Eye of the Beholder

of his attention on his message."
    "He never remarried?"
    "No."
    "Joanna's not married, either," Alexa said. "Doesn't that strike you as a little weird?"
    "I don't think there's room in Webster's life for a wife," Dylan said. "And as for Joanna, she hasn't shown any interest in marriage since Harry Trask died."
    "She and Webster seem to have a very close relationship."
    Dylan nodded. "The only time I've ever heard them argue was when Joanna told Webster that she was going to marry Harry Trask."
    Alexa looked at him, surprised. "Webster was against the marriage?"
    "From day one."
    "Any idea why?"
    Dylan shrugged. "Joanna never said much, but it was obvious that Webster wanted to protect her. He was probably afraid that Harry Trask was after her money."
    "From what I hear," said a familiar dour voice, "Webster had good reason to be concerned. Folks who knew him say that Harry Trask had a reputation for dreaming up big, expensive ideas that never quite worked out."
    Alexa turned and saw Stewart Lutton standing in the doorway. She smiled.
    Stewart did not return the smile. She did not take it personally. Stewart never smiled. It wouldn't have suited his intense image. Alexa had occasionally been tempted to ask him where and when he had acquired the tattoos that decorated his arms and shoulders, but she'd never quite worked up the guts to inquire.
    Stewart's personal artwork was on display most of the time because he wore the same style of clothing virtually every day of the year. Rain or shine, hot days or cool ones, he could be counted on to show up at Cafe Solstice in a tank top with a motorcycle emblazoned on the front, and pair of cargo shorts and sandals. He kept his long, graying hair out of his eyes with a length of fabric wrapped around his forehead to form a headband.
    The only bright spot in Stewart's attire was the Dimensions bracelet on his left wrist. No one at Avalon Plaza knew much about Stewart, but everyone acknowledged that when it came to blending and brewing teas, he was a true artist.
    "I was on my way down to Cafe Solstice when Dylan, here, dragged me into his shop and made me buy a book," Alexa said.
    "Hey, don't blame me." Dylan gave her a beatific smile. "Must have been the power of the energy vortices under my shop."
    "Yeah, right." Alexa turned back to Stewart. "So you think Webster had a reason to worry about Joanna losing her inheritance?"
    "Everyone around here pretty much agrees that Harry Trask would have squandered it." Stewart's eyes narrowed. "That would have been wrong."
    Alexa thought about it. "Joanna's an intelligent woman. She probably could have handled her own money."
    Stewart's expression darkened. "Even if that was true, the money would have been lost to Dimensions."
    Alexa stared at him as the facts clicked into place. "Are you saying that Joanna invested in Dimensions?"
    "Didn't you know that?" Dylan glanced at her in surprise. "Who do you think provided the seed money to get the retreat and the seminar building off the ground? No bank would touch Webster at the time."
    Stewart looked at Alexa. "And who do you think is helping him finance the new retreat in Santa Fe ?" "Joanna?"
    Stewart nodded. "She's always been there to help finance Bell 's work. Without her, his message would never have reached beyond a handful of people."
    Dylan shrugged. "She's not the only investor involved, of course, but she's a major one. Back at the beginning, her money was particularly crucial. And it's vital again now because of the Santa Fe project."
    "I see," Alexa said.
    Dylan looked down at his hands for a moment. When he looked up there was concern in his light blue eyes. "I know this is none of my business, but about your dinner with Trask last night..."
    "You're right, Dylan," she said gently. "It's none of your business."
    His pale skin flushed a dull red. "Sorry." Now she'd embarrassed him. She smiled to erase the sting. "I know you mean well. But don't worry about me, Dylan. I can take care of myself."
    "Sure." Dylan gave her a rueful grin. "Didn't mean to play big brother. It's just that, well, this business of Trask coming back to Avalon doesn't feel right somehow."
    "What do you mean?"
    "He means," Stewart said in ominous tones, "that it feels like there's going to be trouble. Stay away from Trask or you might get caught up in whatever bad energy is going down here in Avalon."
    Alexa stared at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"
    "Stewart's always serious, you know that." Dylan said