You mean our home might not be mine? That possibility did penetrate the fog in which she groped. The brownstone was home. It might be lonely without Juliet, but every inch of it was filled with memories.
If someone contested the will on the grounds that you are not Juliets daughter, that might well happen. Robert clasped her hands in a firm grip.
Someone must be aware of the circumstances. What about her brother, George? Theyd been estranged for a long time, but he did come to the funeral. Surely hed know... Know where I came from. She finished the sentence in her mind.
This was crazy. It was like spinning on ice in an out-of-control car. Every anchor she reached for slid from her grasp.
George Curtiss is the last person Id confide in at this point. Dont you see, Amanda? He cant know theres any question, or you can be sure hed have brought it up. Roberts frown deepened. There were good reasons for the breach between him and your mother. If half of what she said about him is true, hed be contesting the will in an instant if he even suspected.
Then what should I do? How can we find out? If her uncle didnt know...but he wasnt her uncle, it seemed, any more than Juliet had been her mother.
First of all, its essential that we find any documents relating to you. Youd better have a good search throughout the house for papers. You must have a birth certificate, at least. We may want to hire a firm of private investigators to look into it. And whatever you do, dont talk about this to anyone but me.
She blinked at that. But my closest friends...
Not your friends, not anyone. Not until we have a better handle on your identity than we do now.
Her identity. Amanda had always known who she was and where she belonged. Now it seemed she didnt know at all. Who was she?
* * *
AMANDA WALKED THE four blocks home, glad to be outside even in the chill dampness of the mid-October afternoon. The wind was strong enough to wipe away some of the fog from her thoughts.
But that didnt help much. It served only to expose how much she didnt know. Shed always been able to talk to her mother about everything. Amanda couldnt begin to come up with an answer for her silence on this crucial subject. Why didnt you tell me?
She rounded the corner and the brownstone came into viewa three-story building sandwiched between two taller ones, looking squat in comparison. Someone was just coming down the three stairs from the glossy black door.
In another step Amanda had identified him. Bertram Berkley, Juliets agent. She wondered, as she always did, if that could possibly be his real name, or if hed taken it to fit his personathe sleek, successful artists representative whose sponsorship, according to him, ensured entrée to people of influence in Bostons art world.
He spotted her and swooped down on her, kissing her ceremoniously on each cheek. Amanda, my dear. You poor child. I just came by to see how you are. You surely havent been out already. He made it sound as if shed breached some unwritten rule of mourning.
I went back to work today. Bertrams extravagant manner always made her feel even more intensely grounded than she already was. I have a job, remember?
Surely they didnt expect you to be back a scant two weeks after your mothers tragic demise. He linked arms with her and marched her up the steps to the door. Obviously he intended to come in.
She detached her arm. I wanted to go back, but I have to admit, Im wiped out. I appreciate your stopping by.
His face stiffened for an instant before his dark eyes grew mournful. Wont you let me take you out to dinner? He turned persuasive. We can have a nice long talk.
Not tonight. Another time. She put her key in the lock and heard the usual answering bark from Barney, her yellow Lab, greeting her.
But I wanted to talk to you. We really must plan a show of your mothers work, just as quickly as possible. His voice became urgent. A tribute show, you see. Ive already looked into arrangements, and theres considerable enthusiasm for it. A retrospective, including all her work, even the private pieces you have that arent for sale. If I could just take a quick look at whats here...
Not tonight, she repeated, putting a bit more emphasis on the words. Maybe she was being unfair, but she suspected that his eagerness stemmed at least in part from a desire to cash in on the publicity that had surrounded Juliets death. Well talk soon, she added, then slipped inside and closed the door before he could come up with an argument.
For a moment she just stood, leaning back against the door, relief sweeping over her. Home. It felt like a refuge at the moment. As long as she didnt let her mind stray to the possibility that it might not be hers.
Barney was pressing up against her, whining for her attention. She ruffled his ears. If only she could talk this over with someone. Her friend Kara would be idealshe knew how to listen without trying to solve your problems for you. But Robert had said to tell no one.
No sense in paying an attorney if you dont take his advice. Her mother had said that when shed been brought, reluctantly, to making out a will. Had she realized the will could be contested? Obviously not, or shed have told Robert the truth.
