13
The Grand Hotel was grand indeed. Claire couldn’t believe the size of it as it curved around a hill over the water, with a lower level graced by bright yellow awnings. Above that, a pillared colonnade sheltered a long porch with clusters of white rocking chairs and American flags flapping in the crisp October breeze. Above that were rows of rooms with fabulous views. Below the vast expanse of the building were the famous flower gardens, though the frosts had turned them all to dead plants now, and gardeners were working to take them out and pile them in sad heaps on carts.
“The building is beautiful,” she told Julia as they took turns climbing down from the large wagon she had hired to bring them in. “Like a palace from the past.”
“Which indeed it is,” Julia told them while Bronco steadied Nick as he got down slowly with his cane. When they were all out, the young man who held the reins drove the two-horse team of big Clydesdales off to a resting spot. In her best tour-guide voice, Julia went on, “Grand Hotel—correctly said without the word the—was built in the 1880s in the Victorian Age but what they call the Gilded Age here in North America. It was built for the elite but is now open to all—for a fee. Let me give you a tour. Then we’ll have that lunch I promised and talk about plans for your employment while you’re on the island. We’ll be in a private dining room I’ve arranged.”
“You sure know the ins and outs of this place,” Jace said, walking ahead with her. “I’m sure you’d be an excellent companion anywhere on the island.”
If that was an innuendo, Claire thought, she admired Julia for ignoring it. “I know this hotel too well,” she told them. “When I first returned here to be with my father and daughter, jobs were scarce in the winter, so I was one of the night guards here. It’s a ghostly place once they close it until the season starts again, but it needs watching, of course.” She lowered her voice, perhaps so Lexi wouldn’t hear. “Pretty spooky, all closed up at night with the lights off and everything shrouded.”
Jace opened and held the door for all of them to enter. Indeed, there was a charge to just view the interior, but Julia whipped out some sort of pass to give to the woman at the table. For the first time, Claire noted she wore what appeared to be a wedding band, but on her right hand. An heirloom? Or was she widowed, or even divorced, and still wanted to wear the ring? Claire scolded herself for slipping. She’d been curious about Julia, but, for once, hadn’t looked at something as obvious as a wedding ring to help psych her out.
Suddenly nervous, she began to twist her own rings around her finger. Maybe it was the poster ahead that did it: the two doomed lovers from the movie Somewhere in Time she’d remembered last night. The poster was advertising a yearly convention here next weekend for fans of the movie.
Julia must have seen her looking at it. “You were probably a bit young in 1980 when that came out,” she told Claire. “TV reruns?”
“Exactly. My sister and I loved that movie.”
“Aunt Darcy?” Lexi asked, though she’d seemed too tired to chatter today. And, miraculously, they’d talked her into leaving Shark-Killer back at the house to keep an eye on it. “Or does she have another name now too?”
“No,” Claire said, stooping to whisper as they went farther down a carpeted hall, “but she’s a secret here. People named Meggie and Jenna have to keep secrets. Real soon you and I will have a talk about all that again.”
“Guess what, Meggie?” Julia asked. “There was another movie made here too called This Time for Keeps, and there were a lot of swimming-pool scenes in it. My father has a copy of that with his cowboy movies, so I’ll borrow it for you, and you can all watch it.”
As Julia gave them a tour of the main, massive dining room and several side rooms, Claire was entranced. The carpets were all flowered and so dramatic, as if to bring the gardens inside even in the colder months. The carpets would have overwhelmed most places but not these vast hallways and public rooms. Polished antique furniture, framed art and chandeliers overhead kept everything in balance.
“It’s not a palace. It’s a castle, like in Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella,” Lexi said, and even the men seemed in awe. Gina and Nita were all eyes.
“The dining room seats seven hundred and fifty, but we’ll be all cozy in our smaller room. Down this hall—this way,” Julia said, though Claire saw all of them were hanging back for one last look.
“I’m paying for our meal,” Nick told her as they went into a private dining room with a round white linen–covered table elegantly set. The wallpaper flaunted bright green tropical leaves and the floor was beige and green.
Julia countered, “You’ve paid enough already, in more ways than one.” Once they were inside with the door closed, she told him, “One time here, Jack—it’s all part of the account. But after this, you’re on a budget, and I know you’ve worked out support with Agent Patterson.
“Meggie,” she went on, “I’ve ordered really the best dessert here for all of us, called the Grand Pecan Ball—that is, if you like nuts, and I know my little girl didn’t when she was young.”
