Homecoming (Downeast #1)

Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

“What’s the word around town?” Dan asked as they headed toward the downtown area.

“It’s all they’re talking about.”

“Figured that.”

“No one can believe Kirby’s caught up in it.”

“He had no contact with her.”

“Well, that’s not surprising. He’s a good dude. People like him. Keith, though… While many people like him and appreciate that he helps out when needed, they aren’t completely sold on his innocence.”

“He refused representation from me, so I’m not sure what he’s going to do.”

“Is he insane?”

Dan shrugged. “Hard telling. Not sure if he’s got a beef with all lawyers or just me. I barely know him.”

“It’s probably all lawyers. He’s been in trouble here and there over the years. Wouldn’t surprise me if he blames the lawyers.”

“Sounds about right. He was none too pleased when I showed up to get him out of jail the morning of my wedding.”

Walter snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, probably pissed him off that he needed you.”

“That’s how it seemed then—and today.”

“Well, I guess he’s not your problem if he declined representation.”

“Doesn’t break my heart, but Judith is insisting that he will be represented by me. I’ll let them fight that out. Incidentally, I need to remind you again… Anything we talk about is privileged.”

“I thought of that, so here’s a buck.” He handed a one-dollar bill to Dan. “I’m retaining you as my lawyer so no one can make me tell them what you have to say.”

Impressed, Dan took the bill and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “I like you, Walter.”

“I like you, too, bossman. You’re not the windbag I expected you to be with all that fancy success you’ve had.”

Laughing, Dan said, “According to my wife, I’m a major windbag.”

“Well, she’s gotta say that to keep you humble.”

“That’s her primary role in my life.”

“She’s always been a good kid. A neighbor’s son worked with her in business development at Ballard and said she was one of the good guys.”

“She is that. The best I’ve ever known.”

“How’d you meet her?”

“Went to Gansett Island to help a close friend with a case. His future father-in-law had been unjustly incarcerated. I met her through him and his family.”

“Ah, I see. And you’ve been together ever since?”

“Not quite,” Dan said with a laugh. “She led me on one hell of a chase. Can you believe she wasn’t instantly smitten with me?”

Walter barked out a laugh. “Made you work for it, did she?”

“Like I’ve never worked for anything in my life. She was worth it, though. I knew that from the start.”

“I’m glad she’s made a happy life for herself away from this place and all the family drama.”

“So the family drama is well known around here?”

“Oh, hell yes. You know how it goes in small towns. People talk. And with eleven kids in a family, you can’t turn your head around here without running into one of them.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Not to mention the business employs about a thousand locals. Everyone knows someone who works for them. The Ballard name carries a lot of weight in these parts. Sometimes good weight, other times not so much. But people are still shocked that the Ballard sons could be accused of something like murder.” They approached a building close to the top of the hill that led to the waterfront. “That’s the place where they were, right there.”

The Barnacle Lounge had the look of a dive bar, nestled between two souvenir shops on Main Street. A second cruise ship was now anchored in the harbor, a hulking presence seeming to loom over the town. Since the bar was currently closed, Dan peered in the window to get a sense of the place. “What goes on here?”

“It’s mostly a townie bar, so I’m surprised a bachelorette group ended up there. But the victim and her family spend summers here, so it might’ve been known to them. They have live music on the weekends. People go there to drink and dance.”

The vibe reminded Dan of a few of the popular spots on Gansett Island.

They walked on, down the hill through the bustling center of Bar Harbor, passing tourists with stickers on their jackets that identified them as cruise ship passengers. There were so many of them that the sidewalk reminded Dan of Times Square in New York City, albeit on a much smaller scale.

“Damn. Lotta people.”

“This town has a love-hate relationship with the cruise ships. While we love the business, the crowding is an issue. Lots of drama over that.”

“I’ll bet.” He hoped the cruise ships never discovered Gansett. As they approached the bottom of the hill, they used the crosswalk. “What’s that?” Dan asked, gesturing toward a busy wharf.

