The Memory of All That (16 page)

Chapter 31

“As far as I know, you’ve lived here since you were a small child. And I’ve never known you to have an interest in basketball. But you immediately recognized the Phoenix Suns when you saw them on television.”

“I know. That’s weird, isn’t it?”

“Maybe not so weird. Ray is a big basketball fan. One of the companies the detective suspects he might have been going to sell the stolen prototype and plans to is located in Phoenix. There must be a reason you recognized the Suns from a brief glimpse of them on television. Maybe that’s where you’ve been.”

“I have no idea why,” Marnie replied. “When I saw them, I just knew who they were.”

“Ray is an avid follower of the sport. He always talked about it at the office and seldom missed a game on television. He even pays extra for the sports channel that carries the games and invites coworkers to his apartment to watch with him.”

“Maybe I watched games with him.”

“Maybe,” David reluctantly agreed. “But I can’t see you doing that. The private detective I hired to trace Ray’s tracks obtained Ray’s cell phone records, and they showed calls to several people connected with Barrett’s competitors. One of those competitors is located in Phoenix. Think, Marnie. Does Phoenix call up any memories for you?”

She sat quietly for a while and then shook her head. “In a way it seems familiar, but nothing specific comes to mind. Alice said she thought my mother and I might have moved here from Phoenix. Maybe I feel a connection to the city because of that.”

“Or maybe you two flew to Phoenix so Ray could meet with someone, and while you were there, you attended a Suns’ game. Does that ring a bell?”

She leaned her head against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. “Somehow I remember being at a basketball game, but when or where I don’t know. I can even visualize seeing the Suns playing, but I don’t know when or who I was with.” She sat up straight and opened her eyes. “I’m trying so hard there’s a chance I might be making the whole thing up in my head—it may be my imagination along with seeing basketball on TV.”

The next day Marnie’s thoughts kept coming back to basketball and the memories that had started to flicker in and out of her mind. She was excited that some memories were returning, even something as trivial as attending a basketball game, but no other details about it surfaced. That evening at supper, David led the conversation back to the game and the various teams and how the basketball season was progressing.

“The Suns are having a good season this year,” he said.

When Marnie agreed and mentioned the current coach by name, David’s jaw dropped. Marnie looked back at him in amazement.

“Oh, my God!” she said. “How did I know that?”

“How do you know who the coach is?” David asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Either Ray has talked about it around you or the subject has come up in conversation.”

“Either way, does that necessarily mean we went to Phoenix with your project?”

“No,” he said, and slumped in his chair. “No, it doesn’t. The private detective I hired, Grigsby, is at a dead end on that lead. He can’t find any proof, or even a hint beyond phone calls, that Ray connected with anyone at the Phoenix company. He hasn’t picked up on any rumors circulating about it.”

Other than the conversations about Marnie’s knowledge of basketball in general and the Phoenix Suns in particular, the week went as the previous one had. Marnie spent her days playing with Jonathan and reading to him, reading the novel from the library, and helping in the kitchen.

When Saturday arrived, David asked Jonathan at breakfast what he would like to do.

“Can we go to the library, Daddy? That’s a place with lots and lots of books, and I’ve read the ones I have. I need some new ones.”

“He wanted to go this week,” Marnie explained, “but I told him I couldn’t take him, that you’d have to do it. I’m sorry if I messed up your plans. That’s the only thing I could think of to tell him.”

“That’s OK. I think the library is a good place to start the day,” David responded.

Upon entering the library, Jonathan was overwhelmed by the amount of books available to him, so he chose an armload to bring home. The afternoon was spent at the neighborhood park. Marnie and David sat on a bench and continued to discuss the meaning of Marnie’s knowledge of the Phoenix Suns and basketball while Jonathan played. Since she was unable to remember anything new, they let the conversation drop.

“This weather is wonderful,” Marnie said, turning her face toward the sun. “I hate to stay in the house on days like this.”

“I’ve never thought of you as an outdoor girl,” David responded. “In fact . . .”

“In fact what?” Marnie opened her eyes and looked at him.

“Hmm. I just had an idea,” he answered.

“What is it?”

“Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

Over spaghetti and meatballs at David’s favorite Italian restaurant, he said to Jonathan, “I think it’s about time to open up the cabin for the year. Are you up for it, Sport?”

“Yay! Daddy, when can we go? Tomorrow?”

David laughed. “Not that soon, buddy, but maybe next week.”

He focused his attention on Marnie. “We have a cabin up in the mountains. It was my father and uncle’s getaway. They called it a hunting cabin, but I don’t know how much hunting either of them did up there. They’d go up there and talk about business deals and profits and losses—things they didn’t want to talk about around other people. It’s not fancy, but it’s not primitive either. There’s running water, heat, a kitchen, and an indoor bathroom. Jonathan loves it up there.”

“When can we go, Daddy?” Jonathan asked again.

