Page 6 of The Summer Request

Lisa shook her head. “No. This is the only one. Zora told me – she planned the whole thing.”

“Event planning must not be her strong suit,” Val said, eyeing the barren refreshments table.

The overpowering smell of stale cigarette smoke filled her nostrils. Val knew who it was before she turned around.

Tammy.

“I was glad to see you three here.”

“Mrs. Miller, I’m so sorry for your loss. We’re all devastated,” Michelle said.

Tammy nodded. Her blue eyes were so clouded that it was hard to tell who she was looking at. It made Val uneasy.

“You girls want to stop by for a cup of tea?”

Before Val could think of an excuse, Lisa said, “Of course. We’d love to!”

“I can give you a ride,” she said, turning slowly and walking with her cane toward the mass of parked cars.

Val dropped her voice. “If we get into her car, I’d say there’s a fifty percent chance one of us won’t make it.”

“And it won’t be Tammy,” Lisa added.

Michelle bit her lip before yelling out, “We’ll meet you there, okay?”

Tammy responded with a grunt as she climbed into her car.

“We need to have an exit plan,” Michelle said, dropping her voice. “The years have not been kind to Mrs. Miller. She spends a lot of time at county council meetings yelling at people and making demands.”

“Demands about what?” asked Lisa.

“Last year she proposed a dress code for visitors to the island, punishable by a night in the county jail.”

Lisa’s face brightened. “Hey, that could be fun! I wonder if I’d pass?”

They were halfway to Michelle’s car when Zora caught up to them. “Ladies! When would be a good time to talk to the three of you? Justine left some…” Her voice cracked. “Things to discuss.”

Keep it together, Zora.

“Things?” asked Michelle.

Zora nodded.

Michelle shrugged and spoke again. “When were you thinking? We can meet at my café in Friday Harbor, as long as no one is in a rush?”

Val didn’t have a ride home yet, so it made no difference to her.

Zora recovered from her near blubbering and smiled. “Yes, well, I’ll be ready in about three hours?”

“Ah,” Lisa made a face. “I was hoping to get back tonight. I left my car at the ferry terminal.”

“You’ll still be able to make the ferry,” Michelle said.

“Oh, all right then.” Lisa shrugged. “I trust you.”

Zora was already being pulled away by a serious-faced man. “I’ll see you then!”

They piled into Michelle’s car and drove the familiar route to Justine’s childhood home. The house hadn’t changed much, but not in a good way. It looked like nothing had been updated in years. The siding was sagging and discolored from years in the sun. The grass was overgrown, as were the trees and shrubs in the front of the house.