“Helena talked about moving to Hawaii?” I asked. “Why didn’t she?”
“That plan ended as suddenly as it began. She was going to run away with some guy to live on a private island in Hawaii. I guess the guy decided to go without her. If there ever was a guy, which I doubt.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Back up. She told you she had these plans?”
“She bragged about it. I was having one of my not-so-good periods, and she came to check up on me. She probably made it up to make me feel even worse about my own life. Helena could be like that.”
“When was this? Do you remember?”
Tina glanced between Josie and me. “Does it matter?”
“It might.”
She leaned back in her chair. “As I said, it wasn’t a good time for me. My husband walked out on me, leaving me with nothing but his bills, and I wasn’t doing so good. Helena did me one favor in her life, and she found me a therapist and convinced me to see her. She, the therapist, helped me a lot, and things turned around for me because of that, so I sort of remember when Helena was talking about Hawaii. Spring of 1995.”
I couldn’t help sucking in a breath.
“What?” Tina said.
“She told you she was running away with some guy in the spring of 1995. Did she tell you anything about him? His name? What he did or where he came from? How she knew him?”
“Her Prince Charming, she called him. Barf. As if any man with the money to buy a private island in Hawaii would have the time of day for the likes of Helena Sanchez. She did say they met when he was working in the library, but that’s all.”
“Prince Charming. You told me earlier she settled down and forgot about her Prince Charming. I thought you were speaking in broad terms, not about a specific person.”
“What of it?”
“You also told me you’d never heard of Jeff Applewhite. Is that still the case?”
“If I told you so, then that’s the case. I don’t lie.” Tina laughed. “Unless I want to.”
“Could Jeff have been Prince Charming?”
“Brad Pitt could have been Prince Charming, for all I know. Look, as interesting as all this is—not—I have to be going. I’ve a lot to do getting ready for the move.”
“I have one last question. These plans Helena talked about. If it was spring 1995, it was around the time the Blackstone necklace disappeared. Can you think of any connection between your sister and the necklace?”
“No. I knew Rachel Blackstone. Not well, but we hung out sometimes. Helena wasn’t ever a part of that scene. I told you the other day I didn’t remember if I’d been at Rachel’s house when the necklace was stolen, but that isn’t right. I do remember, and I know I wasn’t at Rachel’s party that night because I’d just started to get some help. My therapist told me I had to stop hanging with that crowd. I knew about the party—no one was ever invited: people just spread the word and showed up. I considered going despite what my therapist said, but at the last minute, I changed my mind. I’ve always been glad I wasn’t there. The cops were asking questions about that party for a long time, and at that time of my life I didn’t care for contact with the cops. Come to think of it, I still don’t care for contact with the cops. Surely you can’t possibly think Helena’s death has anything to do with that party and the disappearing necklace? I always assumed Rachel gave it to someone and was afraid to tell her parents what she’d done, so she claimed it had been stolen.”
“Rachel searched for it for a long time,” Josie said. “She hired private detectives and all that.”
Tina shrugged. “Whatever.”
I was losing her. Tina was on the verge of getting up and walking away, so I spoke quickly, trying to express the urgency I felt. “Helena never told you what happened with Prince Charming and why they didn’t go to Hawaii?”
“Helena stayed in Nags Head for another fifteen years, but I didn’t speak to her again for a long time. My therapist wanted me to try to make friends with my sister; she said it was important for my progress, but when I called her, Helena hung up on me. I never tried again. I always figured she was too embarrassed to tell me her prince had skipped town without her. She continued working at the library. She retired. She moved to Mount Dora.” Tina stood up. “And that’s all I’ve got to say about it. Goodbye.” She looked at Josie. “About the only thing I’m going to miss from these parts is this place.”
“Good luck,” Josie said.
We watched Tina weave her way through the tables and out the door.
“Wow!” Josie said. “I get mad at Noah and Aaron sometimes, but I’ve never not wanted to ever see my brothers again. What awful parents. Pitting one twin against the other.”
“If that’s what happened. Helena might have told a different story.”
“True, but you have to admit that anyone who likes my Danishes can’t be all bad.”
I smiled at my cousin. “Tina’s bitter, and I doubt she’ll be any happier in Mount Dora. We take our problems with us wherever we go. But I do wish her well.”
“What do you think about what she had to say about Helena and this prince of hers?”
“Prince Charming. I only met Helena once, and according to things I’ve been hearing, she changed a lot over the years, but I wouldn’t have thought her the type to dream about finding Prince Charming.” I dredged up what I know about Snow White, the fairy tale featuring the strangely named Prince Charming. “Apple.”
“You want an apple Danish? I haven’t made any lately.”
“Snow White’s given a poisoned apple by her wicked stepmother and falls into a coma. Prince Charming comes
