Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The familiar scent of old books and polished wood greeted Chloe as she pushed open the door to the Sapphire Bay Heritage Protection Society’s library. The large room was a treasure trove of the town’s past—shelves crammed with dusty volumes, black-and-white photographs lining the walls, and glass cases displaying artifacts from bygone eras.

It was one of her favorite places to take Oscar and, thankfully, he enjoyed it as much as she did.

“Mom! Look at this!” Oscar called, darting toward a display of antique maps.

“Be careful,” Chloe reminded him. “Some of the maps are really fragile.”

Liam appeared from between two bookshelves, balancing a stack of books and folders. “Hi, Chloe. How was your morning?”

“Busy. I helped Kathleen in the café for a couple of hours before coming here. It looks as though you’ve been here for a while.”

“I only arrived ten minutes ago. Percy found these records from the 1920s. They might tell us something about Eleanor.”

“I hope they do. It’s sad to think she could have lived her whole life here, and the only record of her existence are the sketches and murals.” Chloe followed Liam to a large wooden table by a window. Sunlight streamed in, making dust motes dance in the air. While he sorted through the information, she opened her laptop and pulled up a scanned copy of Eleanor’s sketchbook.

“Oscar and I drove to Polson yesterday afternoon and scanned Eleanor’s book,” she told Liam. “The staff at the library were really helpful. They even offered to look through their databases to see if she was mentioned in any newspapers or public records.”

Liam opened an old leather-bound journal, its pages yellowed with age. “Between all of us, we should be able to find something.”

Oscar climbed onto a chair next to Chloe. “Can I see the pictures again?”

“Sure can.” Chloe opened the folder she’d stored on her desktop and clicked on the first sketch. It was a drawing of the town square during a big celebration. Soft water-colored paints brought the scene to life and made it seem more real. “Remember this one?”

“That’s where the Christmas tree’s going!” Oscar pointed excitedly.

“Exactly,” Chloe said, giving him a quick hug.

Liam leaned in, eyes scanning the screen. “Eleanor had a brilliant eye for detail. Even though the town square has changed, the surrounding buildings are the same.”

“She was a talented artist,” Chloe agreed. “While I was looking through the sketches, I noticed something interesting.”

“What was it?” Liam asked, pulling up a chair.

She zoomed in on a tall man who appeared in several of the sketches. “This guy shows up more than anyone else. He’s in almost every crowd scene, always near the center.”

Liam studied the image. The man wore a sharp suit and a distinctive hat, his features strong and confident. “Do you think he was important to her?”

“Maybe,” Chloe said. “I dropped a screenshot of his face into Google Images to see if there are any pictures of him on the Internet. Look at this.” She opened another tab, revealing a black-and-white photograph of a distinguished-looking man shaking hands with the mayor of Chicago.

Liam compared the two images. “He looks like the person in Eleanor’s sketches. Who is he?”

“Samuel Hartman. He was a prominent businessman from New York City. He was involved in the railway expansion in the 1920s and became the president of The Great Northern Railway in 1931.”

“I wonder what his connection was to Sapphire Bay.”

“That’s what I’m hoping we’ll find out,” Chloe said. “When you spoke to Penny Terry, did she mention that her great-grandmother kept journals of everything that was happening in Polson and Sapphire Bay?”

“She said the journals are in the Smithsonian, along with the letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to his son.”

Chloe nodded. “The originals are in Washington, D.C. and were part of the exhibition I curated. Each of the Terry sisters has a copy of the letter and the journals, and they gave the Heritage Protection Society copies of them, too.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Chloe grinned. “I hope so. Now that we have another person who’s possibly linked to Eleanor, it might make it easier to find her.”

Liam looked through the information Percy had put aside for him. “There aren’t any copies of the journals here. Do you know where they are?”

“I do. Come with me.” As they headed over to the reference section, Oscar skipped ahead of them, happily exploring every nook and cranny of the library.

After a bit of searching, Chloe pulled out the last leather-bound journal. “Penny’s great-grandmother’s name was Margaret. She was a strong, brave, and very stubborn woman. In the early 1900s, with no family living in Montana, she raised her daughter on her own, and started a successful sewing business.”

