by Leena Clover
Jenny was just sitting down to eat a bite herself when Jimmy called. He had promised Ira another free lunch at the café. Ira had readily accepted.
“When are you meeting that man?” Heather asked as soon as she came in for coffee with her grandma Betty Sue.
“Soon,” Jenny said. “Are you free later today? I might go talk to David Gold again.”
Ira Brown came in for lunch. He chose a window table and sat down, rubbing his hands in anticipation. He licked his lips and looked at Jenny greedily.
“What are you serving today?”
“Fish tacos,” Jenny told him. “We got some white fish this morning.”
“I can’t wait,” he said greedily.
Jenny set a platter down before him and sat down.
“Where do you live?” she asked. “I think you mentioned Maryland?”
Ira took a big bite of his taco and nodded his head.
“How do you know David Gold?”
“David who?” Ira asked, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin.
He seemed a bit miffed at the interruption.
“David Gold,” Jenny repeated. “I met him last week when I was in the city. I noticed he has marked you as a friend.”
“Don’t remember the name,” Ira said.
He took another big bite of his taco and chewed it slowly. Jenny let him eat.
“People know me because of my profile,” he said finally. “I don’t always know them.”
“It’s a two way connection,” Jenny explained. “You don’t appear as a friend unless you have accepted someone’s invite.”
Ira Brown’s face cleared.
“Oh! I get dozens of friend requests every week. I accept all of them. Don’t want to appear standoffish, you know. I have a certain image.”
“So you’re saying there are plenty of people out there who have listed you as a friend. But you don’t know them.”
“Exactly!”
“Isn’t that risky?” Jenny asked. “I took you for a private person.”
Ira Brown chomped on the last piece of his taco.
“You got that right,” he said. “I value my privacy a lot. Why do you think I am spending my summer on this remote island?”
“I thought you were here for the birds?”
“That too,” Ira Brown said quickly.
Jenny pulled up David Gold’s profile on her phone. She thrust it in Ira Brown’s face.
“You really don’t know this guy?”
Ira Brown glanced at the photo and shook his head.
“I’m sorry. Looks like this guy’s important to you.”
“Not really,” Jenny said with a smile. “Thanks for coming here to talk to me.”
Ira smiled solicitously.
“I came here for this delicious lunch. It was worth every bite.”
“How about some dessert?” Jenny asked. “I have lemon cake with berry compote.”
Ira Brown lingered for a while, enjoying his dessert over two cups of coffee. Jenny watched him from behind the counter as she served other customers. He looked so calm it was hard to believe he was hiding anything.
Jenny picked up Heather and Molly and drove to the city. David Gold opened the door, holding his son in his arms.
“This is a surprise!” he said. “We were just going out.” He turned around and called out to his wife. “Look who’s here, honey.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t call before coming,” Jenny apologized.
She was hoping David would invite them in. David didn’t disappoint.
“Come on in,” he said. “We were just going on a grocery run. It can wait.”
His wife came out with a tray of lemonade. She took the baby from David and went in.
“I was hoping to ask you a few questions,” Jenny began. “We found your social profile…”
“Were you trying to look me up?” David said with a laugh. “I don’t mind. I do it too.”
Molly was staring at David with her mouth open. She was clearly besotted with the handsome young man.
“You went to Ocean City, didn’t you?” Heather blurted out.
“That was over a month ago,” David nodded. “We didn’t want to go too far from home with the baby.”
“So you’re familiar with the Eastern Shore?” Jenny asked.
“We were planning to drive down the peninsula,” David nodded. “But that never happened. My son had an ear infection the first day out. We had to come back immediately.”
“You have an admirable number of friends,” Jenny began. “I might know one of them.”
Chapter 20
David Gold didn’t hesitate for a second after he saw Ira Brown’s photo.
“Professor Brown? He comes here all the time.”
“He said he didn’t know you,” Jenny informed him.
“He’s writing a book about the Holocaust,” David told them. “You remember that group I told you about? He comes to our meetings.”
“Would he have access to those boxes you showed us?”
“He sure does,” David said. “He’s even planning to use some of those photos in his book.”
“Why would he lie to me?” Jenny mused. “Did you have some kind of falling out?”
David looked bewildered.
“Ira’s a bit whimsical. But surely he couldn’t have forgotten who I am? He’s coming here this weekend for our quarterly meeting. I just got his RSVP.”
“He must have been joking,” Jenny soothed.
She wanted to go confront Ira Brown as soon as possible.
Heather and Molly both protested when she passed into the exit lane for the highway.
“I have a date!” Heather exclaimed.
“Now?” Jenny burst out. “When were you going to mention that?”
“Duster texted me while you were talking to David,” she said. “He’s here for an errand. I’m meeting him for coffee.”
“What are we supposed to do while you meet him?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t know…go shopping or something.”
“I could use some coffee,” Molly said with a gleam in her eye.
“You are not coming to the same coffee shop,” Heather cried. “I don’t need chaperones.”
