Elias strolled past the three unrented shops and paused. It would be a good idea to get tenants into the empty spaces, he thought. He’d have to see about the matter.
“How’s it hangin’, Winters?” Ted waved from the doorway of Ted’s Instant Philosophy T-Shirts. He had a new paperback mystery novel in one hand. A bookmark bearing the Whispers logo stuck out from between the pages.
As usual, Ted wore one of his own products. The T-shirt, which did not quite cover his belly, bore the advice, Be Good. If You Can’t Be Good, Be Careful.
“Business is a little slow right now,” Elias said. “Otis and I thought we’d take a walk.”
“Things’ll pick up tomorrow.”
“Right.”
Bea nodded to Elias as she poured iced tea for a customer seated at an outside table. Radiance gave him the old sixties’ peace sign through the beaded curtain of Nails by Radiance.
It occurred to Elias that even though he had been here less than two weeks, he was developing the strange feeling that he actually belonged here on the pier. For once he was not standing entirely apart from everyone else, watching them from the balanced place inside himself. He was sharing some of the same space the others shared.
It was as if the river of his life had flowed around an unexpected bend and mingled with some of the same streams that flowed through the lives of some of the others.
He was not certain how to evaluate the change that was taking place. In a way it seemed to go against his training. On the other hand, it felt right. He wished Hayden were still alive so that he could ask him about the strange sensation. There were so many questions he would have liked to ask Hayden.
Elias reached the end of the pier and discovered Yappy deep in the guts of the carousel machinery. The colorful horses were frozen in a circle around him.
“Hey there, Winters.” Yappy waved a wrench in greeting.
“How’s it going?” Elias stepped up onto the platform and propped one shoulder against the hindquarters of a flying horse. Otis stepped off onto the horse’s tail, settled his feathers, and prepared to supervise the work in progress.
“Gettin’ there,” Yappy said.
Elias studied the inside drive mechanism with interest. “Find the trouble?”
“Yeah, I think so. Should have it running again in a few more minutes. Hand me a screwdriver, will you?”
Elias glanced at the array of tools lying on a small bench. “Which one?”
“Phillips head.”
Elias picked up the screwdriver and slapped it into Yappy’s grease-stained palm. “Going down to the beach to see the Voyagers off Monday night?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Yappy twirled the screwdriver with expert precision. “Whole town’s going to be there. Or at least, a good percentage. Bea plans to set up a refreshment stand. Sell some coffee, soda. Maybe some muffins. Figure I’ll give her a hand. What about you?”
“I’ll be there.”
Yappy paused long enough to shoot Elias a speculative look. “With Charity?” “Yes.”
“You two are getting kind of close, aren’t you?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, I guess not.” Yappy sounded thoughtful. “Your business.”
“That’s the way I look at it.”
“Just so you know,” Yappy continued in a slow, deliberate drawl. “We’re all real fond of Charity around here. None of us would take kindly to seeing her hurt, if you take my meaning.”
“I think I know what you’re trying to say. But she’s not a kid. She can take care of herself.”
“She’s got a head on her shoulders, all right,” Yappy conceded. “Knows what she’s doing when it comes to running a business. She’s the one who came up with the notion of renting out the carousel for catered birthday parties. Doubled my profits this summer. She gave Radiance the idea of creating a special nail color for every one of her regular customers, too. Worked like a charm.”
“It’s obvious that Charity has good marketing instincts.”
“Damn right. Understands how to deal with the local politicos, too. Kept the town council off our backs until you showed up. But when it comes to other stuff, she’s not quite so tough.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bea told me that Charity went through a real nasty episode just before she came here. Broke up with some rich guy in Seattle named Loftus.”
“Brett Loftus.”
“Know him?”
“Saw him once.” Elias recalled the business luncheon where the blond, blue-eyed, square-jawed Loftus had entertained a crowd of bankers and investors with witty stories and incisive insights into the murky world of the athletic sportswear business. Elias had thought about that luncheon a lot lately. Ever since Charity had mentioned Loftus, in fact.
“Yeah, well, she hasn’t dated anyone since she hit Whispering Waters Cove. Least not that Bea and I know about.”
“Until I came along.”
“Uh-huh.” Yappy peered at him through a maze of gears. “Until you came along.”
“I appreciate your concern for her, Yappy. Tell me, is anyone equally concerned about me?”
“Figure you can take care of yourself.” Yappy wiped his grimy hands on the leg of his pants. “That should do it.” He stepped out of the drive house, closed the panel, and pulled a lever. “We’ll give Otis a test ride.”
Otis cackled with glee as the bright, gem-studded horses began to glide in a circle. He gripped the saddle of a gleaming Pegasus with his powerful claws and shook out his brilliant feathers.
“Old Otis really gets a kick out of this.” Yappy shook his head. “Charity used to bring him down here after Hayden died. We all thought that bird was a goner. Real sad sight. No spirit at all. But Charity pulled him out of it.”
“She thinks that Otis isn’t properly appreciative, but I’m sure he’s grateful.”
