by Ryan Field
Then she filled each pie shell with a huge mound of sweet apple filling and topped the mounds with globs of fresh butter, and after that, she went to work on the top layer of crust. The way the pie looked had nothing to do with the healing powers it contained. But she figured that as long as she’d worked so hard on the ingredients, the outside should look fantastic, too. Sometimes she crimped the edges with her fingers, and sometimes she pressed them together with a three-pronged fork.
But on that Thursday, she decided to make the edges of the pies look like the jagged, pointy cliffs of the Maine coastline. So she cut the edges with scissors into perfect points that resembled arrowheads and folded every other one back. Then she brushed the pies with cold cream, secured the folded points to make sure they wouldn’t rise, and put them into the oven to bake. She never used an egg wash; it made the pies look store-bought and she wanted them to look homemade.
When the pies were cool enough to move, she placed them in a box and drove over to Jaydin’s. It was almost five o’clock in the afternoon and she had her first date with Avenir that night. They were stopping by the nursing home to see her grandmother, then going for lobster rolls afterward. She’d told Avenir to pick her up at Jaydin’s because she didn’t want any of the LaFramboises to know she was dating Avenir. It was none of their business, and she knew that Karla LaFramboise watched every move she made.
Jaydin’s truck was on the side of the building. She parked next to it and walked around to the front entrance, carrying one of the pies. The bar was practically empty at that hour. The only two people there were a couple of older regulars who liked a few beers before they went home for dinner. She walked past them and smiled. Jaydin was behind the bar unloading a small dishwasher he used just for martini glasses.
She placed the pie on the bar and said, “Hey. I called before and you didn’t answer.” She looked around and saw that everything looked cleaner and neater now. The floor had been mopped, the chairs were all lined at the bar evenly, and the top of the bar sparkled.
He said, “I was probably out back. I had to take out some trash.” His eyes were focused on what he was doing. He wanted all the glassed lined up in one long, perfect row.
“How are you?” This would be his first night sleeping alone there. He’d been sleeping at Sienna’s, on the floor, since Mickey’s death. The thought of him being alone now tugged her heart. She knew how much he hated to be alone. When he was a child he was always with her or Larson, and then he moved in with Mickey.
He shrugged. “I’m okay. I really am,” he said. “I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed.” His hands were steady and there was a calm smile on his face.
She squinted and leaned forward to hold his hand. His face looked thinner and his eyes seemed cloudy. “Are you sure?”
He smiled. “Yes, I’m sure.”
A lot had happened that week. There were two more strange deaths on Mt. Desert Island that resembled Mickey’s death. Both bodies had been completely drained of blood, with two small puncture marks in the wrists, and there were no signs of struggle or foul play. The police chief didn’t know what to make of these deaths and he wasn’t sure how to classify them. So he told Sienna and Jaydin that it was an ongoing investigation and he was still looking for more solid evidence. But the good thing was that Jaydin wasn’t a suspect anymore, at least not more than anyone else in town. He’d been with Sienna and Grace on the nights of the other deaths. And if they were murders, Kevin believed they were all connected.
Jaydin placed a martini glass on the counter and said, “I told them to cremate Mickey’s remains. I didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t have any family, so I guess I’m responsible.” He said this with a quiet, even voice. He could have been talking about the weather.
“What are you going to do with them?” Sienna asked. She wasn’t sure how to react. She was waiting for him to show some emotion.
“I’m not sure,” Jaydin said. “Probably scatter them over the sea. He liked the ocean.” Then he rubbed his jaw a few times and said. “But I’m not having a service or anything formal.”
She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “I thought you two were a couple,” she said, “Shouldn’t you do something?” Actually, Jaydin hadn’t shown any grief since Mickey’s death, and she wondered why.
