“We were talking to Stella Von Hagen about a fraudulent payment she received,” I told him, “and she mentioned that you might have had a similar experience.”
Franco rubbed the towel on his sweat-infused hair. “That vampire is a one-woman sewing circle. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she had security cameras hidden in all of our yards.”
“I can assure you that isn’t the case,” I said.
“I would if I were her. Everywhere has a seedy underbelly,” he said, wiping the sweat from his inner thighs. “Doesn’t matter how perfect it appears from the outside, trust me, that veneer has cracks. Yin and yang. Without darkness, there is no light. Yada yada. Evermore’s no different. For every wealthy resident, there are three who are down on their luck.”
I stared at a fixed point behind him to keep from catching a glimpse of undesirable areas. “Did you sell an item to someone on the mainland recently?”
“Sure did.”
“Do you recall the buyer’s name?” I asked.
He scratched his head. “Only his handle. Something like Joe Blarney 75. He lives over in Richmond Hill.”
Not the same buyer as Stella, then. “And you had no issues with the money you received?”
“Issues? No. I used some of it this morning to pay for coffee.”
I exhaled in relief. “Good to know, thanks. Do me a favor and go through the proper channels next time you want to offload a possession.” Because I sure as hell didn’t want to make another trip to the Land of Twigs and Berries.
“Are you going to slap me with a fine?”
“Not this time, but we have rules for a reason.” Dear gods, I sounded like Judd.
“Yeah, so do we,” Franco replied, looking me up and down. “And yet here you are, fully clothed.”
“I believe the rule here is clothingoptional. See you around, Franco.”
I hustled Vale away from the courts, keeping my gaze pinned on the ground until we reached the golf cart.
“Well, this day has been unexpected,” Vale said, as we passed safely out of Buff Base.
“I bet you wish you’d stayed in Savannah.”
“The opposite, actually. I’m glad I came. This visit has been educational.”
I laughed. “That’s one word for it.”
Vale glanced at me. “I’m serious. I assumed everyone here was resigned to their fate, but they seem to actually enjoy being here. How about you? Would you say the same?”
“Apples and oranges. My reasons for being here are too different to make a meaningful comparison.”
“One of these days you’ll have to tell me about them,” Vale said.
Not a chance in hell.
“You can dropme at my office on your way back to the dock,” I told Vale.
He squinted from behind the wheel. “What’s going on up ahead?”
A sea of checkered shirts and cowboy hats spread across Palmetto square.
“Must be time for the square dance.”
He stared at me in amazement. “Literal square dancing?”
“I’m not sure what the metaphorical kind would be, but yes. If you’d prefer line dancing, you’ll need to come back on the first Tuesday night of the month. The schedule is posted on the Neighborhood website.”
