The house was perfect—or could be, with months of work. Walls would have to come down, the kitchen would have to be completely redone, the floors needed sanding and, given the water stains on the peeling wallpaper, a new roof was probably required as well. The window sashes were mushy from dry rot, the doors had swollen with humidity until they scraped the floor, mice droppings were thick in the corners. But all Tess could see was herself, here in the spring, surrounded by trees, living out a Swiss Family Robinson fantasy.
The moment she gave into the dream, she saw it slipping through her fingers. It hurt, wanting something this much, then realizing she could never have it.
“I can’t afford a house in this neighborhood.”
“It’s surprisingly cheap for Roland Park,” Crow said, “because it’s so small and in such bad shape.”
“No bank would give me a loan.”
“They will if you have a cosigner. And when the cosigner’s name is Dick Schiller, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to get money. He said he’d give you a personal loan at market rates, if it came to that.”
She wasn’t ready to give in, not yet. “It needs at least fifty thousand dollars’ worth of work. I don’t have that much cash, and I couldn’t do it myself.”
“I could,” her father said, stepping out of the rear bedroom. “I’m pretty handy, Tesser, in case you didn’t know.”
They eyed each other cautiously. Although they had spoken by phone after Dahlgren’s debacle, making halfhearted apologies and assuring each other there were no hard feelings, they had not seen each other since the night of the house fire. Her father was always at Spike’s place, working, when she stopped by the Catonsville rental that was the Monaghans’ temporary home. He was very busy, her mother assured her, and very happy. Tess had tried hard to believe both things were true.
“I thought you were away for the holidays,” she said, pushing up her sleeves so he might notice the gold watch on her left wrist. She didn’t really like it much—it felt prissy and delicate, after so many years of wearing a man’s Swiss Army wristwatch. But it told the time, it was reliable. If her father wanted to think a watch could make her more of a girly-girl, she was willing to go along with it.
“We were going to Deep Creek Lake, but Crow told me what he was up to when he stopped by the bar this week.”
“Crow was at the bar?”
“He’s a partner.” Her father smiled at her confusion. “Not a full one, just a little piece. He’s going to bring bands in on the weekends. Blues, he says, maybe jazz.”
She should have been pleased, but it unnerved Tess a little, this vast conspiracy to make her happy. She wasn’t comfortable with anything going on behind her back, good or bad.
“So what do you think, Dad? Is this a good investment for a self-employed businesswoman who can’t even get a bank loan on her own?”
“I don’t know what kind of investment it is,” her father said. “As I told you once, I was never much good at figuring out what makes money. A smart man could probably turn a house fire into an opportunity, but all I know how to do is rebuild it and move back in. For you, though—for you, I think it’s a good idea to get out and be on your own. You’re a grown-up, Tesser. You’re capable of making your own decisions.”
“Even if I make the wrong ones, sometimes?”
“Especially when you make the wrong ones.”
Esskay circled the room, a little panicky at the sight of a place with no soft furniture on which to rest. Crow had retreated to the kitchen, where he was opening and closing the cabinets, testing the old-fashioned metal latches, scratching at the decades of paint covering the woodwork. “Pine, I think,” he called out. “Maybe maple.” Patrick stood with his hands in his pockets, studying the neon sign with the sort of baffled expression he had once reserved for Crow. He didn’t understand her, not entirely, Tess realized. He never would. Parents probably never understood their children. That was okay. She didn’t understand him, either.
“I would prefer,” Pat said, his voice a little stiff, as if he expected resistance, “that I be the cosigner on the loan, if you go through with this. I know I’m not a famous billionaire, but I think my credit’s just as good.”
“No, you’re wrong about that,” Tess said, shaking her head.
“What?”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s better. I’d much rather do business with you.”
They shook on it. It was a deal, after all, not a time for hugging.
Favors, Arnie Vasso had once said. Your father knows all about favors. He had meant it as an insult, a sly reference to the corners the Monaghans and Weinsteins cut here and there. Now Tess saw it for the simple truth it was: Her father understood favors. How to do them, how to accept them, how to walk away when the price was too steep. It was a lesson she wouldn’t mind learning someday.
Maybe this was the place to start.
About the Author
LAURA LIPPMAN was a newspaper reporter at the Baltimore Sun for fifteen years. Her Tess Monaghan novels—Baltimore Blues, Charm City, Butchers Hill, In Big Trouble, The Sugar House, and The Last Place—have won the Edgar, Agatha, Shamus, Anthony and Nero Wolfe awards, and her novel, In a Strange City, was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her latest standalone crime novel, Every Secret Thing, was published by William Morrow in September 2003. You can visit her website at www.lauralippman.com.
Praise for LAURA LIPPMAN
and
The Sugar House
“IF YOU’VE MISSED LAURA LIPPMAN’S LIVELY, SMART SERIES…HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO CATCH UP…Lippman’s books have already won the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Shamus Awards. THE SUGAR HOUSE suggests she’d better clear another place on the shelf…Lippman’s love for the city is fierce. The city’s accents, food, politics, and habits are as much a part of her books as is tenacious Tess herself…The heady brew of Baltimore itself, as well as Tess and company, all stirred into action by Lippman’s formidable talent, promises a series to savor for years.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A SOLID AND ENTERTAINING MYSTERY ENRICHED BY LARGER INSIGHTS…displaying a uniqueness of voice and an ability to get to the heart of the human condition…Lippman consistently delivers a multi-layered and meticulously plotted story…The appeal of Lippman’s work lies in the richness of her Baltimore setting, as well as in the deeper themes that run throughout her books…However, [she] never lets these issues interfere with either the story at hand or with her rich characterizations.”
