AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who’s Fats Waller?”
“Oh, you child! A large, brilliant pianist, songwriter, and singer of the 1920s and ’30s.”
“I hope you don’t think I remember the 1920s and ’30s.”
“You don’t remember World War II, either, but it happened. So did Fats Waller.”
They devoured scrambled eggs and sausage and Wolferman’s English muffins, washed down with orange juice, and followed by black coffee, an espresso roast.
Seth lit the living room fire, though it wasn’t all that cold; it just seemed that way. Stone and Holly showered together, as usual, and got into some L.L. Bean clothes. As they came downstairs, the doorbell was ringing. Stone opened it to find a suit of bright yellow waterproof clothing, topped by a seaman’s hat, a thick moustache, and round glasses.
“Come in, Ed,” Stone said to Rawls. “What the hell are you doing out in this?”
“Helping to divert a minor disaster,” Rawls said. “The ferry got sideways and had to be realigned.”
It was late in the Labor Day holiday weekend, and the “folks from away,” as the Mainers call them, had abandoned the island yesterday, in a rush. This happened every Labor Day, not just when there was a nor’easter.
“I hadn’t heard.”
“Nothing to worry about now. I had a look at the airfield. Your aircraft is still attached firmly to the ground.”
“Always good news. Anybody hurt in the foofaraw?”
“No. And only one murder.”
“Who got murdered?”
“No ID yet. He was found on the ferry deck. The state police won’t venture out until this storm has gone.”
“Cause of death?”
“Two in the head,” Ed said, as if there were one every week.
“That does not bode well,” Stone said.
“Not for him, anyway.”
“Have you got a description?”
“A medium-everything white gentleman, clad in yellow oilskins, like everybody else.”
“Not somebody looking for you, I hope.” Rawls was retired CIA, the last of his breed on the island, and there had been times when people had wanted him dead, but not recently.
“We’ll just have to see, won’t we? I hope it ain’t too early for me to want a drink.”
Stone got him a bourbon on the rocks.
“You ain’t joining me?” Rawls asked reprovingly.
“Not for another eight hours, or so.”
Holly came downstairs. “Hey, Ed.”
“Hey, Holly.”
“I was eavesdropping on the stairs and heard your conversation.”
“Then I got nothing else to report. You were flying back today, weren’t you?”
