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living room and gets caught."

"Living room?"

"That's what we call that part of the trap. Later,

we pull up the traps and if the lobsters meet the

measurement, we prepare them to take to market." "How do you prepare them?"

"Well, you got to put rubber bands on the claws

so they can't pinch. One claw is a cruncher claw,

strong, dull; the other is like a scissor, sharp and

quick."

"I didn't know they were so dangerous." "It's not really so dangerous if you're careful.

I've been pinched a bit, but only once had blood

drawn." He showed me his right hand. I could see a

faint scar along his forefinger.

"Did Laura go lobstering with you?" I asked.

He blinked rapidly and turned toward the ocean. "No, not much," he replied.

"She didn't know the ocean as well as you did?" "We should go back to the house. There goes Roy." Cary nodded at the tall, broad black man who

hurried away from the dock.

"Where do the Pattersons live?"

"In the saltbox houses on the other side of

town."

"What happened to Theresa's mother?" I asked. "You're stuffed full of questions, aren't you?" "Wouldn't you be if the shoe was on the other

foot and you just arrived?"

His lips made that tiny turn up again and he

permitted his eyes to stay on me for a few moments

longer.

"I guess," he finally admitted. "Theresa's

mother died in a car crash coming home from work.

She was a chambermaid in a hotel in North Truro.

Terrible accident. Man driving a tractor trailer lost

control in the rain and crossed the road. Smacked her