Stargazey Point (32 page)

“Ervina,” said Abbie. “But will she help?”

“Are you kidding? Right up her alley. It might just work.”

“We’ll use the carousel as an anchoring point, and I bet you money we’ll get a lot more details about their family histories than asking them where they came from.”

“You were good at this, weren’t you?”

“Interviewing people?” Abbie considered. “Yeah. I think maybe I was.”

“There’s only one thing.”

“What?”

“We don’t have any equipment. Damn Eddie Price.”

“There is that. But I’m working on it.”

Chapter 21

C
hange of plans,” Abbie said when the afternoon crowd had eaten a snack and were sitting around her in the front room.

“Yeah, old Eddie Price broke all the equipment,” Pauli said.

So they already knew about that.

“Guess we won’t be making no pictures of the carousel,” Kyle said.

Dani and Joe looked like they might cry.

“Well, that’s not necessarily so,” Abbie told them.

“It was a dumb idea anyway,” said one of the older girls, clearly disappointed, but trying to hide it.

“Does this mean we don’t get a ride when it opens?”

“No, not at all, and don’t be so quick to give up.” She couldn’t stand to see their disappointment.

“How? We don’t have no camera.” Abbie lifted her shoulder bag to her lap. Let it sit there. Here was the moment of reckoning. If she encouraged them, she’d be obligated to see it through. She swallowed, felt a flutter of nerves. And realized they weren’t nerves from fear, but from anticipation.

“Yeah, we do. I have a surprise.” She reached inside the bag, pulled out the camera she had sworn she would never use again, and held it in one hand for all of them to see.

They all looked, some frowning, some scratching their heads.

“What is it?” Kyle asked, peering through overlong bangs.

“A video camera.”

“Don’t look like ours.”

“That’s because this one is a digital camera.”

They moved as one, closing in on her. She passed it around and gave each one a chance to hold it, then she took them outside to practice shooting with it.

And they were sold. Everyone wanted to use it, but Abbie told them that in order to do that, they had to sign up an adult for an interview time. There was a rush toward the table with the sign-up sheet.

Abbie breathed a sigh of relief. Now if they actually showed up for their interviews, they’d be in business.

“Great,” Sarah said, sidling up to her when the children had moved to the tables to finish homework and read. “Only thing is, we don’t have a way to edit digital.”

“But I do,” said Abbie.

E
rvina picked up the twins at six o’clock, and after they excitedly told her about the new camera, Sarah and Abbie explained what they needed her to do.

She pointed her finger at Abbie. “You take their picture, you steal their hearts.”

“Souls,” Abbie corrected. “Some tribes believe if you take their pictures, you’ll steal their souls.”

“You know so much. You wait and see. Ervina knows.” She nodded portentously.

Abbie stepped back in surprise. Ervina led her two charges out the front door.

“She does that sometimes,” Sarah said, coming up beside her. “I like to think it’s all an act. But sometimes . . . well, sometimes, I just don’t know.”

Abbie met Beau as she walked out of the center on her way home that night. It was the first time they’d left at the same time, and they walked in silence for a while.

“I asked the children to ask their families what they remember about the carousel. Maybe that will help Cab figure out the order he’s so insistent on reproducing.”

Beau nodded. “He wants to get it right. It’s his homage.”

“To his uncle?”

“Yes, ma’am, and to a way of life.”

“I thought we could help. The children are all anxious to film the carousel. I really appreciate him letting them film. I’ll make sure they don’t pester him.”

“I don’t imagine he’ll mind as long as you come along to supervise.”

Abbie looked sideways at Beau, and he winked at her. She felt the heat spread over her cheeks.

“Do you think anyone will remember anything specific that will help?”

Beau had taken a piece of wood out of his pocket and was fingering it like worry beads. “Somebody’s bound to.”

“Do you remember anything about it?”

“Oh, I remember lots of things.” He smiled, but it was at something Abbie couldn’t see.

“It’s too bad there aren’t more pictures of it. I saw the ones on the computer, but there were only a few.”

Beau didn’t reply. She glanced over at him. He seemed far away.

“Beau?”

“Yes, it’s too bad.” He took her hand and hooked it into the crook of his arm, and they walked down the drive into the dying light.

Dinner was strained. Marnie looked every one of her eighty-four years. Millie was tight-lipped but looked more like a sulky child than an adult. Beau placidly ate his dinner, but he got up with a mumbled excuse as soon as he finished eating. He gathered his dishes and took them into the kitchen. He didn’t return.

When he was gone, Millie stood up and began clearing her and Abbie’s plates. When Abbie tried to help, she brushed her aside with, “You just sit and relax.”

Abbie didn’t insist but let her go.

Marnie waited until the door closed behind her then turned to Abbie. “I told her I’m taking the silver in tomorrow to sell it. They will forgo the penalties we owe if I pay up tomorrow.” She sighed, snorted. “It won’t hurt for her to come into twenty-first-century reality for a change. Do you want coffee?”

“Thanks, no,” Abbie said. “I’ve taken on a project for Sarah, and I want to get organized so it doesn’t turn into a disaster. Unless you need help with anything.”

“No, go ahead. And Abbie, don’t let this upset you. She always pouts when she doesn’t get her own way. Been like that since she was a baby. Always worked, too. Until now.”

Abbie climbed the stairs thinking about what she should do, if anything, about the Crispins’ plight. She had tried not to be nosy or judgmental. She’d just met them, but she knew Celeste and she knew she had an obligation to inform her of what was going on. Then if Celeste said stay out of it, she would.

She called Chicago.

“Hey. How’s your vacation going?”

“That’s what I’m calling about.”

“You don’t sound happy. Is something wrong?”

