Chapter Seven
The weather outside was gray and dismal much like Callie's current mood. A newspaper was open on her dining room table. She sat at the table, sipping tea. A few feet away Eva sat on the living room carpet playing with blocks, making a tower. Callie could see and hear her daughter. Eva was making happy noises as her tower grew higher.
Callie pulled the paper closer and read through her article for a second time. The Legend of Elizabeth Lancaster by Callie Shaw. Callie still felt a sense of pride whenever she saw her name in print. It signified she was on her way to becoming an investigative journalist, a goal she had set for herself in high school.
This story – the story of Elizabeth Lancaster – was extra special. It had been a big hit with the local community, perhaps, because of the timing. The article had been published right before Halloween. Or perhaps it was Callie's pictures of the white cross and flowers which were printed above the story. They had lent an air of authenticity to the events.
Mr. Calabrese, Callie's boss, had been delighted with the article and had praised Callie nonstop. Or so it had seemed. He'd suggested she do more stories along these lines – mysteries and legends.
"This is where the money's at," he'd said with a wink and a smile.
A greedy smile, Callie had thought and felt uncomfortable. Writing, for her, wasn't just about making money. It was about teaching people about the past, or solving mysteries and helping people. A pang of regret trickled down Callie's spine. She had failed Blanche and Rose. She was no closer to finding out what had happened to Elizabeth now than she was back in October.
Today was the first of December. Halloween had come and gone. Thanksgiving had, too. Callie, Frank, and Eva had spent the holiday at Frank's parents' house. Callie's parents had been there, too. Oh how nice it had been to be with family. Callie had even forgotten about Elizabeth, Rose, and Blanche for a little while.
But now? Now, Callie was at loose ends and thinking about Elizabeth again. Callie hadn't solved the mystery of the teen's disappearance and she desperately wanted to. But where to start?
"Paw, paw!" Eva toddled over to Callie and held up a square block for her mother's inspection.
"Yes munchkin, it's a lovely block. Can you say block?"
"Paw, paw," Eva insisted, resting a hand on Callie's thigh for stability. "Paw, paw."
"Oh, you're thinking of your grandpa, aren't you? He played blocks with you when he and grandma babysat." Callie ran a hand gently over Eva's dark hair. So like Frank's dark locks, she thought.
Eva's eyes shone with curiosity. "Paw, paw."
Callie laughed. "Well, you've certainly got Papa – grandpa – on the brain today, haven't you?" And then something sparked deep within the recesses of Callie's brain. Something small.
Eva tapped the block on Callie's thigh a few times then turned and toddled back to the living room where she plopped, ungracefully, on the carpet.
"Paw," Callie muttered to herself. "Paw … Paw … Paul! Deputy Paul?" No, something else. There was another Paul.
Frowning, Callie pushed back from the table and hurried into the spare bedroom. It was part office and part guest room. She found her notepad from October and carried it back to the dining table. Eva was lying on the carpet smacking two blocks together. She appeared to be getting tired. It was nearing time for her afternoon nap.
Callie sat at the table and flipped through the pages of her notepad. Yes, there it was. St. Paul's. That was the other Paul. St. Paul's Catholic Church. Rose had said she'd been there once upon a time. A high school friend had gotten married there.
Callie thought back to her interview with Rose. Rose had been rather disagreeable and hostile. When she had mentioned the church she had instantly looked aghast as though she'd said something wrong. What had Rose said that was wrong?
"Hmmm." Callie rose from the table, an idea starting to form in her mind. She needed to go to St. Paul's and check their records.
# # # #
Callie pushed the stroller – with a sleeping Eva nestled inside – into the church office. The child had fallen asleep on the drive to the church just as Callie had hoped she would. A sleeping Eva would give Callie uninterrupted time to do research.
Berta, an older woman, working behind a desk looked up at Callie's entrance. Berta brushed a stray strand of gray hair off her forehead and smiled. "Afternoon, Callie. Here to look through the records?"
Callie nodded as Berta rose from behind her desk. "What years will you need? Eighteen hundreds or seventeen hundreds?"
"Neither," Callie said. "I'd like to look at records from fifteen to fourteen years ago."
"Oh." Berta's smile faded and she looked as though she might refuse Callie's request.
Callie's heart began to sink. "Is that a problem?"
"No, of course not." Berta's smile returned. "You just surprised me. I'm so used to you delving into the past. You've never asked for recent records before. May I ask what you're working on that requires a search of more current records?"
Callie had an answer prepared. She'd thought it up during the drive to the church. "Someone has asked me to do a little research on their family tree. I figured it would be easiest to start close to the present day and work my way back to the past."
