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Authors: Vicki Stiefel
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in hand.
“Sedni,”
I said to Penny in Czech, her native language and one I often used for commands. “Sit. Good girl. Zoe?”
She snapped the phone shut. “Yes. Please get that dog out of here. She’ll ruin things.”
“She really won’t,” I said. “She’ll be fine. Promise.”
I introduced myself and Carmen. “I don’t think that Carmen will hurt the bronze, either.”
“No. I guess not.” She moved toward us with a tentative smile. One of her front teeth was slightly crooked, which made her looks even more endearing. “No. No of course she can’t.”
Zoe stared at the sculpture with a look of longing, and, I mouthed
Go
to Carmen.
Take Penny
.
“Ayuh,” Carmen said in her thickest Down East accent. “Pretty stuff. I’m gonna browse the shop, yup suh. Take the dog. Okay by you?”
“Of course,” Zoe said. “Yes. It’s fine. But I’ve got an errand I have to run in fifteen minutes. I hope that’s all right. I’ll have to lock the shop.”
Her expression was sweet and kind, a look that would melt a man. But her skin was mottled, her eyes puffy. Crying about what, I wondered. And her nervous fingers played with the cell phone in her hand.
As soon as Carmen and Penny left the room, I said, “Are you okay?”
She bit her lower lip. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You sure? Is it . . . is it Delphine?”
Her blue eyes widened and tears pooled on her lids. “How did you know?”
“I, well . . .” I drew in a deep breath. “You know I want to talk to her.”
She sniffled.
I dug a tissue from my purse and handed it to her. “Want to talk about it?”
“I shouldn’t.” Her voice was a whisper.
“It might help. Let’s go sit someplace and—”
“No.” She rested a hand on my arm. “I’m being silly. I should be used to it by now.”
“Used to it?”
She walked over to the Swentzell sculpture and wrapped her hand around the sculpture’s much smaller one. “I yelled at your friend because, um, well, she’s my friend. At least I think of her that way. I’m sorry.”
She straightened, brushed her hands down her linen jumper. “There. Better. I shouldn’t let her get to me. That’s so dumb.”
“Delphine?”
She nodded. “I love her. She’s really good to me. But when she’s on these trips, she can be such a witch. She gets crazy with work, and she was just yelling at me when you came in. I . . . I lost it, I guess.”
I walked closer to Zoe, so I could see her eyes. “Delphine. It was Delphine on the phone.”
“Yeah. I told her you wanted to talk to her. But, no. She didn’t have the time. She never has the time. I wish she didn’t lay all this stuff on me.”
“I understand.” But I wasn’t paying total attention. Delphine really was alive. Alive. Yet . . . why couldn’t I just let it go?
“You want to call her back?” Zoe thrust the cell phone in my direction.
“I thought she said no.”
Zoe shrugged. “So? She can’t always have it her way.”
I took the phone, flipped it open and pressed the button for calls received. Delphine’s cell number popped up. I pressed send and held the phone to my ear.
But what I saw was a woman in panic. Zoe looked terrified. She turned away. Delphine’s phone rang once, twice . . .
“What do you want now, Zoe?” growled the voice.
Delphine’s voice. Angry. I flipped the phone closed.
Carmen varoomed the Cadillac around island curves, while I held on to Penny with one hand and dug my heels into the floor.
“Cripes, Carm. Drive slower around these . . . dammit! You’re crazy!”
I looked across at the lapping water. Not that far, really, but enough to kill us if we flipped over. And I thought
I
was a wild driver.
Penny whined.
“Oh, come on, you two,” Carmen said. “It’s fun.”
“Fun? It’s crazy. You’re being crazy and scaring Penny!”
“Well, in that case . . .” Her foot eased off the pedal, and the car slowed to a nearly normal speed for the serpentine roads.
I checked my
“Sedni,”
I said to Penny in Czech, her native language and one I often used for commands. “Sit. Good girl. Zoe?”
She snapped the phone shut. “Yes. Please get that dog out of here. She’ll ruin things.”
“She really won’t,” I said. “She’ll be fine. Promise.”
I introduced myself and Carmen. “I don’t think that Carmen will hurt the bronze, either.”
“No. I guess not.” She moved toward us with a tentative smile. One of her front teeth was slightly crooked, which made her looks even more endearing. “No. No of course she can’t.”
Zoe stared at the sculpture with a look of longing, and, I mouthed
Go
to Carmen.
Take Penny
.
“Ayuh,” Carmen said in her thickest Down East accent. “Pretty stuff. I’m gonna browse the shop, yup suh. Take the dog. Okay by you?”
“Of course,” Zoe said. “Yes. It’s fine. But I’ve got an errand I have to run in fifteen minutes. I hope that’s all right. I’ll have to lock the shop.”
Her expression was sweet and kind, a look that would melt a man. But her skin was mottled, her eyes puffy. Crying about what, I wondered. And her nervous fingers played with the cell phone in her hand.
As soon as Carmen and Penny left the room, I said, “Are you okay?”
She bit her lower lip. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You sure? Is it . . . is it Delphine?”
Her blue eyes widened and tears pooled on her lids. “How did you know?”
“I, well . . .” I drew in a deep breath. “You know I want to talk to her.”
She sniffled.
I dug a tissue from my purse and handed it to her. “Want to talk about it?”
“I shouldn’t.” Her voice was a whisper.
“It might help. Let’s go sit someplace and—”
“No.” She rested a hand on my arm. “I’m being silly. I should be used to it by now.”
“Used to it?”
She walked over to the Swentzell sculpture and wrapped her hand around the sculpture’s much smaller one. “I yelled at your friend because, um, well, she’s my friend. At least I think of her that way. I’m sorry.”
She straightened, brushed her hands down her linen jumper. “There. Better. I shouldn’t let her get to me. That’s so dumb.”
“Delphine?”
She nodded. “I love her. She’s really good to me. But when she’s on these trips, she can be such a witch. She gets crazy with work, and she was just yelling at me when you came in. I . . . I lost it, I guess.”
I walked closer to Zoe, so I could see her eyes. “Delphine. It was Delphine on the phone.”
“Yeah. I told her you wanted to talk to her. But, no. She didn’t have the time. She never has the time. I wish she didn’t lay all this stuff on me.”
“I understand.” But I wasn’t paying total attention. Delphine really was alive. Alive. Yet . . . why couldn’t I just let it go?
“You want to call her back?” Zoe thrust the cell phone in my direction.
“I thought she said no.”
Zoe shrugged. “So? She can’t always have it her way.”
I took the phone, flipped it open and pressed the button for calls received. Delphine’s cell number popped up. I pressed send and held the phone to my ear.
But what I saw was a woman in panic. Zoe looked terrified. She turned away. Delphine’s phone rang once, twice . . .
“What do you want now, Zoe?” growled the voice.
Delphine’s voice. Angry. I flipped the phone closed.
Carmen varoomed the Cadillac around island curves, while I held on to Penny with one hand and dug my heels into the floor.
“Cripes, Carm. Drive slower around these . . . dammit! You’re crazy!”
I looked across at the lapping water. Not that far, really, but enough to kill us if we flipped over. And I thought
I
was a wild driver.
Penny whined.
“Oh, come on, you two,” Carmen said. “It’s fun.”
“Fun? It’s crazy. You’re being crazy and scaring Penny!”
“Well, in that case . . .” Her foot eased off the pedal, and the car slowed to a nearly normal speed for the serpentine roads.
I checked my
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