“Where the cruise passengers come and go.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Over this way is where the witness says he saw the brothers with the victim.”

Dan looked around but didn’t see any cameras in the area like there’d be in a city. “I’m surprised there aren’t more cameras with all the cruise traffic coming through town.”

“That’s also been an issue. While people want the security, folks up here don’t like being watched as they go about their business. It’s a fine line, you know?”

“I get it. Why live in a small town if you’re going to be watched like you’d be in a city?”

“Exactly.”

“What do you know about the witness?”

“Fella named Jonah Brown.”

“Is he a local?”

“Born and raised. This is where it gets interesting, though. He worked for Ballard Boat Works for years before being let go about two years ago. Never did hear why.”

“Very interesting indeed.” Dan felt the spark of reasonable doubt catch fire within him. Could an ex-employee with an ax to grind against the family and company be an impartial witness against two of the owner’s sons? He could build a defense upon that question. But first he needed to find out why the man had left the company.

“Where was she found?”

“This way.” Walter led him about a quarter of a mile from the wharf to a rocky stretch of beach that’d been roped off with yellow crime scene tape. A number of people were working the area, most of them in the jumpsuits forensic investigators wore to keep from contaminating the scene. “She was found right there.” He pointed to a spot about fifty feet from the road.

“Where’s the victim’s house from here?”

He pointed toward the terminal. “Two miles that way.”

“What do you know about the Sorenson family?”

“By all accounts, good people with nice kids, who worked in town in the summers. They weren’t like some of the summer kids who think theirs doesn’t stink. You know what I mean? The son bartended for years while he was in college, and the daughter taught sailing. She spent the summer here and had gone back to UConn for her senior year a few weeks ago.”

“It’s so terribly sad.”

“Indeed.”

They walked back to town and hooked a left to go up the hill to where they’d left the car.

Walter was gasping by the time they reached the top of the steep incline. “Clearly, I need to work out more if walking up a hill wrecks me.”

“Run a mile a day. It’ll change your life.”

“Really? I’ll give that some thought.”

“Make sure you stretch—a lot—especially at first.”

“I’ll do that.”

While Walter drove him back to Bertha’s, Dan made notes of the things he’d learned about the case that day and plotted his next move. When Walter pulled into the driveway at Bertha’s, he said, “Shoot me a text to let me know what you need, bossman.”

“Will do. Thanks for today. Appreciate the ride, the conversation, the local perspective.”

“My pleasure.”

Dan went inside and fired up his laptop to write the motion to dismiss the charges against Kirby, planning to submit it before the end of the day.

Kara sat at a sidewalk café across from Renata. “It’s so good to see you in person.” She hadn’t seen her cousin since she’d left Bar Harbor almost four years ago. Her cousin hadn’t come to the wedding because of the rift between their fathers. Without that, Renata would’ve been her maid of honor.

Renata stirred cream into her coffee. “Same. I’m thankful for FaceTime, but there’s no substitute for in-person time.”

“I know. It’s great to see Bertha, too. I miss her so much.”

“I’m sure you do. She misses you just as much. We had lunch a month or so ago on one of her rare days off. It was great to see her.”

“Thank you for being so faithful to her.”

“I adore her, as you know.”

“Yes, I do know that.” Kara took a sip of ice water she’d flavored with lemon, which would help to settle her stomach. “I hate being so far from her when she’s getting on in years. She won’t live forever.”

“She’s got twenty more years left in her, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.”

Kara laughed. “You’re probably right.”

“She’ll outlive us all.”

“I sure as hell hope so. I can’t imagine life without her.”

“I know, me either. So how are things with Dan?”

“Still wonderful,” Kara said with a smile. “We’re very happy together.”

“That’s so great. You really landed on your feet after everything that happened here.”

“Leaving was the best thing I ever did for myself, but I’ve missed you, Jessie, Ellery, Bertha, Buster, Kirby, Kendra and the girls and a few of the others.”

“You’ve stayed close to us while you were gone.”

