Part 14 (1/2)

”Get out. What kind of drugs?”

”That, I am not going to tell you.'”

I wasn't going to let him get off the hook so easily. ”So he was drugged and then hung him from the staircase? Are the drugs what killed him?”

”He had drugs in his body. He was dead when he was hung. That's all I'm going to say.” Jamie s.h.i.+fted his body away from me like he was afraid he'd said too much.

”And the police are sure he didn't take the drugs himself ?”

Jamie was silent.

”C'mon,” I prodded. ”You can't leave me hanging.”

”Geez, Julia.”

”No pun intended. Believe me. How do you know he didn't take the drugs himself ?”

”There were no drugs on him or in his hotel room. And the levels in his blood were high, way too high . . . and doubly dangerous when mixed with alcohol. He wouldn't have taken that much and had so much to drink unless he was trying to kill himself.”

”You're sure he didn't kill himself ?”

Jamie burst out laughing. ”And then hung himself from the stairway at Windsholme after he was dead? You are one cheap drunk. That's your first mojito.”

Oh, right. I guess that scenario was unlikely. I finished my drink and signaled to the bartender for another round. ”How long before he died was he drugged?”

”Several hours.”

”He was drinking right here in this bar several hours before he died.” I started to get excited. Who had been in Crowley's that night? Michaela, Tony, the maid of honor. The entire wedding party, in fact. And Sarah Halsey.

And Chris Durand.

d.a.m.n.

The bartender arrived with mojitos for both of us.

Jamie and I closed down Crowley's. After he told me about the drugs in Ray Wilson's system, we moved on and talked about everything except the murder-our days at Busman's Elementary, our high school and college summers working at the clambake. When I asked why he became a cop, he answered, ”to help people.” Then he asked why I became a venture capitalist, and I answered ”same reason,” which four mojitos in, we found hilarious. I laughed until I cried.

He insisted on paying for my drinks, which I protested, and on walking me home, which I didn't, because I felt awfully wobbly. On my front porch he kissed me. Between one thing and another, it had been a while since I'd been kissed, but I was certain that's what it was. A gentlemanly graze of the lips.

He mumbled, ”G'night,” and took off down the block like a rocket.

Chapter 36.

By morning, the whole night seemed like one terrible idea after another. Going to Crowley's, sitting with Jamie, the mojitos, the walk, the kiss. Argh. The harder I worked at forgetting the whole thing, the more I remembered.

The persistent buzzing of my cell phone finally got me out of bed. The display read, BOB DITZY. I didn't answer. I figured there was a limit to the terrible news he could leave in a phone message. Four days closed, one to go. He'd said if we were closed today, he'd have to inform his loan committee.

There was also a message from Lieutenant Binder saying his team would do ”one last” search of the island this afternoon and I was welcome to come along. They'd meet me at 1:00 on the town dock. That, at least, was welcome news. If we were cleared to open the clambake by 4:00 or so, I had time to call my suppliers and at least let the hotels in the area know we were back in business, so they could send their guests in our direction.

That left the whole morning open with too much time to think. About everything. The murder. The loan. The fire. The kiss.

It's not that I didn't like Jamie. He'd been a friend all my life. I just didn't think of him that way. And besides, I liked Chris.

I could freak out about the business or freak out about Jamie, but neither seemed productive. Or, I could go see Sarah Halsey. As far as I knew, Binder hadn't had anyone at Ray Wilson's funeral to observe the strange scene between Sarah's and Ray's mothers. Even if he did have someone there, a state cop might not have recognized Marie Halsey. I decided to visit Sarah.

I'd never been to Sarah's apartment over Gleason's Hardware on Main Street. When her mother opened the door, I was shocked by how tiny the place was. It's not unusual in resort areas for housing to be too expensive for teachers, firefighters, and cops to live in the town they serve. Sarah had managed to find a place in town by making a major sacrifice on s.p.a.ce. The door opened into the living room, which was currently decorated with several hundred strewn Legos. Tyler waved when I walked in, then returned to his building project. Right off the living room, I could see a bedroom with two twin beds. I guessed those belonged to Tyler and his grandmother. Sarah probably slept on the uncomfortable-looking pullout sofa in the living room.

Sarah came out of the bathroom. There was no way in that tiny apartment she hadn't heard me come in.

”I need to talk to you. It's about Ray Wilson.”

Sarah nodded toward Tyler and gave me a warning look. ”Tyler, I'm going outside to talk to Miss Snowden for a minute. Stay with Grammie. I'll be right out front.” She led me out onto the sidewalk in front of Gleason's and gestured toward an outdoor bench.

”I saw your mother at Ray's funeral,” I said when we'd sat down.

”She told me. I knew you'd wonder why she was there.”

”Sarah, can you help me save the clambake? Please tell me what you know about Ray.”

Sarah sat on the bench and stared off at our little town-the library, the post office, Small's Ice Cream across the street. ”I want to help you. I really do. Not just to save my job, but because your family's been so good to me. Your dad hired me to work at the clambake when Tyler was only six weeks old. Remember, I used to take him out to the island every day and your mom would watch him and Page? I don't know what I would have done without your family.”

”Then tell me about you and Ray Wilson.”

Sarah blushed deeply and took a deep breath. ”I was sixteen, working for the summer in the Penny Candy Store in Bath.”

I nodded to show I knew the place.

”Ray came in with Tony and a bunch of his other friends. He was just out of college, working and taking his summer vacation in Bath, visiting his family and old friends.” She hesitated. ”What can I say? I was his summer fling.”

”You were nine years younger than he was!”

”I told him I was twenty. It was all so glamorous. He took me sailing. We went out every night. We walked right into bars when I was on his arm. I got drunk for the first time. He was the handsome, sophisticated older guy who'd been away to college and lived in New York. My life wasn't like yours and Livvie's. I didn't go away to boarding school. I'd never been outside of Maine. I fell hard.”

I felt badly for her. The poor kid. It was easy to see what had happened. ”And then?”

”His vacation ended. He went back to New York. I went back to my life, except for one thing.”

”You were pregnant.” I remembered seeing Sarah and my sister when I came home from college for Christmas, still looking like kids, with skinny legs and big tummies.

”Now you know the whole story. Ray Wilson was Tyler's dad.” Sarah let out a long breath.

”Does Livvie know?”

”I told her the same thing I told everyone else. Tyler's dad was 'some jerk.' And he was.”