back stairs to his kitchen in time to see a young
fawn step tentatively through his vegetable garden and back into the
woods. He smiled at this glimpse of nature. The little fella was probably nibbling on the buttercup lettuce shoots that were just starting
to poke out of the ground. Donny shrugged. He didn't mind shar ing, especially with a creature as magical as a spotted young whitetail, and he never had been that fond of lettuce to begin with.
As was his regular routine, he ate a bowl of oatmeal and drank
a cup of strong coffee, relishing the jump start he always got from
the bitter beans. He was more tired than usual, having picked Tina
up at midnight from Jane Farr's house. He pictured Tina's face, her
eyes puffy from crying. She'd loved that old battle axe Jane Farr,
although Donny couldn't for the life of him see why.
Once his dishes were washed and put back in the cupboard,
he took special care shaving his lined face and combing what little
hair remained on his head. Today he would meet the new owner
of Fairview-his new boss if all went well-and he wanted his first
impression to be especially good.
Donny didn't need to be at Fairview until eleven o'clock, but
there was no sense waiting until the last minute to get ready. He
was always prompt, and he prided himself on his preparedness.
Being ready for any situation imaginable was a trait that made him
an exemplary property manager and a reliable boat captain as well.
You just never knew what would happen with a house or a boat,
and it made darn good sense to be ready for just about any calamity: an ice storm, a burst pipe, an oil leak, you name it.
Donny paused and thought about the last time he'd checked
on the old Trimble property. Must have been a week, yes, a week
ago. Donny didn't imagine anything much had happened to the
place since that time, but what if something had? In his years as a
caretaker, he'd seen just about everything from squirrels running
rampant in a house (then chewing every piece of window sill in an
effort to get out) to pot-smoking teenagers partying their brains out in a yacht parked right in the owner's yard. What if something
had happened at Fairview since his last visit?
Talk about a good impression! What kind of caretaker would
this new owner think he was if a nest of rodents were living the
high life in the master bedroom? Donny Pease fought his mounting panic as visions of Fairview fiascoes danced in his brain. There's
plenty of time, he thought. Plenty of time to take my key and go over
there and fix what needs to be done. He took a deep breath to steady
himself, and remembered what Tina always told him. One thing at
a time. Tina! He'd nearly forgotten. Today was the day he picked
her up mid-morning for their weekly visit with Donny's aging father. Donny thought a moment. The island was small and he was
getting an early start. I can go check on Fairview and still scoot out
in time to meet Tina.
When he felt calmer, he put on a light jacket, grabbed the keys
to his truck, and headed out the door.
The ride to Fairview took only a few minutes and Donny was
pleased to see that the day would be beautiful. His tires crunched
on the long winding driveway, and he anticipated the rush of pride
he always felt when he saw the house appear around the bend.
This time, though, he felt a sense of puzzlement instead of joy. A
sleek black car was parked directly in front of the house's main
entrance.
Donny Pease parked and walked past the gleaming automobile.
It was a BMW, and he knew enough about cars to know it was
mighty damn expensive. No doubt it belonged to the new owner,
as nobody he knew on the island would buy such a thing. He
struggled to remember the new owner's name and came up with it
at last. Peyton. The woman was named after a damned movie.
Donny took the key out of his khaki pants pocket and let himself in. "Hello?" he called, relieved to see nothing furry running
across the
fawn step tentatively through his vegetable garden and back into the
woods. He smiled at this glimpse of nature. The little fella was probably nibbling on the buttercup lettuce shoots that were just starting
to poke out of the ground. Donny shrugged. He didn't mind shar ing, especially with a creature as magical as a spotted young whitetail, and he never had been that fond of lettuce to begin with.
As was his regular routine, he ate a bowl of oatmeal and drank
a cup of strong coffee, relishing the jump start he always got from
the bitter beans. He was more tired than usual, having picked Tina
up at midnight from Jane Farr's house. He pictured Tina's face, her
eyes puffy from crying. She'd loved that old battle axe Jane Farr,
although Donny couldn't for the life of him see why.
Once his dishes were washed and put back in the cupboard,
he took special care shaving his lined face and combing what little
hair remained on his head. Today he would meet the new owner
of Fairview-his new boss if all went well-and he wanted his first
impression to be especially good.
Donny didn't need to be at Fairview until eleven o'clock, but
there was no sense waiting until the last minute to get ready. He
was always prompt, and he prided himself on his preparedness.
Being ready for any situation imaginable was a trait that made him
an exemplary property manager and a reliable boat captain as well.
You just never knew what would happen with a house or a boat,
and it made darn good sense to be ready for just about any calamity: an ice storm, a burst pipe, an oil leak, you name it.
Donny paused and thought about the last time he'd checked
on the old Trimble property. Must have been a week, yes, a week
ago. Donny didn't imagine anything much had happened to the
place since that time, but what if something had? In his years as a
caretaker, he'd seen just about everything from squirrels running
rampant in a house (then chewing every piece of window sill in an
effort to get out) to pot-smoking teenagers partying their brains out in a yacht parked right in the owner's yard. What if something
had happened at Fairview since his last visit?
Talk about a good impression! What kind of caretaker would
this new owner think he was if a nest of rodents were living the
high life in the master bedroom? Donny Pease fought his mounting panic as visions of Fairview fiascoes danced in his brain. There's
plenty of time, he thought. Plenty of time to take my key and go over
there and fix what needs to be done. He took a deep breath to steady
himself, and remembered what Tina always told him. One thing at
a time. Tina! He'd nearly forgotten. Today was the day he picked
her up mid-morning for their weekly visit with Donny's aging father. Donny thought a moment. The island was small and he was
getting an early start. I can go check on Fairview and still scoot out
in time to meet Tina.
When he felt calmer, he put on a light jacket, grabbed the keys
to his truck, and headed out the door.
The ride to Fairview took only a few minutes and Donny was
pleased to see that the day would be beautiful. His tires crunched
on the long winding driveway, and he anticipated the rush of pride
he always felt when he saw the house appear around the bend.
This time, though, he felt a sense of puzzlement instead of joy. A
sleek black car was parked directly in front of the house's main
entrance.
Donny Pease parked and walked past the gleaming automobile.
It was a BMW, and he knew enough about cars to know it was
mighty damn expensive. No doubt it belonged to the new owner,
as nobody he knew on the island would buy such a thing. He
struggled to remember the new owner's name and came up with it
at last. Peyton. The woman was named after a damned movie.
Donny took the key out of his khaki pants pocket and let himself in. "Hello?" he called, relieved to see nothing furry running
across the
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