Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Kaia felt oddly nervous when she met up with Jax in the Ocean Shores parking lot at twelve-thirty. She knew more about him now than he realized, and that felt strange. Her discomfort with that knowledge must have shown in her eyes, because he gave her an odd look when they got into the car.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"What's going on?"
She latched onto the one thing she could share. "My boss called me in yesterday. Walter's granddaughter complained about me. She thinks I'm overstepping my job and wants me to stop. There's a chance we could get to Walter's apartment, and he won't be there, or she won't let us in."
"I don't understand why she's upset about us trying to help Walter."
"You heard her yesterday. Catherine thinks we're encouraging his delusions or something like that."
"He's been obsessed with the red door for longer than he's known us. And I think Walter will be there, and he'll let us in, because he wants to revisit his memories."
"I hope this trip will be good for him. I guess we'll find out."
"Are you in trouble at work?"
"I had to argue for making this trip today.
My manager wasn't happy. She thinks I'm jeopardizing my job, but she agrees that I haven't broken any rules.
Nothing I've done for Walter has been medical in nature or occurred when I'm on duty.
Still, it's a gray area, and if Catherine goes after me again, it could put me in a tricky position. "
"And that hasn't made you reconsider this trip to the bookstore?" he asked.
"No. I don't believe I'm doing anything wrong. And I'm not going to let Catherine scare me off. She may not be that impressed with me, but I am also not that impressed with her. I reminded my boss that we've been to Walter's apartment three times, so it's not like he's being well taken care of."
"That might not be her fault. He is a stubborn man."
"You're right. I'm just saying that the suspicion goes both ways where she and I are concerned."
"Got it. But let's not forget I'm part of this, too," he said.
"Yes, and I'm glad about that. I was afraid I might have to bail, and I was hoping you'd take Walter if I couldn't."
"I would have done that." He shot her another glance as he stopped at a red light. "But I prefer doing it with you."
She felt oddly touched by his words, or maybe it was the look in his eyes that seemed far warmer than any he'd given her before. "You seem different today—more relaxed."
He immediately turned away with her personal comment. "Maybe."
She wondered if his better mood was because of his music session on the beach, but she had already decided to let him keep that time private.
She still hoped that at some point he would open up to her.
But that wasn't going to happen now. So, she'd take a more relaxed Jax Ridley without question and enjoy the warmer atmosphere between them.
Ten minutes later, they pulled up at Walter's apartment.
When they arrived at his door, he opened it with an eager smile.
He was dressed in a dark-blue suit and had his hat in his hand, as if he'd been waiting for them for a while.
There was no sign of his granddaughter, which made everything easier.
They ushered Walter down to the car. He got into the back seat with a spryness she hadn't witnessed in their previous encounters.
She was happy to see him looking well. She just hoped he wasn't heading for a crushing wave of disappointment.
But they were going, so it would be what it would be.
As they drove, she asked Walter to tell them about the club.
"It was warm and inviting," Walter said. "A dark, dimly lit space, filled with people and laughter and music. When I entered the lounge, I felt like I was stepping into another world. The music was so good. And Reina was the best. She sang like an angel. Her gift was clearly from God."
"Did her sister sing there as well?" she asked.
Walter seemed surprised by the question. "You know about her sister?"
"Jax and I tried to find information on Reina, but there was more about Anita."
"Anita was the star. She was four years older than Reina, and Reina was always in her shadow. Outside of the lounge, she was Anita's backup singer, but the Starlight Lounge was too small for Anita, so Reina would get her chance to take the stage there on her own. She was damn good."
"So, you and Reina were friends?" she ventured, turning around in her seat so she could see him better.
"I was in love with her," Walter said candidly.
"But we never had a chance. We were in our early twenties.
I was getting deployed soon, and her sister wanted to take her on tour as backup, so time was quickly running away from us.
Knowing that, we started spending time together away from the club.
It was a great couple of weeks, and then my orders came in.
The night before I left, she told me when we said goodbye that she would leave me something at the Starlight Lounge in case she wasn't there when I got back. "
"What was she going to leave and where was she going to put it?" she asked.
"She didn't say what it was," Walter replied. "But she told me there was a loose brick in the dressing room where she would stash it. No one knew about it but her."
"A loose brick?" Jax queried, doubt in his voice. "That doesn't sound like a great plan. Why not just give it to you before you left?"
"She said it wasn't ready yet," Walter replied. "And Reina believed in fate. She thought if we were meant to be, fate would bring us together again."
"Did you ever go back to the lounge?"
"I was deployed for over two years, and a few days before my unit was due to come home, we were ambushed, and I suffered serious injuries.
I spent six months in a hospital in Germany.
When I was discharged, I was transferred to a base on the other side of the country where I could continue my rehabilitation.
By the time I was fully recovered, three years had passed since I had left Oceanside, and Reina was just a lovely memory.
It felt too late for us. I met my wife a few weeks later. We built a life and a family together."
"Why look now?" Jax asked. "It sounds like you made your peace with what happened a long time ago."
"Living on the other side of the country, it was easier to forget about this place. And I never wanted to be disloyal to my wife. I loved her, too. I want that to be clear. But she passed away several years ago, and since I came to live with Catherine, all the memories of Reina and me came back."
"That makes sense," she said.
"I'm not a fool, you know. I understand that whatever she left me is probably no longer there. I just want to stand in the place that used to be the lounge, maybe see if there's still a dressing room."
"And a loose brick," she said with a compassionate smile. "It would be a miracle if anything, including the brick, was there."
"I know. It's a waste of time, but I have nothing but time to waste, and it's my decision. I told Catherine that this morning."
