“Yes.”
“Let’s get up and go somewhere.”
Abram extended his arm to Jake. Both their hands were wet and cold with sand. He couldn’t balance at first, but then he caught himself. Barely.
“God. Can’t believe this.”
“Haven’t you been in a fight before?”
Had he ever been aggressive?
“No, I haven’t.”
“You’ll have some bruises.”
“I just didn’t even see it coming. I wish it hadn’t happened.”
“It might be selfish for me to say this, but you should be glad.”
“Why?”
Abram touched the brim of his hat and led them down the beach.
“You got some bruises. But I might not have made it off this beach.”
“What do you mean?”
“You might have saved my life. I couldn’t have taken those hits.”
They walked along the shore at the same speed-Jake slowed down by a long night, Abram slowed down by a long life.
“We need to trust each other,” Jake said. “If we want to figure out who that person was. If we want to figure out who they meant to attack and why they did it.”
“I want to learn more than that.”
“What?”
“I want to find out what happened to Charlotte.”
“Then we’re agreed?”
“Agreed,” Abram said.
They went up the stairs together, back to Sunset Cove.
CHAPTER 27
They were at Building B by a quarter to nine. Abram did live there. With each step, Jake looked both ways for the man who had attacked him. No one. There wasn’t even a shadow now. This late at night, the paths were all empty-he’d already run into the two exceptions.
Abram’s living room was filled with maps. Maps on the walls, atlases stacked on shelves, and papers spread out on a large oak table. Jake rested his arm on a furled corner. He yelled to Abram, who was in the small kitchen.
“These maps-are they for researching what happened to Charlotte?”
“It didn’t happen in Europe, did it?”
Abram brought in a bag of ice for Jake and water for both of them.
“These maps are territorial alignments during World War II. I research them in my free time.”
“I see. Sorry.”
“Put the ice on your face.”
It felt like he was being kicked again. Then it started to turn numb. But Abram didn’t waste time on sympathy.
“Jake, do you know why I was shocked? Why I was shocked when you suggested that I knew what happened to Charlotte?”
“No, I don’t know why you were shocked.” When he moved his mouth it hurt. But he had to say something.
“I was shocked because, when she died, Charlotte Ward and I were in love.”
Jake dropped the ice on the table and flecks of water splattered onto the map. He brushed them off and looked up. Abram’s expression didn’t change. He finally took off the red-brimmed hat and set it down on a green patch of Europe.
“Do you understand why I was upset? I was so upset that you could accuse me of hurting her. Of trying to harm her. This woman…”
He stopped and stared down at the covered table, tracing an attack route with the tip of his finger.
“Abram, I had no idea you loved her. Did she know?”
He laughed and then snorted.
“Of course she knew. We were having an affair.”
Jake picked the ice back up and pressed it against his cheek. It was better to be numb for news like this. The bag sweat down his arm and on the wooden table’s edge.
“You were having an affair?”
“For a year. We kept it secret, or at least tried to. But Sheryl knew. All the other ladies at bridge knew.”
“I just can’t believe that Charlotte…”
“She was a very delicate lover,” Abram started. Jake pressed the ice compact against his face. Hard. “Always very unselfish.”
“OK. I get the idea.”
“Sometimes, we even took photographs. Nothing in flagrante delicto, of course. Merely tasteful nudes. Black and white.”
“I see.” He saw it all too clearly.
“She had one outfit. A combination of fur and nylon that-”
“Abram, it’s OK.”
“If you like, I can even show you some shots-”
“Good lord-that’s fine. I believe you.”
They both looked back at the maps. The colors had faded out. Jake slowly recovered the ability to speak.
“If you were having a…relationship, then why didn’t you notice her when you were walking on the beach?”
“After dinner that night…” He paused to sigh. “After dinner that night, I went back to my room, and then I took my walk. By the time I returned, it had already happened.”
“But why didn’t you see her when you were on the beach?”
“Don’t you understand?”
“What?”
“I never walked on the beach before. I don’t like the sand in my shoes, or stepping on seashells.”
“Then why did I find you there the other night?”
“Because.” He sighed again. “I was going to see where she had died.”
They looked at the maps again, but all the countries in Europe weren’t enough of a distraction. Jake looked up first.
“I’m sorry I accused you of doing anything to harm Charlotte. It’s just that once I knew something suspicious had happened, I listened to Sheryl. And I saw you leaving Charlotte’s room.”
“Yes. Your photographer disturbed us during a particularly frisky-”
“Enough. I really don’t want to hear it.”
Abram changed direction.
“Why do you think there’s anything suspicious about Charlotte’s death?”
“The walker. She never could have gone anywhere without it, but they didn’t find it on the beach.”
“Of course. I thought of that too. But I kept my mouth shut.”
“Why?”
“Why? Do you want to go to the bathroom?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Go ahead. You’ll find a mirror in the bathroom. Look at the bruises on your face, and you can see why I didn’t tell anyone.”
