her Dennis had good taste and was as faithful as a collie.
"But Denise hates me."
"Drive a stake through her heart."
She hiccupped again. "I'm being silly, aren't I? Gosh, Lark, what am I going to do?"
"Wipe your eyes, check your makeup, and come out front. It sounds like a riot out there.
I need you." I dashed back to the cash register.
Ginger finally gathered herself together. Around five, things slacked off. I sent her out
for hamburgers, waited on a lone hiker who wanted a map of the Rogue Valley, and was tidying
the paperback racks when the phone rang again. I answered, dragging it around to the front
counter.
It was Lydia. She gossiped a bit about the will. Apparently the lawyer had called the
Huffs and explained their legacy. Lydia was deeply touched. She had also heard about the writers'
colony. D'Angelo had called her from San Francisco.
"Did he say anything about the Peltzes?" I asked in the first pause.
Lydia chuckled. "I feel sorry for Angharad, God knows, but it is funny. They're planning
to sue. But my dear, only think--Denise and Dai. How strange." My own word bouncing back at
me.
"I don't think Dennis knew he was Llewellyn's son."
"Really? That's hard to believe. Denise is not exactly close-mouthed." There was a
thoughtful pause. "Of course things were different forty years ago--about gays, I mean. Dai never
did proclaim his sexual preference. But everybody knew. Denise didn't want Dennis to know his
father was, er, queer."
That was an interesting thought. Jay had been assuming it was Llewellyn who had
refused to acknowledge Dennis. Maybe Denise would not allow him to claim her son. I could
imagine Denise being that melodramatic--and that egotistical. If she had not known to begin
with, it would have offended her sense of womanliness to realize that her lover preferred men.
Perhaps Dennis's ignorance was her revenge.
"...a quiet little family dinner," Lydia was saying. "Tomorrow, sixish. Bill and I are
flying south next morning for the memorial service. Can you come?"
"Who did you say would be there?" I watched a middle aged couple in matching tee
shirts and slacks enter the store.
"Win, Bill and I, and Janey. And yourself." She did not invite Jay.
"I'd have to hire a replacement at the store. Uh, thanks, Lydia. I have a customer. Can I
get back to you?"
"Surely, my dear."
Between customers I toyed with the invitation. I also remembered I was supposed to
reserve a plane ticket for myself for Thursday, so I called the commuter line. Ginger came back
with my burger, having eaten hers in peace. I ate and fed some data into the inventory program
and brooded some more. Finally I called Lydia and said yes. She sounded ecstatic.
Jay came in a little earlier that night. I told him I was having dinner with the Huffs the
next evening, and he said he'd probably survive. I kicked him under the table and said I would
keep my ears open for dramatic revelations. He said fat chance. We ate.
The early phone call had been a false lead on Miguel. A gray Mercedes 300 had surfaced
in Medford, Oregon--stolen. Mercedes appeared to be the vehicle of choice for car thieves. I
reminded myself not to buy one.
Jay had spent the day in the courthouse digging for background on the suspects while
Kevin supervised the ongoing search for Miguel. The state lab report came, verifying the
toxicologist's opinion. Jay wasn't very forthcoming about his own discoveries. It was just gossip,
he said rather irritably, when I pressed him for more detail.
The long-term relationship between Llewellyn and his friend Hal had begun shortly after
Dennis's birth and had had ups and downs. Both men had had flings outside the "marriage" but
they had always come back together. Jay was trying to track down the flingees.
Denise had never married, nor had she taken another long-term lover after Dennis's
birth, though she had been seen in fashionable places with a variety of leading men. Jay thought
he would find evidence that Llewellyn supported
"But Denise hates me."
"Drive a stake through her heart."
She hiccupped again. "I'm being silly, aren't I? Gosh, Lark, what am I going to do?"
"Wipe your eyes, check your makeup, and come out front. It sounds like a riot out there.
I need you." I dashed back to the cash register.
Ginger finally gathered herself together. Around five, things slacked off. I sent her out
for hamburgers, waited on a lone hiker who wanted a map of the Rogue Valley, and was tidying
the paperback racks when the phone rang again. I answered, dragging it around to the front
counter.
It was Lydia. She gossiped a bit about the will. Apparently the lawyer had called the
Huffs and explained their legacy. Lydia was deeply touched. She had also heard about the writers'
colony. D'Angelo had called her from San Francisco.
"Did he say anything about the Peltzes?" I asked in the first pause.
Lydia chuckled. "I feel sorry for Angharad, God knows, but it is funny. They're planning
to sue. But my dear, only think--Denise and Dai. How strange." My own word bouncing back at
me.
"I don't think Dennis knew he was Llewellyn's son."
"Really? That's hard to believe. Denise is not exactly close-mouthed." There was a
thoughtful pause. "Of course things were different forty years ago--about gays, I mean. Dai never
did proclaim his sexual preference. But everybody knew. Denise didn't want Dennis to know his
father was, er, queer."
That was an interesting thought. Jay had been assuming it was Llewellyn who had
refused to acknowledge Dennis. Maybe Denise would not allow him to claim her son. I could
imagine Denise being that melodramatic--and that egotistical. If she had not known to begin
with, it would have offended her sense of womanliness to realize that her lover preferred men.
Perhaps Dennis's ignorance was her revenge.
"...a quiet little family dinner," Lydia was saying. "Tomorrow, sixish. Bill and I are
flying south next morning for the memorial service. Can you come?"
"Who did you say would be there?" I watched a middle aged couple in matching tee
shirts and slacks enter the store.
"Win, Bill and I, and Janey. And yourself." She did not invite Jay.
"I'd have to hire a replacement at the store. Uh, thanks, Lydia. I have a customer. Can I
get back to you?"
"Surely, my dear."
Between customers I toyed with the invitation. I also remembered I was supposed to
reserve a plane ticket for myself for Thursday, so I called the commuter line. Ginger came back
with my burger, having eaten hers in peace. I ate and fed some data into the inventory program
and brooded some more. Finally I called Lydia and said yes. She sounded ecstatic.
Jay came in a little earlier that night. I told him I was having dinner with the Huffs the
next evening, and he said he'd probably survive. I kicked him under the table and said I would
keep my ears open for dramatic revelations. He said fat chance. We ate.
The early phone call had been a false lead on Miguel. A gray Mercedes 300 had surfaced
in Medford, Oregon--stolen. Mercedes appeared to be the vehicle of choice for car thieves. I
reminded myself not to buy one.
Jay had spent the day in the courthouse digging for background on the suspects while
Kevin supervised the ongoing search for Miguel. The state lab report came, verifying the
toxicologist's opinion. Jay wasn't very forthcoming about his own discoveries. It was just gossip,
he said rather irritably, when I pressed him for more detail.
The long-term relationship between Llewellyn and his friend Hal had begun shortly after
Dennis's birth and had had ups and downs. Both men had had flings outside the "marriage" but
they had always come back together. Jay was trying to track down the flingees.
Denise had never married, nor had she taken another long-term lover after Dennis's
birth, though she had been seen in fashionable places with a variety of leading men. Jay thought
he would find evidence that Llewellyn supported
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