coming.”
“Yes,” Forrest answered. “We all appreciate it. Now, if you’ll leave us, we’d be even more thankful.”
As the man ushered his mother inside, a movement off to one side of the garden caught my eye. Someone had been spying on us from the other side of the hedge that lined the space! I made a little small talk with Grace as I approached the spot I’d seen the movement, and when I got to it, I ordered, “Come out right now or I’ll call Forrest!”
There was no action for a few moments, and I began to wonder if it had all been in my imagination when a brawny man dressed in green pants and a matching work shirt stepped out. “No need for that,” he said. “The name’s Harry Parsons. I saw you approach Mrs. Pinerush following her lapdog Stephen, and I wanted to find out what you two were up to. Is it true what you told her just then?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Were you really both friends with James?” he asked again, his voice nearly breaking.
“ I was,” I admitted. “As much as he aggravated me at times, he was a valuable friend to me, and I already miss him.”
“Then you deserve the truth,” he said as he looked around the grounds. He took another second and glanced at his watch, and then Harry said, “If you want to know anything about James’s life at the manor, meet me in town in twenty minutes at the Bell and Whistle café on Oak Street.”
Before I could agree or decline, Harry was gone, and when I looked back at the house, I saw that Forrest was watching us closely from the window.
“Let’s go,” I told Grace. “I don’t think we’re all that welcome here.”
“We’re going to meet Harry, though, right?”
“You couldn’t stop me if you tried,” I said.
* * *
When we got to the café in Pinerush, we were early. The diner was well-worn, as though it had seen its brightest lights in the fifties, but it was still comfortable, even though the vinyl in the booths and the linoleum floor were scuffed and faded. A waitress—tall and frail looking, with pale skin and blonde hair—met us at the door and told us to sit anywhere we pleased. We took a booth by the window, and “Lynette,” as her name tag read, slid the menus in front of us.
“Start you both off with some sweet tea?” she asked.
“That would be great,” I said. “We’ll wait to order, though, if that’s okay with you. We’re waiting for someone.”
“Aren’t we all, sister?” Lynette asked with a smile as she left to get our tea.
“Are we actually going to eat here?” Grace asked.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but lunch didn’t hold me, and I’m starving. What’s the matter, don’t you trust the food?”
She looked around at the other diners, who all appeared to be healthy enough. “Well, none of them are falling over, so we should be okay.”
We’d had our teas less than a minute when the door opened and Harry walked through. He scanned the place quickly, offered a few nods of recognition to some of the other patrons, and then joined us at our table.
“Ladies,” he said. “Thanks for meeting me.” Harry caught Lynette’s eye and held up a single finger. She must have known what he wanted, because she nodded in return, a huge smile blooming on her face the instant she saw him.
“Is this your home base?” Grace asked as she’d watched the exchange between them as well.
“It’s a matter of habit as much as anything else,” he admitted. “Dad brought me here when I was a kid, and I’ve kept coming back all these years.” As he looked around, he added, “As a matter of fact, Jim tagged along most of the time, too.”
“Jim?” I asked. “In all the time I knew James, I never heard him referred to as anything else but his formal name.”
“Yeah, well, they used to call me Slick when I was a kid, but I’ve been Harry for the last ten years, and not many slip up and use my old nickname these days.”
“Then you two were
“Yes,” Forrest answered. “We all appreciate it. Now, if you’ll leave us, we’d be even more thankful.”
As the man ushered his mother inside, a movement off to one side of the garden caught my eye. Someone had been spying on us from the other side of the hedge that lined the space! I made a little small talk with Grace as I approached the spot I’d seen the movement, and when I got to it, I ordered, “Come out right now or I’ll call Forrest!”
There was no action for a few moments, and I began to wonder if it had all been in my imagination when a brawny man dressed in green pants and a matching work shirt stepped out. “No need for that,” he said. “The name’s Harry Parsons. I saw you approach Mrs. Pinerush following her lapdog Stephen, and I wanted to find out what you two were up to. Is it true what you told her just then?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Were you really both friends with James?” he asked again, his voice nearly breaking.
“ I was,” I admitted. “As much as he aggravated me at times, he was a valuable friend to me, and I already miss him.”
“Then you deserve the truth,” he said as he looked around the grounds. He took another second and glanced at his watch, and then Harry said, “If you want to know anything about James’s life at the manor, meet me in town in twenty minutes at the Bell and Whistle café on Oak Street.”
Before I could agree or decline, Harry was gone, and when I looked back at the house, I saw that Forrest was watching us closely from the window.
“Let’s go,” I told Grace. “I don’t think we’re all that welcome here.”
“We’re going to meet Harry, though, right?”
“You couldn’t stop me if you tried,” I said.
* * *
When we got to the café in Pinerush, we were early. The diner was well-worn, as though it had seen its brightest lights in the fifties, but it was still comfortable, even though the vinyl in the booths and the linoleum floor were scuffed and faded. A waitress—tall and frail looking, with pale skin and blonde hair—met us at the door and told us to sit anywhere we pleased. We took a booth by the window, and “Lynette,” as her name tag read, slid the menus in front of us.
“Start you both off with some sweet tea?” she asked.
“That would be great,” I said. “We’ll wait to order, though, if that’s okay with you. We’re waiting for someone.”
“Aren’t we all, sister?” Lynette asked with a smile as she left to get our tea.
“Are we actually going to eat here?” Grace asked.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but lunch didn’t hold me, and I’m starving. What’s the matter, don’t you trust the food?”
She looked around at the other diners, who all appeared to be healthy enough. “Well, none of them are falling over, so we should be okay.”
We’d had our teas less than a minute when the door opened and Harry walked through. He scanned the place quickly, offered a few nods of recognition to some of the other patrons, and then joined us at our table.
“Ladies,” he said. “Thanks for meeting me.” Harry caught Lynette’s eye and held up a single finger. She must have known what he wanted, because she nodded in return, a huge smile blooming on her face the instant she saw him.
“Is this your home base?” Grace asked as she’d watched the exchange between them as well.
“It’s a matter of habit as much as anything else,” he admitted. “Dad brought me here when I was a kid, and I’ve kept coming back all these years.” As he looked around, he added, “As a matter of fact, Jim tagged along most of the time, too.”
“Jim?” I asked. “In all the time I knew James, I never heard him referred to as anything else but his formal name.”
“Yeah, well, they used to call me Slick when I was a kid, but I’ve been Harry for the last ten years, and not many slip up and use my old nickname these days.”
“Then you two were
Similar Books
