6 Rainier Drive

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Seth nodded. His father had purchased a fishing boat from the other man. Seth had owned a half interest in the boat and when they sold it, they’d invested that money in the restaurant.

“Larry’s looking for a salesman and asked if I’d be interested in coming out of retirement. The way he figured it, I’d been around fishing and boats all my life. He’s selling pleasure crafts, too, and offered me a commission that sounded almost too good to be true.”

Seth thought his father was probably glad of an excuse to go back to work. Adjusting to retirement hadn’t been as easy as he’d assumed it would be. “Are you going to do it?” he asked.

“I considered it,” his father said, grinning. “But then I talked to your mother, and she was dead set against it.” Leif rubbed the side of his face. “She’s been waiting all these years for us to travel. She’s got her heart set on buying one of those RVs and driving across the country. She isn’t about to let me take up a second career at this stage.”

Seth chuckled, understanding his father’s advice. “So that’s the reason you’re telling me I need to listen to my wife. You’re listening to yours.”

His father chuckled, too. “You know your mother. When she wants something, she makes sure I hear about it.”

Seth did know and love his mother, and he had to agree she generally found ways of getting what she wanted. He loved the give and take of his parents’ marriage, and their ability to compromise.

“I don’t much like the idea of driving one of those battleships,” Leif admitted, “but I’ll do it, and by the time we get back, my guess is I’ll be able to park that thing as slick as any boat I ever steered.”

Seth didn’t doubt it for an instant.

“I phoned Larry this morning,” he went on, “and told him I had to refuse.”

“Was he disappointed?”

“He was,” Leif said, “so I gave him your number and suggested he call you.”

“Me?” Seth asked. “You think I can sell boats?”

“Why not? You know as much about fishing as I do, and what you don’t know about pleasure crafts you can learn. The money’s good, and it’ll help you fill in the time until you decide about the restaurant.”

Seth needed to talk to Justine. This idea suddenly seemed right to him, but he wanted a few days to mull it over.

He sat with his father a while longer, chatting companionably about friends and neighbors, then headed home. Justine was vacuuming when Seth walked in and didn’t hear him. He stopped to admire her as she worked. Her long hair flowed unrestrained down her back and her lithe body moved gracefully as she pushed the vacuum cleaner. Justine’s concentration on any task was always complete; it was one of the many traits he loved.

He regretted their argument and was sorry for the things he’d said.

When she turned and saw him standing just inside the door, she jumped, startled. “Seth!” She switched off the vacuum cleaner. “When did you get home?”

“Just now.” He walked toward her. “Where’s Leif?”

“Preschool. I need to pick him up in half an hour.” Her gaze didn’t meet his as she swept the hair away from her face. “Did the sheriff have any news?”

He shook his head. “He showed me a picture of a pewter cross. You might take a look and see if you recognize it, although there’s no guarantee it’s connected to the arsonist.” He paused. “If the sheriff doesn’t get any leads from that, I feel we should contact Roy McAfee.”

Justine didn’t respond to any of those statements. “I’m sorry about this morning,” she murmured instead.

“I am, too.” He walked toward her, and she stepped into his embrace. “We need to talk,” he said, holding her close.

“Okay.”

“How about if I take you and Leif out for lunch,” he said. “I ran into Dad, and he had a suggestion I want to discuss with you.” He went on holding her. For the first time, he saw clearly that his anger was putting their marriage at risk. He loved Justine and his son. Dammit! He wasn’t going to lose them, too.

Nine

Olivia Lockhart-Griffin wondered if job shadowing was such a good idea. The high-school guidance office had contacted her a couple of weeks earlier to make the arrangements, and in a moment of weakness she’d agreed. The high-school girl sitting in front of her looked terribly young, but her eyes glowed with sincerity and keen interest. Olivia had believed in the justice system as a girl of that age, and she did now. The difference was that years of experience had shown her its weaknesses as well as its strengths.

“So you’d like to be an attorney?” Olivia glanced down at the girl’s name on the sheet of paper. “Allison?” she added. Allison Cox. Cox. That name sounded vaguely familiar.

“Yes, Judge, I would,” Allison said, her back straight.

“Any particular reason?” Olivia asked.

The girl nervously flipped a strand of dark hair over her ear. “I’m hoping to learn how to use the law to help someone who doesn’t have a lot of options.”

Olivia nodded. It sounded as if the girl had a personal agenda; however, there wasn’t time to delve into that now. She needed to get to court. “I’ll be spending the morning in court, listening to a variety of cases. You can sit in the jury box near the court reporter. We’ll take a short break midmorning, and then stop for lunch around noon. I have a luncheon engagement with my mother. You’re welcome to join us if you’d like, and then we’ll return to court about one-thirty.” She smiled at the girl, who nodded. “Depending on the cases, I generally stop for the day at four. I stay a bit longer to read case files for the next day, but you’ll be free to go then.”