Yappy snorted. “Yeah. Right.”
Elias watched the boy from the shadows behind the counter. The kid looked to be about nine years old. He wore the universal boy uniform: a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt.
It had been a long, lazy Sunday. Elias glanced at the cuckoo clock. It was five-twenty-five. Almost closing time. The kid had been in the shop for nearly half an hour, and thus far he had made a trip up and down every single aisle, methodically examining the entire inventory.
“Was there something special you wanted?” Elias finally asked.
The boy jumped in surprise. He turned quickly to gaze into the dark area at the rear of the shop. Elias realized the kid hadn’t noticed him until that moment.
The boy shook his head quickly and took a step back. “Uh, no. I was just kinda lookin’ around.”
“Okay.” Elias held out his arm to Crazy Otis, who stepped aboard.
The boy flinched at the movement and took another step back toward the front door.
Way to go Winters, Elias thought. Scare off the customers.
He picked up the glass of water he had poured earlier for himself and walked slowly around the edge of the counter. The boy watched uneasily. He looked as if he was about to turn and flee. Then he saw Otis. His eyes widened.
“Is he real?”
“Yes.” Elias reached up to scratch Otis’s head. The parrot stretched languidly.
“Wow.” The boy stopped edging backward. “Does he talk?”
“When he feels like it.” Elias moved closer. “Did you see the invisible-ink pens over there?”
The kid looked both fascinated and uncertain. “No.”
“They really work.” Elias came to a halt beside the stack of pens. “Watch.” He selected one and jotted a few words on a pad of demonstration paper. “See? Nothing shows.”
The kid frowned dubiously. “How do you make the writing visible?”
“You dip the paper into a glass of water that has a few drops of this stuff in it.” Elias held up a small vial that contained the harmless chemical mixture.
He unscrewed the top of
the tiny bottle and sprinkled a couple of drops of the contents into the glass he held. Then he put the small page of paper into the water.
The boy shifted and drew closer. “Let me see.”
Elias pulled the paper out of the water with a flourish and held it out. The words Buy this pen were clearly visible.
“Cool.” The boy looked up eagerly. “Can I try it?”
“Sure.” Elias handed over the pen and the small vial.
“This is great, man.” The youngster scribbled busily on the pad of paper. “I can’t wait to show it to Alex.”
“Alex?”
“Yeah, he’s my best friend. Me and him are going down to the beach Monday night to see if the spaceships come. My Dad’s going to take us.”
“I’ll be there, too.”
“Yeah?” The boy squinted thoughtfully. “Think the aliens will show?”
“No.”
The kid sighed. “That’s what my Dad says. But it would sure be neat if they did land, wouldn’t it?”
“It would be interesting.”
“It’d be so cool.” The kid’s enthusiasm lit his eyes. “If they did come, I’d go into outer space with ’em.”
“Why?”
“Huh?” The boy scowled at the question. “On account of they’d have such great stuff. Just think about what their computers would be like. Way ahead of ours. They’d know the answers to everything.”
“No, they wouldn’t.”
The kid looked taken aback. “Why not?”
“Because technology, no matter how advanced, can never supply all the answers. Some things you have to learn on your own. Even the most powerful computers wouldn’t change that.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” Elias looked at the pen. “That’ll be two-ninety-eight plus tax. No charge for the philosophical sound bite.”
“What’s a philosophical sound bite?”
“A personal opinion.” Elias led the way back to the cash register. “That’s why I’m not charging you for it.”
“Oh.” The boy dug into his pocket for the money. “Are you open Sundays?”
“During the summer.”
“Great. I’m going to bring Alex here tomorrow.”
“If you do, I’ll give you a free replacement bottle of invisible ink.”
“Cool.” The boy grabbed the paper sack that contained his new pen and the little vial and raced toward the door.
He had to dash around Charity, who had obviously been watching the transaction. She waited until Elias’s young customer had vanished, and then she walked toward the counter. Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“You look pleased with yourself,” she said.
Elias gazed thoughtfully at the empty doorway. “I think that kid is going to enjoy that pen.”
“I believe you’re right. I told you, it’s a calling.”
“What is?”
“Running a shop like this. Not everyone is cut out for it. My sister or someone like Phyllis Dartmoor, for example, wouldn’t be happy operating something this small. Give either of them Charms & Virtues and neither would rest until she had turned it into a coast-to-coast chain. I would have done the same thing, myself, until last summer.”
Elias smiled. “Maybe I would have, too.”
“Some people,” Charity said deliberately, “have to keep pushing and expanding until they’ve got a universe to control. They don’t know how to be content with just one small, complete world.”
Elias picked up a sack of bird feed and began to refill Otis’s cup. “Is that a not very subtle way of asking me if I’m going to be able to settle down here in a small place like Whispering Waters Cove and find satisfaction with a shop such as Charms & Virtues?”
Charity frowned. “I thought I was being extremely subtle.”
“If that’s your idea of subtlety, you’ve forgotten everything you must have once known about the subject.”
