Chapter Thirty
Kit took her time driving back to Maine.
With the stops she’d had to make for bathroom breaks for herself and Wally—who were not always on the same schedule—plus a stop for gas, another for food, and twice just to stretch her legs, it was almost six thirty by the time she made the left turn off the highway at the sign for Tolerance.
She briefly recalled the first time she’d made that turn.
She’d been looking forward to solving a mystery but had found herself entangled in yet another.
Her father had always said life could turn on a dime and often did, that the trick was to just go with it.
God knew her life had taken more turns since that first phone call from Banks than at any other time in her life.
“Emotional whiplash,” she muttered as she drove into town. She was bone-tired and hungry, and when she got to the turnoff for the camp, she made a U-turn and went back and parked in front of Ruthie’s.
“Let’s see if their hospitality will extend to a very well-mannered doggo,” she said as she snapped the leash onto Wally’s harness.
She helped him make the leap to the ground over the items piled on the seat and walked him to the door.
She’d never seen a dog in the restaurant, but there was always a first time.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, we don’t let dogs in here,” the young woman at the cash register told Kit the minute she entered.
“Oh, well, then maybe I can just do some takeout,” Kit said.
“Nonsense. The dog is fine, Martha.” Mary Gail’s voice carried from the kitchen door to the front. “Good to see you back, Kit.”
Mary Gail made her way through the tables to Kit.
“We’ve been missing you. How was Pennsylvania?
You brought your dog back with you? You must be staying, then.
Come, sit, tell me all about it. Is your sister coming back, too?
I saw your daughter and her little boy going into the inn a while back.
I guess she and Elly are having dinner.”
Kit followed Mary Gail to the table, smiling at the nonstop, need-to-know chatter from someone who in a very short period of time had become Kit’s lifelong friend.
“Thanks, Mary Gail. This is Wally. He’s really well behaved,” Kit started to explain.
“As I am sure he is. Handsome boy,” she crowed, bending down to give Wally a pet. “Will he sit?”
At the sound of the word, Wally sat next to Kit’s chair as if awaiting further instructions.
“Aw, look at that. Good boy, Wally. What can I get you, Kit?”
“Whatever’s the fastest. I know you like to close at seven, so—”
“You order what you want and we’ll have it for you.” She took a printed paper menu from her pocket and handed it to Kit. “You want a Moxie?”
“You know, I’d love a Moxie right about now. Thanks.” Kit skimmed the menu. When Mary Gail returned with her drink, she said, “You have lobster bisque? I’ll have a bowl of that.”
“You missed the lobster rolls this noon. Stella—that’s Elly’s mom, you just missed her—drove up from Freeport with a cooler of fresh caught.” She took Kit’s menu. “Now that you’re back, we’ll let you know next time and give you a call. Nothing like Linda’s lobster salad.”
“I would appreciate the call, thanks.”
Mary Gail left to fill Kit’s order, and Kit pulled her phone from her pocket to call Abby.
When her daughter answered the call, she said, “Mom, you’re not stuck on the side of the road somewhere, are you?”
“Not unless you consider Ruthie’s the side of the road.”
“Elly and I just had dinner with her mom. Hmmm. Lobster. I’m so full of it, if I fell over I wouldn’t be able to get up for a week. Worth it, though.” Abby covered the phone and said something that Kit didn’t catch to someone in the background. “How about if we come over and have dessert with you?”
“I’ll be here.”
“Great. See you soon.” Abby disconnected the call as Mary Gail brought out a large bowl of steaming-hot lobster bisque. “Oh, it smells wonderful. For a moment I was jealous of my daughter having lobster for dinner, but this makes up for it.”
Mary Gail nodded. “There’s plenty of lobster in there. I made sure of that. Now you eat and we’ll catch up later. The dishwasher didn’t show up so I have to give a hand in the kitchen. Just yell if you need anything.”
“Tell me you have an automatic dishwasher.”
“Oh, we do, but someone still has to scrape the plates and give ’em a quick rinse. Today that would be me.”
“Let me know if you need any help.”
Mary Gail’s expression softened. “Aw, you’re a sweetheart but I’ve got it covered.”
Kit was halfway through her bowl of bisque when the door opened and Abby, Benny, and Elly came in.
Abby waved to someone across the room and Elly stopped to say something to a woman who was getting ready to leave.
