what can we do about it?”
“We can’t do anything aboutit. Except laugh it off. Yuk, yuk.”
“That’s all you’ve done with everything I’ve mentioned.”
“Look, Lee, I know it’s a mess having all these people at the house.”
“And a big hole outside the back door.”
“And a big hole outside the back door. I promise that Darrell and I will get some work done on that tomorrow. We’ll try to have the whole project done in two weeks. All this is temporary. Petewill find his birds and leave. Gina will go home. Tracy’s parents will get back, and she will go home. Summer will end, and Brenda will go back to Texas.
“See? Problems solved.” He stood up. “I thought you hauled me down here to let me have it over the last item on your list.”
He leaned over and tapped my legal pad, right on top of Dinner with Garretts.
“Actually, Joe, having you accept dinnerengagements without consulting me is the least of my concerns. I haven’t even mentioned the main problem yet.”
“What’s that?”
“Your dad came by the house this morning.”
Joe’s face went rigid. I’d finally gotten to something he didn’t laugh off.
Chapter 6
J oe’s expression became a glare. “That’s not funny,” he said.
“It didn’t amuse me either, Joe. In fact, I almost slammed the door in the guy’s face.”
I described my encounter with the tall stranger with grayhair and a scarred cheek. “I thought you might know who he was,” I said, “or what his visit was all about.”
Joe was beginning to look more puzzled than angry. “I have no idea who he was or why he came.”
“A high school coach? A law professor? There’s never been anybody you thought of as a father? Anybody who thought of you as a son?”
“Not that I can think of. All the fathering I had—and I waslucky there—came from my mom’s dad, Grandpa Matt.”
“The boatbuilder?”
“Right. I used to hang out at his shop every afternoon. He taught me everything I know.”
“About boats?”
“About life. I said I was lucky. This guy who came to the door—did you say he had a scar?”
“Yes. It wasn’t disfiguring. In fact, he was quite an attractive man. The spooky thing was . . .” I stopped.
“He was wearinga sheet.” Joe had lightened up a little.
“He wasn’t that spooky! No, the thing that made my blood run cold was that his smile was reminiscent of yours.”
“Mine?”
“Yes. I can’t say he looked like you, except that he was tall and slim. And his hair had probably been dark when he was younger. But when he smiled . . . well, his face did take on a certain similarity to yours. Then, when I talkedto Gina—”
“You told Gina about this?”
“I haven’t told anybody. But I asked Gina about your dad—you know, what happened to him. I admit my stomach turned over when she said his ship went down in Lake Superior. I thought his grave might be empty, just a memorial. But she said that he was identified.”
“Yeah. Mom had to identify him. Grandpa Matt went with her. She’s never talked about it much.She did tell me she dreaded seeing him, but he didn’t look bad.” Joe sat down on the couch again. “That’s one thing about Lake Superior. It’s cold.”
Yes, a drowning victim in Lake Superior is almost refrigerated. Superior is the farthest north of the Great Lakes, so it’s largely fed by snowmelt. It also has the reputation of being the most dangerous lake, the most storm-tossed. They say that’sbecause it’s longest from east to west, so the prevailing winds have plenty of space to whip up high waves as a storm moves across it. Lake Superior’s victims are often not found.
I shuddered and moved to the couch, sitting close to Joe.
“You never talk about your dad, Joe. I always assumed that you didn’t remember him, since you were so small when he was killed.”
“I was five. But he workedthe Great Lakes freighters, so he was gone a lot even before he died. I don’t think I understood what
“We can’t do anything aboutit. Except laugh it off. Yuk, yuk.”
“That’s all you’ve done with everything I’ve mentioned.”
“Look, Lee, I know it’s a mess having all these people at the house.”
“And a big hole outside the back door.”
“And a big hole outside the back door. I promise that Darrell and I will get some work done on that tomorrow. We’ll try to have the whole project done in two weeks. All this is temporary. Petewill find his birds and leave. Gina will go home. Tracy’s parents will get back, and she will go home. Summer will end, and Brenda will go back to Texas.
“See? Problems solved.” He stood up. “I thought you hauled me down here to let me have it over the last item on your list.”
He leaned over and tapped my legal pad, right on top of Dinner with Garretts.
“Actually, Joe, having you accept dinnerengagements without consulting me is the least of my concerns. I haven’t even mentioned the main problem yet.”
“What’s that?”
“Your dad came by the house this morning.”
Joe’s face went rigid. I’d finally gotten to something he didn’t laugh off.
Chapter 6
J oe’s expression became a glare. “That’s not funny,” he said.
“It didn’t amuse me either, Joe. In fact, I almost slammed the door in the guy’s face.”
I described my encounter with the tall stranger with grayhair and a scarred cheek. “I thought you might know who he was,” I said, “or what his visit was all about.”
Joe was beginning to look more puzzled than angry. “I have no idea who he was or why he came.”
“A high school coach? A law professor? There’s never been anybody you thought of as a father? Anybody who thought of you as a son?”
“Not that I can think of. All the fathering I had—and I waslucky there—came from my mom’s dad, Grandpa Matt.”
“The boatbuilder?”
“Right. I used to hang out at his shop every afternoon. He taught me everything I know.”
“About boats?”
“About life. I said I was lucky. This guy who came to the door—did you say he had a scar?”
“Yes. It wasn’t disfiguring. In fact, he was quite an attractive man. The spooky thing was . . .” I stopped.
“He was wearinga sheet.” Joe had lightened up a little.
“He wasn’t that spooky! No, the thing that made my blood run cold was that his smile was reminiscent of yours.”
“Mine?”
“Yes. I can’t say he looked like you, except that he was tall and slim. And his hair had probably been dark when he was younger. But when he smiled . . . well, his face did take on a certain similarity to yours. Then, when I talkedto Gina—”
“You told Gina about this?”
“I haven’t told anybody. But I asked Gina about your dad—you know, what happened to him. I admit my stomach turned over when she said his ship went down in Lake Superior. I thought his grave might be empty, just a memorial. But she said that he was identified.”
“Yeah. Mom had to identify him. Grandpa Matt went with her. She’s never talked about it much.She did tell me she dreaded seeing him, but he didn’t look bad.” Joe sat down on the couch again. “That’s one thing about Lake Superior. It’s cold.”
Yes, a drowning victim in Lake Superior is almost refrigerated. Superior is the farthest north of the Great Lakes, so it’s largely fed by snowmelt. It also has the reputation of being the most dangerous lake, the most storm-tossed. They say that’sbecause it’s longest from east to west, so the prevailing winds have plenty of space to whip up high waves as a storm moves across it. Lake Superior’s victims are often not found.
I shuddered and moved to the couch, sitting close to Joe.
“You never talk about your dad, Joe. I always assumed that you didn’t remember him, since you were so small when he was killed.”
“I was five. But he workedthe Great Lakes freighters, so he was gone a lot even before he died. I don’t think I understood what
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