Secrets of Hallstead House by Amy M Reade

around Summerplace. Who could have taken it?
    I asked Vali and Leland about it when I went down to the kitchen for lunch. “What would either of us want with something like that?” was Vali’s reply.
    Late in the afternoon, I went to Alex’s rooms to check on her. I had expected to find her working in her office, but to my surprise she was in her sitting room before the fire. Brandt and Giselle were chatting with her.
    “Alex, are you all right? I expected to find you working,” I said with concern.
    “I’m feeling just a little run-down right now, dear. Brandt and Giselle called to say they were coming over to the island, so I decided to take a break to visit with them for a little while.” She smiled at Brandt, who was seated next to her on the sofa. He patted her hand.
    “Giselle and I are going to be leaving soon. She wants to visit Vali and Leland, and there’s a book I’d like to borrow from you if that’s okay, Alex,” said Brandt.
    “Of course.” Alex smiled weakly.
    As he stood up, Giselle came over and linked her arm in his. “See you soon, Alex,” she said. They left and I took Brandt’s place next to Alex. She looked rather wan.
    “I want you to lie down right here for a little while. I think you’ve been working too hard and you need some rest,” I told her firmly.
    She didn’t resist. I helped her to lie down on the sofa and I covered her with a light blanket. Once she was comfortable, I went into the library. I wanted to be nearby if Alex should need anything. Brandt was there, leafing through a book. He looked up when I came in.
    “Hi, Macy.”
    “Hi, Brandt. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
    “Not at all. I knew I’d be able to find this book in here. It’s a maritime history of these islands. I need it for a project at work. Alex and Forrest acquired lots of great books that are hard to find anywhere else in this area. Alex has mentioned before that she’d like to donate some of these books to a local library, but she just hasn’t had the time recently to go through everything.”
    “I think that would be wonderful,” I told him.
    “Is she resting?” he asked.
    “Yes, for now. She’s a tough lady, though. I expect she’s not going to lie down for long. I hope I’m wrong—she’s been working too hard and she needs some rest.”
    “I think it’s good for you to be here with her,” Brandt said. “She needs somebody whose only responsibility is to take care of her. It may be a little boring for you at times, but she needs this arrangement. When Vali was looking after her, she couldn’t do a good job simply because she had too much work to do.”
    “Well, I’m enjoying Alex and my job here very much,” I said warmly. “Would you excuse me while I look in on her again?”
    I left him and tiptoed softly into Alex’s sitting room. She was still lying on the sofa, but I was glad to see that her eyes were closed and her breathing was light and regular. She would be asleep soon. I turned off the lamp so the room was illuminated only by the flames dancing and crackling in the fireplace. Alex’s eyes fluttered open for a moment and she murmured, “I was going to join you in the dining room tonight.”
    I smiled at her and whispered, “You rest now. You can eat with us in there tomorrow.” She nodded faintly and I went back to the library. Brandt was gone so I curled up in a chair for a few minutes. I wanted to wait until I was sure that Alex was sleeping before going upstairs to change my clothes for dinner. I looked around the room contentedly. Brandt was right; this arrangement did seem to suit Alex, and the quiet time that I was able to spend alone was just what I needed, too. I was growing quite fond of Alex, and she seemed to like and trust me as well.
    When I was sure Alex was asleep, I started upstairs to change. I smiled inwardly—it was nice to hear that Alex had changed her mind about eating dinner in the dining room with the rest of us. As I mounted the