“He’s in the attic again,” Ivy informed her. “That’s the third time this week. First it was Sylvia’s bedroom, now this. He’s going through everything with a fine-toothed comb. The poor boy, I think he’s hoping his grandmother left him a personal note or something special to remember her by.”
Isthatwhy he’s been hanging around in the afternoon?Zoey wondered. She’d thought it was because he wanted time alone with Ivy to cajole her into vacating her home. But perhaps it was merely because he was still combing through Sylvia’s mementos. Or maybe it was a little of each. Otherwise, why would he have chased Zoey out of the house on both days? He’d already told her he wanted to check out the trunks Sylvia kept in the attic. In fact, Zoey had seen him go up there after they’d eaten lunch on Tuesday, so it wasn’t any big secret.
That’s when it struck her: it shouldn’t have taken Markthree daysto sort through his grandmother’s possessions. For one thing, the attic was too organized. Ivy had never been one to purchase more than she needed; she used everything until it was no longer functional and then disposed of it and got a replacement. All her valuables and heirlooms were on display in the best room. So aside from seasonal items, such as Christmas ornaments, lawn decorations and window screens, the attic was nearly empty, and Sylvia’s two trunks were readily accessible.
For another thing, Sylvia’s belongings amounted to little more than a couple of dresser scarves and half a dozen figurines. Except for her clothes and a few personal items, everything else in the house belonged to Ivy, so it’s not as if it should have taken Mark more than half an hour to peruse the contents of Sylvia’s bedroom, either.
Hehadto have been searching for something else! Something specific that he hasn’t found yet. Something that’s so important to him that he’s willing to stick around Dune Island until he does,she deduced.And I doubt very much it’s a personal note from his grandmother!
Her curiosity piqued, Zoey decided to pop upstairs so she could catch Mark unawares, but before she could, he came back down. “Did you discover anything interesting?”
“Nah.” He turned his empty palms up as if to prove it.
“If you tell me what you’re looking for, maybe I can help you find it.”You’re not the only one who has ulterior motives for being helpful, she thought.
“That’s okay. I’m done up there.”
Zoey knew it was futile to ask whether he was done because he’d found whatever it was he wanted to find (and was hiding it in his pocket), or because he’d searched the attic thoroughly enough to conclude that whatever he was looking for wasn’t there. But she decided that after he left the island she was going to do a little snooping upstairs on her own.
Mark clapped dust off his slacks and said, “I’ve got to run, Ivy. I’ll be back by eight tomorrow morning for our eight-thirty meeting, but don’t feel obligated to make breakfast.”
Ivy furrowed her brow. “Our meeting?”
“Yeah, you know—with the carpenter.”
“The carpenter?” Ivy echoed him again.
“We spoke about this at length. Don’t you remember?”
Mark’s patronizing tone made Zoey want to scream,Sowhatif she forgot! Don’t you have the slightest inkling of how difficult it is to concentrate when you’re grief-stricken?As far as Zoey was concerned, in the weeks following her sister’s death, if she could remember her email address and phone number, it meant she was having a good day. So she thought nothing of Ivy forgetting about Mark’s self-serving meeting.
“Sometimes, it can be helpful to jot important details down on a calendar,” she suggested, looking pointedly at Mark, meaning that’s what he should have done on their aunt’s behalf.
“I’d probably forget where I hung the calendar, too.” Ivy clucked, shaking her head. “What will we be discussing at this meeting?”
“The kitchen renovations. Getting a new stove, that kind of thing,” Mark answered.
“Ah, now I remember,” Ivy claimed, but there was no spark of recognition in her eyes. It made Zoey wonder if Mark had actually discussed the renovations with her at all. He’d been acting so sketchy lately that she wouldn’t put it past him to use Ivy’s supposed forgetfulness against her and trick everyone into believing she’d okayed the meeting.
“You don’t have to meet with anyone yet, if you’re not ready. There’s no hurry,” Zoey told her aunt.
“Actually, there is. I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon on the twelve thirty-five ferry. That’s why I reserved a block of time in my schedule in the morning.”
The elation Zoey felt upon hearing that Mark was leaving was counterbalanced by her resentment of his pressure tactic.Whatever happened to you saying, ‘no rush’ when we talked about this on Tuesday?she fumed to herself. Clearly, he’d just been pacifying her to shut her up. Well, two could play that game.
“You’ve obviously got a lot on your plate right now—that’s all the more reason to postpone the meeting. You could always come back to discuss the renovations later in the summer.”Or in the fall. Or never.
“Yeah, but I’m concerned it might be hazardous for Ivy to continue using the stove. Besides, who knows what the carpenter’s workload will be like later in the season.”
“The Armstrong boy?” Ivy asked. “The one who does all my repairs?”
“Yup.”
“Oh, you’re right. He does excellent work at a very fair price. We can’t miss out on booking him,” Ivy agreed. “I worry he doesn’t eat right, you know. He’s divorced and he doesn’t have a girlfriend. I’ll make a quiche for breakfast.”
“It’s not necessary for youto feed him, Aunt Ivy,” Zoey was half amused, half exasperated by her aunt’s attitude and belief that men didn’t know how to cook for themselves. “Besides, we don’t have enough eggs.”
“I can walk to the market and get some,” Gabi volunteered.