In a crazy way, that was reassuring. It seemed to show that Juliet hadnt conceived of anyone thinking Amanda wasnt her child. Not that Amanda doubted her love, even in the face of the news that had turned her world upside down.
Barney nudged her hand impatiently, then let out a single bark. He trotted a few steps away and then looked back at her, whining.
Supper? But he was headed for the den, not the kitchen. She frowned when he barked again. All right, Barney. Enough. Whats so important?
He trotted toward the den and again looked back at her. Obviously she was expected to follow him. She obeyed, knowing he wouldnt quit. Whatever is wrong with...
She stopped in the doorway, staring, shivering a little when chill air reached her. The window that overlooked the tiny garden behind the house was broken. Shards of glass lay on the Oriental carpet. Fear kept her immobile for another instant.
She should run, get out, call the police...but clearly the intruder was gone. Barney looked at the broken window with an air of triumph, his tail waving as if he announced that hed vanquished the invader. Hed hardly react that way if someone were still in the house.
Good dog, good boy. She patted her knee, drawing him back to her. The glass could give him a nasty cut on the paw. He came, rubbing his nose against her palm. Good Barney, she said again, holding him by the collar.
Calling the police was the obvious next step, but a quick glance told her thered be little they could do. It didnt look as if the thief had been in here long enough to take anything. The only sign of disturbance besides the broken window was the painting that lay facedown on the rug, its frame broken.
Amanda had to restrain herself from rushing to pick it up. Juliet had done that painting the summer Amanda went to camp for the first time, when she was ten. A realistic-looking view of a waterfall, it was very different from her usual work. But Juliet had been attached to it, and it had hung over the fireplace in the den since that summer. If it was damaged
Shed have to wait until the police arrived to see. She backed out of the room, dragging Barney, who clearly wanted to remain at the scene of his triumph. Amanda closed the door, ignoring the way he whined at the crack, and pulled out her cell phone.
Shed have to wait until the police arrived to see. She backed out of the room, dragging Barney, who clearly wanted to remain at the scene of his triumph. Amanda closed the door, ignoring the way he whined at the crack, and pulled out her cell phone.
The police first. Assured theyd be there soon, Amanda leaned against the wall, discovering that her knees were weak. Silly, but normal, she supposed.
Clutching the cell phone in one hand and Barneys collar in the other, Amanda went through the rest of the downstairs. Nothing was disturbed. The thief hadnt gotten far before Barney caught up with him. Thank goodness he apparently hadnt had a weapon.
Shaken by what might have happened, Amanda sank down on the rug and put her arms around the dog. If shed lost him, too...
It seemed an eternity until the doorbell rang. She peered out the side window. Reassured by the sight of the uniforms, she opened the door.
Much ado about nothing, she told herself a half hour later, when she closed the door behind them again. One of them had been obliging enough to help her tape cardboard in place over the broken panes and sweep up the broken glass while the other filled out a report.
Their attitude said shed been lucky. Nothing missing and only minor damage that her insurance would most likely cover. With a parting admonition to use the alarm system at all times, theyd gone.
So thats it, she told Barney. Lets see how bad the damage was to the painting.
He woofed as if he understood and followed her back to the den. Amanda shivered a little when she paused inside the door. This room, at least, wouldnt feel like a refuge again for a time. While Barney nosed around the broken frame, Amanda lifted the painting gingerly. She turned it over and let out a sigh of relief. The only damage was to the frame.
Odd, that the thief had gone straight to the painting. A burglar would probably look for expensive electronics, rather than a painting. Unless hed thought it hid a safe. Or perhaps the thief knew whose house this was and had some idea of the value of a Juliet Curtiss painting.
Amanda smoothed the canvas out flat, trying to look at it as if for the first time, but it had become so much a part of the surroundings that it was impossible. The falls were very realistic, as was the dark water at the base and the jagged rocks that interrupted the waters flow. A little shiver went through her. Shed always found the tone of the picture rather ominous. Her mother must have loved it, since it had pride of place in the room where they usually spent the evenings. But there had been times when shed regarded it broodingly, her face set, maybe dissatisfied with her own work.