“Who said we are with you?” Molly teased. “We’ll get our own table and do our thing. Maybe I will meet a gorgeous hunk.”
“How can you think of guys at a time like this?” Jenny moaned. “I feel I’m close to solving this.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Heather scoffed. “So what if that old man lied to you? He doesn’t owe you anything.”
“People lie for a reason,” Jenny said.
“Yes,” Heather nodded. “And most likely it’s something silly.”
“We’ll see,” Jenny sighed.
Heather texted Duster to meet her a block away from the coffee shop. Molly and Jenny were waiting for their order.
“I might be taking a page out of Heather’s book,” Molly said shyly.
“Plain English, please,” Jenny said, rubbing the charm around her neck.
“I downloaded that dating app Heather uses,” Molly admitted. “I may be going out on a date myself.”
“That’s great, Molly,” Jenny said brightly. “Have you shortlisted any profiles? Show me, now!”
Molly handed over her phone to Jenny. “This is the profile I like best.”
Jenny took one look at it and burst out laughing.
“Are you kidding me, Molly?”
“What’s wrong with him?” Molly asked seriously.
Jenny looked over her shoulder and leaned forward.
“This is Chris. Chris Williams. Heather’s beau.”
“He’s not her beau any more if she’s dating other people.”
“You know they have an understanding…”
“He’s put his profile out there. He’s up for grabs. I’m going for it.”
“What’s got into you, Molly? Is this some kind of reverse psychology to get Heather back o
n track?”
Molly teared up.
“Heather doesn’t know what she has. It’s not my fault if she gives up the best thing that happened to her.”
“You really want to do this?” Jenny asked incredulously.
Molly crumpled a bunch of tissues and stirred her coffee vigorously.
“I’ve always liked Chris.”
“You mean you have a crush on him?” Jenny asked, wide eyed. “Since when?”
“Since high school.”
“But weren’t you dating someone else at that time?”
“Have you seen Chris?” Molly flung her hands wide. “He was the captain of our football team and he got good grades.”
Jenny recalled the old yearbooks from Heather and Molly’s school days. Chris Williams had been one good looking kid.
“He’s handsome … I’ll give you that.”
“Handsome is as handsome does, Jenny,” Molly said. “Chris is a good person.”
“Won’t this be awkward?”
“It’s up to him,” Molly shrugged. “He will handle Heather if necessary.”
Jenny tried to size up the girl sitting before her. Molly was tall and scrawny. The Coke-bottle glasses she wore made her eyes look frog like. She barely paid any attention to her appearance. But she had a heart of gold.
“Go for it,” she said softly.
“You mean it?” Molly asked eagerly. “I need your support, Jenny.”
“Let it play out,” Jenny advised. “But be prepared for any consequences.”
“I know I barely have a chance,” Molly said meekly. “But I need to give it a shot.”
Heather breezed in before they could say anything more. She had a silly smile on her face.
“Duster invited me to his beach house this weekend.”
“Haven’t you already been there?” Jenny asked her.
“Yes, but I am going alone this time,” Heather said stoutly. “And staying over.”
Jenny and Molly teased her mercilessly. Molly gave Jenny a knowing look.
Heather was craving Chinese food so they decided to get take-out from a restaurant next door.
“What’s going on between your aunt and Jimmy Parsons?” Heather asked Jenny in the car.
Jenny had ordered enough food for a dozen people. Jason always got them Chinese food from the city so she had texted him to come to her place for dinner. She called Star and told her not to cook anything. She assumed Jimmy would stick around for dinner too.
“They are getting along fine,” Jenny said with a smile.
“Aren’t they really old?” Heather crinkled her nose.
“Age has nothing to do with love,” Jenny preached. “And I think there’s some history there.”
“There’s hope for all of us then,” Molly said meaningfully.
“Yeah, even you, Molls,” Heather laughed.
“You don’t have to be so nasty,” Molly bristled.
“Give it a rest, girls,” Jenny snapped.
“Are you still thinking about that man?” Heather asked.
“I can’t wait to go talk to him.”
Jason was sitting on Star’s porch, waiting for them.
“Finally!” he said, looking relieved.
“Something wrong?” Jenny asked, sensing his mood.
“Walt had an accident.”
“Who’s Walt?” Molly asked.
“Asher’s oldest,” Jenny reminded her. “The one who lives in a retirement community in Florida.” She turned to Jason. “What happened? Is he alright?”
“Walt took his wife and sisters to Williamsburg. They were on their way back home. Someone rammed into him, tried to run him off the road.”
Jenny’s eyebrows shot up. “Someone’s out to get Asher’s family,” she said.
“Hold on now,” Jason said. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. It could have been a crazy driver. We know the roads are full of them.”
“I have a gut feeling about this,” Jenny insisted. “I need to call Adam.”
She dialed Adam’s number and spoke to him in a rush. She hung up five minutes later, red in the face.
“He doesn’t believe me.”
Jason’s phone rang just then. His face turned grim as he listened to the voice on the other side.
“That was Linda,” he said. “Someone broke the windows of the greenhouse and pulled all the plants out of the pots.”
