the sport coat he had worn the first time they saw each other on the Metra train over a year ago. It made her smile to see that he remembered that day. A glance from a stranger had turned into something more.

He kissed her cheek and handed her a single red rose. He escorted her back to the booth. He sat down and she sat across from him. Before he could speak, the waiter came by. “Can I get you a drink?”

Tony ordered a fine bottle of wine in Italian. “I love this place,” CC said as she gazed around the room. “Did you know that this restaurant is almost 90 years old? Imagine we could be sitting in a booth where Al Capone ate. Frank Sinatra had his wedding celebration here.”

“That’s very interesting, CC.” Tony took her hand in his. “I wanted to talk with you about Italy. When I sail the Baglietto back to Italy, I’m going to take Angelo’s offer. I’ve found a villa overlooking the Mediterranean close to the shipyard.”

CC looked down and broke off a piece of bread. “I understand. You’re a master craftsman. These beautiful boats are your life’s work. It’s a wonderful opportunity. I’m very happy for you.”

“It’s been a tough decision. I have a lot to leave behind.” Tony paused and sipped his wine. “I’ve come to really care about you. In fact, I love you. I don’t want to return to Italy without you.”

“Are you asking me to marry you?”

Tony’s silence was CC’s answer. “It’s not that I don’t want to share my life with you. I do. After my wife died, I didn’t want to continue on. As much as you’ve brought joy into my life, I still have that sorrow that stays with me. I don’t know if it’s possible to love twice in a lifetime the same way I loved her, but I’d like to try and find that kind of love with you.”

“Tony, I love you, too. I think moving to Italy with you and sharing your life and your boats would be wonderful.” She paused. “You’re asking me to leave everything I know behind to take a chance at a life with you and you’re not even sure that you can commit to me. That’s something I can’t do.”

“Where does that leave us?” he asked.

“That leaves us with enjoying dinner tonight and whatever time we have together before you have to leave.” CC felt an aching in her heart as she pictured saying goodbye to him.

Chapter Six

Early Monday morning, Anne waited on the front porch of her Chicago brick bungalow for CC. Surrounding her was the pile of suitcases and bags that contained her essentials. It was day one of the Buttersworth hunt. Anne waved to Grandma Pat sweeping her front sidewalks. Pat Irwin,
Grandma Pat
as Cedar Avenue knew her, was the neighborhood watch. She was responsible for bringing the garbage cans up, delivering newspapers from the curb to the doorstep and keeping an eye out for the neighborhood. Pat waved at Anne and walked up her front stairs.

“Anne, how are you? You’re up early.”

“CC and I have a special project we’re working on,” Anne said. “We want to hit the highway before traffic gets bad. We’re heading to Nashville.”

“Nashville? Why Nashville?”

“We’re going to look at some vintage guitars and antiques. We’ve been commissioned by a client,” Anne said. “Pat, would you sit for minute? I have something to ask you.”

Pat leaned her broom against the swing and sat in the white wicker rocker next to Anne. “Anne, if it’s about your leaves, I noticed you haven’t had a chance to get to them. I’d be more than happy to clean them up.”

“No, Pat, that’s not it. I might be gone for a couple weeks. I was wondering if you could keep an eye on the house and maybe watch Sassy.”

“I love Sassy. I’d be glad to do that. She’s a sweetheart.”

Sassy, the white Persian, watched the whole conversation from the bay window. She knew they were talking about her but wasn’t sure what they were saying. She got tired of watching and returned to her work with the fuzzy mouse.

“Anne, I haven’t seen that nice very tall and very British detective Nigel coming around much anymore. How are things?” Pat asked.

Anne’s excitement turned to sadness. Grandma Pat placed a hand on her knee. “Are you okay?”

“Well, Pat, Nigel asked me to go away with him for the weekend and I turned him down. I really care for him, but I don’t feel that way about him. I don’t feel the spark.”

“Dear, I was married for 50 years and I had that spark from the day I met Gino, and I still feel it today even though he’s gone. If you don’t feel that way about Nigel, he’s not the right man for you.”

CC pulled up in the light green and pearl two-tone VW bus and honked. Anne gave Grandma Pat a hug and ran down the stairs, carrying her large orange Prada bag and lugging her large roller bag down the stairs. She shoved it in the back of the VW bus and then went back for the rest.

“What is all this?” CC asked from the window. “I told you to only bring what you needed.”

“These are my essentials.” Anne shoved the other two suitcases and overnight bag into the back. “You never know what you’ll need. It could rain, be hot or snow in the mountains.”

