“When is she supposed to get here?”
“A couple of days. Obviously you can’t go right away, since you almost got caught today. But you should have time.”
“Great.” He squeezed her upper arm. “That helps a lot.”
They sat on the beach a little longer and he held her to his chest. When she spoke, he felt her voice vibrating her back.
“How are you going to find out if Sheryl knows what happened?”
“I have an inside man.”
“Abram?”
“Better than Abram.”
“Who?”
“Gary Novak. Right now, he’s busy charming her. And hopefully he’ll learn something.”
“Gary?”
“That’s right.”
He felt her ribs shaking as she laughed.
“How does Gary Novak pull that off?”
“I don’t know what to tell you. He’s a natural Don Juan. And they are both romantics.”
She took his hand in hers. Someone’s grandson dropped a hot dog and seagulls dove for the bun. Instead of crying, the child laughed and clapped. Mel looked up.
“This is nice. Despite the circumstances.”
“Yeah. It is.”
“Can you tell me why I didn’t hear from you before all this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you call?”
“I’ve been really busy. Just putting this together. Between work and everything.”
“I can imagine, now that I know what’s happening.”
“And it wasn’t that long, was it?”
“A few days.”
“Right.”
He looked at her and shook his head.
“I just didn’t want to scare you off.”
She laughed.
“You know I like you, right?”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“I just have a problem with taking charge. Putting myself out there, it’s scary. And with you…”
“With me what?”
“With someone like you, it just seems improbable.”
“Why?”
“Just look at you.”
She kissed him again and stopped.
“Déjà vu. You’re vibrating again.”
He picked it up. It was déjà vu.
“Hi Gary.”
“Jacob! I’m calling you on a cellular phone.”
“I know.”
“Where are you? Are you in Charlotte’s apartment?”
“I got caught too early. But I’m going soon.”
“Did you find anything?”
Mel leaned in and listened. He let her. She deserved it.
“I found some things,” Gary shouted. “I’m so tired of talking about light. It gets boring after a few times!”
“I’m sure. But what about with Charlotte?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you find out anything about Sheryl and the Saving Tomorrow Initiative? Did she say anything else?”
“I didn’t ask directly.”
Jake heard a click.
“Are you there?”
He heard Gary yell to Sheryl.
“I’m just seeing when he will give me a ride back.”
“Gary?”
“I am sorry. I had to answer her. She made me a carrot cake.”
“A cake?”
“Yes. I’m taking it to go.”
“You can’t take Sheryl’s cake to go. What will Meryl say?”
“She wouldn’t want me wasting good food. And did you know carrots are good for your eyes?”
“Gary.”
“Your generation, it just throws away everything.”
“OK.” Mel laughed. “We’re off track.”
“I asked Sheryl what she was doing the night Charlotte died.”
“How did she react?”
“Well, I didn’t tell her it was the day Charlotte died. I just mentioned the day of the week.”
“Did she react?”
“She had forgotten. She had to look it up on her calendar, even though it happened so recently.”
Jake turned to Mel.
“If she actually didn’t remember, that definitely removes some suspicion. Even if she was lying, you’d think she’d have memorized her alibi.”
“And then,” Gary continued, “once she looked up the date, she yelled back to me that she’d been busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Bridge. It was one of the games that they didn’t let Charlotte play.”
“But if they were playing bridge, that means there were witnesses. All those people who could testify that Sheryl was with them. A clean alibi.”
“Jacob?”
“Yes?”
“I can tell you more, but please pick me up soon. She wants to show me vacation photographs and have me critique them.”
“OK, I will. Good work.”
Mel seemed confused. He closed the phone and put it in his pocket.
“What are you thinking?”
“I know Sheryl couldn’t do it,” she said. “I just know it. And if she had an alibi, then that proves it.”
“She could have hired someone.”
“I guess. But I just don’t think she would.”
“Why?”
“She’s not a bad person.”
“I know.” He squeezed her arm. “It’s clear that this is bigger than Sheryl. I think the Saving Tomorrow Initiative was involved.”
Mel brushed her hair back and started to get up. He pulled her down.
“Where are you going?”
“I should get back to work.”
“No. Stay here.”
“Thank you for telling me what happened.”
“I’m sorry I told you. I didn’t want to get you involved.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“To be honest, I am too. We’ll figure out what happened.”
“It will connect.”
He thought of something to say. It was corny. Sappy. It would scare her off. Make her reconsider and see him for what he was. But he still tasted the orange. He still had her in his arms, for now. Why not say it?
“It will connect,” he said. “But I’m glad we did already.”
She laughed a little and rolled her eyes. But then she put her hand on the back of his neck again. Softly, they kissed in the middle of the beach, in the middle of the day.
CHAPTER 32
“Coconut! It’s our old friend Jacob! Be nice!”
The dog scampered around Jerry Rubenstein, wrapping the leash around his body like string tied around a Christmas tree. He was small at the top and big at the base. He laughed and untangled himself from the leash.
“He loves to put daddy in a leash, don’t you Coconut?”
The dog sniffed Jake’s feet and barked.
“I guess that’s a yes.”
“Come inside.”
Jerry guided him inside the office. A portrait five feet high and five feet wide was hanging over a large wooden desk. Jake stared until Jerry saw where he was looking.
“Do you like it?”
“I’ve never seen such a large portrait of a dog.”
“That’s Coconut I. Coconut II’s mommy. Isn’t that right, Coconut?”
The dog looked at the portrait and barked a few times. He looked almost identical to the dog in the painting. Jake laughed a little.
“You love dogs, Jerry. Don’t you?”
“They love me. I just give it back.”
He laughed and clapped Jake on the back. The bruises hurt a little, but they didn’t hurt as much as they would have the day before. Jake started walking toward the chair in front of the desk, but Jerry directed him to a couch and chair on the other side of the room.
“We have to be able to relax. We’re having a conversation, not making a deal.”
They sat down. Jake quickly. Jerry took a little longer. The dog jumped up on the couch and onto Jerry’s lap. He started petting it absentmindedly.
“We enjoyed the article about the Palmstead Homes.”
“You did?”
“Immensely. Thank you for writing it.”
“My editor cut it down a little. But it stayed mostly intact.”
“Will you be talking to Simeon?”
“Oh, we already spoke a while ago. I interviewed him over lunch.”
“Did it go well?”
He’d told Simeon Rothschild that his new name was Harold Longwood.
“It went well enough.”
“That’s good.” Jerry leaned forward, depressing the cushions on the large couch. “Jake, I don’t mean to be impolite. But I can’t help but notice your face.”