“Pecans are Southern nuts,” Lexi told her. “So they are okay.”
“Southern nuts,” Bronco said. “Aren’t we all? And here we are up North, and I’ve never seen snow.”
“Me neither, have I, Mommy—or have I, Uncle Seth?”
“Nope, so that will be a lot of fun,” Jace said. “I’m thinking there will be some real good things to do on the island this winter.”
Claire rolled her eyes, but he wasn’t looking at her. At least he wasn’t ogling Julia, but he’d managed to take a seat beside her. Could he be trying to make his ex-wife jealous? No, Claire scolded herself, that was too conceited a thought, but sometimes she was sure that—
“All right,” Julia was saying. With everyone seated, Claire noticed there was one extra place at the table. Maybe, in an old building like this, they had a ghost who ate here. She shivered and scolded herself for such a silly idea, but she could imagine what all this looked like when deserted, as Julia had described it—shrouded.
When everyone quieted and turned toward her, Julia said, “Let me toss out possibilities for employment this winter to help defray costs and so you all won’t get cabin fever once the snow starts, which will be sooner than usual, they say. Seth, one of the men who goes out on the tarmac at the airport and brings the planes in to the gates is ill, and you certainly know the territory. It’s a small airport with minimal traffic and seldom even a small private jet this time of year, but that’s a possibility. Orders are, though, you would not identify yourself as a pilot, just as someone who has worked at an airport. Frankly, it would give you a good way to be aware of any strangers coming here in the winter.”
“And are there some?” he asked. Claire noted he’d looked excited at first, but what a letdown. To be near flying but not to fly, not to even let on he knew how, but they were all knee-deep in lies to survive here.
“Strangers coming in who aren’t just tourists this time of year?” Julia asked. “Rare, but it happens. For instance, rich guy flew in recently from Las Vegas, who is harassing my father to sell his Gene Autry memorabilia collection for a Wild West Museum on the Strip there. He came on a rental plane and complained about having to leave his own jet off island because it was too large for our runway.”
“And you wish he’d skidded off that little runway,” Jace put in. “As for the airport job, thanks for realizing how much planes and flying mean to me. That sounds fine. I’ll go nuts at Widow’s Watch.”
Julia finally smiled back at him, then went on, as she quickly turned to the others, “Jenna has said she wants to homeschool Meggie, and Lorena can certainly help as her nanny. Gina, since you’ve been a medical student, there’s a doctor at the Mackinac Island Medical Center on Market Street who can use your help as an assistant.”
“I want to go to school somewhere in the US, but I’ll need money to do that, so, yes. Very good.”
“That will be an excellent cover story while you are here,” Julia said. “Our friend Mr. Patterson has also suggested that, if asked, you say you are Lorena’s sister, Gina, and you came along with her for the winter. Lorena, is that all right with you?”
“Oh, yes. I am happy to help and perhaps we even look at bit alike, yes?”
“And Gina?”
“I would be blessed to have a sister as kind as Lorena—or Jenna.”
“Then that’s settled. And once the snow hits and a bicycle won’t get you to the med center, I know a very nice doctor who can pick you up on his snowmobile, but we’ll get to all these details later.”
Speaking of details, Claire was impressed, but she saw Heck wasn’t. She was hoping he and Gina would not take her father’s parting words to heart about getting married soon. Still, she didn’t doubt that Julia or Rob Patterson could come up with legal papers for Gina and then a wedding license. She was starting to think of Julia as their fairy godmother.
“Jack,” Julia said, turning to Nick, “we have a cover story that you’re a writer, working on a novel, so in case locals ask, you’ll need a general description of it. You’ve read the dossier about your supposed successful business background in Orlando, and we’ve covered for you there, in case anyone checks, but I bet they won’t. However, instead of writing a novel, you’ll be consulting, through me, with our agent friend to prepare a case against Ames High, et cetera. Writing affidavits, taking information from Jenna and others—from Seth too, who has also dealt with him.”
Jace just grunted and mumbled something under his breath. Claire knew he felt he had a score to settle with Ames, though maybe not one as deeply felt as Nick’s.
Claire studied Lexi to see if she was getting any of this, but she was unfolding her elaborately arranged linen napkin and seemed oblivious for once.
Nick asked, “Since you speak of the devil, any word on arresting and extraditing him from Cuba for prosecution?”
“Not yet,” Julia said. “Red tape. Delicate international ties. And we’re not even sure he’s still in Havana, though our man spotted him there just as Berto and Gina did.”
