Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time - Chp 22

It had been her fault. Circumstances last night caused her to forget making the call to Tara. More than once, yesterday afternoon, Margaret had made a mental note to let her friend know where she was, that Tara was not to worry, and that she would be home the following day. She felt guilty for causing needless anxiety and hoped beyond hope her parents were not dragged into this.

Henry had made no mention of them, but spoke of the hour he spent calling her mobile over and over. The signal had been spotty at first. When he finally got through it was her voice mail that answered, increasing the sense of foreboding he felt in his bones. Only after he heard her voice did her childhood friend relax. He expected her to explain the absence. In the end, Tara and he had to be satisfied with hearing she would be home after lunch.

The cottage was given a once over by John while she waited by his car. Margaret thought it best to keep her distance. John had been of a mood after ending his call with Hannah. She had seen the anger brimming in his eyes, the stiffness of his gait, and the rough manner in which he ushered them out into the open. They keys were returned to the Wolcott's at the farmhouse and when he unlocked the door to the passenger side, she got in and sat without saying a word.

John's lips were a thin line now, his eyes narrowing at Margaret's dismissal of him. It was only when Morgan approached, seemingly to see them off did he let go of the bitterness.

"I see you weathered the storm all right," he said cheerfully.

The man spoke without knowledge of recent events. Margaret was in no mood to enlighten him or expand on what happened.

He stood on John's side, peering in through the open driver's window, his manner as friendly as before. Margaret wanted to be pleasant, but the mere presence of the man was a glaring reminder of why they were there.

"One of Wolcott's boys checked the bridge this morning. The waters receded enough to allow crossing."

"I expected it would," John told him.

"Yes, it was a strange storm yesterday. Hard to believe with the sun beating down on us this morning."

"Well... we should go."

He started the engine, but kept the gears in park. Morgan Searles hadn't walked off yet. He seemed to regard them with some interest, his facial expression bemused by their adventure.

"Right, I won't keep you but I just wanted to mention the whereabouts of gran's mirror. You had asked about it yesterday?"

Margaret turned at that, leaning forward and trying to look past John to hear his reply better.

"You still have it?" she asked.

"No. It went to auction a week before I sold the other lot. Can't imagine anyone buying it. The glass was cracked down the center. Badly damaged it was."

"Yes, must have been sold at a bargain."

"Must have been. Well, safe trip down. Sorry I couldn't have been of much help with your book hunt." 

John nodded and placed the car in drive. His attention was to the road, while Margaret chanced a look back. From out of the corner of her eye, she saw John's jaw tightened though he said nothing. Her gaze transferred in an instant, from the man who watched their departure to the book, which had slipped out from the carrying case on the back seat and now moved side to side on the leather.

Margaret quickly turned to face forward, putting out of her mind, the sight and sound of the moving object. She succeeded in ignoring it even as every little bump caused the book to slide with a very noticeable sound. Swimmer's bridge looked remarkable dry when they drove across. The only tell-tale sign a storm had been felt was the flapping paper nailed at one end, cautioning any early morning travelers to wait until the water level went down before crossing.