“Oh god,” I muttered, sinking back into my seat.“Some people need hobbies.”
Ms.Terhune’s assessing gaze was enough to make me squirm.“Do they now?”
“Damien mentioned that Gerald wasn’t alone,” Ms.Sommers blurted, that hanky twisted into a thin rope of damp fabric.“Isn’t that odd, Gwen?”
Ms.Terhune’s expression fell, then froze into something near shock.“I’m sorry, what?”
“Er, it’s just...Ms.Sommers—”
“Call me Pamela, dear.”
“Pamela,” I nodded.“She was worried Tubbs had been drinking on his own and, well, he hadn’t.At least I don’t think so.”
Ms.Terhune looked as if she wanted to sit.I rose, offering her my chair, but she waved me off with a new resolve, straightening her spine and her shocked face in one smooth transition.“Gerald did like to find himself younger company in his travels,” she said with a disdainful sniff.“Probably that girl he’d been sniffing around since we got here.”
A mouse-squeak came from Pamela.“That girl’s barely in her twenties!I think you’re wrong, Gwen!”
“When did that ever stop him?”she shot back.“For that matter, when did it ever stopthem?”She slid a sly glance my way.“You know how it is with that sort, don’t you Damien?They come in all sexes, genders, shapes, sizes, ages, always begging for a shot at the big time and not caring how they do it.”
My stomach executed a slow, twisting roll that sent bitter bile up the back of my throat.“That’s a lot of things I don’t want to think about right now.Or ever.”
Ms.Terhune chuckled.“I bet.”
Pamela had all but chewed her pale blush lipstick off, that twist of fabric in her hands practically a knot as she stared at Ms.Terhune.“Gerald died alone,” she whispered.“He was by himself...That’s what the police think, isn’t it?Nobody was there with him.He wasn’t...struggling.Or, orpleading...He was alone and no one heard his last words or, or, or...”
There was a strong beat of silence, heavy with something that felt like confusion.“That’s right,” Ms.Terhune finally soothed, leaning in to loop one arm around Pamela’s shoulders.“He did.And it was a shock to everyone.Even Damien.”
They both looked at me with twin, owlish expressions.While Ms.Terhune’s was wide-eyed and perfect, Pamela’s was watery and scared.I slowly nodded.“It was definitely a shock.Um, did Heath maybe give any idea about who Tubbs might’ve been with?Maybe they, I don’t know, could tell you his last words or something?”I extemporized, wincing inwardly at my blabbing.But my brain was running on two tracks—one, the socially polite and professionally chill path that told me to give condolences and make the right noises, and two, the path that was me careening downhill with no brakes towards the panicky idea that maybe Tubbs’ death wasn’t an accident.
And, admittedly, I’d low key been on that path all weekend but now I was picking up speed and heading for the huge barricade with the sign that saidThis is a really bad idea, Damien!in huge red letters and flashing lights.
Ms.Terhune blinked first, breaking free from the parliament of owls impression.“I don’t know if that would be much comfort for anyone, dear,” she said faintly, lifting her hand to adjust the fine silver chain around her neck and bumping her bag in the process, sending the contents spilling across the floor.“Oh, damn it!”
“Let me help,” I said, reaching for a tube of lipstick and her silver lighter that had tumbled out of the bag.She let me put them back in the open zipper compartment before snatching her purse back and closing it with a determined scowl.“Okay...”
“It’s fine.I’ve got it.”
The door opened to admit a cluster of customers, mostly tourists, and a familiar flash of bright color caught my eye.The goth server from the cocktail party was trailing in after the group, smiling at her phone as she texted with record breaking speed.Ms.Terhune and Pamela whispered together, closing me out, while the small group massed at the counter and Belinda frowned at, well, everyone.Ms.Terhune broke out of their huddle of two and flashed a bright smile my way, one I recognized as a professionalwe’re done heresmile.“Well, Damien, we must dash.The Regatta Committee is expecting us in about half an hour and, well...”she shrugged one thin shoulder, the motion awkward like she had never been casual a day in her life, “it’s for Gerald so we mustn’t be late.”
Pamela’s smile was more tremulous, hesitant.“Will you be attending?It’s just a small speech about how Gerald loved the sea.AndBeth.”
Ms.Terhune patted her on the arm, already guiding her to the door.“Oh, you know Damien and Gerald hated one another!Let him sit this one out.”
“I don’t think he hated me that much if he wanted me to be in that movie,” I muttered.
Pamela stumbled, craning her neck ‘round to look at me, but Ms.Terhune just hissed a not very polite laugh and frog-marched Pamela towards the door.
“Damien,” Belinda called.“Help!”
Hastily, I grabbed my tea and moved behind the counter to help Belinda with the influx of customers.It took just a few minutes to get everyone sorted and orders rung up, including several boxes of house blend teas and a set of pretty tea mugs made by Bull from the china shop next door.Belinda was the one who rung out the goth lady, despite my machinations to get in front of her.Finally, the shop was empty save for me and Belinda, who was leaning against the counter with her eyes closed and breathing deeply.“I hate tourist season,” she muttered.“Why don’t they just stay in Kennebunk and Ogunquit?”
In my best news reel announcer voice, I boomed, “Because Lester Cove is a city on the move, a city of fascination, a city of excitement!”
“You’re not from around here, are you?”she asked dryly, ducking her chin to hide a smile when I laughed.
“It’s not so bad, really.I mean, LA is all of those things for a lot of people but,” I leaned a little closer, lowering my voice confidentially as if someone might spring out from behind the shelves of green and oolong and pur-eh to shoutJ’accuseand point their finger dramatically at my revelation, “Lester Cove is nice.I mean,reallynice.It’snicenot having to deal with the layers of crap in LA, being able to walk almost anywhere I want, go down to the beach whenever I’d like—”
“You can do that in LA, too,” she said smartly.“With the bonus of actual job opportunities in the industryandbetter take-out.”With a sniff, she added, “Ollie had to go all the way to Fish Head Bay just to get tacoswithoutlobster in them the other night.”