“Meaning he is tight with the Castros, yes?” Gina blurted, throwing her hands up. “I tell you, even though we are being careful in a private room miles away, it feels so good to just say things about and against them out loud!”
Everyone applauded, and Heck put his arm around Gina’s shoulders. How Claire wished they could all feel free and safe here, but she was starting to relax for the first time in months—really, since she’d first met Nick.
“And, Berto,” Julia said, turning to Heck, “your tech skills make you invaluable for working with Jack, and I hope, with me. Everything will have to be encrypted before it’s sent, so we must be careful. Meanwhile, we can let it be known that you can do basic computer repairs, because islanders could use that here. I know I can. And my daughter runs a business here and has an online sales site she could use some help with.
“And last, but not least, Cody,” she said, turning to Bronco. “Jack has said you’re invaluable to him as a guard and assistant. Two things. Do not think you are a glorified errand boy, but you will be our go-between so we do not use phones or internet for passing key information back and forth. And, if you are willing, it would be invaluable to me too if you could spend some time with my father. He’ll latch on to you with a name like Cody Carson, and in a week you’ll know everything there ever was to know about the old Wild West.”
“Suits me,” Bronco said with a nod. “Sorry I can’t tell him my other name, ’cause he’d like that too.”
Lexi surprised Claire by putting in, “We’re all sorry about our other names, but you have to use the pretend one.”
“That’s right,” Claire said and everyone else chimed in.
“So,” Julia said, “that takes care of everyone’s temporary occupations, and we’ll see how things go.”
Nick said, “You’ve done a lot of preliminary work, and we can’t thank you enough for the hospitality and the house.”
“I never placed and hosted this many clients before, such a big—well, family. I really want to get you out to see the rural, more hidden parts of the island before the first snow hits. They say what they call the polar vortex will be harsh this year, and here we are almost in Canada.”
She’d mentioned hidden parts of the island. Claire wondered again if there were other WITSEC witnesses—clients—secreted here. Rob Patterson had been right. This location was a great setup for privacy and lack of access, especially with winter coming.
“And now I have a surprise,” Julia said. “That is, another one. I’ve asked my daughter, Liz, who, yes, does know what I do here besides running a riding stable, to join us. She should be outside in the hall, and just wait until you hear what she designs and makes for a living, a very good one at that. Excuse me for a minute, as I asked her to wait until I brought her in. Meggie, you’ve been so good, and I’ll bet you’re hungry.”
“Well, I had four pancakes, but Lily didn’t like them because she wants to go home to Florida.”
Darn, Claire thought. That talk with Lexi had to happen soon. Julia had been right about trouble with daughters no matter their age, and she couldn’t wait to meet her girl Liz.
But as Julia went out into the hall, before the door closed, Claire overheard her say, “Wade, why are you here? I asked you to stay away from her.”
A woman’s voice said, “I don’t know how he got in, but I really don’t think it’s a problem if we’re careful, so—”
The door to the hall closed behind Julia, but Claire was sitting close to it. She could still hear their voices raised until the others started talking. So she got up and pretended to stretch, standing near the door. Nick knew what she was doing and frowned, but everyone else seemed oblivious.
Julia said, “Wade, shouldn’t you be at work? That’s a good job in the jewelry store.”
“I am at work. I only saw Liz coming in here after I delivered a silver and Petoskey stone ring to that guy Liz says has been bugging your father. Kirkpatrick’s staying here. Want me to give him a hint to keep away, to fly back out of this Northern paradise?”
“And tip your tough-man hand? You—and Liz too—both know the rules, and they don’t include romantic fraternization, to put it nicely. Please, or you’ll have to be transferred, Wade.”
“Or if Liz leaves like she wants, that will solve the problem here, so maybe I can get transferred back to Manhattan if you finally let her go.”
“Don’t try being clever. I have guests, the new renters for my father’s property on Main Street, so I have to go back in. Liz, let’s go.”
Claire just managed to sit down when Julia came back in with a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed young woman. She might be in her early twenties but looked younger. And the way she was dressed: when she took her floor-length cloak off, Claire saw she wore a long black skirt and loose-sleeved white blouse laced up the front, but it was her embroidered, beaded, lavender, wasp-waisted velvet corset worn over those garments that made Claire gasp and Jace clear his throat.
Everyone stopped talking except Lexi, who cried, “Mommy, I told you this is a castle, because that’s the princess!”