Grace set her purse on the coffee table and reached in to get her phone. She noted the Santa Barbara area code. "Hello."

"Grace, is this Grace Ponsford?" the woman on the other end questioned.

"Karen?"

"I can't believe it! You were so young the last time I saw you. How are you?"

"I'm good, Karen. How are you doing?"

"Oh, pretty good. The business isn't what it used to be, but I'm managing. Sheri got married and has two little boys. She's doing well."

"That's wonderful. How about your son?"

"Donny moved to Brookings, Oregon this past February. He's unattached; always liked to play the field. He's working on some construction project."

"That's great. I'm glad to hear you're all well."

"How are you, darling? I can't believe I'm talking with you. I'm looking at the picture Laura sent me last year, of her beautiful family. How about you Grace? Do you have any children?"

Grace was taken aback. Had Laura been in touch with Karen?

"What picture?"

"Oh, the one on her Christmas card from last year. I have it here on my mantle. Such a lovely family. How are they?"

Grace felt her stomach tighten. She really didn't want to get into this. She told Karen as briefly as possible about the car accident, stressing the word accident.

After listening to Karen carry on for several uncomfortable minutes, she decided to bring up the necklace – as soon as Karen would take a breath.

"She died so young just like your mother. Those poor little girls left orphaned!"

"About my mother," she interrupted, "do you remember the necklace she always wore. The one my father gave her?"

"Of course I do. I looked for it where she fell, but I never found it. Such a shame. I can still recall how upset your dad was that it had vanished."

Grace wanted to bring the conversation to an end. She could see that Karen wasn't going to shed any new light on the subject, and all this recollecting was making her uncomfortable.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, Karen. I'm sorry to have had such sad news to relay."

Karen told her how sorry she was too.

"Well, goodbye. I'll keep in touch and I'll send more pictures."

She hung up wondering why she had bothered to contact Karen in the first place. The only thing she learned from their conversation, was that Laura, in one of her over-the-top Christmas moods, sent a Christmas card to everyone she'd ever known. Other than that, Grace already knew her mother's necklace had disappeared.

Suddenly, her stomach growled and she remembered how hungry she was. She grabbed her purse and coat and headed out to find a hot bowl of soup or maybe a seafood salad. The afternoon sky was overcast and a slight mist made the mild temperature feel too cool to brave without a jacket. She walked up and down along the sidewalks, looking in the shop windows, trying to think more like a tourist than a local. She was making a concerted effort to enjoy her last day in Sausalito. The rolling terrain was work to negotiate, but the beauty of the area made it enjoyable. She looked out over the blue-gray water that came in from the bay. It seemed to stretch on forever, a giant mirror reflecting the sky.

As she moved along a tree lined street, Grace took the time she had never taken before, to really look in the shop windows and see what they sold. As she paused at a boutique that sold children' clothes, she caught a glimpse of a man's reflection staring directly at her from across the street. He was wearing shorts, a tee shirt and sunglasses. He stood in a casual pose with his hands in his pockets. She quickly turned, but the sidewalk across the street was empty. She looked back in the window, half expecting to see him again, but he was gone. She hadn't really seen his face. She wasn't even sure what color hair he had. Trying to regain her composure, she told herself it was just someone sightseeing. She rushed on to a little café on the next corner, thinking to herself, she'd feel better after she had something to eat.

Grace ordered a salad for lunch and a chicken, avocado, and sprout sandwich to go, for her dinner. She found she did feel better after she ate; still, she walked faster on her way back to the apartment.

She took off her jacket, noticing, that with her personal items packed, the apartment seemed cold and uninviting. She moved the thermostat until the heat began to push up through the vents and turned on several lamps, infusing the room with artificial light. She put her sandwich in the refrigerator and watched a movie on her laptop. Since she wanted to make an early exit in the morning, she decided to carry the boxes and suitcases down to the car. She was more than ready to leave city life behind.

That evening Grace ate her sandwich, showered, and was in bed by 8:30. She lay awake, thinking about her drive back home in the morning. Suddenly, she felt the urge to check the front door; she was sure she had locked it, positive, almost.