“I’ve tried, but like you said, it’s not the same as seeing each other all the time.” Kara took in the quaint Bar Harbor downtown, which was busy with tourists enjoying the September day. “Nothing ever changes around here.”

“Except it’s busier than ever. The cruise ships just keep coming, every day.”

“Is that still the biggest controversy in town?”

“Sure is. It’s a love-hate relationship for sure.”

“I keep hoping the ships don’t discover Gansett Island. It would ruin us to add that to what we already get in the summer.”

“How many people live there year-round?”

“About seven hundred, but that swells to thousands in the summer. The ferries come full of cars and people almost hourly every day for months. Not to mention the people who come by boat and plane. The islanders breathe a collective sigh of relief around this time of year, when school starts up again and things return to off-season normal.” Speaking of Gansett made Kara miss being there, and she’d only been gone a day.

“You really love it there, huh?”

“I do. It’s become home to both of us.”

“Are you going to LA this winter?”

“That’s the plan. Dan likes to spend some time in his office out there, even though he’s cut way back on his innocence project work. He still supports the team working on the project and likes to get some face time with them.”

“What do you do while he’s working?”

“I relax a bit after the insanity of the summer. It’s nice to take a break.”

“You’re lucky you can afford to.”

“And I know it. Believe me.”

“I need my Dan Torrington to come along with his millions. If he’s handsome, too, that’d be nice.”

Kara laughed through a twinge of discomfort as Renata reminded her of the economic disparity between them since Kara had married Dan—and all his millions.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine. No big deal.”

“It must be nice, though, to not have to worry about money anymore,” Renata said as she studied the café’s menu.

“Is everything okay, Ren?”

“Yeah, it’s great. My rent’s going up, my roommate’s moving out and my boss is a pain in my ass. Other than that, all good.”

“I thought Kath was working out well as a roommate.”

“She was until the landlord notified us that he needs another thousand a month. She can’t swing it, so she found something cheaper. She’s not on the lease, which leaves me stuck with figuring out what to do.”

“I’m sorry. That’s got to be so stressful.”

“It is, especially since I want to quit my job and tell Myles the ass pain to go eff himself with all his sweet gestures as he tries to get me to date him when I absolutely do not want to.”

She worked as the general manager of a lobster wholesaler, now run by the son of the owner. Myles had been a thorn in her side since his dad retired three years ago.

“What’s he done now?”

“It would take me all day to tell you the many ways that man annoys me.”

“Is he still hot and single?”

“Unfortunately, yes on both fronts. I keep hoping he’ll get a girlfriend and a life away from work, so I won’t have to spend all day every day with him being nice to me.”

“How do you stand it?”

“Shut up! I’m being serious.”

Kara laughed. “I know. Have you looked around for something else?”

“I’m always looking, but it’s hard to find something that would match the salary and benefits I have now. He keeps giving me raises because I think he suspects I want to quit.”

“Does that mean you could swing the apartment on your own?”

“I’d have to seriously cut back everywhere else.”

Kara wanted to offer to help her, but after what Renata had said before, she didn’t think it would be welcome. “The man is crazy about you. He has been since long before his father retired.”

Renata recoiled. “He’s my boss. I can’t date him when I’m dependent upon him for a job. Remember what happened to my mother? How’d that work out for her?”

“Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just asking.”

“The very thought of it makes my skin crawl.”

“Even though he’s smoking hot?”

“Even though. He’s the most annoying human being on the planet . I want him to marry someone else and go away so I can do the job I used to love in peace—and quiet. He never shuts up.”

Kara bit her lip to keep from laughing at the faces Renata made as she described Myles and to stop herself from saying she’d felt the same way about Dan when she first met him. What a mistake it would’ve been to not have given him a chance. But Renata didn’t want to hear that. She’d made up her mind about Myles and wasn’t likely to change it any time soon.

“Let’s talk about something else. The subject of that man makes me crazy. How’s pregnancy?”

“I’d like to say it’s magical and all the things, but I spend most of every day dealing with nausea. It’s so gross.” She’d brought crackers to munch on before they ordered lunch.