Berta nodded and her eyes shone with the wisdom of a sage. "Ah, yes, that would be the best way to do it. Give me a minute to get the books."
Callie breathed a sigh of relief as Berta took a moment to peek into the stroller and smile sweetly at Eva.
"Such a precious little one." Berta straightened up and brushed the annoying stray strand of hair off her forehead again. "With her napping you'll be able to search the records in peace."
Callie wore a smug grin. "That's the idea. And thank you, Berta, for all your help."
# # # #
Frank pulled his vehicle into the garage and turned off the engine. It was six p.m. and dark. He hadn't seen any lights on in the house and that had him concerned. It meant Callie and Eva were not home. At this hour? Where could they be?
Frank also noted that Callie's car was not in the garage. Well, that confirmed it. She must have gone out. Maybe to get milk or eggs, something they tended to run out of quickly.
As Frank got out of his car he wondered if a quick stop at the market couldn't have waited until morning.
Frank unlocked the door leading into the kitchen from the garage and flipped on the light. Everything looked normal. Nothing was out of place. He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on a hook by the back door. Maybe Callie had left a note.
He went through the house turning on lights and searching for a note. He came up empty and wound up standing in the master bedroom growing more concerned. Callie was usually very good about leaving a note or calling or texting. He checked his phone. No texts or missed calls. So, where was she? Wherever she was she had Eva with her.
He dialed his wife's number. It rang and rang. That wasn't good. He ended the call and an overwhelming fear started to grow in his gut. His mind started preparing a plan of action, steps to take in case of this or that. Then he heard the back door creak open and Callie's voice.
Frank's relief was palpable. Relief had never tasted so good. His body tingled from the sudden change in emotion.
He called out as he made his way rapidly from the bedroom to the kitchen, "Callie? Babe, is that you?"
And there she was with Eva in her arms and a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. Callie and Eva both appeared exhausted. Eva was whining and Callie gratefully handed the fussy baby into Frank's outstretched arms.
"There, there Pumpkin," Frank cooed as he patted his daughter's back. She felt so good in his arms, so warm and soft. His world was complete now that his two girls were safely home. However, he had questions.
"She's hungry," Callie said, fatigue lacing her voice. She plopped the diaper bag on a chair at the dinette, pulled off her winter jacket, draped it on a chair, and turned to the kitchen cupboards. "I'll warm some baby food for her. Oh, I got us a pizza. It's still in the car. I didn't have enough hands to carry it in."
"I'll get it." Frank took Eva to the living room and sat her on the rug next to her toy blocks. He tugged off her little pink jacket and said, "Daddy will be right back."
"Dada! Dada!" Eva started crying and reached her tiny arms up, begging to be picked up.
"I'll get her," Callie said from the kitchen. Eva's food was in the microwave warming up. It would be ready in seconds.
By the time Frank returned from the garage with the pizza Callie had a fussing Eva in her highchair and was putting a bib around the little girl's neck.
Frank placed the pizza box on the table. "I'm going to change clothes. Be back in a sec." And once he returned to the kitchen, he wanted answers to some very important questions. The big one being, where had Callie been this afternoon?
Frank took off his patrolman's uniform and hung it neatly in the closet. He put on jeans and a sweatshirt and returned to the kitchen. Eva was happily eating peas. Frank inwardly shuddered. Peas were not one of his favorite foods, but he was glad Eva found them delicious. She carefully picked one up and put it in her mouth. A baby spoon went unused in her left hand. Eva tended to use the spoon more for banging on her highchair tray than for scooping up food.
"Here you go." Callie set a plate with two slices of pizza at Frank's place at the table. A plate with two slices was already at Callie's place. "I'm making hot tea. Want a cup?"
"I'll have water. Thanks anyway." Frank got a glass from the cupboard and filled it at the sink. He watched Callie pour hot water from the kettle into a teacup. "So," he said, "why were you late getting home this evening?" He'd tried to make his tone sound casual.
Callie smiled at him. "I was talking to Mrs. Harper."
Frank frowned. Well, that didn't explain a thing.
Callie carried her hot tea to the table and sat down. She checked on Eva and gave her more peas and carrots. "You are hungry tonight, aren't you, Sweetie?"
Frank sat at his place at the table. "Who's Mrs. Harper and why were you talking to her?" Did his tone sound harsh?
Callie looked directly at Frank, one eyebrow arching slightly. "She's an older woman in her sixties who loves to talk. She knew Robert and Eliza Newbern."
"Okay." Frank wondered if this was supposed to make any sense. He was a bit distracted by the smell of pizza – one of his favorite foods. However, he remained focused on his wife, waiting for an explanation as to who Mrs. Harper was and now Robert and Eliza Newbern.