After leaving Bandit with CC’s brother, the Spoon Sisters hit the road. They drove out of Illinois into Indiana on the crowded tri-state toll way. “Where is everyone going?” Anne said, unfolding the Rand McNally atlas. “I’ve marked off a few interesting antique stores along the way where we can stop.”

“I already have the route plotted out. It’s in the GPS,” CC said, turning on the navigation system. “We’re going to make a little detour on the way. We’re going to stop in Corbin, Kentucky,” CC added.

“Why are we stopping there?”

“I read an article in
Guitar Player
magazine.”

“CC, when did you start reading
Guitar Player
magazine?”

“I picked it up at the dentist office. The cover read
steel guitar
, and it caught my eye. There’s this old steel guitar player named Scooter Muscarello. I guess he was a big sideman back at the Grand Ole Opry in the early 1960s. He played in a lot of bluegrass bands. He had quite a collection of guitars. He passed away recently and his granddaughter is planning an estate sale.”

“Oh, that sounds promising; when’s the sale?”

“I contacted her and she’s going to let us come look before the sale.”

“That’s a good find, CC.” Anne was impressed. She couldn’t have done better herself.

“And since we’re in the area, we can stop at Cumberland Falls for the night. I made reservations for us.”

“Why?” Anne was not an outdoorsy type.

“To see the waterfall. It’s been called the Niagara of the South or the Great Falls. The falls are 68 feet high and 125 feet wide with an average water flow of 3600 cubic feet per second.”

Anne’s eyes glazed over. “And? And? And?”

“I’m hoping we can get some pictures of the moon bow,” CC said. 

“Moon bow?” If possible, Anne’s eyes glazed even more.

“On nights when the moon is full and the sky is clear, a moon bow appears. It’s a white arc starting at the base of the falls and covers the entire length. It’s the only one in the western hemisphere.” At the look on Anne’s face, CC added, “We’re just spending one night and then we’re on to Nashville.”

For lunch, they stopped at Cousin’s hamburger restaurant located on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky. “I heard about this place on the Food Network. Best hamburgers in the Midwest, forty different toppings, everything made fresh,” CC said.

They sat down and ate. Anne had the double cheeseburger piled high with Merkt’s cheese, onions, pickles, bacon, and a real vanilla milkshake. To accompany it, she had French fries three ways, bacon, sour cream and melted cheddar cheese. CC had the same.

Heading back to the VW, Anne nibbled on her fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie.

The flatlands of Illinois had given way to the rolling hills of Kentucky as they drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Heading off the highway into Corbin, they followed the winding road that was bordered by tall hemlocks and pines soaring 100 feet overhead. CC pulled the VW bus into the circle driveway in front of the DuPont Lodge. “You know, Anne, this was named after T. Coleman DuPont. He grew up here and gave the land to the state for a forest preserve.”

Anne nodded as she stared at the rustic lodge. When she exited the VW, she saw the first of many bright yellow “Beware of Bear” signs. She pulled her large orange Prada bag closer to her. Walking inside, she found a large stone fireplace that was the centerpiece of the great room. It was surrounded by knotty pine bookshelves. Anne ran to the observation deck, which looked out over the Cumberland River while CC checked them in.

After bringing their overnight bags to their room, CC grabbed her camera and hiking shoes. She looked at Anne who was lounging on the bed, reading one of the guidebooks she had picked up. “Are you coming?”

“I might stay here and rest.”

“Anne, it’s only a half-mile walk.”

Anne grabbed her large straw hat and her bag and slowly followed CC out of the room. She swatted at mosquitoes as they walked along the path. Sweat dripped off her brow; she was definitely not made for the outdoors. Passing by the gift shop, Anne gave it a longing glance. Leaving it behind, she trudged behind CC.

While they walked, CC took pictures and nodded
hello
at other tourists. They stood at the top of the waterfall looking down. The waterfall was massive; the mist lofted up, cooling CC’s brow. Anne was still hot and fanned herself with the bear-warning pamphlet. “What’s over there?” CC pointed at a wood sign. It read “Lower Observation Area.” 

“Let’s go.” CC rushed down the steep uneven stairs, Anne followed behind.

When they reached the bottom, it split off in two directions. They took the path that split to the right. It was a single file stone walkway. On one side of the walkway, jagged rocks dropped off a hundred feet; on the other side was the edge of the cliff with more jagged rocks poking out.Anne felt surrounded. She also felt concerned that something was going to jump out at her from under the rocks. She was not a nature lover. She swatted at the flies and mosquitoes that buzzed around her.