Washington Post Book World
“LAURA LIPPMAN DESERVES TO BE A BIG STAR.”
Julie Smith, author of House of Blues
“[A] SWEET SUCCESS…heartbreaking…engaging characters…While taking a hard look at serious issues, Lippman has sharpened her storytelling, creating a complex plot leavened with generous amounts of humor…With a reporter’s eye, Lippman does an excellent job of portraying the lives of the rich and famous as well as the poor and ignored.”
San Antonio Express-News
“ABSORBING…[a] satisfying complexity of plot and character…Sex and death and civic corruption. Great ingredients for a good story—which THE SUGAR HOUSE unmistakably is—and one that Lippman has Tess piece together beautifully.”
Orlando Sentinel
“TENSE…The oddball Baltimore sensibility in THE SUGAR HOUSE has a gritty charm…Lippman gives every neighborhood a distinct, almost foreign personality [and] Tess seems instantly at home wherever she goes.”
New York Times Book Review
“KINSEY MILHONE, EAT YOUR HEART OUT…Though booksellers are cluttered with novels featuring smart and funny female P.I.s, Tess Monaghan is smarter and funnier than most. And author Laura Lippman, who’s won every major mystery award with her previous Tess books, has produced another winner with THE SUGAR HOUSE.”
Denver Rocky Mountain News
“THE BEST MYSTERY WRITING AROUND…Tess Monaghan, P.I., owns Baltimore the way Spenser owns Beantown�
��She is Charm City personified, sharing a kinship with the toughs of ‘Homicide,’ with the tender heroes of middle-period John Waters…Lippman is a master at baring both the soul and the body politic through the sneaky scrim of the page-turner. She’s also created a heroine who can crack wise about blueberry pie with the best of them.”
Village Voice Literary Supplement
“A WONDERFUL PIECE OF ENGAGED AND ENGAGING WRITING…The friends and family who aid the detective…is one of the most convincing, least sentimentally assembled gangs of accomplices you’ll find in the detective genre.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“DIVERTING BUT NEVER MINDLESS READING…Lippman has won awards, including the Edgar, for books in this series…This acclaim is well-deserved, for the stories are deftly plotted and the characters are well-drawn…THE SUGAR HOUSE is no exception.”
Austin American-Statesman
“TESS MONAGHAN NOT ONLY TRACKS DOWN MURDERERS, SHE CAPTURES THE CITY OF BALTIMORE, AN ALTOGETHER ENDEARING AND PECULIAR PLACE.”
David Simon, author of Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
“LUCKY BALTIMORE TO HAVE SUCH A CHRONICLER AS LAURA LIPPMAN. (And lucky us to have her as a tour guide!) I’m already looking forward to Tess Monaghan’s next adventure.”
Edgar Award-winning author Margaret Maron
“A HEARTY MEAL OF WELL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS AND AN EXPERTLY PLOTTED STORY…In this series, Lippman has delivered sturdy tales, wry humor, and snappy dialogue wrapped around an insider’s view of Baltimore. THE SUGAR HOUSE not only maintains Lippman’s high standards, it propels her to a new level…Lippman’s imaginative plot weaves together such far-flung themes as politics, eating disorders, and family ties in a cohesive tapestry. The author keeps the momentum driving forward as THE SUGAR HOUSE briskly takes hairpin twists and turns…Smart-mouthed and just plain smart, Tess is a heroine with foibles you can laugh at and faults you can forgive because they are so close to your own. Lippman’s keen sense of Baltimore makes Charm City everyone’s hometown…THE SUGAR HOUSE is so finely orchestrated that each clue not only peels away the mystery, but also brings a deeper understanding of the characters. [It] works equally well as a traditional private-eye novel or as a hip, modern novel about contemporary issues.”
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
“THIS ENTERTAINING NOVEL WILL HOLD YOUR INTEREST ALL THE WAY. You’ll enjoy the adventures of Tess Monaghan.”
Nashville Tennessean
“ONE OF THE HOTTEST YOUNG CRIME WRITERS IN PRINT.”
“CBS News Sunday Morning”
“GOOD STUFF…The earlier Tess Monaghan mysteries have been vastly and justly lauded, and I found this one at least as strong and attention devouring as its predecessors. Lots of local color…Lots of sleuthing…If I were you, I’d read it. But then, I already have.”
Baltimore Sun
“FIRST-RATE…[A] justly acclaimed series…Edgar and Anthony winner Lippman…really knows her town.”
Publishers Weekly
“LAURA LIPPMAN IS A TERRIFIC WRITER! As far as I’m concerned, she can’t write fast enough.”
Nationally bestselling author Ridley Pearson
“LIPPMAN’S BREEZY STYLE IS PERFECT FOR THE ANIMATED CHARACTERS WHO INHABIT TESS’ WORLD.”
Newark Star-Ledger
“TESS IS A FEISTY…BUNDLE OF INTELLECT AND MUSCLE, AND IT IS A JOY TO WATCH HER COME ALIVE.”
Washington Times
Books by Laura Lippman
TO THE POWER OF THREE
BY A SPIDER’S THREAD
EVERY SECRET THING
BALTIMORE BLUES
CHARM CITY
BUTCHERS HILL
IN BIG TROUBLE
THE LAST PLACE
THE SUGAR HOUSE
IN A STRANGE CITY
The Sugar House Page 30