“No, no. Everyone’s healthy as far as I know. And I’m fine, but we have a situation.”

There was silence on the other end, the sound of the fridge opening. Celeste rummaged around for a few seconds then said. “Okay, I’m fortified with a glass of wine; hit me with the worst.”

“The upshot is they can’t pay their real estate taxes.” She told Celeste about Millie giving the payment to a family to pay for medicine.

Celeste groaned. “How much do they owe?”

“I haven’t asked. I
am
a guest. But I did mistakenly overhear Millie and Marnie talking when I first got here. I guess they’ve been paying quarterly. Marnie said they needed to come up with three thousand by this week.

“I don’t have a clue to how much more they owe. But the assessor has been here several times from what I’ve heard, and he was here again the other day. They’re delinquent and the property will have to be auctioned if they can’t make a payment by tomorrow.”

“The hell it will. You’ll have to ask Marnie how much it is.”

“Me? Why don’t you?”

“Here’s something about the South. They still see me as a child. The idea of me offering to give them money would be embarrassing at best and humiliating for sure.”

“And it won’t be coming from a virtual stranger?”

Celeste laughed. “You? A stranger? How long have I known you? Eight, ten years? And I’ve learned that no matter where you go or how long you stay, you always get involved.”

“I just—”

“Don’t bother to deny it. How much time have you spent on the beach?”

“Okay. You’re right. I’m a buttinsky.”

“No. You’re a compassionate person. I’m kind of envious. With all the news that crosses my desk day after day, I’ve become inured to humanity’s unpleasantness. God, I actually get excited when something bad happens. It makes for cutting-edge broadcasting. So let me do something good for a change.”

“Okay, so what do I tell them?”

“Tell them I’m protecting my inheritance. How soon do they need it?”

“Marnie says she’s going into town tomorrow to sell the silver.”

“They still have all that silver? Let her sell it. I remember spending every Wednesday of my summer vacations polishing the stupid stuff. But try to find out how much they need. I don’t want to get their hopes up. I’ve got savings but not nearly as much as I meant to have. I can write them a check for three thousand, but they won’t get it by tomorrow. They do nothing online.”

“Well, I’ve got some money saved, too. I’ll spot you.”

“Thanks. I’ll deposit a check in your bank tomorrow. Promise.”

“I believe you. But I want to contribute, too. They haven’t let me pay for a thing or lift a finger since I’ve been here. I’m insisting on paying for my room and board for the summer, and you have to let me visit anytime I want when it’s yours.”

“Deal. How long are you staying?”

“Why?”

“Well, if you’ll stick around until September, I’ll try to come down for Labor Day.”

“That would be great. I know they would love to see you. They talk about you all the time.”

“Don’t guilt me. I’ll see if I can get off. I’m long overdue. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Which was?”

“Are you planning to stay for the whole summer?”

“I’m thinking about it. I’m working on a project.”

“I knew it. Oh, Abbie, that’s wonderful.”

“Not that kind of project, those days are behind me. I’m working with some kids and a carousel.”

Silence, then a long “Okaaay.”

“Like I said, no big deal. In the meantime, I’ll try to find out how much they still owe in taxes, but Celeste, if they can’t pay this year, how on earth will they pay next year?”

“I don’t know. I’ll figure out something by then. Thanks for helping them out. You’re the best, you know that?”

She wasn’t. She could thank Werner for his foresight in securing her future, even if it was a meager one. “I’ll keep you posted.”

A
bbie waylaid Marnie the next morning as she carried a heavy box toward the garage. She waited until Marnie had deposited it in the trunk of the old Buick before she jumped in the front seat and shut the door.

“Do you mind giving me a ride into town?”

Marnie pursed her lips. “Not at all.”

“Thanks.”

Marnie kept her eyes trained on the driveway, and Abbie didn’t mention the tax payment. They had a long ride to Georgetown.

They were on the open road before Marnie said, “Have anything special you want to do in Georgetown or are you just bored?”

“I noticed one of those big electronic stores when Cab and I had dinner there. I wanted to pick up a few things for the center.”

Marnie glanced sideways at her then went back to watching the road.

“Does Sarah know about this?”

“Some. But I told her if she wants me to work for free, she has to let me do it my way.”

Marnie laughed. “I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. You know if she hadn’t gone off to school and become a professor, she’d have ended up just like Ervina. Two peas in a pod, stubborn and willful and they both have the sight. Only Sarah’s scientific mind is causing a big chasm inside her.”

Abbie angled herself so she could see Marnie better. “Is she really here to take care of Ervina? It seems like Ervina can take care of herself. She’s even taken in two of the town children.”

“Dani and Joe. Sad story. Their daddy ran off, then one day their mama dumped them on her no-good brother’s front door and took off after him. No one’s heard from her since. God only knows what happened to her. Her brother keeps them because he gets state money.”

“They’ll be better off with Ervina, but it has to be a strain; can’t they find a better situation for them?”

Marnie snorted. “We’ve all tried. But he always comes back for them, and social services doesn’t want to rock the boat. They’re understaffed as it is, and if there’s a family member, it makes their life much easier.”

Abbie thought about those two expectant faces, then she pushed them out of her mind. It was a common story. And not much could be done except what Sarah was trying to do for all of them.

“I think Ervina was hoping Sarah would stay and adopt them,” Marnie said.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“She’s pretty much given up getting Sarah a husband. Guess she figures children would be the next best thing.”

“She’s not putting any spells on her, is she? It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Not that I know of. And what part of life do you think is fair?”

Abbie leaned back against the seat. She couldn’t think of one.

“Never mind. I have an appointment in twenty minutes. Do you want me to drop you off at the electronics place and pick you up or do you want to tool around town while I’m inside?”