Sara Mason Mysteries Collection

Chapter 9

Esmerelda"s home was over-decorated but adorable. Her antique furnishings told of a woman with taste. Sadly, her life was reduced to a crowded two-bedroom farmhouse with a sun porch to make up for the small living area. It was no comparison to the size and grandeur of Talbot House.

The sideboard in the dining area was loaded with fancy dishes on display stands and a few framed photos. In the front was a wedding photo of Esmerelda and Orson. He was tall and very thin, she, a classic beauty in her youth. On the left was a photo of a younger Orson, maybe a college photo. On the right was a photo of Esmerelda when she, too, was young, though she had changed some with age. Her hair was lighter then. Perhaps she dyed it now to hide her gray. Sara had to smile. Maybe that stylish woman dyed her hair to match her poodle.

“Have you named them?” Sara asked, focusing on the pups again.

“Was hoping to find a home for them,” Esmerelda said, motioning for them to sit. She pulled her cell phone off her waistband and turned it off, and then went into the kitchen and returned with the flowers in a vase. “Let their new owners give them names.”

“Puppies need names right away.” She smiled, somewhat embarrassed. “I studied a little about dogs,” she said, trying not to sound braggy. She wanted to have another pet but hadn"t made up her mind since she also wished to travel a bit.

“I call them "Babies" or "Sweeties".”

Sara checked both pups. The dark brown one was a male, the lighter one female. “What about…?” She pursed her lips.

“What have you got?” Esmerelda asked as she sat down.

“Choco for the male, Latte for the female.”

ChocoLatte“Choco… Latte…?” Daphine asked, laughing.

“Magnificent!” Esmerelda said. “Why couldn"t I come up with something cute like that?”

After they called the pups by their new names a few times, Choco begged to get into Sara"s lap and then resumed l*****g her face.

“Got them from the same breeding kennels where I got Mimie. Unfortunately, the woman who owns the place said these two were not the picks of the litter.”

Choco wouldn"t stop l*****g. “Does it really matter?” Sara asked. She was overjoyed that Choco had taken so well to her. Latte lay on her back in Daphine"s lap content to have her stomach rubbed.

“The owner"s b***h had a litter larger than they expected, so the lady wanted to get the puppies out into the public eye.” She shrugged. “I didn"t know pit bulls would be so difficult to place.”

“Sounds more like the woman was hoping you"d fall in love with them,” Daphine said.

“Well, she was right about that.” Esmerelda rolled her eyes. “But three dogs in this little house?” She paused a moment, then said, almost cautiously, “An auto dismantler in Sacramento wants them.”

“Why?” Daphine asked defiantly. “He"d just turn them into junkyard dogs.”

Sara groaned. She held Choco up in the air as he kicked and squirmed playfully. The conversation came to a lull.

“I wanted to meet you, Esmerelda,” Sara finally said. “I"m the person who bought Talbot House. I"ll be remodeling.”

Esmerelda seemed dismayed and happy at the same time. “You must have read my mind. I was thinking about dropping in to introduce myself.”

The ice had been broken. Sara intuitively knew that she liked this woman. “You"re welcome anytime. In fact, I hope you visit often.”

“I"m glad you"re restoring it. I loved that house.” Esmerelda looked away like it was painful to discuss something that was once her prized possession. She excused herself and stepped into the kitchen for a few minutes and came back with a tray of tea and wafers with jellies and cheeses.

“You are too kind,” Daphine said. She reached to help herself soon as Esmerelda gestured.

“Nonsense. I used to entertain a lot.” She got a far-off look in her eyes. “No one to cook for now.”

“How about the patients?” Sara asked.

“Too old,” Esmerelda said. “They"re stomachs are too sensitive for my rich food.” She reached down and plopped a cracker into Mimie"s mouth. The pups demanded one too. “Sara, girl,” she said. “When you get your mansion ready for a housewarming, how about letting me do the cooking?”

“Wha-at?” Sara was surprised at the warm proposal. “I"ll have it catered. You"ll be my special guest, okay?” From all that she had heard, she already thought of Esmerelda as a grand dowager of the Delta. No way would she allow this woman to labor over her stove.

The conversation switched to Orson Talbot. Sara discreetly watched Esmerelda"s facial expressions as she spoke of the past. Her demeanor indicated deep feelings held in check, not just for the loss of her home but also for the fact that her husband disappeared many years back without a trace.

“I know he"s gone,” she said. “I had to stop his Social Security checks, and his number hasn"t been used. He wouldn"t stay away. That was our dream house together.” She took a deep breath and let it out as she stared at the floor. “I"ve had him declared dead. It"s the only way I could get extra funds to keep our dream alive.” She gestured outward toward the facility.

