menu read like a good book-cheese quesadillas, one of the best guacamole dips in the valley, chicken tortilla soup- the endless list tempted and teased. A perfect pick-me-up after her close call with the onset of major depression. Dieting could wait.
She ordered shrimp tacos and a nonalcoholic margarita and Larry followed suit.
Gretchen briefly wondered how Nina and Daisy were getting along. She hoped Nina wouldn’t be too distressed when she read the note Gretchen carefully remembered to leave for her explaining lunch with Larry.
She missed her cell phone terribly.
Larry apprised her of the status of the repair work. He had offered customers the option of waiting for Caroline to return, and many had opted to do exactly that, insisting that no one else could handle the work as well as she could. Many had heard the rumors and expressed concern for her safety.
“She has a loyal following,” he said. “Three customers were in a panic because they had committed the dolls to shows or to one of their customers. I finished the last one yesterday. Do you think she’ll come back soon?”
“I have no idea. She still hasn’t contacted me. Have you heard about Nacho?”
“Nacho?” Larry’s squinty eyes blinked rapidly.
“I mean Theodore Brummer. Nacho is his nickname. He confessed to Martha’s murder.”
The surprise on Larry’s face surpassed her own astonishment when she first heard. “You’re joking,” he said. “Someone actually came forward and admitted to it?”
Gretchen filled him in on the details she had learned from Matt, careful to exclude any mention of keys or doll lists or burglaries. Mainly because she had lost the energy to revisit them, their stories too complex and convoluted. Perhaps later when she felt stronger, Larry’s opinion would be helpful.
“Caroline can come home now,” he said. “And clear her name.”
“That’s my hope.”
“If you hear from her, I’d like to know.”
“You’ll be one of the first,” Gretchen assured him.
A whippet-thin, golden blonde carrying a Prada handbag walked by as Gretchen bit into her third shrimp taco. She placed the rest of the taco on her plate, abruptly reminded of her commitment to lose a few pounds, and used her napkin to dab at the corners of her mouth.
“I’m free for awhile,” Larry said. “Julia said I was underfoot and gave me the boot. She’s in the middle of inventorying supplies in the back room, and she’s in a terrible mood. I’m at your service until it’s safe to go home. Where would you like to go?”
Gretchen considered her options. With Nacho in custody for Martha’s murder, she could direct all her efforts into locating her mother. But where to start? Then she remembered the laughing Kewpie doll that Bonnie had seen in Joseph’s shop, the one Bonnie insisted matched the description from Martha’s inventory. It wasn’t much of a lead, but it was the only one she had.
“Do you mind taking me to Joseph’s Dream Dolls?” she said. “He has a doll I’d like to see.”
“Not at all,” Larry said. “I’m always interested in what the competition is up to. Wheeling and dealing is the name of the doll seller’s game.”
“Can I use your phone?” Gretchen asked. “Sorry to ask, but mine’s gone.”
Larry pulled a phone from a holder on his belt. “Help yourself.”
Gretchen called her mother’s house, but no one answered. She left a message on the machine so Nina would know that she was going to Mesa to visit Joseph. She smiled to herself at the image of Nina and Daisy shopping together and wondered where Nina had taken her newfound buddy. Probably not to the Biltmore Fashion Park where she might run into Bonnie. A chance encounter would supply Bonnie with enough gossip material for the next week.
No, Nina would select a shopping mall far from the doll collecting crowd, one with the least chance of meeting a familiar face. South Phoenix or Glendale, most likely. She’d be away for most of the afternoon.
Gretchen felt slightly guilty for ditching Nina, but her aunt slowed her down and, more than anything, Gretchen wanted this whole affair resolved as soon as possible.
She tried Nina’s cell phone, but the voice mail prompt answered immediately, indicating that Nina was out of range or that she had turned off her phone. She left the same message on the cell phone’s voice mail as she had at the house, but this time she included a hearty wish for a successful shopping trip.
Caroline leaned forward and stared at the computer screen. On the run for so many days, rushing toward this precise moment while recklessly disregarding her own safety, she was aghast at the image before her and recoiled from the bitter truth.
Blood drained from her face and, in the mirror hanging above the desk, her face appeared the same color as her silver hair, ghostly white, filled with pale fear.
She dialed numbers-Gretchen’s cell, Gretchen’s Boston apartment, Nina’s numbers, Steve’s office and home- pounding the keys and finally, after listening to multiple mechanical voices suggesting that she leave a message, she threw the offending phone against the motel wall.
Get a grip on your emotions, she thought. You’re exhausted, but now is not the time to collapse.
Caroline stumbled through the motions of packing up her few belongings, tossing the phone into her purse, and closing her laptop. She dialed the front desk and requested a cab while planes roared overhead. Tucking her silver hair under the baseball cap, she refused to worry about Nacho or Nina or her daughter, earlier fear of the unknown transforming into intense anger.
She was on her way back to Phoenix with the proof she needed to save her life and to avenge Martha’s death.
25
Recent Market Report on French Fashion Doll:
I’m always cautious about determining prices for dolls, believing that this inexact science is best served through published pricing guides and current market demands. However, I can report at the time of this writing that the French fashion doll, particularly those manufactured by Bru and Jumeau, have experienced a resurgence in popularity and are considered hot dolls. They paved the way for the modern fashion doll we all know and love-the Barbie-and today’s collectors couldn’t be more bewitched by this captivating antique doll.
I have personally had the opportunity to witness an exquisite rare specimen selling at auction for six digits!
– From World of Dolls by Caroline Birch
Gretchen couldn’t help measuring the success of the two doll dealers. Larry struggled to keep his business open, and the physical stress showed on his face as a nervous twitch. Joseph, diamonds glistening in his pierced ears and wearing flamboyant garb, enjoyed a thriving business and enormous success, if the number of customers in his shop was a reasonable indicator.
Location, location, location.
It really did matter.
Joseph’s Dream Dolls was part of a booming new shopping mall in a bustling section of Mesa with heavy walk- by traffic. Who could resist a front window brimming with smiling dolls?
On the other hand, Larry and Julia’s China Doll Shop sat in a near-empty outdated mall with a straggle of aging but loyal customers.
Gretchen wished the best for Larry and Julia and made a mental note to visit their shop soon and make a purchase. Perhaps it was time for them to consider moving to a better location.
Larry and Joseph eyed each other like boxers in a ring, and Gretchen thought it must feel strange for Joseph to know that his competition was taking in all the details of his shop and assigning a grade. Gretchen thought Joseph would earn the highest score possible, a ten on a scale of one to ten.
His store had pizzazz. He knew how to set up his displays to show off his dolls to the best possible advantage.