Jenny placed her hands on her hips and glared at Jason.
“What do you say now?”
Jason was already dialing Adam.
“I’m going over to Linda’s,” he said, getting up. “Adam’s coming there too.”
“I will go with you,” Jenny said.
“Sorry,” Jason said. “Adam forbid me from bringing you along.”
“He can’t do that,” Jenny roared. “I can go where I want. As long as Linda wants me there, Adam has no say in the matter.”
“I am requesting you to stay put,” Jason said. “Please, Jenny. We don’t know what’s going on. Just stay here with Star and the girls. Don’t make me worry about you.”
“Do you promise to give me an update as soon as you learn something?” Jenny asked.
“You are the first person I will call,” Jason sighed.
He looked at Molly and Heather.
“Why don’t you girls stick around? Have dinner? All that food’s getting cold anyway.”
Star had come out while Jason was talking. Jimmy tagged behind her.
“Don’t worry about Jenny, boy,” she boomed. “I can take care of her.”
Jenny was lost in thought as she ladled General Tso’s chicken on to her plate. It was her favorite. Her aunt and Jimmy had both opted for the sesame chicken. Molly was munching on Crab Rangoons.
Heather twirled some lo mein noodles around her fork and looked around.
“Didn’t we get some shrimp?”
“I’m saving it for Jason,” Jenny said. “It’s his favorite.”
“And what’s Adam’s favorite?” Heather laughed.
“Adam likes Sichuan chicken,” Jenny said with a straight face.
“Did you buy out the whole restaurant, Jenny?” Star asked. “There’s enough to feed an army.”
“She was thinking of Adam and Jason,” Heather quipped.
“So what if I was?” Jenny asked belligerently. “We are just wasting our time here.”
“What’s got you rattled, girl?” Star scowled.
Jenny was quiet after that. The girls loaded the dish washer while Jenny scooped up some ice cream for dessert.
“How long has Ira Brown been living in town?” she asked Jimmy as she served the dessert.
“He rented the place in April,” Jimmy said, trying to remember. “He came here around Memorial Day.”
“Was he here for the July 4th holiday?”
“I think he was,” Jimmy said sheepishly. “I don’t remember.”
Jenny realized Jimmy probably hadn’t been sober at that time.
Heather snapped her fingers.
“You know what? We ran a search on David Gold but we didn’t run one on this professor fellow.”
“You’re right,” Jenny said eagerly.
She switched on her laptop and ran a search on Ira Brown. The results showed he was a professor in a small college in Maryland. He taught history and his area of research was Jewish Studies. Jenny could find no mention of birds.
“He lied to us, see?” Jenny looked up in triumph. “He’s got nothing to do with birds.”
“Many people come here to watch the birds, Jenny,” Star reasoned. “They want to forget about their everyday lives for a while. The birds are their escape.”
“But look what he teaches at the college,” Jenny pointed out. “How could he not know David Gold?’
“Didn’t we already establish that?” Molly quizzed. “Who do you trust more at this point – David Gold or Ira Brown?”
Jenny thought of David’s frank face and open attitude. There was somet
hing guileless about him.
“I trust David,” she said.
“Let’s check the old man’s social profile,” Heather spoke up.
She pulled Jenny’s laptop toward herself and began pulling up different social media portals. She pulled up a bunch of photos of Pelican Cove.
“Look at these,” she said, turning the screen so that the others could see clearly. “I know all these places. They are around Pelican Cove. You need a boat to get there.”
“He takes a kayak out pretty much every day,” Jimmy prompted. “At least, that’s what he told me.”
“Any photos from July 4th?” Jenny asked.
Heather showed her a few photos of the barbecue. Ira Brown was wearing a blue vest proclaiming him to be a volunteer.
“What was he doing volunteering at the parade?” Molly asked. “Tourists don’t do that.”
“Ask Barb Norton,” Star ordered. “She was in charge of the volunteers.”
Jenny made a quick call to Barb. Barb played some part in every event that happened in Pelican Cove. Jenny spoke for a few minutes and hung up.
“Ira Brown was a volunteer on the catering crew,” Jenny confirmed. “Barb said they were short of volunteers and he seemed very eager.”
“That puts him on the spot,” Heather said.
Jenny tried to hide her excitement.
“So where was he during the awards ceremony?”
Chapter 21
Heather got busy downloading photos off the Internet.
“What are you doing now, Heather?”
“Many people posted photos of the July 4th parade online. I am getting all of them on your computer. We can look through them and try to spot your professor.”
Heather was ready with the photos a few minutes later.
“Look, these are from the parade itself,” Molly pointed. “There he is, standing close to Linda.”
“What’s he doing there?” Jenny wondered.
They spotted Ira Brown in different places through the day. He was flipping burgers on the grill, diverting traffic, eating ice cream and sitting under the big marquee. He was easily recognizable because of his blue vest. He was alone in all the photos.
“What about the awards ceremony?” Molly asked.
“I saved the best for last,” Heather said grimly.