He tossed a dish rag over his right shoulder and stared down at his shoes for a moment. When he looked up at her again, he took a deep breath and said, “Mickey and I weren’t a happy couple. I never told you half of what was happening between us. We barely even spoke to each other the last two years, and when we did it was because he was ordering me around or screaming at me for something. He used his fists more than once, too, especially when he was drunk. And he was drunk almost every night. It was just more out of control the last few months. He wouldn’t even allow me to work in the bar because he thought it looked bad to see an owner working.”
“But you were the one who actually got the loan to buy this place and open this bar,” she said. “It was because you had good credit that the bank was willing to lend you both the money. He didn’t have any credit at all. How could you let him treat you that way?” She’d known things weren’t perfect between Mickey and Jaydin, but she had no idea they’d been this bad. The thought of someone beating her brother caused her back teeth to clench.
“At first things weren’t that bad,” he said. “But after the first six months we were together, he started to change. I’m not going into the details. They are a little sordid. But all those times you saw me with bruises and black eyes were thanks to Mickey’s fists.” He took a breath and leaned in closer. “You know, everyone thinks gay men have all these options nowadays. Well, we don’t. Things are changing, but not all that fast. I met Mickey right after high school and I thought he was the man of my dreams. He was strong and knew how to take control. I wanted that, but I made a huge mistake, and then I didn’t know how to get out of it.”
“But you did have options,” Sienna said. She tightened her fists and pounded them on the counter. “You could have come to me. I would have helped you get out of this situation. Hell, I would have gone after him with a baseball bat if I’d known he was hitting you.”
He smiled. “But I didn’t think I had options. That’s the point. When you don’t realize you actually do have options in life, because you’ve been living without self- esteem for so long, you don’t realize there’s a way out. I didn’t think there was a way out with Mickey. He would have taken the bar and everything I have. And I didn’t want to bother you. You’re circumstances aren’t much better than mine.”
She frowned. Jaydin made a good point. She wasn’t being physically, verbally, or sexually abused by anyone, but she was still stuck in circumstances she knew she had the power to change. “At least we could have talked about it.”
He took a deep breath. “We are. We’re talking about it now. We’re talking about our options and how we can change our lives.” Then he took her hand and squeezed it tight. “Thanks for being here,” he said. “You’ve been great this past week, and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
While she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, the front door opened and Avenir loped inside with a grin on his face. She turned and saw that he was wearing a white shirt and cream-colored slacks. And he was carrying a black leather sport jacket over his arm. Normally, he would have been wearing jeans and his short leather jacket on a Thursday night. She was glad she’d changed her clothes at Grace’s apartment. She was wearing a pale blue dress, fawn leather pumps, and a chocolate brown velvet jacket.
He looked her up and down and smiled. “You look great tonight,” he said. “You’re wearing your ankle bracelet.”
“Thanks,” she said. He always noticed the little things that most men would have ignored. She felt like pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Then he reached out to shake Jaydin’s hand and said, “How are you doing?”
Jaydin smil
ed. “I’m fine.”
Then three more customers walked into the bar and Sienna said, “I’ll call you tomorrow morning. I’m going to see our dear grandmother now, then we’re going out for lobster rolls. I’ll come back and get my car later. I parked next to the truck.”
Jaydin gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, “Tell old Gretchen I love her and that I’ll see her soon.”
Gretchen was waiting for them in the main living room of the nursing home. She was sitting at a small table near the baby grand piano working on a puzzle. Her long red hair looked fluffier, as if she’d just washed it, and she was wearing a pair of denim overalls. All the other older women wore housecoats and had short, tight perms with a blue rinse. But Gretchen looked as if she were about to go to a peace rally in Washington.
Sienna kissed her on the cheek and smiled. “You look so nice today,” she said, placing an apple pie on the table. Gretchen was also wearing her favorite turquoise jewelry. There was a silver ring on every finger, and a huge silver and turquoise necklace resting on her chest. She only wore this jewelry on special occasions. Actually, Sienna had never seen Gretchen look this well. Her face was glowing and her eyes were clear and bright.