Flipping through the delicate pages filled with neat handwriting, Chloe stopped at a particular entry. “Listen to this,” she said, reading aloud:

“June 15, 1921. The whole town is buzzing about the delegation from the Great Northern Railway. Mr. Samuel Hartman himself is visiting to discuss extending the rail line through Polson. There’s a grand reception tonight at the town hall and people are coming from far and wide to meet him.”

Liam leaned back in his chair. “So, Samuel was in Polson to talk about the railway. That would’ve been a huge deal back then.”

Chloe nodded. “And Eleanor was capturing lots of important events in her sketches. If I was her, I would have done everything I could to be at the reception in Polson.”

Oscar pointed at the picture of Samuel on the laptop screen. “Were they friends?”

“They could have been,” Chloe said thoughtfully. “Or maybe something more.”

Liam’s eyebrows rose. “You think there was a romance?”

“It’s possible,” she shrugged. “She drew him so often.” Some of the sketches she’d studied last night were winter scenes, while others were definitely drawn in the summer months. Samuel either returned to Montana for work, or came for another reason.

“If they were in a relationship, it might explain why she disappeared,” Liam mused.

“Maybe she left town with him,” Chloe suggested.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Liam said. “We need to dig deeper—old newspapers, letters, anything that links Samuel to Eleanor.”

Chloe nodded. “I’ll check Eleanor’s sketches against the information in the library. It’ll help me start a timeline of what we know about her.”

“And I’ll see if there are any records from the railway company that mention Sapphire Bay or Polson,” Liam added.

Oscar tugged on her sleeve. “Can I help, Mom?”

“Of course you can. Let’s go back to our table and work from there.” When Oscar was sitting at the end of the table, Chloe took some crayons and a book filled with blank pages out of her bag. “Why don’t you draw a picture of everything you’ve heard about Eleanor and the man who worked for the railroad?”

“Okay!” Oscar agreed eagerly as he took the crayons from Chloe.

With Oscar hard at work, Chloe and Liam settled into a comfortable silence. As Oscar drew colorful pictures, Chloe compared the sketches that weren’t recognizable as Sapphire Bay with the information Percy had put aside for Liam.

“Hey, look at this.” Liam picked up the book he’d been studying and placed it in front of Chloe. The faded black-and-white photograph he’d found showed a crowd gathered at a train station, banners and flags waving. At the center stood Samuel Hartman shaking hands with the mayor, and just off to the side was Eleanor, sketchbook in hand, her gaze fixed on Samuel.

Chloe leaned closer to the photo. “That’s definitely her.”

“And look how she’s watching him,” Liam pointed out. “There’s definitely something going on between them.”

Chloe didn’t know what Eleanor’s expression meant, but it was more than a casual interest. She read the text under the photo, then looked at Liam. “The photo was taken the day after the gala. There’s a good chance the local artist who gave Samuel a painting of Flathead Lake was Eleanor.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” he murmured.

Chloe turned to the next page, but it was focused on the impact the railway would have had on Polson if it were connected to the railway network. “I wonder what happened to the painting.”

“Samuel probably took it back to the company’s head office in New York City,” Liam replied. “It could be stored in an archive somewhere.”

Chloe took out her cell phone and snapped a photo of the image in the book. “I’ll send this through to my friends at the Smithsonian and tell them about the painting. They might be able to cross reference the photo with others on our database and check for any landscapes Eleanor might have created.”

Percy, the Chairperson of the Heritage Protection Society, joined them at the table. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve found something I think you’ll find interesting.”

Chloe smiled. Percy loved a good mystery, and he’d been excited when she’d told him about the sketchbook they’d found. “What is it, Percy?”

He placed a photocopied sheet of paper in front of them. “I was thinking about Eleanor and where she might have stayed in Sapphire Bay. A boarding house or another respectable establishment would have been appropriate for a young, single woman in the 1920s. According to the records we have, there were only two boarding houses that took in unmarried women. Luckily, we have the guest registry for one of those businesses.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open when she read the entries on the sheet of paper. “You found where Eleanor was living.”

“Only for twelve months,” Percy said quickly. “Look at what it says beside her name.”

Chloe looked back at the entry. “She paid for a suite with two rooms.” She looked at Liam and Percy. “Do you think Samuel stayed with her?”

