“What’s is it?” Jude was finally handed the camera. “Is that Ronnie’s cat?”
“Yup.” Jesse grinned. “Curled up in Ian’s lap sleeping away with him.”
“I never understood why he hates cats so.” Tippy said. “Any insight?”
“Well…” Jude wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I don’t think he ever cared fer ‘em much, but once’t a bully grabbed a stray cat by the tail, as I recall. He got the thing all riled up and started hittin’ Ian with it…”
“That’s awful!” Tippy was shocked.
“Miss Tippy, that jus’ one a too many awful things that got done to Ian.” Jude leaned back in his chair. “Ever’body on Lost Mountain was poor, but Ian an’ m’girls were the bottom a the heap. They was allus getting picked on and teased. Reckon that’s why they stuck together sa much.”
“I’m gonna go find a special place in my room for these.” Ronnie held up the copper toys, and was off.
Colton smiled. “That was the perfect gift, Jude, those toys.”
“I thought so. I think you should allus know where you come from. It helps to keep ya see a li’l better where yer goin’. I kin do that fer Ronnie.” Jude hung his head. “Wish I could do it fer Ian.”
Jesse pulled up a chair at the table. “Did you know his parents?”
“Just his Mama.” Jude said. “Nobody knowed anything ‘bout her. She was a orphan chil’ and the Ransom family tuck her in and raised her as they own.”
“And Ian’s father?” Jesse asked.
Jude shook his head. “A lot a people thunk it was me, wish I had that honor, but I don’t. All I know is Lylah, that’s Ian’s mama, runned away when she was a teenager. It tuck a li’l while, but they tracked her down an’ brought her back. She wudn’t home long afore we realized she was pregnant.”
“So it was someone she met then?”
“You are awful full of questions, Jesse.” Tippy looked at her youngest. “Usually I’m the one pumping for information.”
“Sorry.” Jesse said. “Ian never talks about his past much. Now that we’ve got a link to it at the table…”
“It’s fine, Jesse.” Jude assured him. “I don’t know that much more than Ian, but if I know the answer I don’ mind the question.”
“You know, there is a little mystery you may be able to solve for us.” Tippy remembered. “Have you seen the pictures in Ian’s locket?”
“Ian’s locket?” Jude looked at her.
“The one he wears around his neck all the time.” Reese said.
“Sorry, I ain’t never seed it.” Jude said.
“He said it was something his grandmother gave to him. There was a picture of a woman and a baby inside.” Tippy said.
“Ian assumed it was his baby picture and his mother, but it turned out if you looked close enough, the baby was a girl.”
“We think now it’s his mother, Lylah is that want you said her name was?” Colton added. “And maybe her mother.”
“Sounds like you got that mystery solved then.” Jude said.
“That’s not the mystery.” Tippy said. “The locket got dropped in chocolate sauce or something one night, and we found out the scratches on it was actually an engraving.”
Jude sat up. “Don’t tell me. It spelled out his name?”
The family all looked at each other. “How did you know?”
“Then Billy hain’t said nothing to you ‘bout the pitcher?”
“What pitcher?” Tippy asked.
“You mean that silver peuter pitcher that belonged to Ian’s Aunt Hil?” Reese asked.
“That’s the one.” Jude confirmed.
“You found that?” Reese asked and Jude nodded his head. “We assumed it was gone. Ian gave that to Janie and the last we saw it she carried it over to the house.”
“Well, that ‘splanes that mystery.” Jude said. “Billy’s daughter found it out in the field, and we put it in stuff ya’ll brought back after we cleaned up.”
“It must still be in the boxes.” Tippy said. “There are a bunch of boxes in the little room off the pantry.”
“Billy and I brought them all in a put them there until Ian was ready to go through them.”
“Then everything happened and they’re still just sitting there.” Jesse said.
“Well that pitcher’s got Ian’s name engraved on the bottom.” Jude said. “Don’t rightly know how no one ever spotted it afore.”
The Shores all exchanged glances.
“Is it possible that Ian’s Aunt Hil had the pitcher engraved?” Tippy asked.
“I reckon it’s possible, but quite hones’ly I don’t think she’d ever think ta do that, and I don’t rightly know where’d someone’d go in Lost Mountain ta have it done.” Jude rubbed his hand across his chin. “Plus, if Miz Hil had the money to do that sorta thing, I doubt that puttin’ somebody’s name on the bottom of a old pitcher would pop right into her head.”