“What do you think happened?” Sara asked.

“They said he must have wandered too far back into the hills and got lost. He was panning for gold to make his jewelry, you know.”

Esmerelda said that Orson had raised cattle for income on the acreage behind Talbot House. After a few successful years and subsequent savings, they established River Hospice. Fredrik Verner was a nurse visiting from Sweden and had boarded with them for a month one summer. It was Fredrik who noticed the closest place for the elderly was in Sacramento, thirty miles away from Walnut Grove, and far away from family support. Orson and Esmerelda decided to use much of their retirement pensions and established River Hospice. The existing residence on the property would be their home when they became elderly and needed twenty-four-hour care. Till then, Fredrik moved from Sweden, and they let him live in it while the old farm buildings were being refurbished.

Sara scooted forward in her chair. She wanted to hear more about Orson. “What about bears or mountain lions, maybe vandals? Surely, lots of animals and people wander in the hills above Placerville.”

“No blood. No signs of a struggle. Nothing.” She sighed. “His truck was still there. Animals probably scattered his bones, wherever he died.” She looked straight at Sara and said, “You don"t look like a person who spooks easily.”

“Nope,” Sara said. “Rumor has it, people have seen a ghost lurking in Talbot House.”

“It"s Orson,” Esmerelda said, lightly slapping her knee. “It started a few weeks after he went missing. Right after he disappeared, I used to talk to him all the time—told him I was finishing that workroom he started.” Her eyes began tearing. She stood and walked to a window and looked out over the levee. “Orson loved to play with gold. He had a sense of humor too. He paid a bunch of money to bring iron pyrite rocks down from Placer to use in place of gravel for the base of the workshop floor.”

“Fool"s gold rocks?” Sara asked.

“Exactly,” Esmerelda said, wiping her eyes and turning to face them again. She tried to smile. “The rocks were delivered late. Supposed to be delivered during the week so the concrete could be poured before he left to go panning again.”

“He went missing late in the year, didn"t he?” Daphine asked.

“November "95. Days were getting shorter. Was to be his last trip that year before bad weather set in.” Esmerelda put her hand to her forehead like she was trying to remember. She related that the rocks were delivered on the Friday that Orson was scheduled to leave. They spread the dump-load out for the base of the floor and covered it with a tarp over the weekend to keep leaves and debris off until the concrete could be poured the following Monday.

“Then Orson left?” Sara asked.

“Right after we spread the rocks. I stayed at a friend"s house in Walnut Grove that weekend, catering her affair,” Esmerelda said, smiling warmly. “The concrete for the floor was poured that Monday. Orson was to be away at least two weeks, but he hadn"t even called to check on the concrete—or just to talk to me— and that was strange.” Her voice caught. “I thought he"d be home when the concrete cured, but he never came back.”

“I"m so sorry,” Daphine said, reaching over and touching Esmerelda"s hand as she sat down. Daphine always exhibited heart-felt empathy for people and events.

“The Placer Sheriff had to go search for him because cellular didn"t reach that far back in the hills in those days. If Orson wanted to call me, he"d have to drive into Placerville to use a regular phone.”

“It was you who notified the Sheriff?”

“Yes, Orson would have called. He was excited about the shop, and he would have called. He always had to file a panning permit, so they knew exactly where he was to be. They found his campsite but no trace of him.” She breathed heavily, having great difficulty retelling the past. “Search party said his full ration of supplies were unused. His truck was locked. He hadn"t even unpacked his tent. They believe he got lost soon as he arrived.”

“That"s scary,” Sara said. “Of course, no one had reason to look for him right away, till you called the Sheriff.”

“I kept telling him,” Esmerelda said as she tapped her temple signifying sending mental messages. “I was finishing that room, and I expected him to come home and see our dreams coming true.”

Sara shook her head sadly. “I appreciate you sharing this with us.” It brought up emotions she still felt about her own loss.

“After I finished that shop, that"s when I began seeing his spirit.”

A cold chill ran up Sara"s spine. ”You can pinpoint it, right to that time?”

Esmerelda smiled bravely but didn"t answer, like a person who knew what she was talking about. “C"mon, I"ll show you the facility before the trainers arrive for the pups.” She disappeared into her bedroom to change and returned carrying a black jacket, wearing sleek black slacks, and a white silk blouse. She truly had great taste. She picked up the tray of edibles and took them into the kitchen and closed the door to keep the animals out till they returned.

“Oh, let"s take the babies,” Daphine said. “I love them.”

“Okay. I"m not supposed to leave these pups alone anyway,” Esmerelda said. Pets have a fear of being abandoned. “The aides sometimes take them to visit the patients. It cheers the old folks. Keeps the pups used to being with people too.”