Chapter 7 #2
She set Lord Ruffington on the chair beside her.
“Dearest Protector. The real function of gossip isn’t to pass judgment on others.
It’s a way women have shared information for generations when it wasn’t safe to speak freely, especially nonhumans.
We had to be even more circumspect, which is why I adore Evermore.
No humans means we can live more authentically. ”
And Stella lived more authentically than almost anyone I’d ever met.
“Well, you certainly seem to have your finger on the pulse of this community,” Vale commented.
Stella responded with a toothy smile. “Or my fangs.”
“Thank you again for your help,” Vale said. “I’ll pass along the information you provided to the team handling the other cases in Savannah.”
“It’s been an honor, Protector.”
We left Stella’s and returned to the execu-cart.
“Friend of yours?” Vale asked.
I followed his gaze to the fifteen-foot reptile currently making her way across the lawn like she didn’t have a care in the world. “That’s Nessie, the island mascot.”
“How can you tell her apart from all the other alligators?”
“She’s the only one brave enough to stay. I think the others get a whiff of a werewolf and swim straight back to the mainland.”
“A wise decision.”
“Nessie prefers the watering holes at the golf courses, but we occasionally see her venture out of her comfort zone.”
“No one bothers her?”
“Why would they? She minds her own business, and we mind ours. Works for everybody.” I pointed to the trail on the left. “Buff Base is that way. I have a bottle of bleach in my office if you want to rinse your eyes afterward.”
He chuckled. “At this point, I’m far more interested in watching you interact with Franco than I am in collecting information for the case.”
We passed the sign that indicated our arrival—Leave your modesty and your clothes at the gate.
As I was here on official business, I’d be leaving neither. I braced myself for the upcoming view of the pickleball courts. Many balls were bouncing, and not just the ones in play.
“Park here. I see Franco on the court.” All of him, unfortunately. Like Bernice, he was a werekat. Short, lean, highly animated, and fast, pickleball was the ideal sport for someone with Franco’s particular physique and abilities.
“I’ve never seen so many pairs of white sneakers in one place in my life,” Vale remarked. “Does the HOA own stock in a shoe company?”
“They’re very popular among the Neighbors. They look nice and they’re comfortable.” I preferred flip-flops at home, but they weren’t convenient for work, especially if I needed to run.
We waited on a nearby bench, where we both took great interest in checking our phones and avoided the excess skin around us. The moment the game ended, I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Franco!”
His neck elongated, and he looked around on high alert until his gaze landed on me. I waved him over, trying not to look too repulsed by the lines of sweat that trailed down his body and into crevices I didn’t want to contemplate.
“Maya, my sweet turtle dove,” he said, grabbing a towel as he jogged over to us. “What brings you to our naked neck of the woods?” His gaze drifted to Vale. “Are you the new security director?”
“This is Vale. He’s helping me with an investigation.”
“Are you a cop?” Franco sniffed the air between us. “You don’t smell like one.”
“Cops have a smell?” I asked.
Franco laughed. “Damn right they do. Coffee, cigarettes, pastries.”
“In that case, how do you tell them apart from the French?” I asked.
“This is America. The odds of a cop are much, much higher.”
“I’m the Protector of the Region,” Vale said.
Franco whistled. “Ooh, fancy.”
“We were talking to Stella Von Hagen about a fraudulent payment she received,” I told him, “and she mentioned that you might have had a similar experience.”
Franco rubbed the towel on his sweat-infused hair. “That vampire is a one-woman sewing circle. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she had security cameras hidden in all of our yards.”
“I can assure you that isn’t the case,” I said.
“I would if I were her. Everywhere has a seedy underbelly,” he said, wiping the sweat from his inner thighs.
“Doesn’t matter how perfect it appears from the outside, trust me, that veneer has cracks.
Yin and yang. Without darkness, there is no light.
Yada yada. Evermore’s no different. For every wealthy resident, there are three who are down on their luck. ”
I stared at a fixed point behind him to keep from catching a glimpse of undesirable areas. “Did you sell an item to someone on the mainland recently?”
“Sure did.”
“Do you recall the buyer’s name?” I asked.
He scratched his head. “Only his handle. Something like Joe Blarney 75. He lives over in Richmond Hill.”
Not the same buyer as Stella, then. “And you had no issues with the money you received?”
“Issues? No. I used some of it this morning to pay for coffee.”
