Part 26 (1/2)

We are on our way to Morrie's, Evvie and I, where we'll meet up with Jack. I've had some of the worst dings taken off the old Chevy, so it doesn't look as awful as it did.

Evvie says from her seat next to me, ”What's different?”

”When? Now?”

”Yes.”

”I don't know. What?”

”When's the last time we've had time to spend time together alone? Since before the hurricane.”

”Come to think of it, we haven't.”

”My point, exactly. Now that we have men in our apartments and our lives. In our kitchens, in our bathrooms, in our closets-”

I stop her hyperbole. ”Now, now.” She would go on forever if I let her, my drama queen sister. I glance at her face. Her lips are tightly pursed. ”Well, you know what's been going on in my life. You just got the latest update this morning. I haven't a clue what you're about. With Joe.”

Evvie looks out the window, not answering. Finally, she says, ”University Drive is still a mess. The city looks like a war zone.”

”Old news. And windows are still shuttered and stores are still closed. Yada, yada, as Seinfeld used to say on TV. You're stalling. Out with it.”

She faces me. ”Joe doesn't want anyone to know.”

”I'm your sister. We don't keep secrets from each other.”

She blurts, ”He's got cancer and he's decided he wants to spend what time he has left with me!”

I almost lose control of the wheel. I turn to her in anguish. ”Oh, Evvie.”

Now the two of us are silent.

”I've hated him for years,” Evvie says. ”Now I'm not allowed to hate him because he's dying.”

”What kind of time are we talking about?” I ask softly.

”Maybe six months. Prostate. And now . . . now, now, he starts to be nice to me.” he starts to be nice to me.”

”Can't you forgive and forget?”

”All those years of treating me like dirt. He and his family making me feel small and useless. Dumping me on a New Year's Eve in front of everyone-”

”Ev,” I stop the litany from continuing. ”I know how much pain he caused, but get a little perspective here. Think of that old saying: I complained because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.”

”Yeah, yeah. I know I should count my blessings.”

”Think of Enya and what she went through.”

She sighs. ”You're right. My new mantra: Forgive and forget.”

”Just keep saying that to yourself. Turn things around. Change the negative into positive. Find what's good in him.”

”Why do you always have to be so d.a.m.n smart?”

”Because I am.” I smirk. She grins.

We arrive at the police station. Evvie and I hug each other. I wait a few moments until she wipes the tears from her face, and we get out of the car.

We fill Morrie in, Jack, Evvie, and I, as we sit in his office. He has this habit of tapping his desk when he's impatient, and he's doing it now. I speed up my dissertation. All of it. My trip to Tampa with Stanley, meeting the sister. We track the Johnny Blake line from there to Lanai Gardens. Reminding Morrie that the forensics lab report on the skeleton proves it's not anyone already identified.

Now he pays close attention. ”So you have two unsolved murders from fifty years ago. In two different counties.” He looks at me.

”I know.”

Morrie looks at Jack.

”She knows.”

”We need you to take up the slack,” I say.”Nice of you. Thanks for giving me an ice cold case to handle.”

I pinch his cheek. ”No statute of limitations on murder. We already did the hard stuff, bubbala. bubbala.”

Evvie gets her dig in, too. ”All you have to do is find out everything about that s.h.i.+p, and how and where the guy got on, and who knew about it. A piece of cake.”

With that, we take our leave, with me saying ”I know you'll want to get on this right away, so off we go. Ta-ta.”

With those long legs of his, he gets to the door before we can. ”Not so fast, Gladdy Gold. Don't think I haven't noticed. You aren't getting out of here that easily.” He lifts my left hand. ”Nice ring. When's the party and when's the wedding?”

Jack, Evvie, and I exchange glances. ”I told you so,” I say with my grin.

Denny waits at his truck in front of building Q. Sophie and Bella, all dressed up, hurry to him.

Bella says, ”I hope we didn't keep you waiting.”

”No problem,” he says, opening the door for them. ”I got all my ch.o.r.es done already, so I got time.”

”Denny, a moment, please.”