With Sammy pointing his camera out the window, Gary drove the two miles up Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake and the two miles back again. On the way up, Sammy captured shots of the noncommercial boardwalk and the immaculate beach. On the return trip he shot the other side of the road, dotted with rambling Victorian mansions with wraparound porches and sprawling lawns.
“It’s absolutely beautiful here,” Diane said from the backseat.
The car turned west and cruised up and down the manicured streets. One home was more gracious and charming than the next. In the center of town, swans swam in a large spring-fed lake, which was lined with graceful weeping willow trees. At the top of the rise, overlooking the lake, was a church that bore a striking resemblance to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
“That’s St. Catharine’s,” said Matthew with enthusiasm. “The place where Arthur beamed the usher. Be sure you get a good shot of that, Sammy. After that, let’s stop someplace for a drink.”
Gary found a space in the middle of the downtown area, parking the car in front of the Who’s on Third Deli. The three men went inside to buy some soft drinks while Diane remained in the car and used her cell phone to call information. The operator said there was a listing for a Tomkins in Spring Lake and gave Diane the number. But she wouldn’t supply an address.
Diane hung up and then called the Hourglass office and asked for Susannah.
“How’s it going down there?” Susannah asked.
“Pretty well, pretty well,” Diane said. “But I have a favor to ask.”
“Go ahead. Shoot,” the researcher said.
“Take down this number and look it up in the reverse directory,” Diane said. “Then call me back with the address.”