Part 5 (1/2)

”Tequila!” Erline shouts, raising her hands in the air. Evan at 81, she is certainly the life of the party. ”Sounds as good as it smells. I cant wait.”

”It should be done soon.” Maggie brings gla.s.ses down for everyone and fills five with wine. She doesnt tell anyone its her second drink.

”Have you heard from Detective Stevens today?” Winona asks.

Maggie nods, her mouth full of wine. ”Only briefly.” She turns her attention to Ginger Rae. ”How well do you know Valerie Hunt?”

Ginger Rae laughs, almost spewing red wine from her mouth and over her light colored top. ”Not well at all. Im surprised you even know her name.”

”Shes your neighbor but you dont know her?” Maggie asks.

”Thats correct. Shes a recluse. Doesnt ever leave her house. I guess you saw the article in the paper then.” Ginger Raes eyes cloud over.

Maggie glances at the recycling where the newspaper is on top. She should have at least put it upside down so the ridiculous headline wasnt visible. ”I did. How do you think Karl managed to talk to Valerie if shes a recluse?”

Ginger Rae shrugs. ”And then he had the nerve to come to Winonas this morning and talk to me. I hadnt been out yet so I hadnt seen the article hed so deceptively published.” Her voice rises and her face takes on a reddish tint. ”I cant believe him. I used to read all of his articles. I thought he was a good reporter. But this was pure slander.”

Erline, sitting next to Ginger Rae at the table, places her hand on her friends shoulder. ”Weve already talked about visiting the Silver Times tomorrow after coffee. Are you going to join us at The Coffee Bean?” Erline asks Maggie.

”Im not sure. Ill have to check with Clem.” She makes eye contact with her sister, who nods her head. ”Looks like I can make it. At least for one cup of coffee.”

”Well make a plan tomorrow then. Tonight were here to talk about something else,” Winona states, sipping her wine with a twinkle in her eye.

CHAPTER 12.

The oven alerts Maggie to check the potatoes and chicken, and to her relief and surprise everything is done all at once. She places five plates on the table and adds the food to the center, family style. Conversation revolves around food while everyone serves themselves and pa.s.ses the colorful dishes around, but Erline quickly gets down to business once everyone has helped themselves.

”Were here because your mother was in possession of a powerful object that bound us all together. Winona, Ginger Rae and I each hold a key to unlocking the powers of the final piece, that is somewhere in this house.” Each woman puts a skeleton key on the table-Ginger Rae takes hers off a necklace, Winona takes hers off of her keychain, and Erline pulls hers from her pocket.

Maggie catches Clems eye and can see the disbelief in them. She knows hers must mirror the same skepticism.

”What are these 'powers?” Clem asks, holding her fingers in the air to make air quotes around the word powers.

Ginger Rae nods and swallows. ”We understand where youre coming from with not believing us. We wouldnt have believed it if we hadnt seen it for ourselves. But when all four pieces come together, they allow for time travel.”

Clem nods slowly, chewing a piece of chicken. Maggie watches her, unable to make any kind of reaction.

”Youve time traveled?” Clem asks.

”No. We havent,” Winona clarifies. ”But your parents did.”

This is all too much for the twin sisters. Clem laughs and Maggie joins her.

”I know. It all sounds ridiculous,” Erline agrees.

”What do you mean youve witnessed it?” Maggie finally recovers enough from the shock of her friends claims to ask a coherent question.

”We helped your parents,” Ginger Rae says matter of factly.

Maggie nods slowly, digesting this information. If they helped her parents, then that means her parents time traveled. She asks to make sure. ”So then, our parents time traveled?”

All three elderly ladies nod in unison. ”Not after you two were born. They thought it was too risky. If something happened, they wouldnt have been able to live with themselves. So it hasnt been done for over fifty three years.” Ginger Rae takes another bite. ”This is all delicious. Good cooking, Maggie.”

Maggie is thrown off with the sudden change of topic, but everyone else joins in and praises her meal. ”Its nothing. I just followed some recipes.” She brushes off the compliments. ”Last spring, when I was in Joshs bas.e.m.e.nt,” she starts, referring to her parents murderer, ”he mentioned a secret my parents were keeping. This was it, wasnt it? This was what got them killed.”

The three women nod again.

”But how did he know about it? Especially if it hadnt been done in half a century?” Maggie asks.

”Thats where this all gets tricky,” Winona says. She places her fork on her plate, settling in for a long explanation. ”The last time your parents . . . traveled . . . they almost didnt return. We were waiting and waiting for them and we ultimately had to agree that something had gone wrong. Only, we had no idea what. Finally, they returned. Of course the three of us were relieved, but we could tell your parents were shaken. In order to get back to the present, they needed all the keys.” Winona indicates the three keys sitting on the table. ”One had been stolen while they were gone. Duplicates were made and the powers were revealed. We dont know how many people know.”

Maggie waits for more but nothing comes. ”So if there are duplicate keys, then why are these so important?”

”The other ones arent perfect,” Erline says, letting Winona enjoy her dinner again. ”But the main reason weve been under attack is to get the final object, the one your parents held. It seems that even those who know were in possession of the keys dont know who has the final object.”

”Its here? In this house?” Clem asks. ”What does it look like?” Maggie hears fear in hers sisters voice.

”We think its here,” Erline says, exchanging worried looks with Winona and Ginger Rae. ”We havent seen it in almost fifty years. Your parents kept it out in the open at first so it wouldnt draw attention. They a.s.sumed that if someone was after it, having it out in the public would be the last place someone would look.”

”Did it work?” Maggie asks.

”It seems so. The last we heard before they died was that it was still safe,” Erline explains.

”What does it look like? Where would we find it?” Clems voice is hurried in her panic.

”Its the small round trinket they used to have on your cats collar when you were kids. Do you remember?” Ginger Rae asks, looking from Maggie to Clem and back again.

Maggie and Clems eyes meet. ”Weve seen it since their death. I found it in their bedroom last spring,” Maggie says. ”It was still on a cat collar so I put it on Opal. It didnt last. I found it on the bed one morning, so I left it on the night table in my bedroom. I only recently noticed that its missing.”

”Its missing?” all three women ask at the same time, leaning forward with their hands on the table.

Maggie glances at Clem who she catches hiding a smile. Maggie wants to laugh but holds it in. These women are way too serious about a cat collar and magical powers.

”I looked behind the night table and under the bed. It probably just rolled somewhere. Or Opal batted it around and its somewhere else in the bedroom,” Maggie says, suddenly feeling slightly guilty for not keeping a better eye on it, if only to keep these women calm.

Theres a pause in conversation while everyone gets lost in their own heads. Maggie wants to bring up Claras parents as possible suspects but doesnt want to upset Ginger Rae. She sips her wine instead.

Clem breaks the silence by asking, ”So, Ginger Rae, you think your nieces murder was about these keys and the thing on the cat collar and had nothing to do with her?”