Percy shook his head. “Impossible. If Samuel Hartman wanted a rendezvous point with Eleanor, he wouldn’t have made it through the front door. During the 1920s, societal norms and expectations were strict, especially concerning relationships between unmarried men and women.”

Liam looked over Chloe’s shoulder at the sheet of paper. “The second room could have been her studio.”

“That makes sense,” Chloe agreed. “She would’ve needed space to work on her art.”

Percy nodded thoughtfully. “It’s possible. Artists often rented extra space for their work, especially if they were working on larger pieces.”

Just then, Chloe’s phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a text from her lawyer:

Hi Chloe, it’s Laura. Please call me when you get a chance. It’s important.

A knot formed in her stomach.

Liam must have noticed the shift in her expression. “Is everything okay?”

She forced a small smile. “It’s my lawyer. She wants me to call her.”

Percy glanced at each of them. “I should get back to the front desk. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thanks, Percy,” Chloe said as she put her phone away.

Oscar tugged at her sleeve. “Mom, look at my drawing!”

She knelt beside him. He’d sketched Eleanor and the man from the pictures standing next to a train, with a big sunshine above their heads.

“That’s wonderful. I like how happy they are.”

“They’re going on a train trip, just like we did,” Oscar said excitedly.

Chloe’s heart warmed despite her anxiety. She couldn’t imagine her life without Oscar, but that might be about to change.

Liam rested a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want to call your lawyer now? I can stay here with Oscar.”

She hesitated before nodding. “That might be a good idea. I won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” he assured her.

Chloe stepped out of the library and found somewhere quiet to talk to Laura. As she dialed her number, Chloe’s fingers trembled.

“Thanks for calling back,” Laura said when she answered the call.

“Hi, Laura. What’s happened?”

“I wanted to let you know Paul has asked the courts to amend Oscar’s custody order,” Laura said gently. “He wants regular, unsupervised access to Oscar.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “That’s crazy. He lives on the other side of the country. How would that work?”

“I know this is upsetting,” Laura said. “But unless there’s a good reason for Oscar not to see him, we need to do our best to make it work. Why don’t we have a meeting as soon as possible to discuss our next steps?”

Chloe leaned against the building, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “When can we talk?”

“Is Monday afternoon at 2pm doable for you?”

“Yes, that’s fine,” Chloe agreed. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. Try not to worry too much,” Laura reassured her. “We’ll work through this together.”

“I know we will. It just came as a shock, that’s all. I’ll call you on Monday. “

After she’d ended the call, Chloe closed her eyes for a moment, trying to process the news. The thought of Paul re-entering their lives was overwhelming. She remembered all the lies and the arguments. How could she ever trust Paul, especially with the most important person in her life.

“Chloe?”

Liam’s voice brought her back to the here and now. He was standing a few feet away, concern etched on his face.

“Is everything all right?”

She managed a weak smile. “Not really. Paul wants to have regular, unsupervised visits with Oscar.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “After all this time?”

She nodded, biting her lip to keep her emotions in check. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. Oscar hasn’t spent any time with him since we left.”

Liam stepped closer. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just being here helps,” she admitted softly. “I might need someone to talk to once I’ve talked to my lawyer.”

He held her hand, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. “Call me when you want to talk. It doesn’t matter what the time is.”

She looked into his eyes, grateful for his support. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“What did your lawyer say?”

“Not to worry until I’ve spoken to her, but it’s hard.” Chloe found a tissue and wiped the tears off her face. When Liam opened his arms, she stepped into his embrace and held him tight. “I don’t want Oscar to be hurt. Paul let us down so often that we forgot what a real relationship should be like.”

Liam’s arms tightened around her. “I can only imagine how stressed you must be.”

She gently squeezed Liam’s waist before stepping away. “When I married Paul, I never imagined my life would be like this. At least nothing will happen immediately. It’ll give me time to get Oscar used to the idea of seeing his dad again.”

Liam brushed a lock of hair off her face. “Do you think he’ll want to see Paul?”

Chloe nodded. “Whenever he’s asked questions about his dad, I’ve always answered them. He was too young to understand what happened, so he still sees Paul as his superhero.” With a shaky breath, she pulled another tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose. “We’d better go back into the library before Oscar wonders where we are.”