“Do the crackers help?”

“Oddly enough, it helps to feed the nausea, if that makes sense. It gives my stomach something else to do but roll and roil.”

“Sounds dreadful.”

“I hear the end result is worth it.”

Renata frowned. “Better you than me. I can barely take care of myself.”

“You’d be a great mom.”

“That feels like something that might happen in the way far-off future. Right now, I’m just trying to get through the day.” She glanced at her watch. “Ass pain will expect me back in exactly thirty minutes and grill me about where I’ve been if I’m one minute late.”

“What would he say if you told him to eff off?”

“I tell him that every day. He just laughs.”

Kara was more certain than ever that Myles might be in love with her cousin but was possibly frustrated that he couldn’t date her because she worked for him. And there was the fact that she seemed to actively despise him. It’d be funny if Kara didn’t love Renata so much and want only the best for her.

Her phone lit up with a text from Dan. Saw Kirby (Keith wasn’t interested in me being his lawyer) and am working on a motion to dismiss the charges against him since he was nowhere near the woman who was killed. And according to him, she was alive when he and Keith left her on the sidewalk.

She read the text to Renata.

“Keith is a fool to turn away a lawyer of Dan’s caliber.”

“He’s a total fool, but that’s nothing new.” She wrote back to Dan. Thank you so much for taking care of things. How is Kirby holding up?

As well as can be expected. He’s stressed but keeping it together.

My hero.

Aw, shucks. When will you be home to tend to me?

Smiling, Kara texted, Shortly.

Oh yay! Can’t wait.

“I love the way that man makes you smile,” Renata said. “You deserve that so much.”

“Kara?”

She looked up and choked back a gasp at the sight of her sister Kelly holding her son, Connor, in her arms. Kelly was blonde, with fragile features and a delicate build—Kara’s total opposite.

“I thought that was you. Are you home because of the boys being arrested?”

Kara owed her sister nothing, so she went with a one-word answer. “Yes.”

“Matt’s going to offer to help out on the case if he’s needed.”

“He should definitely do that.” Dan would chew up and spit out the man who’d broken Kara’s heart when he cheated on her with her own sister.

“You should move along, Kelly,” Renata said. “Nothing to see here.”

Kelly gave their cousin a foul look. “Mind your own business.”

“I could say the same to you. Kara doesn’t want to talk to you, and of course you know that, but you still have to come over here and interrupt our good time.”

“Don’t be a bitch, Renata. It’ll give you wrinkles.”

“What does being a lying, cheating whore do for your complexion?”

Again, Kara had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Renata was the best.

“I can’t believe you’d be so rude in front of your nephew and cousin.”

“We’re not being rude to him,” Renata said. “He can’t help who his parents are.”

Kelly gave them a hateful look before she stormed off to wherever she’d come from.

“Please don’t ever let me get on your bad side,” Kara said with a laugh. “That was magnificent.”

“I was rather pleased about the complexion comment. I usually think of something that good after the fact, but with her, it was right there in the moment.”

“She inspires our inner bitches.”

“I can’t believe she had the nerve to come over here and act like nothing is wrong.”

“It’s a reminder of why I don’t live here anymore. Running into her out of the blue isn’t something I ever want to have happen.”

“She can’t touch you anymore, and she knows it. You won , Kara. You got the guy of guys, and she knows her little Matt can’t hold a candle to Dan. That keeps her awake at night.”

“She’s still so freaking pretty.”

“Only on the outside. The inside is a festering cauldron of nasty.”

Kara sputtered with laughter at Renata’s way with words. “Does it make me a bad person that I hope Matt reaches out to Dan about helping with the defense?”

“I want popcorn and beer to watch Dan deal with him.”

“Me, too! I was thinking Dan would chew him up and spit him out.”

“I so want to see that. I want it more than I want Myles the ass pain to go away and leave me alone.”

“If there’s a show to watch, I’ll make sure you have a front-row seat.”

“I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”