Allison made a notation on a yellow pad. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

“You’re welcome. Is there anything you’d like to ask me before we head into the courtroom?”

The girl offered her a tentative smile. “I…I asked the guidance counselor if I could be assigned to you specifically. You might not remember this, but about three years ago my parents were in your court. They were getting a divorce.”

That was why the name seemed familiar. Olivia did recall the couple and their situation.

“Mom and Dad had decided on joint custody of my brother and me. You said you didn’t like Eddie and me moving between houses every few days, so you gave us the house and had Mom and Dad move in and out.”

Olivia smiled. “I remember. But professional ethics prevents me from discussing any case if there’s a possibility the parties might come before me again.”

Allison nodded. “They remarried, you know.”

Olivia didn’t, and was pleased to hear it. “That’s wonderful.” Checking her watch, she stood and reached for her black robe. Pulling it on, she left her chambers. Allison followed and she introduced the girl to the court reporter, who escorted her to a seat near the bench.

The court cases on that morning’s schedule probably opened Allison’s eyes wider than anything she’d read or seen on television. The child custody cases always tore at Olivia’s heart. The state’s position was to leave the child with the primary residential parent, in most cases the mother, if at all possible, as long as the child’s welfare wasn’t in jeopardy. More times than she cared to admit, Olivia wanted to shake these young parents and ask them to take a hard look at what they were doing to themselves and their children. Too often, their minds were addled by drugs or alcohol. Sadly, she doubted anything she said would sink in. Of course she dealt with other cases, too, but these were the ones that stood out most prominently.

Olivia noticed Allison taking copious notes and could only imagine what the high-school senior must be thinking, looking at the ravaged lives of those who stood before her.

Shortly after court went into session, Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes slipped onto a bench at the back of the courtroom. Within about a minute, she’d taken out her knitting. Olivia smiled. Charlotte was an inveterate knitter. More than that, she was exceptional in every way, and Olivia’s admiration for her continued to grow.

Case in point, her mother and friends were responsible for the new medical clinic in town. It’d taken a senior citizens’ demonstration and an arrest to get the council to respond. Word of Charlotte’s arrest had spread faster than chicken pox through their small community. Not long afterward, the council had made some major concessions that allowed the establishment of a medical facility in town.

The irony of it was that this same medical center had saved Jack’s life. Olivia’s husband had suffered a heart attack the year before, and the EMTs had told her that if they’d had to drive him all the way to Bremerton, Jack wouldn’t have survived.

At the time of the demonstration, Olivia had been embarrassed by her mother. Now she’d be forever grateful that there was a medical clinic in Cedar Cove, and it was mostly due to Charlotte, her second husband, Ben, and their friends.

Olivia was accustomed to seeing her mother in court, although she didn’t come by as often as she used to. Since Ben Rhodes had entered her life, Charlotte had better things to do than sit and listen to Olivia.

At noon, the court broke for lunch. Allison and Charlotte met Olivia in her chambers, and Olivia made the introductions.

“Would you care to join us?” Olivia asked the teenager. She didn’t expect the girl to accept, and she was right. They agreed to meet again at one-thirty.

“What a lovely young lady,” Charlotte commented after Allison had excused herself.

“She is,” Olivia agreed. “Where would you like to have lunch?” Her favorite place had always been The Lighthouse. Olivia missed it even more than she would’ve thought.

“How about the Wok and Roll,” Charlotte said. “Grace tells me Maryellen likes their chicken hot sauce noodles, and I have a hankering to try that.”

“Sounds good to me.” Olivia was just grateful her mother didn’t suggest The Taco Shack, which happened to be Jack’s favorite. She’d had about all the tacos and enchiladas she could stand for a while.

“Speaking of Grace, have you seen her lately?” Charlotte asked as they walked through the courthouse and to the parking lot behind.

“She’s so busy, we haven’t talked all week. She’s had to temporarily give up her Wednesday night aerobics class.”

“My goodness, you two have been going to that class for years,” Charlotte exclaimed. “What’s happening? Is Cliff keeping her all to himself?”

“No.” Using her remote, Olivia unlocked the car doors and opened the passenger side for her mother. “Nothing like that. She’s helping Jon and Maryellen as much as she can. Kelly’s pregnant, too, you know.” Olivia slid into the driver’s seat. “Grace rented out the house on Rosewood Lane and you won’t believe who her tenants are. The Randalls! Do you remember them?” At her mother’s blank expression, Olivia elaborated. “You were in court the day I denied their divorce. A young navy couple. Apparently they have a baby now and were looking for a house to rent and Grace met them. She remembered the case. Then, while she was talking to Mrs. Randall, my name came up. That’s when Grace learned this was the very same couple. It’s a small world, isn’t it? Grace wanted me to know how well everything worked out.”