Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli - Emily Kincaid 02 - Dead Floating Lovers by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli

Author:Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli [Buzzelli, Elizabeth Kane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Thriller - Writer - Michigan
ISBN: 0738712655
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Published: 2009-07-20T05:00:00+00:00

Traverse City, on this bright May afternoon, resembled Disneyland waiting to open. The clean streets and bright blue bay looked ready for happy characters to come bouncing down the sidewalks, zip by on motor boats, glide overhead in balloons, and wave stiff hands in the many parades to come. There is something about a waking resort town. The locals walked Front Street smiling, nodding to each other, and calling out as if about to break into song.

Washington Street was in the downtown area. A block over from Front. Between two of the houses we passed stood an old signal tree, severely bent out of shape by Indians making their way from winter to summer hunting grounds. Once they had tied young saplings at an angle to mark their trail through this place of the grand traverse.

Fern Valient’s house, one of the smaller homes, was nestled in between larger homes with wraparound porches and tall trees. A black SUV was parked at the curb in front of the Valient house. We knocked and waited. No answer. Dolly walked to the backyard to see if Mrs. Valient might be out working in her garden.

“Nobody back there,” she said, coming around front.

“We’ll call later,” I suggested and started down the front steps.

“Guess we’ll have to.” Dolly headed out the front walk to where my yellow Jeep was parked at the curb. “Too bad. Could have all these loose ends tied up.”

I figured it didn’t matter. My money was on the Naquma girl. I did wonder, though, why she hadn’t lived on the reservation at Peshawbestown. Maybe that wasn’t so unusual now, but thirteen years ago the Odawa weren’t doing quite so well. Would this one family have had the money or the self-confidence to live away from the tribe? Maybe leaving the reservation was more common than I thought. I guessed I didn’t know a lot about the Odawa.

The bay, awake after a long winter of ice and snow, reflected a brilliant blue and cloudless sky. A few fishing boats worked the middle of the bay. One sailboat and many speed boats dotted the water’s surface. Memorial Day would be the official kickoff. The marinas we passed already teemed with boats coming out of storage.

Along the way toward Sutton’s Bay, a flock of returning swans circled and chased, making spring fools of themselves near shore. Dolly sat with her elbow resting on the window ledge and her fist jammed into her chin.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked after too long a time of quiet.

She turned and gave me a wan smile. “Oh, just Chet and that girl. I wonder if there was another boyfriend in the picture. You know, somebody really jealous. Soon as we know who she was for sure, let’s start asking about boyfriends.”

“This Lena Smith might know.”

Dolly shook her head. “Didn’t seem she knew a whole lot. Paper said they were only friends at the beauty school. She didn’t even know where Mary Naquma lived.”

“What about the school? Shouldn’t we go there and see if anybody remembers her?”

“Out of business.

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