"Your granddaughter isn't happy with us helping you," Jax said. "Did you know she called Kaia's supervisor to complain about her interfering in your life?"
"I didn't know that, but don't pay Catherine any mind. I'm still in charge of my life, at least for now."
She wished she didn't have to pay his granddaughter any mind, but she wasn't sure it would work like that. However, that was a problem for another day. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Walter. I'm just worried that you won't, and that will be sad for you."
"I've been sad before. You don't get to my age without experiencing pain. But you also don't get to my age without understanding that some things, some people, are worth fighting for." He straightened as Jax pulled into a parking spot. "Are we here?"
"We are," Jax said.
At his reply, Walter got out of the car. She exited quickly, following him onto the sidewalk, watching as his gaze took in the bookstore.
"It doesn't look like it used to," he murmured.
"Nothing ever does," she said.
He gave her a faint smile. "You got that right."
They walked up the steps together, and when they entered the bookstore, she was happy to see Ellen behind the counter. Ellen immediately stepped away, giving them a smile. "You came back."
"We did," she said, introducing Ellen and Walter.
"Well, Mr. Cobb, you're welcome to go down and look around," Ellen said. "I'm not sure it looks anything like the club you remember, except for maybe the piano. It never got moved because I don't think anyone knew how to get it out of that room. And no one in the family played."
"Reina used to play the piano sometimes," Walter said. "She was a musician as well as a singer. But I liked it best when she just sang her heart out."
"I went to the club once when I was a little girl," Ellen said.
"I think it was right before it closed. I was probably six or seven at the time.
The singers, the music, the dim lighting, and all the people dressed in fancy clothes made it all seem rather magical.
I hadn't thought about that until Kaia and Jax came by yesterday.
" Her gaze moved to Jax. "I keep racking my brain as to why you seem familiar to me. "
"I just have one of those faces," Jax said. "Would you mind if we go downstairs now?"
"Of course not." She led them to the back and down the stairs. After turning on the lights, she waved them into the basement. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Mr. Cobb. Take as much time as you need."
"Thank you," Walter said, his voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I know I sound like a sentimental fool."
Ellen gave Walter a compassionate smile. "Being sentimental doesn't make you a fool; it just shows you have a big heart."
Walter nodded, his crusty exterior showing signs of emotional stress, but then he squared his shoulders and stepped farther into the room. As Walter's gaze perused the crowded storage room, it lingered for a long moment on the piano, and that was ultimately what drew him across the room.
Seeing Walter put a hand on the dusty piano, his mind clearly years in the past, reminded her of the way Jax had looked at it yesterday.
Walter suddenly turned around. "The dressing room was through a door to the right of the stage."
She turned toward the stage. "I don't see a door."
"It would have been where that armoire is."
Jax moved across the room and pulled the armoire away from the wall.
"Do you see anything?" she asked impatiently.
"Yes," Jax said, surprise on his face as he turned back to them. "There's a door. You're right, Walter. Let me see if I can move this farther away so we can open it."
"Can I help?" she asked, joining him.
"I'll pull, you push," he returned.
She did as he suggested, and fortunately, the armoire was empty, and they could move it away from the door.
For a moment, she wondered if it might be locked, but the handle turned, and she pushed it open, seeing a dark hallway.
She felt around for a light switch and flipped it on, light flooding the dusty corridor revealing closed doors on each wall.
One still had a gold placard that read, "Office".
"It's the one on the left," Walter said, pointing to the other door.
She walked down the hall and opened the door, finding another light switch, which revealed a long table in front of a mirrored wall. "I think this is it," she said, shocked that they'd discovered this hidden room. They never would have found out it without Walter remembering the door.
Walter shuffled past her, an expression of awe in his eyes. "It's just like I remember."
As Walter put his hand on the dressing table and looked in the scratched mirror, she turned to Jax in amazement. "Can you believe this? I feel like this room has been untouched for decades. I can almost see the performers getting ready at the mirror."
"This is wild," he said. "I wonder when anyone was in here last."
"Probably a long time, considering the door was blocked by the armoire. Maybe Ellen didn't even realize it was here."
"There is some printing equipment." He tipped his head to some old machinery on a card table. "At some point, someone was in here."
She looked back at Walter, who was muttering words under his breath, as his gaze moved to the brick wall at the end of the long dressing table.
"There," he said, moving to the wall. He felt around the bricks, but none of them moved. "It has to be here."
A desperate note entered his voice, making her stomach twist into an anxious knot. She wanted Walter to find the loose brick as much as he did. She felt as though they were standing on the edge of a precipice of either triumph or horrific disappointment.
"It's been a long time," Jax said, trying to caution Walter that this part of the dream might not come true.
"It has to be here," he said as he continued to hunt for the loose brick.
It was hard to watch. She didn't know whether to stop him or help him, but it felt like this was something he had to do on his own.
Stressed, she found herself reaching for Jax's hand. He stiffened slightly but then wrapped his fingers around hers, sharing the anxious moment with her. She wanted the fairy-tale ending for Walter, but her pragmatic brain told her he probably wouldn't get it. And then what would they do?
"She said it was right by the mirror. Maybe it's on that wall." Walter turned from the side wall to the back wall and touched each brick, freezing when one wobbled. "Oh, my God!"
"Damn," Jax muttered, giving her a look of surprise.
"I hope it's not empty," she said in a hushed voice.
He squeezed her fingers in reply as they watched Walter tug at an old, crumbling brick. She was so nervous she couldn't even imagine how he was feeling. Walter finally freed the brick, and it slipped through his shaky fingers, crashing to the ground and revealing an opening behind it…