“I look like an old woman who can’t let go of her past,” she joked. “But don’t you look nice.” She held Sienna’s hand and looked her up and down. Then she turned to Avenir and looked him up and down, too. She smiled and said, “But this handsome man looks even better.” Gretchen had always been fond of good-looking, refined men, and she wasn’t shy about letting them know it.
It wasn’t a long visit, because Gretchen didn’t want to be late for dinner. If her regular routine was disrupted in any way, she tended to get confused and drift away. They talked about Mickey’s death and how Jaydin was doing, and then they talked about the other mysterious deaths on Mt. Desert Island. Avenir remained quiet. He sat back in his chair with his arms folded and listened while they talked about dead bodies and drained blood. When Gretchen slapped her thigh and told Sienna that she’d seen the doctor earlier that day, Avenir laughed out loud. The doctor told her she was in perfect health and that she’d outlive everyone she knew.
A half hour later, an older woman carrying a large black purse walked up to Gretchen and said, “I’ll save you a place at the table, dear.” She smiled at Sienna and looked twice at Avenir. His legs were open wide and he was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Gretchen said. “I just want to say good-bye to my granddaughter and her friend first.”
When the old woman walked out of the room, Avenir cleared his throat and said, “May I ask you something?”
Gretchen placed her palm to her throat and said, “Of course.”
Sienna gave him a look. She had no idea what he was about to ask. But his expression was serious and his lips were pressed so tight they almost puckered.
“You said something about a hidden painting the last time we were here,” he said.
Gretchen smiled. “Yes. Sienna’s mother had a painting that no one’s ever been able to find, and from what she told me herself, there’s also a will hidden somewhere in the frame that entitles Sienna and Jaydin to their rightful inheritance. She told me she was going to hide them not long before she died.”
Sienna groaned. Sometimes she had the mind of a lawyer: she trusted facts and logic. “Avenir,” she said, “Why are you getting into this now? I don’t want to talk about it.” Sienna didn’t believe there was a hidden painting. She’d accepted the fact that Robert LaFramboise had cheated her out of her inheritance long ago, and there was no point in talking about it now. He faced Sienna and said, “I did some research the other night and I found that there is, indeed, a missing painting from the Bill Blye collection. I contacted a good friend in Paris who is one of the leading experts on postmodern artists of the twentieth century. They’ve been looking for this painting for years and it’s never turned up. It’s worth millions of dollars.”
Gretchen reached for his hand and squeezed it hard. “I’ve been trying to tell her this since I arrived in Glendale Harbor. The painting is worth millions, but the will that’s hidden with it is worth ten times more.” She looked into Sienna’s eyes and said, “You must look. The painting is somewhere on this island. And I don’t want to go to my grave knowing that Robert LaFramboise still has control of the Harrington fortune. I was a silly woman and I have many regrets. I’d like to make this one thing right for Sienna. I would have looked myself, but I had no clues and no one would have believed me anyway.”
Chapter Nine
After they left the nursing home, they drove through Bracy Cove and followed Rt. 3 up to Asticou. The small restaurant where they served Sienna’s famous lobster rolls was just outside Asticou. Avenir drove slowly, gripping the steering wheel and clenching his teeth the entire time. The thought of being in a restaurant that served mainly seafood made his vampire heart expand and beat faster. He’d never actually been exposed to seafood and he didn’t know what kind of reaction he’d have, which only made him worry more.
So when they pulled into the gravel parking lot of the restaurant, he decided to tell Sienna part of the truth. He got out of the car and smiled, then he crossed to the other side of the car and opened her door. When she was standing, he said, “I hope they have a few things on the menu besides seafood.” He adjusted his jacket and squared his shoulders as if he were just making an unimportant, offhand comment. Then he closed the door and reached for her elbow.
“Why?” Sienna asked.
“I’m allergic to seafood,” he said. It sounded legitimate. Humans had all kinds of allergies these days. He’d heard some were actually allergic to peanuts.
