CHAPTER 39
I waited until the stream of people started filtering out of the hall before I decided to step out myself. I was bracing myself for that moment when I got recognized by one of the cat crowd, because God knows what they would do to me. Would I be tarred and furred?
I walked out of the hall and into the throng of people in the parking lot, who were all getting ready to parade their Persian cats down the street. God, this was a bizarre ritual. I needed to get to my car, but there were at least a hundred people between me and my vehicle.
I could see someone handing out bits of paper and could hear them saying, “Have you seen this woman?” I shrugged to myself. Clearly, my days of being a criminal mastermind were over. I pushed past a few people and came face to face with the man handing out flyers. He stopped and looked at me for a moment or two.
This was it!The moment that the alarm bell was sounded and I was dragged off. Only it wasn’t. The paper was thrust into my hands and the man didn’t even say a word to me. I turned and watched him walk away, no recognition on his face whatsoever.
Slowly, shakily, nervously, I raised the poster to my face. I gasped when I saw the image, and then burst out laughing—so loudly that people around me stopped and stared.
I waved the poster at them. “Just terrible! Terrible what someone can do to a cat!” I said, and then walked off to my car, a sense of amusement and utter relief washing over me.
I knew why this poster looked familiar—because apparently I looked like the love child of Liza Minnelli and Frank-N-Furter.
It was already late afternoon by the time I left the cat parade and headed back to the house. I did a few drive-bys first to make sure there was no sign of Mike. There wasn’t. I walked into my room and the first thing I noticed was a small folded note on the floor. I opened it and peered inside.
Since you’re a writer, I thought you might be interested in our library! No one goes there anymore, but I unlocked it for you. It’s on our side of the house, first door in the passage in front of you. You can come by and use it anytime you like. It has some really old books in it—many belonged to my grandmother, too! Ash.
I dropped the note on the bed. A stab of guilt and shame and other bad feelings wacked me in the belly. She was so nice, and I was . . . was . . . a . . . I was, uh—
“Library?” I uttered to myself. Why did that sound so fam—? “Oh my God!”
I raced over to the letter and opened it.
I’ve found a better hiding spot for my letters to you. You will be able to get them there. I’m putting them inside my “favorite book.” Please go and look for them as soon as you can, in case there is a change in plans.
My mind started to race again, and I ran over to her diary. I opened it carefully, so as not to cause any more damage, and started scanning the pages as I went, looking for any reference to a book. A passage caught my eye and I stopped to read it.
Dear Diary,
Miriam tried to deliver the letter to A today, but he was gone. His house was empty, all his things had been packed up and no one knows where he went. And now I don’t know where he is—I even packed my bag, ready to run away with him, but he’s gone. Miriam thinks it’s for the best that he’s left town. She says she doesn’t want to see me arrested—but, if I can’t have A in my life, they might as well put me in jail, anyway.
I brought my hand up to my mouth when I read that. Edith had wanted them to run away together and he’d just disappeared. Where had he gone? I continued leafing through the diary, looking for a clue as to what this “favorite book” might be. But there was nothing, only more heartbreaking entries about how she was being forced to marry a man she didn’t love.
I closed the diary, stood up and started pacing the room.What was her favorite book?I felt like I knew the answer to the question, I felt like it was right in front of my eyes somewhere and I just wasn’t seeing it. I stopped walking and looked at the bath—I probably needed one. I’d barely slept, had been wearing the same clothes for two days, and my pants were covered in dust and spider webs from crawling under the stage. And clearly I wasn’t going to figure this mystery out. I peeled my clothes off as I ran a bath, and then I slipped into the warm water. I was just about to fully submerge myself when I looked down; there was something stuck to my boob. I pulled it off and looked. It was the folded piece of paper I’d stuck inside my bra, two days ago. I was about to toss it on to the floor when something stirred inside me. I sat up in the bath and slowly opened it. I looked at the drawing through the veil of steam that was curling up from the hot water.
“Shit!” I sat straight up when it dawned on me, when it clicked into place. I knew what her favorite book was!
