here in November," Bea reminded him. "Like the mayor says, they'll all leave when the spaceships fail to show up as promised."
Newlin Odell raised his head abruptly. His eyes glittered with anger behind the round lenses of his wire-rimmed glasses. "That chanting-down-the-sun shit is just another stupid ritual Gwendolyn Pitt created to add a little color to her scam."
"Take it easy, Newlin," Ted advised. "So far as anyone can figure out, Pitt ain't doing anything illegal. Believe me, if there was something shady going on with the Voyagers, the town council would jump on it. They'd send the police chief out there in a red-hot minute if they had grounds."
"That's true," Yappy agreed. "Council's been looking for an excuse to get rid of the Voyagers ever since they arrived. I'm surprised Leighton Pitt isn't more upset than he is. You'd think he'd be real pissed. He owns half-interest in that old campground the Voyagers are using."
Elias ate couscous with a contemplative air. "Is there a connection between Leighton Pitt, the realtor, and Gwendolyn Pitt, the cult leader? Or is the name just a coincidence?"
"No coincidence," Bea said. "Leighton is the wealthiest man in town. Gwen is his ex-wife. They both used to run Pitt Realty together. But Leighton divorced Gwen a year ago to marry a new real estate agent named Jennifer who went to work for them. It was a real nasty mess."
Elias flicked an inquiring glance at Charity. "And Pitt's ex-wife showed up this summer with the space ship cult in tow?"
"Uh-huh." Charity swallowed another spoonful of delicious noodles. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"
"Gwen's up to something, all right," Yappy said thoughtfully. "Must be cash in it somewhere. That woman always knew how to make money. Pitt was an idiot to dump her. Business hasn't been near as good for him since the divorce. Jennifer can't sell real estate the way Gwen could."
"I'll tell you one thing." Newlin's fingers clenched around his can of pop with such force that the thin aluminum crumpled. "Gwendolyn Pitt shouldn't be al lowed to get away with what she's doing. She's ruining people's lives. My Arlene turned over every cent she had to that damn cult. Someone oughta take care of Gwendolyn Pitt for good."
3
The most dangerous tides are those that swirl in the shallow waters close to shore where a man believes himself to be safe.
- "On the Way of Water," from the journal of Hayden Stone
"Things are looking up, Davis. The new owner says he's going to renew the leases."
Charity scrunched the phone between her ear and her left shoulder so that she could use both hands to unpack a box of books that had just been delivered that morning. Although she had no competition as yet from other bookstores, she believed in getting the latest titles out onto the shelves as quickly as possible. Regardless of the size of a business, good service was the best way to ensure customer loyalty. She had salvaged the Truitt chain with that simple philosophy and saw no reason to alter it with Whispers.
"You got contracts yet?" Davis asked with typical pragmatism.
"No. And you don't have to tell me that nothing is for sure until the paperwork is signed in September, but this guy is a little off-beat. Definitely not your typical business mentality. I think we may be out of the woods."
"He knows about the town's plans for Crazy Otis Landing, and he still wants to renew the leases at the old rates?" Davis still sounded skeptical.
"That's what he says." Charity smiled as she discovered twenty copies of the latest Elizabeth Lowell re lease in the box she had just opened. She had a long waiting list of readers who were eagerly awaiting the popular author's newest title.
"What kind of an idiot did you get for a landlord, Charity? Must be a life-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates kind of guy."
"Not exactly. He's more of a noodle type."
"Noodle? As in limp?"
Charity grinned in spite of herself. "Wrong image, Davis. Try a
Newlin Odell raised his head abruptly. His eyes glittered with anger behind the round lenses of his wire-rimmed glasses. "That chanting-down-the-sun shit is just another stupid ritual Gwendolyn Pitt created to add a little color to her scam."
"Take it easy, Newlin," Ted advised. "So far as anyone can figure out, Pitt ain't doing anything illegal. Believe me, if there was something shady going on with the Voyagers, the town council would jump on it. They'd send the police chief out there in a red-hot minute if they had grounds."
"That's true," Yappy agreed. "Council's been looking for an excuse to get rid of the Voyagers ever since they arrived. I'm surprised Leighton Pitt isn't more upset than he is. You'd think he'd be real pissed. He owns half-interest in that old campground the Voyagers are using."
Elias ate couscous with a contemplative air. "Is there a connection between Leighton Pitt, the realtor, and Gwendolyn Pitt, the cult leader? Or is the name just a coincidence?"
"No coincidence," Bea said. "Leighton is the wealthiest man in town. Gwen is his ex-wife. They both used to run Pitt Realty together. But Leighton divorced Gwen a year ago to marry a new real estate agent named Jennifer who went to work for them. It was a real nasty mess."
Elias flicked an inquiring glance at Charity. "And Pitt's ex-wife showed up this summer with the space ship cult in tow?"
"Uh-huh." Charity swallowed another spoonful of delicious noodles. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"
"Gwen's up to something, all right," Yappy said thoughtfully. "Must be cash in it somewhere. That woman always knew how to make money. Pitt was an idiot to dump her. Business hasn't been near as good for him since the divorce. Jennifer can't sell real estate the way Gwen could."
"I'll tell you one thing." Newlin's fingers clenched around his can of pop with such force that the thin aluminum crumpled. "Gwendolyn Pitt shouldn't be al lowed to get away with what she's doing. She's ruining people's lives. My Arlene turned over every cent she had to that damn cult. Someone oughta take care of Gwendolyn Pitt for good."
3
The most dangerous tides are those that swirl in the shallow waters close to shore where a man believes himself to be safe.
- "On the Way of Water," from the journal of Hayden Stone
"Things are looking up, Davis. The new owner says he's going to renew the leases."
Charity scrunched the phone between her ear and her left shoulder so that she could use both hands to unpack a box of books that had just been delivered that morning. Although she had no competition as yet from other bookstores, she believed in getting the latest titles out onto the shelves as quickly as possible. Regardless of the size of a business, good service was the best way to ensure customer loyalty. She had salvaged the Truitt chain with that simple philosophy and saw no reason to alter it with Whispers.
"You got contracts yet?" Davis asked with typical pragmatism.
"No. And you don't have to tell me that nothing is for sure until the paperwork is signed in September, but this guy is a little off-beat. Definitely not your typical business mentality. I think we may be out of the woods."
"He knows about the town's plans for Crazy Otis Landing, and he still wants to renew the leases at the old rates?" Davis still sounded skeptical.
"That's what he says." Charity smiled as she discovered twenty copies of the latest Elizabeth Lowell re lease in the box she had just opened. She had a long waiting list of readers who were eagerly awaiting the popular author's newest title.
"What kind of an idiot did you get for a landlord, Charity? Must be a life-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates kind of guy."
"Not exactly. He's more of a noodle type."
"Noodle? As in limp?"
Charity grinned in spite of herself. "Wrong image, Davis. Try a
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