When they reached the semicircular observation area, the sun was just setting. They climbed up the steps to the viewing area which was crowded with people pushing up against the railing to get a good look at the falls. As the sun set, the moon rose and so did the beautiful moon bow through the mist. “Anne, this is what we came here for.” CC wiggled her way to the corner of the viewing deck next to the rocks. She had to stretch way over the railing to look around to get a good shot of the moon bow. She climbed up on the railing and straddled it.

Anne stood at the back of the crowd. She couldn’t get a good view of the moon bow. She was hot, sticky and she really didn’t care. Her feet ached and she was tired. This wasn’t part of her game plan. Then she heard a scream. She stood on tiptoe and looked over a tall man’s shoulder. People were frantic trying to reach over the railing to rescue CC who was dangling, clutching the support bracket under the railing with one arm. She was suspended a hundred feet over the crashing water.

Anne pushed her way through the crowd. “CC, my God, someone get help!”

A man stuck his arm through the bottom of the railing trying to reach for her, but she was too far away. CC’s legs dangled, supported by only her arms.

“CC, hang on! They’ve sent for the park rangers!” Anne called after her.

“Anne, I’m slipping. I can’t hang on!” CC’s words came out in quick gasps. She could feel her grip slipping.

Anne looked around for anything, anyone to help her best friend. Dumping the contents of her large orange Prada bag on the ground, she found what she was looking for––her iconic vintage Burberry plaid silk scarf. She tied one end to the railing and flung the other down toward CC. “CC, grab on!” she yelled down to her friend.

“It’ll never hold!”

“Of course, it will; it’s Burberry!”

CC grabbed the scarf with her free hand and wrapped it around her wrist. The man, who had been trying to help, grabbed the scarf and pulled her up. Several people grabbed onto her and lifted her over the top of the railing. CC sat on the ground, catching her breath, her heart was still pounding.

“Are you all right? What happened?” Anne knelt down beside her and put her arm around her friend.

“I was trying to get a better angle of the falls and the moon bow. I sat on the edge of the railing. I was really careful.”

“CC, that’s so dangerous! How could you?”

“Anne, somebody pushed me.”

“Who would push you?”

“I don’t know if it was intentional. There was a lot of people crowding to see the moon bow.” CC shook it off.

“The important thing is you’re okay.”

The park rangers arrived along with an emergency kit. CC stood up. “I’m fine. Really; I’m fine. No cuts or bruises. It was just an accident.”

“Let us take you back to the lodge, ma’am,” the ranger said, leading her and Anne to an all-terrain vehicle.

After examining CC, the girls were left sitting in front of the lodge’s roaring stone fireplace, sipping their hot chocolate. Anne took off her shoes and massaged her aching feet.

When Anne had finished her second cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, she turned to CC who had been sitting quietly, staring at the flames. “CC, are you okay to continue? Do you want to go home?”

“Anne, it was just a careless accident. I was being reckless. I will be more careful in the future,” CC said. “You know the interesting part is I was able to hang by one arm for several minutes. All those pushups at the Glen Ellyn gym, shoulder pull-ups and the yoga are really paying off. You might want to think about joining.”

“No, I think I’ll avoid putting myself in situations where I need to dangle 100 feet over a waterfall.” Anne paused. “I think that’s the best exercise plan for me. Can we go eat now?”

Anne and CC walked into the lodge’s restaurant. It resembled the cafeteria of a summer camp. One side was dedicated to a large buffet with fried catfish, hush puppies, salad bar and desserts. Anne perused the desserts before they sat at a table that had a view of the Cumberland River. She couldn’t wait to try the banana pudding.

CC studied the menu. She was starving after her ordeal and was looking forward to trying a local specialty. “Anne, what are you going to have?”

“I think I’m going to try the buffet,” she said.

When the waitress came over, Anne ordered the buffet and went to fill her plate. Balancing it carefully, she went back to their table. CC was not there.

Inside the lodge’s kitchen, CC watched the chef as he prepared the Hot Brown, a famous Kentucky specialty. He layered turkey and roast beef over a slice of toast. He then poured the fresh cheese sauce, a combination of cream, butter and white cheddar cheese, on top of the meats. “This is fabulous,” CC said as she sampled the cheese sauce.

Then the chef decorated it with a slice of crisp bacon, salt and pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. He put it in the broiler. When it was crisp and browned, he put the sandwich on a plate and handed it to CC. “Thank you so much for showing me your recipe,” she said. “Do you mind if I share this recipe on my blog?”

“Not at all, Miss CC,” the chef said.

Bearing the plate in her hand, CC went back to the dining room and her table where Anne was plowing through her second plate of catfish and hush puppies. “Where were you? I was worried.”