The Last Hand by Eric Wright

Author:Eric Wright [Wright, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Mystery
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2012-06-15T12:00:00+00:00

“There’s been a development. I’ll need to stay a few days longer,” Annie said.

“Now what?” He was immediately on edge. Any “development,” he feared, would be bound to keep Annie on the Island longer. What could it be? Perhaps the family had lost all their money, and Annie was needed to cook while they looked for work?

“What’s up?” he asked. This time he tried to sound jaunty.

“Linda has left Angus.”

“Oh, Jesus. Poor Angus. Why? Where’s she gone? What was wrong?”

“She ran away with a folksinger from Moncton. She’s in Moncton now.”

Salter laughed in spite of the distress he could hear in Annie’s voice. “A folksinger? Where did she find him?”

“He played at a bar in Charlottetown for a week. She heard him the first night and went back every night afterwards. She told everyone she had decided to learn to play the guitar and wanted to watch a live performer while she got the chance. She did buy a guitar, and plucked at it a few times. Then she told Angus it wasn’t just the guitar. She had become disenchanted with his life ethic, as she called it, and wanted to inhabit a more creative environment.”

“That’s bad. Sounds like more than a counselor could patch up. She become a hippie? That what she means? A bit late.”

“There are new words for it, but that’s the idea.”

“She’s found God, like.”

“More or less.”

“How is Angus responding?”

“Angry. The fact is, she’s only been gone for three days, and he talks about how much he dislikes her. It sounds bad.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I spoke to a psychologist I know in Toronto first, and she said it might be a temporary thing, that as soon as Linda realizes she won’t have Charlotte with her, she’ll come back and they can sort it out.”

“She didn’t take the baby? Christ! What’s Angus supposed to do with it?”

“Her. Your granddaughter. Linda said in her note that it was only fair that Angus should have Charlotte because she meant so much to him, whereas Linda will have others, with the folksinger …”

“She just wanted out, didn’t she? Didn’t she ever seem attached to the kid?”

“You can look back now and see all kinds of signs that point to the fact that she was surprised to find herself a mother. At least that’s what my mother’s been doing ever since, pointing to the signs. But what does it matter? It isn’t temporary. So Angus is here with no one to look after Charlotte.”

“Your mother?”

“She’s a bit past the hands-on care stuff.”

“Your brothers’ wives, until Angus can get something sorted out?”

“I’m testing the water on that. It looks cold.”

“So how long?”

“I’ll have to stay until we’ve found a nanny for Charlotte, probably someone to live in. At least a couple of weeks. How is Seth?”

“Tatti—I guess one day that’ll sound like a nice French name instead of how it sounds now-anyway Tatti hasn’t moved in yet. Seth won’t let her until he’s turned the basement into a palace.”

“You helping, Charlie?”

“Don’t start nagging, Annie.

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