“Shellfish?”
“Ah well,” he said, rubbing his jaw, “actually, it’s all seafood, including shellfish. Anything that comes out of the ocean.”
She stopped walking and gave him a look. “I’ve heard of shellfish allergies, but never an allergy to all seafood,” she said. “You should have said something. We can go somewhere else if you want. There are a couple of great places in Bar Harbor.”
He gently pushed her elbow and started walking again. “No,” he said, “You’ve been talking about these lobster rolls for days. We’re going here. I’m sure they have other things on the menu.”
When they approached the entrance, he forced a smile and opened the door for her. The building was a small shack, with faded gray shingles and a lopsided metal roof. A long, rectangular sign over the front door read: “Haystack’s Seafood The Best Lobster Rolls in Maine.” The white-washed background had faded to gray and there was huge image of a red lobster on the right end of the sign. He scrunched his lips to the side. He’d always thought of lobsters as bottom-feeders and scavengers, cockroaches of the sea.
The moment they entered and he inhaled, the smell of fish overwhelmed him so much he pressed his hand to his stomach and turned away from Sienna. He gulped a few times and swallowed, then he guided her to a small pine table for two that was flanked with rickety old captain’s chairs. He smiled and pulled her chair back, but his knees were weak and he felt the urge to gag.
Thankfully, there were two other items on the menu that weren’t seafood: chicken and strip steak. So he ordered the strip steak with steak fries and she ordered the famous lobster roll with a small salad. And when the waitress took their order, Sienna stopped her before she left their table and said, “And please, be careful about cross contamination. He’s highly allergic to seafood and he can’t have it.”
The waitress tilted her head back and said, “I’ll tell the cook.”
The food arrived fast. The island wasn’t crowded with tourists that time of year, and Thursday was typically a slow night. Avenir thought he’d finally adjusted to the foul fish odor, then the waitress placed their meals in front of them. His steak was huge and there was a large portion of fries. But the minute he glanced at Sienna’s lobster roll, his stomach twisted again. If you liked that
sort of thing, it probably was the best in Maine. The toasted bun was huge, and in between there was a thick layer of lobster tail chunks, a few thin leaves of fresh basil, a thick slice of tomato, and a layer of romaine lettuce. You could see that both the top and bottom of the roll had been lathered with a creamy, pink sauce.
Sienna picked up the lobster roll with both hands and said, “The secret is in the sauce. They actually use fish stock to prepare it.” Then she opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into the sandwich.
He forced a smile and gripped his knife and fork. “The steak looks good, too,” he said. Then he sliced into the end of the steak, praying they hadn’t contaminated his food with fish stock.
Food meant nothing to him. So he went through the motions with a polite smile and finished almost everything on his plate. And after a while, he even got used to the smell of the restaurant. Sienna was enjoying her food. She ate with passion and left nothing on her plate. And when she was finished, she wiped the corner of her mouth and said, “You’re going to think I’m a pig eating that huge lobster roll. But I hate when women go out and pretend to pick and shove their food so they’ll look dainty and demure. I like to eat. I like food. And I don’t care who knows it.”
He laughed and said, “Would you like another one?” He was hoping she’d say no, but he would have ordered it if she’d said yes.
She shook her head fast and said, “I’m stuffed. I wish I could eat another one, but I can’t fit anything else.”
While the waitress handed him his credit card, Sienna went to the restroom. He looked down at his hands and they looked normal. He felt his arms and his chest to be sure there weren’t any hives forming. He felt perfectly normal and he didn’t seem to be experiencing an allergic reaction to anything. So he stood from the table and smiled, then he crossed to the front door and waited for her to return. He even stuck his head outside to get some fresh air that didn’t smell like fish. And when she walked over to him at the door, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips. “I like this place,” he said, “We can come back anytime you want.” She’d tasted a little like seafood, but her lips were still as sweet and soft as ever.
