Dragonfly

Chapter 26

Nancy was beaming the next time I arrived at the office. She came around the counter grinning like she was going to pin a medal on me. "What did you do?" she said.

I dropped my bag behind the counter, brow creased. "What?"

"I just got off the phone with Ms. Alexandra LaSalle. She'll be very happy to talk to me about her art and when can we get together."

"You're kidding!"

"She said it was because of you."

"Me?" I acted bewildered while trying to think of a plausible explanation. "Well, I'm friends with her son, you know."

"Right."

"I was visiting over the weekend, and we got to talking. I guess she realized she was being too sensitive."

"Well, whatever happened, big points for Anna."

"Thanks."

"I'll be interviewing her next week. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!"

* * *

I had no clue what to expect at my meeting with Mr. Kyser. Would he threaten me? Try to bribe me? I decided I'd repeat my position that it should be them, Julian's parents, who told him the truth. This little messenger was not about to be killed. Or lose my friend. I was uneasy as I turned the car toward East End Beach and made my way to Phoenician One.

The receptionist recognized me on sight. I walked in, and she told me who I was and to take a seat. I fidgeted with a magazine while I waited, and after what seemed an eternity, he appeared.

"Anna. Come in." He said, all business.

I walked into his stunning office and sat in the small chair I'd occupied at our previous meeting. He walked around his desk and sat.

"I wanted to talk to you because I know you're smart and you care about your friends," he began. "I get that, and I care about them, too. But I have something to discuss with you. Off the record."

Here we go. "Okay."

He reached down to open a large drawer in his desk and pulled out three thick journals. One was leather-bound, and the other two were covered in colorful fabric. Then he also reached into the drawer again and pulled out what looked like a present wrapped in brown paper with a green foil ribbon tied gaily around it. He handed the present to me first.

"This is from Lucy. She wanted me to give it to you. Christmas present or something."

"Thanks." Suddenly I felt awful for neglecting our friendship. Even if I was sure she'd been completely occupied with B.J.

"These are the reason I wanted to see you here. Alone." He picked up the three books and placed them in a stack in front of me. I was mystified.

"We've known each other a little while now, Anna, and you appear to be a trustworthy person," he said. "So I'm going to let you look at these."

"What are they?" I leaned forward to touch the spine of one of the vintage-looking books.

"They're journals. This one's mine..." He picked up the brown leather-bound book. "This one's Meg's, and this one's Lexy's."

"How did you get hers?"

He leaned back and sighed. "Lexy was an orphan. She was raised by a wealthy old woman who had a large house out on Port Hogan Road."

"Okay." I was thinking of the document I'd seen when I was searching for Julian's birth certificate, but I couldn't make the connection.

"Miss Stella was what we all called her. Her name was Stella Walker. She was originally from North County, around Lake Pinette. Her husband died young, and she liked to foster children from the Little Flower Convent in Sterling. Until the child was adopted or moved to a different situation."