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Susan reached up and opened a cupboard high over her coffeepot. “I always have jam,” she explained as about a half dozen jars were revealed. “I buy it, but no one in the family has time for breakfast these days, so it just hangs around.” She pulled down a crock of French raspberry jam. “I think this will do.”
Sha
Susan had forgotten how comforting it was to share the kitchen with another person who enjoys cooking. They discussed ingredients, recipes, family favorites, nothing of any importance to anyone who didn’t share their enthusiasm. Susan forgot her quandary over whether to tell Sha
When Chrissy walked into the kitchen two hours later, the babies were perched on the table in their baby seats, surrounded by a tray of cooling brownies and a crystal bowl of fruit, sugared, brandied, and sprinkled with fresh mint leaves. (Rosie had grabbed a spray of mint and waved it around for a bit, much to the delight of the women.) An exotic combination of ci
“Mother, I thought you were going to go to that place on Perry Island today. Stephen said you told him you might be back late. That’s why I thought Sha
Susan glanced over at Sha
“Did you find what you wanted? Stephen said you told him that Kathleen was looking for a cottage to rent this summer vacation.”
“Yes. She is.”
Chrissy continued her questions, oblivious to the change of mood in the room. “Did she find a place?”
“She spoke with the real estate agent there and there are a few possibilities,” Susan answered. Sha
“That’s interesting. Oh, I think Ethan needs changing. I’ll take him upstairs. Maybe you could bring up Rosie when you’re done there, Sha
“Of course. I should only be a few minutes.”
Susan waited until her daughter’s footsteps could no longer be heard on the stairs before turning to Sha
“Tell me what? You have every right to go out to Perry without letting me know about it.”
“But I’m trying to help,” Susan explained. “As long as the person who killed the residents of P.I.C.C. is at large, you and your cousin will be suspects.”
“Are you trying to solve those murders? I thought you and your friend were helping the police figure out who killed your neighbor’s family.” Sha
“Yes, but I’m looking into both Nadine’s and Blaine’s lives and there is a co
“Mike! That isn’t possible. Mike worked at P.I.C.C., but that’s all. He’s not related to P.I.C.C.”
“Contrary to what you think, he may have been staying in a house that the Baineses own on the island when he ‘disappeared.’ ”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Sha
“That would be incredible! He may be the only person who can answer some of the questions I have.”
“If I can get him to talk to you, will you have to tell your friend the police chief about it?”
“Do you think you could convince him to talk to me?”
“You didn’t answer my question. Would you have to tell the police chief if you talk to Mike?”
“Ah… To tell you the truth, I should, but Brett…”
“Is a cop who is looking for a killer and who will probably be thrilled to have someone turn an ex-junkie over to him as a possible suspect.”
“That’s not true,” Susan protested. “Brett isn’t like that. He’s fair and honest and caring and-”
“And investigating a double murder.”
“Yes, but he’s not going to arrest the first suspect he finds. If Mike is i
“But he won’t arrest Mike if he doesn’t know about him,” Sha
Susan, who knew this wasn’t true, didn’t say anything immediately. Carefully covering the fruit salad with Saran Wrap, she placed it in the refrigerator and then turned back to Sha
Sha
“But you could try! You could tell him that it’s important, that I’m trying to help.”
“I know that, but… I don’t know how to explain…”
Susan waited quietly for Sha
“I love my cousin,” she began slowly. “I’m an only child and Mike is, too. He’s younger than I am and we didn’t have a whole lot in common when we were growing up. But when Mike was thirteen, his father died and his mother began to depend on my parents more and more. They spent time together and Mike and I did, too. We became close in some ways, but not in others.”
“Sounds a little like my kids. Chrissy’s brother is very different than she is, but they’ve become closer as they got older.”
“He has the room she’s painting in, right?”
“Yes.”
“Where is he now?”
“At school. He’s a senior at Cornell.”
“Oh, well, Mike didn’t have a lot of interest in school. He did a lot of stupid things after his dad died.”
“But you said he had cleaned up his act.”
“Yes, I think so, but…” She shrugged.
“You never really know, right?”
“Right. I worry about him. He’s grown up so much, but still… He’s young and he’s made a lot of mistakes, and he doesn’t handle pressure well.”
“But if all this could be cleared up. If I can figure out who killed Nadine and Blaine and what was going on at the Perry Island Care Center, it would take the pressure off him.”
“That’s true.”
Susan was glad Sha