"Not very original, is it?" Callie said then picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite.
"What's not very original?" Frank was becoming mildly frustrated. Callie seemed to be talking in tongues.
She stared at him as if he were dense, swallowed, and said, "Frank, please try and keep up."
"I am trying." Okay, that time his tone was definitely harsh.
Callie looked at Frank, saw the crease between his brows and the dour frown. He was puzzled. She laid her pizza on her plate and dapped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day and I'm tired. Let me back up and explain things properly."
"Thank you, that would be nice." Frank gave her a grateful nod.
Callie leaned back in her chair with her cup of tea. "Robert and Eliza Newbern, AKA Rudy Glynn and Elizabeth Lancaster, lived next door to Mrs. Harper for close to thirteen years."
Aha! Finally, Frank had some context for the conversation – Elizabeth Lancaster. He hadn't thought of her in months.
"Elizabeth and Rudy got married here in Evertville," Callie said, "shortly after she disappeared."
Frank's dark eyes flashed with interest. "So she didn't drown in the creek and she didn't commit suicide. How did you find out they were married?"
Callie tipped her head toward Eva who was rubbing her eyes and looking very tired. "Our daughter was saying, 'papa' over and over this afternoon when I was rereading the article I had written about Elizabeth Lancaster. The way Eva said papa made it sound like the name Paul. Paul, Paul. That made reminded me of Deputy Paul in Walnut Creek. Thinking about him brought back a memory. I suddenly remembered that when we interviewed Rose she had mentioned St. Paul's Catholic Church, the one here in Evertville. She said a friend from high school had gotten married there. I started to wonder, what if it wasn't a friend. What if it was actually her sister?"
Frank smiled broadly. "Ahhh, good thinking. I like the way your mind works."
Callie gave Frank a coy smile, sipped her tea, and said, "I took Eva and went to the church – St. Paul's. While Eva napped in her stroller, I searched the church records. I found Robert and Eliza Newbern who were married one month after Elizabeth's disappearance. I thought that might be more than a coincidence."
Frank could see that Callie was very proud of her discovery.
"The name Newbern," Callie explained, "stood out to me. It's similar to Newborn. They just changed one letter. Rudy and Elizabeth were reborn as Robert and Eliza Newbern."
"So it seems," Frank said. "How can you be so sure this Newbern couple is in fact Rudy and Elizabeth?"
Callie put her tea down, picked up her pizza, and wiggled an eyebrow. "I searched for births and ten months after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Newbern had a christening at St. Paul's for their baby girl. The only guest was a Mrs. Harper."
Frank picked up his slice of pizza. "The Mrs. Harper that lived next to the Newberns for thirteen years." See Frank had been listening.
"Yes," Callie said and bit into her pizza.
As they ate their pizza, Callie explained how Berta at the library had known Mrs. Lillian Harper for many years. The women had gone to high school together over forty years ago and had remained friends. Berta gave Callie Lillian Harper's address. Lillian was widowed and lonely, Berta had said. Lillian would welcome visitors, especially since Berta called ahead and vouched for Callie.
Callie told Frank how she had descended upon Mrs. Harper at three in the afternoon with Eva in tow. Callie and Lillian had hit it off immediately and spent two lovely hours chatting. Lillian Harper's children, a son and daughter, had moved away years ago – shortly after the Newberns had moved in to be precise. Her son and daughter were married now and had small children of their own and came to visit only at holidays.
Lillian missed her grandchildren and was quite happy to welcome Eva into her home. She even possessed a trunk of toys tucked away in the living room.
Opening the trunk, Lillian had invited Eva to play. "Here, Sweetie. I bet you'll enjoy some of these toys. I keep them here for my grandkids when they come to visit."
"Eva was content to play with toys," Callie said, "while Lillian and I sipped herbal tea and talked about Robert and Eliza."
Callie went on to tell Frank everything she had learned from Lillian. Eliza was pregnant when she and Robert moved into the house next door to Lillian and Lillian quickly became a grandmother figure to the couple's little girl whom they had named Isabelle. Lillian admitted she loved the child dearly and spoke of how beautiful she was.
A year before the Newberns moved in, Lillian's husband had suffered a fatal heart attack. Her world was shattered, turned upside down, and she was in shock. Her son and daughter left home in the following years and she admitted to Callie that she would have been very lonely if not for the friendship of the Newberns. Their daughter, Isabelle, held a special place in Lillian's heart and still did. Perhaps that was because it was Lillian who acted as a caregiver for Isabelle through the years. While Isabelle's parents worked, Lillian was there, day after day caring for her. Of course, as Isabelle grew, Lillian's care was not needed as much, but she and the girl remained close.