Liam held her hand in his. “It’ll be all right, Chloe.”

She hoped so, because right now, she was preparing for the worst.

Laughter filled the evening air as children in Halloween costumes darted from house to house. Pumpkins flickered on doorsteps, their carved faces glowing warmly in the early evening light. Everywhere Liam looked, children were enjoying the effort the community had made to make Halloween a safe and happy experience.

As he walked to the next house with Oscar and Chloe, he adjusted the collar of his makeshift pirate costume. It was a last-minute costume, pulled together to match Oscar’s enthusiastic insistence that they all dress up. Trixie trotted happily beside him, a bandana tied around her neck to complete her pirate dog look.

“Come on, Liam! We have to get to Mrs. Thompson’s house before she runs out of candy,” Oscar exclaimed, tugging at Liam’s hand. He was wearing an impressive dinosaur costume Chloe had made. With an oversized hat shaped like a dinosaur’s head, a wide tail, and pointy claw mittens, he was the cutest T-Rex Liam had ever seen.

“Okay, buddy, let’s catch up with everyone else,” Liam said with a grin, glancing back at Chloe. She was dressed as a fairy, complete with shimmering wings and a glittery tiara, but her usual sparkle seemed dimmed tonight.

When they caught up with Oscar’s school friends and their parents, Liam placed his hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “Stay with your friends. I’m going to talk to your mom.”

Oscar nodded and adjusted his dinosaur hat when it slid forward. “Can Trixie walk with me?”

“Will you be able to hold her leash and your basket of candy?”

Oscar looked down at the candy, then up at Liam. “I think so.”

Liam handed Oscar Trixie’s leash. “If it’s too much, let me know. I’m happy to hold your candy.”

Oscar grinned. “That’s what Mom says, but it’s because she likes candy.”

With Oscar happily walking with his friends, Liam joined Chloe. “Are you okay?” he asked gently as they walked along the street.

Chloe forced a smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be so distracted. It’s just—” She hesitated, glancing at Oscar to make sure he was out of earshot. “It’s the whole situation with Paul.”

Liam nodded. “I figured it might be on your mind.”

“It’s hard not to think about it,” she admitted. “I want tonight to be fun for Oscar, but I keep worrying about how everything might change.”

He touched her arm reassuringly. “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

“You’re already helping,” she said, her eyes meeting his. “I know how busy you are, so coming trick-or-treating with us means a lot.”

He grinned, trying to make her feel better. “Are you kidding? I haven’t had so much fun in years.”

A genuine smile lit Chloe’s eyes. “It must be the pirate costume.”

Liam wiggled his eyebrows. “Arrr, matey! The pirate life chose me,” he said in a playful pirate accent.

“Well, Captain Liam, it suits you.”

He grinned. “Thanks. Though I have to admit, your fairy costume is amazing.”

She touched the edge of a fluffy jacket she was wearing. “I had to add the jacket because it’s so cold, but I made the rest of the costume for Oscar’s fifth birthday. We had his party at The Fairy Forest.”

Up ahead, Oscar joined his friends on the veranda of a large two-story home.

“That’s Oscar’s teacher’s house,” Chloe told Liam. “Mrs. Thompson’s been looking forward to tonight as much as her students.”

When the front door opened, Oscar’s teacher greeted everyone warmly before dropping candy into their bags and giving Trixie a pat. After a few more words to each child, she smiled and waved as everyone walked excitedly toward their parents.

Oscar hurried down the driveway toward them. “Look, Liam! Trixie got a treat too!”

The dog biscuit wrapped in orange ribbon would be a definite winner. “She’ll enjoy that,” Liam told Oscar.

Trixie sniffed the treat, then sat in front of Oscar, ears pricked forward and her eyes never leaving the cookie.

Oscar smiled and gave her a hug. “It’s okay, girl. You can have it when you get home.”

Liam almost laughed when Trixie’s eyes lifted to Oscar’s. Instead of giving in to the pleading in her gaze, Oscar found a small leftover treat from earlier in the evening and gave it to a very happy Golden Labrador.

