“They ring the bell on top of the administration building to announce mealtimes,” Commander added. Adele pointed out a few other small buildings where our workshops were going to be held, and then it seemed like the end of our tour. As Dinah and I left them, Commander added that Asilomar meant refuge by the sea.
Dinah and I picked up our bags in the administration building and headed outside. Commander said he would catch up with us-I think he really meant Dinah-later, and went with Adele to get some things she’d brought for his workshop.
We pulled our bags up the steep path, past the golden grass-covered hill, toward the weathered building Adele had pointed out as Lodge. Just inside we passed through a communal living room with overstuffed chairs and a fireplace. We determined our rooms were on the second floor, and we went up the stairs.
As we looked down the dark corridor, Izabelle Landers stepped out of one of the rooms and walked toward us. True to the title of her book, Izabelle wore only a subtle touch of crochet in the form of tiny rose pink flowers around the neck and sleeves of her black wool jacket. When she got closer, I saw there were pearls in the centers of the flowers.
“Your jacket is exquisite,” I said, fighting the desire to touch the flowers and examine the stitches.
Izabelle thanked me. With the puffed-up lips, her smile looked almost painful. Dinah and I had already decided there was maybe a ten percent chance she was born with those lips.
“I’m going to sit by the fire in the administration building and finish crocheting a shrug,” Izabelle said, holding out a small tote bag with her supplies. “It’ll be nice against the chill up here.” I sighed at the mental image. Sitting in front of a roaring fireplace and crocheting sounded very appealing. Maybe, if I was lucky, there would be some time during the weekend when I’d get a chance to do it, too. Izabelle looked at the cards our keys were attached to and pointed toward the front of the building. “Those room numbers are up there.”
We were still on the landing at the top of the stairs when we heard some noise down below. We all looked over the railing. Nora and Bennett had walked into the living room and were looking around. More correctly, she was looking around and he’d dropped into one of the overstuffed chairs.
Izabelle seemed to stare at him.
“I’ll save you the trouble of wracking your brain where you know him from. That’s Bennett Franklyn. He plays the older brother on that Raf Gibraltar show.”
“I know who he is,” Izabelle said, still looking over the railing at him. “It’s just different seeing him in person.”
“He may look like the guy next door, but he has charisma at the same time,” I said. “And he’s certainly the peacock of the family.” I caught sight of Nora’s face. She might make lots of noise, but her appearance was surprisingly drab. She had brown hair you couldn’t attach a fancy adjective to, like mink or chestnut. It was cut in a short, no-fuss, kind of style. She definitely had a light touch when it came to makeup, and though I wouldn’t call her fat by any means, in the size zero world of Hollywood, others probably would.
Nora paced in front of the fireplace, appearing agitated. “This won’t do.”
Bennett stood and touched her arm with tenderness. “Don’t fret so, hon. It won’t kill us to spend a weekend here. And the payoff is worth it.”
Payoff? I wondered what he meant.
Izabelle pushed the tote bag on her arm. “Well, ladies, see you later.”
“I thought we’d all meet up at dinner,” I said. “It’ll give all the workshop leaders a chance to get to know each other.”
“Right,” Izabelle said before going downstairs. She walked up to the Hollywood couple and introduced herself.
I heard her tell Bennett that she liked his show.
“Let’s find our rooms,” I said as we left our post and went down a dark, wood-paneled hallway. Our rooms were adjacent in the front corner of the building. Just before I went inside mine, I glanced down the corridor. A short man with a head shaped like a brick was walking down the hallway looking at room numbers. He stopped in front of a door and rapped impatiently, but no one answered. Dinah noticed him, too. He must have felt he was being watched, because he looked up abruptly and stared back at us. The anger in his expression sent a shiver up my spine.
“Is he one of our people?” she asked.
“I hope not,” I said, opening my door. My cell began to ring as I went inside.
CHAPTER 4
“BABE, WE WOULD HAVE WORKED SOMETHING out,” Barry said. He’d called to make sure I arrived okay and to let me know he had gone over to take care of the dogs. I had just finished giving him the rundown on my accommodations, which would have been our accommodations, had Mrs. Shedd not dropped the weekend in my lap.
“You’re saying that because you’re not here looking at this room.” I let my eyes sweep it again. “Did I mention no TV or telephone, though since everybody has a cell these days, that’s neither here nor there.”
Barry laughed. “I had planned to do much better things in the room than watch TV.”
“Okay, but the twin beds are the narrowest twin beds I’ve ever seen. One is under the windows on the side wall and the other is on the back wall.”
“I’m good at moving furniture,” Barry said.
“Not in this room. It’s way too small. And it’s kind of cold in here.” I looked around for a heat source, which there wasn’t.
“I would have kept you warm,” Barry said in a low voice. “I can still come up there.”
I hesitated, but only for a second. “No, let’s leave it as it is. I can tell this is going to be a no-fun weekend.” He accepted what I said but didn’t sound happy as he signed off.
I unpacked and did a little damage control to my appearance. I had just put down my hairbrush when I heard the dinner bell ring. Dinah heard it too and we met in the hall. I looked upon dinner as the official beginning of the retreat. The air was heavy with moisture and seemed to be getting more opaque and colder as Dinah and I headed to the dining hall. It was hard to believe it was hot and clear in Tarzana. I had forsaken my usual khaki slacks and shirt for the jeans, black turtleneck, and black corduroy blazer Dinah had suggested as the perfect casual, yet with a touch of authority, look. I was glad I’d added the long, red wool scarf. It was one of my earliest crochet creations, and wearing it wound around my neck added a nice touch of warmth.
The cavernous dining room was almost empty, and there was no problem snagging a couple of the large round tables for our group. Across the room a group of birders from Arizona were having their farewell dinner, and a sprinkling of guests not connected with any group were scattered around some tables in another corner.
I clutched the rhinestone clipboard for courage and straightened the pile of packets I’d brought to give out. Bennett Franklyn was the first to arrive-alone.
“Where’s Nora?” Dinah asked.
“She brought some food to our room,” he said with a friendly smile. “It’s been a tough day for her. I hope it isn’t a problem, but we changed our accommodations. We’re in Long View now.” He vaguely pointed off in the distance.
Thanks to Adele and Commander’s tour, I knew Long View was on the edge of Asilomar, and though the long building had a weathered look similar to Lodge, it was actually much newer. The rooms were a little larger and the wide windows had a view of the ocean. If it kept the peace, it was fine with me.
As our group began to filter in, I handed out packets and pointed out the cafeteria line in the back. Commander and Bennett headed for the line together. Dinah offered to get food for both of us, and Izabelle said she’d already eaten. She sat down and helped herself to the pitcher of iced tea in the center of the table.