"Just like a real grandmother and granddaughter," Lillian had said.
With teary eyes, Lillian confessed to being heartbroken when Eliza informed her the family was moving away. Far away. Out of town.
"Eliza said they were moving back to their hometown." Lillian brushed a tear from her eye. "I miss them so very much. Isabelle still phones me once a week and we chat, but it's not the same. I miss having her sitting here – just as you are today, Ms. Hardy, and talking to me." Lillian gave Callie a watery smile. "I miss our little talks."
"I'm sure you do," Callie had said. "How long has it been since the Newberns moved?"
"Two years." Lillian had sighed sadly. "It's been two long years. Isabelle was thirteen and deeply unhappy about the move. She had friends here. Her whole life was here. She didn't understand why they were suddenly moving."
Callie leaned forward. "Why were the Newberns suddenly moving? Did Eliza say?"
Lillian's expression turned grim. "She said she wanted to be near her family. She also said she had done some things in the past that she wasn't proud of and that now it was time to go home. It was time for her to atone for those mistakes."
Callie frowned hard. "That sounds rather ominous. Past mistakes and the need for atonement."
Lillian nodded. "Yes, I thought so, too, but I didn't feel comfortable pursuing the subject. If Eliza wanted me to know what her past mistakes were I felt she would have told me. You see, she and her husband were very closed lipped about their past. They never once said a word about their families or where they had lived before moving here. The few times I asked questions regarding their families they would either ignore the question or change the subject. I soon learned not to ask those types of questions. I valued their friendship, Ms. Hardy, and didn't want to lose it."
Callie laid a hand on Lillian's veined one. "I understand and probably would have done the same if I were in your situation."
Callie picked up her plate and carried it to the dishwasher. She spoke over her shoulder to Frank. "So you see why I have to go back to Walnut Creek. I have to speak to Eliza and Robert Newbern."
Frank jerked his head up. "What? Is that wise? What if Eliza and Robert don't want to be found? You might be walking into a hornet's nest."
Callie bent forward and slid her plate into the dishwasher rack. When she returned to the table to gather up Eva's bowl and baby spoon, Frank saw just how exhausted she was.
"You can come with me, Frank," she said with a tired grin and picked up Eva's bowl and spoon. "There now, little one. It's almost bath time."
"Ba, ba, ba," Eva cooed and rubbed her eyes.
Frank pushed back from the table and stood. "I'll give her her bath." He smiled at his daughter and wiped her face with a damp napkin.
"Thanks," Callie said. "I'll finish cleaning the kitchen."
Much later, Eva was bathed and nestled in her crib, sleeping soundly. Frank doubted she would woke at all tonight.
In the master bedroom, Callie lay in bed, on her side. Frank watched her for a moment, thinking, she might already be asleep. He turned off the bedside lamp, slid under the sheets, and next to his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her freshly shampooed hair.
"God, you smell good."
Callie murmured softly.
Frank propped himself on an elbow and ran a hand lightly down Callie's arm. "Already asleep, hon?"
Callie mumbled, "Not quite." Her eyes remained shut.
"Just one thing before you fall asleep," Frank said. "I do want to go with you when you talk to Eliza and Robert Newbern."
Callie stirred, smiled slightly, and peered sleepy-eyed at Frank. "I figured you would. I'll call them tomorrow and arrange a time to meet with them when you're off duty."
"Thank you. Now you can go to sleep." Frank kissed Callie's cheek. "I love you."
"Love you, too." Callie closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Frank laid his head on his pillow and thought over everything Callie had told him tonight. The tangled story of Elizabeth Lancaster and Rudy Glynn. Their story was as old as time. It appeared they had skipped town and gotten married. Young love made people do crazy things. Spontaneous things.
Elizabeth would have been under-aged. Only seventeen. Had she lied about her age when she and Rudy wed? They had certainly lied about their names. Created new ones and new lives.
Was Liz pregnant when they got married? Is that why they ran away? If so, Frank understood the reasoning. Liz and Rudy would not be the first couple – or the last - to run away from home and get married because they had a baby on the way.
What Frank really wanted to know was, why had Liz and Rudy moved back to Walnut Creek two years ago? And more importantly, why hadn't they contacted Elizabeth's mother or sister during those two years?
Frank felt the pull of sleep. Hopefully, his questions would be answered when he and Callie spoke to the couple.
A/N: I am so not good at knowing how many more chapters there will be. Thought this would be the last and it isn't. One more chapter to go and then the story will be complete. Thank you, dearly, to those who have left a comment. I have been working on this chapter here and there. With everything that's going on in the world (the virus) I just haven't had the desire to write. I've been involved in other things. Hope everyone is staying safe and not getting cabin fever.