Green In the Emerald City. Juli Bunting
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case, he teased her about becoming a true aristocrat. Sam had to admit this hotel was plush even by Heartland Global standards. But this was a big case so it followed that Heartland would go all out for their top investigator.
“I have to tell you, Unk, I’m glad to be back in Seattle. It really is beautiful here. I can understand why my parents loved it so much.” Sam was stunned by the silence on the other end of the phone. “Unk? Are you still there?”
“Yeah, Sam,” Dr. Carson tried desperately to disguise the lump in his throat. He didn’t quite understand why he was getting so choked up over a memory flash of his sister and her husband. Maybe because in that moment he remembered how they longed to settle in the Pacific Northwest. Little did they know their final resting place would be so close to their beloved Seattle.
“Heartland went way too far this time, Unk. I’m in the Governor’s Suite. Not sure who elected me Governor, but I’m very happy to be here. It’s amazing.” Sam was glad to hear her uncle’s voice and she told him the flight was fine. She didn’t mention the nightmare.
“Have you talked to Wanda yet? I’m curious about that hound of yours. I think he got used to having you work from home, Sam, and I’ll bet he misses you.” Unk was talking about Sam’s beloved dog Teddy, a black and white husky she rescued from the Central Missouri Humane Society three years ago.
“He never misses me when Wanda’s around. I swear she spoils him worse than you do. I’m going to call home next. You know you’re always first on the list, Unk.” That hairy dog was always on Sam’s mind and she looked forward to the day when she could maybe only travel once or twice a year and spend more time with her beautiful beast.
“Well, let me know when Wanda wants to pass him off to me. I kind of miss the big guy, too.” Unk had agreed to take Teddy when Wanda drove up to Chicago to visit her nephew around Thanksgiving.
“Oh, Unk. Before I let you go, have you ever heard of a book called The Rising of the Empire by a Vanja Ra. . .” Sam halted while she looked up the name.
“Radic. Vanja Radic. Of course I’ve heard of it. Why do you ask?” Unk found himself again trying to control his voice when his niece mentioned the book that had occupied a chunk of his life.
“Well, I guess it was part of the client’s rare book collection.”
There was absolute silence on the other end of the phone.
“Unk? What’s up with you this afternoon? Are you sure everything’s okay?” Sam was a little worried about her uncle. He was never at a loss for words.
Dr. Carson’s face had gone pale when he heard the title. Surely she was mistaken. As far as he knew, there were only three copies of this book still in existence. He knew where the other two were and the third was never found so far as he knew. Could it be possible the third copy has been discovered?
“Sorry, Sam. I have heard of the book and it is, indeed, very rare. You think it’s been stolen from the client? Uh, what’s the client’s name again?” Unk was shaking.
“I hadn’t mentioned his name, Unk. It’s Mr. Wu. James Wu.”
It was all Samuel Carson could do to keep from dropping his cell phone. He could not let Sam know what he was thinking.
“Oh,” Unk was doing his very best to sound nonchalant. “Well. I’ll send you some information on the book, Sam. Where did Mr. Wu get this book?” Dr. Carson’s mind was racing.
“It’s the only one in the collection that doesn’t have a notation about where or how he acquired it. I’ll let you know when I have more information. Take care, Unk. I’m gonna give Wanda a call. Talk to you soon.”
“Okay, Samantha. I’ll talk to you soon.” Dr. Carson touched his phone and ended the call, his mind still going in a thousand different directions. James Wu? Is it really possible? He must be related to Dorothy, but who is he? Did David have a brother or maybe a nephew? Samuel hadn’t spoken to Dorothy in three decades. Where was she, and had she found the third copy of the book?
* * * * *
Samantha clicked off her call to Unk and called Wanda who was her confidante, her friend, her house and dog sitter, and the person she trusted most in the world, second only to Unk.
“Hey, Wanda, how’s that boy of mine doin’?” Sam knew he would be fine in Wanda’s capable care.
“Leave it to you to ask after the damn dog before you ask about me,” Wanda and Sam laughed at Sam’s uncharacteristic lack of manners. “He’s doin’ just fine, thank you very much. We walked on the trail today and I swear everyone on the trail knows this dog. You two are quite popular among the trail walkers, darlin’. How’re you? And how was your flight to Seattle? Girl, I swear this time they have flown you to the ends of the earth.” Wanda reached down and patted Teddy on the head.
“The flight was great and oh, Wanda—I wish you were here to see this room. I have a view of the sound and the mountains. I could get used to this town real fast. It is such a beautiful city.” Samantha looked out the window at a ferry making its way to the dock.
“Don’t you go gettin’ any ideas about moving to Seattle, sister. That is just too freakin’ far away and I don’t even want to think about a five hour plane ride to come visit you.” Wanda was a slim, fit, fifty-five year-old African American woman Samantha had met when she first came to live in Columbia over fifteen years ago. Wanda had a grey husky in those days and the three met while running on one of the many Columbia nature trails. They had been friends ever since, and it was Wanda who convinced Sam she needed a dog and took her to the Humane Society when she learned they were looking for a home for Teddy. Wanda looked down at the black and white face and saw Teddy was looking up at her with a smile in his bright blue eyes.
“No plans to move here. But it is beautiful. Take good care of the beast. We’ll talk soon. Love you.” Sam pictured her friend and Teddy standing in her kitchen in Columbia and knew Teddy would be getting a treat of some kind shortly.
“Love you, too, my friend. Take care and call anytime.”
Anxious to get down to Pike Place Market, Samantha left unpacking for later. She pulled some gloves and a scarf from one of her bags, put on a small backpack with her wallet and cell phone tucked inside and headed out. She stopped at the front desk and made arrangements for a rental car to be delivered to the hotel this evening so she could drive over to Mercer Island tomorrow and meet with James Wu.
The aisles at the market were packed with early holiday shoppers and Sam made her way through the crowd. Her mission was to get some garlic-smoked salmon from the Pike Place Fish Market, some cheese from Beecher’s, and some fresh-cut flowers for her hotel room. She took a picture of Rachel the Pig just like any self-respecting tourist and walked over to the fish market.
* * * * *
In Chicago, Dr. Samuel Carson was digging through an old file cabinet in his office looking for a file folder with her name on it. He was pretty sure he’d put the letter he hadn’t read for thirty years in that folder and was fairly certain it would be in the cabinet where he kept some other mementos from his life before he became a “dad.” He found the file labeled simply “Dorothy.” He pulled it out, carefully laid it on his desk and opened it. And there, on the top of everything else in the file, was the letter. Seeing the familiar handwriting brought tears to his eyes and he sat down to read.
August 29, 1983
My Dear Samuel,
It breaks my heart to write this letter, but we both knew this day would come. I have decided to go back to San Francisco and back to David. These last few months have meant more to me than you know. I have fallen deeply and passionately in love with you and would give anything if we could be together. But I also love David and you know he thinks of you as more of a brother than a friend. I don’t believe I could hurt him in this way and continue to live with myself. I also know that such a betrayal would only destroy what we have between