Clam Wake by Mary Daheim

Author:Mary Daheim
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins

Chapter 13

Hey,” Kent Logan said, steadying Judith, “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Really. You were sitting by Suzie and me at the meeting. Are the Webers back yet? Nobody seems to be home.”

Judith tried to ignore Renie, who was laughing as she led the way up the steps. “Auntie Vance and Uncle Vince probably won’t be back from Nebraska for several days,” Judith explained as she cautiously started up the stairs to the deck. “Her sister in Beatrice had shoulder surgery. We came up here mainly to cast their proxy vote at the meeting, but we’re staying through the weekend.”

“Oh.” Kent didn’t speak again until the lock was opened and the trio went inside. “I wanted Vance to notarize something for me. She’s done it before.”

“I didn’t know that,” Judith admitted, shrugging out of her car coat. “That is, it makes sense, since she retired as a legal secretary.”

“Right,” Kent said. “I don’t suppose either of you is a notary?”

“Not even close,” Renie declared, before sinking onto the sofa. “We’re retired hookers. Or maybe just tired, being kind of old to—”

“Stop!” Judith yelled. She looked at Kent. “Pay no attention to her. Renie has a bad habit of saying really stupid things that are not true.”

“And you don’t?” Renie shot back, taking off her shoes.

Kent, however, was chuckling. “I can see that you’re both related to Vance. She’s got quite a mouth on her, too. Hey, I’m sorry to have bothered you.” He started to turn around, then stopped. “I just remembered—weren’t you at the pub this afternoon?”

“We were,” Judith replied, noticing that Kent’s left cheek looked faintly bruised. “That was quite a row. Do you need witnesses? We didn’t see all of it, to be honest.”

“For a change,” Renie called from the sofa. “Come on, coz, offer Kent a drink like other people around here do. We are trying to fit in.”

“Okay,” Judith said. “Would you—”

But Kent put up a hand. “No, thanks, but I’ll sit for a minute. It’s kind of cozy in here.”

Judith gestured at the recliner. She shoved Renie a bit to make room on the sofa and posed a question for Kent. “Do you have Auntie Vance do other legal secretarial work for you?”

“Once in a while, when I don’t have time to go into the city to my former law firm,” Kent replied. “My longtime secretary still works there, so I usually ask for her help. But Vance is very efficient. She likes to keep busy, too. Your aunt isn’t the type to just sit and vegetate.”

“True,” Judith agreed. “That’s what bothers me about some of the other people we’ve met so far. Or at least have heard about. They seem to be merely passing the time. Many of them aren’t that old—at least from my point of view. Even the Johnsons have their hobbies.”

Kent smiled. “You mean like their collections?”

“You mean of coins?” Judith asked.

“Coins, stamps, books, clocks,” Kent replied. “Their house is stuffed with various items. You’d think that at their age, they’d want to unload some of it.

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