Tippy nodded. “We thought maybe Ian’s grandmother might have had his locket engraved. The lettering was so worn and faded, we didn’t notice until Ian’s little mishap with it.”
“Is it possible the two are connected somehow?” Reese looked up finishing his stew.
“Well, I don’t rightly know fer sure. I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout a locket, but as fer as that ol’ pitcher goes, Miz Hilary always had it. Sat right up on the window sill unless it was a holiday er a special occasion.”
“Both could have been handed down from some family member.” Colton said.
“Certainly, but why would Ian’s name be on them? Anyone who owned those two pieces surely never even imagined Ian, let alone had the foresight to engrave his name on them.” Tippy drummed her fingernails on the table. “Well, we won’t solve that mystery tonight. Let me wash up these dishes, and then Mr. Jude, I’ll help you get settled in.”
“Thank ya kindly.” Jude smiled.
“Let me give you a hand.” Colton followed his wife into the kitchen.
“And if you’ll excuse me.” Reese stood up. “I’d better go help Ronnie with that Art program like I promised.”
“Guess that leaves you an’ me, then Jesse.” Jude smiled. “So ‘xactly what’s on yer mind?”
Jesse smiled. “Nothing, sir. Just curious. It’s not often that you meet someone with a connection to someone who doesn’t seem to have much of a past.”
“You talkin’ ‘bout Ian?” Jesse shyly nodded his head. “He’s got a past son. It’s just that most of it, sorry to say don’t bring up a lot of happy mem’ries.”
“I understand that.” Jesse smiled. “I guess sometimes I just feel bad. It seems we all talk about something from our past, or relatives…”
“And when you do, you can see that look in Ian’s eyes.” Jude nodded his head slightly. “I’m trying to help with’at. I’ve searched ever inch of Hil’s place and mine. I was sure they’d be somethin’ that could at least tell us where to look.”
“You’ve found nothing?”
“Nary a thing. Lylah’s bus ticket stub is even missin’.” Jude said.
“Bus ticket?”
“When Ian was born and agin when his mama died, we tried to track down his Daddy. The only thing any of us knowed was she went to a little town down South. Thought if nothin’ else someone might recognize a picture of ‘er.”
“You have a picture of Ian’s mother?” Jesse couldn’t hide the shock.
Jude smiled. “Twert many that I recall, but I did find one.”
Jude reached for his wallet and pulled out a creased photo and handed it to Jesse. “That’s Lylah and Ian. He was six months old, er that’s what someone wrote on the back.”
“She was beautiful.”
“Ian looks s’much like her. That coal black hair, and them eyes. His’n’s a little more blue. She was a tiny li’l slip of a thing. Reckon Ian must get his height from his Daddy.”
“He’s just a little above average.”
“But his Mama was tiny, tiny, tiny…barely five foot.”
“And you don’t know anything about his father at all?”
“Lylah wouldn’t discuss it, only that she loved him with all her heart. She’d a prob’ly stayed wif him, but Miz Lillian, that’s the woman who raised her, tracked ‘er down and drug ‘er back, kickin’ and screamin’ the whole way.”
“You don’t know where she went?” Jesse handed the picture back.
“Not fer sure, but seems I remember Miz Hil sayin’ something about Texas. That’s why I was hopin’ ta find that bus ticket, might give Ian a place ta start lookin’.”
“You’re going to give that picture to Ian?”
Jude nodded his head. “You know he didn’t even know her name fer sure until Miz Hil died and we sit down an talked. I don’t reckon he’d ever even see’d a picture of her.”
“Jude, would you let me do something if I asked you?”
“Well…depends on what it is.”
“Would you let me have that picture?” Jesse saw the look on Jude’s face. “I thought I could take it over to my computer at home and work on it some. It’s badly faded. It’s kind of a hobby of mine, restoring old photographs. I could blow it up and clean it up, make it look like it was brand new.”
“You kin do that?”
Jesse smiled. “Sure. It’s actually pretty simple. I could have it done by the time I turn in for the night. I’ll get a frame for it and we can wrap it up. I think Ian would love to have a picture of his mother.”
“I reckon that’s be wonderful, Jesse.” Jude said. “I’d be happy ta pay ya fer yer trouble.”
“Absolutely not.” Jesse slipped the photograph Jude handed over into his shirt pocket. “My payment will be the look on Ian’s face when he sees it.”
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