“Dang. Are you sure it wasn’t subtle?”
“Afraid not.” Elias refolded the bag and stashed it under the perch.
“Well, shoot. I guess this means I’m not going to be able to do my civic duty and sacrifice myself for the good of Whispering Waters Cove, after all.”
Elias paused. “What sort of duty and sacrifice did you have in mind?”
“It was recently suggested to me by Her Honor, the Mayor, that I use my amazing powers of seduction to persuade you to tell me the nature of your secret plans. I have been instructed to use my womanly wiles to find out exactly what you’re up to here in Whispering Waters Cove.”
“In the words of my last customer: cool.”
“Naturally, my first thought was of Ingrid Bergman in Notorious.”
“Sounds like we’re on the same wavelength here.”
She frowned. “Things were going great until you said I lacked subtlety. What good is an unsubtle spy?”
“Maybe you just need a little experience,” Elias said. “I might be willing to let you practice on me.”
“Really?”
The phone rang in the small office. Elias held up a hand. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s what they all say. Sorry, I can’t hang around. Got to go close up for the day.” Charity started to turn away. “Six-thirty Monday night okay for dinner?”
“I’ll bring the wine this time.”
“See you.” She waved as she hurried out through the front door.
Elias grinned as he scooped up the phone. He had never had much inclination to play the flirtation game in the past, but he thought he might be able to get into the spirit of the thing with Charity.
“Charms & Virtues. Winters here.”
“Elias? This is Craig. Got a minute?”
“Sure.” Elias leaned out of the doorway of his office and watched Charity stride past the shop window. Her long yellow cotton dress flitted with the breeze, revealing the sweet hollows at the back of her knees. “Get anything on Gwen Pitt?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. She’s been a busy woman during the past year.”
“Doing what?”
“What she does best, apparently. Buying and selling Northwest real estate. The interesting part is that she’s been doing it very quietly in the name of a company called Voyager Properties.”
“Using money she took from her Voyagers, I assume?”
“Probably. But there’s nothing illegal about her firm as far as we can tell. She’s the president. Only one employee on the payroll.”
“Let me guess. Rick Swinton?”
“Actually, his full name is Richard Swinton. Sounds like you’ve made his acquaintance.”
“He paid me a visit last night. Uninvited.”
“I see,” Craig said. “Want me to dig deeper into his background?”
“I’ll probably ask for more information after I repay Swinton’s visit.”
“Sounds like the two of you are getting friendly.”
“You know how it is in a small town. Everyone tries to be neighborly.”
“Better pay your return visit before this Swinton character leaves on a spaceship,” Craig said.
“I’ll do that.”
“By the way, I have some unrelated news that may be of interest to you.”
Elias gazed at Otis through the office doorway. The bird was sidling impatiently back and forth along his perch. It was closing time. “What news?”
“Remember Garrick Keyworth? The guy you had me do some work on?”
Elias went still. “What about him?”
“Word has it that he tried to commit suicide last night. Took a whole fistful of pills.”
All of the air went out of Elias’s lungs. With no warning, the river that flowed out of his own past suddenly revealed the pale form of his mother. She lay sprawled on a bed, an array of pill bottles neatly arranged on the night table beside her.
With an act of practiced will, Elias sent the image back into the darkness from which it had come.
&
nbsp; “Did he succeed?” Elias asked.
“No. Nine-one-one was called. They got him to the hospital in time. He’ll recover, but you can imagine what the news will do to the company. Once the shock wears off, Keyworth International is expected to go into a tailspin. You know how it is in an operation like that where there’s no clear successor poised to take over the leadership slot. Everyone panics.”
“Yes.”
“Too bad Keyworth never took his son into the firm. If he had, there would be someone at the helm now to calm customers and creditors.”
“Keyworth and his son are estranged,” Elias said.
“So I heard. Well, I’d say this will be the end of Keyworth International.”
7
A man can drown in passion as surely as he can drown in the sea.
—“On the Way of Water,” from the journal of Hayden Stone
Something was wrong.
Charity closed the new issue of Gourmet, which she had been poring over for the past half hour. She could feel the wrongness in her bones. The feeling of unease had been growing steadily since late this afternoon when she had seen Elias lock up his shop for the night.
He hadn’t even bothered to wave good-bye to anyone, let alone see Charity to her car, as had become his habit during the past few days. He had set off toward the parking lot without a backward glance, empty travel cage in one hand. Otis had perched like a vulture on his shoulder.
For some inexplicable reason, the sight of man and bird pacing down the pier had sent a chill through Charity. Now, several hours later, the cold feeling was getting worse.
She tossed the glossy magazine onto the whimsically designed, frosted-glass coffee table. It landed on a bevy of cookbooks that she had brought home from Whispers. She had spent the entire evening scouring the collection for interesting recipes. Elias’s tastes, like hers, were distinctive and a little eccentric. Nothing had been said aloud, but Charity sensed that a gauntlet had been thrown down. Elias had deliberately challenged her. She intended to hold her own in the next round of the Truitt-Winters cook-off.