Amanda started to put the painting on the side table until she could arrange to have it reframed, but something on the back caught her eye. Along the bottom, in her mothers impeccable printing, ran a tiny line of text, so tiny she had to carry the painting to the lamp to make it out.
In memoriam. M, April, 1989. Echo Falls. Too young to die.
It was the date that jolted Amanda: 1989. Shed been born on February 10, 1989. If that date, at least, was true.
Amanda sank into the desk chair, studying the face of the painting, then turning it again to read the words on the back. It was too much of a coincidence. Or was she thinking that only because of the shocks shed had?
No. She couldnt buy that. It had to mean something. She had no idea where Echo Falls might be, or who M had been. But she intended to find out.
* * *
IF SHE WERE PUNCTUAL, the new client should be showing up in the next few minutes. Theodore Alter, Trey to his friends, straightened his tie and prepared for the novelty of a new client. New clients had been thin on the ground for the firm of Alter and Glassman since the scandal broke involving the former head of the law practice. He wanted to make sure this one didnt slip through his fingers.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what Ms. Amanda Curtiss of Boston wanted with an attorney in tiny Echo Falls, Pennsylvania. The contact had been made by someone hed met at a conference last year. He and Robert McKinley had sat and talked one evening, exchanged business cards and parted, sure theyd never see each other again. Until his call came out of the blue.
McKinley had been downright evasive on the phone when hed set up this appointment. It was the sort of approach Trey might have instinctively refused back in the day when theyd had more business than they could handle. Not now. He could only hope this Amanda Curtiss wasnt a nutcase.
The intercom buzzed, and he stood as the door opened. Ms. Curtiss, Mr. Alter, Evelyn Lincoln, their office manager, murmured.
She closed the door discreetly, and Trey had a moment to assess the woman who came toward him. Slim, average height, with blond hair pulled back in a tie at her nape and intensely blue eyes that were looking him over, as well. And perhaps a bit disapprovingly. He had a quick impression of expensive casual clothes and an assured manner before they were shaking hands and murmuring conventional greetings.
I see you brought a friend to our meeting. Trey nodded to the yellow Lab that followed at the womans heels.
I didnt want to leave him in the car. Your receptionist said it would be okay if I brought him inside. I hope you dont dislike dogs. She sounded as if that would end this meeting in a hurry.
Not at all. He held out the back of his hand to the animal. I hope he likes attorneys.
Barneys quite indiscriminately affectionate. The tight control shed been exercising over her expression became evident only when her face relaxed in a smile as she looked at the animal. The dog proved the truth of her words by licking Treys hand with enthusiasm.
She took the chair Trey had indicated, and the dog sat obediently next to her. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. The reserve had returned.
No problem, he said easily. Tell me what I can do to help you. Robert McKinley didnt say much, just that you needed an attorney here in town.
Yes. She frowned, studying him so seriously that he began to wonder if he had something on his face.
When she didnt continue, he raised an eyebrow. Im not what you were looking for?
A flicker of annoyance crossed her face. I expected you to be older.
Sorry I cant oblige. If that sounded flippant, too bad. The womans attitude didnt bode well for their relationship.
But her lips twitched, and she looked human again. Sorry. I just assumed a friend of Roberts would be around his age. And this is...rather complicated. Im not sure you can help me.
Well never know unless you tell me what its about, will we?
Amanda Curtiss was actually quite attractive when she relaxed her guard for a moment, with those mobile lips and long, slim legs. Not that he ought to be noticing anything of the kind about a client. Oddly enough, there was something vaguely familiar in the oval face and regular features, but he couldnt place it.
No. She paused, as if not sure how to begin. This situation arose when my mother died a few weeks ago.
Im sorry for your loss. Maybe that explained the air she had of holding a tight guard on her emotions.
Amanda nodded, accepting the words of condolence. Shed probably heard them often recently. She couldnt be more than about thirty herself, so her mother had apparently died young.
She had been caught in the cross fire of what the police thought was gang violence. In the course of the postmortem, it was determined that shed never given birth to a child. She met his gaze briefly and then looked away. Robert and I assumed I was adopted, but we couldnt find adoption papers anywhere. Hes started a search through court records, but without knowing where or when, it seems impossible to trace.