I had all these images about Stella’s life with Ben, but I never considered what my life with him would have been like. I fell into our relationship because he was so charming and good looking, but I hadn’t really known him. And he hadn’t been interested in discovering the real Grace. Stella might have known him better all along because they were so much alike.
Traffic moved nicely, and I reached Mom’s three-bedroom, two bath ranch fifteen minutes early. Mike Pemberton’s black Cadillac was in the drive. A retired Army captain, he had been my mother’s boyfriend for over fourteen years. He asked her to marry him on at least three occasions. But she never accepted. Apparently, my dad provided all the marital bliss she could handle in one lifetime.
On the curb behind Lesroy’s red Mini Cooper was an unfamiliar dark blue SUV. The tinted windows hid the interior, and I assumed the car was empty. The engine started as I passed in front of the vehicle. Startled, I performed an awkward half-jump, half-stumble maneuver before stepping into the front yard.
The driver lowered the passenger-side window and leaned over the seat. With the sun casting a shadow across him, it was difficult to make out his features.
“Sorry if I scared you. Are you okay?” His voice was velvety smooth and deep.
“I just didn’t see you sitting there, that’s all. But I’m fine, thanks.” I strained my eyes to see inside. His dark hair blended with the interior, but dappled sunlight revealed a wide smile and a flash of white teeth.
“Sorry. Next time I’ll be more careful.” He shut the window and pulled away.
Before I could speculate on what next time meant, Lesroy greeted me from the front porch.
“Thank God you’re here. Aunt Marilyn is a mess. Mike’s been trying to calm her down ever since Ben called.”
I stopped in the doorway. “What do you mean ever since Ben called? Nobody told me Ben called.”
“Don’t pop a blood vessel. He called about an hour ago. Your mom must have left him a dozen messages. He finally got back to her.”
Mike appeared in the entry hall. At six feet four, he took up most of the space.
“Gracie girl, good to see you!” He surrounded me in his special aura of cigar smoke and Old Spice. I don’t like either fragrance, but on him it wasn’t bad. “Your mom’s in the den. I got her settled down a little. That son of a bitch got to her.”
Lesroy and I followed him to where she lay on the faded leather couch with a washcloth over her face. She was so quiet I couldn’t tell if she was aware we were there.
“Just resting my eyes.” She sat up, cloth in hand, and patted the space beside her. “Sit down for a minute, honey.” She tried to smile, but her lips quivered, and she abandoned the effort.
“I’m going to get us something to drink,” Mike announced. “And Marilyn, you need to eat. No argument.” He touched her shoulder. “Be right back.”
Lesroy volunteered to help, leaving me alone with Mom.
“I guess they told you Ben called. I shouldn’t have wasted my time talking to that sleazy little bastard. What a fool I was to believe there was a chance he’d tell me the truth. I said I’d been trying to get in touch with Stella, but there must be something wrong with her phone. Then I asked to speak to her, like I didn’t suspect anything. He had the nerve to act as if he was worried about her, too.”
Mom dabbed at her eyes before continuing. “The asshole said he’d been out with some business associates on one of their yachts the day before and had stayed overnight. When he came home, Stella and her sailboat were missing. He told me he wasn’t worried at first because she liked to take the boat out by herself early in the day.”
Her voice broke, but she kept on with the story. “When she didn’t show last night, he started calling around. No one had seen her. He notified the authorities, but there was a big storm, and they couldn’t start looking for her until this morning. He said he’d been out with friends searching for her himself, and that’s why he didn’t call me back.”
Mike returned and set a tray of cheese and crackers on the coffee table. Lesroy brought a pitcher of sweet tea and poured a glass for my mother. She set it on the end table without taking a sip. The men crowded together on the love seat.
“Your mom’s sure Ben’s lying, but his story sounds possible.” Mike cut a sliver of cheese, stuck it between two crackers, and handed it to her. “Eat, baby.” She nibbled it and held the remaining bit in her palm.
“Grace knows why it’s not possible,” she said. “Don’t you?”
I did know. My sister would never have taken a chance like that. If she’d been by herself, she would have stayed within eyesight of the shore and, at the first hint of rough weather, would have headed in.
I explained Stella’s fear of thunder and lightning to Mike. My mother sobbed in the background.
“Just because he’s a liar doesn’t mean something bad happened.” I put my hand on her back. She shook her head and kept crying.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get you to bed. We’ll figure something out while you rest a little.” Mike guided her to the bedroom.
While he was settling her in, Lesroy whispered to me. “Grace, I think Aunt Marilyn is right. I read through Stella’s letters. She never said anything specific, like I’m afraid Ben’s going to kill me or anything, but she didn’t sound like
