Chapter Text
Once I hear the ding of the bell at the front door, signaling the prompt exit of our last customer, I resume staring out the window and watching the people and cars go by. Quaint shops and boutiques, much like our antique store, line the streets of downtown Collinsport; gathering interest from the passersby. Just as I start to get bored of observing the image in front of me, a bright red convertible passes by. It happens slow enough that I also catch a glimpse of the blonde hair. Angelique Bouchard. I’ve seen her car pass by many times, but a certain memory of it always tends to stick out in my mind.
At fourteen, I had grown tired of staying in all night. With nothing to do but read, listen to music, and sleep, I decided it would be a good idea to sneak out and go for a walk; and it’s not like anything bad would happen if I only did this every once in a while. That’s what I kept telling myself as I hopped off the bottom step of the fire escape and walked out onto the sidewalk.
It was around one in the morning. The streets were empty since there wasn’t much to do in a town like this past ten o’clock. I headed down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, not sure where exactly I should walk to but enjoying the quiet night nevertheless. After about twenty minutes, I heard the engine of a car on the road coming from the opposite direction, but before I could process what it was, it was already flying past me. I saw a flash of red under the streetlights and could make out the general shape of the car. It came to an abrupt stop a good distance down the street in front of the Collins Cannery. I pick up my pace a bit while sticking to the shadows along the way; wanting to get a closer look and to figure out who it was, but also not wanting to get into the driver’s line of sight. Once I got close enough to get a decent look at the car and the woman driving it, I paused. She looked at the cannery for a minute or two, and then as quickly as she got there, she left in the same manner.
What happened next is something I will never forget. Not even a moment later the factory went up in flames in such an unnatural way. The fire engulfed the whole building in just the blink of an eye. I was frozen in shock as I watched. Luckily, the massive flames were quickly noticed by some people in apartments above the shops nearby. People raced out onto the streets, the fire department arriving minutes later. I ran home quickly and laid in bed for the rest of the night, unable to sleep as my brain tried to process witnessing something so strange.
Angelique is so well respected by everyone in town, they practically worship her. But I don’t buy it. When I see her interact with people, there always seems to be a hidden motive behind that too perfect mask of hers. When she smiles, it’s like seeing a predator bear their teeth at their blissfully unaware prey. She has no living family, and she doesn’t seem to have any close friends. Everyone would probably say that she’s a people person from the way she goes about town, but it seems to me that it’s only for show.
The ringing of the telephone breaks me out of my flow of thoughts. Picking up, I answer the way I always do, “North Atlantic Antiques. Katie speaking. How may I help you?”
“Katie, how’s everything going?” The sweet, cheery voice on the other end of the line automatically gives away her identity.
“Hi, Edith. Everything’s going um...great,” I reply, not being able to keep the shaken up tone in my voice in check.
“It doesn’t sound like it’s great. Is there something wrong, dear,” Edith asks, genuinely concerned.
She and her husband Jim really do care about my well-being. The older couple has kept an eye out for me since my employment when I was fifteen. Even more so when my parents moved away to New York for my dad’s new job at the hospital. I had only just turned eighteen when my dad got offered a position as a doctor on one of the new floors. Of course, it was reasonable for him to take it. He’d make way more money there than he ever would here. Since then, the older couple has taken me in and treated me as their own. They just settled their wills a couple of weeks ago to officially transfer the ownership of the antique store and apartment into my name once they are gone. They’ve taken to travelling more recently. At the moment, they are in Pennsylvania visiting family for two weeks.
“No, everything is perfectly fine here. It’s just been slow today, and I’m getting a little tired,” I say, trying on a more reassuring tone. “How’s your trip going?”
“Oh, it’s been wonderful! It’s so nice to spend time with my cousin Helen again.”
I smile to myself at her enthusiasm. “I’m glad you’re having a good trip. And don’t worry about the store, I’ll take great care of it while you’re gone.”
“I know you will. Thank you so much, Katie. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Talk to you soon, Edith. Bye.” I gently set the phone back on the hook. Cleaning is probably the most productive thing to steer my attention away from my previous thoughts, so that’s exactly what I start to do.