The mysterious object on the floor took both Margaret and Jane by surprise, and they approached it in unison, pondering where it might have come from.
On the carpet lay a scuffed and heavily used hammer; and Jane’s gaze turned towards the window, which was soon silently followed by her feet. Dislodging the tennis racket, she pushed the broken window up and she saw a familiar man balancing on a ladder. It was Mr. Sullivan, Margaret’s father, and he called loudly to them from nearby.
“Sorry, girls – the hammer slipped out of my hand as I was fixing these rain gutters. Could you hand it back out to me?”
Jane couldn’t help but laugh as she bent down to pick up the hammer, and held it out to Mr. Sullivan’s reaching hand.
“Golly, dad!” Margaret began, “What is mom going to think?”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll talk to her. She broke my workshop window last summer and didn’t mention it for a week – I’ll say we’re even.”
“What are we going to do with Jane’s room now that her window’s broken?”
Mr. Sullivan repositioned himself on the ladder, and thought for a few moments before he hollered back:
“Why don’t you girls stay at our cabin by the lake, until we can get this fixed? It’s about time Jane went out for a swim and enjoyed this balmy weather.”
“That’s brilliant!” Margaret’s eyes lit up, “What do you think, Jane?”
“There’s nothing I’d love more!” Jane replied eagerly, “I haven’t seen the cabin in forever.”
“Then it’s settled. You should help Jane pack, and I’ll see about getting this window replaced tomorrow.”
And with that, Mr. Sullivan descended the ladder and the sounds of rattling, and metal against metal followed as the rigid steps were put away. In the moments soon after, Jane rested her arms on the sunlit sill and relaxed, when she broke the silence with a childish giggle.
“Look at us!” She smiled, “We’re so nervous, we think an accidental slip of a hammer is a threat!”
“My point exactly,” cut in Margaret, “It’s time we took a break. It’s preposterous to think that we alone can unravel such an elaborate scheme, there seems to be no end to all of these weird happenings!”
The sunlight on Jane’s face was refreshing, the heat compared to the cool shaded interior of the room brought about a sense of calm and serenity. Almost instinctively, and faster than an ordinary train of thought could keep up; Jane sprung from the sill and went straight for the bureau.
She pawed through the upper drawer, finally concluding her searching in the innermost regions of her purse.
“It’s gone!” Her face was pale, and she turned the last pocket inside out. “Our best clue, and it’s missing.”
“What’s gone?” Margaret asked curiously,
“The photographs. That abominable thief stole them when they pilfered the contents of my bag last night!”
“Now if there’s one thing that gives me the heebie jeebies, it’s those photographs; I say good riddance! You were almost strangled over them last night!” Margaret exclaimed with indignation.
“Those photographs were one of our only clues for piecing together this mystery, and now we’re back to square one.” Jane stated gloomily, and her shoulders slumped forward. “Maybe Josh still has the negatives!” she said after a few ponderous seconds.
“Here we go again.” sighed Margaret, “But, I’m almost certain they were in the same envelope as the photos.” She finished cynically.
“Then we will ascertain for ourselves-” Jane said, and without hesitation, she left through the bedroom door, making her way to the downstairs hall, and picked up the family’s telephone.
Before a minute had passed, she was on the phone with Josh at his camera shop. She explained briefly what had happened, and asked after the negatives.
He stepped away from the phone, and Jane crossed her fingers as she looked over at Margaret. She could hear scuffling in the background, and a crackling in the hearing piece as Josh picked back up his end of the line.
“I’ve got them right here!” He exclaimed triumphantly, “I don’t usually leave negatives laying around the shop; yesterday was so crazy I must have forgotten. I’ll make them up again in a jiffy, and meet you at Margaret’s cabin.”
“Sounds like a plan, then. See you there.”
Jane placed the handset back on its receiver, and the two amateur detectives began to pack up their belongings. It wasn’t long before they were finished, and set out for the cabin by the lake in Margaret’s trusty sleuth mobile.
They arrived at the lake; and Jane took in the breathtaking landscape. The sun shone across the glittering, sparkling water, framing the stately, rustic cabin in the foreground with elegant, vibrant gardens flowering profusely.
“My goodness!” Jane exhaled, “It’s even prettier than I remember it!”
Margaret stepped out of the sedan and laughed, heaving her large duffel bag out of the seat.
“I call this magic hour!” She said, “The sun is perfect at this time, it’s almost like a fairyland!”
“I can truly relax here,” Jane said as she strolled leisurely towards the cabin, “Why not go for a swim?”
“You read my mind! Let’s go!”
The sun had reached its late-afternoon position in the sky, as Jane and Margaret stepped out to enjoy themselves in the summer heat. They walked out onto the dock and sunk into the waters smoothly; and Jane could feel the fish swim past her. It brought back many happy memories, and she reminisced over the past summers that had been spent in this woodland paradise.
As they swam about the cool, crisp waters; all concerns of the present floated away.
“This is the life!” Jane said, turning on her back and drifting through the gentle waves. “I could stay here forever!”