1001 Nights Cast

Joanne suddenly changed the subject. She had been bursting with news ever since arriving on the doorstep. Today of all days she ought to have withheld the gossip, but you might as well try to stop the weather.

‘Marietta has a new toy boy,’ she divulged. ‘I don’t know how she carries on this way under Fritz’s nose. Last one she dumped, I felt certain he would reveal the affair to get back at her. But he disappeared. One of these days, she isn’t going to be so lucky. Remember I said this.’

From the back step where Eve sat with Joanne, she sipped her mug and watched Vienna coffee clouds rolling over farm fields. She felt shattered and violated.

‘Maybe Fritz knows,’ Eve suggested.

Joanne poised to contradict her, but paused, apparently considering her friend’s turbulent state of mind.

‘Well. You have a point there. If I were married to Marietta, I wouldn’t object to someone else keeping her occupied. I never knew what Fritz thought he was doing, bringing a Toronto girl here.’

Fritz is married to the land, Eve thought. Just like my Jim and his truck. His own affair going on.

Joanne kept nattering about Marietta, but what Eve really wanted to talk about was the robbery. Turning away from her neighbour and the dramatic sky, she glanced at a faint semicircle etched around the sliding door lock. She and Jim hadn’t noticed it when they came home from the movies last night. By a series of bad coincidences, they had found nothing amiss. Eve hadn’t worn any jewellery that evening except her wedding ring, otherwise she would have noticed the missing chest. They had been tired and gone straight to bed without attempting to turn on the stereo, DVD player or computer, which had been stolen from their respective rooms. Nothing was missed until morning, when Eve went to brush her hair and discovered the vacant spot on her dresser.

Ironically, nothing in the box had much dollar value. Her mother’s diamonds, far too gaudy for Eve’s taste, her father’s antique watch and several similar items were cached like nuts at the backs of closets and drawers. She never told anyone about them. How very fortunate that was.

The tragedy was in the loss of various pretty things she liked to wear sometimes and kept in that box on her dresser: her mother’s broaches, beaded things handmade by her niece, even chains and earrings bearing semi-precious stones, gifts from Jim and her sister. But their value was mostly sentimental. The officer told Eve to make a list of everything. Perhaps some items would turn up, but he didn’t offer much hope. Jim said he didn’t care about the electronics equipment; those things could be replaced. Eve still felt guilty. Lately she had resented his long driving jobs, but this morning she couldn’t blame him for anything.

The police officer had noticed the faintly scored line on the glass.

‘Did you lock this when you went out last night?’ he asked.

‘We always lock our doors,’ Jim replied. ‘A few robberies around the county lately. We never take chances.’

‘Does anyone else have a key?’

Jim and Eve looked at one another.

‘Only Joanne Durr, our neighbour,’ Eve said, relieved that she hadn’t needed to lie to the police.

‘It looks like the thief was trying to break in, then discovered the door was already unlocked,’ the officer said. ‘Is it possible you forgot to lock it last night?’

Jim and Eve exchanged glances again. No recrimination.

‘It’s possible,’ Eve said.

‘This looks professional,’ the officer explained. ‘House thieves usually tear a place apart, looking for anything of value. This individual knew what he was looking for and did a careful job, hoping you wouldn’t notice right away. I’ll dust for fingerprints, but I doubt he left any. Maybe someone from the neighbourhood knew your place and schedule.’

‘We go to the movies almost every Tuesday night,’ Jim offered.

‘There you go. Any kids around the area who might be responsible?’

Eve and Jim shook their heads.

‘Do you get many visitors?’ the officer continued. ‘Not a lot of farmhouses around these parts have valuable electronics lying around. Likely whoever broke in had seen your place before and decided it would be worthwhile coming back. Repairmen, neighbourhood kids, even relatives might do this.’

Eve had withdrawn then, moving to the calendar by the telephone, looking for help. Jim had talked obliviously, giving her breathing space.

‘I do most of the plumbing and electrical work myself around here, rarely need anyone to come in,’ he said. ‘My family is all gone. Eve’s sister lives in Woodstock. The niece is only 13. They’re the only company we ever have except next-door neighbours, people I’ve known all my life. None of them could be responsible.’

‘What about you, Mrs. Ehring? Remember anyone visiting lately?’

She remained focused on the calendar for a moment, flipped to two previous months and back again. Regaining calm, she turned and faced them both.

‘No,’ she said. ‘Joanne Durr comes over practically every morning for coffee. The only other person who visits here regularly is Marietta Schultz from down the road. I’ve known them both for more than 15 years. Neither of them have children.’

Except Marietta has a boy now, Eve thought. A lost child.

Joanne was still carrying on, ‘You should see this one. He can’t be more than 25. Pierced and tattooed. Marietta says he has the funniest tattoo on his ass. Want to know what it says?’

Eve rose and moved away from the house, following clouds.

‘I don’t want to know,’ she said. ‘I want to talk about something else, not Marietta’s boyfriend.’

Joanne caught up. ‘Oh my dear, there I go again! Blathering about something trivial, and you just had your house broken into. I should let you talk about that.’

‘The police say it was done by a super-professional,’ Eve said. ‘But I’d rather talk about the movie.’