I exhaled in relief. “Good to know, thanks. Do me a favor and go through the proper channels next time you want to offload a possession.” Because I sure as hell didn’t want to make another trip to the Land of Twigs and Berries.
“Are you going to slap me with a fine?”
“Not this time, but we have rules for a reason.” Dear gods, I sounded like Judd.
“Yeah, so do we,” Franco replied, looking me up and down. “And yet here you are, fully clothed.”
“I believe the rule here is clothing optional. See you around, Franco.”
I hustled Vale away from the courts, keeping my gaze pinned on the ground until we reached the golf cart.
“Well, this day has been unexpected,” Vale said, as we passed safely out of Buff Base.
“I bet you wish you’d stayed in Savannah.”
“The opposite, actually. I’m glad I came. This visit has been educational.”
I laughed. “That’s one word for it.”
Vale glanced at me. “I’m serious. I assumed everyone here was resigned to their fate, but they seem to actually enjoy being here. How about you? Would you say the same?”
“Apples and oranges. My reasons for being here are too different to make a meaningful comparison.”
“One of these days you’ll have to tell me about them,” Vale said.
Not a chance in hell.
“You can drop me at my office on your way back to the dock,” I told Vale.
He squinted from behind the wheel. “What’s going on up ahead?”
A sea of checkered shirts and cowboy hats spread across Palmetto square.
“Must be time for the square dance.”
He stared at me in amazement. “Literal square dancing?”
“I’m not sure what the metaphorical kind would be, but yes. If you’d prefer line dancing, you’ll need to come back on the first Tuesday night of the month. The schedule is posted on the Neighborhood website.”
Amused awe kept Vale’s lips slightly parted. “I’ve seen a lot in my years, but not this. Never this.”
I’d accuse him of living a sheltered life, but I was confident that wasn’t the case. Vale was a demigod, the mysterious eighth son of the more mysterious Enmesharra. We could probably spend the next six months trading outrageous stories if I were inclined to open that particular Pandora’s box.
But I wasn’t.
Margie stepped in front of the golf cart, prompting Vale to slam on the brakes. “Maya, perfect timing,” she said, seemingly oblivious to the near miss. “Come and dance.”
I shook my head. The only way she’d get me out there was by jamming a pair of cursed red shoes on my feet.
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. You never let loose.”
“Our guest needs to get back to the mainland,” I said.
“It’s my boat,” Vale said. “I can leave whenever.”
I glared at him. “You hate social events.”
“Yes, but torturing you is a level of fun I didn’t know existed.”
Margie pointed across the street. “There’s a spot right there. Grab it before someone else takes it.”
Grinning, Vale steered the golf cart into the available space and parked. “Now I’m really glad I came.”
People were already swinging their partners round and round by the time we joined them.
“They seem to be enjoying themselves,” Vale observed.
“They wouldn’t show up if they didn’t. Neighbors don’t tend to do things out of obligation. If they don’t want to, no amount of guilt will force them into it.”
“I suppose that’s healthy, in a way.”
“It’s another end of a spectrum as far as I’m concerned.
” There were people at one end who over gave and resented it.
Then you had some Neighbors at the other end, who didn’t give at all, including their actions a second thought.
I wondered whether it was a form of entitlement—that they’d lived a long time and had contributed more than their fair share by now.
Thankfully, that group was only a tiny fraction of the overall population.
“You sound bitter,” Vale remarked.
I looked at him. “Do I?” I didn’t begrudge them their choices. I wasn’t walking a mile in their well-worn white sneakers. Who could say? Maybe if I lived to a ripe old age of two hundred, I’d feel the same way.
“A little, although I suppose that’s fair, as one of the few people on the island required to work.” He gestured to the gazebo. “Where’d you find the band?”
“They’re Neighbors. They love any chance to play their instruments.
” Gerry McKinley was there with his guitar, which was probably why they sounded slightly out of tune.
Undoubtedly, nobody wanted to tell Gerry to leave his guitar at home.
His brother was Buck, and Buck’s bad temper was best avoided.
Lamont LaRue walked along the perimeter of the square to join us. The werewolf doffed his hat. “Miss August.”
“Hi Lamont. Having fun?”
“When there’s live music, always.” He extended a hand. “Would you do me the honor?”
“I’m not in the market to be swung round and round, but I appreciate the offer.”
“Indulge an old werewolf. You never know when it’ll be your last square dance.”
I smiled. “Can’t have a last one if you’ve never had a first.”
“Then you don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I avoid dancing the way some adults avoid broccoli.”