“I’ll have to call the Evertons and ask them to get it ready for us.” He turned to Marnie. “Chad and Dina Everton own a little grocery store and gas station about two miles away from the cabin. They check on it for me, and they’ll go air it out and see if there’s been any damage from the winter weather.” He turned to Jonathan. “I’ll call them on Monday, Sport, and get the ball rolling. I’ll let you know when we can go. It’ll be a few days.”

Jonathan was beside himself for the next two days. He told Marnie all about the tall mountains and the lake near the cabin. “And we can walk down to the dock and fish. I caught a fish one time, but Daddy said it wasn’t big enough to keep, so I had to throw it back so it could grow some more. I can’t go to the lake by myself because I’m too little, so I have to have a grownup go with me. And . . .”

Marnie was in the playroom with Jonathan and Mrs. Tucker, listening to Jonathan share the wonders of the cabin for the umpteenth time, when David arrived home early from work.

“Did you find out, Daddy? Did you?” Jonathan was jumping up and down as he asked.

“Jonathan, settle down,” Mrs. Tucker admonished. “That is playground behavior, and you are in the house.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He froze in place. “Can we go, Daddy? Can we go to the cabin?”

“Yes, Jonathan. Mr. Everett said he would go up and check on the cabin tomorrow and do any repairs, and Mrs. Everett will clean it up and stock the pantry. Everything will be ready by Wednesday.” He turned to Mrs. Tucker. “Mrs. Tucker, you will have several extra days off, with pay of course. We’ll leave Wednesday and stay through the weekend.”

“Be ready first thing Wednesday morning,” he said to Marnie. “We’ll leave right after breakfast.”

Chapter 32

The drive up into the mountains was beautiful. Trees that had been bare were showing the first signs of green on the tips of their branches, contrasting with the dark green of the conifers. The mountains in the far distance had snow on their peaks, and David explained that it would remain through most of the summer. When they rounded a curve in the road, a verdant valley unfolded before them, and they could see deer grazing in the distance.

There were times, though, when Marnie was nervous, especially when they were meeting other vehicles. Her fingers would tighten around the armrest on the door, and she realized she was holding her breath until there was no other car nearby.

“Are you OK?” he asked once.

“Um . . . yes,” she replied.

After nearly two hours of driving, David pulled into a small service station. “Almost there,” he announced. “Let’s go check in with the Evertons.” Marnie and Jonathan piled out of the car and followed him into the store.

“Well, look who’s here,” said the gray-haired man. “Dina, come see this young man who’s come to visit.” He came out from behind the counter and stood in front of Jonathan. “I figure you must have grown a foot since we saw you last fall, Jonathan. Pretty soon you’ll be as tall as me.” He turned to David and stuck out his hand. “David, it’s good to see you again.” He nodded in Marnie’s direction. “Mrs. Barrett.”

A pleasant-looking woman came from the back of the store, feather duster in hand and a smile on her face. “David, you’re looking well.” Her smile grew when she spotted Jonathan. “Chad, I think you’re right. This boy is going to be taller than either you or David.”

Jonathan giggled under all the attention and clung to Marnie’s leg. The older woman’s greeting to Marnie was almost as brief as her husband’s. “Mrs. Barrett, good to see you again.”

Neither Chad nor Dina Everett had been rude, but it was plain they were not as happy to see Marnie as they were David and Jonathan. Marnie wondered if she had done something to offend them or if they didn’t like her because of her reputation.

“Everything’s tip-top up at the cabin,” Chad said. “No winter damage that I could see. I fired up the generator, so you’ll have lights and heat. There’s a good stack of firewood on the front porch. I imagine you’ll be wanting a fire in the evenings. And there’s plenty of gas to keep the generator going.”

“I dusted and ran a mop around, so it’s pretty clean.” Dina said. “I wiped out the refrigerator and stocked it with milk and juice and some other things. There’s a supply of canned goods in the pantry—enough for a few days anyway”—she ruffled Jonathan’s hair—“and I left some cookies I thought this young man would like.”

“I thank you both,” David said as he pulled out his wallet, “for keeping watch over the place and for starting it up in the spring.” He tossed several bills onto the counter. “I couldn’t rest easy about the cabin if I didn’t have you two here taking care of it for me.”

They said their goodbyes and drove another mile along the highway then turned onto a graveled side road. After another half mile, they turned onto a dirt track leading slightly uphill for another half mile or so. Rounding a curve, Marnie caught sight of a log cabin nestled in a stand of evergreens. To the right and slightly downhill was a blue lake glistening in the sunshine, with a winding path leading to it.

“Oh, David! It looks like something you’d see on a postcard.”

“You like it?” he questioned.

“It’s beautiful, simply beautiful,” she replied.

“Let’s get unloaded,” he said, and they each carried something into the cabin.

Marnie took a moment to fix the house in her memory. It was built of logs and had a bright green metal roof. Three steps led to a covered porch that extended across the front.

