I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Ed was smiling and humming, in his own fish-fry world. He’d placed several pieces of finished catfish filets on paper towels on the counter near the stove.
Finn went to his side, apparently ready to forget what had just happened. “You really caught all these fish yourself?”
“Easy to do. Ever heard of a trotline?” Ed asked.
Seemed like Finn felt the same way I did—that here in this old-fashioned kitchen filled with the smell of a home-cooked meal, the world seemed sane and safe. You could escape and pretend crazy people weren’t stirring up trouble only twenty feet away.
“I used to fish with Tom when I was a kid,” Finn said. “Is a trotline the one with all the fish hooks baited and you string it out across the water?”
“That’s exactly right. You and me, we can do some fishing if you want. I can show you more than the easy stuff,” Ed said.
I listened to their conversation while keeping an ear on what might be happening in the other room. Finally I heard the front door close, and soon Candace joined us in the kitchen. Tom and Karen remained in the other room; I hoped not with Rory Gannon in their company.
“Mr. Gannon’s gone,” Candace said. “I couldn’t really arrest him since he hasn’t broken the law. But I sure wish he would have agreed to visit with me down at the station. I might have found out more about him and how he ended up in Mercy—that is, if you want to know, Finn.”
Candace’s question snatched Finn back into the reality of fractured families and serious problems. He wore his sadness in his body language and on his face. My heart ached for him.
Finn said, “I don’t care why he’s here. I have to say, he sure looked different than I imagined.”
“I’ll find some reason to pull him in for an interview. For now I told him to keep his distance from you and your family,” Candace said. “But I want you to tell me if he bothers you again.”
“Sure,” Finn said quietly.
Ed smiled at Candace. “Join us for supper, Miss Candace? We’d sure like to have you.”
She said, “Love to, Ed, but I have way too much work to do—and just added Rory Gannon to the list of things I have to follow up on. Maybe there’s a parole violation I can use as leverage.”
I would have thought Finn would be upset by the revelation that Gannon had been to prison, but his face remained impassive.
I could tell Candace was upset with herself for saying anything about Gannon’s past. “Sorry I brought that up. Are you okay, Finn?”
“Yeah. I’m good,” he said in a monotone.
“Guess I’ll be leaving, then. Y’all take care and call me if he comes back.” She turned and started for the living room.
“Don’t be driving around corners like you’re trying for a spot on a NASCAR team, you hear?” Ed said, returning to his job.
I walked Candace back through the dining area and into the living room just in time to hear Karen say, “He’s the boy’s flesh and blood, Thomas.”
“He’s also a convicted felon,” Candace said.
“Oh my,” Karen said. “I had no idea. Poor Hilary had to live with two men who ended up on the wrong side of the law. This is like a Greek tragedy, isn’t it?”
Greek tragedy? Karen did have a flare for the dramatic.
Meanwhile, Tom was saying, “Poor Hilary, my ass.”
Karen’s cheeks reddened so much I could see her cheeks flush despite her heavy rouge. “Watch your tongue, son. She brought Finn into our lives. You need to reconcile your differences with her for Finn’s sake—and for your own. She hurt you, yes, but she’s a good person who’s simply made poor choices.”
Since Karen was a recovering alcoholic with multiple failed marriages in her past, I understood how she could relate to Hilary Roth.
“Mom, can we drop this before Finn comes back into the room?” Tom said.
Candace cleared her throat. “Um, I’m thinking paperwork looks mighty inviting right now.” She said her good-byes and left.
Ed appeared and called us to supper. Though the food was delicious, I learned a lesson. Do not eat fried fish after two days like we’d all experienced. My stomach was churning when Tom, Finn and I climbed into my van for the short trip back to Tom’s house.
Rory Gannon was on my mind, and thoughts of him were not a good thing.
Fifteen
The next morning, I woke up feeling disoriented because I’d slept so hard. But with Chablis on my chest, kneading away and purring, the feeling didn’t last long. Her usual morning behavior reintroduced me to the comforts of my daily routine in a week that had been anything but.
Last night, Finn explained to Tom that he wasn’t about to stay away from Yoshi overnight. I couldn’t blame him. He and his little dog had a tremendous bond.
Tom reluctantly agreed to allow Finn to come with me after he checked Dashiell’s blood sugar and found it was high. He didn’t feel like he could trust Bob to monitor Dashiell if he were to leave his cat behind and stay at my house. But he alerted Candace to the situation and followed us to my place to make sure all my outside security cameras were operating perfectly and the lenses were clean. He could monitor my house from his computer at home, a setup I appreciated. Last night it had indeed been reassuring to have a security expert as a trusted friend.
After I got up, I took a long, hot shower, with three cats waiting anxiously for me to hurry up and feed them. The house seemed less chilly than when I’d gone to bed, and I suspected the cold front we’d experienced had passed through. Late fall in South Carolina was always a mixed bag of warm days interspersed with cold.
I was surprised when I walked down the hall and found the guest room door open and the bed neatly made.
My fear was short-lived, however. He was sitting on the window seat in the living room looking out at the sun rising over the lake. Yoshi was curled beside him.
“Morning,” I said.
Finn stood. “I like how quiet it is here. Funny how I never thought the world could be quiet.”
“Nolan and your mom fought a lot, didn’t they?” I said.
He nodded, eyes on the cushion. “She’d break things; he’d yell. So I’d put on my earphones and plug into a game on my computer or listen to music on my iPod. Sometimes Yoshi and I would walk to the park and he’d chase a Frisbee for hours.”
“Our fur friends can sure take us to a better place, huh?” I said.
“Yup. He needs to go out, but I didn’t want to mess with your security alarm,” Finn said.
After I fed the cats and disabled the alarm under Finn’s watchful eye, we went out on the porch. Finn and Yoshi chased each other between the big trees. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt Kara had picked out. The clothes fit perfectly, thank goodness. The day looked to be much warmer—it had to be sixty already—and the still lake shimmered in the morning light. I thought about what Finn had said a few minutes ago and wondered how quiet it was inside his head with all that had gone on both in his past and since his arrival here. Maybe playing with his dog would help empty his mind for a few minutes.
I wanted to make coffee but didn’t feel comfortable leaving Finn alone out here. Rory Gannon knew where I lived, after all. So when I heard a car pull into my driveway, my mouth went instantly dry. I reached into my pocket for my phone in case we needed help.
“Finn,” I called and gestured for him to come back to the house. But Yoshi was so invested in this game of chase, the usually obedient dog wouldn’t cooperate and come to Finn. He wanted to keep playing.
“Run toward the house and he’ll probably come after you,” I yelled.