“Come on, Trixie. We need to catch up with my friends.” Oscar held his candy basket tighter before catching up with his friends.

They all continued down the street, stopping at houses decorated with ghosts, spider webs, and glowing broomsticks in their front yards. Oscar and his friends loved meeting the people who handed out treats. They eagerly shouted “trick-or-treat!” at every doorstep, their bags growing heavier with each new piece of candy.

As they approached The Welcome Center, Oscar bounced with excitement. “Can we listen to the ghost stories? Please?”

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Chloe said as they made their way along a path lit with brightly colored pumpkins.

Liam had helped Pastor John and the other volunteers decorate The Welcome Center for Halloween. They hadn’t gone overboard, but they’d found some wispy cobwebs and black spiders they’d stored at the old steamboat museum from last year’s party. With a tonne of orange and black balloons, and some spooky music Shelley had found, the center looked and sounded like a fun place to be on Halloween.

In the center of the large meeting room, Daniella, the owner of The Fairy Forest, was surrounded by at least thirty children, all enjoying a spooky story.

Oscar hurried across the room and sat on the floor with his friends. Trixie kept close, lying protectively beside him.

Liam and Chloe stood a short distance away. “Thanks for bringing Trixie tonight,” Chloe whispered. “Oscar loves having her around.”

Trixie rested her head on Oscar’s lap, and Liam sighed. “The feeling’s mutual. She enjoys Oscar’s company, too. He has more energy than me.”

Chloe grinned. “That’s because he’s six years old.”

“Are you saying I’m old?”

“Would I ever do that?” Chloe teased.

Liam grinned. “You just did. You seem a lot happier than you were earlier.”

“Being here helps. Watching Oscar have fun reminds me of what’s important.”

Liam thought about the fun they’d had tonight and realized these were the moments he’d been missing in his life—the small, meaningful experiences that no job or adventure could replicate.

He thought of the job at Wanderlust Publishing. If he was writing for a travel series he’d spend most of his time overseas. It would be a constant whirlwind of flying in and out of airports, travelling to out-of-the-way locations, and spending countless hours on his own. Was that the future he really wanted?

When Daniella finished reading the stories, the children played some games, then gradually went home.

“Are you ready to leave?” Chloe asked Oscar.

He gave a tired nod. “We have to give Trixie her doggie treat.”

Chloe took off his dinosaur head. “Maybe you could give it to Liam? He’ll give it to her tomorrow after she’s had a big sleep.”

Oscar nodded and rummaged through his candy basket. With a tired yawn, he handed the cookie to Liam and snuggled close to Chloe.

“Would you like me to carry Oscar to your truck?” Liam asked.

Chloe smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

Liam scooped Oscar into his arms while Chloe took hold of Trixie’s leash.

“Come on, girl,” she whispered, and Trixie obediently stood beside her.

As they walked, Liam turned to Chloe. “I saw Mabel last week. She’s happy all the stores on Main Street are ready to put up their decorations. I’m looking forward to seeing everything come together.”

Chloe’s eyes brightened a little. “So am I. Seeing Main Street transformed with all the trees and lights makes Christmas extra special.”

They reached Chloe’s truck and Liam placed Oscar on his booster seat. “He really wore himself out,” he whispered.

Chloe draped a blanket over her son. “That’s because he enjoyed himself. Thank you for tonight.”

“Anytime.” Liam hesitated, not wanting the evening to end. “I should get going. I hope everything works out with your ex-husband.”

Chloe handed Liam Trixie’s leash. “So do I. I’ll let you know if I hear anything from him.”

“That’d be great.” Liam paused, then leaned in and gently kissed Chloe’s cheek. “Goodnight.”

She looked at him and smiled. “Goodnight.”

As she drove out of the parking lot, Liam sighed. “I’ll miss them if we leave, Trixie.”

Trixie stood beside him with her nose twitching beside his pocket.

Liam patted her, then reached for the cookie Oscar’s teacher had given her. “Don’t tell Oscar you had a piece of cookie before bedtime.”

With a happy woof, she devoured half of the bone-shaped treat in one gulp. Liam smiled and walked back to The Welcome Center. Whatever he did, he wouldn’t be the only one who’d miss being in Sapphire Bay.