David pulled a key from his jacket pocket and unlocked the front door. They stepped into a great room with log walls and wide plank wood floors covered with oriental rugs, soft and muted with age. A woodsy scent filled the air. A massive stone fireplace filled the majority of one wall, while a kitchen took up the back left corner of the room. Leather couches and chairs had brightly colored quilts and Native American patterned rugs thrown casually across their backs, ready for use if the air was chilly. Vibrant, abstract paintings dotted the walls where Marnie would have expected typical landscape paintings.

“This is the most comfortable room I’ve ever seen,” Marnie exclaimed.

“Really? How do you know?” David said, grinning.

“I just know,” she replied. “It’s perfect. I love it!”

“I like it better than our house,” Jonathan said.

“I know,” David said, and Marnie wondered if he might add, “I do too.”

David led the way to a door on the back wall that led to a short hall where two small bedrooms were separated by a bathroom. One bedroom had a queen-sized bed, and the other held two twin beds.

“Jonathan and I will bunk in here,” David said as he slung his duffle bag onto one of the beds. “You can have the other room.”

By the time they had their bags in their rooms, Jonathan was ready to go to the dock. “We’re not quite ready yet, Sport. Mrs. Grady sent a cooler full of food, and we need to unload that and eat some lunch first.”

They all trooped back to the SUV to unload the rest of the cargo. In the cooler, they found all sorts of prepared food, including sandwiches for lunch, along with carrot and celery sticks, fruit juice, and cookies. There was a casserole ready to pop into the oven for supper, complete with baking instructions from Mrs. Grady and a loaf of garlic bread.

“Everyone’s making sure you have plenty of cookies,” Marnie remarked.

“Yum,” Jonathan replied.

After lunch they took the path down to the dock that stretched a short way out over the water. The lake wasn’t large, only about twenty acres. In the summertime, they had access to a flat-bottomed boat. For now, though, they would just admire it from the shore. Jonathan wanted to go fishing, but David nixed that idea.

“We didn’t buy any bait, son, and the ground is still too cold to dig for worms. They’re still down deep so they don’t freeze. Maybe next time we come we can fish. The fish will be down deep in the water now, too.”

“So they don’t freeze, too?” Jonathan asked.

“That’s right,” his father answered. “But I’ll tell you what, we can play Go Fish with cards.”

“Hurray!” Jonathan cheered then sobered. “Can’t we stay down here for a while?”

“Sure. Want to skip rocks?” David asked as he bent over to search out a stone.

Immediately caught up in the idea, Jonathan started looking for a rock of his own. Marnie went and sat on the dock, dangled her feet over the edge and admired the vista before her.

I don’t remember when I’ve felt so peaceful,
she thought and then laughed at herself for such a silly idea.
Duh
, she almost said out loud.

The sun had begun to sink behind the mountains in the west, and the air began to cool when David suggested they go back to the cabin. Jonathan led the way, although David cautioned him to stay with them. “Surely he can go on ahead,” Marnie commented. “It’s only a short way, and we can see all the way to the cabin.”

David said nothing, but when they reached the house and Jonathan bounded up the steps and through the front door, he put his hand on Marnie’s arm, holding her back. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Jonathan, but sometimes there are bears in this area . . .”

“Bears?” Marnie yelped.

“Shh. When I talked to Chad on the phone Monday he said there haven’t been any spotted around here this spring, but it’s always a good idea to keep Jonathan close to us, just in case.”

Marnie glanced nervously around them as if she might see a bear amble up at any time.

“What should we do if we see one?” she asked.

“First of all, stay calm. Don’t panic. If the bear is on the path, you move off it. Speak in a moderate tone of voice. You should talk so the bear knows you’re a human, not another animal, but you shouldn’t scream or yell at it. Don’t look it in the eye, and back up slowly until you are a good distance away from it. Don’t ever run. Bears will chase you if you run.”

“If I meet a bear, I’ll probably just faint, and then it will eat me,” she said.

“We probably won’t see one, even from a distance, but I don’t want Jonathan getting away from us, just to be safe.”

“Agreed. I’m not getting a distance away from you, either.”

David was chuckling when they entered the cabin.

Marnie put the casserole in the oven for supper, and she, David, and Jonathan played several wild hands of Go Fish with a deck of cards David took from an oversized antique armoire in the living room. When the timer went off, David and Jonathan washed up and then set the table while Marnie put the bread in the oven. A few minutes later they sat down to supper.

It was a quiet meal, and when it was over, Marnie said, “Jonathan, I think you’d better go take your bath before you fall asleep. It’s been a busy day, and I can tell you’re tired.”

“Aww,” he began, but David cut him off.

“I’ll come draw a tub of water for you and help you get started.”

“Be sure he washes all over instead of just playing in the tub,” Marnie advised.

By the time she had cleared the table and washed the dishes, David had Jonathan bathed and in his pajamas. Together they tucked the yawning boy into one of the twin beds.

“Leave the lamp on, please Daddy, until you come to bed,” he requested.

“Sure thing, Sport. I’ll turn it off later.”

Marnie pulled the covers up around Jonathan’s shoulders and kissed him on the forehead.

“Good night, sweet one,” she whispered.