Scar Tissue by Patricia Hale

Author:Patricia Hale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Intrigue Publishing
Published: 2018-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

The next morning it was back to work for me. No more lounging poolside with pistachio ice cream. In my mind I’d been gathering evidence, but to Griff, I’d taken the day off. After visiting with Rhea, I’d driven Allie home relieving her of more unpacking. On a whim, I’d picked up Chardonnay, steamers, potatoes and corn on the cob. A traditional New England Clam Bake complete with Death by Chocolate for dessert. If Griff had been irritated by my playing hooky, it was forgotten the minute he came through the door.

But this morning we were back in the swing and on our way to the office via the back road from Yarmouth to Portland. Route 9 is mostly pasture. Horses munched their breakfast, tossed away flies with a shake of their head and rolled in the dirt scratching their backs. Like them, we were enjoying a slow start to a lazy summer day.

“Pretty,” I said gazing out the window of the Land Rover.

“Be prettier without that,” Griff said pointing to a clearing where bulldozers and dump trucks waited, their engines running. “Looks like a new development going in.”

“Why can’t they ever just leave land untouched?”

“Money.”

I shook my head. “Every house looks the same.”

Griff took a sip of his coffee. “What’s that huge hole?”

Off to one side, away from the paved road that led to the houses was a hole in the earth at least twelve feet deep, the length and width of an extremely large house.

“Pool? Don’t know what else it could be.”

“Nice. A community pool.”

“As in gated community,” he said, pointing to the sign we were passing.

Royal Oaks

(A Gated Community)

“Why’s gated community in parenthesis?”

“Less arrogant.”

“Guess we’ll have to get our own pool,” I said.

“With you and Allie on my back it’ll be sooner than later.”

“Squeaky wheel.”

He smiled. “Or maybe it’s because I love my girls.”

“You always manage to come out on top.”

“Just the way I like it.”

“It’s about time, you two,” Katie said as we came through the door.

I handed her a bag from Dick’s doughnuts, her favorite.

“Bribery will get you everywhere,” she said taking a bear claw from the bag and closing her eyes as she took a bite. “Mmm, heaven. There’s a stack of mail on each of your desks and phone messages. Nothing crazy or I would have called. How’s the house?”

“Full of boxes,” I said. “You like unpacking?”

“Wish I could, but someone’s gotta take care of things here.” She smiled and chewed.

“Likely excuse,” I said and stepped into my office.

By noon emails and phone calls had been returned and a meeting for a new case scheduled. Cheating spouse. I hated those. There was never a good outcome for anyone except our bank account and even though that would make the pool close enough to touch, it never felt good depositing a check that had been written through tears.

“What about paying Mitzi another visit?” Griff said from the doorway.

“You know where she lives?”

He looked at me, confused. “I’m a PI. What do you think?”

I laughed. “Lighten up.

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