Kit braced herself for one of Benny’s onslaughts, opening her arms for him to leap into.
“Benster!”
He hesitated only for a moment before calling out, “Nan-ster,” and Kit and Abby both laughed.
“And Wally’s here, too,” Kit said as the dog came out from under her seat.
“No, no, Benny, don’t sit on the floor with . . . okay, we’ll just wash those pants tomorrow.” Abby sighed and sat. “How was your trip, Mom?”
“It was fine. Leisurely, the way I like my interstate travel.”
Elly walked over. “Hey, Mrs. Porterfield. Good to see you back.”
“Good to be back. Have a seat. What have you two been up to?”
“Nothing yet. But I was thinking, since you’re here, maybe you wouldn’t mind hanging out with Benny for a few hours some night soon.
Elly and I were thinking it would be fun to go out for a few beers when her aunt gets back to the inn next weekend.
Elly will be leaving for the high seas as soon as her exams are over and she’ll be gone for the summer. ”
“I will try to get back from time to time, but yeah, it’s back to the fishing boat for me. Gotta earn my keep.” She smiled, though Kit suspected that was forced. At heart, Elly was not the fisherwoman her mother was. She wondered if Elly’s mother knew.
“Since when did you become a beer drinker?” Kit asked her daughter.
“Probably around the same time you started drinking Moxie.” Abby grinned. “What else do you drink in a bar on a Friday night in the middle of the Maine woods?”
“Good point. And of course, I’d love to hang with Benny any night. I just hope I can stay awake longer than he does.”
“Not a problem. That boy’s been a moving target all day, every day. We hiked all the way to the end of the trail today. It was awesome.” Abby’s eyes were shining the way they always did when something exciting was on her radar. “Mom, I saw bear scat. You know what that is, right?”
Kit felt a jolt of alarm. “Of course I do. How close to the camp was it? And did you have bear spray with you?”
“It was up over the ridge, well past the last cabin, along the tree line. And no, no bear spray. It was a good distance away, and fortunately the wind was blowing in my direction, in case the bear was still around. Of course, I practically tiptoed back to the house, lest the bear be close enough to hear me. I know bears can run faster than me carrying a two-year-old. But I won’t make that mistake again. ”
“Should we tell someone that there’s a bear around?” Kit asked Elly.
“There’s always a bear around somewhere, but it might not be a bad idea to let the police know there’s been one on your property.
It’s to be expected, though. They live here and hibernation season is over and they are hungry and looking for food.
I told Abby to go right to the general store and grab some bear spray. ”
“Which I did.” Abby rummaged in her purse and handed Kit a canister. “Here. I have a few more in the car.”
“Thanks, but I bought several cans a few weeks ago.”
“I thought there was just the only one that was on the counter.”
Kit shook her head. “There’s more in that cabinet near the back door.”
“This time of the year, it’s a good idea to always have it handy, so when you’re going out, just remember to put it in your pocket or loop it onto your belt.
It needs to be where you can get it in the blink of an eye.
” Elly was clearly the voice of experience when it came to the wildlife in the area.
“Does this work on anything else?” Kit turned the canister over to read the fine print.
“Mountain lions, coyotes—I’ve even heard it might work on moose, but I don’t think I’d want to test that.”
“Wolves?” Kit asked.
“I’m pretty sure there are no wolves in Maine. I read somewhere that there have been sightings, but nothing’s been confirmed that I’ve heard about.” She smiled. “I think you can cross wolves off critters to worry about.”
Mountain lions. Hungry bears. Moose that run faster than Usain Bolt. And unconfirmed wolves would remain on the list, thank you very much.
What had she gotten herself—and her family—into?
It took almost a week for Beth to arrive. Then, one afternoon while Benny was napping, Kit, Abby, and Beth sat down to make a list of all the tasks associated with running a camp, and proceeded to divvy them up.
Abby would oversee the grounds, including the cabins and all outdoor activities, though Beth would handle the actual reserving of equipment.
So when a cabin was reserved, the would-be camper would be asked what equipment they might want to use while they were guests—kayaks, fishing equipment, rowboats, and of course, safety vests.
Abby’s assessment of the equipment on hand revealed that a number of the boats needed repair, and several of the canoes needed to be replaced and more oars added.
Kit would handle all the camp reservations and all the fees and pay all the bills.
“In other words, same thing I’ve been doing at home, only on a different scale. Got it,” she declared.