The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb Page B

have the time and the resources to find out,” I told her, standing up with an air of finality. “Mira, thank you for your hospitality. I’d appreciate it if you’d put my bill together so I can settle up. Madlyn’s house is mine now, and I’m going to move in. Today.”
    Mira nodded. “If you need any help along the way, Hallie, please don’t hesitate to call on me. I want to know the truth about what happened just as much as you do.”
    I hugged her tight. “Thank you, Mira. I promise I will.”
    She pulled back and grabbed my hands, squeezing them hard. “Listen. Somebody’s going to have to break this news to the Suttons. It’s going to devastate them.”
    The thought of confronting the Suttons made me physically ill. “Mira, would you do it? I don’t even know these people. It would be better coming from someone they know and love.”
    She nodded. “I’ll make sure they hear today.”
    After paying my bill, I arranged with Henry to take my bags to my new house and hurried down the hill toward town at a quick walk. I hadn’t had any real exercise since I reached the island. The day was blue and brisk following yesterday’s rainstorm, but I didn’t mind the cold. It felt like a cool washcloth to the face after an intense bout of crying. I tried to distract myself by imagining what the harbor must look like in summer, filled with ferries and sailboats and yachts. But all I could think of was a father and daughter fleeing together to a new life, while the parents of another daughter grieved in unimaginable horror.
    I reached town to discover it was deserted, as usual. Should I go to Will’s office? The coffee shop? The harbor? Will put an end to my wondering by poking his head out of his office door.
    “Hey!” he called to me. “I saw you coming down the hill. How about some coffee?”
    “Sure,” I called back, and he emerged onto the street, closing his door behind him.
    “How did you sleep?” he asked me.
    “Not well,” I said, taking off my sunglasses to reveal puffy dark-ringed eyes. “This morning wasn’t any better. I told Mira the truth and got an earful in response.”
    “I’ll bet you did.” Will flashed me a grin as he opened the door to the coffee shop and we slipped inside, out of the chill. “I want to hear all about it. But first, how do you like your latte?”
    “Skim, with a half shot of chocolate and a half shot of almond,” Jonah piped up. I looked up to see him standing behind the counter.
    “I like a man who remembers how I drink my coffee.”
    Will looked at Jonah and then at me. “Did I miss something? You guys know each other?”
    “I was in here yesterday,” I explained quickly.
    “How did your meeting with this clown go?” Jonah asked, nodding toward Will as he slid my coffee across the counter.
    I grinned. “It went as well as a meeting with a lawyer can go, I suppose.”
    Jonah chuckled. “One of the gals who was in here yesterday saw you two headed out toward Madlyn Crane’s place.” He leaned in, giving me a conspiratorial wink.
    “Yup, that’s where we went.” I took a deep breath and continued. “You might as well know. The house belongs to me now, Jonah. She left it to me in her will, among other things.”
    Jonah squinted at me for a moment. “I knew it!” he exclaimed, slapping a hand on the counter. “I saw the resemblance when you came in yesterday; we all did. But I wasn’t sure—”
    “Hey, let’s give the lady a break from the questioning,” Will interjected. “She has a lot to take in right now, and she’s not up to another inquisition this morning.”
    Jonah gave him a sidelong glance. “What do you mean,
another
inquisition?”
    “She’s staying at the Manitou Inn.” Will smiled, and a knowing look came over Jonah’s face. Apparently, Mira’s reputation as a busybody was well known.
    “Enough said,” Jonah conceded. “I won’t keep you. You guys grab a seat and enjoy that coffee.”
    We sank into a pair of