almost-grimace.
“You mean, Tilda?”
Adele noted that the restaurant owner’s reaction to Tilda was even more negative than Suze’s had been.
“Yes. You seem to think that’ll be a problem.”
Bill let out a low whistle and glanced behind him to make certain no-one was nearby.
“I don’t like to talk about someone who isn’t here to defend themselves, but it’s no secret around here that that woman is crazy. I’m talking all out crazy . Last time I saw her was about six months ago at our monthly merchants meeting. That’s when the Roche business owners get together to discuss things like trash collection, painting the storefronts, just little stuff like that. So Tilda shows up at the meeting acting weird, making accusations, saying we’re all in on the cover up. I was clueless as to what she was talking about, so had to ask around after she left. Nobody wanted to say anything, or they were like me and had no idea what she was talking about. All I do know is that woman reeked of alcohol, had this look in her eyes like she was ready to kill every one of us at the meeting, and then she just stood up and left, cursing us out the entire time. We could still hear her even when she was walking outside, screaming about the cover-up that was going on.”
“And you haven’t seen her since that meeting?”
Bill did another quick scan of the area before responding.
“Actually, I did about three weeks ago, but not up close. She was sitting outside on the hotel’s second-story balcony looking out at the water, just sitting there all day. She didn’t move from the chair. I walked past in the morning and there she was. I walked by again right before the sun went down, and she was in the exact same spot. I don’t even think her eyes were blinking. I heard she still visits the church on the hill sometimes, but I don’t go there so I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
Again, Adele extended her right hand to shake Bill’s.
“Well, I’ll let you know how it goes when I bring your book back, hopefully signed. Thank you again for the sandwich. Next time I want to try those fish and chips you promised.”
Bill turned around and was halfway inside his restaurant when he looked behind him and shouted at Adele.
“Hey! Who are you going to meet down at the marina?”
Adele looked back with a hand acting as a brim over her eyes to help block out the unexpectedly bright spring sun.
“A guy by the name of Delroy Hicks.”
Bill’s face broke out into a sly smile which was then replaced by a knowing chuckle as he pointed back at Adele.
“Oh, you’re gonna have some fun with that one! You tell the old bastard to get his skinny butt back up here soon! I’m starting to think he’s been avoiding me.”
Adele watched Bill disappear back into the restaurant and then continued on her way down to the marina and to her meeting with the seemingly well thought of and even more interesting, Delroy Hicks.
10.
The fiberglass-hulled sailboat that occupied Slip 22 was just over thirty-feet long with an abundance of varnished wood and gleaming metal. Adele looked up at the aluminum mast that rose upward some forty feet from the vessel’s cabin roof and saw a seagull staring back down at her. The white and gray bird issued an unhappy sounding, throaty awk noise as a way of greeting and then abruptly flew away.
Adele spotted a brightly polished brass bell hanging out over what she assumed was the vessel’s primary entrance door into the living space inside. A single string hung from the bottom of the bell’s mouth, a device Adele remembered as being called a clapper. She recalled Suze telling her to simply ring the bell once she arrived at the boat and Delroy Hicks would be right out to greet her.
The bell’s tone was a deep clang and its sound initiated an immediate response from inside the boat in the form of a series of loud and angrily hissed curse words.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Oh, son of a bitch! I’ve
“You mean, Tilda?”
Adele noted that the restaurant owner’s reaction to Tilda was even more negative than Suze’s had been.
“Yes. You seem to think that’ll be a problem.”
Bill let out a low whistle and glanced behind him to make certain no-one was nearby.
“I don’t like to talk about someone who isn’t here to defend themselves, but it’s no secret around here that that woman is crazy. I’m talking all out crazy . Last time I saw her was about six months ago at our monthly merchants meeting. That’s when the Roche business owners get together to discuss things like trash collection, painting the storefronts, just little stuff like that. So Tilda shows up at the meeting acting weird, making accusations, saying we’re all in on the cover up. I was clueless as to what she was talking about, so had to ask around after she left. Nobody wanted to say anything, or they were like me and had no idea what she was talking about. All I do know is that woman reeked of alcohol, had this look in her eyes like she was ready to kill every one of us at the meeting, and then she just stood up and left, cursing us out the entire time. We could still hear her even when she was walking outside, screaming about the cover-up that was going on.”
“And you haven’t seen her since that meeting?”
Bill did another quick scan of the area before responding.
“Actually, I did about three weeks ago, but not up close. She was sitting outside on the hotel’s second-story balcony looking out at the water, just sitting there all day. She didn’t move from the chair. I walked past in the morning and there she was. I walked by again right before the sun went down, and she was in the exact same spot. I don’t even think her eyes were blinking. I heard she still visits the church on the hill sometimes, but I don’t go there so I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
Again, Adele extended her right hand to shake Bill’s.
“Well, I’ll let you know how it goes when I bring your book back, hopefully signed. Thank you again for the sandwich. Next time I want to try those fish and chips you promised.”
Bill turned around and was halfway inside his restaurant when he looked behind him and shouted at Adele.
“Hey! Who are you going to meet down at the marina?”
Adele looked back with a hand acting as a brim over her eyes to help block out the unexpectedly bright spring sun.
“A guy by the name of Delroy Hicks.”
Bill’s face broke out into a sly smile which was then replaced by a knowing chuckle as he pointed back at Adele.
“Oh, you’re gonna have some fun with that one! You tell the old bastard to get his skinny butt back up here soon! I’m starting to think he’s been avoiding me.”
Adele watched Bill disappear back into the restaurant and then continued on her way down to the marina and to her meeting with the seemingly well thought of and even more interesting, Delroy Hicks.
10.
The fiberglass-hulled sailboat that occupied Slip 22 was just over thirty-feet long with an abundance of varnished wood and gleaming metal. Adele looked up at the aluminum mast that rose upward some forty feet from the vessel’s cabin roof and saw a seagull staring back down at her. The white and gray bird issued an unhappy sounding, throaty awk noise as a way of greeting and then abruptly flew away.
Adele spotted a brightly polished brass bell hanging out over what she assumed was the vessel’s primary entrance door into the living space inside. A single string hung from the bottom of the bell’s mouth, a device Adele remembered as being called a clapper. She recalled Suze telling her to simply ring the bell once she arrived at the boat and Delroy Hicks would be right out to greet her.
The bell’s tone was a deep clang and its sound initiated an immediate response from inside the boat in the form of a series of loud and angrily hissed curse words.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Oh, son of a bitch! I’ve
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