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Max was still reeling from her interview with Breezy. How could anyone read that letter and react the way Breezy did? The letter categorically stated that Ella had found Mr. Right, yet instead of being outraged, Breezy had brushed it aside, insisting it was just more proof that Ella was in danger. Max sighed. She needed a stiff drink. She didn’t like to be seen in bars, even though she was off duty, but since folks in town didn’t know her yet, she decided to risk going into one of the waterfront pubs. She chose the local hangout rather than the tourist trap, ordered a London Dry, then took it to a counter where she sat on a stool facing the water.
Max slugged her gin, feeling the burn as the alcohol warmed her throat. She didn’t drink often, so when she did, she felt the kick. Her parents had never kept hard liquor in the house, and the only alcohol they had on hand nowadays was the sweet Manischewitz wine used for kiddush, which could barely be considered alcohol. When others at college were binge drinking, she kept her distance, knowing she never wanted to lose control over herself. She preferred ice cream over Guinness any day, but once in a while she needed a drink. And her meeting with Breezy definitely qualified.
Her latest interview had been one of the more bizarre ones she’d had in quite a while. She was still reeling over the fact that instead of going berserk over discovering her lover was a two-timing, lying bitch, Breezy was convinced that there was no Mr. Right and that he was a code for danger. Nobody in their right mind could have read the letter and come up with such an insane response, which made her wonder why Breezy had. Did she plant the letter? Were Breezy and Ella in on this together? Something about this scenario stank like the dead fish that had been washing up on the beaches the last few weeks.
She was so deep in thought that she jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder and a familiar voice asking, “Mind if I join you?” She turned to see her husband grinning at her.
She smiled back, an instant warmth in her stomach, quite different from the warmth of the alcohol.
“How’d you find me?”
“It’s a small town—I didn’t have to drive around much to spot your car.” He took the stool next to her.
“What if I’d already gone home?”
“My last job was in this area. Thought I’d take a quick look and if I didn’t find you, I’d give you a call.” He motioned a waitress over. “She’ll have another, and I’ll have a house hard cider,” he said, then turned back to her. “But see, it worked out just the way it was meant to. Now we can sit together and watch the sunset.”
She smiled. It was typical Howard. No plan, just an assumption everything would work out.
“How was your day?” she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“Great! Fixed that woman’s A/C and hired a new HVAC guy.”
“Already? Didn’t you run a background check? What’s wrong with him that he was available right away?”
“Whoa, take it easy. I know you’re assuming the worst, but I interviewed this guy before I hired Kyle. I’d asked him to stay in touch in case the business expanded quicker than I expected, and as luck would have it, he called this morning. Perfect timing. I got a dozen calls today, so we’re gonna be busy as heck the next few days.”
Max felt herself stepping back on Howard’s emotional roller-coaster. When things went well with him, her heart always surged. Maybe this time, he was truly going to be successful.
“How about you, my love?” Howard said, picking up her hand and stroking her fingers.
“The usual crazy.”
“That’s great!”
They smiled at each other. It was what she always used to say when she worked in New Jersey. Ever since she’d moved here, she’d changed the reply to, “the usual boredom.” Howard picked up on it right away. Like a secret code between them.
Is that why Breezy thought the letter was some kind of code? Did she know Ella well enough to know something was off?
The perky waitress set their drinks down and Howard took a long gulp of cider then licked his lips.
“What made it crazy?”
“This case I started the other day. Hard to know if it’s something or nothing. Gal doesn’t come home at night. Partner’s convinced something bad happened because gal’s parents were murdered some years earlier.”
“You think it’s connected?”
“I’m not sure I even buy the whole murdered-parents line. In my experience, dead-family lies are the easiest way people avoid their partners ever having to come into contact with an embarrassing or abusive family of origin. But today partner found a letter which referenced dead parents.”
Howard took another gulp of cider, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“This is perfect cider. Strong yet sweet, just like my wife.” Max groaned, but secretly she enjoyed the compliment. “So, now you think maybe the disappearance and the murders are connected?”
“Nah. The letter pretty much told partner the gal left because she found Mr. Right.”
“So why isn’t it a closed case?”
“A few things don’t add up. Like, for starters, gal’s been living under a false identity.”
Howard squeezed her hand. “I’ve missed seeing your detective brain ticking over.”
They sat in companionable silence, looking out at the bay. The water reflected a sky turning shades of pink and purple with dramatic slashes of slate gray gashing through it.
“Ya gotta admit it’s pretty spectacular,” Howard said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever watched a sunset like this when we weren’t on vacation somewhere. Now that we live here, we can have these all the time.”
Max nodded. It was certainly gorgeous. But a large part of her would still rather be sitting in a bar on a crowded city street, watching people in business suits scurrying to and fro, instead of old people in Bermuda shorts and tie-dye t-shirts tottering past. She felt tears pricking at her eyelids.
You’re never satisfied. Her mother’s refrain from childhood rang in her ears. Was her mom right? Wouldn’t most people choose this laid-back lifestyle over the noise and dirt of a city and the depravity of city crime? Wouldn’t they be happy with a husband who surprised you out of nowhere, paid you endless compliments and did everything he could to keep you happy? Except that everything he could do wasn’t always enough. She had Howard and her job, but that was it. She wanted more. Her mom was right. She wasn’t satisfied. But was that a bad thing?